Recovery Meal Plan/grocery List

[NotMollyRingwald]

I’m a mess today *shakes angry fist a gluten* and decided planning for the aftermath of this gluten challenge would be a positive coping mechanism (vs. screaming, kicking, and/or cursing).   
 

I’d really like your suggestions/advice on my recovery food plan.   First couple days I’m going to focus on liquids…I’m thinking smooties, broth soup, maybe some juice, coconut water, and then just water, water, and more water.  After that, fresh whole foods (dairy free), and try to stay away from anything processed, for as long as I can hack it.  Here’s my list so far:

 

steamed/roasted veggies (are there any I should focus on or stay away from?)

avacado
berries
banana
fruit smoothie 
baked sweet potato w/a little coconut butter or olive oil
steamed rice

rice cooked in coconut milk
grilled or baked chicken breasts/tenderloins
grilled or baked cod
grilled or baked ground beef
chicken eggs
 

Are any of the above a bad idea?  Anything you would add to this list? Also, I take my lunch to work everyday, and only have a microwave for warmups, any recommendations? 

 

As I mentioned, I’m feeling rather dumpy today, so I have to admit it’s possible I’m taking this plan to an unnecessary extreme  …I’m open to constructive criticism and appreciate any/all suggestions and personal experiences.  

 

 

 

 

[NotMollyRingwald]

p.s. any recommendations for making chicken taste good in a safe way?? homemade sauce, herbs, etc that would be ok??

[Nikki2777]

Can you marinate chicken in gluten-free Soy Sauce and OJ?

[bartfull]

If you boil the chicken it will be easier to digest. Then you will also be making broth.  Sage is good with chicken. Rosemary is too. When I use rosemary I don't want those little twigs in my food so I put it in a tea ball and hang it over the side of the pot. That way it gets boiled and releases the flavor but I can just throw the twigs away.

 

I'm proud of that. I can't cook, but I came up with that idea on my own.

[Marilyn R]

Pesto is great with hot or cold chicken ... and you can make pesto dairy free.  

 

Your plan looks sound.  You might want to add some safe nuts for snacks when your energy is lagging.

 

As for the shared microwave at work, you might want to put a coffee filter or paper towel over your food before warming it up,     but I could just be paranoid.

[GFinDC]

How about salt,, pepper and garlic powder on the chicken?  Throw on some herbs if you like.

[NotMollyRingwald]

If you boil the chicken it will be easier to digest. Then you will also be making broth. Sage is good with chicken. Rosemary is too. When I use rosemary I don't want those little twigs in my food so I put it in a tea ball and hang it over the side of the pot. That way it gets boiled and releases the flavor but I can just throw the twigs away.

I'm proud of that. I can't cook, but I came up with that idea on my own.

Great idea, Bartfull! I'm not a fan of the twigs, either.

[NotMollyRingwald]

Pesto is great with hot or cold chicken ... and you can make pesto dairy free.

Your plan looks sound. You might want to add some safe nuts for snacks when your energy is lagging.

As for the shared microwave at work, you might want to put a coffee filter or paper towel over your food before warming it up, but I could just be paranoid.

Would u happen to have a recipe for the pesto??

I'm "paranoid" too, and always cover my food when I reheat at work. Lol I usually stick w/ salads in the summer (to avoid the microwave all together), but am thinking I better avoid raw spinach/romain for awhile. :/

[karichelle]

The more you are able to prepare ahead of time, the easier it will be. Stock your fridge with things that will be easy to grab and reheat -- think creating your own convenience meals in Ziploc containers or the glass ones with the snap-on lids that I see at TJ Maxx and Homegoods all the time.

 

Take a day when you feel good and do a "big cook" and then you won't have to worry about it for several days after that.

[NotMollyRingwald]

The more you are able to prepare ahead of time, the easier it will be. Stock your fridge with things that will be easy to grab and reheat -- think creating your own convenience meals in Ziploc containers or the glass ones with the snap-on lids that I see at TJ Maxx and Homegoods all the time.

Take a day when you feel good and do a "big cook" and then you won't have to worry about it for several days after that.

I love this idea, thanks!

[stanleymonkey]

Steamed chicken with salt pepper and a slice of ginger on top. You could try congee, it would be a good food to try for the first few days off the evil stuff! You can make a huge pot of it, and it freezes well, and is so easy to warm up. Add whatever meat and veg you want to make it a full meal. My MIL swears by congee for everything from a cold, to recovering from surgery.

[Ksee]

You can do this in the oven or on the stove top. Put your veggies in an oven safe dish or small skillet, top with the spices you like and a couple of tablespoons of a good fat like olive oil (unless someone posts it can be a problem I haven't heard about). You can add about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of the above mentioned chicken broth and cook at 350 degrees or on low for 35 to 40 minutes. Put it on a bed of rice and your chicken can go on the side or in the middle.

I get summer squash, onion, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and such in season or frozen "stir fry" veggies.

I don't buy tomato sauces but put a couple of chopped tomatoes and half a chopped onion in a pan with whatever spices I'm in the mood for. I love tomato but prepared sauces upset my stomach.

Oh dear, I think I'm hungry now.

[Marilyn R]

Would u happen to have a recipe for the pesto??

I'm "paranoid" too, and always cover my food when I reheat at work. Lol I usually stick w/ salads in the summer (to avoid the microwave all together), but am thinking I better avoid raw spinach/romain for awhile. :/

 

Here's one, and feel free to improvise,,,

 

2 cups fresh basil leaves.

3 T fresh oregano leaves

2 med. sized garlic cloves

1/4 c, walnuts

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

 

Combine the basil, oregano, garlic and walnuts in a food processor or blender.  Process to mix.  With the machine running slowly, add the olive oil.  Season to taste with S&P.

 

When I couldn't tolerate nuts or dairy, it was still good (even without the oregano, or using dried oregano),  And I only have one of those mini food processors.  A mortar and pestle could work too, but that's quite a bit of work.

 

You can do basil and mint, basil and watercress...all kinds of combos.  And if you make soup with your leftover chicken, your leftover pesto makes it tasty!

[june27]

I am also a big fan of making large amounts on the weekends - if you have the time/energy....

 

Have you tried roasting a chicken?  The amount of prep time is minimal, and you end up with some good tasting bird.  I use olive oil, salt and pepper, and maybe some poultry seasoning, and throw some garlic inside the cavity.  I found information online the first time I did this last year.  I am happy to send you along the site if you need information (I don't have it with me on my work computer, or I would paste the link here).  Once the bird is done, if you are feeling ambitious, you can even boil the carcass and get some good chicken stock (for broth, soup, or just to cook your rice in).  I often throw in some carrots, onions, and leeks to make a soup, but if you are trying to keep it simple, they are not necessary.  Some nice greens (spinach, kale) would be a nice addition too. 

 

Now that it is getting warmer outside, I like to cook all of my veggies on the grill.  I have one of those 'baskets' that you can put on the grill.  You can get them at target, and they are super handy.  Just chop up some veggies, and throw them in with olive oil and some seasoning (salt and pepper, or grated ginger, or basil, or cayenne pepper once your tummy is feeling better).  You can even throw in some parboiled sweet potatoes - I find that parboiling them makes them cook in a reasonable time.  

 

Here's another recipe that I have only made with regular potatoes, but I'm sure it would be good with sweet potatoes instead:

Put in aluminum foil:  sliced potatoes, sliced onions, pepper strips, olive oil (I used to use cheese as well, but am dairy free now, so I don't include it), dill (or other spice of your liking).  Wrap up and seal so everything is fully enclosed.  I usually put another piece of foil around everything as well, to make sure everything stays in there.  Cook on covered grill - maybe 40 minutes until potatoes are done.  The veggies end up steaming and soft - unlike the basket that allows you to get them crispier.  

[NotMollyRingwald]

Here's one, and feel free to improvise,,,

2 cups fresh basil leaves.

3 T fresh oregano leaves

2 med. sized garlic cloves

1/4 c, walnuts

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Combine the basil, oregano, garlic and walnuts in a food processor or blender. Process to mix. With the machine running slowly, add the olive oil. Season to taste with S&P.

When I couldn't tolerate nuts or dairy, it was still good (even without the oregano, or using dried oregano), And I only have one of those mini food processors. A mortar and pestle could work too, but that's quite a bit of work.

You can do basil and mint, basil and watercress...all kinds of combos. And if you make soup with your leftover chicken, your leftover pesto makes it tasty!

Lovely, simple and I already have a small food processor. Thank you!!

[NotMollyRingwald]

I am also a big fan of making large amounts on the weekends - if you have the time/energy....

Have you tried roasting a chicken? The amount of prep time is minimal, and you end up with some good tasting bird. I use olive oil, salt and pepper, and maybe some poultry seasoning, and throw some garlic inside the cavity. I found information online the first time I did this last year. I am happy to send you along the site if you need information (I don't have it with me on my work computer, or I would paste the link here). Once the bird is done, if you are feeling ambitious, you can even boil the carcass and get some good chicken stock (for broth, soup, or just to cook your rice in). I often throw in some carrots, onions, and leeks to make a soup, but if you are trying to keep it simple, they are not necessary. Some nice greens (spinach, kale) would be a nice addition too.

Now that it is getting warmer outside, I like to cook all of my veggies on the grill. I have one of those 'baskets' that you can put on the grill. You can get them at target, and they are super handy. Just chop up some veggies, and throw them in with olive oil and some seasoning (salt and pepper, or grated ginger, or basil, or cayenne pepper once your tummy is feeling better). You can even throw in some parboiled sweet potatoes - I find that parboiling them makes them cook in a reasonable time.

Here's another recipe that I have only made with regular potatoes, but I'm sure it would be good with sweet potatoes instead:

Put in aluminum foil: sliced potatoes, sliced onions, pepper strips, olive oil (I used to use cheese as well, but am dairy free now, so I don't include it), dill (or other spice of your liking). Wrap up and seal so everything is fully enclosed. I usually put another piece of foil around everything as well, to make sure everything stays in there. Cook on covered grill - maybe 40 minutes until potatoes are done. The veggies end up steaming and soft - unlike the basket that allows you to get them crispier.

Thanks for the great info and ideas! I just remembered I have a whole chicken in my deep freeze that could be roasted as you suggested. Think it would work in the crockpot? Grilled veggies would be great to, although I just realized we will need to replace the grill grates..pretty sure there has been gluten filled spices on it.

[Marilyn R]

You're right, it would be good to replace the grates.  Until you replace them, you can use foil.  Butternut squash is really good when it's roasted.  It's easier to peel if you microwave the whole squash for a minute.  Then  peel it, cut it up in chunks.    The chunks are good grilled in foil packages with sliced onion and olive oil with s&p.  The leftovers reheat well in a microwave.

 

P,S.  Birds love the seeds, and an ice cream scoop works well to scoop them out,

[june27]

I have not done a whole chicken in a crockpot, but I don't see what it wouldn't work.  Good luck!

[BabsV]

I cook whole chickens in the crock pot all the time. I put them in first thing in the morning and let them go all day -- you don't need to add liquid because you'll get that from the chicken. You won't have the lovely brown skin but the chicken is cooked, often the meat almost falls off the bone which is fine by me.

 

What I usually do is cook the chicken all day, remove/carve/serve for dinner and then return the carcass to the same crockpot (I use my BIG one...I think it is 6 quarts...and I don't wash it between cooking the chicken and putting the broth in -- it is usually only an hour tops before it is filled and turned back on and this method hasn't made me sick yet!) then add the standard onion, celery, garlic and carrot medley after browning it in a little olive oil. Throw in some sea salt and bay leaves plus any other herbs I have on hand, pour in water up to near the top and set it to LOW all night. No muss, fuss or bother and you've got gorgeous broth in the morning. I usually strain it out and set it in the fridge -- then when I'm back home I measure it out into smaller containers (1C, 2C and 4C since those are the amounts I use most of the time for different recipes.)

 

Crockpot 365 has loads of crock pot recipes and the author is not keen on anything that requires a lot of prep so most are fast and easy.

[NotMollyRingwald]

I cook whole chickens in the crock pot all the time. I put them in first thing in the morning and let them go all day -- you don't need to add liquid because you'll get that from the chicken. You won't have the lovely brown skin but the chicken is cooked, often the meat almost falls off the bone which is fine by me.

What I usually do is cook the chicken all day, remove/carve/serve for dinner and then return the carcass to the same crockpot (I use my BIG one...I think it is 6 quarts...and I don't wash it between cooking the chicken and putting the broth in -- it is usually only an hour tops before it is filled and turned back on and this method hasn't made me sick yet!) then add the standard onion, celery, garlic and carrot medley after browning it in a little olive oil. Throw in some sea salt and bay leaves plus any other herbs I have on hand, pour in water up to near the top and set it to LOW all night. No muss, fuss or bother and you've got gorgeous broth in the morning. I usually strain it out and set it in the fridge -- then when I'm back home I measure it out into smaller containers (1C, 2C and 4C since those are the amounts I use most of the time for different recipes.)

Crockpot 365 has loads of crock pot recipes and the author is not keen on anything that requires a lot of prep so most are fast and easy.

Great timing, Babsv, I was planning to cook my chicken tomorrow and was just starting to wonder, "how should I do this?" Sounds like you have a tried & true system. Sounds perfect to me.