Evening Out

Tonight I had dinner with my two visiting friends and Tim at Buffalo Wild Wings. I called yesterday to be sure that they had gluten free options. I spoke with Kirk and he was very helpful. He informed me that they did have many wheat free selections. I don't know if I impressed upon him the importance of the gluten free diet, but I felt comfortable enough to go tonight to see what I could find.

I started dinner with some super scrumptious buffalo wings with their "medium" buffalo sauce. It was still pretty spicy, but oh so vinegary just like I like it! Kirk had read the sauce label for me yesterday, so I knew it was safe. For my entree I had the Grilled Chicken Breast "sandwich" with no bun and no seasoning. Again, I had the medium buffalo sauce. Along with my side salad (substituted for fries for an extra $1), it was a good meal. I really enjoyed my night out.

Now I know that I want this blog to focus on eating gf on a budget. Going out to eat twice in a week is not a regular occurance for us. We did have a gift card that covered Famous Dave's, so that was "frugal." Tonight we wanted to go out since we have company over. I'll try to post more fragal-ly next week!

Guacamole!

Our friends are here to visit for the weekend. We had a great taco salad for dinner. I just use an Ortega taco seasoning packet and a pound of ground turkey. I do make my own guacamole, though, and it is mouthwateringly good! It's a simple recipe; I don't put in onions and tomatoes and all the other bells and whistles. Here's what I do

Sarah's Guacamole

1 medium avacado, not too mushy, but not too hard

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

fresh ground pepper

lime juice to taste

hot sauce (optional, I like Franks)

Mash up the avacado with a potato masher. Add the olive oil and mix. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix.

Enjoy!

Crazy Wednesday Dinner

Here's a snapshot of my dinner tonight.

Wednesdays are crazy days for us. My husband gets home around 5:45 and we have to be at church by 6:30. I try to have dinner ready and waiting, we scarf it down, and then head off to church.

Tonight we had Chicken Egg Drop Soup. Last week I made a huge pot of Chicken Rice Soup. I just used chicken broth from ALDI, which is exceptionally tasty by the way, some fresh carrots, celery, and onions, and frozen corn. After I simmered the fresh veggies in the broth until they started to get tender, I added the frozen corn and some chicken I had baked up earlier. I added cooked rice at the last minute. After bringing some to two different friends, we still had a lot left!

Today I brought the leftover soup up to a boil and slowly poured in 2 beaten eggs while stirring. And, voila! We have Egg Drop Soup! I made up some grilled cheese (yummy), and served the soup and sandwich with corn chips, apples, and veronica dip.

Veronica Dip

Here's a nice gluten free fruit dip that is super easy to make and not all that bad for you!

Veronica:

2 parts sour cream
1 part brown sugar

Mix the sour cream and brown sugar together until creamy. Serve with fruit slices or pour over fruit to make creamy fruit salad.

Menu for the Week

We're having some friends come over to stay this weekend, which we're very much looking forward to. Of course that means that we have to plan for extra large meals and special snacks. Here's our weekly dinner menu:

• Wednesday - Chicken Egg Drop Soup and Grilled Sandwiches
• Thursday - Taco Salad
• Friday - Eat out at Buffalo Wild Wings (Yeah!)
• Saturday lunch - Spaghetti (aka rice noodles) with Meat Sauce
• Saturday dinner - Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole
• Sunday - Mac'n'Cheese for Tim and Rice Noodles for me
• Monday - Tortilla Pepperoni Pizzas
• Tuesday - Veggie Stirfry

Of course, this menu can be fairly fluid in nature. We try to stick to it, but at times we'll deviate. We shopped at ALDI, Hy-Vee, and Wal-Mart. We spent a total of just over $60. That included luandy detergent, rice flour, and a few extra snacks.

We might go grocery shopping again next Tuesday, or else we'll just eat from the cupboard until the weekend. I'll share some pictures of our meals throughout the week.

Famous Dave's

Well, tonight we went to Famous Dave's for dinner. It was very tasty, let me tell ya! I called ahead to be sure that they could accommodate a gluten free diet. They were a bit brusque on the phone, but they assured me that the manager would be able to help me when I came in.

I asked our waitress, DeNicca, about the gluten free options. She was very nice and told me that she'd have the manager look them up for me. A few minutes later the manager came out and gave me a print out of some of the menu items with their ingredient lists and common allergens. He said that when I put in my order, he would go back to the kitchen to ensure that it was gluten free for me. I thought that was a very nice gesture on his part.

I ordered the baked chicken with corn on the cob and fries. Of course, to be truly gluten free, I probably should not have ordered fries. I just couldn't resist myself, though. I love those thick cut fries! Luckily they don't seem to bother me.

All in all, my hubby and I had a great experience at Famous Dave's. The food was great and the staff were helpful and polite.