Tried a great new recipe tonight: Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter. This was really good even though it did seem a bit odd when making it. The chicken is done with a mixture that includes cinnamon, chili powder and cocoa powder; but it was great. No flavors were overpowering and they all worked very well together. I substituted the brown sugar for honey to stick to real food rules. The lime butter is very nice as well but it isn't really needed for the chicken; the chicken was great as is :) We used the lime butter as a dipping sauce instead of pouring it over the chicken, as we were unsure how it would all work together. We served it with grilled veggies; yummy.
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So, during week 6 of eating no gluten I ate some gluten. During the weekend we had Rupert's sandwiches....twice. Had one on Saturday and then again on Sunday, and they were soooooo good. That was it though, everything else remained gluten-free. Not a lot of meals to speak of during the end of this week since I had a wisdom tooth extracted a couple of days ago so I have been pretty much living off eggs, tea, soup, a little pasta and ice cream.
Here were some of the meals from this past week. Some great ones were already posted about earlier: Mallard Cottage brunch and The Merchant Tavern dinner :) Made a great meal at home last night. We had Ribs, Garlic Mashed Potato with Cheese and grilled corn on the cob :) I used this rib recipe for the dry rub and cooking instructions. I made BBQ Sauce for them and we finished them on the grill :) Extra yummy. For the Garlic Mashed Potatoes we simply mashed boiled yellow potatoes with lots of butter, some salt & pepper and chives. Added some chopped roasted garlic. Placed in an oiled casserole dish and topped with cheddar cheese. Broiled until hot and browned; top with more chives. The corn was rubbed with olive oil, seasoned with salt & pepper and simply grilled. Dessert was some fresh strawberries, topped with homemade Chocolate. Let them harden in the fridge and then topped them with homemade whipped cream with a little vanilla and maple syrup; delicious and so easy :)
We tried The Merchant Tavern last night and we were blown away :) The food and service are fantastic. First, I recommend reservations. We booked weeks ahead and we still had limited options for seating times. We have heard a lot of great comments regarding this restaurant and it is still fairly new; we really wanted to check it out. Second the service was wonderful. Our waitress was great and very helpful regarding my gluten-free needs. I also love it when water is placed on your table instead of having to wait for glass refills. I tend to drink a lot of water and often end up waiting with an empty glass. Not here, they give you a large bottle on the table :) Third, the food. This was one of the best meals I have had in St. John's in years. We were extremely pleased with the food we ordered and the quality. I started with the Organic Farm Lettuces (Beet Salad), which you may think is just a salad, but it was one of the best beet salads I have eaten :) So simple but so tasty. If you are wondering from the pic below, the beets and cheese are hiding on the bottom :) Hubby's app was their Charcuterie plate for one. I am starting to see a trend with Hubby's choices as I blog; lots of meat options lately :) He thought this was excellent. Our mains were the Roast Organic Chicken Breast (mine) and Casarecce Ragu. I thought the chicken was fabulous, the sauce was delicious; and Hubby loved his pasta. He said it was on-par with the pastas he had in Italy last year :) I also had a couple of great drinks. The Eastsider and a French 75. Both were great :) We even finished with a dessert (to split) and decaf cappuccinos. Again the dessert was great and the cappuccinos were just as good as those in Italy. The dessert was the Chocolate Mousse as it was a gluten-free option and sounded heavenly. It did not disappoint :) This is a place we are so looking forward to going back to again :) My birthday is in October, think I will be planning a group birthday dinner there :)
We have been meaning to try Mallard Cottage and just haven't gotten around to it until this week. We tried to drop by last Sunday but without a reservation we had no luck :( Made brunch reservations for Thursday (reserve early as this had limited seating left as well). All I can say is Wow! Fantastic food! I ordered a Breakfast Hash with Salt Beef; this was fabulous. I also ordered a side of bacon, as I have an addiction to bacon, but this meal did not need it. It was great as is. Hubby ordered the Meat & Eggs, which he loved as well; but come on who doesn't love meat and eggs right :) His was scrambled eggs with two kinds of bacon and sausage and a side of toast (he's having a little bread withdrawal with me not eating gluten). Very nice touch to see the flowers that garnish the meals being clipped from their garden while we sat :) They also have a cake table option for $10. This looked heavenly but when trying to eliminate gluten it's just not possible :( We will definitely be going back here for brunch again and are planning to try a dinner there real soon :)
Still following the gluten-free diet (mainly grain-free); it's been 5 weeks now. Feeling better but still not great and no weight loss to speak of but still sticking to it. Still awaiting blood work results as well to see if I have any other food problems. Even though we are eating gluten-free it doesn't have to be a bad thing. We are still eating out at restaurants and making great meals at home. We simply eat a lot more meat and veggie meals instead of carb-rich ones. Had some great breakfasts this week as Hubby is off on holidays so having more cooked breakfasts instead of simply Paleo Granola. Also had some good lunches. Most were defrosting leftovers from the freezer, but still good :) Found some good sausages at the grocery story that don't have any artificial additives or gluten. We grilled them with pineapple; yummy. We also had lunch at Blue on Water (the bar area) one day. It was good but not my favorite. I tried the Split Pea Fries; they were different but good, and I had the chowder which was ok. Dinners were a lot of meat and veggies. Had a lot of grilled as well since Hubby is off and cooking more :) Had grilled pork chops and grilled tenderloin and grilled bison burgers this past week :) Also had a great meal out at Saltwater as I posted previously. Finally was some leftover Pulled Pork (from the freezer) with baked potatoes and veggies; still delicious :)
Went to Saltwater last night with a couple of friends :) This is one of my favorite restaurants and still is; the service and food was wonderful :) I am still gluten-free and they are always so understanding and accommodating. Another of our group has an almond allergy, and again, no problems. They actually said they don't regularly use nuts in their dishes due to the number of people with nut allergies now. To start I had the Beet Salad; very yummy. I have tried it before and it's always delicious. Everyone else at the table had the Seafood Chowder which is amazing, but unfortunately for me it isn't gluten-free :( For a main I actually ordered the Rib Eye Steak; a huge meal for me; and ended up bringing have the steak home :) It was really good though. The Cheddar & Bacon Rosti as a side was delicious; who doesn't love potatoes and bacon? It also had mushrooms & onions, and asparagus. Hubby ordered the Seafood Pasta and said it was excellent. I couldn't try it due to the gluten filled pasta, sigh, stupid gluten. We even had dessert :) We split a piece of Flour-less Chocolate Torte; so yummy, and gluten-free; Yay!!!!!
This week will be a little different food-wise as Hubby is taking a week's holidays but we are staying home; so I guess we are having a stay-cation. The weather has been excellent so far and looks pretty good for the rest of the week. Since we are having a mini vacation I am not cooking nearly as much and we are eating out much more often. I am still eating gluten-free though.
Tonight's dinner was cooked at home. We had grilled beef tenderloin and Baked Zucchini, Squash & Tomato. This baked veggie dish is a new favorite; I am loving it. Tonight I didn't even use the onion as a base. I simply sliced zucchini, squash & tomato; layered in olive oil greased dish and topped with more olive oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper, and Herbs de Provence. I also topped with the goat cheese halfway through as in the recipe; the goat cheese makes this dish for me :) It's delicious :) Watched another food documentary this weekend; "That Sugar Film". This was a great and very informative movie. I would recommend it to anyone who is concerned about their health or concerned about their children's health. There are so many foods out there that most people assume are healthy and therefore eat it and feed it to their children; thinking they are doing a good thing; when they are in fact doing the opposite. It is really sad to see how much added sugar is in foods today and how many of these foods are staples in many peoples grocery carts.
I have stuck with a gluten-free diet for a month :) It has been hard and I have considered giving up several times. I have eliminated all grains, except corn. I admit I am feeling much better most days but still not great. Today I had a blood test to help determine which foods I may have sensitivities to; in addition to the gluten. Until I get my results I will still eliminate gluten. Also, I tend not to eat the various gluten-free packaged products that are available since I still try to follow real food and many have questionable ingredients.
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AuthorMy name is Michelle and I am tired of struggling with my weight. I am stopping the struggle. Archives
September 2020
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