Two simple cheat meals: tapas and salsa chicken

I admire domestic divas.

But I am not one.

Well, I was before I had Jeremy. (But does that even count?) Our home was immaculate. You could eat a meal off my kitchen counters. Our bathroom sparkled. Our floors sang arias. And I resolved to not live in a cluttered mess when I had kids.

Just one kid. 

That's all it took. (Okay, and some pretty crazy sickness too.) But my home, small as it is, gives birth to clutter every night while I'm sleeping. Actually, I should make a few more confessions here....

1. I've used my Crockpot so many times, it groans with angst when I eye it in the morning.
2. Sometimes it's hard to tell the dirty laundry pile from the clean, which is important, because that's where we go looking for our new day's outfit.
3. I often tackle impressive odd jobs, like thoroughly cleaning the box fan and vacuuming hidden recesses and corners with the long hose, in an effort to feel like I'm not completely out of control. Which I am. Last week I found enough snack crumbs under the couch to feed our family for a week. If you come to visit, I'd love to show you my beautifully organized junk drawer in the kitchen, but please don't ask to use the bathroom.
4. I cook like I do for two reasons: (1) it's therapeutic and relaxing and creative; and (2) I have to. Food allergies are our present reality. Oh, and have I mentioned that my 15-month-old eats like a teenage boy? He eats constantly. So sometimes, after days of busting out high-protein omega-3 muffins for breakfast, and multiple healthy snacks, and well-balanced lunches, and two different nutritious dinners (for adults and toddler), I just want to do....

SIMPLE.

Which these two recipes are. Something that doesn't take a lot of prep and dirty every dish in the kitchen. I mean, it doesn't get easier than this....

The first recipe is "creatively simple." The second recipe is just plain ol' ridiculously simple. Hope one (or both) helps you swing dinner on a day when you already have too much on your plate.

{Pun intended.}

Simple-but-fancy Cheat Meal #1: Tapas

Eddie and I ate Spanish tapas on our honeymoon in Napa, and I fell in love. (Well, a superficial foodie kind of love. Not the indescribable love I have for my husband. But I've already told you about that here.) For our second wedding anniversary, I recreated the meal with very little effort. Trader Joe's has such fun dips and sauces and finger foods (usually not within my grocery budget, but remember, this is a cheat meal!), that it was both fun and simple to pull this off.

I used a variety of mismatching plates and bowls to show off the dips and sauces (hummus, gazpacho), garbanzo bean salad, cocktail shrimp, chicken bites, green olives, cheese and flat bread (for my hubby), gluten-free toast for me, and so on.

The only thing I put effort into was the bacon-wrapped asparagus, but that was to dress up the simplicity a bit. (And if you've done bacon-wrapped asparagus, you know it's pretty darn simple too.) I would have skipped this if it hadn't been a special occasion.

The evening was a blast. Eddie raved over the variety and presentation, and we lingered and dipped and stuffed ourselves silly. 

Simple-and-not-fancy-at-all Cheat Meal #2: Chicken with salsa

Yep. That's it. It's all in the name: I throw in whatever frozen chicken I have on hand (thighs seem to do best, plus they're cheaper) and a small jar of salsa, and set the Crock Pot to low for several hours.

Nope. I don't even have a picture for you because... who would take a picture of this anyway? However, un-photogenic as the recipe might be, it tastes amazing.

And it gives me a little more time for something else, namely a cute little someone else. So much of my first 15 months of motherhood have been spent learning how to give up tasks so I can spend time with my little man--who won't be little for very long.

It's easy to get our priorities wrong, isn't it?

And so the quest for simplifying life continues....

Our favorite homemade granola

Shortly after we married, Eddie and I became addicted to this granola. I wish I could remember where I found the original recipe, but I adapted it for our diet: took out the brown sugar and added agave/honey, used coconut oil, and upped the vanilla. I introduced it to Jeremy this morning.

Um, he's a fan...

Homemade Granola

Ingredients

2 cups oats (regular or gluten-free)

1 cup other ingredients (I've used flax seed, chopped pecans, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, and unsweetened coconut flakes)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup agave or pure Grade A maple syrup 

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring (optional)

dried fruit (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 275.

Mix dry ingredients together.

On stovetop, bring liquids to a simmer, then pour into dry ingredients and stir.

Spread onto baking sheet and bake approximately 35 minutes, checking and stirring every 10-15 minutes. (If you have dried fruit, don't add it till the last 15 minutes.)

Let cool, then store in an airtight container.

Cranberry sauce with agave

The holidays present a unique challenge for eaters like us, don't they? How in the world do you recreate pumpkin pie without using condensed milk and flour; stuffing without bread crumbs; or cranberry sauce without gobs of sugar?!

Leave it to my man—he tracked down an irresistible cranberry sauce that not only impressed me, but also had the "normal eaters" in my family raving. Thanks to Amy's Food Room for this keeper!

Cranberry Sauce with Agave

makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 12 ounce bag fresh, whole cranberries

2/3 cup agave nectar

1/3 cup orange juice

1 cinnamon stick (2 - 3 inches)

6 black peppercorns

4 whole cloves

3 whole allspice

Directions

1. Rinse cranberries and put in medium saucepan. Add agave nectar, orange juice, and cinnamon stick.

2. Place peppercorns, cloves and allspice in a small square of cheesecloth, bundle it up and tie securely with kitchen twine. Trim excess cheesecloth and add bundle to pan of cranberries.

3. Bring cranberry mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring often for 15-20 minutes, until cranberries have broken down and mixture is syrupy.

4. Remove and discard cinnamon stick and peppercorn bag. Store cranberry sauce in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Ten healthy treats for right around $10

For the week leading up to my wedding in August 2010, my sweet friend Noel Quinnelly created a large gift basket of gluten-free, dairy-free treats for me and my bridesmaids (a couple of whom share my same allergies). It will always go down as one of the best gifts I've ever received. It was thoughtful, it ensured that I ate during that crazy-busy week, and it was FUN.

I've had multiple people ask me, "What can I cook for my gluten-free [friend/family member]?" Inspired by Noel and these questions, I've brainstormed some ideas for treats, dinners, and groceries that you can gift your gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free friends: for the holidays, a birthday, a wedding week, a mom-with-new-baby, or just for fun!

Ten healthy treats for right around $10

1. Small tin of raw cocoa/cacao, carton of almond milk, small jar of honey (hot cocoa fix!)
2. Bottle of sparkling water and a lime; can of Zevia; bag of Teeccino (fun drinks!)
3. Fruit basket with small carton of almond-milk yogurt for dipping
4. Veggie basket: snap peas, carrots, celery, cucumber, etc.
5. Gluten-free, juice-sweetened loaf of bread, jar of all-fruit jam, tea bags (toast and tea time!)
6. Can of black beans, jar of salsa (no sugar), ground turkey, romaine lettuce, brown rice tortillas
7. Bag of frozen chicken, bag of frozen veggies
8. Freeze-dried fruits and a nut mix
9. Bag of gluten-free pasta ($2 at Trader Joe's) and a jar of pasta sauce (without cheese or sugar)
10. Bag of gluten-free oats; raisins, pecans, and an apple (happy breakfast!)

I'd love your ideas too! What are the best treats and meals you've given and received?

Gluten-free corn dog muffins and coconut fish sticks

This dinner made me feel like a little kid again. Corn dogs and fish sticks! I'm in love with the batter recipe from Tasty Kitchen, and the muffin idea came out of necessity—I didn't have time for sticks and battering (as you know, gluten-free dough can be a mess to work with), so dumping the dogs and batter into muffin tins was the perfect solution. Upon inhaling my fifth (yes, that's five) muffins, I asked my husband to stop me from eating any more.

These are that good.

I just wish my photography was that good. (Bear with me. I'm learning.)

The cod fish sticks were a simple experiment that fell short of perfection only in that they lacked a good douse of coconut oil, which I'll happily add next time around. If you like experimenting in the kitchen, or have allergies to coconut or almonds, I'm sure there are endless options for the breading (crushed corn flakes, minced pecans-and-dates, oats whirled in the food processor, ground flax seed, etc.). This is the only one I can vouch for, however, and it is a taste treat!

Without further adieu, here are the feel-like-a-kid-again (but healthy!) recipes...

Corn Dog Muffins

Ingredients

¼ cups canola or vegetable oil

4 chicken hot dogs

¼ cups plain almond milk (or your choice of milk)

¼ teaspoons distilled white vinegar

1½ cup blanched almond flour

¾ cups tapioca flour

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons agave

2 whole eggs

½ cups warm water plus up to 1/4 cup if needed

½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Lightly oil a muffin tin and preheat oven to 350. Cut up chicken hot dogs into bite-sized chunks.

Mix together the almond milk and vinegar; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients: almond flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients: agave nectar, eggs, buttermilk mixture, 1/2 cup of water, and vanilla.

Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing well. Add an additional 1/8 cup of warm water at a time if the batter needs to be thinned out more.

Fill each muffin tin half full of batter, then drop in two to three hot dog pieces. Cover with a dollop more of batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown (and an inserted toothpick comes out clean).

Yields: 12 muffins

Coconut Cod Fish Sticks

Ingredients

3-4 medium filets of cod (I buy the frozen wild caught cod at Trader Joe's)

2 eggs

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup almond flour

salt/pepper

Directions

Oil a small casserole dish and preheat oven to 350.

In Ziploc bag, combine coconut, almond flour, salt and pepper. (I threw in about 1/2 teaspoon salt and even less of pepper.)

Pat filets dry. Lightly beat eggs in shallow dish. Coat filets with egg, then place in baggy. Shake gently till evenly coated.

Lay filets in casserole dish and sprinkle any remnants in bag over the filets. Bake for 20-25 minutes (depending upon how thick your filets are).

Serves: 2-4