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Gluten Free Friday ~ 7 Day Dinner Plan

Photo by Derf @ Food.com

Still settling in here after our return from sabbatical.  Only three containers left to unpack!  This afternoon, as I was preparing pizza and salad for dinner, I was dismayed to discover that I left my Pampered Chef pizza stone in the kitchen of our sabbatical rent house in Austin.  Boo Hoo!  No one is renting the house yet, so I think we can still have someone retrieve it for us before long.

I will still post about the rest of our trip to Disney World soon, but thought I would give you the rest of the 7 day meal plan from Health magazine tonight, which are the dinners. Again, these are good-for-the-gut-bloat-reducing meals, with things like parsley which is a natural diuretic. Oh, and these are one serving meals, so if you’re serving a family, you’ll need to multiply.

Day 1: Arugula Salad Pizza
1 GF brown rice wrap
2 tsp pesto (homemade or bottled)
2 cups arugula (or spinach, or a combo of both)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp pine nuts
1/4 cup navy beans
1 tsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 tsp red wine vinegar

Toast or broil the wrap, spread with pesto. Toss together arugula, tomatoes, pine nuts, navy beans, olive oil, and lemon juice/vinegar.  Top the toasted wrap and pesto with the salad.

Day 2: Broiled Salmon, Asparagus, and Quinoa
10 asparagus spears
1 4 oz salmon filet
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup water
lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Brush salmon and asparagus with olive oil, and broil for 15-20 minutes. Rinse quinoa, and cook in water for 10-15 minutes. Drizzle everything with lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Day 3: Grilled Veggie & Herbed Goat Cheese Sandwich
3 slices eggplant
1/2 red bell pepper
1 tsp olive oil
4 Tbsp herbed goat cheese
1 GF roll, or 2 pieces GF sandwich bread

Brush eggplant slices and red pepper with olive oil.  Place on a hot grill pan, skillet, or panini grill, and  cook until tender. Spread goat cheese on GF roll or bread slices, add grilled veggies to make a sandwich.

Day 4: Pesto Pasta
1/2 cup dry GF penne pasta
1 small zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup canned chickpeas
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp pesto, bottled or homemade
1 Tbsp pine nuts
3 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Cook pasta according to directions.  Sauté zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, and chickpeas in olive oil until zucchini is crisp-tender. Toss cooked pasta with pesto, and then toss in the veggies.

Day 5: Chicken with Broccoli & Nutty Brown Rice
1 small chicken breast, chopped or sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
1 garlic clove
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp chopped almonds
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté chicken and garlic in olive oil for 8-10 minutes.  Add broccoli, and sauté 5-10 minutes more.  Toss rice with parsley and almonds.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Day 6: Steak Salad with Feta & Yogurt Dressing
4 oz grilled sirloin, cut in strips
4 oz plain yogurt
3 Tbsp Feta
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes

Grill steak, and cut in strips.  Whisk together yogurt, feta, and pepper.  Toss together lettuce and tomatoes, pour dressing over, and top with grilled steak.

Day 7: Chicken Fettuccine with Lemon Butter & Peas
3/4 cup dry GF fettuccine
4 oz chicken breast, chopped or sliced
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup frozen peas
juice from 1 lemon

Cook fettuccine according to instructions.  Sauté chicken breast in 2 Tbsp butter until cooked through.  Add  peas and lemon juice.  Cook until peas are thawed.  Serve chicken mixture over pasta.


Now, you can put these dinners together with the breakfast and lunch plans for a whole week of fresh, nutritious, and simple meals.  (I will give you the snack plan soon!) You may lose a few pounds if you stick to the small portion size, and leave out most of your usual sugar intake, and you will almost definitely see an improvement in after meal bloating and indigestion.  Hope you enjoy the plan as much as I have!