This evening I made my
Chicken Pot Pie w/ Cheddar Herb Crust for dinner. We ate dinner a bit later than usual tonight after running errands this afternoon. I decided to bake the pot pie in my Le Creuset heart shaped casserole dish that my mother bought me years ago. This pot pie would make a great meal to serve your family or loved ones for Valentine's Day. Nothing says "I love you" quite the way homemade chicken pot pie does. I love the crust on this pie, and it's so simple to make. Once I cracked the code and figured out that popping the rolled crust into the freezer for about 15 minutes makes the crust so much easier to transfer to the top of the casserole dish, it's been smooth sailing ever since. I snapped a few photos of the different stages below. In this evening's pot pie, I added a couple dashes of chipotle chile powder to both the crust and the filling...not enough to make it spicy, but just enough to give it a slight undertone of chipotle, and a bit of a southwestern twist. It was absolutely delicious -- so good that I wouldn't believe it was grain free if I hadn't made it myself. I used broccoli florets and one small carrot as the veggies in this evening's pot pie. You can substitute whatever veggies you and your family like. The recipe is here ----->
Chicken Pot Pie w/ Cheddar Herb Crust. Enjoy!
15 comments:
This looks divine, it is on my menu for this week. Oh my goodness Spike is so adorable, I would get nothing done with him around! His eyes are just so expressive. Have a great week and thanks for ll you do. I found the organic Roma tomatoes in the jar yesterday at Costco and can't wait to experiment with them this week.Maria
Thanks, Maria! Yes...his eyes are expressive and that is my weakness...I can't say no! LOL Glad you found the roma tomatoes -- I love them on pizza (instead of using sauce) and I've put them in other things, too. I actually added a few heaping spoonfuls to my chili near the end of cooking last weekend. They add a nice deep tomato flavor without making whatever you put them in watery. Hope you enjoy them, too! Not sure if you buy or use flax or coconut oil...but the 3-lb bag of golden flax that I use was $4.99 this week (instead of $6.99) and the 54-oz jar of organic coconut oil for $12.99 (instead of $15.99) at Costco. Just in case you use those...thought I'd pass that along! :-)
Hello Ayla, :)
I was wondering if you would mind giving me some examples of a "sample day" for you while you were losing weight? I love wheat and don't know if I would be successful in giving it up but if I had some ideas of what to eat I certainly might consider it.
I love your blog and your recipes certainly look wonderful and are tempting me to give this "wheat free" lifestyle a try.
Thanks so much in advance!
Linda :)
Hi Linda -- I wouldn't mind doing that at all. I will put together a few days for you and post it here later today. Stay tuned...I know you can do it! :-)
Thanks so much, I love that coconut oil I use it all the time and I will pick up the flax meal for sure, I have never tried that brand before. I just made a triple batch of tortillas, made a delicious wrap for lunch and added those roasted Roma tomatoes to it, absolutely awesome. Making some lasagna for dinner and freezing another for later. I think the key is to plan meals for sure. I'm going to buy a few more jars of the Roma tomatoes because I am paranoid they will discontinue them! Take care and happy Sunday. Maria
Thanks, Maria -- we think alike because I did the same thing (picked up another jar of the tomatoes for fear they would discontinue them). I really like that flax and have used it for years (even prior to WB). Happy Sunday to you, too! :-)
You are too sweet, Ayla :) I will check back later today!
Thank you again, SO much!
Linda
Thanks for your help, Ayla! I really appreciate it :)
Linda
Hi Linda, I haven't forgotten about you -- my sons have been visiting all afternoon and as soon as the last one leaves this evening, I will send you some info! :-)
Hi Linda,
Here are a few suggestions and examples of things I ate in the beginning and still do.
Breakfast:
During the work week, M-F, every morning I have Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt that I sweeten with stevia and add a couple dashes of cinnamon to. Besides the fact that I like it, it is quick, easy and portable since I take it to work to eat.
My breakfast on weekends is typically eggs -- scrambled with cheese in butter or an omelet filled with peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and sometimes browned ground beef, sausage or bacon or fried eggs. I will sometimes have a biscuit with them. I eat berries 1 or 2 times per week, often with breakfast (about 1/2 cup) or couple strawberries. Sometimes I'll make and have mini-muffins for breakfast on the weekend instead of eggs.
If I'm hungry for a snack mid-morning, I have almonds that I keep in my desk. I ate them regularly in the first months after going wheat free and now only have a snack occasionally because I don't find I'm as hungry as I used to be.
Lunch:
I usually eat leftover dinner from the night before for my lunch. If I don't have leftovers, I make rolled up Boar's Head turkey or chicken breast with cheese roll-ups (I find deli without gluten, nitrites or fillers). Sometimes I wrap that in romaine lettuce leaves. I occasionally have tuna salad or chicken salad with a little mayo in lettuce leaves. Now if I want a "sandwich" I just make my easy tortilla/wraps and use those -- I didn't have those to use in the beginning.
If I had leftover chicken from the night before I would sometimes make a salad and put that on top. One of my most favorite and easy lunches is my Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie -- it makes 6 servings and I typically make it for dinner and hubby and I each have a piece and that leaves me enough lunches for the next 4 days. I like to have that with a cup of coffee. I occasionally have a couple squares of 85% chocolate if I want something sweet.
Linda -- Part 2 (my post was too long and it wouldn't go through):
Dinner:
Here are a few ideas. In the beginning I would have fairly simple meals during the week. Grilled chicken or steak or burgers. You can top them with cheese if you like and then make a simple veggie of some sort. On days I had more time, usually the weekends, I might make a simple meat and then fix a "special veggie side dish"...like mashed cauliflower (similar to mashed potatoes) or zucchini patties or roasted asparagus or brussels sprouts, etc. You can use butter liberally and not worry about the calories which is a plus.
Dessert:
For a dessert or treat I would either have a little yogurt with some berries or in order to keep my fruit intake to a minimum, I bought a variety of pure extracts (fruit flavors, etc.) and would add a few drops to my plain yogurt along with stevia to have flavored yogurt. In the first month or two, I would also sometimes make a "muffin in a minute" commonly called MIMs where you mix just enough flax or almond flour with egg, baking powder, sweetener, etc. to make a single portion muffin in a coffee mug in the microwave -- it only takes a minute or 2. You can also add berries, etc. Those were nice with a cup of coffee. I don't really make those any more.
You'll find that in the beginning you make things that you won't make as often once you get all the wheat/grains/sugar out of your system. I like to cook and experiment in the kitchen. Making a variety of different foods keeps it from being boring for me. Once you find a few items that you really liked and feared you might not be able to have again without wheat (like pizza, or pasta, etc.) and find wheat free versions that you can enjoy, you sort of calm down and they aren't as important or a big deal any more. There is just something psychological about feeling like you CAN'T have something -- because it makes you want it more.
Snacks:
I would have nuts, string cheese, you can have olives, if you like them. Usually on weekends I have a bigger breakfast and eat later than I do during the work week. I don't usually eat a separate lunch on the weekends -- but I might have a snack. For instance, I posted my breakfasts this weekend for both Saturday and Sunday. I didn't eat anything other than a few macadamia nuts until dinner both nights because I wasn't really hungry. I try and eat lunch every day during the week so I don't get hungry and tempted to eat something I shouldn't. Occasionally if I am pressed for time, I pick up a rotisserie chicken and just make some veggies to go with it -- that is super quick.
If you tell me what foods are your absolute favorites or the foods you are most reluctant to give up, I might be able to give you specific suggestions. For me, there were a few items like pizza, pasta, and simple things like that. Once I came up with alternatives where I could still enjoy them, just a modified version...it made SUCH a difference for me. I have created substitutions for most of the things that I missed most and I never feel deprived. Let me know what kind of things you will miss most so I can suggest some alternatives. I hope this helps a bit! Have a wonderful week! :-)
Ayla, you are too sweet to do this for me. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know. It looks like we love the same foods. I didn't think I could have yogurt eating this way. I thought you had to severely limit dairy. I love Dannon Oikos Greek yogurt, plain. Your breakfast definitely works for me. I also like sandwiches occasionally so I need to experiment with some of the grain free substitute bread recipes. I tried one of those muffins in a minute that you mentioned. I absolutely loved it. I feel a lot better about this now that I see I have some workable options. It's amazing how scary something new can be. I was sure that I was setting myself up for failure but thanks to you and these ideas I'm feeling much more hopeful that this is something I CAN do. Thank you again, SO much!
Linda :)
Thanks, Linda -- I'm always here to help! :-)
Hi GGC,
I really love your cute little Valentine ... oh yes, and the cute heart-shaped pot pie, too! :-) Actually, I *really* love the pot pie, whatever shape it's in!
Hi CyberSis -- Thanks! I love the chicken pot pie, too! I love my little Valentine, too! :-)
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