What I Spent
Mr. FG picked up a few things at Target for $14.
And guess what! I finally went to BJ’s myself! First impressions: a whole lot like going to Costco. I spent $52 there.
Then I made a $47 trip to Harris Teeter.
I got a $25 Hungry Harvest box.
Annnnd, I spent $149 on a Butcher Box of organic meat.
A reader emailed to ask if I’d ever reviewed Butcher Box, because her husband really wanted to order from them.
So, I logged on, ordered a box, and they gave me a $30 referral discount, which of course I sent to the reader. I think she got the $30 off plus a few free items because of a Super Bowl deal.
Full review forthcoming, but I’ll put the $30 discount in any Butcher Box links I post here.
Brief first thoughts: expensive compared to regular meat, not expensive compared to organic meat prices (the ground beef price is the same as grass-fed ground beef at my Aldi.)
Anyway, my spending this week is obviously high, at $287.
But I am also obviously not buying a Butcher Box every week!
February Spending
Week 1: $55
Week 2: $287
What We Ate
Saturday
The girls fended for themselves while Mr. FG and I did our takeout date night; food from a local seafood shop this time around.
Sunday
We got wings from a local shop; since it was Super Bowl Sunday, we ate a little on the later side, because they weren’t even accepting any orders until after the Super Bowl start time!
Monday
Sonia made some sun-dried tomato and turkey panini, and I cannot remember what we ate on the side.
Tuesday
I got a rotisserie chicken from BJs, and I made some roasted baby potatoes. On the side, we had applesauce from the freezer, some sliced oranges, and a salad.
Wednesday
We had Korean lettuce wraps, and I also baked a bag of sweet potato fries that I found in the bottom of the freezer.
Do sweet potato fries “go” with Korean lettuce wraps? Nope.
Do I care? Nope.
Thursday
I got out some sausage ragu from the freezer and we ate that over pasta, with some fresh produce on the side.
Friday
I’m not sure what I’m going to make. Sonia’s doctor just put her on a low FODMAP diet for 4-6 week trial, so I am having to re-do my entire meal plan.
(and wouldn’t you know, I had just planned a month of meals. Ha.)
This week, I’ve been doing my best to accommodate this, starting on Tuesday, but last night, she just ate polenta and a fried egg because even if I used gluten-free pasta for her, the freezer sauce had onions in it.
Anyway. I need to figure out a better plan for the coming weeks. Wish me luck!
And I’m open to tips from any experienced low-FODMAP eaters.
What did you eat this week for dinner?
P.S. Luckily, meat is hardly restricted at all on a low FODMAP diet, which is a relief because I ordered the Butcher Box before we got the diet suggestion. Whew.
Beth says
Very interested in hearing how the low FODMAP diet goes/if it helps. We have some issues in our house that the diet may help but it’s so restrictive I’ve been dragging my feet about trying it.
Beth says
I’ll add that I often feel bad about dragging my feet because it’s “hard.” I have a friend who has three children: one has celiac disease, the second has a severe nut allergy, as well as autism and ADHD which impacts her food choices for him, and her third has Type 1 diabetes. I have no idea how she manages meal planning or what they eat. She’s amazing.
Kristen says
I completely understand. Sometimes it feels very overwhelming trying to manage multiple allergies. Your friend IS amazing!
Cheryl says
Just a public service post. Our local department of aging called us and scheduled our appointment for the vaccine within two days of them calling to see if we already got one. We are scheduled for Thursday and again in 3 weeks. Hopefully this might help someone.
Rebecca in MD says
We have been using Butcher Box for several months now, and we love it. The quality of the meat is superb and I like that everything is organic, free range, grass fed, etc. Between Butcher Box and Misfits Market (also all organic) we are doing a good job keeping out of the stores, and I feel like our food is healthier and excellent quality.
Jem says
Ah, the low FODMAP diet. I was on that for 3 1/2 years, but the good new is that it worked really well and I experienced actual gut healing. Now I can eat anything. My tips are to use green onions (the greens) and garlic scapes if you want those flavours, and after much trial and error, the following recipe is the best I ever found for gluten free flour. It’s cheaper to make yourself than to buy a pre-mixed bag, and really cooks/bakes will, without the gritty texture that so many GF flours give. I just multiplied the amounts so I could fill up my big flour can. Ihttp://www.artofglutenfreebaking.com/the-story-behind-my-gluten-free-flour-mix/
I hope the 6 week elimination diet works!
Beth says
Thanks so much for this!
Meg says
I’ve been low FODMAP for 3 years and I have a tree nut allergy.
It’s made the hugest difference to my gut and health overall. I’m in Australia so recommend the Monash Low Fodmap app but also you can learn a lot from their website. We aim for main meal to be the same for whole family so for the food trial we mainly ate chicken/lamb and low fodmap veg (as casseroles or soups or tray bakes). I still eat a lot of soup as it is gentle on the stomach. Once you start testing fodmap ingredients, the app is helpful for dosage. I can’t eat onions or garlic at all. And I am limited in the fruit I can eat (bananas, citrus, blueberries/strawberries) but not having constant gut troubles means this doesnt bother me
I wish Sonia the best of luck – I hope it helps her as much as it helped me.
Jen says
Registered dietitian here just to chime in my two sense on the low FODMAP diet rec. This approach to eating can be helpful for a few weeks to gather information about what may bother the individual, but it is not intended to be maintained as a long-term style of eating. Several other readers mentioned this, but I highly recommend getting an RD referral for some guidance since eating low-FODMAP can look different for everyone.
This week my favorite meals were a super easy chicken coconut curry over brown rice with toasted coconut and roasted cashews for topping – made it feel extra fancy
and a turkey + white bean + kale soup with homemade whole wheat baguette on the side. We need all the warm and cozy meals – it’s going to be sub-zero highs over here the whole weekend and tomorrow with the wind, it’s going to “feel like” -50F! gahhhh.
Kristen says
Yes, it sounds like her doctor just wants her to try this temporarily, not long-term. Just trying to figure out exactly what foods are bothering her stomach.
I really hope it turns out she can tolerate onions! Ha.
Cheryl says
Would you mind posting the curry recipe?
N says
Just so you know, Kristen, Whole Foods currently has select flavors of their 365 store brand almond and oat milk for $1.03/per 32 oz shelf-stable carton (plus additional Prime discounts). I thought you might be interested for Sonia. WF sales swap on Wednesdays, so you still have time should you wish to grab some. Prices will vary by location somewhat.
We only hit WF for super sale items like the above. I’ve no trouble with dairy, I just really like almond and oat milk!
N says
Blast, just caught a reply of yours on another comment, and Sonia is allergic to nuts! Hopefully the oat milk tip will still prove helpful.
priskill says
Aw, best of luck to Sonia!
It was a cheap week — $75 at my market. I was tempted to buy chicken and ground turkey on sale but remembered the frozen meats we we already have and told myself that these same meat sales will come again — use up what we got. Also, I am sure I will pick up one or 2 things this week but still less than usual.
Friday — Treat night at our local Italian to support them and, yes, to have a treat
Saturday — After 2 hours of furiously running around and not getting a vaccine, I just picked up Pollo Loco ($12) and gritted my teeth
Sunday — Big Southwest salad and chicken breast sauteed in taco spices
Monday — Sauteed chicken breast, broccoli/spinach stir fry, and brown rice.
Tuesday — Another Cauliflower pizza crust recipe — best yet (Chef Buck on youtube) Pretty good but I think I need to follow his directions perfectly
Wednesday — Big salad with beef hamburgers on the side
Thursday — Big salad with turkey burgers on the side.
Friday — It was treat night and we went the Mexican restaurant owned by the same folks that own our local Italian and it was yummy. We love them!
Tonight (Saturday) Either another shot at cauliflower pizza or some kind of meat with a big salad.
Happy Weekend!
Lorraine says
I signed up for butcher box last fall but cancelled after two boxes. It was super convenient having it delivered but I thought the meat was good but not amazing and it was just too much out of my grocery budget. Still working on using up some of it in my freezer.
April says
I get a butcher box every 3-4 months because the organic roasts are divine.
Julie says
Superbowl Sunday we had baked wings and veggies w/ hummus as a starter and jambalaya with homemade french bread as our main course.
Monday – chicken tenders, roasted potatoes, carrots and parsnips, and salad
Tuesday – I made a really good vegetable soup with so many things in it and cleaned out the fridge at the same time. We had that with salad and french bread
Wednesday – leftover jambalaya, salad, bread
Thursday – popcorn shrimp tacos, rice, beans and slaw
Friday – leftover vegetable soup. We’ve done great using up the leftovers this week!
Good luck with the FODMAP diet for Sonia. I hope it helps!
Rebecca says
Costco has an air fryer on sale this month for $39. We have made great wings in it twice, along with lots of other yummy stuff. Haven’t had a fail with it yet. My DH is on the low fodmap diet and I am on a high fiber diet because of diverticulosis. It’s a nightmare to plan our meals and we usually end up cooking separately.
Marj Hannapel says
The FODMAP diet has really helped my digestive problems. My plan is simple: omit onions and cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, kale and cabbage. I mininize eating beans and garlic. Unfortunately, the rest of the world loves these things. There are lists ranking FODMAP friendly foods; I don’t have problems with any fruits. The foods that upset me are the most common irritants according to the FODMAP diet.
Since we haven’t been eating at restaurants, or at other peoples’ homes since 2020, it’s been easy to follow the diet. On the downside, I have to prepare our dinners from scratch, since most convenience foods, especially soups and sauces, have garlic and/or onions. My only tip is to confirm that this diet is worth trying if you have tummy trouble.
Wanda says
If your health insurance covers a visit or two with a dietician, I would strongly recommend it. I did it with my diabetic diet and it was such a help.
MargueriteM says
The thing that helped me most with the low FOD map elimination diet was using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour in the blue bag. It can be substituted cup for cup in regular baking recipes without revising the recipe as needed by other gluten free flours. I use it for oatmeal blueberry scones for breakfast and cornbread for lunch most days. Cornbread recipe is the one on Quaker cornmeal box, I add an extra egg.
I don’t need or use gluten free products in general. The gluten free flour is a way of avoiding wheat on the FODMAP diet. Using the 1: 1 GF flour was a tip I got from relatives who like to bake who had been through the diet. After two years, I can now tolerate some wheat flour baked goods.
GF flour isn’t necessarily frugal if you are trying to feed the whole family, but compared to commercially available GF baked goods and mixes it is less expensive.
Kristen says
Ooh, that does look like she could eat it! A problem I run into with a lot of gluten-free baking is that recipes end up calling for almond flour, and she is allergic to nuts. But this looks like it will work. Thank you!
Suzan says
Good morning from Australia. I hope I am not repeating information. I have been through the FODMAP protocal four years ago. I won’t lie because the first weeks when combined with shellfish allergy and egg allergy were tough.
The greatest help was to purchase the app that comes from the Monash University in Melbourne, Aus. Why? Monash was the institution that developed this protocol. The app is about $20 Aus. It works on a traffic light system and gives you portion sizes. So even though I love cherries I now know I must eat less than I used to.
Other points…There is a low fodmap group on Facebook that is moderated by qualified dieticians. https://www.facebook.com/groups/208933626233802. If you can do this with a specialist dietitian I would highly recommend doing so. Not all substitutions need to be expensive. Buy rice noodles in the Chinese aisle instead of others. Lastly this is not forever. The idea is to find what causes your problems and avoid the for a while. Then you challenge yourself and see if your gut has healed enough to tolerate it. I did the reintroduction phase while on a three week cruise on the Queen Mary 11. For instance my allergies remain the same but now I know I can tolerate mushrooms but not and form of capsicum (bell pepper).
Good luck and I hope the times flies and that Sonia finds some comfort from eating this protocol.
Myndie says
Switching to a low FODMAP diet is definitely a change! I was on one for quite awhile and it was really helpful for me. There are a ton of low FODMAP cookbooks out there, but a lot of them are full of specialty, one-off ingredients. My favorite by far was “The Low FODMAP Cookbook” by Dianne Benjamin. It has a lot of simple, tasty recipes made with everyday ingredients. It also has a good recipe for a gluten-free flour mix. Gluten-free flour is spendy, but way cheaper than premade gluten-free baked goods. Good luck with your low FODMAP adventure — it definitely gets easier after the initial adjustment period.
https://www.amazon.com/Low-FODMAP-Cookbook-Delicious-Gut-Friendly-Digestive/dp/1592337147/ref=sr_1_13?crid=QIFOBL3ERDT4&dchild=1&keywords=low+fodmap+cookbook&qid=1613177156&sprefix=Low+fodmap%2Caps%2C233&sr=8-13
Tracey says
Here’s what we ate this week:
Saturday – Venison and vegetable kebobs over rice.
Sunday – Baked garlic parmesan chicken wings while watching the super bowl.
Monday – Fried eggs and toast.
Tuesday – Pizza topped with ham and pineapple from a local restaurant for covid relief support.
Wednesday – Tuna sandwiches, chips and pickles.
Thursday – Meatball subs, tater tots and pears.
Friday – Shepherds pie and crusty bread.
Hawaii Planner says
Costco has fantastic wings, if you ever prefer to go that route. They are by Foster Farms & are called “Take Out – Crispy Wings” with classic buffalo sauce. We bake them for twice the recommended time & they are pretty much equal/better than in a restaurant.
For us, we had:
-Superbowl food (wings, pizza, shrimp, onion dip & veggies)
-Takeout Greek food & cupcakes (birthday)
-Beef bulgogi bowls
-Lettuce wraps
-Parmesan chicken
-Leftovers
Anne says
This is a very good resource for low fodmap recipes: https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/
Ellie says
If you need a great FODMAP resource, it’s Australian but I found the Monash University FODMAP Diet app to be really helpful when you are planning or out and about to check on the FODMAP content of things!
Beckie Johnson says
I have been low FODMAP for 3 years, and WOW what a difference it has made for my SIBO, and IBS. Check out a company called FODY FOODS (https://www.fodyfoods.com). They have all kinds of sauces (marinara, sesame/ginger, salad dressings, broth powder, salsa, protein bars and other stuff. I can’t have a lot of their products because I also have to follow a modified AIP (autoimmune protocol) diet, which eliminates other things like night shade vegetables. Everything on their site is low FODMAP. I buy broth cubes on amazon by a company called Massel, which are without garlic or onion. Also, a company called 88 acres carries protein type bars that work for my low fodmap diet (when I’m not AIP). This blog I just found today: https://www.fitfabfodmap.com/fodmap-brand-spotlight-88-acres/. Anyway, thanks for your blog, I have learned much, and enjoy reading. Hope some of this helps.
Renee says
Low FODMAP is challenging to get started but it’s easier once the newness wears off. It’s super helpful at reducing pain and discomfort….assuming one of those foods are actually the problems foods. We used SAAT to test for allergens/intolerances for my household members and that was more helpful than the Low FODMAP diet. Feel free to email me if you want more details
Heather says
WIS is still rather on the crazy side though I finally pulled in under budget in January and we’re on a good trajectory for this month.
WWA:
Su – Cheeseburgers and Oven Fries
Mo – Chicken and Gravy from Salt and Lavender, steamed broccoli and baked potatoes
Tu – Ribs from Costco and sauteed Normandy veggies
We – Chili (I make my own seasoning, toss in 3 beans, diced tomatoes and hominy) and cornbread
Th – Take Out Thursday (sushi again so my sick daughter could have avocado rolls)
Fr – leftovers
Sa – Dominican Beans and Rice (dominicancooking.com, new recipe) and homemade flan
We might be doing a FODMAP soon too or at least going gluten free. My daughter’s stomach issues are unresolved but might be the result of one of her POTS medications. She is eating very simply while we figure it out.
Everyone stay safe and have a wonderful weekend!
Becca says
F: Focaccia and salad (of course)
S: hamburgers on sour dough buns with lots of toppings (sauteed onions and mushrooms, cheese, tomato, spinach, etc), homemade french fries and salad
S: Leftover burgers and fries and salad
M: Porcupine balls (They’re firmly in the rotation now!) and pasta, salad
T: Leftover porcupine balls and pasta, salad
W: baked cod with lemon and sugar sauce, swiss chard and skillet rice with garam masala seasoning and cheddar cheese on top, salad
Th: leftover rice and swiss chard this time with gouda cheese on top, chicken wings in the air fryer, salad
F: Salad again, of course, and also focaccia again but we are doing an experiment: 1/3 of dough uses Sir Galahad (or AP) flour, 1/3 uses Sir Lancelot (or high gluten bread flour) and 1/3 uses Special Patent flour (or what we are deciding to call “Queen Guinevere”). We want to see which of the three flours makes the best crust. We are using sour dough starter which we use for most bread. Will report back our findings!
Jenny says
This experiment sounds great! I love doing things like that.
Speaking of experiments, all of my doctors say FODMAP stuff is a fad and mostly unproven and useless. It’s interesting to hear it’s being used (again? still?) and it sounds here like it helps some people.
Looking forward to hearing how the royalty/knights flour contest works out!
Becca says
Our initial findings: while all three are good, Sir Galahad (AP) was definitely slightly inferior. It created a denser, less bubbly crust-more cake-like, which makes sense. We were a bit torn between Lancelot (high gluten) and Guinevere (special patent) which we ultimately decided could have been an unfair comparison. Guinevere was the middle of the three doughs, so it had less crust to evaluate and no corner pieces. So we are going to make just Lancelot and Guinevere next Friday to give them more equal footing. Both of those flours produced chewier, crisper crusts with more bubbles, and they held their shape better when bitten into-the Galahad crust tended to compact when bitten. Overall, I would say the higher protein content makes for better crust, but will report back next Friday! Perhaps we will do a third blinded test the week after.
Becca says
Also, for those of you who really like crispy crusts like me, I prefer leftover foccacia to fresh when it is made in the air fryer. It’s like the difference between bread and toast. The trouble is that my piggy children rarely leave leftovers!
Sarah G says
Good luck to you with meal planning around further dietary restrictions. I feel for you. I’m so thankful that so far we haven’t had any food allergies or major intolerances crop up in our house. Fingers crossed it stays that way!
Saturday – lunch meat/cheese/fruit platter (we had spent the day cleaning)
Sunday- had some of my family over for the Superbowl. I made chili and cornbread.
Monday- chicken sausages, macaroni and cheese from a box, veggie platter
Tuesday- spaghetti, marinara from a jar, turkey meatballs, roasted broccoli
Wednesday – leftovers du jour
Thursday – chicken tacos made with some leftover cooked chicken I had stuck in the freezer. Chips and guacamole on the side.
Friday- I still can’t decide between chicken and dumplings (with the rest of the leftover chicken) or pumpkin pancakes with bacon and fruit. It’s 4:00; I need to choose!!
Gina says
The plan for what to eat might vary from what we actually ate – this cook reserves the right to make substitutions!
Monday – Southside Sausage Slammer, potato salad for two, kale
Tuesday – Salmon, baked over veggies (yellow squash, green beans, green onions)
Wednesday – Zucchini Stuffing Casserole with Lemon Chicken
Thursday – Weeknight Enchiladas, chopped salad
Friday – Italian Chicken, baked potato, Brussels sprouts {hopefully I won’t get stuck at the hospital overnight!}
Saturday – Going to make a crockpot of Beef Stew
Sunday – Pork Schnitzel, California Coleslaw, pinto beans
Jessica says
My doctor put me on low fodmap years ago, and now I’m gluten free and dairy free. The diet really helped with my stomach issues, I hope it helps Sonia!
Not sure if this will work for Sonia, but mozzarella was allowed at the time so I ate a lot of that!
Great gluten free food: I eat rice noodles and rice ramen that I get at whole foods (they just have better GF food!), as well as just a lot of rice dishes overall. I eat a lot of potatoes. Cheerios are gluten free. Corn tortillas or just eating things as bowls. Oats or grits
I eat a lot of peanut butter! I’m vegan now but ate a lot of eggs at the time.
Swapping things for GF versions isn’t too bad once you’re used to it (though not necessarily super frugal! I definitely pay a premium for GF snack foods), and at least is straightforward to remember. The hardest thing for me was the fruits & veggies.
Due in part to my stomach issues I definitely eat pretty repetitively and lots of one dish / simple ingredients foods. Very different from your wonderful meal plans!
My biggest tip is that when she is coming off of it, go VERY slow on trying food categories again. Like a week at a time. I went too fast, couldn’t figure out what was making my stomach hurt, and had to go back on the diet again for a while.
Good luck!
Frieda Merichko says
I have been using Butcher Box for many years. Only problem for me was the orders with seafood were semi defosted. Salmon cakes are too dry for my taste. On the whole good meat. Pork chops are nice a thick for stuffing. Happy Valentines to your family. Your are loved with a everlasting Love!!
Katie says
I love Butcher Box too. We joined late last spring once it became clear that Covid wasn’t going away any time soon, because we wanted to minimize trips to the grocery store. Covid aside though, it’s just so easy to get a box of meat now and then, put it in the chest freezer, and pull it out as we need it. I completely agree with your initial impression – it’s expensive compared to conventionally farmed meat at the grocery store, but it’s pretty comparable to organic and free range meat, which it is. (I’d also be willing to pay a bit more to avoid dealing with repackaging meat from the grocery store to put in the freezer. Everyone might not agree that this, but this feels like a minor convenience that is worth paying for to me. We all have different conveniences we feel are worth paying for though, so what feels worthwhile to me might not to you!) Their meat is really good too, and fully frozen when I receive it. I don’t eat pork and we get salmon from a different delivery service, so I haven’t tried their seafood. Their beef and chicken are great though. My only major hesitation is the environmental consequences of this a type of service. Meat is already pretty environmentally unfriendly, and when I add in the carbon costs of having it delivered straight to my door like this… While the pandemic is still an issue, we’re sticking with it, but may reevaluate in the future, as part of a broader goal to decrease my meat consumption and general carbon footprint. I’ve been a huge fan though. I’m curious to hear what you think!
LeighAnn says
I enjoy Once a Month Meals. They have LowFodmap meal options. You can try it for free! They include grocery lists, chipping amounts recipe cards etc. Mixing and matching recipes is available with a membership. https://onceamonthmeals.com/meal-plans/?page=1&menu_type%5B%5D=Low-FODMAP
Anne says
What the heck is FODMAP?
Effie says
I am so sorry Sonia has to do the FODMOP. It’s awful having digestive issues when you are a young woman. I had to do something similar when I was very sick with IBD (I was in hospital for 3 weeks on a drip so it was pretty bad). My go to lunch when I got home was tomato and white rice soup, over-cook white rice in passata and add Worcestershire sauce to flavour. I also would eat carrots (peeled) and boiled with scrambled eggs. I was ok with white fish (no shellfish or oily fish), so would eat that with carrots. I used lemon juice for flavour and got used to not eating onions or garlic surprisingly quickly. I am now back to a normal diet and just avoid sweetener, excess sugar especially soda and chilli. I really hope Sonia feels better soon.
Ruby says
I probably shouldn’t answer what we had for dinner, since we all eat separately and I am still on a kick of eating a yogurt and blueberry parfait every night to use up the jumbo size bag of frozen blueberries.
We spent $76 on groceries this week, if I remember correctly. We seem to not be spending less, now that we’re eating down the freezer.
Nora says
Still working on the freezer cleanout, but shopping to flesh out now. Plus, we’ve had snow in the forecast seemingly every day for the past week and for most of this coming week. Last week was a very expensive shopping week as I stocked up on a non-snow day and got both monthly subscription boxes.
Saturday – I was going to have our usual ground beef & spinach recipe (which we have with potato cubes), but tried the ground beef & potatoes someone recommended last week instead. We decided it should enter the rotation, but needs more oomph.
Sunday – Homemade pizza in front of the TV for the Super Bowl. The kids look forward to this for the entire year – just the pizza, not the football.
Monday – Salmon in puff pastry (both from the freezer), creamed spinach, corn, salad
Tuesday – Roast beef sandwiches (meat & buns from the freezer), tater tots, veggies
Wednesday – The smaller children had chicken nuggets & broccoli. My eldest and the adults had tuna noodle casserole after a late business call.
Thursday – Thin sliced chicken stuffed with prosciutto, gruyere, and arugula. The arugula came from the Misfits box and was already looking tired. Everything else was from the depths of the freezer. We had oatmeal bread and green beans on the side.
I will need a milk run sometime this week, but should be good for proteins & produce.
Nan says
Just a suggestion but since it’s for Sonia, why don’t you have her plan her diet and even shop and prepare the food? She’s 16 right? I’m sure she knows what she likes. We don’t have any food allergies in the family but do have food preferences. I can eat anything but dislike anise flavoring and gave up pork several years ago.
Kristen says
Well, for breakfast and lunch, that’s the plan. But for dinner, which we usually eat together, I’d like us to be able to eat the same meal if we can.
We’ll see how practical that is…I dunno. I anticipate that Sonia will eat some things separate from us at dinner, though.
cathy says
I would also add that, in my experience with two food allergic kids, it’s bad enough that they know they have to eat differently than everyone else. But to make them make all their own food? It seems like it would be really alienating and isolating, even in a family situation.
When we found out about our kids’ allergies, I took a deep breath, then reimagined a lot of our meals, just without the allergens. Since one kid is allergic to dairy, I never saute with butter (and haven’t in 18 years). I always use olive oil. We ALL eat rice pasta and GF baked goods. We’re not strictly all-encompassing allergen-free for every meal, but enough, On the plus side, neither of my kids is the least bit thrown if they have to adapt a recipe or make a substitution when cooking for themselves or for friends who have different dietary restrictions.
Susan says
This is what we did when my daughter was diagnosed with celiac in December. She’s a college student, so it was short term, but I made sure dinner recipes were GF or gluten optional (i.e. bread on the side she didn’t eat). It was hard to not cross contaminate like this. My youngest daughter just tested celiac positive yesterday, and she’s still in HS. I think at this point we are going to make our kitchen GF and have the gluten-containing things be the odd exception instead of the reverse. We still have 2 family members yet to test.
My best wishes to you and Sonia. It is hard to change things up so much especially with the lactose intolerance, sea food and other allergies you are already dealing with.
Allison says
Thanks for the ButcherBox referral code! I’d been thinking of checking them out – and now I did!
This week, we’ve had (household of just 2 adults, for the record):
Breakfasts of homemade smoothies – we make with a bit of oatmeal, plain yogurt, nuts, no sweetener, lots of fruit & veggies – and peanut butter toast with berries (tastes like a PB&J when you pick ripe berries, but no added sugars).
Dinners:
Monday – Meatloaf and brussels sprouts. I added grated carrot to the meatloaf – first time trying that and it was VERY good. Good way to sneak in more veggies.
Tuesday – Soyrizo bowl – quinoa, roasted sweet potato & broccoli, and soyrizo. YUM. It’s in regular rotation.
Wednesday – Tuna “pasta” (chickpea pasta is a new staple at our house), with frozen peas, lemon, and grated carrots
Thursday – Garlic butter shrimp & asparagus over lemon basmati rice, with arugula & tomato salad on the side
Tonight – If it’s not raining, we’ll have burgers (with pesto and mozzarella) & root veggie fries on the grill. If it rains, we’ll probably just do those inside but they’re not as delish!
Colleen H says
I put grated/riced carrot, cauliflower & zucchini in when I make chili for extra veggies. My husband has thought the riced cauliflower was rice – we used to serve chili over rice sometimes.
kristin @ going country says
Friday: My eldest son was in charge of dinner. He fried some of the pre-made hamburgers I had in the freezer, cooked pasta (butter, cream cheese, garlic powder), sliced cucumbers. I also heated up some leftover squash.
Saturday: Pork chops with sauerkraut and onions, roasted potatoes, cucumbers with salt and vinegar, last of the squash
Sunday: Creamy green chili hamburger soup, garlic bread, cheese, cookies a neighbor gave us
Monday: Breakfast sausage patties, leftover pasta, cucumbers with ranch dip
Tuesday: We finally got another cow for the freezer, and so we have steaks again. I cooked six this night, and we had them with rice, sauteed green beans, carrot sticks with ranch dip, and cucumbers with salt and vinegar
Wednesday: Leftover steak, scrambled eggs, leftover rice, green salad with ranch dressing . . . and a few of those same handy hamburgers made after dinner for my still-hungry husband and one son
Thursday: Birthday boy’s choice: Shrimp, meatballs, biscuits, salad, and chocolate cheesecake
Friday: Yesterday was also all the class Valentine’s parties at school, which meant the kids were stuffed with treats and didn’t eat much dinner. And THAT means leftovers. Hooray! More shrimp, more meatballs, leftover rice, and probably frozen peas. Good timing, as I woke up with a cold this morning and am not motivated to be in the kitchen.
Ruth T says
I hope the diet changes turn out to be helpful!
Saturday – Haluski with brats, side of corn
Sunday – Sheet pan dinner with brats, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, and green beans. Something on the side, but I don’t remember what.
Monday – Ham (saved in the freezer from a Christmas sale), broccoli with cheese, zucchini
Tuesday – Cheesy scalloped potatoes with ham, green beans
Wednesday – KFC (my daughter’s request) after a successful dentist appointment
Thursday – Birthday meal chosen by the 7yo! Cheeseburgers, corn casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, strawberries and bananas, cake and ice cream
Friday – Ham and potato soup that I made Wednesday and ended up getting put in the fridge. Bread and butter on the side.
Leigh B. says
I just came off the FODMAP diet, and found out I have a dairy and gluten sensitivity. Things I found- taking oil and infusing it with garlic is a GREAT garlic substitute. So much cheaper than purchasing low FODMAP diet oil. ALL prepared salad dressings are a no go- so I would make homemade. Most organic ketchup products, are an ok, as they are very low on the FODMAP diet and do not have the HFCS. Worcestershire sauce is VERY low. It was great to substitute seasonings with. Tajin, Old Bay, Italian Seasoning are great subs for seasonings as well, as they do not have garlic or onion listed on the ingredients. All low FODMAP. I was able to tolerate Greek Yogurt products, and of course I do not have a nut allergy, so I was able to substitute milk products. The greens off green onions are a great sub for onion flavor and is low FODMAP. I still can’t tolerate regular onions unless they are cooked. Most gluten free products are dairy free, naturally, and usually organic, so are mostly safe.
It was a difficult diet to follow, but I had unrelenting side pain for almost a year. Several CT scans later, and GI recommended this. It has made a huge difference.
P.S. I’m a long time reader- just never post.
Kristen says
Thank you! Last night I was reading about the garlic and onion oil ideas, and I think I will give those a try.
Definitely going to get some green onions too. Thank you!
Sabrina says
And the great thing about green onions, save the roots in a glass of water. It will regrow after a couple of days. Just remember to change the water often!
Kristen says
Oh yeah, I’ve forgotten to change the water before and my word, what a terrible stench!
Colleen H says
I have never tried FODMAP. I have made a few recipes for my mom when she did it for a medical condition however she did not maintain the diet. I liked the FODMAP pasta sauce I tried with her. I have always had issues eating onions (except green onions), some gluten & most dairy. Will be curious to read about your adventures
JD says
Ah, low FODMAP is challenging! I don’t think it’s something I will have to wrangle for myself, and I am glad, because AIP is challenging enough a lot of days. And I love cooked onion.
I’m interested in the Butcher Box. I’m looking forward to your review.
What we ate:
Burgers – bunless for me, bun for him and sliced cucumbers. Chips on the side for him.
Pork ribs, cabbage slaw and white potato for him, sweet potato for me (which I prefer with ribs, anyway).
Meatloaf, using homemade cherry “ketchup” instead of tomato ketchup. Acorn squash, broccoli.
The last of the Christmas ham from the freezer, cabbage, summer squash cooked with onions (see?).
Smoked bacon ends, then okra fried in the bacon fat, corn pones and honey carrots.
Cooking fail — I thought I had some asparagus to cook, couldn’t find it, and settled on cauliflower in cheese sauce and leftover slaw for me, a frozen pot pie for him.
Found the asparagus I thought we didn’t have – I had looked for frozen asparagus, forgetting I had bought it fresh and it was in a crisper drawer in the laundry room. Oh my. So, leftover meatloaf, steamed asparagus with fresh Meyer lemon juice and butter, plus applesauce.
Tonight will be a challenge. I just checked the sale papers – I’ve never seen such dismal sales. I don’t know what is going on, but it’s pitiful. We usually eat something nicer, like a steak, fish or shrimp, on Fridays, that I pick up on sale when shopping, but it’s not looking good today.
Kristen says
I was trying to remember if you’d ever done low FODMAP. I knew you’d been on a pretty restrictive diet.
JD says
No, I haven’t had to do that, and let’s hope I never do. Garlic and onions are my go-to seasonings!
Kristen says
Yeah, those seem even harder to avoid than gluten or dairy!
Battra92 says
Congratulations on making it to BJs! I expect a full write up soon.
Sunday: Potato wedges and chicken drumsticks with our choice of sauce (or no sauce)
Monday: Leftover steak from last week along with potato wedges from Sunday.
Tuesday: Finished up the chicken, there was some rice in the fridge that was finished up along with some boxed stuffing mix (I know it’s garbage food but Aldi’s boxed stuffing mix hits the spot now and again.)
Wednesday: Wife made quiche with sausage, bacon, cheese etc. I don’t know why quiche was the butt of so many jokes in the 90s. It’s a literal breakfast pie and what’s wrong with that?!
Thursday: Wife and daughter had spaghetti. I ate some pulled pork I found in the freezer.
Friday: Probably frozen fish or something easy like that as we have a lot of stuff going on tonight.
Michelle says
Um, any type of fries go with any type of food..it’s a rule..lol
Deanna K. says
Definitely
Kristen says
WHEW. I am relieved.
Wendy says
I send Sonia lots of socially distant hugs. I have had to do the low-FODMAP twice, and it is challenging. But, once you figure out all your problem foods, and get back to a new normal (with the offenders eliminated), it will have been worth it.
Kristen says
Yes, that’s what I’m hoping for!
Ingrid Knight says
FODMAP-trained Registered Dietitian Nutritionist! We have a toolkit where the client eliminations all FODMAPs and slowly reintroduces individual foods to determine WHICH FODMAPs cause issues. It’s intense, but helpful in that the client can then eat many of the FODMAPs while eliminating the problem ones. LM look up my website recommendations and I’ll post again :).
Ingrid says
https://www.ibsfree.net/
Kristen says
Oh! The cookbook in the sidebar; I just got that one from the library!
Ingrid says
Great! Glad you were able to get it at the library. Sometime, these specialty books are hard to find. Hope it helps—the author is highly respected in our field.
Betta from daVille says
WWS: $14 at Aldi’s; WWA:
Sat: leftovers
Sun: Our football team (the Patriots) did “poo-poo” this year so we made our own pu pu platter: vegetarian egg rolls, crab Rangoon, Chinese spare ribs & shrimp toasts.
Mon: leftovers
Tues: leftovers
Wed. random veg soup (cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini & kale stem); tartines made with King Arthur Tuscan herb bread
Thus: bratwurst; homemade pierogi; roasted cabbage with caraway; sautéed carrots & beets with oj, vinegar & dill
Fri: Happy Lunar New Year! Moo Shu using up some pork from the spare ribs; cucumber & avocado.
I hope the diet helps your daughter!
Ellen says
had to look that one up! so is there a lot that she can not have?
Saturday- 1/2 half of DD Birthday, since we could not all be together last weekend, wet to mil an ordered pizza, I make a cake
Sunday-Super bowl we had a bunch of munchies, I made buffalo chicken dip, we brought a case of white castle, also I brought gram crackers, and marshmallows, we also had a 6 ft sub, pig in a blanket, smores and mom made chocolate chip cookies!
Monday- bbq chicken in the oven, noodles, corn
Tuesday- home made chicken pot pie,
Wednesday-Shrimp scampi, ds had bbq chicken, I also had a salad, and mushrooms that sautéed
Thursday- Hot dogs and fries before DS soccer practice
Friday-tonight I took out a lasagna out of the freezer, (last time I made, I made two and stuck on in the freezer! easy cooking tonight.. and I think I will make a salad.
Ellen says
ooh sorry for the spelling errors,,, typing to fast!