17 Comments
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The Quiet Kind of Beauty's avatar

Yes, yes, yes to the part about keeping meals simple! I really wish I learned this sooner. I also had to start eating gluten-free a while back, and keeping meals super simple has meant the difference between staying sane and losing my mind, especially since I’m the only one in the house who has to eat that way.

Sarah Smith's avatar

Yes, OK you understand! If you have any tips or wisdom, I would love to hear them! We all kind of eat on different schedules and preferences and I have one kid that will eat a lot more than the other kid and then my husband just kind of does his own thing so it’s really hard to maintain a good grocery budget and meal plan when everyone is all over the place 🤣

The Quiet Kind of Beauty's avatar

One of my favorite things to do is make Instant Pot or crockpot meals with a gluten free base or meat for me, and then the kids and my hubby can pile on whatever they want so I'm not making multiple dinners. For example, I’ll do a gluten free fajita chicken in the Instant Pot. I make mine into a taco salad with corn chips, lettuce and salsa, and they use regular flour tortillas and add their toppings.

Another favorite is Instant Pot chicken pot pie that's gluten free and dairy free since I can't do dairy either. I eat mine with gluten free toast or just the filling, and they have biscuits on top. On nights they want something I can't eat, I just heat up a can of Amy’s gf/df soup.

I love using the Instant Pot or crockpot because the food is ready and can stay warm, which helps on days when we're all eating on different schedules!

Sarah Smith's avatar

Please make an article with all your fave recipes! I love this

The Quiet Kind of Beauty's avatar

That's not a bad idea. I just follow other people's recipes, though... I'm no chef! I'll send you some tomorrow when I get the chance. :)

Whitney Aguirre's avatar

One of the most freeing things my husband has ever told me when I was stressing about what to make for dinners was KEEP IT SIMPLE. Meat, veggie, starch. It doesn't have to be fancy!

I do enjoy cooking more complicated things from time to time when I have the capacity, but let's face it: dinner happens EVERY DAY - not every day is it gonna be magic 😜

Sarah Smith's avatar

Such a good point and so true! What a great husband lol

Cathy Colver Garland's avatar

Good reminder! My mom always said we have to be faithful to ourselves. That meant cutting me some strawberries when I am cutting some for my kids.

Sarah Smith's avatar

You have a wise mom! What a gift

Cathy Colver Garland's avatar

Mother to 9, so she had plenty of experience. Could also make the best soup from leftovers. Amazing.

Sarah Smith's avatar

I beg of you please send me her secret to amazing soup with leftovers because I’m constantly trying to figure out a way to utilize leftovers well 😅

Cathy Colver Garland's avatar

She would put three pots on the stove and add leftovers to the pots. One was a tomato base, so Italian leftovers or whatever went there. Another was chicken and whatever, another was veggie stock and whatever. Sometimes it was a miss, but most of the time we regretted that it was a “happy little accident.”

Sarah Smith's avatar

LOVE! What’s her name?

Sarah Smith's avatar

That’s a perfect way to put it! I tend to be all or nothing so I’m either eating like super well or not eating at all or not eating good food at all and it’s been hard work trying to find a good balance!

Cathy Colver Garland's avatar

Same.