Breakfast

Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 3 slices gluten-free bread, coarsely torn*
  • 2 chicken sausages, cut**
  • 1/2 cup reduced fat pepperjack cheese, grated
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 1 cup of low fat milk
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking pan and evenly place bread pieces in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with sausage pieces and cheese. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over bread mixture in the pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until mixture is set and the casserole has browned. Enjoy! Now you can eat breakfast for dinner!

* I used Rudi’s GF Multigrain Bread

** I used Apple-Chicken Sausage for additional flavor. You can use any kind of savory sausage!

July 2015: Chex Honey Nut Granola Mix

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” -Buddha

Each day is a new day. A chance to meet someone new or try something new. An opportunity to tackle a problem or accomplish a goal. A new beginning to make a change. To make the most of each precious day, you need to start off your day right. And we’ve all read the magazine articles, seen it all over the internet, and heard it from our friends and family: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And lucky for us, the most important meal is also the trickiest meal for those of us who steer clear from gluten.

I have always struggled to find good gluten-free breakfast options. Let me rephrase that, I have always struggled to find healthy and tasty gluten-free breakfast options. Yes, there are some decent cinnamon and chocolate gluten-free donuts in the freezer aisle, but as far as truly delicious cereals and granolas that are good for you? Oh, please! That is until just a few weeks ago I discovered Chex Honey Nut Granola– I’ve been eating it every morning since with 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk. This granola has a great nutty texture with Chex squares, almonds, and nut clusters and just a bit of honey to sweeten it up, making a truly a satisfying breakfast. I was immediately reminded of my childhood eating Honey Bunches of Oats every morning– something I have not been able to indulge in since I was diagnosed with Celiac. I do like the Chocolate and Cinnamon Chex cereals as well, however, this is by far the best gluten-free granola I’ve had! And no cholesterol and only 1 gram of saturated fat! And if you’re not a fan of the Honey Nut Chex cereal (like me), do try this granola, you won’t regret it! There’s also a Mixed Berry Almond variety of this granola that I haven’t been able to get my hands on, but do comment and let me know if you have!

What are your favorite gluten-free granolas and cereal? Comment below!

Cheers,

Anika

Keating’s River Grill

Hope everyone is staying warm during the snowstorm (and enjoying the many bonus snow days)! Unfortunately, my power went out early Wednesday morning, so we had to pack our bags and camp out at a hotel Wednesday night. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency at Penn’s Landing in Philly. All of the hotels on the mainline were booked or had no power! But lucky for us, while we stayed at the Hyatt, we were in for a treat when we dined at Keating’s River Grill. My family and I enjoyed dinner and breakfast at the restaurant.

The waiter wasn’t particularly knowledgeable as to what foods contained wheat, however, he was very flexible and accommodating and got all the information we needed from the chef. However, if you look at the menu online, the dishes that are gluten-free are marked as “*gluten-free”. It is very helpful! I ordered scallops with “golden” quinoa. This was one of the few occasions that I have opted for scallops, but after this meal, I am completely sold! And quinoa has become a new favorite. I prefer it to brown rice or mashed potatoes any day! This colorful quinoa was topped with butternut squash, dried apricot, and cranberries. As for dessert, I had a refreshing lemon sorbet to cool my palette from the flavorful meal. Although, considering the terrible weather, it probably wasn’t the smartest choice! If I have the opportunity to return to Keating’s soon, I would definitely want to try the White Chocolate Ginger Creme Brûlée and the Chocolate Framboise (a gluten-free chocolate cake with raspberry sauce).

Thursday morning we were fortunate enough to receive the news that our power was back! We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast at Keating’s and then headed back home. With our room, we got breakfast package, so I assumed I would opt for the buffet and get some eggs, cold cuts, cheeses, and fruit. However, I was pleasantly surprised wen I looked at the a la carte menu. I ordered Almond Pancakes that were made from almond flour and yogurt and topped with brown sugar, yogurt, blueberries, and slivered almonds. It was simply divine! They were hands down the best gluten-free pancakes I have ever had. I will attempting to recreate these at home very soon! And I would never have thought to top pancakes with yogurt… it’s definitely a healthy and tastier option (in my opinion!) than maple syrup or butter.

If you’re in the city and looking for a simply yet delicious bite, Keating’s River Grill is your place! And the Hyatt was an excellent hotel as well.

Bundle up and stay safe!

Cheers!

Anika