Chopped Challenge at Home

This was probably our best idea yet for being stuck at home! Honestly it was so fun and actually a great way to use ingredients that you have in your pantry or fridge! We have done this twice now and it was jut as fun the second time. A couple of things to remember and just accept.. The kitchen is GOING to be a mess, there WILL be a ton of dishes, but you WILL have a blast and create such fun memories!

The way that Dustin and I did this was I picked 5 ingredients for him and he picked 5 ingredients for me. We decided that one of the things that we needed to pick for the other person is a protein just to set the pace for the meal that they will have to make. Like for example I chose ground chicken and that really threw him for a loop and directed the meal a bit.

Chopped Guidelines

• Must use all 5 ingredients in the dish

• Have all ingredients in the dish on the plate

• 40 minutes to complete the dish

• We both also choose an additional 6th item to give to each other 10 minutes into the challenge {such a fun twist!}

• Don’t pick a starch because it might sway the meal too much one way {picking pasta noodles pretty much ensures you're getting pasta.. that kind of thing!}

• Preheat the oven to desired temp {we did 400}, boil a large pot of water and start any other cooking tools you want to use. We did a fryer but you could also preheat like a George foreman, etc.

I would say if you are wanting to do this with your family just choose partners and do it the same way we did! If there is an uneven number then for example, person 1 would choose food for person 2 to cook and person 3 would eat that food for dinner and so on!

Another thing that we thought could be fun so this can be like a once a month kind of thing is to choose themes! Like dinner foods, sandwiches and a side, gourmet breakfast, desserts, chicken dinner.. I mean the list goes on and on! You could pull any theme and it would be so much fun! I think next tie we do this we will do sandwiches and a side!

Gluten Free Frozen Favorites

A few years back when it was the beginning of me not being able to have gluten I was so worried about the lack of some of those more convenient gluten free foods but I have actually found all I could ever want/need in the frozen food department which I am so happy about! In honor of National Frozen Food day I wanted to share all of these great finds that I have collected or found over the last couple of years.

1. Brazi Bites - these is a newer find for me but they are SO great when you order pizza and want a side. Usually my husband will order breadsticks for himself and I can’t have any but with these we literally pop them in the oven for 20 minutes and they are ready by the time the pizza arrives. They are delish - I will say though I wasn’t a super fan of the cinnamon sugar kind, only the cheese filled bites. I find these at Whole Foods or Costco!

2. Natures Path Chocolate Chip Frozen Waffles - They are so good, I usually cook two and then put peanut butter and jelly on them and make them into sandwich when I am in a rush to get somewhere. I find them at Target! I also think that these are better than most gf waffles that have chocolate/berries in them - they don’t have a weird after taste.

3. Chicken Nuggets - I have tried A LOT of gluten free chicken nuggets and I like these two kinds the best. First are the gluten free chicken nuggets from Trader Joe’s, they are yummy and the breading is very good! The others I get from Target and are newer to me, they are the Tyson’s Naturals chicken nuggets and the breading gets so crunchy which I love becuase I will put them on a sandwich or a salad and its so good.

4. Jasmine Rice - This is from Trader Joe’s and so helpful when you don’t know what to make for dinner. We use this sometimes in our Chicken Fried Rice if we are short on time because it takes like 3 minutes! Here is the link to that Chicken Fried Rice recipe.. Definatly add it into the weekly rotation, you won’t be sorry!

5. Gluten Free frozen pancakes - These are specifically from Trader Joe’s and holy cannoli they are good! These are also dairy free if that is something that you need as well! Add a little PB and syrup and yum! Speaking of which.. do you eat pancakes with peanut butter?!

6. Mahi Mahi burgers from Trader Joe’s - We like to get these for dinners. It’s a quick “pull it out of the freezer and cook” type of meal. Add guacamole on top or an aoli if you’re feeling crazy and then eat! The box says it only takes about 6-8 minutes to cook but I would say it takes like 12-15! Serve with French fries and you are set!

7. Black Bean burgers - They are from the brand Gardein and I get them from Target. Sometimes I can get them on Amazon Fresh but lately they have been sold out or unavailable… so Target it is! I make them for lunch with a bun and dang its so good. It’s a little spicy on its own but I like to add some type of spicy sauce to add to it a bit.

I would love to hear if you have a frozen gluten free favorite food! You can always email me at tarynintotravel@gmail.com or just shoot me a DM on Instagram!

Easy Gluten Free Crockpot Chili

Hi guys! If you know me, you know that I am on a steady diet of chili for lunches pretty much from when the first fall leaf hits the ground until at least Valentine’s Day. I seriously make it in the crock pot on Sundays and eat it every day until Friday! I don’t know how I never get sick of it but I don’t and I’m pretty sure you won’t either!

If I am being completely honest, this post has been sitting in my drafts since JANUARY 13th!! About the time I share this recipe!! Don’t ya think?!

INGREDIANTS

1 lb - cooked ground turkey, ground beef or veggie crumbles (all three are good, I use whatever I have on hand)

1/2 of a diced white onion

diced mushrooms (amount for preference)

1 can (29oz) of tomato sauce

1 can (15.25oz)- black beans (drained)

1 can (15.25oz) - kidney beans (drained)

1 can of drained corn

1 can(16oz) - chili beans

1 can (10oz) - Mild Rotel

garlic salt to taste

onion powder to taste

salt to taste

pepper to taste

paprika to taste

cayenne to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

In a skillet cook the meat, I add salt and pepper and minced garlic for seasoning.

Then add in half of a diced white onion and diced mushrooms!

While the meat is cooking drain and rinse the can of kidney beans, black beans, and corn.

Once the meat and veggies are cooked down, add everything else to the crockpot!

Add the seasonings to the crockpot and then cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Serve with Fritos and cheddar cheese!

Gluten Free Chicken Fried Rice

Did you know that today is National Fried Rice Day? I have been meaning to share my recipe with you guys and now I have the perfect reason to! We eat this literally like 3-4 times a month, not exaggerating. It’s so easy and it saves well so if I know that we have busier week then we can plan to have leftovers the following night!

There is a magical happy sauce that MAKES the dish. Lol It’s “Terry Ho’s Yum Yum Sauce the Original”. It’s not new but it’s amazing. I get mine at Target but I will link it here so you know what you are looking for! Like please buy it at Target because its only like $4 there! Also, side note, its not “healthy” by any means but SO SO GOOD. I think you could make it a bit of a healthier dish if you made it with cauliflower rice, but I haven’t tried that.

Directions

1. Cook 1 cup of rice (I use the microwave to cook the rice because its easier/faster)

2. If you choose to use protein, dice the protein small and season with garlic salt, pepper and salt

3. Heat butter in the skillet and add frozen veggies

4. Add cooked rice to the veggies

5. Add cooked protein and coconut aminos to the skillet

6. Cook all together until the rice gets some crispy bits

7. Split into portions and add yum yum sauce as you like
   

ABC’s Bachelorette Party: Wings two ways

MEN TELL ALL episode, I pretty much thought of the most manly thing I could think of and came up with wings! This is one of my favorite episodes because there is just so much going on and so much drama. But these wings were so good and easily could be served as an appetizer or made as a whole dinner and add french fries.

Spicy Asian Garlic

6 tbsp - Minced Garlic

2 cups - Sweet Chili Sauce

1/4th cup - Coconut Aminos

1 tbsp - Chili Paste

1 tbsp - Sesame Oil

1 tbsp - Spicy Stir Fry Sauce

1 tsp - Cayenne

1 tsp - Salt

Red Pepper Flake for more heat if desired

Kickin’ Honey Barbecue

1 tbsp - Minced Garlic

2 cups - Ketchup

3/4th cup - Honey

2 tbsp - Mustard

2 tbsp - Molasses

1 tbsp - Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tbsp - Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp - Cayenne

1 tsp - Ground Mustard

1 tsp - Garlic salt

Directions

Sauces

Cook time - 12 minutes

Put pan on stove at medium heat, add olive oil to pan creating a thin layer of oil. Add Minced Garlic and brown and stir occasionally until garlic has browned. Once Garlic has browned add in the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Once all the ingredients are mixed turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Wings

Season wings with salt and pepper, turn grill on to medium heat. Add the wings on the grill and make sure to flip and cook both sides until they are brown. Optional: once grilled, toss in fryer for about 2 minutes to crisp the outside) Let cool for a few minutes, brush on sauce of your choice! Eat!