Meal Plan Week 19

For the meal plan week 19 we are cooking a lot of meals we missed using safe ingredients for us. The kids had a lot of pull this week over our meals as they had a few favourites they were asking if we could have. We love to include the kids in our meal planning, cooking, and how to read ingredients on products. 

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Meal Plan Week 19

Meal Plan Week 19 In-Depth and Top Tips

Monday

“Not Fish” and Chips 

If Not Fish Then What?

We really missed a traditional British fish and chips so we did some digging and some experimenting and have found that we love the vegan alternative to fish - banana blossoms. We use canned blossoms, not fresh ones. Drain the blossoms from the tin water and lay out on a paper towel and pat dry. We choose to use a shortcut and use Humble & Frank’s Gluten Free Fish Fry (it is not the top one but further down the page) for perfect batter but Beck Excell has a recipe that works well. Self raising flour is really common in the UK and is flour with the leaveners already in it. King Arthur has a great recipe for it. 

Instead of Beer in the Batter

We use club soda in place of the Gluten Free Beer. Keep in mind some beers are reverse de-glutened and may still contain traces. If using a beer, get one that is made from all gluten free ingredients, Heathen’s Brewing in our town is the only dedicated gluten free craft brewer in Western Canada using this method.

The Frying

We fry the banana blossoms pretty much as per Becky and Humble and Frank’s times. They cook a wee quicker but they still need to be beautifully golden brown. Serve the “not” fish with homemade tartar sauce, recipe found in the Tuesday Top Tips, and British style chips.

The Chips/Fries

We use russet potatoes or another starchy potato for chips (or fries). They can be fried in oil like the fish or made in the air fryer for ease. We peel and cut the potatoes into fry sized slices. Soak them in salted cold water for 30 mins, then par boil for 3-4 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Drain the potatoes and let steam in the pot off the heat and  covered with a tea towel for 5-10 mins to help dry them. Pour the potatoes out on the tea towel and pat dry.

If flying in oil they need to be really dry or the oil will spit and be very dangerous. For the air fryer - In a large bowl toss the potatoes with 2 Tbsps of neutral oil, like canola, and salt. Cook for 24-28 mins in the air fryer at 380F. Shake at the halfway point to cook all the fries evenly.

Top Tip:

Canned Banana Blossoms can be found in Asian markets and international foods aisles in some grocers. We usually get 2-4 cans as many blossoms will fall apart in the tins. Those that are not intact we press into a fish patty shape, dip and fry like the others but for picture perfect “fish” the intact ones are the same texture as fish. The pressed patty ones are what we will use on the sandwiches next week.

Tuesday

“Not Fish” Sandwiches with Egg Free Potato Salad

The Fish Sandwich

On a top 8 free, gluten free bun like the Little Northern Bakehouse hamburger ones we will be making our own homemade fish filet sandwiches with ingredients that are safe for us. The sandwiches will be made buns, dairy free cheddar-like cheese slices like those from Daiya or Violife, Homemade tartar sauce, and our “not” fish left over from the night before. The “fish” will be reheated in the air fryer to keep it crispy. This dinner is modelled after the McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish but is safe for our family with all our allergies.

The Side

The Egg Free Potato Salad is one of our summer favs and works well with sandwiches like this one. The dill flavour compliments what tartar sauce pickle base nicely. We can use the leftovers for lunches this week with the kids’ sandwiches.

Top Tip:

To make top 8 free Tartar sauce we combine the following ingredients: 2 c Vegan Mayo (like Mama Yo! or Hellmann’s Vegan), 5 medium garlic dill pickles, finely diced, ½ medium white onion, finely diced, 2 tbsps Capers, finely diced, 1 tablespoon caper brine, ¼ c Fresh dill, finely chopped, Lemon zest, 1 lemon worth, Pepper and salt to taste. 

Combine all in a medium bowl, put in the fridge and let mingle for 1-2 hours before serving. 

Wednesday

Steak Sandwiches and Strawberry Salad

Steak Sandwich

On a gluten and top 8 free hot dog roll that has been toasted. The crisping of the roll will be after being brushed with garlic plant butter. Plant based margarine like, Earth balance soy free, and dusted with garlic powder or the spread mixed with minced garlic and spread on the roll will make up the garlic butter. 

A sliced steak placed on top of the bun and served next to a strawberry salad.

Strawberry Salad

The salad will be made with a romaine lettuce base, topped with sliced strawberries, slivers of onion, and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds. The dressing will be a dill and garlic one. To make it mix - 3 Tbsps olive oil, 1 Tbsps white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, pinch of pepper, 2 cloves of garlic minced, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon dried dill, ¼ teaspoon dried parsley, ¼ teaspoon dried chives, pinch of turmeric, pinch of paprika.

Top Tip:

We will be using a marinade for the steaks so we can use cheaper cuts of meat to feed our family. The marinade will be made with ½ C white wine (check that it is safe with the manufacturer as alcohol isn’t labelled the same. Vegan wines are a good place to start, or use apple cider vinegar in place of wine), ½ C olive oil, 3 Cloves garlic minced, 2 Tbsps Fresh Greek Oregano, ½ teaspoon sweet paprika, pinch pepper.

We will let the steaks marinade in the fridge for between 30 minutes to 2 hours before we pull them out to bring them up to room temp for grilling them.

Thursday

Fig and Kale Salad

We are starting to see fresh fig cases come into the produce markets here for a really good price and kale is also in season here so we will be having meal sized Fig and Kale Salads. The kids will probably choose to use Daiya Ranch dressing instead of the Honey Balsamic Dressing that Rob and I will have.

Top Tip:

Slice up leftover steak from Wednesday’s dinner as an added protein to the meal.

Friday

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches and Steamed Broccoli

We love this meal and the kids keep asking for it. Gluten Free Sloppy Joes are really easy to make and can be eaten in a few different ways to keep it interesting.  

A side of steamed broccoli to round out the meal for our family. It can be dipped in Daiya cheese sauce for fun for the kids. They have three different kinds. We have only tried the cheddar style but any of them would work as broccoli dips or drizzles.

Top Tip:

The ground mix can be eaten on a salad, like our leftover taco salad, in a gluten free wrap or lettuce wrap, on a bun. Our kids love using a bun for theirs. It is a nice change from a burger. The buns we use are Little Northern Bakery ones.

Saturday

Pizza Night -Fig and Arugula Pizza

Pizza Toppings

We have not been great lately at keeping our once a week pizza night. Life has been getting in the way. The kids have requested we have it this week and watch a movie. We have a case of fresh figs so Rob and I will be putting fresh figs on our pizza with a tomato sauce base with bits of plant based Boursin and roasted garlic then baked. When finished topped with arugula and hot chilli oil.

Pizza Base

We make our own dough with this Gluten Free Vegan Dough Recipe but there are gluten free top 8 free bases available from Judy G and Little Northern Bakehouse. Ready made gluten free pizzas with dairy free cheeses are also available from Daiya, if a quick meal is needed.

Top Tip:

Check that the pizza sauce is top 8 free. Many name brands contain soy but we have found the value brands do not and are safe for us to eat through confirming with the manufacturer. There are a few brands like Don Peppino or Rao’s  that may be safe based on ingredients.

Sunday 

Nachos with Leftover Sloppy Joe Beef

The Toppings

We love making nachos as a quick meal. The kids get to personalise their own batch, just like a pizza. We use gluten free, top 8 free tortilla chips with loads of toppings including black beans, sweet orange peppers, tomatoes, onions, black olives, jalapenos, and the leftover ground meat cooked as sloppy joe mix.

The Cheese

Top it all off with a wee bit of dairy free cheese. Our kids prefer the shredded kind but not too much as it can get a bit oily but the cheese sauces from Daiya would be more like stadium nachos, especially the zesty cheddar flavour. We like to use Violife, Follow Your Heart, Nurishh, or Daiya shredded dairy free cheese on our nachos. We serve them with a bit of homemade guacamole and salsa for dipping.

Top Tip:    

Nachos are a great way to use up ground meat dished inour home. We make them with left over taco and sloppy joe mix. Putting the leftovers on a hotdog like a chili cheese dog or in spaghetti sauce or Chilli are also a great way to use them up and stretch our budget.

We Love Feedback!

Did you make any of the meals we did let us know? What is on your meal plan this week? Drop a comment on this post or tag us on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.

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Allergen Reminders

We have to remind everyone that we are not medical professionals or dietitians, so these meal plans are not balanced for nutrition, they are for information purposes only. Please discuss any dietary concerns, changes, or proper meal plans with your medical team.

Always check the labels for any products to make sure they are right for you. We also encourage you to contact the manufacturers in addition to checking that the process of manufacturing is also safe for you, and that there aren’t shared lines. One product or ingredients may be safe for one person but not another. Always check the products and ingredients before purchasing.