How about letting them do the cooking for themselves.

I would make what you usually eat and add some rolls and perhaps potato.
Sounds like you are eating healthy and I can't see that they wouldn't benefit from eating that way too....at least for a week.
Linda C

Hi Diana, sorry to hear about your mom, but it's good that your sis is coming to help her. My philosophy is "when in Rome..." they can eat as you do too. They'll understand after they look at you and just make sure that you have some rice or potato side dishes for them. Even if it's frozen or a mix, it will offer variety.

- Couscous is fast and easy.
- Toss baby new potatoes with some olive oil, rosemary & microwave
- A side of canned white beans cooked with some stewed tomatoes and herbs
- Angel hair pasta dressed with a bit of pesto and toasted pinenuts
- Microwave sweet potatoes, mash with maple syrup
- Boil filled raviolis/tortellinis and toss with butter and parm cheese

But I wouldn't cook anything that hit hot buttons for my appetite - so the pasta would be OUT for me!

seagrass

oops, sorry - forgot about the no wheat, soy or dairy

seagrass

Diana sorry to hear that your mom is suffering....and that you may have some difficulties in the next days.

But can you ask your sister what she normally eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Then you could perhaps buy some of the ingredients and let her make it herself. And I would also let them eat what you do, just adding the extra non-diet items that they prefer. Could they not tell you what sort of dishes they will eat, which would be better than your guessing what might be suitable. I have to admit I would have a hard time trying to cook for someone who doesn't eat wheat, soy or dairy ...yikes! (But if I can think of anything I'll come back with my ideas.)
Good luck!

SharonCb

Sorry about your mom too!

Diana..if you're not crazy about stew..make one..that will feed them 2 nights!

Brown the meat.. and onions etc.. add some tomatoes.. a nice bottle of beer..:) Herbs.. let that cook then add many many veggies and cook some more..
If they need a potato make a tattooed one..they are so easy!
I would also ask what they would like to eat and let your sister prepare some of their meals:) You can all be in the kitchen together..let your mom watch you two:) I can think of nothing better than being w/ my 2 girls:) That's the BEST thing you are doing..the food won't be the main thing to her..you are.
Trust me:)

I'm sorry your mom is hurting. I hope she can find some relief.

Now, have they seen you in your awesome hotness? Or will they be surprised?

I'd make some comfort food, like meatballs, soups (add some rice noodles to make it more filling), stews, roast chicken. Make the food ahead of time and let them heat it up and serve themselves so you won't be tempted.

If all else fails, order out.

Good luck.

AM

I'm sorry about Mom too! I hope she finds relief.

When we have guest I try to do as much ahead of time as I can. I usually make several breakfast casseroles. I've been eating Weight Watchers for about 3 nights a week and they have low fat casseroles that my DH likes. Most can be made ahead and are rice based. Throw a salad together and it's a meal.

I also try to keep a variety of cheeses for the times when guest would like a snack.

This recipe comes from a book that Woodie gave me when we had dinner in NYC. I've made it several times and it's really very good. Of course it's good, look at the ingredients.

CRE BRULEE FRENCH TOAST (Courtesy of Arthur Schwartz, WOR Radio)
1 Stick Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
8-10 inch round country loaf, or
1 pound French bread or
1 Challah
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Melt butter, sugar and corn syrup in saucepan over moderate heat. Pour into 9 X 13 pan.
2. Slice bread into 6 slices and place on top of the sauce in the 9 X 13 pan, press together to fit.
3. Whisk together eggs, half and half, Vanilla, Grand Marnier and salt. Pour over bread.
4. Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40 minutes, until puffy and brown.

We now have a gluten-free household, so I sure understand that. Rice pasta is excellent, don't hesitate to use it. But it only comes in spaghetti and fuselli and penne, I think. Trader Joe's. Is your sister is on a wheat-free diet, then she is already well acquainted with the offerings at Whole Foods and TJ's. If you have a bread machibe, make her a loaf of the Bob's Red Mill GF bread. Jim likes it.

Honestly, tho, aside from letting her do some of her own shopping, your ideas of simple meals is probably just fine. I don't see what you have to change in your house except a few items just for her.

Hope your Mom feels a lot better!

You could do some broth based vegetable soups or chili and serve with a tossed salad.

What about some chinese stir fry?

Grilled steak, roasted veggies and salad is my fall back and always good.

Michelle

Great ideas, very helpful! Roasted veggies, yes! I forget how much I like them and can actually make them. I did make them a couple of weeks ago when I last had company and they were great.

Monique, thanks for the stew "recipe." That should be good because I really don't like carrots and don't eat potatoes now so that will be good.

I didn't know TJ's had the rice pasta but I'll pick some up. My ex-boss couldn't eat wheat and she liked some kind of rice pasta at Whole Foods but I can get the TJ's stuff.

My mother was the one who told me about my sister's dietary restrictions. She's always asleep when I call on my way to work so I haven't spoken to her yet but I'm sure we'll just make a trip to the grocery store when they get here.

I picked up some steaks yesterday and threw them in the freezer and stocked up on soups and cereal while I'm at work. They're not going to starve, I just wanted a few home-cooked dinner ideas for them.

AM, they haven't seen me yet but my mother gasps every time I give her the number of pounds lost. And then she tells me to stop.

LOL, AM, awesome hotness!

Diana, what about roast chicken, the Lemon "up the butt" chicken is nice. or the Rao's Lemon Chicken, great with a side or roasted potatoes (or rice). Sol's Garlic Chicken is great, too! I'd just go with what you normally eat these days and add a couple sides they might like, that you won't get tempted with! Hope your mom feels better!

Lemon Chicken (Raos Famous Lemon Chicken - Pollo al Limone)

2 3-pound broiling chickens, halved (I use chicken parts - legs and thighs, but you can also use a chicken cut in eighths, I take the skin off)
1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley

Lemon Sauce:
2 cups fresh lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

To attain maximum heat, preheat broiler for at least 15 minutes before using.

Broil chicken halves, turning once, for about 30 minutes or until skin is golden-brown and juices run clear when bird is pierced with a fork.

Remove chicken from broiler, leaving broiler on. Using a very sharp knife, cut each half into about 6 pieces (leg, thigh, wing, 3 small breast pieces).

Place chicken on a baking sheet with sides, of a size that can fit into the broiler. Pour Lemon Sauce over the chicken and toss to coat well. If necessary, divide sauce in half and do this in two batches.

Return to broiler and broil for 3 minutes. Turn each piece and broil for an additional minute.

Remove from broiler and portion each chicken onto each of 6 warm serving plates.

Pour sauce into a heavy saucepan. Stir in parsley and place over high heat for 1 minute. Pour an equal amount of sauce over each chicken and serve with lots of crusty bread to absorb the sauce.
Directions for Lemon Sauce
Whisk together juice, oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Whisk or shake vigorously before using.

Notes :
You'll need at least 10 lemons to get two cups of fresh juice. Bottled juice will NOT give good results. Keeping the chicken at least 4 inches from the broiler's heat source will cut down on the smoking.

MY NOTES I add some chopped shallots to the sauce. Mix it all up in a container. I take the skin off the chicken, then put the chicken pieces in a broiler pan and broil one side, then I drain the pan, turn the pieces over and broil the other side until they're really crispy about thirty minutes or so when its browned and the juices run clear. Then when the chicken is fully cooked, take the top part of the broiler pan off and drain the fat. Put the chicken in the bottom pan and pour the lemon sauce over the chicken pieces and broil it for a few more minutes. Then I pour the whole thing in a big bowl and serve the chicken and the sauce with roasted potatoes, and steamed broccoli.

and you are doing so great, girl, here's a brisket that's really easy to make and if you hate pot roast it's perfect, you won't be tempted, but they might like it. It has beer in it but I bet you can sub ginger ale, she can't have wheat.

BRISKET

1 4-pound beef brisket
Kosher salt
Pepper
2 onions, thinly sliced into half moons (I use 3 large onions)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup prepared chile sauce (Heinz Chile Sauce - I use the whole bottle)
3 tablespoons brown sugar (I use a bit more)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 12-ounce bottle beer

Salt and pepper both sides of the meat. Place beef in a roasting pan. Cover with onion. Combine ketchup, chile sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and beer. Pour mixture over meat. Cover securely with foil. Bake at 300 degrees F for 4 hours or more until tender. Puree half the gravy to thicken it up (Optional) and slice the meat against the grain! Tastes even better the next day. Freezes well!
and the leftovers are good!

how about coq au vin? That can be made in the crockpot I would think and you could control the fat content by skimming. Plenty of protein and vegetables for everyone and no gluten right?

Here's a great side dish that could be used to dress up some meat and doesn't seem too high in calories. I thought about it while posting the shrimp recipe for checksplay. It's a Cajun dish, Maque Choux, that's usually made with cream. This recipe is much lower in calories because it leaves out the cream. I've had it this way and it's good. It would be great served with a grilled pork tenderloin.

Here is a link that might be useful: Maque Choux -- without cream

Watch out for those soups and cereals that you bought. Someone who is truly allergic to wheat learns to read labels and to be suspicious. There are very very very few canned/processed foods that Jim can eat. I just bought some canned enchilada sauce, and only one brand does not contain wheat; the others all do. The TJ's tomato soup is good, but almost all grocery store brands are bad. And there are no cereals, either. TJ's has a great granola, but there's nothing in the grocery store that works. Many people who are allergic to wheat cannot eat oats either. Your sister will know how it works for her. Watch out for even soy sauce in foods. We buy a non-wheat soy sauce, but many food preparations have wheat-based soy sauce. Or teriyaki sauce that contains soy sauce. Another subtle ingredient is malt, as in beer, malt vinegar. (But maltodextrin does not contain malt, go figure). Jim even has a special beer, Red Bridge, which is wheat-free. See if your sister likes that.

We also tried quinoa pastas from Whole Foods, but did not like that at all. It's got a funny corn-type flavor, and we dumped what we had bought. The rice pastas at TJ's are a lot cheaper than the same at WF. ;-)

Great recipes! I love Sol's chicken... I'll have to make that. The maque choux sounds delicious... but I know I'll want that and can't. :( So I'll take the recipe and make it later. New Orleans is my favorite place so I'm bookmarking that blog, too.

Carol, beer butt chicken! Sounds great! I haven't made that in a while, either. Maybe on the weekend I can make a couple of them. But first Sol's chicken. That is deadly good but can be good for you.

Today I picked up a ham hock and I'm going to make navy bean soup tomorrow. That'll work for a dinner and some lunches. I think my mother really likes that. I talked to her today and she said they'd eat whatever I make, no biggie.

Brown Rice Pasta and Spelt Pasta are pretty good, just make sure to cook only to al dente! They will turn to mush quickly.
Many who have a gluten problem can use Spelt, but I don't know if your sister is one of them.

Diana, you ARE awesome hot, you know! I'm sorry your Mom is having such problems, I hope they help her at the pain clinic.

Elery's daughter is also gluten intolerant and she likes the gluten free bread at TJs, I think it's rice based. TJs website has a list of gluten free foods, incidentally, that was helpful for someone like me that was pretty new to those particular dietary restrictions.

One of my favorite recipes is from Cooking Light, it's an apple cider marinated pork roast, you could also use the marinade with chicken:

APPLE CIDER BRINED PORK ROAST
3 cups apple cider
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
¼ cup salt
1 tbls black peppercorns
1 tbls coriander seeds
1 2 lb. Pork loin, trimmed
2 cups cider
1 ½ tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 ½ tsp chopped fresh sage
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat, cool, and pour into a Ziploc bag or container big enough to hold the pork loin. Add pork, seal and let marinate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350, bring 2 cups cider to a boil over medium high heat. Boil until cider is thickened and reduced to ¼ cup, about 15 minutes. Set aside. Remove pork from bag or container and discard brine. Place pork on broiler pan or baking dish and lightly coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and bake about 1 hour, until pork is done, basting twice with the reduced cider in the last 20 minutes of baking. Remove from oven, baste with remaining cider reduction. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 8

200 calories per 4 oz. Serving, 6 grams fat

Good luck, have fun, enjoy your visit. You'll be a perfect hostess and they'll be proud of your new, healthy lifestyle I'm sure.

Annie

Terri, spelt is not gluten-free. I can't find any celiac source that claims it is okay.

Here is a link that might be useful: spelt

Oh, the pork roast sounds delicious! Wow! Thanks, Annie. I may take some thick pork loin chops, brine them with the recipe, then grill them. Yum!

Bean soup is cooking now. Unfortunately, it smells really good. Might have to have three bites.

Helene, mostly those soups and cereals were for my mother. I figure my sister can fend for herself at lunch. My mother is just getting too rickety to cook so I thought I'd have something easy for her. I'm sure Vicki won't mind heating up the stuff for her.

"mostly those soups and cereals were for my mother. I figure my sister can fend for herself at lunch."

Thanks---I am hyper-sensitive on the issue of gluten allergies right now! Hope the visit goes well for you all, and that your Mom finds some relief.