Gluten Free Cookin' Mama: So long wheat....

Yesterday we had a great four month check-up! Sawyer is now 15 lbs. 9 oz.! He's getting to be such a cute chunk, he's got some major thunder thighs going on :) He had to have two shots and one oral immunization which made him gassy and fussy so it was a bit of an off day. On top of that, I think we may have a teether on our hands... he has drool pouring out like a waterfall and he loves to chew on everything! He's just growing up so fast!

Well, after three wonderful days of bread, it's back out of my diet... On Tuesday, I saw a tiny speck of blood in his stool, then more on Wednesday. Thursday when he had his next poop, it had even more. Poor little guy! I called the gastroenterologist and told him what happened and he said to eliminate wheat for 6-8 weeks then move onto the next food group which is egg. It's kind of like starting over but this time I can have fish and nuts! I figure I've done this diet for two months, so whats a few more :) Thankfully there are so many gluten-free options available now. I hope this is just an allergy that he outgrows quickly!

So I've had this recipe typed up for a while but just haven't posted it yet. It's a super yummy beans and rice recipe that I made when I was low on groceries and looking for a quick dinner fix!

Black Beans and Rice

4 tsp. olive oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

3/4 tsp. thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the pepper, onion and garlic in olive oil until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the beans, tomatoes, broth and seasonings.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. The recipe says it should take about 45 mins. but I simmered mine for close to 2 hours and it really didn't thicken much.