Olympian Worthy Menu Post

Normally, I don't get that jacked up about the Olympics. This year, however, I'm pretty excited. It all started over the last few snow days when I ran out of reading material and started reading Justin's Sports Illustrated magazine. The hype got me thinking, "Hey! Why not have an Olympics theme for the menu this week?" It has been ages since I've done a menu post. After more leisurely research on the internet about some of the USA athletes' favorite foods, I got a pretty stellar menu planned.

The normal diet for an Olympic athlete is pretty lean and clean. Many stated they ate multiple small meals consisting of  nuts, berries, chicken, protein shakes, and spinach. Have no fear! There are no protein shake meals in this week's menu. Yes, there will be chicken, but some of these dishes might actually surprise you. After all, everybody has to splurge sometimes. For example, speed skater Shani Davis loves his native Chicago deep dish pizza. So, I had to put my gluten-free recipe on the menu. This menu is simple, short, and sweet since I will be putting in two 12 hour days for parent-teacher conferences. The beauty of it all? Almost everything will be prepped ahead and I plan on using leftover chicken from Sunday in the Alfredo bake. In honor of team USA, let the winter games in my kitchen begin!

Sunday 2/9            Roasted Chicken with Power Quinoa Salad

Monday 2/10        Leftovers

Tuesday 2/11        Spinach and Chicken Alfredo Bake

Wednesday 2/12   Leftovers

Thursday 2/13       On your own night for the Bear

Friday 2/14 or       GF Pepperoni Deep Dish Pizza
Saturday 2/15

A few of the items you will need to make this all happen:

1 whole chicken
1 package turkey pepperoni
1 shallot
1 bulb garlic
2 lemons
1 bag spinach
1 bag dried mango
1 bag dried goji berries (if you cannot find goji berries, cranberries will do)
1 small bag chopped walnuts (about 1/2 cup)
1 box dried quinoa (or 1 cup from the bulk section of your store)
1 box dried gluten-free penne pasta
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 container grated Parmesan cheese
1 bag shredded Parmesan cheese
4 oz. goat cheese
1 8 oz. box 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 quart skim milk

Pantry items you will need:

Extra virgin olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
1 package dried instant yeast
Gluten-free flour
Oats
Herbs de Provence or dried Italian herbs
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper