I love these posts. There are so many recipes in my archives that we still love to make. But there are also so many recipes that I have forgotten about.

These posts take me back to the days when all three kids were still at home, and I spent hours in the kitchen each week.

June 2016 was a great month for sharing all kinds of summer recipes.

Looking Back at June 2016 Recipes

Triple Berry Spinach Salad is the perfect summer side dish.

Triple Berry Chicken Almond Salad makes that same salad into a main dish. This recipe is still one of my favorite summer dinner recipes.

Yes, baked oatmeal is delicious all year long. Blackberry Baked Oatmeal turns it into a summer treat.

Back in 2016, I shared Twenty Simple Summer Salads. I need to add some of these recipes to the menu plan soon.

Do you know someone who has to eat dairy-free? This Dairy Free Microwave Pudding is a quick and easy dessert to make for them.

Chicken Bacon Salad is another great dinner for summer when you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Summer is berry season, and Sour Cream Blueberry Pancakes are a delicious way to serve blueberries. This recipe is still a favorite! I really need to retake the pictures on this one.

Gluten-Free Sour Cream Blueberry Pancakes are my gluten-free version of a favorite recipe. I loved these pancakes. It is another recipe that I need to update the photos on.

What recipe are you going to add to your menu plan?

The post Looking Back June 2016 appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Being sick always flares my health issues, and that is exactly what happened last week. I am hoping this week is better and I can tackle my list of things to do.

Here is this week’s menu plan. I am keeping it simple with some tried and true summer favorites.

June Menu Plan June Week Two

This week's menu plan is full of easy summer meals.

Strawberries and Cream Baked Oatmeal

Strawberries and Cream Bakes Oatmeal is a delicious breakfast treat. It is all the flavors of those famous oatmeal packages in an easy to make homemade breakfast.

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Martha Stewart's Blueberry Muffin Recipe with gluten free option

Martha Stewart's Blueberry Muffin recipe is a delicious treat with fresh blueberries in the summer or frozen blueberries all year long.

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Easy Oven Pancakes

Make pancakes easy by baking them in the oven.

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Slow Cooked Taco Sloppy Joes

Change up taco night and serve slow cooked taco sloppy joes. If you are gluten free serve on gluten free buns or serve over baked potatoes.

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Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken is an easy three ingredient recipe that can be used in so many different ways.

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Broccoli Chicken Salad

Broccoli Chicken Salad is a quick and easy main dish salad.

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Eggs and Soy Sauce Over Quinoa

Eggs and Soy Sauce over Quinoa is a great breakfast, lunch, or breakfast for dinner.

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Quick and Easy Tortilla Pizza

Pizza can be easy when you use tortillas for the crust.

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Peanut Butter Pudding

Homemade Peanut Butter Pudding is a creamy and delicious dessert!

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Microwave Blueberry Cobbler

Microwave Blueberry Cobbler makes a classic cobbler easy to make by cooking it in the microwave.

Get the Recipe

The post Menu Plan June Week 2 appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Gluten-Free Menu Plan June Week Two

Need some easy gluten free meals for the week? This week's gluten free menu plan includes easy breakfast, dinner, and dessert recipes.

Gluten Free Applesauce Muffins

Photo Credit: gfkitchenadventures.com

An old fashioned applesauce muffin made gluten free.

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Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Muffins

Delicious gluten free dairy free chocolate muffins. Yes, gluten-free dairy-free can be easy and delicious.

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Egg and Potato Breakfast Muffins

Egg and Potato Breakfast Muffins are an easy breakfast that can be made ahead.

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Gluten Free Pizza Recipe - Gluten Free Kitchen Adventures

Photo Credit: gfkitchenadventures.com

A favorite gluten free pizza for pizza and movie night.

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Broccoli Chicken Salad

Broccoli Chicken Salad is a quick and easy main dish salad.

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Crustless Salmon Quiche

Crustless Salmon Quiche is an easy breakfast, lunch or dinner!

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Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese

Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese makes homemade mac and cheese easy.

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Oven Baked Chicken Legs

Baked chicken legs are an easy to make recipe that is perfect for dinner any night of the week.

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The Best Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

My all time favorite gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe.

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The post Gluten-Free Menu Plan June Week 2 appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Quick and Easy Meals June Week One

This quick and easy menu plan for the first week of June is full of easy and delicious recipes. It includes a couple of slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes and one of my favorite no-bake desserts.

Martha Stewart's Classic French Toast Recipe

A classic French toast recipe made with a few easy tips.

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Chocolate Chip Coconut Breakfast Cookies aka Mounds Bar Breakfast Cookies

Chocolate Chip Coconut Breakfast cookies are a breakfast treat that kids and adults will love.

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Overnight Bisquick Pancakes

Pancakes for breakfast made easy with these Overnight Bisquick Pancakes.

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Baked Enchilada Rice

Baked enchilada rice is a simple four ingredient side dish that goes with just about any Mexican type meal.

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Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Sheet pan chicken fajitas makes fajitas easy and delicious.

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Instant Pot Refried Beans

Homemade refried beans are easy when you make them in the Instant Pot.

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Pork Burgers with Asian Coleslaw

Change burger night up with these easy to make pork burgers with Asian coleslaw.

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Slow Cooked Chicken Sloppy Joes

Change up sloppy joes with these easy to make slow cooked chicken sloppy joes

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5 Ingredient Slow Cooked Chicken

Delicious slow-cooked chicken using only five ingredients.

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Salmon Burgers

Salmon burgers are a quick, easy, and inexpensive dinner.

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Triple Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Triple Chocolate Brownie Cookies are part brownie and part cookie and 100% delicious!

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No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut butter and chocolate are combined in these easy-to-make no-bake peanut butter bars.

Get the Recipe

The post Quick and Easy Meals June Week One appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Gluten Free Menu Plan June Week One

Easy gluten free recipes for breakfast, dinner, dessert, and more.

Microwave Omelet

Breakfast made easy with this microwave omelet.

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Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

You can have cookies for breakfast with these delicious banana oatmeal cookies.

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Joanna Gaines Banana Bread Made Gluten Free

Joanna Gaines famous Banana Bread made gluten free. So good that you won't know that it is gluten free.

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Tuna Quiche Recipe

Tuna Quiche is an easy inexpensive meal that uses basic ingredients. It is also crustless so it is easy to make gluten free.

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Photo Credit: gfkitchenadventures.com

Gluten Free Egg Roll In a Bowl - Gluten Free Kitchen Adventures

The flavors of an egg roll in a delicious one pot meal.

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Greek Scrambled Eggs

Make scrambled eggs special with these Greek Scrambled eggs. Makes a great breakfast for dinner.

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Pizza Fries

Pizza night can be easy when you make pizza fries.

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Photo Credit: glutenfreeeasily.com

Flourless Gluten-Free Low-Carb Pizza Recipe (Keto Friendly, Too)

Easy gluten free keto friendly pizza. My sister and parents love this!

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Photo Credit: gfkitchenadventures.com

Old Fashioned Gluten-Free Blueberry Cobbler

An old fashioned cobbler made gluten free.

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Microwave Chocolate Pudding

Pudding made easy in the microwave.

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The post Gluten Free Menu Plan June Week One appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

I will fully admit that I am not a huge cracker eater. Potato chips, yes, crackers not so much.

I like crackers and eat them, but they are not usually something that I reach for often.

I think part of the reason that I don’t tend to eat a lot of them may be that most gluten free crackers are not quite the same as regular crackers.

However, when I saw Mommy Hates Cooking post on Instagram that there was a new gluten free version of Cheez It crackers, I knew I had to try them.

I was so curious if they would be like the regular version.

I was able to find the Gluten Free Cheeze-It crackers at Wal-Mart. I don’t always find that best gluten free selection at Wal-Mart, so I was glad to see that they had them.

I will fully admit that these are not the healthiest snack, but I also don’t think the ingredients are too bad for a gluten free pre-made snack.

The serving size is also thirty crackers, which I doubt I would ever eat in one serving, so I think they would probably be a healthier snack than potato chips for me.

Yes, I am trying to justify eating these crackers because they are so good!

I know I said I was not a huge cracker eater, but these are delicious!

It has been since 2009 since I have had a real Cheeze-It, so I can’t say for sure how close to the real thing these are, but from what I can remember they are very close.

The taste and texture where very similar to what I remember them being.

My daughter tried them and she thought the same thing.

My husband who doesn’t have to eat gluten free, also thought that they were very close to the real thing.

I think these would be a great option for kids that have to be gluten free. Finding gluten free snacks for kids can be hard, so I think these would be great for snacks for kids.

Have you tried them? I would love to hear if you think they are as good as the real thing.

More Gluten Free Favorites

Best Gluten Free Boxed Mac and Cheese

Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Products

ALDI Gluten Free Products

Gluten Free Pretzels

The post Gluten Free Cheez It appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

This week’s menu plan also includes one of my favorite desserts, which is my mom’s lemon bars. They are easy to make use ingredients that you probably have on hand. 

Here is the plan for the week.

Menu Plan May Week 4

Quick and easy meals for May. Includes several freezer friendly recipes.

Strawberries and Cream Baked Oatmeal

Strawberries and Cream Bakes Oatmeal is a delicious breakfast treat. It is all the flavors of those famous oatmeal packages in an easy to make homemade breakfast.

Get the Recipe

Chocolate Chip Coconut Granola {aka Mounds Bar Granola}

Chocolate Chip Coconut Granola aka mounds bar granola is a fun breakfast treat.

Get the Recipe

Homemade Freezer Smoothie Mix

Skip those bags of smoothie mixes from the freezer section and make your own at home.

Get the Recipe

5 Ingredient Burrito Casserole

5 Ingredient Burrito Casserole is a great make ahead freezer friendly dinner.

Get the Recipe

15 Minute Dinner Sausage Alfredo

15 minute sausage alfredo is a quick and easy delicious dinner. It is also easy to make gluten free.

Get the Recipe

Homemade Cheesy Tuna Helper

Homemade Cheesy Tuna Helper as good as the real thing.

Get the Recipe

Ground Beef Fajita Bowl

Change up taco or fajita night with these ground beef fajita bowl recipe.

Get the Recipe

Pop Up Pizza Pie

The flavors of pizza in an easy to make casserole.

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Easy Oven Pancakes

Pancakes made easy by baking them.

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Mom's Lemon Bars

My mom's lemon bars are a classic recipes that my family has been making for over 40 years.

Get the Recipe

The post Menu Plan May Week 4 appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Gluten Free Menu Plan May Week 4

Gluten Free Recipes for May

Gluten Free Dairy Free Banana Bread

A gluten free dariy free banana bread that you will not know is gluten and dairy free.

Get Recipe

Gluten Free Pancake Mix Recipe

Make gluten-free pancakes at home with this homemade gluten-free pancake mix.

Get the Recipe

Baked Egg Cups

An easy and fun breakfast or breakfast for dinner.

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Triple Berry Spinach Salad

Triple Berry Spinach Salad is a delicious side dish or even lunch for any time of the year.

Get the Recipe

Gluten Free Strawberry Pancakes

Gluten Free pancakes made better with strawberries added!

Get the Recipe

Slow Cooked Salsa Chicken

Slow cooked salsa chicken can be used in so many different ways.

Get the Recipe

Easy Pasta Sauce

An easy dinner served over gluten free pasta.

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Gluten Free Deep Dish Pizza

Gluten Free Pizza can be delicious with this deep dish gluten free pizza.

Get the Recipe

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

A delicious gluten free cookie that is crispy on the edges and soft in the middle.

Get the Recipe

The post Gluten Free Menu Plan May Week 4 appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

Chia seed pudding has been my lunch or afternoon snack every day for the last year. It is one of the ways that I have added more fiber to my diet.

Chia seeds are also one of the ways I have worked on improving my gut health, with my health issues.

I like to change it up and make different flavors, but peanut butter and jelly chia seed pudding is one of my favorites.

I will say that chia seed pudding does not photograph well, especially when you mix in peanut butter and jelly.

But it is delicious!

I can easily make it high-protein, and it tastes like a dessert.

My recipe is a little different than others that I have seen.

I use a high-protein milk and also add Vital Proteins Collagen.

I use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt. You can use Greek yogurt, but I don’t love Greek yogurt, so I use plain or vanilla yogurt.

Instead of peanut butter, I use peanut butter powder. I love the flavor it gives the chia seed pudding.

I also like my chia seed pudding thick, so I use a little extra chia seed.

Most recipes for chia seed pudding also have you letting the chia sit for 10 minutes to a couple of hours. I think it is so much better if it sets overnight. It has a better texture, and I think it is easier to digest as well.

To mix the milk, protein powder, and PB Powder, I use a milk frother. It works great and gives you the perfect texture.

Ingredients

• high protein milk ( see note below )
• 4 scoops of Vital Proteins Collagen
• 4 tablespoons Peanut Butter Powder ( I use PB Fit)
• 8 ounces vanilla yogurt
• 9 tablespoons Chia seeds
• 3 tablespoons jam or jelly

Yield: 8 servings

Peanut Butter and Jelly Chia Seed Pudding

Print

Peanut Butter and Jelly Chia Seed Pudding is one of my favorite things to eat for lunch, but it is also a great breakfast or snack.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 1 day

Total Time 1 day 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups high protein milk ( see note below )
• 4 scoops of Vital Proteins Collagen
• 4 tablespoons Peanut Butter Powder ( I use PB Fit)
• 8 ounces vanilla yogurt
• 9 tablespoons Chia seeds
• 3 tablespoons jam or jelly

Instructions

1. Combine milk and Vital Proteins Collagen in a bowl or glass jar. Whisk until the collagen is mixed in well. I use a handheld milk frother.
2. Whisk in peanut butter powder.
3. Stir in yogurt and jam or jelly and whisk or stir until very well combined.
4. Whisk in Chia seeds,
5. Let sit for ten minutes, stir well, cover, and refrigerate.
6. In 20-30 minutes, stir again to mix well and keep the chia seeds from clumping together..
7. Refrigerate for 24 hours before eating.
8. Serve as is or with fruit or berries.

Notes

I like Fair Life or Darigold for the high protein milk

Protein powder can be used in place of Vital Proteins Collagen.

I have tried multiple brands of Chia seeds, and I like Bob's Red Mill Chia Seeds the best.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 416Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 159mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 8gSugar: 7gProtein: 69g

Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.

The post Peanut Butter and Jelly Chia Seed Pudding appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

This post is a little different than my normal recipe or kitchen tip post. Today, I am sharing a little bit about my health and the difficulties of the last six years.

It is more personal than I normally get, but I thought it was a good time to share a real-life update.

Back in October of 2010, I shared that after I started eating gluten-free in 2009, and my asthma was better under control, I was able to run for the first time in my life.

By 2011, I had finished the Couch to 5k program and had fallen in love with running.

I was never a marathon runner. I was more of a 5k runner. Four to five days a week, I ran 2 to 3 three miles. The most I ever ran was 4.4 miles. My body always did best at 10-12 miles total per week.

In 2019, I was in the best shape of my life.

My health was better, and running was such a great stress relief for me. I began to realize why people say they could run off a bad day.

Then, in February of 2020, I got really sick. Our whole family actually got incredibly sick. All five of us were sick for weeks. Several of us never fully overcame that sickness.

Looking back, we now know it was COVID.

I realize now that I never fully recovered from 2020. I thought much of how I was feeling was due to the stresses of life in 2020 and 2021 and also going through menopause, but I now know it was more than that.

In July of 2022, I got COVID again. Once I had a confirmed case of it and felt the exact same way I did in early 2020, we knew it was the same thing.

In September of 2022, I got COVID again. I then had it in March and September of 2023.

That means I had COVID four times in fifteen months. And all four times were awful.

My breathing tanked, and I had to take a huge amount of steroids and breathing treatments to keep my asthma and breathing under control.

On top of that, in 2022 and 2023, I started to have severe heart rate and blood pressure issues. My heart rate was often over 150 just walking around the house. It often spiked to over 170.

My blood pressure was running 70/52.

My primary care doctor could not believe I was not passing out.

Between my breathing issues, my low blood pressure, my high heart rate, and chronic pain and muscle issues, my body was a mess.

Plus, I kept getting all kinds of sicknesses. My immune system could not fight anything off.

After seeing multiple doctors and specialists, I was diagnosed with Long COVID and Autonomic Dysfunction.

Most days, I struggled to get basic life things done. I got out of breath walking around the house. My heart rate and breathing issues were definitely not in a place where I could exercise regularly beyond slow walking.

But I was determined not to give up. I knew I might never get back to how I was before I got COVID, but I was willing to try hard to at least improve as much as I could.

The Health Issues I Had Post-COVID

I have had asthma and allergies since I was a kid. I also had severe endometriosis and probably undisagnosed POTS pre-COVID, but post-COVID, my health was so much worse.

• My airway was damaged, and we could not get my asthma under control.
• I developed Autonomic Dysfunction that affected my blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar, and body temperature.
• I developed a rare allergy to Ibuprofen and any other NSAID.
• I became much more sensitive and had reactions to medication.
• I developed weird allergies to food that I never had before. I am now mildly allergic to chocolate, chicken, and a few other things. ( I had no idea you could do a regular allergy test for chocolate, but yes, you can do an allergy test for chocolate. After realizing that I felt bad after eating a lot of chocolate, my doctor tested for it.)
• Muscle pain and overall full-body pain.

What I Have Tried

Over the last few years, I have tried so many things to help my health issues, especially when it comes to my Autonomic Dysfunction and breathing issues.

The breathing issues just took time and medication. The medication helped, but I think it also just took time not getting sick for my airway to heal from the damage COVID caused.

I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. I just wanted to share a little bit about what I have been through the last six years and what worked for me. What worked for me may not work for everyone.

• I worked with a dietician on ways that I could change my diet, which would help my Autonomic Dysfunction. This included eating high protein.
• I worked with my doctor and dietician on supplements that would help some of the issues I was dealing with and help improve my immune system.
• I started taking large amounts of electrolytes and salt to help my Autonomic Dysfunction. I take water and electrolytes everywhere I go.
• I started working with a trainer to improve my leg strength. I think this made a big difference with my high heart rate and low blood pressure issues. Strengthening leg muscles is one of the things many recommend to improve circulation and help Autonomic Dysfunction, and it has helped me a lot.
• I started taking two medications for my Autonomic Dysfunction and one to help with the pain and muscle issues I developed post-COVID.
• I had acupuncture done. Which I honestly don’t think did much.
• I regularly get dry needling done by a physical therapist to help with my pain and muscle issues.
• I wear both an Apple Watch and an Oura ring to track my heart rate, sleep, and health. This has helped me know when I need to rest and when I can push myself to do more. It also helps me track what things affect my heart rate and sleep.
• I worked to improve sleep. I have never been a great sleeper, but the last few years, it has been worse. I knew sleep was important for health, so I really worked on a nighttime routine and supplements that helped improve my sleep.
• I walked when I felt well enough to. Sometimes this was just around our yard, sometimes it was down the street, and sometimes it was a mile or two on the treadmill. As I gained strength and my airway and heart rate improved, I slowly increased my walking, breaking it up so that I walked multiple times a day.

The Improvements That I Have Seen

Over the last year, I have finally seen some improvement in my health. Last summer, I could tell I was finally starting to feel better, and I was able to do more and start doing cardio for exercise again.

Over the winter, though, I had a bad flare and also a reaction to a medication. I lost most of the progress I had made over the summer.

Then, in February of this year, I saw a huge improvement in how I felt. It felt like all the time and money I had spent on overcoming this was paying off.

I was able to stop taking two of the medications that I was on, one for pain and one for my Autonomic Dysfunction.

In March, I finally started running again. And by running, I mean doing run-walks. I started by running a quarter-mile, walking half a mile, and running a quarter-mile.

I gradually built up to longer runs.

I ran 2 miles straight for the first time since 2019, a few weeks ago. On the weekends, my husband and I often do a four-mile walk-run, where I run around three miles of it.

I may never get back to my pre-2020 self, but I am finally feeling like I might overcome a lot of the Long COVID issues and live a more normal life again.

I have learned so many lessons over the last six years with all my health issues.

I have learned to be patient and not to give up.

I have been reminded that God is in control.

I have also been reminded that my worth is not in what I do or what I accomplish in a day.

I have also realized that getting healthy often feels like a full-time job that costs a lot of money. I have been blessed to have the resources and time for those things. I know not everyone has that.

And I have been reminded of how thankful I am for the online work that this site and From Our Bookshelf have given me. My very flexible, part-time online job has made the last few years so much easier.

I am very thankful for you and your patience over the last few years, as I have not shared as many recipes and tips as I used to. My plan is to get back to more regular posting and sharing over the next few months.

If you are going through something hard, I encourage you not to give up!

The post Don’t Give Up appeared first on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.