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What a crazy weekend…and a crazy week ahead! Lots of fall and Halloween activities are keeping us busy. I posted an update to my Halloween Candy List ^[2] last week, so if you’re looking for gluten information on candy this week, check it out. Also last week, I was featured in a Blogger Spotlight on GanzWorld’s Parent Club ^[3].

This week, the Gluten-Free Menu Swap roundup is here, and the theme is Chili. I chose chili because it is a Halloween tradition at our house. It’s so quick and easy to put together in advance and keep warm on the stove or in a slow-cooker. That leaves extra time for last-minute touches to costumes and makeup. Chili is also quick to eat, full of protein, and a filling warm meal for cool evenings of trick-or-treating.

We love our White Chicken Chili ^[4] recipe, but we’re fixing traditional chili this week instead. I’ll start by cooking ground beef with onion and garlic. Then we’ll add some tomato paste, spices, and a variety of ingredients that seems to change every time we make it. It might include kidney beans, black beans, corn, diced green chiles, diced tomatoes, Ro-tel tomatoes and chiles, shredded cheese, rice, etc. Despite my best efforts, it usually ends up too spicy for the kids, so I’ll be making corndog mini-muffins, too.

For the corndog muffins, I stir up a cornbread recipe ^[5] and pour it into a greased mini-muffin pan (each cup filled with batter about 2/3 full). Then I cut up hot dogs into 5 or 6 pieces and place one piece in the middle of each batter-filled cup. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes (or until golden brown) at 350° F. The kids love them!

A few more warm chili and soup recipes to consider for Halloween night:

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White Chicken Chili

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Easy, Hearty Gumbo

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Chicken Enchilada Soup

Halloween is the perfect occasion for chili, soup, and stews. Want more ideas for meals this week? Check out the roundup below to see who else is sharing their gluten-free menus. Starting next week, and continuing through the holidays, the themes for the Gluten-Free Menu Swap will be about preparing for a gluten-free holiday. We’re starting with the good stuff — Thanksgiving Desserts — next week.

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Cilantro Lime Rice

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Easy Garlic Shrimp

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Pizza

Monday -  Taquitos served with Cilantro Lime Rice ^[8] and Guacamole ^[11]

Tuesday - Rotisserie Chicken, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Squash and Zucchini

Wednesday - Chili with Corndog Mini Muffins, and Halloween Candy ^[2]

Thursday - Easy Garlic Shrimp ^[9] over Stir-fried Rice Noodles served with Broccoli

Friday - Pizza ^[10] and Spinach Salad

Saturday - Butter Chicken (dairy-free) ^[12] served with rice and green beans

Sunday - leftovers

Gluten Free Menu Swap Roundup

Angela at Angela’s Kitchen ^[13] is sharing several recipes for chili this week: Beef and Bacon Chili, Sweet Potato Chili ^[14], Taco Chili ^[15], Sweet Spicy and Hot Turkey Three Bean Chili ^[16]. She also has White Bean Chicken Chili ^[17] and Pumpkin and Pork Chili on her menu this week. Whew, that’s a lot of chili! Rounding out her week of meals is Spinach Burgers ^[18], Black Bean and Veggie Pizza ^[19], and Thai Chicken Thighs. And for those of you who some fun Halloween meal ideas, she has a very fun recipe for Mummy Hot Dogs ^[20] you should check out!

Kimberlee at The Peaceful Mom ^[21] has posted her Simple Gluten-Free Menu this week, complete with breakfast and lunch ideas. She has a Chicken and Black Bean Chili ^[22] with corn chips on her menu, as well as BBQ Burgers ^[23], Grilled Cheese, and Chicken Quesadillas ^[24].

Lisa at Extraordinary Life ^[25] is not eating chili this week, but she is sharing her recipes for Old Fashioned Chili made from Scratch ^[26] and White Chicken Chili ^[27]. Looks like Lisa is making Mummy Dogs at her house this week, along with Pizza,  Steak with baked Sweet Potatoes, and Almond and Romano Cheese encrusted Pork Chops with Mashed Cauliflower.

Sam at Awkward Girl Gets Fit ^[28] is sharing her Paleo (also GF) Menu with us this week. She is making Chipotle Chili and will post the recipe tomorrow, so check back with her later this week. Also on her menu is Fajitas ^[29], Butter Chicken with Cauliflower Rice, Jerk Chicken and Pineapple Bowl, and Coconut Flour Apple Pancakes.

Check back later to see who else will be linking up to this week’s GF Menu Swap.

Want to join Gluten-Free Menu Swap?

• For this week’s roundup, email your menu link to celiacfamily[AT]gmail[DOT]com. Or, simply put your menu link in the comments below.
• Next week’s GF Menu Swap with be here at Celiac Family again. We’ll be sharing our favorite Thanksgiving Desserts. Please join us next week to share your own favorite desserts!
• The Gluten-Free Menu Swap Page ^[30] has the current schedule of themes and hosts ^[31]. If you’d like to host a future week, please send me an email (celiacfamily[AT]gmail[DOT]com) with your preferred date and theme.

Need more menu ideas?

• Laura at OrgJunkie.com ^[32] hosts Menu Plan Monday every week. You’ll find links to hundreds of meal plans (not necessarily gluten-free) there.
• Or, check out some of my past menu plans ^[33].