Who else eats gluten free?

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Help me get back please!

 

When eating gluten I can't get up in the morning, have no energy during day, am cranky with the kids, get nothing done, and my home suffers big time.

 

We have had a crazy 2 weeks. I have been eating stuff that's easy and filled with gluten, and it needs to stop.

 

Thursdays seem to be my biggest hang up. I need something quick for b, l, and d. For b ds and i can have a greek yogurt, but dd does not like yogurt at all. We have to leave by 7:50 for speech, which rolles right into OT/feeding at 9. So that's b and a feeding snack. L needs to be easy since book club is at 1 and then back to OT for dd.

 

By the time the day is done at 3, i am tired and have no interest in cooking or fighting ds over food and default to stopping at the store for easy cook carp.

 

The crockpot would probably be a good tool to use at least on Thursdays.

 

Please help.

 

What are your favorite gf meals? What's real easy for my crazy day? What is something good to have on hand for independence? (ot wants to get ds eating something he can make alone, like pb&j, but he will not eat that)

 

I'm going to clean my poor kitchen.

[gracesteacher]

Can you do gf breads? What about a fried egg on toast? It only takes a few minutes to make. I have seen gf breakfast bars at the store. My dd will eat oatmeal in the car while we drive to where ever if we are crunched for time

 

Lunch we do lunch meat wrapped in lettus or my daughter will put sunbutter on it.

 

Dinner is left over rice and vegges and throw in a can beans.

We do lots of rice veggies and beans mixing up the beans and veggies

[Denisemomof4]

We have coconut yogurt, fried egg on GF bread, cooked breakfast cereals. Amaranth is so tiny it can be a whole grain used in p,ace of cream of wheat.

 

Bake a bag of potatoes. Keep them in a bowl in the refrigerator. Slice in half or into fries amd heat, skin side up, in olive oil.

 

Make prepared dishes. I love a good lentil and rice salad with chopped bell peppers, celery, cucumber, what have you. I make my own dressing.

 

A quick tip would be to have cooked grains in the refrigerator that you can heat up or turn into salads. I like to have cooked beans on hand to add to all grain dishes. I buy 25 lb bags of brown rice, quinoa, millet, lentils, red lentils, black beans. I always have a supply of other legumes, amaranth, buckwheat. I am scouring books and online for nee gf recipes.

[Denisemomof4]

Oh, and this is a QUICK favorite of ours! Take a lar

Ge onion, chop, sautee in oil. We use coconut oil. Add cumin to the oil. Add can vegetarian refried beans, can chopped green chili, heat. Serve with generous amounts chopped grape tomato and scallion on top. We sometimes use this as a dip for tortilla chips and serve with a huge salad for dinner.

[elegantlion]

I eat gluten free, my issues allow me to eat gluten once in a while without effects, but when they hit, ugh!

 

Breakfast? Rice cakes (chocolate ones are gf) and a greek yogurt. Some of the chex cereals are gf too. I'm trying an apple cinnamon one. I don't cook a lot of breakfast, unless it's for dinner.

 

You could put some cereal in a baggie.

 

Lunch is usually some lunch meat and chips. Other quick lunches are faux crab meat, heat up with some rosemary on it. Serve over rice.

 

You can also make some gf pasta and put pesto on it, or put some Italian dressing on it and serve it cold.

 

Add some fruit. I will keep almonds and dried cranberries for a snack as well.

 

I can't afford the gf bread in our area, $5.00 for a tiny loaf. So I buy GF all purpose baking mix. I make a pizza crust and sometimes just eat that with some seasonings and butter, it's a nice snack and fulfills that bread need.

 

I also make pizza with the crust and some cheese, pineapple and canadian bacon. I sometimes skip the tomato sauce altogether. My guys add artichoke hearts to theirs.

 

We do a lot of potatoes too. I'm not above boxed mashed potatoes, as long as they are real potatoes. heat water, add butter, add flakes.

 

I also cube potatoes, boil them for about 10 minutes. Put into a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and seasoning, bake for 30 minutes, they are wonderful.

 

I often cook breakfast for dinner. Bacon and eggs and toast for the boys. Sometimes I serve the potatoes with it.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Thank you guys! Gf used to be easy, and you're reminding me that it still is!

 

Cooking/preparing ahead is what i need to do again.

 

I will get gf bagels and bread once each month, but ds will inhale these (or had. We have not had much since he stopped) and makes it not worth the cost.

 

I loooooove ancient harvest quinoa pasta, but it's expensive so i have been getting walmart's corn pasta. It's not bad, but not wonderful either.

 

I am going food shopping tomorrow and will write down these ideas.

[Crimson Wife]

KIND and most of the Lara bars are GF and are great on-the-go snacks assuming you're not also dealing with nut allergies. Hard-boiled eggs and string cheese are also portable (again, assuming you're okay with them).

[gracesteacher]

we make our own bread different styles we are very limited due to her other food allergies.

i need to be brave enough to make my own pasta. I have found good recipes. For right now we stretch it with spirializing zucchini and mixing that with the pasta and putting the pasta sauce on it she never seems to notice nor does my hubby I just plate and cut their food and stretch my food budget!

[Critterfixer]

My go to lunch when there's nothing else around is nuts and cheese or grapes and cheese. That's pretty easy to fix.

There are always carrots in the refrigerator and fruit on the counter for snacking anytime.

 

I do the deja-food thing a lot. If I make a roast, (I don't crock-pot, but use a dutch oven) or cook a turkey breast, or roast some chicken, I'll put that with a pan sauce or broth in a batch of brown rice that I cook up or serve it over potatoes or GF pasta.

 

I always keep GF bread in the fridge for quick sandwiches. I'll sometimes make up GF bacon to use for quick sandwiches. Bacon is pretty much good with a lot of things, and the DH loves bacon and tomato sandwiches.

[macpuffins]

instant grits are good for emergencies; fruit (not apples, they're too tricky to cut/de-seed before you awaken); crackers & spread (current faves are humus or soy butter, but others are good too); I've been known to thaw frozen veggies for emergency use... edamame is a popular veggie choice :)

 

on the road, when I have a migraine and have to rebalance my electrolytes a cola of choice (real Coca Cola in Canada) and Hostess BBQ Corn Chips are my combo of choice.

 

some folks will keep a couple of hard boiled eggs in the fridge for emergencies, cheese, frozen meals that are leftovers from something yummy last week, etc.

[Seasider]

We are moving into gf eating and I am enjoying all the suggestions.

 

I keep instant brown rice on hand, my daughter loves it. I also keep frozen veggies, which can be microwaved quickly. Cottage and cheddar cheeses are staples here, and usually I have fruit fresh or in a can. So it's often a very simple meal, but gluten free.

 

We are trying to avoid what I think of as "mixture" meals as we get used to leaving out the wheat (and the million other things with hidden gluten!). So we are missing pizzas and tacos for now.

[Disney Dreaming]

We are moving into gf eating and I am enjoying all the suggestions.

 

I keep instant brown rice on hand, my daughter loves it. I also keep frozen veggies, which can be microwaved quickly. Cottage and cheddar cheeses are staples here, and usually I have fruit fresh or in a can. So it's often a very simple meal, but gluten free.

 

We are trying to avoid what I think of as "mixture" meals as we get used to leaving out the wheat (and the million other things with hidden gluten!). So we are missing pizzas and tacos for now.

 

 

Ortega makes a gluten free taco shell. Also, McCormick has a natural taco seasoning mix that doesn't have gluten. FYI, for those out there with iphones, there is an app that is called Fooducate that you can scan an items bar code and it will tell you if it has gluten in it. Hope this helps!

[amo_mea_filiis.]

You do not have to do without tacos! On my last check, the stand and stuff kit is gluten free. At one point is wasn't so i grabbed corn tacos and a gf taco packet (or made my own). Ds will eat this! I know what we're having tomorrow. :)

 

I do sometimes get a pizza from the health food store, but it is nothing like real pizza. I find it much better if cooked right on the oven rack with extra cheese and toppings.

 

Dd loves hummus, i am going to have to find a good recipe because i cant find any like we used to get.

[AdventureMoms]

I sometimes make a large fritatta or egg casserole at the beginning of the week and eat leftovers for breakfast all week. Even scrambled eggs actually reheat pretty well. Breakfast burritos are great quick breakfasts.

 

For lunch on the go I usually make chicken salad and toss it on a salad. In a pinch I'll just grab some sliced cheese, fruit, and chicken and eat that. Not the most exciting meal ever, but it gets the job done.

 

If things get really impossible Lara bars are pretty good.

 

Definitely crockpot for those thursday dinners. It's even easier and faster than stopping and getting something easy to cook from the store...

[Crimson Wife]

Trader Joe's makes a yummy gluten- and dairy-free taco seasoning mix. Corn tortillas are usually GF, but definitely double-check the label.

[Seasider]

Ortega makes a gluten free taco shell. Also, McCormick has a natural taco seasoning mix that doesn't have gluten. FYI, for those out there with iphones, there is an app that is called Fooducate that you can scan an items bar code and it will tell you if it has gluten in it. Hope this helps!

 

 

 

THAT! IS! AWESOME!!!!

 

That will definitely cut down on my shopping time. I will start by scanning every tortilla package in the place.:lol:

 

We tried our first gluten free cake mix for the holiday. Yuck! We would rather abstain from dessert!

[Crimson Wife]

We tried our first gluten free cake mix for the holiday. Yuck! We would rather abstain from dessert!

 

The Spunky Coconut blog has some yummy GF cake recipes.

[Seasider]

The Spunky Coconut blog has some yummy GF cake recipes.

 

 

Thanks, I will have to try a recipe! Part of our challenge is that we also have to be nut-free, that cuts down on some of the better tasting gf items we could use.

[gracesteacher]

We are making socca for our pizza crust. Dry lentils or beans ground to flour water a pinch of salt cook the crust on stove top or oven then add pizza ingrediants. Cheap and easy!

[threedogfarm]

Thanks, I will have to try a recipe! Part of our challenge is that we also have to be nut-free, that cuts down on some of the better tasting gf items we could use.

 

 

Consider cheescake and creme brulee for a tasty (and easy and nut free) birthday "cake". I make an almond meal crust for the cheesecake but since nuts are out for you go without a crust altogether (hopefully you're not vegan because then these suggestions are useless!) I usually make a GF angel food cake with the whites left from the creme brulee using rice flour. Hope that helps.

 

As for good, quick meals you should try finding a flat bread recipe that you like. I make mine with rice flour and cornstarch. Easy and there's no yeast so there's no need for a rise. My daughter is at camp this week and I make it every morning for her sandwiches. It also doubles as a very good pizza crust as long as you make it really thin (which we do for flat bread anyways). You just have to resign yourself to the fact that it takes two eggs. My children usually eat the batch in one setting.

 

A quick breakfast is left over brown rice heated in an iron skillet. When heated through throw an egg in it. Delicious and filling. We have ducks so I am especially partial to using a duck egg.

 

OK, now I have to start a new thread and ask about corn tortillas. They have me stumped (6 batches later and I still haven't figured it out!).

[Katy]

there is an app that is called Fooducate that you can scan an items bar code and it will tell you if it has gluten in it. Hope this helps!

 

This is great!!! THANK YOU!!!!

[Katy]

A little off topic, but about cake - I made my own gluten free wedding cake. The tiers were all torted, and included german chocolate, champagne with raspberry filling, and lemon with lemon curd filling. I couldn't find someone to make a gluten free cake for me except for one rude woman who would only make a flavor my SIL was allergic to, so I took the wilton classes, then promptly threw out most of what I learned for real almond buttercream (made with butter and cream, not crisco) that tasted better.

 

I'm probably the only not-pregnant bride to gain almost 20 pounds before the wedding, but the cake was ahmazing. If you need easy recipes for cake, PM me. I tested dozens of recipes.

 

 

I keep lots of easy things that can be transformed into meals on hand - we'll stock up on chicken breast, bake them all, make baked potatoes, get a big chuck roast and slice it thinly and freeze it in one pound packages, sometimes I precook brown rice. I buy a lot of frozen veggies to save prep time (this also saves money because they don't go bad or get moldy).

 

For breakfast - I usually make smoothies with frozen fruit, milk, and protein powder or potatoes, eggs and bacon (sometimes like a diner, but more normally in spanish omelettes) served with salsa.

 

lunch- DH has a chicken breast with veggies, others eat leftovers from the dinner the night before.

 

dinner is lots of various things. I usually start cooking around 3 or put something in the crockpot by 10am if I'm going to use that. Having frozen cooked chicken breasts on hand makes for really quick meals if I'm in a hurry- typically mexican, stir fry, or gluten free pasta with sliced chicken or beef (avoiding cheap hamburger because of fillers and added fat).