I have had several folks ask me about eating gluten free, so I thought I would share a bit of the basics that I have learned over the past couple of years.
First you have to figure out what you CANNOT eat and then go from there. To play it safe in the beginning I cut out ALL processed foods. Once I figured out what I could not eat I began adding safe foods back to my diet.
For a complete list of unsafe foods click here, just print this list and post it on the frig for a quick reference. It is just over 4 pages of delightful reading... uhm... Obviously, we cannot have Wheat, Barely, Rye & Oats. In addition to the basics gluten MAY be hidden in artificial color, natural flavoring & soy sauce just to name a few... basically all processed foods. Again, please see the forbidden list for all the details.
What does this mean for you?
Whether you want to or not you will be eating healthier from now on! And, you will be much happier. YAY for energy!
The first survival food we will be discussing is the Chocolate Chip Cookie.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
I like Alton Brown's Chocolate Chip recipe called The Chewy Gluten Free. I have made it several times and my entire family really enjoys these gooey cookies. (You may have to hide them, like me, or they disappear quick and in a hurry!) The first time I made them I followed the recipe and of course they were fabulous and they second time I used my AP Mix instead of his flours and it was even better, according to my husband. He told me he thinks they may be his all time favorite cookie!
Here is what I did- Instead of measuring out the brown rice flour, cornstarch and tapioca flour I used approximately 2 1/4 cups of MY AP Mix. (I would NOT use a store bought mix, they are just too grainy in my opinion, I would just follow his recipe in that case) Oh, nor do I roll mine into balls- too much work for this momma. After I refrigerate the dough I use a spoon and drop them onto the parchment paper and they still look beautiful. With my oven, I baked them for 5 minutes rotated them as the recipe instructed and then baked for another 5 minutes (my cookies were fairly large). Happy baking!
Note: Be sure to store all of your flour in the refrigerator as it can spoil.
BREADS
Pre-Celiac diagnosis I ate whole wheat bread, not really because I enjoyed it, but because it was the healthy option. Once I was diagnosed I just did without for almost a year. I had tried some GF bread and of course it tasted like cardboard even after toasting so I gave up on it. Then I stumbled across the Udi's brand. I totally LOVE it. In fact I PREFER it to my glutinous whole wheat bread! In my opinion it doesn't even need to be toasted. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it is a tiny little loaf. Yes, it is WORTH EVERY PENNY! I usually buy mine from Whole Foods, but Raley's also carries it. Whole Foods is an expensive place, but I have noticed they still seem to have the best prices on GF foods so go stock up!
In addition to bread Udi's has pizza crust, bagels & muffins that I buy a little too regularly! I am in LOVE with their Double Chocolate & Blueberry Muffins. Go buy them, enjoy and then come tell me how right I am! ha!
COOKING
The thing about eating GF is baking & cooking can turn complex fairly quickly or at least tedious for sure! This momma cannot do tedious, time consuming meals. Some days I am happy to just get chicken nuggets heated through in the microwave for my kiddos! This is why Everyday Food is my "go to" place for recipes. As I have mentioned before their recipes are simple, easy & tasty. This is NOT a gluten free website, but the recipes I have looked at do not require processed foods, which may contain gluten. When they do call for something that does contain gluten like this YUMMY Honey-Teriyaki Chicken recipe. It is an easy substitution. I use gluten-free Tamari instead of regular soy sauce and the entire family is happy!
Well, that is all I have for today. Hopefully, this has been helpful & you can make it on these "survival foods" until the next post!
Happy Eating!
Showing posts with label gluten-free living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gluten-free living. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free.... YUM
As you know I am gluten-free. I am ALSO dairy-free & soy-free due to my sweet little Remy having problems with dairy and soy and possibly eggs, nuts and who knows what else. The poor little guy spits up like a MAD MAN if I have dairy and soy. Even though I avoid them he still spits up several times a day and I don't mean just a teaspoonful! We are still working through this yak problem... sigh.
I am praying this is just a result of an immature digestive system and he will be able to eat a normal diet as he gets older. I cannot imagine living life without CHEESE, yogurt and ice cream! (Yes there are some tasty alternatives, but they are inconvenient, expensive and hard to find)
And I thought it was hard "just" being gluten-free!
Sometimes I feel like there are only three things I can eat and I already ate them all for a SNACK... Seriously, what's for dinner?! Since I am nursing twins and running I am constantly hungry! So I am always happy when I find fun things I can eat.
My most recent find is Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss. My husband brought home their Dark Chocolate Bars and I LOVE them! They did not last long and I do NOT share!
I am praying this is just a result of an immature digestive system and he will be able to eat a normal diet as he gets older. I cannot imagine living life without CHEESE, yogurt and ice cream! (Yes there are some tasty alternatives, but they are inconvenient, expensive and hard to find)
And I thought it was hard "just" being gluten-free!
Sometimes I feel like there are only three things I can eat and I already ate them all for a SNACK... Seriously, what's for dinner?! Since I am nursing twins and running I am constantly hungry! So I am always happy when I find fun things I can eat.
My most recent find is Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss. My husband brought home their Dark Chocolate Bars and I LOVE them! They did not last long and I do NOT share!
WARNING:
If you want to live....
NEVER, NEVER touch a gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nursing twins mama's food! Especially her new ONE & ONLY TREAT!
(Can someone PLEASE, PLEASE explain this to my husband, for HIS OWN SAFETY!)
If you are searching for this yummy treat we bought ours at Whole Foods, of course (I will NEVER be able to live more than 20 minutes from them again).
Here is a pic for anyone else that is eating only yummy-free food.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
love my gluten-free life
Can I just say I LOVE my new life?! I have been gluten-free for over a year now and what a difference! My life has drastically changed. Even my attitude has changed. Life seems so exciting and cheery! Yes, CHEERY! No longer does that darn glass look so empty! My house is cleanER. I am happy. I can go hiking. I can care for my children all day without feeling like a total failure, because I am so exhausted that I cannot meet their needs properly. The funny thing is before I was diagnosed with Celiac's Disease (CD) I thought, "I must be lazy. Why can I not spend all day on shopping spree with the girls or do the basics like CARE FOR MY FAMILY?!"
When the doctor told me I had CD I cried. Let's face it I LOVE to eat! I have ALWAYS eaten whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and however much I wanted. A diet change was not something I wanted to do... SO I went out, ate some glutinous cake and cookies and moped around the house (having no energy to do anything else). It took me a few weeks to work up the courage to begin the diet. Never in my life have I dieted and this wasn't going to be a "lets just make healthy choices this week, this month or this year" type of diet. This was not a New Years resolution I could let go by the wayside in the middle of February. This was going to be LIFE, FOREVER, PERIOD. No cake, no cookies, no pasta, no teriyaki dinners, FOREVER. I was discouraged.
That was last year. THIS year I am rejoicing that the doctors discovered I had Celiac's. Yeah, sometimes it sucks to watch everyone else eat birthday cake, BUT I have energy. Nothing taste as good as life. I am healthy. I am happy. I can LIVE LIFE! No longer do I have to send my husband and kids out hiking without me! I can strap on a baby and go too! I am so thankful that we discovered WHY I could barely function.
Please, do not feel sorry for me. Yeah, I cannot eat the same things you can, but I am finally enjoying life. Be happy. Getting up and dressed is not the chore it was (and I didn't even realize at the time how draining every little activity was, but now that I am healthy the difference is amazing!) The Spoon Theory says it perfectly. In a nutshell it explains life through the eyes of someone with less energy and how difficult that can be. How thankful I am that CD can be corrected with just a diet change. At the time it seemed huge, it was huge, but now I am able to put it in perspective and be ever so grateful for my CD diagnosis.
I even have the energy to cook, IF I want to that is... shhhh... don't tell my husband! Right now I am LOVING recipes I find on Everyday Foods. They are NOT specifically for Celiacs, but they are recipes with fresh ingredients that are realistic for me, a busy mom of 4 to make without doing a million substitutions and of course they are so TASTY!
Now I am having FUN experimenting with different flours and foods. I am learning so much about them! Really, who wants to learn about flour? I sure didn't, but now I cannot wait to figure out what Teff is and if I prefer millet or quinoa flour (really enjoying quinoa right now).
My gluten-free life is a wonderful life.
If you have just been diagnosed with CD don't despair, you will be happy in the end I promise.
When the doctor told me I had CD I cried. Let's face it I LOVE to eat! I have ALWAYS eaten whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and however much I wanted. A diet change was not something I wanted to do... SO I went out, ate some glutinous cake and cookies and moped around the house (having no energy to do anything else). It took me a few weeks to work up the courage to begin the diet. Never in my life have I dieted and this wasn't going to be a "lets just make healthy choices this week, this month or this year" type of diet. This was not a New Years resolution I could let go by the wayside in the middle of February. This was going to be LIFE, FOREVER, PERIOD. No cake, no cookies, no pasta, no teriyaki dinners, FOREVER. I was discouraged.
That was last year. THIS year I am rejoicing that the doctors discovered I had Celiac's. Yeah, sometimes it sucks to watch everyone else eat birthday cake, BUT I have energy. Nothing taste as good as life. I am healthy. I am happy. I can LIVE LIFE! No longer do I have to send my husband and kids out hiking without me! I can strap on a baby and go too! I am so thankful that we discovered WHY I could barely function.
Please, do not feel sorry for me. Yeah, I cannot eat the same things you can, but I am finally enjoying life. Be happy. Getting up and dressed is not the chore it was (and I didn't even realize at the time how draining every little activity was, but now that I am healthy the difference is amazing!) The Spoon Theory says it perfectly. In a nutshell it explains life through the eyes of someone with less energy and how difficult that can be. How thankful I am that CD can be corrected with just a diet change. At the time it seemed huge, it was huge, but now I am able to put it in perspective and be ever so grateful for my CD diagnosis.
I even have the energy to cook, IF I want to that is... shhhh... don't tell my husband! Right now I am LOVING recipes I find on Everyday Foods. They are NOT specifically for Celiacs, but they are recipes with fresh ingredients that are realistic for me, a busy mom of 4 to make without doing a million substitutions and of course they are so TASTY!
Now I am having FUN experimenting with different flours and foods. I am learning so much about them! Really, who wants to learn about flour? I sure didn't, but now I cannot wait to figure out what Teff is and if I prefer millet or quinoa flour (really enjoying quinoa right now).
My gluten-free life is a wonderful life.
If you have just been diagnosed with CD don't despair, you will be happy in the end I promise.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
Last week my mom and I made GF muffins and they were amazing! I was in heaven. They were not the grainy, dry GF baked goods you get from the stores, ICK. These muffins were moist, soft, held together nicely and, dare I say, healthy! I used a wonderful mixture of whole grains and starches.
This recipe is from the Gluten-Free Girl, LOVE her! When I first read her recipes I was very intimidated. In this recipe alone I used NINE different flours/starches! And, no, I did not use measuring cups for my flours I weighed them like a good "gluten-free girl." It may sound INSANE, but it is worth all the hard work. The GF all-purpose mix you buy from the store just doesn't cut it. Now that I am feeling a little more comfortable with my flours I am going to start buying in bulk and cooking up some gluten free goodies. YUM!
Next week I am making dinner rolls. I cannot wait!
350 grams whole-grain flour mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
180 grams deark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
300 grams buttermilk
100 grams grapeseed oil (I used 100 grams of melted butter)
handful dried figs (I did not have figs or walnuts on hand and so I used 1 cup of blueberries)
handful walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease a large muffin tin thoroughly.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk them together to combine and aerate.
Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and grapeseed oil (butter) until they are combined well. Add them to the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula until the batter is almost fully combined. Throw in the figs and walnuts and continue stirring until all trace of flour is gone.
Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full. Slide the muffins into the oven. Bake until the muffins are browned with a bit of a crunch, the top springs back to the touch, and a knife goes through cleanly, about 25 minutes to 35 minutes.
My all purpose whole-grain mix:
Almond 45 grams (I would like to have used more Almond flour, but that is all I had on hand)
Buckwheat 55 g
Quinoa 200 g
This recipe is from the Gluten-Free Girl, LOVE her! When I first read her recipes I was very intimidated. In this recipe alone I used NINE different flours/starches! And, no, I did not use measuring cups for my flours I weighed them like a good "gluten-free girl." It may sound INSANE, but it is worth all the hard work. The GF all-purpose mix you buy from the store just doesn't cut it. Now that I am feeling a little more comfortable with my flours I am going to start buying in bulk and cooking up some gluten free goodies. YUM!
Next week I am making dinner rolls. I cannot wait!
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
180 grams deark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
300 grams buttermilk
100 grams grapeseed oil (I used 100 grams of melted butter)
handful dried figs (I did not have figs or walnuts on hand and so I used 1 cup of blueberries)
handful walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease a large muffin tin thoroughly.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk them together to combine and aerate.
Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and grapeseed oil (butter) until they are combined well. Add them to the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula until the batter is almost fully combined. Throw in the figs and walnuts and continue stirring until all trace of flour is gone.
Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full. Slide the muffins into the oven. Bake until the muffins are browned with a bit of a crunch, the top springs back to the touch, and a knife goes through cleanly, about 25 minutes to 35 minutes.
My all purpose whole-grain mix:
Almond 45 grams (I would like to have used more Almond flour, but that is all I had on hand)
Buckwheat 55 g
Quinoa 200 g
Oat 200 g
Pure rice 100 g
Millet 25 g
Potato starch 150 g
Cornstarch 125 g
**The other morning I used 1 part of my AP mix to 1 part cornmeal for yummy gluten-free banana pancakes. I add the cornmeal for a little crunch. Really, does anyone eat WHITE--read rubbery, disgusting--FLOUR in their pancakes these days?!
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