Gluten Free Living

Discovering that Eli needed to be eating gluten free was very overwhelming at first. I looked around my kitchen and all I could see were the foods he wasn't able to eat. I could only see the negative side. The truth is, eating a gluten free diet is very healthy and low fat. It pretty much eliminates processed and frozen foods as well as a lot of the junk foods. I spent a lot of time on the internet researching and figuring out what I was able to feed him and what we would have to learn to live without. I printed off some lists to help me get started that listed foods that were okay and foods that usually were hiding gluten. It didn't take me very long to get it figured out. As a person who cooks all the time, I spent time searching through my recipes and figuring out how I could adjust my recipes. The main struggle I've had is finding great tasting desserts. I'm slowly building up my gluten free dessert cookbook and enjoying trying new recipes. This week I decided to organize and make a list of Eli's favorite gluten free meals and reorganize my cookbook so it is only featuring the options that are available to us. These are Eli's common GF foods and meals around our house:

Breakfast:

1. Oatmeal

2. Honey Chex or another GF cereal

3. GF Waffles or Pancakes (GF Bisquick tastes better than homemade)

4. Eggs and bacon

Lunch:

1. Quesadilla with corn tortilla

2. Grilled cheese with GF bread

3. PB&J with GF bread

4. Turkey and cheese

5. Majority of our lunches are leftovers

Supper (these are Eli's favorites, although I make a lot of different recipes):

1. Any Mexican food using corn tortillas (Enchiladas, tacos, burritos, tortilla stack etc.)

2. Pot Roasts with veggies

3. Chili or Mexican soups

4. Veggie Soups/Chowders (w/out flour)

5. Any Italian food using GF pasta (Lasagna, Spaghetti, Goulash, Macaronietc.)

6. Grilled hamburgers, chicken, and other meats.

7. Chicken and rice dishes

8. Baked chicken (Crushed corn flakes make a great GF coating)

Sides:

1. Mashed, roasted, or baked potatoes/sweet potatoes

2. Roasted veggies

3. Creamed Corn

4. Steamed Veggies

5. Grilled veggie skewers (our favorite is mushrooms)

6. Salads

7. Fruit

Snacks:

1. Corn chips

2. All fruits (our main snack...such as grapes, strawberries, watermelon, bananas, etc.)

3. Dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, blueberries etc.)

4. Yogurt

5. String cheese

6. Dry GF cereal

Desserts (we only have dessert if we are having company):

1. Ice cream

2. Fruit juice popsicle

3. Betty Crocker GF cupcakes/cake

4. Baked apples

5. Betty Crocker GF chocolate chip cookies

6. WOW Baking Company cookies

7. Strawberry shortcakes out of GF Bisquick

8. Caramel Flan