gluten-free meal ideas??

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i have to be more strict now with eating gluten-free...for the past month or so I slacked off and I ended up regaining 5 lbs i had worked so hard to lose, plus i felt bloated pretty much all.the.time and couldn't fit into my clothes Plus, today DH's doctor recommended that he lose 15 lbs (his blood pressure is getting high)...earlier in the year when i made the whole house GF, DH lost like 10 lbs in a couple weeks (why couldn't I have been so lucky?? lol). Dh's doctor even suggested he follow gluten-free diet to lose the weight and eat healthier.

So, i really want to try to start making more gluten-free stuff at home, despite it being the most inconvenient thing on the face of this earth (i can fix the kids lunches SO fast...grilled cheese sandwiches, mac & cheese, or pb&j...snacks are graham crackers, goldfish, etc...but obviously those are out for me). Plus i need to get better about packing GF lunches/snacks because often times whenever we go out as a family there aren't any GF options. I could find premade stuff at WholeFoods but it costs an arm and a leg.

So far, for snacks I've having roasted almonds, cheese sticks, Nut-Thins, natural pb on rice cakes..but i'm getting bored with such a limited selection. For meals, I think iv'e given up on gluten-free pasta..i don't really like it and DH cannot stand it either. For dinner I've been making a lot of rice-based casseroles or polenta and cooking meat like ground beef or GF sausage on the side..while that's great i can't put those kind of things in a picnic lunch say to the park or wherever bc they have to remain chilled and then reheated.

UGH. please any suggestions welcome. sucks that i cant just make a sandwich and be done with it!

[chillinoutmaxin]

You can have corn tortillas! Fruit with PB. DH is GF and we're having the same problem with his lunches. I wish he'd have lunch meat wraps in corn tortillas. He eats a ton of fresh fruit now. He's lost 30 pounds though!

We buy rice noodles from the ethnic section in the grocery. I use a reguar chicken noodles recipe but add cilantro and rice noodles. YUM!

[wendibird22]

What have you tried for pasta? Takinada (sp?) is very good but we prefer Wegmans new corn pasta.

Dinners for us are usually a meat, potato or rice (Zatarans has a lot of GF varieties), and a veggie. Kabobs, grilled meat, "beer can chicken" using soda instead, fish, hots/hams w/out roll, casseroles w/ subs for creamed soup and ground rice chex for bread crumbs, meatloaf, baked beans.

Breakfast is GF cereal, eggs cooked many different ways, a special treat is GF waffle or pancake ( either Vans or GF bisquick), yogurt, Greek yogurt, smoothies.

Lunch is hummus, egg salad, tuna salad, GF lunch meat, cheese, dinner leftovers, GF soup (progresso makes several), 3 bean salad, garden salad, taste of Thai microwave meals ( GF and many low sodium), fruit, veggies w dip, Annie's GF Mac n cheese.

Snacks are mixed nuts, chips, dry cereal, hummus or cheese w nut thins, corn tortillas ( which I also use for sandwiches and quesadillas), ice cream, GF cookies, nature valley nut bars (2 varieties are GF), snapea crisps, GF graham crackers, cottage cheese.

I order Go Picnic meals from amazon to keep on hand for trips or places where I don't think I'll find something to eat. Great for air travel.

I get where you are coming from. We did lots of family day trips this summer and DH would grab a subway and I'd have to plan. Sometimes I just did a roll up of lunch meat and cheese. I'd I go to a family event or pot luck I bring something I know I can eat.

There are some great blogs with easy and inexpensive recipes. Let me know if you want links.

Good luck. It does get easier. I promise.


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[AbbysMom]

I found this website on Pinterest. I've made the granola and we really like it. She has some gluten free recipes.

http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.co...granola-2.html

[Katigre]

Get yourself some paleo/primal cookbooks and website links!

www.elanaspantry.com
www.theclothesmakethegirl.com
www.paleoparents.com
www.marksdailyapple.com

I have never eaten healthier in my life but the food is SO GOOD and satisfying. It gets easier to pack GF food as you get used to it too - give it 6 weeks.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thanks everyone! yeah corn tortillas would work in picnic lunch, i should start getting more of those.

thanks for the links! elanaspantry looks awesome..i am drooling over their chocolate cupcakes!!!

i guess i need to buy some almond flour and coconut flour...and coconut oil..i definitely don't have those. i've tried gluten free breads and while some are ok, they aren't that great. while i dont' think i could do a strict paleo diet (i love greek yogurt too much!) i do definitely want to keep the carbs to a minimum. i did a low carb diet similar to atkins in grad school and the weight just came off so fast (yet i was NEVER hungry), it was crazy. for the first time ever i had a flat stomach. ONly reason i can't go back to doing that strict of a diet is just the sheer inconvenience of having to always be make your own food, counting carbs, and bring your own food everywhere while i have little ones to deal with for 12 hours a day.

eta: wendibird thanks for the recommendation of GoPicnic..had never heard of it, and it sounds great. i just ordered a 6pack of the hummus & crackers GF one. it looks awesome (and it comes with a piece of dark chocolate...perfect!! ) i think these would be perfect when i'm in a rush to get out somewhere with the kids , and i need to bring something for me to eat so i don't pass out. if i was out by myself with the kids swimming or something, i used to pack a lunch for them and just wait until we got home and they were napping to eat lunch, but now with this ii don't have to starve. yay

[chillinoutmaxin]

You probably know this already, but you can make rice flour by putting brown rice in the blender. I do about a cup at a time and grind it fine. Easy!

[Katigre]

FWIW, greek yogurt is part of primal as an option - you don't have to give dairy up altogether if your body tolerates it well . MDA is probably your best resource for modified primal eating.

I agree about feeling full and satisfied when eating higher fat/higher protein/no grain - it is a huge difference! I never leave a meal thinking 'ugh, I feel sick' or 'wow, I'm not full and will be starving a halfhour later' like I did with heavily carb-based meals.

[specialp]

Isn't quinoa GF? Southwest quinoa makes a ton and freezes well so you could make your own freezer meals for lunch and plus it can be served warm or cold.

If you do decide to invest in almond flour or coconut flour, I have a links to awesome pizza recipe (AF) and a pancake recipe (CF). I make 3 batches of the pancakes and flash freeze.

I know you are tired of rice cakes, but you could try and switch up the toppings. I ate one with salmon flavored cream cheese, turkey bacon, and cucumber slices that was delicious.

[infomama]

www.savorysweetlife.com (click on Gluten free at the left)
http://www.theshiksa.com/in-the-kitc...s-gluten-free/
www.familyfreshcooking.com/recipes/ (go down to Gluten free)