I started the gluten-free thing this week. On Monday I thought I just may shrivel up and die.  Although this plan has been a long time in the making, I was still completely unprepared and had NO idea what in the world I was going to eat to survive. Part of the problem was that I gave up sugar (just for a month of detox) at the same time and after eating pretty much nothing but cookies and plain m&ms for a month (you know I’m exaggerating but not too much..) I think I put my body into a state of shock.  I know.  I am wimpy. But I am doing it: something I’ve been scared to death to do but felt I should ever since I got diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease and multiple people told me going gluten-free would help.  I’ve just been too scared to do it until now.  I mean, I live for baking cookies and breads and all that jazz.  My sweet friend, unaware of my new quest to eliminate gluten, happened to bring over a fresh-baked loaf of home-made bread on Monday morning right as I was getting going for the day.  All I could do was smell that bread and salivate and wonder what in the world I was doing to myself.  Pathetic, right? But then I pulled myself together and remembered the reason I ‘m doing this: I want to feel better.  I want my hair to stop falling out.  I want to figure out good, healthy alternatives to so many of the things we eat around here for all of our sakes, especially Lucy.  And I wasn’t figuring it out well enough just trying to add new, good stuff to what we eat.  I just wasn’t hungry enough for it and had to figure a way to jolt myself into action.  My master plan is to have Lucy join me in this but I’m still paralyzed as to how to get a stubborn-six-year-old to have will power that she does not possess an ounce of at this point.  Still formulating ideas on that one. Anyway, the point of this post is to say that I am thankful with all my heart for quinoa this week.  (Now, please don’t burst my bubble and tell me that quinoa isn’t technically gluten free because in my fragile state right now I’m just not ready for that!  I know some super-strict gluten-free people are starting to wonder, but Sprouts says quinoa is gluten-free with pride so I’m going with them.) Ok so I’m sure I’ll have more to add to my gluten-free drama in the future, but for now I must leave you with my two fav. quinoa recipes.  They are recipes I’ve had and loved for a while now, but haven’t felt the full, overflowing gratitude I do for them now that I’m trying this gluten-free business. This first one is from my friend Suzanne who made it for a party and I embarrassingly couldn’t stop eating it it was so good. Quinoa Salad 2013-01-09 untitled 67632 3 C. cooked quinoa (=1 c. raw rinsed and cooked in 2 c. water…I mix the water with “better than bullion” for a much better flavor) I cook quinoa in our rice cooker.  It’s easy-peasy that way.2013-01-08 winter 67626 While we don’t need a closer picture of all the fingerprints on that thing, we could maybe use a close up of these gems (from Costco):2013-01-08 winter 67627 let cool add 1 can black beans (drained) 1 c. white corn (drained…I use frozen white corn) 1 c. grape tomatoes (sliced in half) 1/2 red pepper (chopped) red or green onion (to taste) 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro I like to add avocado chunks too because I LOVE avocado.  My friend says she sometimes adds feta and one time I added Craisins….shredded chicken would be really good too…just whatever you want to put in.2013-01-09 untitled 67629 Dressing: 2 tbs. balsamic vinegar (my favorite) 1 tbs. olive oil 1/4 c. lime juice a little pinch of sugar Mix it all together and eat it up.   The next recipe is from my friend Angela: Garlic Chicken and Quinoa 2012-08-30 misc 59889 1 c. quinoa prepared with chicken stock according to package directions with 2 c. chicken broth 4 chicken breasts 4 tbs. olive oil 1 small onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 yellow bell pepper, diced 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 20 leaves fresh basil grated parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste Cut chicken into one inch pieces.  Heat large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the oil. Add chicken and sauté for 5 minutes or until just golden brown.  Add onions, peppers, and sauté for 2 more minutes.  Add garlic and sauté until peppers become slightly limp, but still bright, about one to two more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove the pan from heat.  Add basil and quinoa.  Toss until basil wilts and garnish with parmesan cheese.  Serves 5. Once again, couldn’t resist adding avocado.  Another quinoa salad recipe I’m gonna try soon because it looks mouthwatering is here. If I don’t post for a while, just know I ran out of quinoa and I’m withering away from lack of fluffy home-made bread.  This isn’t going to be a cake-walk I tell you!

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75 Comments

  1. Here's an awesome recipe my sister shared with me recently:
    Quinoa Chili
    Ingredients:
    2 cans kidney beans, rinsed & drained (or whatever beans you like. I use one can kidney and one can black)
    2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
    1 medium onion, chopped
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 green pepper, chopped
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 teaspoons cumin
    1 teaspoon dried oregano
    1/4 teaspoon cayenne
    1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
    2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed in warm water
    1 cup frozen corn
    1 can tomato sauce (about 2 cups)
    1 cup water

    Directions:
    Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and sauté until tender. Add 1/2 tsp salt, garlic, green pepper and spices; sauté for 5-10 minutes. Add rinsed quinoa and stir in. Add corn, tomato sauce, and water to onion/quinoa mixture. Simmer together 20 minutes. Add beans to the pot and simmer another 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sliced avocados, cilantro, scallions or whatever else you like to put on chili.

  2. Quinoa is absolutely gluten free! 🙂
    There are so many gluten free flours to make breadspizza dough and cookies with…so you won't be missing out at all!!!
    I went gluten free last year on a whim hearing it helps auto immune disorders (have Sarcoidosis in remission) and what I noticed is: no headaches, no gas, slept better and woke refreshed and had more energy overall.
    I had to go back to eating "normal" so I could be tested for gluten intolerance (i was fine actually) and never went back to g-free…but am planning to again soon. It's silly not to when I felt so much better! 🙂

  3. Unfortunately I have to live gluten-free – and lactose-free! In the beginning it was tough but it definitely gets easier!

    Doro (from Germany 🙂 )

  4. Thank you for these recipes! My teenage daughter was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis a few months, and is now in remission thanks to lots of heavy duty drugs. We decided this year to go off wheat because we heard it does wonders for UC patients and we would like to see her weaned off all those meds. Good luck with your new adventure!

  5. I like to cook veggies in parchment paper (tomatoes and zucchini are two of my faves) with some lemon, garlic and herbs, and serve it over quinoa and goat cheese. So super easy and delicious. I also make a pomodoro sauce and serve it over quinoa instead of pasta.

    Try quinoa (I used the red kind) for breakfast. Cook it in milk and top it with nuts, bananas (or apples) and a bit of honey. So good.

  6. I second Jessica's recommendation of the Citrus-Pomegranate Quinoa salad from Our Best Bites. I added some sauteed chicken and was blown away when my entire family loved it. I personally thought it was even better the next day!

  7. You CAN have fluffy homemade bread again! Here is our very fav gluten free bread recipe from Living Without magazine. It is so good you won't miss the wheat at all!

    Oatmeal Maple Bread

    MAKES 2 LOAVES

    No kneading. No proofing the yeast. No problem! This bread has great texture, perfect for sandwiches or toast. The maple syrup does double duty, adding flavor and activating the yeast. Rolls have a thick, crispy crust with an airy, slightly chewy interior.

    2 cups brown rice flour, preferably super-fine grind (see sidebar)
    1 cup gluten-free oat flour
    1½ cups sorghum flour or millet flour
    1 cup tapioca starch/flour
    ½ cup potato starch
    ½ cup sweet rice flour
    2 packages (2¼ teaspoons each) active dry yeast
    1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
    1 tablespoon salt
    5 eggs, room temperature
    4 tablespoons maple syrup or amber agave nectar
    ½ cup shortening or non-dairy margarine, melted
    2½ cups milk of choice (rice, soy, hemp, nut milk), warmed to 110 to 120 degrees
    1 egg white, lightly beaten with a fork (to brush tops of loaves)
    ½ cup gluten-free oats

    1. Prepare two 9-inch bread pans (or two 8-inch bread pans and 6 muffin tins) by greasing well and dusting with brown rice flour. Set aside.

    2. Place brown rice flour, oat flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch/flour, potato starch, sweet rice flour, dry yeast, xanthan gum and salt into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on low for a few seconds just to combine ingredients.

    3. In separate bowl, hand whisk the eggs, maple syrup, shortening and milk.

    4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Then mix for 5 minutes on medium-high speed. Batter will resemble a very thick cake batter.

    5. Spoon batter into prepared pans. This recipe makes two 9-inch loaves or two 8-inch loaves plus 6 dinner rolls. To make the rolls, use a large ice cream scoop to portion the batter into 6 standard-size muffin cups; then divide remaining batter into two 8-inch bread pans.

    6. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top of the dough with egg white. Sprinkle gluten-free oats on top.

    7. Let dough rise in a warm place for approximately 40 minutes or until nearly doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    8. Place bread pans in preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 (for rolls) to 40 minutes (for loaves). Bread is done when internal temperature reads 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

    9. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on a rack.

    Each serving contains 150 calories, 5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 35mg cholesterol, 231mg sodium, 24g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 3g protein.

    TIP No oat flour? Make it by processing gluten-free oats in a food processor with the steel blade attachment for 1 minute.

  8. I LOVE quinoa! My favorite way to eat it is just to cook it, and add peas, raw spinach, and tons of cheese. yum. Oh, and a teeny bit of garlic never hurt either! 🙂

  9. Hang in there, Shawni. My husband and I gave up gluten for a month last spring and it was SO difficult. If it makes you feel better it will be very worth the pain of today and what a great role model you are being for Lucy. Is it 21 days to form a habit? Good luck!

  10. Thank you! I always love new quinoa recipes.

    I have been strictly GF for 8 years after being diagnosed with Celiacs. However, I bake and eat so much yummy, GF, junk. I really don't think my diet is any healthier than someone who eats wheat. In fact – maybe even less healthy because I'm missing out on the fiber. So, tomorrow I leave for Hawaii and when I return – 30 days of no sugar. I'll be right there with you. No delicious chocolate chip cookies or pumpkin muffins. I'm so addicted to sugar and I just don't want to be there. Good luck! And you can do this because you can do hard things! 🙂

  11. If you like pasta, you could try the Tinkyada brand of brown rice pasta. I serve it to my gf and non-gf kids & everybody likes it.ingredients are basic…brown rice & water.
    Wish you well! Starting out, going gf can be overwhelming.
    Some hidden gluten things are soy sauce & seasonings you wouldn't expect wheat to be in. You can buy gf versions, though.
    Tried your pork tenderloin recipe last week, it was great & my family liked it. Thanks!

  12. Kalyn's Kitchen website has tons of delicious gluten-free recipes. She is techincally a South-Beach Diet blogger but all of the Phase 1 recipes are gluten-free and I've been loving them. The Layered Mexican casserole was on the menu this week and my 6-year old asked if we could have it again the next night!
    Good luck!

  13. Lifetastesgoodagain.blogspot.com

    Her whole family has to eat gluten free (except her) and ad a result shes become an EXPERT gluten free cook ( I have sampled it many a time). She even has a cookbook if you are interrested!

  14. Shawn,try wheat belly cookbook by William Davis. Its out now on kindle.A heavier read is the original 'wheat belly'which gives the theory of a wheat free diet x

  15. I've been gluten free since Halloween and 2 recipe books have helped me more than I can say. "Make it Fast, Cook it Slow" and "More Make it Fast and cook it slow" both by Stephanie O'Dea. The recipes are all for the crockpot and all gluten free and simple to throw together and delicious and just like normal great family food. It's great to have a resource that has done the thinking for me. I just go through her recipes, choose what I like, and there's dinner. The author is a cooking genius. Just had to share with you.

    Hang in there. It DOES get lots easier.

  16. You probably already have a lot of help getting recipes and where to buy stuff but my sister is gluten free and corn (Corn syrup, High fructose) free and let me tell you what…she cooks the GREATEST treats still! Just using other ingredients and real sugar(I know, you will have to wait a month). I know that she has put a packet of stuff together for people before of where she buys her stuff (I have heard her say she buys in bulk off of amazon a lot). If you would like me to get it from her and email it to you I can. Just comment back on here. Good luck! She switched about 4 years ago and it changed the way she felt dramatically. She just switched over her 9 year old about 4 months ago. It's hard for him, but she said the changes were noticiable almost over night.

  17. I was just reading a blog post on The Red Headed Hostess and she is going g-free and in the comments there are so many site and recipes for bread and cookies, dinner ect. Tons of stuff. Thought you might like to read through that. Good Luck!

  18. I completely understand what you are going through and had to do the same thing about 8 months ago. Since then, I am really happy I went gluten free and it has changed my health for the better. I was told about a book called Quinoa 365. I live by that book now. It gives you recipes for everything…bread, pizza dough,quinoa pastas etc. Then you don't have to live without all the great foods you may miss and the recipes are very simple! I hope that helps!

  19. YOU can do this, my entire family is gluten free, youngest 6 and you will find so many recipes for gluten free stuff you will go crazy!! you will make up fun new names for dinner so that the kids will like it too!!

    PS Bisquick makes a good gluten free bread mix that I do corn bread from.

    it stinks to not eat "normal" but once you feel better you will fall in love with it and it will be your new normal!! 🙂

  20. We are gluten free, my husband has Celiac disease, so we went gluten free as a family, I missed chocolate chip cookies big time, but I found this recipe, and I love it way more, so here it is whenever you are ready for a chocolate chip cookie:
    3 eggs
    1/4 cup butter
    1/2Tbsp corn syrup
    1 cup white sugar
    1cup brown sugar
    2 tsp baking soda
    1/2 Tbsp vanilla
    1 1/2 cup peanut butter
    4 1/2 cup oatmeal(not quick oats and make sure they are wheat free)
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 cup chocolate chips
    3/4 cup plain m&m's
    Combine all ingredients and drop on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes.
    Enjoy……it does get easier, we have been GF for 6 months and it's not really an issue anymore!!

  21. We've been gluten free for a few years now. It's pretty much a way of life for us that makes us feel better. If you are interested, (because I have so may friends/acquaintances with either gluten intolerance or celiac) I've put together a list of our favorite things- it can become so expensive and downright frustrating trying all of the different things to find certain ones that you might like. It's a great list of things from pastas (which ones we've tried and hated to tried and loved) to cookies, crackers, bread, recipes, blogs, websites, and more.
    Good luck. You can totally do it- and I think your little Lucy might surprise you! My 8 year old has been gf with me the whole time and he's amazing.

  22. my husband is needing to be gluten free and I am trying to cook for him but man alive it is hard some days. I am interested in how you do it with your family and interested in what you are learning with all this stuff keep us posted. and keep the good recipes coming 🙂

  23. If you get a chance

    dramymyers.com

    is a wonderful doctor our of Austin TX she is a dr. of
    Integrative and Nutritional Medicine.

    She's gives awesome advice and has a weekly newsletter.

    You can follow her and her practice on Facebook too.

    🙂

  24. My sister-in-law has a fabulous website called
    donteatwheat.com
    Her daughter is gluten free and dairy free. Her recipes are amazing. Also, use cornstarch instead of flour and you can make most soups. Good luck!! Tinkyada has great noodles and the quinoa noodles taste great too.

  25. We love quinoa here. I use it place of rice now. They kids were not happy at first but now they are fine with it. NOt sure if you shop at Costco but they have one there in the freezer section…so easy. We go through a big bag of it a month.

  26. I second Rebekah's comment about Tinkyada brown rice pasta. It's the best out there!

    Also, this mango black bean quinoa salad is SOOOOOOOOO good. It's pretty much exactly like your first recipe here on this post, but it has black beans and mango. Also, if you make it, just know that you can use balsamic vinegar if you don't have the other on hand. It's still good.

    Good luck with your new diet parameters!

  27. Oh ha ha! So, yeah, it's basically EXACTLY like your recipe, but with mangoes (didn't see the black beans at first). I promise the mangoes are worth it!! 😀

  28. Quinoa is gluten free don't let anyone tell you other wise. So is buckwheat, millit and certified GF oats. We're gluten, dairy, mostly sugar, hfcs, hydrogenated oil,fake colors and sugars free. Its been a long journey but yes we are tons healthier for it. FYI, almost all cookie recipes convert to gf perfectly simply by using gf flour! Good luck!

  29. Shawni- I just started my 10 yr old on a g-free diet last week! It has helped me to think of SUBSTITUTES instead of restrictions! Costco is great:Kirkland brand marinara sauce is g-free, tree top fruit snacks and fruit by the foot are too. Three cheese rice crackers are great and JIF natural pb is g-free. Dehydrated Mangos green/white bag are awesome – all from costco. I've made meatloaf (g-free bread crumbs), spaghetti (rice noodles), tacos, quesadillas, nachos all with corn tortillas/chips. Baked potato bar and stir fry is great, Hodgson Mill waffle mix is awesome. Fred Meyer, Winco, and Walmart all have good g-free options. Hope this helps Lucy! I'm going to try and bake some bread. I tried to buy similar foods to start out with and hopefully we can graduate to healthier options! He hasn't really noticed! Thanks for sharing and good luck!

  30. I had to go gluten-free about 10 years ago, and thankfully there are so many more resources and products now. I am often asked for recipes when people learn they need to eat gluten-free, so a few years ago I started storing them on a blog. I'm hesitant to tell you about it because yours is a "real blog," mine is a place where I store recipes when I try new things so I can pass them along. I hope you find lots of new things that you like. Once you get the hang of it, it's not so hard. Good luck to you!

    anniesglutenfreekitchen.blogspot.com

  31. My 4 yr old daughter has Celiac, so we've been coooking gluten-free for almost a year now. It takes time to get used to it, but I don't even think about it much anymore! My trick is to use the same recipes I made before, just substitute things. Pamela's pancake and baking mix is AWESOME (can make pancakes, cookies, etc with it), as well as Pamela's bread mix (I buy in bulk off Amazon). And many restaurants are offering gluten-free options now which is AWESOME!! (Chick-Fil-A has gluten free chicken nuggets in kids meals – it's just the grilled chicken nuggets)

    If you want some ideas on getting a child to switch over… cause my daughter was 3 years 11 months when we had to switch her… I put pictures on cardstock of all the things she COULD eat and put it up in the kitchen – so we didn't have to go over everthing that she COULDN'T have every time, she just would point to something she could have. Here's my post about that:http://kristen-enjoyingeverymoment.blogspot.com/2012/02/change-of-attitude.html

    Some gluten-free snacks for kids are listed on this blog post: http://kristen-enjoyingeverymoment.blogspot.com/2012/01/day-2-of-gluten-free.html

    Good luck – it's hard at first (and you have to bring separate food to pretty much any party/event ever) but it's worth it for feeling better!

  32. Thanks for the recipe share, Shawni! I just love your blog and read it daily! And yes, quiona is totally gluten free! In fact, you can blend quiona with water to make "crepes or tortillas" and they are awesome. I posted the recipe here: http://www.g-freejourney.blogspot.com/

    Our family is completely gluten free and dairy free (2 1/2 years now) and I totally can relate to all you wrote here. When we first started out all I could think was, "What CAN we eat???" But then it got easier over time. It's like learning to ride a bike, pretty soon you don't even think about it. 🙂 You'll do great! And yes, the health benefits have done WONDERS for our family! Our son Jude was having a bunch of health issues, so that's what started us down this path, and it's been life changing in a great way! It's still hard to live with this diet because so much of our social gatherings revolve around food, but again, it gets easier, and we've figured out how to make it work! 🙂

    I know you're detoxing from sugar right now, but our family started a fantastic gluten free, dairy free cookie company, called Jude's Foods (named after our son) and we'd love to send you some packages of cookies for you and your family!! You could even put them in your freezer and just pull one out at a time if you'd like. 🙂 They are made of almonds and gluten free oats, and they seriously taste just like real chocolate chip cookies! They do NOT taste gluten free, that's what they are known for! They are sold in 11 grocery stores in Portland, Oregon and we are growing (we only started this business a little over a year ago). Anyway, I don't know how to ask for your address or P.O. Box without sounding like a creeper, but we'd love to send you a case of cookies to get you through the hard days! 🙂 Feel free to email us your address at eatjudesfoods@gmail.com and we'll get them sent to you! http://www.eatjudesfoods.com

    Thanks again for sharing these recipes!

  33. It gets easier. I was diagnosed with Celiac as a kid so I have not ate wheat/gluten for a long long time, and its much easier now then them. Good luck!!! there are some very yummy gf options out there too and you can still do all your yummy baking. 🙂 Better Batter is a cup for cup substitute for wheat flour. I Love it and it really helps when making the transition.

  34. Quinoa is 100% gluten free. It's one of the few grains that is!!! I'm deathly allergic to gluten and it's totally fine!:) So go ahead!Enjoy your quinoa!

  35. I don't usually comment, and I'm also not one to give advice/recommendations especially in a situation with a diet intolerance/allergy but I follow another blog http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com and all of her recipes are done in the crockpot and they're gluten free! I've tried a number of them and they're tasty and usually reasonably healthy. It might be another resource you could look into that might help you make food that your family will recognize but you can eat as well. Best of luck.

  36. We are trying to go g-f AND sugar free. Very hard to find any grocery store items. Lots of g-f is full of sugar to make it tasty. So baking hard I find. Am on the journey with you and I feel your pain! Love your blog, thank you, from Australia

  37. We are not gluten free in our house (no one is celiac or allergic, and eating gluten free unnecessarily has its own set of long term issues that no one seems to want to talk about!) but we do use heirloom wheat for bread and we do eat a lot of non-wheat, non-gluten meals just because modern wheat is so messed up. One of my all time favorites is the quinoa zucchini lasagna from peas and thank you. http://www.recipage.com/recipe.php?ri=6000567
    It is ridiculously delicious! There is a fight over who gets to eat the leftover quinoa-sauce mix! (We use organic vodka sauce for the tomato sauce which makes it even better.)
    Best of luck!

  38. My son is gluten-free … and I found the website called glutenfreeonashoestring.com
    It is GREAT! I also bought both of her cookbooks. Wonderful recipes. I use Better Batter (an all-purpose gf flour she recommends) in place of all purpose flour in just about any recipe. It works GREAT! Good luck!

  39. We are all gluten free here and I am also sugar free and even restrict my fruit intake because of the sugar/frutose. After a year it is now second nature to me and the kids but my husband has been gfree for 3 years.My six year old asks before he puts anything in his mouth-"is this gluten free?" My husband is a cancer survivor and they told him to go gluten free. My oldest has asthma and has not had a problem with it or allergies since we have all gone gfree! It is so easy to bake now with all of the stuff in the stores – things have changed a lot in 3 years and I have seen a huge change just in the last 6 months. Dunkin Donuts is testing a gfree donut in FL and Boston, so there are a lot of people doing it. Read the book WheaT Belly and you will never eat wheat again!!!

  40. I am loving this post and comments! Two things:
    1) do you have BJ's out there? The BJ's near us has quinoa that does not need rinsing and I won't go back.
    2) my kids' favorite quinoa: mix with pesto. That's it. (Cheese on top works for one.) With jarred pesto from Trader Joe's it's really easy; I like the homemade pesto more but my kids don't care either way.
    Thanks for the great ideas!

  41. Isn't it nice to know you're not alone? I went gluten free about 10 months ago, after being vegan for about 18 months. Then 5 months ago, my husband went gluten free (we had food intolerance tests done). He can't have eggs, most nuts, or corn, and I can't have oats; we're both soy, dairy & meat free.

    What helped me the most was making a list of breakfast, lunch & dinner ideas and posting it on my fridge. Then when I was hungry and couldn't think of anything I could eat, I could look at the list.

    Trader Joe's has great corn or rice tortillas and pasta. We eat lots of quinoa, potatoes & rice, too.

    My favorite cookbook is The Healthy Gluten-Free Life by Tammy Credicott. It's pricey, but it's a huge book with pictures of every recipe. (http://www.amazon.com/The-Healthy-Gluten-Free-Life-Dairy-Free/dp/1936608715/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357871684&sr=8-1&keywords=healthy+gluten+free+living)

    I love her yeast rolls, chocolate chip cookies, scones, pizza crust, etc. If you continue gluten-free longer than 30 days, you'll probably want some bread at some point, and cookies. 🙂 And FYI, it's not a vegan cookbook–she has meat recipes–but I still think it was worth the $$ to me because she's got great stuff in there.

  42. For Lucy — see if her school district offers gluten free lunch. It does in my school — I'm a teacher and went GF 7 months ago… it really helps me. 🙂 because most days I fee like I can only eat corn products… yummy mexican food… but I confess, I turn to chocolate a lot! grrrr.

  43. Hang in there ! It does get easier! It was the hardest thing I have done but I felt so much better. I have some good GF recipes on my blog that I love. Coconut flour crepes and buckwheat pancakes are my favorites!

  44. I recently stumbled upon a blog: inspiredrd.com. The blogger has Celiac disease and is a registered dietitian. Because of her disease she can not consume gluten. She has lots of recipes and her blog is pretty interesting. Just thought I'd share. I always think so highly of people (like you) with such great willpower. One day I'm going to get me some of that stuff!! haha!!

  45. Walmart (of all places) sells quinoa pasta. My husband and I actually like it better than regular pasta, wheat pasta or rice pasta. It's gluten free, but we are not. We just think it tastes better… the fact that it's healthier is just a bonus!

  46. The quinoa salad sounds delicious!
    I've been diagnosed with Hashimoto last fall myself and I'm pretty much ignoring it until now.

    My doctor told me that "it would be helpful to avoid iodine … well and gluten too".
    But since iodine can mostly be found in fish and chicken I would have to change my whole diet.
    And I've just changed it some years ago, when I decided to eat morte healthy, by eating less sugar, red meat and superfine flour and more wholemeal, fish, rice, and chicken.

    And everything I can find in the internet concerning a gluten-free and low iodine diet seems so uneasy and captious.

    So I'm really afraid of losing the joy in food. I really enjoy coocking and eating. But all those restrictions make it hard to just enjoy a meal.

    So, from all my heart, thank you for the two recipes that make my mouth water and seem to be approriate for a Hashimoto's diet at the same time!

  47. Wow – you hit a nerve! Quite the comment avalanche! I smiled when I read this post, because one of my four tasks on the Good Habit's app that you introduced me to is 'Sugar & Gluten free'. I get a reminder every afternoon at 5 when I start craving… 😉 so far, so good. Quinoa is a life saver. I think you might enjoy a blog called 'edible harmony'. Her recipes are Paleo, but all of them are gluten and sugarfree. I will be trying a few of her muffins and cookis recipes this weekend. Good luck! and thank you for sharing!

  48. I have been reading your blog for a year and never posted a comment.

    My advice?

    unless absolutely necessary..don't give up your baking and your homemade breads. If the criteria is a need for your health and will make a huge difference to your quality of life of course give up those things..but if it won't make a massive difference for you and Lucy I would say just limit your intake and enjoy the things you really love at least a few times per week if not once or twice per day!.
    I cannot imagine a life without breads and baking. Especially you for whom it seems to be such a joy in your family.
    Again….weigh the pros and cons.
    I would give up 5 yrs of life to love every delicious minute. More than that maybe not.
    You have a wonderful blog and first time I felt like really sharing what seemed important to me.
    You do so much for others..you deserve a cupcake!
    Lauren Kate

  49. Hi! So I'm actually not a mom or anything..I'm only in high school, but I enjoy your blog's pictures and your anecdotes. Anyways, I am very interested in nutrition and what kind of food I am putting into my body. With that being said I try to avoid foods with gluten and the best alternative I've found is using recipes with coconut flour or almond flour. The different flours contain their own nutrients and protein unlike wheat flour. Even better they are more filling and taste better. While you're going gluten-free try to avoid rice flours with less nutrients. Good luck, you'll feel great and have so much more energy!

  50. It gets easier!!!

    Udi's bread is the best – it's in the frozen section. Their whole-grain bread is really, really good.

    Check out the King Arthur Flour recipe site, they have all kinds of gf recipes. Their GF chocolate chip cookie recipe is really good.

    Focus on the foods you like that are naturally gluten-free, instead of trying to make substitutes for everything. We eat a ton of veggies now, and I think our dinners are healthier now that cheap pasta is not such a fall-back for our menus. We always have at least two veggie side-dishes with dinner, and my kids really like a lot of vegetables!

    With Lucy, make the focus on what she can eat, not what she can't. Anything that is forbidden becomes irresistable!

  51. I really hope this doesn't get lost in the comments, but there is a place in Gilbert JP Pancake (http://www.jppancake.com/)that sells GF pancakes and waffles. I took my mom there when she was visiting and it was the first time she ate a waffles in years, she said it was REALLY good and you wouldn't know it was GF. The rest of the breakfast menu is great too for the nonGF eaters in your group.

    Also, here is my recipe for Quinoa burritos (http://heatherhalesdesigns.com/blog/fall-break-day-three/), you might need to use corn tortillas to be GF though. My whole family LOVES these!

  52. One of the best books I've read on food and nutrition is "the smarter science of slim" By jonathon bailor. Extremely well researched And well explained. But easy to understand. It helped me to understand why I needed to eat healthier than I was. That made eating better easier for me!

  53. I just had to add a comment to your very long list of comments ;). Spinados has gluten free crust so you have to go eat there for sure! I am impressed with your dedication and strong desire to help Lu! You are the worlds greatest mom and I hope it makes you feel better too!

  54. I'm so glad to have met you at the store today. Your search for GF food reminded me of my own first trip to TJ's after going GF a little over a year ago. I was so overwhelmed! But trust me…it gets easier! Going GF is difficult, but it's been well worth it for me. Don't hesitate to give me a call if you have questions!

    P.S. One of the best books I've read about going GF is "Living Gluten-free For Dummies".

  55. I'm sure your getting overwhelmed with advice, but I have been cooking gluten free for my husband for the past 5 years and the things that have helped me the most are:
    1) Pamela's Baking Mix. I buy the bulk bags off amazon and you can substitute it cup for cup for most recipes like cakes, quick breads, etc. and it already has the xanthan gum in it (which you need to add to a lot of other mixes and it is expensive to buy on its own) along with baking powder and baking soda. Most recipes you really can't tell too much difference. We also love the pancakes it makes, and the pan pizza recipe on http://www.pamelasproducts.com that uses the mix is our favorite pizza.

    2) Pamela's bread mix makes amazing bread in the bread maker when you use the sweet bread version (I think something about the little bit of sugar helps activate the yeast the right way. I haven't gotten the same results in my oven, but the bread maker turns it out great. I make a loaf, slice it, freeze it, and then pull it out and toast it when we want it so it stays fresh tasting and not dry and crumbly.

    3)Tinkyada pasta has been our favorite. Lasagna especially tastes good with their noodles.

    4)we eat a ton of corn tortillas. And a lot of recipes for enchiladas and similar things will say to use flour tortillas but I just use corn and they still taste delicious.

  56. I am 35. In 8th grade, a teacher recognized what he thought would be a goiter. Because of him, I started my lifelong process of thyroid issues. I have a goiter. I've been hyper hypo and have Hashimotos. Had half my thyroid removed 2 weeks ago. It's Been growing this last year. Could have done a fine needle biopsy and ultrasound every year until they found more reason to take it out, or just take it out. It felt right. Anyway, I've read books, the internet, been to several doctors and talked to many people. NEVER have I heard about going gluten free. I would love to hear how it goes and if it helps. I have heard to drink filtered watered. Amazing what any chemicals in the water can do to our bodies. Thanks for sharing.

  57. I recently started cooking – baking gluten free for my son, and I was really overwhelmed at where to begin… this website helped it all make sense- http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/cooking-gluten-free/ . I realized that you can't just substitute brown rice flour for regular flour, because its the gluten in flour that makes it all stick together and not just crumble to tiny pieces. -Pretty basic… but things like eggs or xanthum gum or guar gum will help hold it together. And my son can't have dairy as well, and I think you said that Lucy has rice milk as well, and I found a cool website with some great recipes that are df (dairy free) and gf. http://www.donteatwheat.com/
    Good luck! Thanks for all the other comments from your readers… they have been really helpful for me too!

  58. We made the Garlic Chicken Quinoa last week and it was a keeper, Shawni! Three kids finished it all, one asked for seconds and the littlest declared it was yummy once he was spoon fed. So thanks for sharing and good luck! It appears that you have enough recipes and resources here to last at least a few years with no repeats!

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