Going Gluten Free: First Product Review

Well, I've been doing this gluten free thing for a little over a week and so far it's not so bad! I have tried several new GF brands! I thought I would share the one's I've tried and tell you my opinion on them (a couple of these my sister actually tried but I trust her opinion so you should too). Hopefully this will help people weed through some of the sub-par brands out there!

Pasta/Grains:

  Kroger Pasta
I made this with baked Italian chicken and put Ragu pasta sauce over it (all Ragu pasta sauces are GF but double check labels just in case). If I didn't know there was a difference I probably wouldn't have been able to tell. There is a slightly different texture but it's still yummy! Kroger has a BUNCH of different pastas and GF products. Here's a list.

   Schar Classic White Rolls
I used these to make a hamburger. My sister also made a hamburger and she also tried using it for her chicken salad sandwich. The hamburger was pretty yummy. The rolls are pretty thick so you have to have a big mouth (no problem here!) and it tastes perfectly fine. When Maegan used them for her chicken salad sandwich she said that the moisture from the chicken salad caused her bottom bun to fall apart. So, good for burgers or other things that don't have a lot of moisture. BUT we have a solution to your chicken salad sandwich!

After we cooked it.

   Gluten Free Pantry Favorite Sandwich Bread Mix
This bread is GOOD! We used our bread machine and I don't know if/how it would turn out if you used a loaf pan but with the bread machine it was really really yummy! The outside/crust got really hard and I ended up cutting my crusts off like a 3 year old but the inside was nice and fluffy and yummy! Tasted a lot like whole wheat bread!

 
   Udi's Hamburger Buns
These were pretty good and Udi has a lot of GF options! If I remember correctly they were a little thick but tasted like good 'ol hamburger buns!





Cereal/Breakfast:

   Glutino Gluten Free Cereal Apple & Cinnamon Rings
I honestly was not impressed with these at all. I got the apple cinnamon flavor because I wanted to be able to put some in a Ziploc and snack on it at school but these things were SO bland! Maybe a different flavor would be better, I don't know. I will probably just stick with Chex cereal since it's naturally GF.

   Glutino Gluten Free Organic Bars Chocolate & Peanuts
I eat these every morning on my way to class. They're not the most amazing things I've ever tasted but they're pretty good. I might try to shop around a little bit more but if I can't find anything I like more it won't be a big deal. I would recommend these, at least as a starting point.





Snacks:

    Glutino Chocolate Vanilla Creme Cookies
Oh. My. Gosh. Gluten Free Mom mentioned these on her blog and I KNEW I had to try them! If you know me at all you know I LOVE Oreos. When I was little my dad would bring me 2 Oreos and a glass of milk EVERY night before bed. Every. Night. Imagine how broken hearted I was when my Google search informed me that I would no longer be continuing my Oreo-bedtime ritual. Between that, and the fried pickles, it was getting to be too much (no, this is not me being dramatic). BUT I can continue my ritual! No, they're not Oreos, but they're better than nothing! And when everyone else is eating Nutter Butters and Chocolate Chip Cookies... you thank God (seriously... thank Him now) for these cookies. They don't taste exactly like Oreos, but then... nothing will ever taste exactly like Oreos. BUT, if I say they will work as a replacement then you can bet they're pretty darn close! Thank you Glutino for ending my misery and ending my gluten-free Oreo debacle.

    Annie's Gluten Free Cocoa & Vanilla Bunny Cookies
These are basically like graham crackers only not. They taste yummy. They have several different flavors too just make sure the box says "Gluten Free" on it because they do make some flavors that contain gluten. Here is a link for more of Annie's GF snacks (they also have pastas).





So, those are just some of the products that I have tried so far. I really haven't changed my diet that much. I have been purchasing A LOT more produce, specifically bell peppers and onions and TONS of fruit! I usually take some grapes in a Ziploc bag to class with me for a snack between classes.

A few restaurants I've found accommodating are:
    Boomerjack's Bar and Grill
They actually carry GF buns! I was at the Murphy location and our waitress was really sweet. She made sure to tell the kitchen about me being GF. Of course, I'm not GF because of celiac or anything so I was too paranoid about it. It was also really the first place I've eaten out since I've started the whole GF thing.
    Buffalo Wild Wings
I LOVE this place. Before we went I looked up their allergen list to see what I could have there. I usually do boneless wings, and this time I had to get them bone in but I could still do my favorite sauce (Honey BBQ). There wasn't a game the day we went and we went before the usual dinner time crowd so Ryan and I were pretty much the only people there. The waitresses took their time to make sure I was squared away. They fry their traditional (bone-in) wings in a separate fryer than they do the boneless wings (which contain gluten). The waitress even made sure that the kitchen prepared my food in a clean area of the kitchen. If you live in the Dallas area, we were at the location off of 75 and Spring Creek.
    Pure Delight Cupcakes
They don't have many locations but there is one in Carrollton, for all of you who live in the area. I haven't been there but Maegan went and she said it was AMAZING!!! I can't wait to head over there myself!!!

Well, that's my GF Southern Soapbox (yes Dad, I'm aware gluten free and southern don't go together, but I'll make them go together!). I hope this has been helpful to y'all! I am sure I will be trying more brands and finding new restaurants and as I do I will post about them! What products do you like? Do you have any GF recipes you want to share? Do you have any brands you want me to test out? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Going Gluten Free: Just the Beginning

So, I realize there are A LOT of GF blogs out there, and I, by no means, have as much experience as they do, BUT I do want to share my experience as I make the change! So here I go!

First, I realize how overwhelming this could easily become if I let it, but I'm not going to. I have done my research and am going to take the advice of all those gluten free bloggers and start simple. Meats, fruits, vegetables. I know for a fact that they are GF. There is list upon list upon list of ingredients to avoid (I've printed it out for future reference and emailed it to myself for phone access) and it can get a little crazy so I'm starting small. This blog is a good place that tells you what to watch out for when starting out.

Another thing I've read/learned.... stay open minded when starting to make your own gluten free version of things (like pasta or breads). If you go in expecting it to taste the same as the gluten filled things you're used to then you're going to hate it. Realize that things will have different textures, but that doesn't make them bad! Have you ever had Almond milk? The first time I tasted it, I was told "Ohhh it's just like regular milk!!! You'll love it!!!" Um... WRONG! It was DISGUSTING! But then I tried again, knowing it was different, and I actually LOVED it. Stay open minded.

Try different brands/options/recipes. Go on Pinterest. There's a GAJILLION (translation: a whole freakin' lot) of GF chocolate chip cookie recipes. Seriously. There's a lot. And a lot of them are different. If you don't like the texture of your first recipe, try a different one. Play around with different flours, they have different textures. Don't give up just because ONE recipe didn't taste quite right. Read Gluten Free Mom's story of their first GF meal. It was a disaster, to say the least. She also gives a list of things you can eat now that are naturally GF.

Google as you go. Today I was curious about different snacks I could carry in my purse that are GF, so I got out my phone and Googled "gluten free on the go snacks". There are TONS of options! Most of them are naturally gluten free, like almonds or sting cheese and there are several power/breakfast bars you can buy from Whole Foods too! Google really does know everything, so take advantage! Instead of trying to know everything right now, I just Google it when I think about it. Also, if you search Pinterest for "gluten free" there are TONS of things on there too!

Get together with your GF friends and ask them for help! I happen to know a lot of people through my church that are GF and we are having a dinner party (hopefully in a month) to trade secrets! I'm hoping that it will work out that everyone makes/brings their favorite dish and some recipes with them. It's going to be FUN! If you don't know any one, ask. Go up to the person in charge of planning events and tell them to put it in your church bulletin that you want to throw a GF dinner party to help you learn more about it. Someone will help you!

A word about restaurants. When you're out at a restaurant ASK your waiter if things are GF! That's what they're there for! You can also look online at Find Me Gluten Free or GFRAP OR at UrbanSpoon! TONS or resources!

Well, that's what I have so far. I am off to my sister's house to do some more GF planning/research. Is it weird that we're both kind of excited about this? Maybe it's because we are choosing to go GF instead of being forced. Don't despair my GF friends! Together, we can become gluten free and happy! I hope you enjoyed this gluten free Southern Soapbox!

Gluten Free?

So, my sister and I have decided we're going to try this whole gluten free thing. We've been told over and over that because of our inflammatory diseases (I have fibromyalgia and she has psoriatic arthritis) cutting out gluten would be very beneficial, so we're going to try it for a few months and see how big of a difference we notice.

A few things I'm already missing... oreos... and cookie butter (which I JUST discovered.. like 2 days ago.. so that's a bummer) and bread. Thankfully now-a-days there are SO MANY gluten free options, like gluten free pasta and bread, that it will simple take a trip to Whole Foods to pick up "specialty" items. There are also TONS of people that have been kind enough to make blogs that have research AND recipes! Gluten Free Girl so far is my favorite! And we can't forget Pinterest!

By no means do I anticipate this to be "easy", I'm already craving things I can't have (the MOMENT I decided to go gluten free I immediately wanted some bread smothered in butter....) but with all the resources out there and the substitutes I think I can make it. I hope. Tonight for dinner, Mom and Dad had red beans and rice, which I don't like anyways but it contains gluten so instead I made lemon pepper chicken with sauteed onions, bell pepper and green beans on the side. I even drizzled some fresh lemon juice over the veggies and chicken! It was YUMMY!

Well, that's my Southern Soapbox! I will be updating y'all and maybe even posting some of my own recipes!