Why are all my recipes gluten free?
I am 99% gluten free. 99% means that I do not buy gluten products but if I am out to dinner and desire a brownie that has gluten in it, I might order it. I have been gluten free for the last 5 years. I had horrible stomach issues growing up. I think part of it had to do with my anxiety, one doctor told me it was abdominal migraines and I also think it was due to gluten. I remember having frequent abdominal migraines (basically it is severe bloating and cramping) when I worked at Sprinkles Cupcakes. I would eat a cupcake every shift and I would have horrible stomachaches by lunchtime. Due to my stomachaches, I had some food sensitivity tests done in my early twenties, and they showed that I have gluten sensitivity. For me, this means bloating, tiredness and acne. I no longer get stomachaches. I am sure part of it has to do with not eating gluten but I also think because I have my anxiety in check, it does not flare up like it used to.
For a long time, I hated telling people that I was gluten-free because 1) I felt like they thought I was just doing it because it was a fad and 2) I felt like people who knew about my ED past were just going to assume I was doing it to restrict. A friend told me last year that when you turn 30, you start to care less about what people think of you…I think for me it happened at age 29. So nowadays when someone offers me something with gluten in it, I just say no thanks! You don’t need to defend the choices you make to others when it comes to your health, life, relationships, etc.
Here are a few of my go-to foods/brands that I get when grocery shopping. I typically do not buy “gluten-free” products like crackers and breads as they usually have more crap in them than good. I try to eat whole foods as much as I can.
Favorite grains: Quinoa and lentils are a big staple in my household as is the brand truRoots. truRoots are sprouted grains which apparently are more nutritious(???). Lentils and quinoa are naturally gluten free and are my go-tos for a rice/protein replacement.
Favorite Ranch Dressing: Although I prefer to make my own salad dressing, Primal Kitchen makes really good gluten free and vegan ones. This one I love on taco salad or cobb salad.
Favorite Gluten Free Tortillas: These are the brown rice tortillas that my husband and I really enjoy. They are not very pliable so you have to make sure you heat them up before rolling. I love scrambled eggs and avocado wrapped up in one of these bad boys.
Favorite Hummus: Hope and That Brown Girl Cooks! Hummus is also naturally gluten free. I have two favorites. Hope brand is more tangy than other hummus which I really like (and works great in my Kale Caesar Salad). Plus it's organic! For my Seattle peeps, That Brown Girl Cooks is yum! It is crazy expensive and can only be found in Whole foods or PCC so I only buy it when I feel like being a very generous and loving wife (it's the hubs favorite too)! It's made from black eyed peas. We enjoy the "Slow Burn" kind.
Favorite Baking Brand: I think from this picture you can tell that I really like Bob's Red Mill brand. I buy this brand for most or all of my gluten free baking needs. I really like their quick cooking oats too for breakfast topped with almond butter and banana. The one on the left is date sugar which is a great brown sugar alternative which you can find in my PC Granola recipe.
Favorite Protein Powder: Garden of Life. Protein powder is such a hit or miss with me. I can go for 4 months straight of loving smoothies for breakfast and then all of a sudden I despise it. But Garden of Life brand I always have in the cupboard just in case. It is gluten free and plant based. I used to do Vega, but I prefer the texture of this one better. I like unflavored. My typical smoothie recipe is frozen berries, banana, almond butter or peanut butter with almond milk.
Favorite Greek Yogurt: Ellenos is by far my favorite flavored greek yogurt. It's only in WA and OR. Their lemon curd one is amazing! But I mainly buy the marionberry flavor. This one is also expensive so again I only purchase when I feel like treating myself. Top it with my PC Granola for breakfast! *For my recipes that call for plain greek yogurt I stick to the brand, Fage... I always use Fage in place of sour cream.
Favorite Salsa: I love this green salsa. It has just the right amount of spice for me. It is a great one to use in my Baked Chicken Taquitos. I also use salsa a lot in my crock pot with chicken for an easy weeknight meal.
Favorite Vegetable: Cauliflower. Cauliflower is so versatile. I use it all the time in place of potatoes. Check out of my recipes "Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes"", "Leek and Cauliflower Soup" and "Shrimp n' Grits". I also use it to make pizza crust.
Favorite Curry Brand: Maya Kaimal is my fave. They have lots of different ones, but the Madras I like best because it has a kick of heat. It is what I use for my Vegetarian Madras Curry recipe.