Favorite Gluten-Free Dinner

I have made Taco Salad a few times in the past 7 weeks. I am trying not to make it too often, so I don't get tired of it. I make slow cooker taco meat AND crockpot refried beans. I put chopped lettuce on a plate, spoon on some taco meat and beans, then add some cheese and maybe a bit of ranch dressing and eat with tortilla chips. It is SO comforting and I seriously don't feel like I am missing anything in this fabulous gluten-free meal. Yum.

Otherwise, things are going well. I have boxed up some gluten food items to give away: white flour, panko bread crumbs, italian bread crumbs, and some cracked wheat. When I first began eating GF, I didn't want to get rid of my gluten foods. Maybe I thought it would be good to have them in case I wanted to eat something with white flour...I don't know. But now I have 7 weeks of experience and I feel confident giving them away.

I am on the search for an all purpose gluten free flour that I like best. So far I have tried:
Bob Mills
Jules Gluten-free flour

I am thinking of trying better batter, C4C gluten free flour, and Maninis. I hope to find something that works really well. I made a Jules cookie mix yesterday and it was awful. I had one bite and that was it. Grainy texture. ::shudder::

6 weeks

6 weeks in...still plugging along. People will ask if I'm doing the "gluten-free" thing still, and I reply that I am. In fact, I don't plan to stop anytime soon. I feel like it is helping me in some other ways, as well. I know that I rely upon food to help me when I am stressed or upset. This past week we have had some difficult news in regards to moving and it had me depressed. My first thought was to eat something gluteny, but I didn't. I realized that I can't use food to get me through tough things. This is good progress. I know it will only improve.

Still trying new recipes. I am on the lookout for things I can make ahead to take on the go. Unfortunately, all these recipes are sweets. I am wanting to find more savory snacks to make and take.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I found this recipe here. I modified it somewhat. Whenever I make pancakes now, my husband asks me if they are "those pumpkin pancakes," so I think he likes them. :)

Pumpkin Pancakes 

Picture found here. 

My photo.

GF Pumpkin Pancakes
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 Tbs canola oil
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 cup multipurpose gluten free flour
½ tsp xanthan gum
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

HOW TO PREPARE:

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, xanthan gum, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon and salt.

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar.

Mix the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes

Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBSP butter, melted
2 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 bananas
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups rice flour
1/4 cup chocolate chips

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a large bowl, combine milk, eggs, vanilla, and butter. Slowly add baking powder, xanthan gum, bananas, sugar, and flour. Mix until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Cook on griddle. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Delicious!

5 weeks in

At some point I will probably be more creative with my blogpost titles...but, for now, I want to keep track of where I am and I am making a point to blog every Monday, at least. Things are going okay. I am going out of my way to not eat gluten if at all possible. I went to a GNO at Texas Roadhouse and I didn't eat one roll. I didn't even want a roll. I didn't expect for that to happen.

With all the chaos of listing our house on the market and getting the house clean for all of the showings, I have not had much time to make up a dinner menu and grocery list. I have been subsisting upon mostly scrambled eggs with potatoes, either baked or sliced up and fried, and yogurt mixed with ricotta cheese for breakfast. Then whatever we have for dinner. Today I plan to make the time to make up a menu. This will be so helpful, I am sure.

I made some GF Chocolate Chip Cookies two days ago. Man, are they good! My husband said they taste just like regular ones.

Week 4

A month! Wow. I am so pleased to have made it this far. Truly. I don't plan on stopping, either. A month ago, I weighed 404.8 pounds. Today I weighed in at 405.4 pounds. So - I haven't lost any weight. I was hoping it would just happen with switching to GF, but that's isn't the case, I guess. A friend of mine emailed me with a link that said this:

On the other hand, patients with gluten intolerance and excessive weight, very often deal with impaired endocrine functions, including insulin resistance, hyper reactive adrenal glands, low testosterone production, disturbances of leptin production and hypothyroidism.

Isn't that interesting? I just wish there had been a solution along with it! Right?! I have many of those symptoms. Perhaps as I continue eating gluten-free and doing various cleanses, plus altering my diet to become more healthy, the weight loss will come? Actually, I know that it will. I have prayed for help and I felt impressed that weight loss will happen. So no more doubting for me. It's just the process of getting there.

Once a month I go on a date with my husband to the temple. Then we go out for dinner afterwards. On Saturday we went to Olive Garden. I had heard they have gluten-free pasta. I had the salad and then some gluten-free rotini with chicken. It was quite tasty! I think it was corn pasta? It was yellow. Ha ha. I ate some salad and didn't have a breadstick - and I didn't feel deprived! That was the best thing. I recognize that the less gluten I eat, the better. I think my food priorities are changing and I am so pleased.

For lunch today, I made this:

Silas and I really liked it! I don't want to eat too much pasta, as it is high carb, but it is nice to know that if I want to have some macaroni and cheese - I can. And that makes me smile.

3 weeks in

Yesterday marked three weeks in. My weight is now what it was when I started eating GF. I am not sure why the scale went up, but it seems to be back where it was now, thankfully. This past week has been a stressful one and I have found myself wanting more comfort foods. I am proud of myself for selecting only GF foods to eat. In fact, the only non-GF food that I have had in the past 3 weeks were those two rolls at Texas Roadhouse. I am very proud of myself! I have been missing pizza lately, but at this point I don't know that it would taste all that good to me - like those rolls didn't. Huh. Well, perhaps in the future I will try my hand at making GF pizza crust. Until then, I have been eating a lot of potatoes, taco salad, beans, doritos, oatmeal, and Choffy. I am so grateful for my Choffy! It is comforting and delicious and HEALTHY. So blessed to have it in my life. It makes eating GF much easier.

I know that I need to eat less carbs (rice and potatoes) but at this point in time, I don't want to make too many changes too fast. I am reading books and compiling recipes to try. Tonight I am making Brazilian Estroganof. It is quite good and makes excellent leftovers. Onward and upward!