(Part 3) Best products from r/glutenfree

I'm sure she has plenty of gluten free books but if she doesn't have these please consider them as a gift! They have been the only ones I've really liked so far.

Some of my favorite gluten free books are the America's Test Kitchen "The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook 1 and 2" and also Russ Crandall's books "Paleo Takeout" and "The Ancestral Table".

These books have helped me so much! I didn't enjoy cooking before but these books helped me and everything I've tried so far has been delicious. My husband doesn't need to eat gluten free and he enjoys these meals so they've made our lives easier lol.

I'm not sure if your mom enjoys cooking or not but even if you buy these for yourself you can surprise her with a delicious and safe home-made meal or even cake! The ATK #2 book has a yummy cupcake recipes in it too! Everything from scratch even the icing! I made some funfetti cupcakes for a friend a week ago and she enjoyed them! She didn't realize they were gluten free lol.

My wife found out about a year ago that she had a gluten intolerance. We had to go the doctors several time and they kept misdiagnosing it for this or that. They tested the thyroids and everything. One day she suggested Gluten intolerance but the doctor dismissed it saying that she'd be super skinny if she had a gluten intolerance. So she just decided to take the plunge and go gluten free. She's lost 50 pounds since then and feels much better. Before she was always easily agitated and moody all the time and since then her mood has positively changed.

It was really hard at first to make the change; i made the change with her so as to not make more work for us or cause cross contamination. The first Several grocery trips took much longer because we'd have to scan through every ingredient on the list just to make sure it was good because not everything has the allergy listing on it or says out right gluten free. The upfront learning curve takes a while to sift through because baking gluten free bread is different and cooking gluten free food is different; sometimes the food comes out bad the first few times and you just have to learn all the different nuances of being gluten free. But now after learning a lot about it we can go through the groocery store and have all of our groceries for the next two weeks in about 30-45 minutes and thats with two kids under the age of 3.

My wife has done a lot of research and she found a book by the leading doctor on gluten intolerance called Healthier Without Wheat. He says that for most people they shouldn't even bother getting tested because if you feel better not eating gluten then just keep going with that. Most of the tests have a hard time determining if you actually have the intolerance and a lot of doctors misdiagnose or ignore the possibility in the first place.

A quick search around the internet for gluten free recipes will bring you to blogs and such where other gluten free people have posted about places they've found that are gluten free, or foods they cooked that are gluten free, or even products that are gluten free. Once you get into the swing of things it becomes easier to be gluten free. Fruits and Veg will probably have to become a staple of your diet as well as provide nutrients. If you find products online that aren't available at your local grocer you may be able to work with the manager and put in a request for those items you may be amazed at how many other people in the area will buy it as well.

As far as vitamin sups if you just eat a balanced diet and do a little research you can find other foods that provide the same vitamins that you'd be missing otherwise.

Source: https://www.chipmonkbaking.com/blog/2019/8/7/low-carb-keto-blueberry-muffin-recipe

These are one of my favorite things to make. 230 calories, 21g of fat, 7g of protein, and just 2g net carbs per muffin (vs. a Starbucks Blueberry Muffin which has 360 calories, over 50g of carbs and over 30g of sugar). They're made with almond flour and are gluten free! Full recipe below. Check out the source link for more details like nutrition facts and tips/tricks on making these.

Muffins

• 1/3 cup Coconut Oil (measured solid, then melted; can also use butter)
  
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sweetener (Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener, AlluMonk Allulose + Monk Fruit Sweetener, or pure allulose all work great)
  
• 3 Large Eggs
  
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (Almond Breeze is good though most grocery stores have their own cheaper private label brand that will work)
  
• 2.5 cups (280g) Almond Flour (Buy Nature’s Eats Blanched Almond Flour on Amazon Here)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (Most groceries stores sell McCormick which works great)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon Fine Salt
  
• 1.5 teaspoons Baking Powder
  
• 3/4 cup Raw Blueberries (frozen or fresh)
  
• (Optional but recommended) Set aside 1 Tablespoon of Almond Flour and 1 Tablespoon of your Sweetener to coat your blueberries before mixing them into your batter
  
  
  Lemon Frosting (Optional)
  
  
• 4 oz (113g) Cream Cheese
  
• 1/2 stick (57g or 4 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter
  
• 1/4 cup (Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener, AlluMonk Allulose + Monk Fruit Sweetener, or pure allulose all work great)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (Most groceries stores sell McCormick which works great)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon Lemon Extract (Most groceries stores sell McCormick which works great)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Lemon Zest (freshly grated or you can buy dried lemon peel)
  
• 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice (fresh squeezed tastes best but isn’t necessary)
  
  
  

  INSTRUCTIONS
  

  
  Blueberry Muffins
  
  

1. Heat oven to 275°F (commercial convection oven with fan on low). Line a muffin pan with silicone or parchment paper muffin liners.
   
2. If needed, microwave the coconut oil for 30 seconds to soften, but it should not be melted if possible.
   
3. Place the coconut oil into a mixing bowl and beat with the sweetener and salt. Add the vanilla extract, egg, and almond milk. Mix together.
   
4. Mix in baking powder and then stir in almond flour.
   
5. In a separate small bowl, mix together 1 Tbsp of allulose and 1 Tbsp of almond flour
   
6. Roll your blueberries in the small bowl from step #5 to give them a coating (prevents them from sinking in the batter during baking)
   
7. Fold the blueberries into the batter mixture in your large bowl
   
8. Distribute the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Using a cookie scoop can help.
   
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes (at 10-12 minutes, take pans out, rotate positions, and put back in the oven), until top is golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
   
   
   Lemon Frosting
   
   
10. In a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer until fully combined. It helps if the butter and cream cheese have softened some before doing this (you can zap them in the microwave for 15 seconds to help)
    
11. OPTIONAL: Pour the granulated sweetener into a blender or food processor. Blend the sweetener until it is fine, fluffy, and powdered. Powdering your sweetener makes for a smoother frosting.
    
12. Add the sweetener, lemon extract, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest to your bowl and beat slowly until the sweetener is incorporated (go slow to avoid it getting blown into the air)
    
13. Once the sweetener is incorporated, beat on high for 2 minute or until fluffy
    
14. Use a piping bag (something like these) to pipe the lemon frosting on top of the muffins you baked in the steps above. Feel free to garnish the top with some fresh blueberries!
    
15. Enjoy! Keep any remaining blueberry muffins in an airtight container in your fridge. If refrigerated, they should be good for about a week.
    
    ​
    
    Source: https://www.chipmonkbaking.com/blog/2019/8/7/low-carb-keto-blueberry-muffin-recipe

Learn the basics. I picked up this book a couple years ago and have tried most of the recipes in there. You learn how to cook something basic, like a big skillet-sized potato cake, then learn how to adapt the same recipe into other things. I bought Alton Brown's cookbook a year ago and he has learned a lot from it.

The reality is that you're going to need to stop eating foods you currently love and find something new that you enjoy. Find a community support group for people with celiac and try to make some friends. I've enjoyed cooking a lot more when I'm learning new recipes to take to a GF potluck.

Off the top of my head there are some quick & easy foods I enjoy:

DISCLAIMER: READ THE LABELS. Ingredient lists change and not all brands guarantee GF across all of their products!

1. Amy's brand foods. Almost all of their soups are GF and they have some excellent frozen GF pizzas, among other frozen foods. Use their product search: http://www.amys.com/products/product-search
   
   
2. Rice & beans. Rice and beans are easy to cook and a healthy side to a meal or snack with plenty of carbs & fiber to keep you happy. You can do pretty much ANYTHING to rice and/or beans and make it different. My current kick is cooked brown rice with some GF hoisin sauce, some sriracha (Rooster) sauce, and a pat of butter. I eat this as a snack or as a side with a piece of grilled chicken and some steamed veggies. Beans are also cheap and easy as hell to cook. Usually you need to rinse them, soak them, and then dump them in a pot with whatever spices or veggies (onions & garlic roughly chopped usually do the trick) and maybe a big ham bone. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer until the beans are tender but solid. If you don't want to fuss with cooking your own rice or beans then go for some "boil in a bag" rice that you throw in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes and cans of beans. I always keep a few cans of black, kidney, and white beans on my shelf to make a quick side dish or snack. Plus, they are great on nachos.
   
   
3. Tamales. If you like Mexican food then find a brand or a local seller that makes GF tamales (I live in southern AZ so I can find people on street corners that sell fresh homemade tamales). I'd say 99% of the tamales I've found are GF, but always check & inquire.
   
   
4. Corn tortillas. Check labels (I know I sound really redundant here), but corn tortillas serve as a perfect vessel for almost anything you can put on bread. I stack two tortillas and cut them to size for a hamburger or roll some sliced turkey meat, cheese, and a piece of Romaine lettuce up to dip in some dressing or hummus. Also, you can always open a can of refried beans, heat it up, smear on a corn tortilla, sprinkle with chunks of your choice of meat, add some cheese, and stack. Pour some salsa on top and enjoy your delicious Mexican lasagna.
   
   
5. Find a local place that makes gluten free french fries. Make absolutely sure they don't use the fryer/oil for ANYTHING that is breaded. I am lucky enough to have a local chain of fast food restaurants with delicious crinkle-cut french fries that are 100% GF. When I'm really itching for something quick when I'm out on the town I get a large fry from there.
   
   
6. For gluten-free beers I really like Redbridge. I snatch up a dozen when they go on sale and keep them around for when I have a beer craving. My boyfriend, who isn't GF, likes it quite a bit and sometimes prefers one of my beers to what he is drinking. I also enjoy Woodchuck and Ace (who has a seasonal pumpkin flavor) ciders.
   
   Overall, I know it sucks, a lot. I worked at a family-owned mom & pop pizza joint for years with celiac and sometimes I would just break down and eat whatever looked most delicious to me. But, damn, it was absolutely never, ever worth the pain afterwards.
   
   The main problem here is that GF isn't a thing you do for a few weeks. It is a lifestyle change. There is a lot of stuff you can't do or enjoy as much as you used to, but after a year GF I can certainly say I have a much better outlook on life and I feel great all the time. I was severely depressed and suffered from anxiety problems for years and I seriously think that being diagnosed with celiac and going GF has helped the most. I don't wake up feel like a train ran me over during the night, and eventually you'll find your point where it clicks for you, too.

When I was in college I bought a set of these bento-style tupperware containers (link below). They're great for meal prep. A lot of Asian style food can be made gluten free. You can substitute Tamari for soy sauce (which I was surprised to find out had gluten in it) in any recipe. I used to make simple chicken and veggie stir fry, rice, onigiri with different fillings, tamagoyaki (sweet egg omelette), edemame. But I really love Asian food.

If you're not into that kind of food, I would often bring salad with tuna salad mix on top and cottage cheese with a bit of salt. Pistachios are delicious and have a good amount of protein. If I was feeling lazy I would just pack ham and cheese cubes and some grapes or something.

Hummus is amazing and super simple to make at home if you have a food processor. Canned chick peas are super cheap and the only weird ingredient you might not already have is Tahini. I love to bring hummus with sliced red bell pepper and I dice up red onion and sprinkle that on top with some paprika. Hummus is great because you can really add whatever you like to it. Don't like veggies? Eat it with gf crackers or use as a spread on a sandwich. Want to add Sriracha? Go for it! This is my favorite recipe:

https://www.inspiredtaste.net/15938/easy-and-smooth-hummus-recipe/

Bento tupperware:

https://www.amazon.com/Containers-3-Compartment-Container-Microwave-Dishwasher/dp/B01HUKL0C4/ref=sxin_2_ac_m_rm?ac_md=0-0-YmVudG8gbHVuY2ggYm94-ac_d_rm&keywords=bento+lunch+box&pd_rd_i=B01HUKL0C4&pd_rd_r=535078cb-d9cd-4dd4-b7e2-6331020d6c08&pd_rd_w=o8xOc&pd_rd_wg=KrVwI&pf_rd_p=73c1eab1-1449-4c6d-b922-1dce21aded6d&pf_rd_r=YEKQNTWV9BQHEMXMTACM&psc=1&qid=1571253698

Things sound very similar to what my wife deals with......we've even gone so far as to ensure that everything is not made on shared equipment. I contacted Penzey's spices a couple of years back and worked with them to develop testing procedures and standards. I learned that b/c wheat is so prevalent in our food supply....that almost anything can be made on shared equipment. I had been ordering online via Amazon to get the Spicely brand of spices...but they are so expensive! Thankfully a new brand has popped up in the stores called Badia....they are certified GF.

I also wanted to mention we do travel a lot...which has been a lot tougher, and we have tried a ton of different ways to travel with our own food. One device that has been a huge help has been the Hot Logic...you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/HotLogic-Mini-Personal-Portable-Oven/dp/B00EC7XJ28
It is awesome...the food we put in is at a great temperature every time! My wife even started taking it to work to use with her lunch.

We don't eat out at too many places except for Da Luciano's in Rivergrove....they are awesome! They truly understand cross contamination. Make sure you make a reservation before going...b/c they are usually very busy.

We find the high end fine dining places do a really good job...but who can afford those?

One other I wanted to add is my wife recently figured out that dairy was causing a ton of inflammation. After some research...it looks like a lot of celiacs have dairy issues.

If you ever have any other questions...please let me know. I know how hard it was to go through...and we didn't have any, and we had to learn it on the fly. Always feel free to reach back out.....you should feel real proud of all the progress you've made to become a happier and healthier person!

I'm not a celiac but years ago cut it all out for a year after feeling really run down for a long time. I noticed a strong mental improvement and positive change in attitude after a few weeks. I was much more alert for longer periods of the day. Previous any small setback would make me irritated but after cutting it out I could handle negative situations much better.

It is possible that cutting out gluten will help making it easier to learn simply by having more energy and easier to concentrate. It happened to me.

I came across a description in a book that it was like walking on air, which is the best way I can describe it. Check it out here

http://www.amazon.com/User-Guide-Gf-Diet-Autism/dp/184310055X

Good luck

Of course!!!

OK, so the one I would probably most recommend right now, based on ingredients and my coworkers who are more expert than me, Pjur Nude which is water based, so not good for toys but good for everything else. Hypoallergenic, no glycerin (which promotes yeast infections), and nice and smooth. This is a favorite at the shop.

Sliquid is labeled gluten free but unfortunately I have no experience with this brand. I plan to get a few samples and can let you know after I ask my coworkers as well. I need to be able to talk about this lube as well.

Pink Silicone is one that I use at home, but this is the company I emailed. The silicone lube does not contain oat oil, but I'm uncomfortable vouching for them just because of the answer I received from them.

Uberlube is the best lube ever created according to my coworkers. Now, I've gotten to sample this, but not use it during intercourse. Silicone based with vitamin E it contains minimal ingredients and is the nicest lube I've felt yet. Unfortunately it has a high price point, but a little goes a long way with this stuff and it will last you forever. It's good for toys, oral, vaginal, anal, water play.... No flavor, not sticky and made by a company in SoCal that employs like, 20 people tops. It's a new company and the shop can hardly carry enough to meet demand.

This is a hot topic for me, so I will keep updating as I learn more!!

Are you time poor as well as cash poor, meaning you don't have a lot of time for prep/cooking? If that's the case things get a lot tougher, but there are some pretty good GF recipes that can be adapted to fit your needs, especially centered on a "rice and beans" diet.

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/02/vegan-red-beans-rice/ - Red beans and rice. The main things you'd really need, at a min, are salt, rice, and beans, oil, and broth - anything extra is for flavoring. People will tell you it's not "real red beans and rice" or whatever, but fuck 'em - you're eating for food and yourself, not for judgement.

Budget bytes in general has a lot of recipes that can be adapted.

You can do a lot as long as you have flour, as well, like make rouxs, thicken soups to be heartier, fry things, or even bake if you have salt, sugar, and a fat like oil or butter.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/25848001?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227028239822&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=47345377232&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=57393857440&veh=sem - GF flour from Wal-Mart.

Note - chicken gizzards are usually fairly cheap, $1 - $2 for a pound/pound a half where I live. There are recipes on line for how to cook them, but it's pretty easy to trim silver skin, coat in flour and salt, brown in oil, add water (stock if you have it/make it), wait for two hours, and have a thickened soup base/meat soup.

Chicken livers are also usually fairly cheap and don't require much to fry.

Local butchers will also typically have cheaper meats than chain grocery stores.

If you get extra cash to buy a bulk order of instant noodles, these are a pretty decent and pretty filling if you drop an egg in and microwave it with them: http://www.amazon.com/Thai-Kitchen-Instant-Vegetables-1-6-Ounce/dp/B000GZUFCM/ref=pd_sim_325_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51kl9XteqEL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR115%2C160_&refRID=1EH48P4HDK6QQA4VAQF2

Also, sites like textbroker.com or http://www.crowdsource.com/workforce/ can provide extra cash if you have the time/write. They take about a week or two to setup, and can be challenging if you're not used to churning out articles regularly, but they're legit and pay regularly.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

*edit for syntax

This is the second question I've seen like this in a week. It's the million dollar question. A lot of it depends on personal taste. That said, here are my personal favorites:

Bread: udi's; against the grain for certain things

Cup for Cup Gluten Free Flour Blend: I hop around but my current favorite is Mama's Almond Blend

Pasta: I'm into a white rice/corn blend right now. Brown rice pasta (Tinkyada) can be good if cooked correctly.

Pizza Crust: udi's, better bread company, or bob's mix

Sandwiches: A wonderful place called Popovers in Portsmouth, NH. Whoever bakes their GF rolls does a FANTASTIC job.

Most Glutino things are yucky, but I do like their bagel chips.

I bought this Gluten Free Asian Cookbook off of Amazon a few months ago. I haven't tried to make the dumplings yet, because I've never done it before, but I have made several of the other recipes and they've been great. That leads me to believe that the dumpling recipe is probably pretty good.

If you're in a pinch and just want a dumpling, Feel Good Foods sells pre-made frozen dumplings that are actually pretty good. They're not awesome, but after being GF and not having dumplings at all, they're practically the best thing I've ever eaten just because they exist.

Her son has a severe wheat allergy so she's been at this for years. I have tried a few recipes so far and they are 1) Really easy and 2) So yummy all my non-gf friends and family love them. So if you haven't found this book, totally worth it!

So the gist of it is, you start with a Better Crocker GF cake mix and add stuff to turn that mix into super yummy cake. But it's easier than starting from scratch. I can't seem to get the hang of making up the recipes that call for 3 kinds of rice flour and potato flour, a couple starches, xanthan gum, need a scale.... Urghhh so frustrating. I wanted easy and yummy, and this book does it.

Hope it changes some of the world for you all too! http://www.amazon.com/The-Cake-Doctor-Bakes-Gluten-Free/dp/0761160981/ref=sr_1_1 Hmmm, can't seem to make link work though :-/

Digestive enzymes might help! There are ones specifically labeled for glutening situations like this one or this one.

I keep this on hand at all times:

http://www.amazon.com/Foods-Gluten-Digest-Enzymes-Vcaps/dp/B003O1TZHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377888368&sr=8-1&keywords=gluten+pills

or this works well too

http://www.amazon.com/Enzymedica-GlutenEase-120-caps/dp/B001PKRGME/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377888430&sr=8-1&keywords=glutenease

I have a severe reaction to beer so it doesn't work for me in that sense. But with food it works awesome!

I think you mean these Thai Kitchen