Pasta, Bread and Snacks...oh my!

It's been a while since I've done a post about products I like. So as you might suspect, this is a post about products I like! For those of you who may be new to gluten-free living, I know how easy it is to feel overwhelmed and what a struggle it can be to find replacements for things. A lot of people don't realize how hard it is to find gluten-free items that don't taste like cardboard or that aren't filled with tons of sugar and fat. These products are ones that I've been using for a while so I trust them. I'm know there are other kinds out there, maybe even better than the ones I use, but once I found something that I liked (and even more importantly that the husband liked) I stopped looking. This is a list of simple staples that I always try to keep on hand so that I'm never caught in a pinch come lunch or dinner time. I hope it helps you and gives you some products to try!

Pasta
We eat pasta at least once a week. With my work schedule I need easy and simple meals 3 nights a week that take 20 minutes or less. Pasta is always a great choice for us. We both love it and it's easy to make meatless pasta dishes if you're trying to reduce your meat intake (which we are!). We usually have Spaghetti once a week (usually Monday nights) and Broccoli Alfredo another night.

For spaghetti I use Ancient Harvest Quinoa spaghetti style noodles:

These noodles are really great for spaghetti. They hold up well, but you just want to be careful with the cooking time. If you cook them too long they can start to get mushy and fall apart a bit. A great thing about these noodles is that they are made from quinoa so they are full of protein, which is especially good if you are making meatless spaghetti. I like these better than the long rice noodles.

For the alfredo pasta and most other pasta dishes I usually go with Tinkyada Brown Rice Penne:

This pasta has awesome texture. In addition to the broccoli alfredo I've also used it in most of my other pasta dishes. The husband really likes this kind as well. Again, as with most rice pastas you want to make sure you follow the recommended cooking time since the texture will change if they are under or over cooked. 

Bread

I actually don't eat bread very often. Occasionally I'll have a piece of toast with dinner, but I rarely make sandwiches for myself anymore. I usually keep a loaf of Udi's whole grain GF bread in the freezer and I can make it last a while. The pieces are smaller than regular bread...ok they are much smaller but if you're trying to cut carbs then that's actually a good thing!

I also really like Udi's plain bagels. I keep them frozen and then thaw them out for 30 seconds in the microwave, and then toast them and top with cream cheese or jelly. They can be a little dry if you toast too much, but when you are really craving a bagel and "schmear" that is easy to overlook!

Snacks

I think snacks can be some of the hardest things to adjust to when going gluten-free. At least it was hard for me! I'm definitely a salty over sweet kinda girl so not being able to have pretzels, cheezits and wheat thins anymore was devastating! Although I've tried to get away from most conventional snack foods like crackers and chips, I still get cravings for something crunchy and salty. Here are some great gluten-free snacks that I have come to love. 

I love these multi-seed crackers. I have featured them before on the blog. They sell them in bulk at Costco but also smaller bags at Publix and Whole Foods. I like them plain, with hummus, or with some cheddar cheese. YUM.

These rice chips are fantastic. They have multiple flavors and they are rice, not corn. I've only seen small bags at Publix but they do go on sale every once in a while. The husband likes these too!

I really like these veggie straws. They are made from potato, spinach, and tomato and are lightly salted. I like them just as much as chips (but the husband doesn't). These are also sold in bulk at Costco in individual bags which are great for lunch boxes and picnics!

These are my second favorite crackers. They are on the expensive side because of the ingredients, but they are delicious! They come in a variety of flavors, are pretty much available at all grocery stores and definitely satisfy my salty craving. I like eating these plain but are good with hummus or any other kind of dip also.








Some other natural snacks that I enjoy are:
- Celery and peanut butter
- Rice cakes with nutella and bananas
- Carrot sticks and hummus (try my red pepper hummus)
- Trail mix
- Granola  (find my recipe here)
- Any fresh fruit (We get Orlando Organics fruit delivery every other week. They are awesome!)


I know this post is long, but I wanted to be thorough in my suggestions! Do you have any favorite gluten free products that you use? I would love to hear them!

I promise I'll have some recipes coming up soon! Chicken Noodle Soup, Melt in your mouth Chicken, and Dirty Rice with Sausage are just a few in the lineup...not to mention some yummy apple recipes just in time for fall!

Product Review

It's been a while since I've done a product review. I don't always buy gluten free products in the store when I see them mainly because they are usually expensive and quite a few of them taste like cardboard. Plus, most of the gluten free packaged products have tons of added sugar and fat to make up for the lack of that tasty gluten stuff and I want to try to avoid all that. On the other hand, convenience items are kind of hard to come by so I have tried a couple in the past few weeks. Here's one that I really enjoyed. I found them at Costco (thanks Mom!) and they are a great snack option. The husband liked them too and said they tasted like Fruity Pebbles. I've never had Fruity Pebbles so I couldn't make the comparison. All I can tell you is that they're good. Really good. And healthy!

Introducing Mrs. May's Almond Rice Stix!

These little almond rice sticks are packed with cranberries, blueberries, golden raisins, almonds and toasted rice. The are 100% natural, gluten free and have no trans fat, saturated fat or cholesterol. Winner!! I've seen these sold on Amazon as well and you could probably find them in other grocery stores or Whole Foods. They were reasonably priced at Costco for such a large bag and they are a great grab and go option. Give 'em a try!

Arugula Pasta Salad

I don't know about you but I rarely eat a big breakfast or lunch, especially if I'm by myself. It just seems pointless to me to spend a lot of time and effort on a meal that only I will be eating...especially when I usually have other things I would rather spend that time and effort on! Because of this attitude I sometimes skip breakfast and lunch all together which I know is NOT healthy so don't start yelling at me :-) I'm trying to do better at coming up with different things to eat for these 2 meals so that I don't skip them and saw this recipe over on skinnytaste.com the other day (a GREAT blog by the way!) I changed it up a little and it made a fantastic lunch that was both fast and easy. Definitely a keeper!

What you need

- 1 C gluten free penne pasta
- 3 big handfuls arugula
- 1 C canned garbanzo beans
- 2 stalks celery. sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 10 cucumber slices
- 1/4 C chopped sun dried tomatoes
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 2 T balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- A few shavings of parmesan cheese





Directions


- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse with COLD water to stop the cooking process

This is the penne pasta I used. I think it holds up really well and the texture is perfect!

- While the pasta is cooking, prepare your celery, cucumber, green onions, tomatoes and cheese

I used the sun-dried tomatoes packed with herbs in olive oil. I just rinsed them a little and dried them with a paper towel before I chopped them up.

- Drain and rinse the canned garbanzo beans. Refrigerate the leftover beans for a later use (hummus anyone?)

- In a large bowl, add the arugula, garbanzo beans and pasta

You don't have to use arugula but if you haven't tried it I highly recommend you do! It has a wonderful peppery flavor.

- Add all the veggies in

- Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar

- Add a small palmful of salt and pepper

- Toss contents together gently


- Plate up and top with parmesan shavings

- Happy lunching! This salad is filling enough for a dinner meal as well and is packed with fiber.

*NOTE: You could easily add or take away things from this salad. A southwest version of this would be really good with black beans, corn and bell peppers!*

Product Review

This past weekend was such a blur! One of my dearest friends, JJ, got married! YAY! The wedding was absolutely beautiful and it was such an honor to stand beside her as a bridesmaid. Here is a picture of us at the rehearsal dinner. Love you friend!

I have 2 great products to share with you today! My mom is the one who found them both for me (thanks Mom!) Both of these have also gotten rave reviews from the husband...and that's good enough for me! Hope you get to try them soon!

The first are these wonderfully yummy Rice Works Chips. I found them at Publix next to the rice cakes. They had 3 kinds (sea salt, salsa, and parmesan w/sun dried tomato). The only thing is that they are a little pricey for the amount you get (but that's true with all GF things right?) Publix had them on sale for 2 for $4.00 which isn't terribly expensive if you can make them last! We almost ate an entire bag yesterday! I think my favorite thing about these is that they aren't made from corn, but brown rice! Which is healthier for you and a nice change from the usual tortilla chips.

The second product is a blend of brown rice and quinoa that my mom found at Costco. She has been suggesting that we try it for a while now but I hadn't gotten around to making it until last night. I don't know about you but the first time I made quinoa it turned out awful. It tasted fine but the texture was pretty mushy and gross and I couldn't get past it. Plus it took forever to cook. The husband however, who will eat basically anything, wolfed it down and continued to take the leftovers for lunch the next 2 days. So, I was a bit apprehensive at trying to make quinoa again, and especially "pre-packaged only takes 90 seconds in the microwave" quinoa. But, this honestly blew my socks off...ok so I wasn't wearing socks but if I had been they would've been blown off. SO good and amazing texture. One bag was enough for the husband and I plus leftovers for him the next day. And the preparation couldn't be any easier. You tear the bag open, pop it in the microwave for 90 seconds and then serve. Love it. And it's certified organic...can't beat that! These come in a 4-pack at Costco for around $8.00. The great thing about quinoa if you've never tried it before is that it is full of protein and surprisingly filling. I served this as a side dish to Italian chicken and green beans last night for dinner. Yum!

Check back tomorrow for my granola recipe!

Product Review

Hey everyone!
Happy Thursday :) Today I thought I would share a couple of gluten free product reviews with you! Please keep in mind that these are just my opinions and what I have found that works for me. Unfortunately, being gluten free means a lot of trial and error with products and recipes until you find what you like.

The first product is Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers. They sell them in a 2 bag box at Costco for around $7.00. I love these and am so happy to have found them. I am a HUGE salty snack girl and prefer chips and pretzels over chocolate (I know I'm weird.) Since most of the things I liked before (wheat thins, cheeze-its and pretzels) are dangerous for me to have, I am always looking for GF alternatives to fill that void in my life! These are a good substitute and I eat them with hummus or a chunk of cheese on top. I'm pretty sure these are available at grocery stores as well, although I haven't seen them at my Publix.

Now, I have not done much GF baking so far, but am going to try a few recipes in the next few weeks. My other GF buddies have had to instruct me on what flours to get, and most everyone agrees that Bob's Red Mill brand is the best. I found everything I needed at Whole Foods (except the brown rice flour - I got Arrowhead instead). The flours are definitely more expensive than regular gluten filled all-purpose, but I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't cost an arm and a leg to buy them all! They were between $4 - $5 per bag. The most expensive thing was Xanthan Gum, but generally you only need a couple teaspoons per recipe. My sister-in-law swears by the recipes from the Gluten-Free Homemaker's blog. I haven't tried any yet but will soon now that I have all of my flours!

Bob's also makes certified GF oats, which I found at whole foods for $6.00 for a 32 oz bag. I make my own granola (I'll share that recipe tomorrow!) so the GF oats are a must for me. 

That's all I have for today! I would love to hear if you guys have GF products that you enjoy! 

Monday Night = Spaghetti

Every Monday night we have spaghetti for dinner. Since I work later than Jon on Monday's and Thursday's I wanted to have something easy to throw together when I get home. Since spaghetti is one of those "go to" meals and my husband loves it, I declared Monday night spaghetti night. Being gluten free hasn't changed this at all and we both really enjoy the gluten free spaghetti alternative just as much as regular pasta.

Once a month I'll make my own spaghetti sauce and then freeze it so I always have some on hand. While the bottled sauce isn't crazy expensive, I like to know exactly what is in it and I can control the quality of the ingredients I use. Sometimes I'll make it in my crockpot too and just let it go for 6-8 hours. It always comes out delicious and freezes really well!

Here's how to make it:

What you need (I forgot to take a picture of everything before I got started...silly me)
- One 28 oz can whole, peeled tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes would work fine too if you don't like chunks of tomato in your sauce)
- One 15 oz can tomato sauce
- One 12.5 oz can diced tomatoes (I like the ones with italian herbs)
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes (we like spicy spaghetti sauce, but you could leave this out)
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (if you don't like balsamic you can leave this out)
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (or whatever seasonings you like)
- Salt and Pepper to taste (I usually use 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper)

Other optional add ins:
- ground beef, turkey or sausage (make sure it's cooked separately first)
- mushrooms
- bell peppers
- zucchini

You can't really mess up this sauce as long as you have the tomato elements. Experiment with what you and your family likes until you find one that's perfect! We like simple sauce and since we've cut WAY back on our meat intake we usually leave that out too.

Directions:
- Heat 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (or coconut oil) in a dutch oven or large stockpot over medium heat
- Add in your chopped onions and cook 1-2 minutes
- Sprinkle in 1 tsp sugar. This will help caramelize the onions a bit and sweeten them. YUM.
- Add in the minced garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes

See all that beautiful caramel color on the bottom?

- Add the red pepper flakes, if using them, and cook 1-2 minutes

- If you're adding other elements like vegetables or meat, add it in now and allow it to cook out a bit
- Add all the tomato elements, (whole, diced and sauce) making sure to scrape the bottom part of the pot as you stir. Don't waste that flavor!
- Add the balsamic vinegar, italian seasoning and salt and pepper

- Reduce the heat to a simmer and let it bubble gently, stirring occasionally. I let mine go for 3 hours.

- After the sauce has simmered, remove from heat and let it cool. Separate into freezer bags (I used 3 quart sized bags) and lay flat in freezer.

- When you are ready to serve let it thaw in the fridge overnight and just heat up in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Here's the spaghetti noodles we use. It is a quinoa and corn blend so the noodles are more yellow than regular pasta, but the texture and taste is wonderful! I get them at Publix and one box will last us 2 spaghetti nights.

- Top the cooked noodles with sauce, fresh grated parmesan cheese and a bit of parsley. Enjoy!