Where to start?: a reader's question

Kelly H. asked a great question on my blog today:

I would be really interested to know where to start with going g-free. It's too hard to "substitute" everything we normally eat into gluten free (and expensive!) but I'm not sure how to adjust our diet in a normal way...I'm not sure if that makes sense. Like what did your first grocery list look like? I have a 10 month old and a 2 year old and a husband who could care less about what he eats :)...it's hard to cook to satisfy all of us! I know these are kind of loaded questions, but tips on beginning to go g-free would be great! This blog is already super helpful!

Kelly, that's a great question! The same one I had, that week back in April when I was looking at Jude's positive lab results, scratching my head, going, "Ok, so where do we go from here?" I dropped in on a day at my friend Jana's house, who had been gluten-free for a year and basically had a notepad and pen and said, "tell me everything you can, Jana!" She was an amazing resource! I also went grocery shopping with my step-mom who took me through the store and helped me think through meals and veggies and trying new things. That was helpful too, because she ate a diet already that was pretty close to gluten-free.

I will say, those first days can feel really overwhelming! Especially when you have young children and you need to suddenly change what you're feeding their adjusted taste buds! I remember the first time I gave Jude almond milk instead of regular milk (because most people who test positive for gluten intolerance also test positive to a milk allergy). Anyway, Jude spit it out and said, "yuck!" I even tried chocolate almond milk and he refused it back then too. Today, a couple months later, his taste buds have adjusted and he'll drink it happily. (We mostly drink water today, simply because it's safe... no need for reading ingredients!) :) One thing I decided early on was that I was going to give myself grace and not have to cook gourmet anything right away. If I can just start really basic and build from there, finding safe ingredients, then I feel like I'm doing ok.

Before I go into what we bought and made that first week I want to mention three great resources that helped me that first week!
www.elanaspantry.com
The G-Free Diet book - this book will help you know exactly what ingredients in foods to avoid! And what words are used, like "natural flavors" that are often a red flag for gluten. It's worth reading!
One last website that we love (great recipes and info) is Gluten-Free Girl & Chef.

As a mother of young children, finding some simple g-free snacks for my kids felt overwhelming at first. Here are some things that we serve them on a regular basis that they love, most naturally gluten-free and familiar to them:

. Applesauce (I buy Naturally Preferred organic applesauce, nothing added. Applesauce is also something you could make from scratch in the fall and freeze!)
. "Ants on a log": Almond Butter or peanut butter (read the back to make sure it hasn't been processed in a facility with wheat!) Spread on celery and top with raisins.
. Bowl of raisins (again, just make sure it's straight raisins and not processed with wheat, etc.)
. Carrot sticks (or peel a large carrot and chop off each end; Jude loves to eat whole carrots like a rabbit) :)
. Bowl of gluten-free oatmeal (sweetened with REAL maple syrup)
. Bowl of Greek Godz honey yogurt (for Selah, not Jude because of dairy) with fruit on top (blueberries, strawberries, etc.)
. Bowl of grapes, or apple slices with almond butter, orange slices, a banana... (before your grapes go bad, if your kids don't eat them fast enough freeze them. My kids love frozen grapes!)
. PB& J Sandwich: Udi's whole grain bread with almond butter and jelly that is safe (avoid the ingredient "natural flavors" and thickeners, we use Cascadian Farm organic fruit spread)
. Tuna fish sandwich on Udi's bread (we bought g-free mayo from Whole Foods)
. Turkey meat (gluten free, can be found at TJ's or in most grocery store deli's). Selah likes her turkey meat wrapped around little cheddar cheese sticks. Tillamook cheddar is safe.
. Bowl of nuts (pistachios are my kids favorites, or cashews! Again, I always make sure it isn't processed in a facility with wheat, kamut, spelt, barley, rye, etc.)
. Chips and salsa (we buy Doritos corn chip because we've found them to be safe and we use Emerald Valley organic salsa)
. Fruit snack (stretch island fruit co. all-natural fruit strip. They're pure fruit)
. Brown Rice pasta by itself. My kids love it.
. Thawed frozen peas in a bowl
. Sweet potato fries (just peel and chop yukon gold or sweet potatoes into skinny/thin fries, coat with oil and salt, bake at 400 degrees for 20 min or until golden brown)

So what did my first grocery list look like? I don't remember everything, but I'll do my best to write out a few of those first meals we made as we stumbled through that first week of lifestyle change.

#1) Salmon with quinoa, steamed veggies and potato fries
We baked wild salmon (or wild stealhead) and only seasoned it with safe sea salt and pepper... plus, because I had bought a loaf of gluten-free bread that week that we thought was so gross because it was like a tough block, I crumbled the bread into crumbs and drizzled olive oil over the salmon and sprinkled the g-free bread crumbs all over the top. It tasted amazing! We steamed a bunch of veggies, like kale, chard, & broccoli. Plus I made a pot of quinoa (a lot like tiny pasta or rice, really flavorful!) and we also made potato fries. That was one of our first meals! To make potato fries you can do it a couple ways. I'll tell you the way Janet, my step-mom, did it because I actually liked them better than the ones we normally make! :) We used sweet potatoes and yukon gold potatoes. We chopped them into long wedges and coated them in olive oil and salt. Then we oiled a baking sheet and got it hot in the oven (400 degrees), then pulled it out to drop the potatoes on (you'll hear them sizzle) and put them in the oven to bake, turning them half way through baking.

#2) Tacos
We searched for taco shells that were totally safe. We filled them with ground beef, beans (which are controversial... but we buy organic beans that haven't been processed in a facility with wheat and then always wash them very thoroughly, whether they are dry bagged beans or canned beans), lettuce, salsa, avocado, lime juice, goat cheese or cheddar cheese.

#3) Stir Fry
Because we happened to be out of town staying with my Dad and Janet that first week we went gluten-free, Janet made a lot of meals. She threw together some chicken and veggies (like chard, broccoli, and root vegetables) and cooked them in her wok, seasoned everything with just salt and pepper, and served it over brown rice. I had a big plate of that! (I'm always careful to buy organic chicken, that's minimally processed and I wash it really, really well).

Some other meals that are super easy and not too expensive:

#4) Spaghetti
Boil some g-free brown rice pasta and top with meaty sauce. We always use the ground beef we have in the freezer (from the 1/4 cow we buy annually) and use Muir Glen organic tomato basil pasta sauce (found in the Fred Meyer health section, usually on sale for $2.99. Tomato sauce is another item that can be made homemade.)

#5) Taco salad (super easy!)
Sometimes if I'm too tired to cook we'll just chop some romaine and throw it on our plate, top it with warmed black beans, crumbled corn chips, avocado, salsa, fresh lime juice, and for Josh goat cheese, (and for me a little cheddar and sour cream). It saves money to buy dry beans and soak them/cook them yourself.

#6) Yuppy Mac n' Cheese (really quick and easy!)
Cook your brown rice penne pasta, then coat it with goat cheese (cheese will melt over it as you stir it in), and mix in a little fresh pressed garlic and freshly chopped basil. Yum!

#7) Minestrone soup
I use this recipe HERE and add in more veggies, like potatoes, frozen green beans, peas, corn, and instead of cabbage, I might throw in chopped chard at the very end. When we serve up this meal with toast or salad, we usually use a scoop to strain the veggies and noodles out and just put those items on the plate for the kids (rather than soup in a bowl). They'll pick out all the peas and eat those, then they'll pick out all the potatoes and eat those, etc. All soup items, but not in a soup. :)

#8) Beans & Rice
Jamaican rice and beans is one of our favorite recipes. Click HERE.

#9) Baked Potatoes
I love baked potatoes. I have to get more creative when I make them though, since Josh and Jude can't eat dairy and I try to limit the amount Selah and I ever eat. Sometimes I'll make chili from scratch and they will pour that on their potato.

I kind of feel like the same ingredients go through my head every day still, since we're still new to this. In terms of meals I think about rice, pasta, beans, veggies, meat, fish, quinoa, soups, salads, fruit... I'm just always pairing up different things to create a new meal. :)

For breakfast we find ourselves making a lot of the same things over and over, but our kids don't tire of it.
. Gluten free pancakes! (we use THIS recipe, but substitute the agave nectar for 1 whole banana and we drizzle a tiny bit of real maple syrup in the batter too).
. Scrambled eggs with salt, pepper and Earth Balance butter (dairy free)
. Udi's toast with Earth Balance Butter
. French toast using Udi's bread and real maple syrup
. Bowl of oatmeal sweetened with real maple syrup or applesauce
. Yogurt (for Selah)
. Fresh fruit

Kelly, I hope this super long, detailed post was actually helpful and didn't overwhelm you! I know that this diet change can seem daunting, but if you just take it one simple meal at a time you'll find yourself getting better and better at thinking of quick g-free meals to piece together.