As my mother was recently reminded that she is Gluten-intolerant (and she has been ignoring it a bit), I recently got a chance to show her my kitchen staples and some “Do’s and Dont’s” of a gluten-intolerant kitchen. This was actually fun, because it reminded me how vigilant we need to be about what is going into our bodies. Manufacturers can (and do) change their formulas. Always, always, always – read the labels. My philosophy? When in doubt – DON’T eat it!
Here are some tips I gave her that has saved me many times.
1. Keep GF snacks readily on hand. This does not mean buying processed goods at some super specialty market and letting it sit in your cabinets for eons until it becomes some crumbly hard mess. What I do is make a batch of hummus (easy to make GF and I’ll be posting my favorites recipe and variations soon), store it in a plastic container with a tight lid. So if I come home hungry and there is nothing to make, I snack on that while I am fixing my dinner. (snack, not eat the whole container in one sitting no matter how good it is…)
2. Keep some tried and true recipes handy on your counter. I have several recipes in clear plastic sleeves (the kind that you put in a 3-ring binder) on my counter. They sit off to the side and merely serve to remind me of an ingredient or two if I forget during preparation. Examples of freqeuntly used GF recipes: guacamole, hummus, spicy chicken tacos or burritos (recipe coming soon), my salad inspiration page, and spring rolls with peanut sauce (these require assembly but are SO worth it).
3. Stock items you know you like. For me? It’s Lara Bars and the Green Apple Glutino Bars – YUM. Also, included is rice cakes because they are filling and taste good when you just dab a bit of peanut butter on them.
4. Try New Foods AND Don’t Stock Weird Ingredients. Do not spend all your time trying to duplicate those muffins, that bread you love or other similarly glutenous items that you cannot eat any more. My opinion? It’s a waste of time. See your gluten-intolerance as an opportunity to embrace new things! Try that vegetable at the store that you’ve never heard of and create NEW tastes for you to enjoy. I find that trying to duplicate a taste I cannot have anymore just makes me crave it further. By the way, stocking weird flours and ingredients to make those flavors is expensive!
5. Control the situation and Don’t Apologize. Whether travelling out of town, to a friends house for dinner, or dining in a public restaurant… DO NOT apologize for your condition. It is beyond your control and it’s not as if you CHOSE to have this one. LOVE yourself a little more, babe. Bottom line, you are blessed with an incredible appreciation for the savory flavors available outside of bread, muffins, bagels, and pizza dough. Most American appetites lean so heavily on breads and grains, they have forgotten what a good pomegranate tastes like… even if its a lot of work!
Those are my tips for you all – although number 5 is a “life” tip really. Hope this helps other people out there. And if you’re only recently diagnosed as a celiac, don’t worry… it gets easier.
