I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned that I have to eat gluten free because of an allergy, but lately I’ve really been wanting to spread the word about living gluten free! I found out I was allergic to wheat about three years ago, and man was it rough cutting out all gluten! Just think of the best foods (bread, pasta, and for me, my mom’s dumplings), and imagine never eating them again! Okay, okay, it isn’t that bleak, but it was definitely a challenge! Today, there are so many gluten free options available so it really isn’t even that hard, you really just have to readjust your taste buds! I thought it would be cool, though, to start sharing my gluten free tips with you guys, and just break down exactly what gluten and gluten free eating is!
So, what is gluten anyway?
Funny you ask! Many people have heard the term “gluten” or “gluten free,” but have never actually looked it up before. The more science-y definition is a mixture of two proteins that are present in wheat, rye, and barley that can cause anywhere from mild allergic reactions (things like skin rashes), to more severe ones (like Celiacs disease, in which a person can’t even have food that is processed in the same factory as wheat). Basically, gluten is in wheat flour, so anything with flour in it is a no-go. Personally, gluten gives me really bad headaches, stomachaches, and oftentimes a very unhappy tummy. Gluten allergies can be determined with a simple allergy test from your doctor, so make sure to get one done if you are having any food allergy like symptoms (skin rashes, upset stomach, itching in the mouth or throat, etc.).
I found out I have to go gluten free…now what?
So begins your journey with rice flours, coconut flours, xanthan gum, and all of the other flour alternatives! The most difficult part of eating gluten free is starting out. You have to find substitutes for all of your favorite gluten filled foods, and learn how to cook and bake with gluten free ingredients (trust me, it can be difficult at times!). Rice will become your best friend (it’s one of my favorite foods!), as will veggies and fruit!
When you first find out you have to eat gluten free, start by making a list of all of the foods you eat that contain gluten. Now, start to look for gluten free alternatives to those foods. Breakfast can be difficult since a lot of cereals have wheat in them, as do pancakes and waffles, but with a little research, you can find some really great gluten free brands! Personally, I have the gluten free waffles from the brand Vans every morning topped with peanut butter, and honestly, I like them so much better than I ever did regular wheat waffles! Gluten Free Works is also a great website to get started with gluten free recipes and foods. Pinterest is also a wonderful resource to find all of the gluten free recipes you could ever need or want! I would also recommend simply going to the gluten free section of your local grocery store, and start trying out the alternatives they have. Annie’s has some great gluten free products (their mac ‘n cheese is the best!), as does KIND for things like granola and power bars.
Okay, I tried some gluten free food, and I think the cardboard box it came in was better. Is this how all gluten free food tastes?
No! It does take some trial and error to find your favorite gluten free brands (my family can definitely testify to this…we have tried some horrible gluten free brands in the past), but eventually you find some really great food! After a couple of months you will easily fall into a gluten free routine and find which foods work and which ones don’t. Some of my favorite gluten free brands that haven’t let me down yet are Annie’s, Bob’s Red Mill, Vans, and KIND. They have really wonderful substitutes (Bob’s Red Mill has great gluten free flour, and gluten free mixes), and recently Krusteaz has come out with a really great pancake mix; it is amazing and smells like vanilla cake!
What do I do when I go out to eat?
This can be really difficult at first, because gluten can be hidden in the craziest of places! Be weary of soy sauce, because it contains flour, and make sure to ask if they have a gluten free version! To be safe at first, always ask the waiter or waitress if the dish you would like to eat contains gluten. That way, you can be 100% sure that what you are about to eat won’t put you in the bathroom all night throwing up! Personally, I always go for rice dishes, salads, or roasted veggies! Restaurants often have gluten free menus, so make sure to ask! You can usually request that your dish be made with gluten free pasta instead, and you can’t even tell the difference. Season salt also usually contains wheat, so if you have a really bad allergy and order fries, make sure you let the waiter know to tell the chef to not put seasoning salt on them.
What about when I go over to a friend’s house?
This can be a little tricky, because you don’t want to seem rude and refuse to eat anything they cook you, but you also don’t want to end up with an allergic reaction. The safest way to avoid an awkward situation is to simply tell them ahead of time that you have a gluten allergy, and won’t be able to eat anything like pasta or bread. People are usually totally fine with the heads up, and really appreciate it so they know what to cook! I sometimes offer to bring my own food to fix if a lot of people will be there, or if it’s an event where you can bring a dish, make sure it’s gluten free, and something that you wouldn’t mind making a whole meal out of!
My tips
-When it gets really hard and all you want to do is go to the first grocery store you find and eat a giant loaf of bread, just remember what happens when you eat gluten! Also try and remember that what you’re doing is so good for your body, and it will pay off to not make yourself sick for the small satisfaction of eating gluten.
-Think ahead and always have gluten free snacks available. You don’t want to be stuck anywhere starving, with the only option being your long lost favorite lemon pound cake from Starbucks.
-Try out as many gluten free recipes as possible, and make a go-to list! That way when you have no idea what to eat, you have a whole pile waiting in the wings.
-Try and start with naturally gluten free foods. Foods like fresh veggies and fruit will be your best friends at first, because you know for a fact they are gluten free!
-Get in the habit of always reading the ingredient lists on food! There can be hidden wheat in the smallest of places, so just to be safe, always always always read the ingredients.
-If you are at a restaurant and you aren’t sure whether or not a food is gluten free, just ask. It can be tedious at times, but it will be worth it in the long run.
-Try and find other glutards (people who are allergic to gluten), and compare recipes/strategies/motivations/anything else that is helpful, because you will learn a lot from them!
That’s all I have for now, and this will get you off to a good start! Just make sure to do as much research as possible so you can find the right resources for yourself. Don’t be afraid of the phrase gluten free – it is something that can be well adjusted to with a little bit of time, and I promise it will get a lot easier! If you put in a lot of work in the beginning, it will really pay off in the long run. Good luck, fellow glutards! 🙂
When I was younger, I actually really hated oatmeal cookies. It hasn’t been until the past couple of months that I have really been able to appreciate oatmeal and food that contains oats. Being at college ,though, I have realized that oats are so good for you and easily fill you up! They make for a great snack because a little bit fills you up for a long time. That’s why today I’m going to be talking about these Banana Oat “Cookies”!
Also just a quick announcement – I recently got a separate Twitter and Instagram for my blog! I would love for you guys to follow me on there so you can stay extra up to date on my posts, and I love interacting with fellow bloggers and beauty/fashion/whatever-else-my-blog-is-about lovers! 🙂
I originally found this recipe on Pinterest from The Burlap Bag and decided to add a little bit to the original recipe since I love vanilla…
Recipe
-2 large bananas (preferably old)
-1 cup of oats (I used quick oats)
(optional, but they give these cookies a little bit something extra)
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-Handful of chocolate chips (you could also use something else, like nuts)
Put the oats into a large mixing bowl.
Break up the bananas into large chunks and put them in the bowl. This makes the next step a little bit easier!
Using a fork, mash the bananas up and mix them with the oats. Make sure all of the bananas and oats are incorporated! This may take longer than you think.
Mix in a handful of chocolate chips (or anything else you would like), making sure they are evenly dispersed throughout the mixture.
Place the cookies on a greased cookie sheet about an inch or so apart. They don’t expand, so you don’t have to worry about having them super far apart!
Mmmmm look at that cookie. Bake them for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven!
The finished cookies! I just kept them in an airtight container, and they stayed nice and fresh! I wouldn’t keep them in there for over a week, but don’t worry, they probably won’t even last that long! I had mine finished within about three days haha. They were such a nice little treat when I needed a small snack! And you don’t have to feel guilty about eating them – they are just made up of bananas and oats! Yes, there are chocolate chips in there as well, but a little bit of chocolate is just fine for you 😉
So this is totally optional, but you can “frost” these cookies with peanut butter before eating them! I did this because I am addicted to peanut butter, and ohmygosh did it taste amazing!!
What are your favorite kind of healthy cookies?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
It’s time for another addition to my healthy snacks series! Today I’m going to be sharing with you guys one of my obsessions – greek yogurt parfaits!
I absolutely love eating this whenever I need an afternoon pick-me-up, or honestly anytime I’m hungry…it’s just so yummy!!
Start off by putting about 3 or 4 spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt into the bottom of your bowl. You can put as much or as little as you would like!
Drizzle some honey over the yogurt, and mix it together until it’s smooth.
With whatever berries you would like (I always use blueberries and strawberries, but you can use as many or as little kinds of berries you please), wash them and layer them over the yogurt!
If you use strawberries like I did, I would suggest slicing them up into smaller pieces!
Layer some more yogurt over the berries, and repeat the process of drizzling and mixing the honey in!
Put some more berries on top, and then sprinkle on some granola! I personally love the granola from Kind because it is not only good for you (and gluten free!), but it tastes amazing!
JUST LOOK HOW PRETTY. Looking at these pictures makes me want to eat some now…even though I had some already today…
Alright, there you have it – greek yogurt parfait! This is my personal take on this pretty common recipe, but there’s so many more combinations you can do! I’ve found a lot of different recipes that I want to try out, so stay tuned for them!
What do you like to eat greek yogurt with?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
I’m back again today with my Healthy Snack series!
I don’t know about you guys, but chocolate pudding is definitely one of my weaknesses! Ever since I was little I have loved those little pudding cups that my mom would put in my lunch, but being gluten free these past couple of years, I’ve had to avoid pudding! There isn’t any wheat on the ingredients list of most puddings, but some people who are allergic to gluten – like myself – have said that it sometimes causes a reaction when they eat it. So, in order to avoid all of that, I just haven’t really eaten pudding!
However, since starting this healthy snacks series, I actually found a chocolate pudding recipe that uses avocados as the base! I was kind of skeptical at first because I really don’t like avocados, but the end result was super yummy!
All of the ingredients you will need, minus the milk because I forgot to put it in this picture…
Recipe
2 ripe avocados
1/3 cup cocoa powder (I ended up putting in about a tablespoon extra at the end)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup milk (almond or soy works too!)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
The whole process is super easy – just peal the avocados and cut them into chunks, put them in the blender, add everything else, and blend! As you can see, I used my magic bullet for this, and everything barely fit! I don’t really have the luxury of having a full sized blender at college, though, so I use my magic bullet a lot!
Funny story – I could not get the cup open after I blended it! I needed to simply open it real quick in order to stir the last bits of avocado around, but the lid would not budge. I had to go and get one of the guys on my floor to open it for me! Apparently magic bullets double as vacuums now.
The end result! When I first tried the pudding, it had a very different flavor, but I got used to it after the third or fourth bite! I absolutely hate avocados, so I was extremely weary of trying this, but oh my gosh it is super yummy! It doesn’t taste exactly like classic chocolate pudding, but it is still just as great. I was super satisfied with the results, and I could have a quick little dessert each night this week without feeling guilty!
Well that is it for this recipe – you guys should really try this one out if you love chocolate! Also, I’m going to try and do a more “savory” snack for the next one since the first two in the series have been sweet.
What are your guilty pleasures when it comes to dessert?
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day! 🙂
The title of this post is about as much of a mouthful as these amazing mini-sandwiches, and trust me, they are a very yummy mouthful. If you love bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate, this snack is for you!
Lately I’ve been really hungry because I’ve been working out a lot, and I have a lot of walking to do for my classes, but I haven’t been wanting to eat unhealthy snacks like chips or anything really sugary. So, I took to Pinterest to find some healthy ideas and wasn’t disappointed! I found a lot, so I decided I’m going to do a “Healthy Snacks” series, and post all of the recipes I try! They will all be gluten free and vegetarian since I’m allergic to wheat, and don’t eat meat (ha ha ha…insert cringe-y face), so anyone can eat them! I’m super excited for this because it means I get to eat a bunch of yummy healthy snacks! Without further ado, here are the Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Mini-Sandwiches!
Ok these little globs are a little piece of heaven! Each bite is filled with the perfect amount of bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate!
The whole process is really simple: start by cutting a couple of bananas into little chucks about 1/4 of an inch thick. Match up the slices for the mini-sandwiches to make sure there is an even amount.
Look at that peanut butter.
Spread some peanut butter on one little slice, probably about half of a tablespoon.
Put the other slice on top, making a little sandwich.
Once you have made all of the sandwiches, put them on a plate and place them in the freezer for about an hour. (Don’t you just love dorm freezers…)
Melt some chocolate in the microwave, or the stove top – just make sure the chocolate doesn’t get burned! Then dip half of each sandwich into the chocolate. I didn’t take any pictures of this part because it was extremely messy haha. Once all of the sandwiches are dipped, put them back in the freezer for another hour. After they’ve all set, they are ready to eat! I didn’t eat all of them at once of course, so I kept them in a tupperware container in the freezer. I finished them in a couple of days, and they kept just fine!
Alright, so that’s it for the first healthy snack in the series! I have a lot planned, so expect many more in the coming weeks!
What healthy snacks do you like to eat?
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day! 🙂