Since going gluten free last week, I’ve discovered it isn’t half bad or as hard as I had expected. There are certainly foods I miss but I have picked up so many better eating habits and discovered I don’t need pasta or pizza to satisfy my hunger cravings. I’m still eating rice, my new favorite snack, Lara bars, are gluten free, I’m finding new delicious ways to make vegetables and I’m rediscovering my love for fresh fruit.
If you are looking for a way to get in better shape or start to feel better and stronger, you might seriously consider going gluten free. Supermarkets mark what products are gluten free, and if you know to look for foods that don’t have any sort of wheat in the ingredients list, you are usually in the clear. Rice can be made into some really delicious combinations of things like risotto, fried rice, and the lists are endless.
If you are seriously considering it, I’ve discovered some really easy and favorite recipes to make for meals after a long day of classes and homework or to have on hand for a snack.
1) Honey, toasted almonds: these are super easy! Heat up a pan and pour as many almonds as you want into the pan. Move them around until they get a light brown color and are crunchy then add some honey. Mix them around and then once they are cool throw them into to-go containers and you have a healthy snack for days.
2) Rice with meat sauce: I used to love making pasta with ragu, but last night I substituted rice for pasta and it was really good. To make the meat sauce use any ground beef, move it around until its totally browned, get rid of the excess fat, I find using a paper towel is pretty efficient, and then add whatever sauce you want and let it simmer over a medium flame for about 15 minutes and add flavor!
3) Baked Meatballs: these are wicked easy! You season the meat with salt or whatever flavors you want, form them, cook them at 350 on a deep baking sheet for about 30 minutes, the temperature should be around 160 degrees and then you can mix them with anything! I made them and had them with rice and asparagus and it was beyond satisfying!
These have to be my favorite things I’ve cooked since going gluten free and they take enough time so that I can get homework done in between! Going gluten free has been a major shift from my old habits but I’m excited to see what other cool meals I can make and what new ingredients I can find at the supermarket. This is not something you should be afraid of doing or nervous to do. There are some great gluten free blogs like http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com and http://www.heythattastesgood.com to support and help you through the journey. I’ve yet to try baking sweets but that will be my next challenge!