Gluten-Free

Well, it's been a while! Although not as long as I had thought. I forgot I wrote about the 4th of July. Yay! So, here is it is. The reason I have not written. Well, I have been deep into Gluten-Free research. YEP! I am trying us out on a Gluten-Free diet. There is Gluten sensitivity in my family and Mark is experiencing some joint discomfort so I began to research natural remedies both for the joints and for my digestive issues. After a week of researching every free moment I had, everything linked back to Gluten. So, that is where I started. The girls do eat some Gluten foods, but I will slowly move them away from it too. Mark and I have just completely removed it from our diet so the girls eat Gluten-Free meals, but their snacks still have some.

Here are some things I have learned so far from being Gluten-Free:

1. It is not as hard to find Gluten-Free foods these days

2. Just because a box is labeled "Gluten-Free" doesn't mean it is actually Gluten-Free.

3. Reading labels is crucial!

4. Baking is very challenging

5. There are a lot of flours needed to make one baked good

6. I thought organic was expensive

7. Gluten-Free is WAY more expensive than organic

8. I learned the phrase "xantham gum"

9. Modified Food Starch = GLUTEN

10. When in doubt, leave it out

11. Pancakes are still tasty, even Gluten-Free

12. Thank goodness for McCormick spices!

13. Pizza crust is a pain to make

14. I will try pizza crust again and experiment

15. Really dislike seeing the term "spices" in the ingredient listing. Please list them out!

16. All "comfort foods" can be interpreted in a Gluten-Free form

17. Gluten-Free Chicken Parm was my first homemade GF meal

18. Real eggs make things rise better than egg substitutes

19. All condiments I used to use are no longer in my recipes

20. I secretly love the challenge

21. I need to make a dessert soon

22. I have a lot of friends who are Gluten-Free!

There will be more learns down the road and when I find a really great recipe or create something I think should be out there, I will post it! If you have any ideas, recipes or suggestions, please feel free to post too. This is an exciting ride!