Friday Favorites: Favorite Gluten Free Products

Well, 2 weeks ago I did a Friday Favorites post on my FAVORITE lactose free products. And seeing as I can’t have lactose or gluten, I knew it was only right to do one for gluten free products.

Gluten free products are becoming SO POPULAR now days. I mean there’s a gluten free section in just about every grocery store that you go into. I guarantee you that I have tried every brand of every product. I’ve been on the hunt for gluten free products for about 4 years now (back when it wasn’t as popular). But the ones I have listed below are my FAVORITES. Trust me, you’ll want to listen. Don’t waste your time and money like I have 😉

*Now all of these items are when i’m not doing my sugar detox just FYI*

Tips for gluten free eating:

1. Read labels because gluten is in the most random of things…think: soy sauce, spices, “cream of” soups. (More to come on that.)
2. No flour or wheat. However, rice flour and corn flour are okay. This can get tricky.
3. No fried foods as it’s usually fried in flour.
4. Don’t eat gluten free unless you have to and want to give up gluten for good!! There’s no going back and forth…I learned the hard way.
5. You’ll hear me say it 3095325 times, always go popular name brands. They’re usually the best.

Bread

Bread was BY FAR the hardest thing when it came to gluten free eating. Gluten is the protein found in flour and wheat, so it basically the elastic that holds it together. Without gluten you have bread that falls apart. I cannot tell you how many times I have made some bread and it’s fallen apart in my hands or it’s been too dry to even eat. This loaf of bread below will change your life.

This bread is everything. I get the whole grain, but they are both delicious.

A turkey melt, a grilled cheese, with peanut butter and banana, or with egg and avocado in the morning…it doesn’t matter. You will love this bread and I would place my life on that one 😉

Cornbread

Truly I haven’t found a cornbread mix that I haven’t liked, but right now we only get Aldi’s (you’ll see this as a running theme during this post).

And we eat it like it’s dessert. Seriously, I have to hide it or i’ll eat half in one sitting.

This is my second option (and Glutino is good too).

Pasta

I haven’t purchased any boxed pasta that is bad, so really I would just say to go with your favorite pasta brand. We get this one and Barilla a lot. Luckily, most brands are making their own gluten free!

I honestly don’t buy boxed pasta, I usually just eat whatever we are having minus the pasta. When I want the feel of pasta I usually get these tofu noodles, spaghetti squash, or some zucchini and make zoodles.

Crusts/Baking

There are a lot of restaurants that are now making gluten free pizza crusts. My three FAVORITES are from:

Happy Joes
Papa Murphy’s
Pie Five

If I ever want to make some of my own gluten free crust, Pillsbury’s thin crust is so delicious. And crispy. And when I want pizza crust, I don’t want it soft!

Another frozen crust I like to keep in my freezer if i’m wanting pizza is from unrefined bakery. It’s super simple, too!

They also make muffins (that my mom got me for my birthday a couple years ago) and I really liked it.

Betty Crocker makes some amazing mixes. And Pillsbury, too. Stay with those name brands people (i’ll keep repeating that!).

Snacks

Now I don’t buy packaged goods, but on occasion I do and when I do…these are the ones I get.

Larabars are awesome. They’re made from natural ingredients and are therefore very healthy for you. This is one packaged good that I always have on hand.

Nuts, raisins, trailmix, etc. is all naturally gluten free. This is why I don’t understand why people always ask me what I can eat. There’s so many foods that are naturally gluten free that I can always find something. It’s just usually not the processed and fried foods most are used to.

Walmart’s brand is our FAVORITE pretzels. My mom eats these over regular pretzels just because she liked them better. They’re so much more crunchy!! (YAY G-FREE). We’re also a fan of Aldi’s brand and Glutino.

These are without a doubt the best gluten free crackers. There are so many kinds that you can purchase, but honestly just stick with these!

And as a kid I would put away peanut butter crackers like no other. Well, when I found out the company who makes them finally came out with a gluten free brand I was all about it.

They’re crunchy too. One thing i’ve really noticed with gluten free products that are packaged is that they’re way more crunchy than normal products. I don’t even remember what normal tastes like anymore.

Breakfast

I mean…eggo makes waffles. Don’t try anything else, just get these!

Rice and corn are your best friends, gluten-freers. And now Chex (and Cheerios) are gluten free! Woohoo!

Many mornings I love an english muffin. And when I do, it’s got to be Glutino’s. And burnt…because who eats their bread and english muffins not burned??? #gimmeallthecrunch

Randoms…

I use oats in many of my recipes and I always go with Bob’s.

I’m not a big alcohol drinker, so this one isn’t a big deal for me. If you’re gluten intolerant and you like beer, this is the best brand that I have had so far.

You can find cookies in any gluten free section grocery stores. Kylie sent me these cookies and they were super crunchy and chocolatey…what more could you want? 😉

Before I started making my own chicken tenders I found out that Tyson started on gluten free too. If I could have one meal for the rest of my life it would be chicken tenders and sweet potato fries. SO THIS IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE.

Watch out for…

Cream of Mushroom has gluten in it. Why? I do not know. I haven’t been able to try this because I can’t have the cream, but it’s the only one on the market, so I would suggest it to  those who can have the cream.

Seasonings! What?! Yes, make sure these read gluten free too!

If you didn’t already gather, my favorite brand right now is Aldi’s. Mainly because it’s cheap but they’ve also got good product. If you have to eat gluten free you know that it is expensive. Any money you can save is such a help.

If you’re new to gluten free…go straight to the gluten free aisle while you’re still learning to read labels. And then, if you need any help, be sure to ask me! I’ve become an expert by now 😉

OKAY FELLOW G-FREERS….how’d I do. You agree or disagree with my finds?!

#FoodieToosdy Week 8

Ree Drummond’s Ranch Chicken Sandwich

What you need:

4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard (or country/grainy mustard)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
Crushed red pepper, for sprinkling, optional
1 pound thick-cut bacon, sliced in half
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
8 soft whole grain buns

How to:

With a very sharp knife, cut the chicken breasts in half down the middle. This will result in 8 chicken breast pieces that are thinner and uniform in size.

Next, make the marinade. In a large bowl mix together the honey, mustard, paprika, salt, pepper to taste, lemon juice and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Stir to combine.

Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge, 2 to 4 hours.

While the chicken marinates, fry up the bacon until chewy. When finished cooking, reserve 1/4 cup of the bacon grease and pour off the rest of the grease (but do not clean the skillet).

When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the marinade and cook it in the skillet over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Brush a little reserved bacon grease on the chicken as you cook it. (Or you can grill the chicken breasts on an indoor or outdoor grill.)

When a couple of minutes grilling time are left, lay 2 pieces of bacon onto each chicken breast. Top with some Cheddar and allow it to melt on the grill (if you need to remove the chicken you can finish melting the cheese under the broiler).

Halve the rolls and immediately load with the bacon-and-cheese covered chicken.

This is what mine looked like:

Sandra Lee’s Zucchini al Formaggio

Now I definitely thought this was Giada’s recipe, but when I went back to find it I couldn’t, so who knows I may be delusional. Anyways, I found Sandra Lee’s that just might be as good!

What you need:

4 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (recommended: McCormick)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (recommended: DiGiorno), plus shaved Parmesan, for garnish
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to:

Heat a large saute pan with olive oil over high heat. Add zucchini slices and saute for 5 minutes until slightly brown and tender. Add remaining ingredients, except shaved Parmesan, and toss to combine.

Remove to serving bowl with slotted spoon. Top with shaved Parmesan and serve hot.

Here’s how mine looked:

See they are a little different, but I liked it so much I just had to find you a recipe!

Aldi’s Mini Southwest Stratas

What you need:

• Carlini Canola Cooking Spray
• 1 tablespoon Carlini Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup diced yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1 cup Season’s Choice Super Sweet Corn, thawed
• 1 cup Dakota’s Pride Black Beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ teaspoon Stonemill EssentialsGround Cumin
• ½ teaspoon Stonemill EssentialsGround Paprika
• 2 ½ teaspoons Stonemill EssentialsIodized Salt, divided
• 2 ½ teaspoons Stonemill EssentialsGround Black Pepper, divided
• 6 Goldhen Large Eggs
• 1 ½ cups Friendly Farms Half & Half
• 10 ounces L’oven Fresh Mini Butter Croissants, cut into ¼-inch cubes
• 1 cup Happy Farms Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Tuscan Garden Real Bacon Bits (optional)

Make it the night before, freeze it and microwave them at your leisure.

How to:

Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the bell pepper, onion and corn for 5 minutes. Add the black beans, cumin, paprika, 1 ½ teaspoons salt and 1 ½ teaspoons pepper. Stir until well combined.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half, remaining salt and remaining pepper.
Add the croissants, vegetable mix, cheese and bacon bits. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.
TIP: Freeze the muffins for future breakfasts. Thaw overnight, then pop in the microwave to reheat.

This is what mine looked like:

 

 

Every single one of these recipes was DELICIOUS! Mmmmmm, happy eating!