GLUTEN free

I have been gluten free for over six years. While it can be difficult at first, it does get easier. My advice to you (at least for the GF part because I am not lactose intolerant) is to not spend too much time trying to replace gluten laden foods with GF substitutes. They are rarely worth the money. Instead, look for things that you already eat that are naturally gluten free. I eat a lot of rice, risotto, quinoa, cornmeal and potatoes along with meats and vegetables. I rarely eat out any more because that can be difficult. There is gluten in a lot of sauces and other thickeners that you may not know about. I prefer to cook my own meals.

I buy gluten free soy sauce and cook a lot of Thai and other Asian inspired dishes. All of the Thai Kitchen brand products are gluten free. I also do a lot of Mexican using cornmeal or corn tortillas. I have various types of GF flours that I use for different recipes. I usually buy them on line because they are more affordable. I also eat a lot of eggs and egg-based dishes. When baking with gluten free flour, adding an extra egg can help keep things moist and keep them from becoming too crumbly.

Gluten free substitutes that I do keep on hand: GF Bisquick (makes really good pancakes), Van's GF frozen waffles, Glutinos pretzels and Blue Diamond almond rice crackers (which I also put in the blender to use as a substitute for bread crumbs). I rarely eat GF pasta because it does not reheat well, but my husband loves pasta so I do keep a box of Ancient Harvest quinoa pasta on hand for the occasional pasta dinner. I also keep a loaf of GF bread in the freezer, but it usually lasts me several months because I haven't found one that is really good.

Feel free to look at my diary for ideas, but be advised, sometimes I select options for products that are not GF because I can't find the actual GF product I am looking for in the data base. Most of what I have in there is accurate though.

Best of luck to you!