hello! im not really a cook, and now that i found out im a celiac im a bit worried!
am i going to start having to make a lot of things from scratch? and is food shopping going to cost a fortune now?
it all seems a little over whelming.
the only whole food store my husband i found (havent gone in yet) is pretty far, and i heard it costs a lot.
do i need a bread maker? and i heard its not a good idea to share the famliy toaster
help!

You can find a lot of mixes but from scratch is good, too. It gets easier the more you do it! Yes, you need to have two different toasters and make sure the wheat bread and the gluten-free bread are seperate.


Good luck!

missmommy.....

When I was diagnosed I couldn't cook worth a...well you know!

But through this site I have found a TON of great recipes....and now I cook!LOL And I enjoy it to boot!

This disease forced me to eat healthier and I haven't spent much more than I used to at the grocery store. I can find some basic things in my town but I do alot of shopping in a town about an hour away. I make a trip once a week or once every other.

You'll definetly want a new toaster. I have went totally gluten-free in my house, it's just me and my son..but that doesn't work for everyone....a piece of advice I got was to prepare gluten-free foods first and then do the nonGF after...less risk of Cross Contamination.

Just look under the recipes section...I printed off over 100 recipes and made a gluten-free cookbook(PS thanks everyone!)

Another great idea is to cook more than you would eat then and freeze the rest for quick take to work lunch ect! That has saved me a ton of time and less snacking!

Good luck to you!

Also...I haven't gotten a bread maker yet....waiting awhile until I do that. alot of the bread machine recipes I've seen have alot of calories and I'm trying to eat healthier.

I eat Chebe mixes as my bread sub..and alot of rice!

Hi there,
I'm pretty new to this too, so the toaster question is a great one!

I've not tried to make anything from scratch yet. I have found a substitue gluten-free bread from the grocery store natural food freezer section. Maybe you will have that as an option? The brand that is decent imo is Kinnicinnic foods. It is alot more expensive than regular bread, but I've found that I just don't eat it the way I ate my favorite brownberry bread! I think you will find as you adapt your diet that you will eat more healthy whole food options such as fruit, veggies, proteins, rice, etc. Food shopping is more expensive for me when I want to find substitute foods that are gluten-free instead of just eating foods as they have been grown. Ex., gluten-free choc chip cookie mix, versus having a piece of fruit. (Arrowhead mills btw is my fav!) So, I guess I have tried to have a new outlook on how I eat and find my treats for the times that I really need them! Best wishes and welcome to the boards.
Terri

When I was diagnosed in 2005 I went out and bought every gluten free thing I could find. So far the most important purchases have been corn starch, potato starch rice flour and xanthum gum. I have a kitchen aid mixer, pre diagnosis, that works great on mixing everything. Because there is no gluten the length of mixing time doesn't make as big a difference as in wheat bread and cakes. Most of the time everything we eat is gluten free, my son, the biggest critic loves the cinnamon rolls, cornbread and chocolate cake. For the most part we stick with meat and veggies.. Good luck, it doesn't take too much skill mostly time.

I went gluten-free about 2 months ago and have found some great cookbooks. I too have a kitchenaid mixer- to me way more important than the bread maker. #1 if too easy I am liable to eat it all time and get fat and I find that the oven bread from most opinions is a little better, but homemade bread is always better than machine IMHO.

Good luck,,, lots and lots of good advise on this site.

Hi missmommy,

Welcome to our mixed up some times messed up life. I really will get easier as you go. I have been gluten free for about 9 years now I guess. We do a lot of cooking from scratch, but like others have said we do a lot of rice, potato's, meat, and pasta. I dont eat as much bread as I use to but when I do I eat Tapioca bread if I am to lazy to make any. My self I have never been able to get a loaf of bread to turn out in my bread machine. But I cook it all the time in the oven, my personal favorite is Gluten-Free pantry brand. You can make it in the bread machine or in the oven. I seems to turn out best for me. I have also tried Bob's Red mill, but like I said I like the Gluten-Free pantry best.

If you are into brownies there is also a real good brownie mix by Numesta. ( Think I spelled it wrong , dont have one here to reference ) But some on will correct me , For a bar-b-que sauce I like to make my own. Ketchup, mustard, brown sugar.

You will get lots of help here. Good luck and welcome to our big family.

Grump

Most people don't know this - but you can just use rice flour (scooped low) and about 3/4 tsp xanthan gum to every 1 cup rice flour as a substitute for most recipes. My mom always used the same recipes for me growing up as she did for the rest of the family - just using that substitution. Just find the finest rice flour you can (oriental markets sell it). I had "normal" chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cupcakes, muffins, etc. It doesn't have to be so hard. You don't need to get a bazillion different types of flours and starches! I'm creating a book to explain this concept - going gluten-free doesn't have to be difficult and strange! I'd love to share all the recipes I grew up eating... just let me know if you want them!

I've been doing this only 6 mos....but learned that A LOT can be made with rice flour...and xanthum gum! The only prepackaged foods I indulge in that are gluten free are waffles. I do bake my own bread - i use the Lorka150 recipe. AND IT's EASY....mix it, pour it, let it rise, bake it. NOTHING like baking a glutened bread at all.

We make pancakes with rice flour.

I do use a blend of flours for baking cookies and cakes. BUt see, even there - there's a Gluten Free Cake recipe that is OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD. i even made it sugar free last week for my diabetic dad. NO ONE knew the difference. And it was just rice flour, corn starch and a little xanthum gum.

It does not have to be awful.

There's a lot of great recipes on this site.

ALSO, there are A LOT of foods that are naturally gluten free. ALL FRUITS and VEGETABLES! Meats, fish and poutry, as long as theya re not marinated in something or soaked in a broth (just read the labels...sometimes even if they are coated in something - if it has no "bad" stuff in it is fine to eat.

YOU CAN DO IT.

I love Shauna James' attitude (Gluten Free Girl - she has a blog...I think that's what it's called). It's YES, not a NO. Because there are more YES' than NO's in this diet. All in how you look at it.

i want to thank all of you! all your replys really made me feel so much better!! i will write later to all my new friends.
but my house is crazy right now, my hubby is home for the week (strange since he is navy) because of surgery and my youngest has the tummy bug.
but when all is well and i hve time i will be printing out all the advice and a bunch of recipes