Breakfast
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When there is nothing else to eat or you are in a hurry, there is always cereal, right? Well in the case of a Celiac, wrong! Good gluten-free cereal choices are limited. They tend to be very crunchy and not very flavorful and if you find one that does taste good, it is probably loaded with sugar. In the opinion of my daughter, there is no such things as a good gluten-free cereal. This opinion limits our breakfast choices quite a bit. Our entire family has to be out the door by seven o'clock in the morning so that leaves out the option of a leisurely family breakfast of pancakes with fresh fruit and a side of turkey sausage. If your family is anything like mine, you need a quick, healthy meal that will get everyone's brains in gear for the day ahead. So here are a few ideas you might try.
Muffins:
My daughter's all-time favorite breakfast is muffins. So I use Bette Hagman's triple-duty muffin mix and make up a batch on the weekends. Then I store them in the freezer and warm one or two up for breakfast. You can put almost anything that you want into these muffins. For breakfast I prefer fruit muffins but if you are wanting something sweet, or a coffee break snack you can also make them with chocolate chips-yum!
For a healthier alternative, I sometimes make pumpkin muffins or zucchini bread muffins. I find that the more fruits or vegetables that you use to take the place of GF flour, the better tasting and moister the product will be. My favorite recipe for pumpkin muffins comes from Rebecca Reilly's Gluten-Free Baking book.
Cereals:
I have tried to buy Oatmeal that is processed in a dedicated Mill but at the cost of over $5 for a 10 oz. box, I find that it does not fit into my budget very well. So instead, we use Erewhon's Brown Rice Cream. I am not saying it is cheap, but I can get it at Whole Foods so at least I don't have to pay for shipping. I like to stir in dried apples and cinnamon and then sprinkle a little brown sugar or honey on it. You can make a big batch at the beginning of the week and then warm it up again later.
As for dried cereals, I have kind of given up on those unless I want something sweet. If that is the case, I really like the Panda Puffs and Gorilla munch. However, there is a light on the horizon when it comes to GF cereals that you can buy in the grocery store. Chex cereals are now advertising that some of their cereals are GF!
They are also produced in a gluten-free facility so there is not a chance of cross contamination. I have always liked Chex cereal so I am thrilled about that.
Make ahead meals:
If you have the time for it, it is nice to start the day with a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs with a piece of GF toast. Plenty of protein and it will really fill you up (and out). But if you don't have time for that, and you don't want to go to work reeking of bacon, you can make some breakfast burritoes. Just scramble up some eggs with whatever you like in your omelet. I like green pepper, onion and tomatoes in mine but just keep in mind that the tomatoes may cause sogginess. I also like to mix in a little turkey sausage. Then you can take a GF burrito wrap, sprinkle some cheese on it if desired, put your egg mixture on that and wrap it like a burrito. Those can go in the refrigerator or the freezer and then warm them up in the microwave when you are ready to eat them. You can also cook the eggs the night before and then assemble the parts in the morning for a fresher burrito.
I also like to make up a batch of GF pancake batter the night before and then I just have to pour them onto the griddle in the morning.
Breakfast Drinks:
A breakfast smoothie with GF yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit and some GF protein or Soy powder.
Carnation Instant Breakfast (vanilla, chocolate or strawberry powder NOT ready-to-drink)
Pancakes, Waffles, Breakfast Breads:
My favorite kind of pancake mix is made by Authentic Foods. It is made with bean flour so I feel good about getting some extra protein into my family's diet. But if you would like to save some money, there are some good recipes for making up your own mix. Again, I like to use one from Bette Hagman.
But if you are in a hurry and don't have the time to make pancakes or waffles, you can always pop some frozen waffles or pancakes into your toaster and have a quick breakfast that is almost as good. Vann's makes a few varieties of GF waffles that are available at most health food stores, and Trader Joe's has frozen GF waffles and pancakes that are quite good.
Whole Foods now has their own Gluten-Free bakery in which they are able to make a variety of tasty Gluten-free baked goods. I try to make my own baked goods as much as possible to reduce costs but when I just don't have the time, it is good to have a quick and tasty alternative. They carry muffins, bagels, donuts and sometimes coffee cakes in their frozen foods section.
Trader Joe's also carries english muffins in their bread section. These are good when toasted but you need to store them in your freezer so that they don't get moldy.
Muffins:
My daughter's all-time favorite breakfast is muffins. So I use Bette Hagman's triple-duty muffin mix and make up a batch on the weekends. Then I store them in the freezer and warm one or two up for breakfast. You can put almost anything that you want into these muffins. For breakfast I prefer fruit muffins but if you are wanting something sweet, or a coffee break snack you can also make them with chocolate chips-yum!
For a healthier alternative, I sometimes make pumpkin muffins or zucchini bread muffins. I find that the more fruits or vegetables that you use to take the place of GF flour, the better tasting and moister the product will be. My favorite recipe for pumpkin muffins comes from Rebecca Reilly's Gluten-Free Baking book.
Cereals:
I have tried to buy Oatmeal that is processed in a dedicated Mill but at the cost of over $5 for a 10 oz. box, I find that it does not fit into my budget very well. So instead, we use Erewhon's Brown Rice Cream. I am not saying it is cheap, but I can get it at Whole Foods so at least I don't have to pay for shipping. I like to stir in dried apples and cinnamon and then sprinkle a little brown sugar or honey on it. You can make a big batch at the beginning of the week and then warm it up again later.
As for dried cereals, I have kind of given up on those unless I want something sweet. If that is the case, I really like the Panda Puffs and Gorilla munch. However, there is a light on the horizon when it comes to GF cereals that you can buy in the grocery store. Chex cereals are now advertising that some of their cereals are GF!
They are also produced in a gluten-free facility so there is not a chance of cross contamination. I have always liked Chex cereal so I am thrilled about that.
Make ahead meals:
If you have the time for it, it is nice to start the day with a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs with a piece of GF toast. Plenty of protein and it will really fill you up (and out). But if you don't have time for that, and you don't want to go to work reeking of bacon, you can make some breakfast burritoes. Just scramble up some eggs with whatever you like in your omelet. I like green pepper, onion and tomatoes in mine but just keep in mind that the tomatoes may cause sogginess. I also like to mix in a little turkey sausage. Then you can take a GF burrito wrap, sprinkle some cheese on it if desired, put your egg mixture on that and wrap it like a burrito. Those can go in the refrigerator or the freezer and then warm them up in the microwave when you are ready to eat them. You can also cook the eggs the night before and then assemble the parts in the morning for a fresher burrito.
I also like to make up a batch of GF pancake batter the night before and then I just have to pour them onto the griddle in the morning.
Breakfast Drinks:
A breakfast smoothie with GF yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit and some GF protein or Soy powder.
Carnation Instant Breakfast (vanilla, chocolate or strawberry powder NOT ready-to-drink)
Pancakes, Waffles, Breakfast Breads:
My favorite kind of pancake mix is made by Authentic Foods. It is made with bean flour so I feel good about getting some extra protein into my family's diet. But if you would like to save some money, there are some good recipes for making up your own mix. Again, I like to use one from Bette Hagman.
But if you are in a hurry and don't have the time to make pancakes or waffles, you can always pop some frozen waffles or pancakes into your toaster and have a quick breakfast that is almost as good. Vann's makes a few varieties of GF waffles that are available at most health food stores, and Trader Joe's has frozen GF waffles and pancakes that are quite good.
Whole Foods now has their own Gluten-Free bakery in which they are able to make a variety of tasty Gluten-free baked goods. I try to make my own baked goods as much as possible to reduce costs but when I just don't have the time, it is good to have a quick and tasty alternative. They carry muffins, bagels, donuts and sometimes coffee cakes in their frozen foods section.
Trader Joe's also carries english muffins in their bread section. These are good when toasted but you need to store them in your freezer so that they don't get moldy.