Horrible

[Matilda]

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[tarnalberry]

Some of it is different tastes, some of it is learning to cook the food in ways you find edible. (For instance, for the quinoa flakes, cook them until you think they're cooked, and I also don't like them plain - I always make them with soy milk, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon.) (I also don't like rice bread.)

Give yourself some time to find the foods that you like. Some of them take getting used to, some take just finding the good stuff.

[Matilda]

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[pixiegirl]

Well to me the best gluten-free bread in the world is Manna by Anna, its a mix and you can just mix it up and bake it or put it in a bread machine. I've tried at least 15 different gluten-free breads and I felt just like you, they were terrible, I wouldn't even eat them. This is so different, its wonderful and doesn't stick to your teeth like many rice breads do (I'm not even sure it has rice flour in it). You can find it by doing a Google search for it.

Also if you have a Whole Foods market anywhere near you its worth going there. Mine has a whole section in the bakery of gluten-free bakery goods, many of them are excellent, but I will say in my opinion the breads have to be toasted to be really good (Manna by Anna does not). They have a cinnamon swirl gluten-free bread that is great. The store also has an entire gluten-free aisle, with cereals, cookies, chips all sorts of stuff. When I travel I take a bunch of snack bars with me there are a number of kinds that are gluten-free. Then in most airports I can get a fresh fruit salad or green salad and I have tea and a couple of the bars and I'm good till the next meal!

EnviroKids makes cereal and the health bars that are gluten-free and they are good (their bars as low calorie too). Laurabar (spelled wrong) is also gluten-free and they are more cakey like).

Hope this helps, I travel a lot and need easy to carry food.

Susan

[Guest nini]

I remember getting so frustrated when I first started on this diet, at how disgusting so many of the foods were. I was either finding the wrong products or just not experienced with cooking gluten free grains.

Quinoa took me a LONG time to figure out. I still don't like it! Rather than making things totally from scratch, I stick with the mixes that I know to be good. Like 1-2-3 Gluten Free mixes, I get them at my local co op but you can probably fiind them if you google it., Also Kinnikinick is another brand that a lot of people seem to like already prepared. Everything I get is frozen, but it thaws quickly in the microwave.

For pasta's I stick to Tinkyada brand, even my non gluten-free husband eats it and loves it. It's really easy to cook too.

it just takes a little time to figure out which brands and recipes work for you, but don't give up!

[plantime]

Also if you have a Whole Foods market anywhere near you its worth going there. Mine has a whole section in the bakery of gluten-free bakery goods, many of them are excellent, but I will say in my opinion the breads have to be toasted to be really good (Manna by Anna does not). They have a cinnamon swirl gluten-free bread that is great. The store also has an entire gluten-free aisle, with cereals, cookies, chips all sorts of stuff.

I love my whole foods store, but mine does not have a bakery section nor does it have an entire aisle of glutenfree foods. I don't eat any bread at this point, nor cereal. I do have some of the Malt-O-Meal corn bursts left, but I only eat those when I want something sweet. I find it easier, tastier, and healthier to eat the dinner's leftovers for breakfast the next day. I am allergic to rice, and if I remember correctly, Manna From Anna does use rice in her breads, as does Kinnickinik. You will have to experiment with cooking different things, to see how you like it best. Good luck, and keep us posted!

[mytummyhurts]

When I started on this diet and told people I know that I didn't like any of the foods, somebody at work said it takes a few times of eating something new to really start to get used to it. I've found that to be true. I eat Ener-G Tapioca Loaf bread. I wouldn't use it for regular sandwiches like with meat and lettuce. But it's good to toast it and use it for a tuna sandwich. It's also good to toast and put pb & jelly on it.

[Roo]

I have found a great website that lists so many recipes that are good I just keep on printing them out and printing them out! I have even passed out many to my Non-gluten-free friends. You do have to join but they do give you the option of trying it out for one month for $5.00 if you want, which is what I did. I have made Terryoki Chicken, Mongolian beef, shrimp dishes and many more. It is called www.GlutenFreeda.com I highly reccomend it. I just looked through there new and old recipes and so many of them sound good. My month subsciption is about to run out and I am going to renew.

For breakfast we have found a few things that keep my son going. We buy The white bread from The Great Tasting Food Company and bake a loaf and then slice the entire loaf and make french toast. I then wrap each piece individually and he has it for freakfast whenever he wants it. We also make a bunch of Pancakes or waffles (he likes strawberry bannana) from the same company The great tasting food company, but I have also heard great things about Pamelas and again we freeze. He likes Gorilla Munch Cereal, Grits and I make a freeze lot's of different muffins...Blueberry, chocolate chip, Pumpkin choc chip, Lemon Poppy and corn. He also likes not loves Josef's bagels. We just keep on experimenting I never want him to feel like he has any less options than my other Non-gluten-free kids.

For lunch, he has Boars Head sandwiches made on TOASTED Tapioka EnerG bread. I toast it then let it sit for a few minutes before I make the sandwich so it doesn't get all soggy when I wrap it up. Sometimes he has turkey wrapped around avacado, or shrimp and salsa. With whatever I give him sometimes I give him some cut up Mozzerella and tomato. I also make some yummy soups Cream of Asparagus, Cream of Potato, Cream of Broccoli, tomato,does anyone out there have a "Magic Bullet" they really great just like the commercial says . Progresso makes a gluten-free New England Clam Chowder that's really good and sometimes he just gets left over chicken and rice dishes that I have made during the week.

As you can see we have found lots of yummy things, don't give up or get discouraged you just have to keep on looking and trying new things and reading this board.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Roo

[judy05]

Roo,

May I ask where you found the Boar's Head Meats? I've been trying to find them, but get no where. Thanks...Judy

[Matilda]

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[Matilda]

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[flagbabyds]

You usaually find one bread recipe that you really like, and that is really the only thing that you will eat, and I know that applys to me. My mom has been baking me gluten-free bread for 13+ years, and I think that all other breads are horrible, it is just really what you get used to, and then everything else isn't as good.

[tarnalberry]

congrats on the bread recipes!

[Roo]

Judy,

I get my Boars Head meats at the local Keyfood supermarket and some other local Deli's around here, but if you can't find it near you email Boars head, tell them your zip code and ask them who they sell to in your area.

Good luck,

Roo

[Matilda]

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[Guest nini]

you are allowed to vent! Of course it's going to be frustrating, especially with a busy schedule. Do you have a breakroom at work with a microwave? That would help you a lot. I make extra when I cook at home or I will spend a whole day off cooking gluten-free meals and putting them in individual serving plastic containers, freeze them in my drop in freezer and then I can just grab one on my way out the door. There are some companies (Like Amy's) that have some prepared gluten-free frozen meals, but I get tired of them and I like my own cooking better.

I also have found for sandwiches that gluten-free Corn Thins work better for me for sandwiches. As long as you don't have to refrigerate them!

[lbsteenwyk]

Matilda:

As others have said, it takes time to adjust to gluten free foods and baking techniques. I really recommend you try using bean flour instead of rice flour if you don't like the "graininess" of the breads you have tried. I've been using Bette Hagman's Four Flour Bean Mix lately and it really does make delicious yeast and quick breads. I'll post the recipe for the flour mix below, but I recommend you get her book The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread. It has many excellent recipes using both the bean flour and a rice flour mix.

Four Flour Bean Mix

2 cups Garbanzo Fava Flour

1 cup Sorghum Flour

3 cups Cornstarch

3 cups Tapioca Starch

Mix it up and keep it in the fridge. You can substitute it one-one for wheat flour in many recipes. If you also use 1/2 tsp of egg replacer (made by N-ergy foods - not sure I spelled that right) per cup of flour and 1/2 tsp xanthan gum per cup of flour, it helps the texture.

Keep experimenting and you'll come up with recipes that you really like.

[luvs2eat]

Giving up the beautiful yeasty breads that I was so fond of making at home has been the HARDEST for me... so I feel your pain.

I'll have to echo an earlier poster. I'm a huge fan of Manna from Anna bread mix (www.mannafromanna.com). I've tried probably every store bought bread and 5 different bread recipes over the last 3 years and find them all gritty and they don't hold up well at all! Manna from Anna is great... but I still miss my wonderful homemade bread. There really is no substitute.

[Guest Lucy]

I can't wait to try the manna from anna. I hope it works. I've been wondering what I'll do for sack lunch for my son. Thanks.

[Boojca]

First, I must qualify this by saying I do not have Celiac. However, my 3 year old son does and to make sure that his food tastes as "normal" as possible I have tried everything I get for him. I had a horrible first round with a family member making productions about how awful gluten-free food was, and I vowed I would never, ever give her room to make comments like that again. So, I was off on a mission.

Manna From Anna bread is by far the best wheat bread clone I've had. It's light, it's soft, it doesn't crumble, and it tastes like wheat bread. I, however, make the Tapioca Bread that is in Bette Hagman's revised edition of Living Well Without Wheat: The Gluten Free Gourmet. I find it has an amazing taste, etc.... and it's cheaper than buying a mix. I just bake it, let it cool, slice it up and freeze it and take out what I need as I need it. It truly is wonderful...and easy to make. And my new favorites are mixes by Made by Mona (www.madebymona.com) I LOVE all of her breads, and her cake mix is AMAZING. I ordered the mid-range sample pack and will definitely be placing another order soon!

Cereal is trickier. I buy Gorilla Munch (just like Kix), and Health Valley Rice Chex and Corn Chex. And the Amazon Flakes (or something like that) are a good sub for frosted flakes.

I make, if I do say so myself, the most phenominal chocolate cookies from a recipe I got on the Delphi Forums board from Mireille. They are made with a flour mix, chocolate pudding, etc... and WOW. I have to make a double batch bc my husband will eat half of them before I get the packed up and sent to my sons daycare. Sigh.

We use Tinkyada pasta, although if I could afford it I would buy Bionature or Biaglut instead. They are definitely more like "real" pasta, but the Tinkyada is WONDERFUL and actually affordable. I made two huge trays of lasagna with their lasagna noodles for my sons birthday and no one knew it was gluten-free...and both trays were gone, with no leftovers! (darn it!)

Thai kitchen makes some great "quick" things you can eat at work by just adding hot water or in the microwave.

Gluten Free Pantry Danielle's chocolate cake mix is to die for...Bob's Red Mill or Pamela's brownies are tops...Pamela's Baking & Pancake mix will give you pancakes just like "before", and biscuits as well.

[Guest Eloisa]

You can get Boars Head at Krogers in Texas. I think they have the rights to in all the Krogers around. I believe Randalls used to exclusively carry it but lost that exclusivity contract.

[sweeet-pea]

Ok, I'm new at this too!! Where can I get the Mana by Anna bread mix?

[Guest Lucy]

only online. I tried everystore here in town, and no one would even order it for me. It is not cheap.

[Jnkmnky]

Matilda,

My son is 7 and gluten-free since 3. I went gluten-free for 4 months and had the same problem. I'm currently eating gluten again, but I have an appt for myself and my two other children to find out once and for all if we're celiacs.

My son will tolerate a lot because he began so young, but for me at 36...that's another story. I missed nothing so much as a Subway sandwich.

The breads I found tasty enough were from Kinnikinnick. I liked their cinnamon raisin bagels, their doughnuts and their white tapioca bread...toasted with lots of mayo to get the gritty dryness out.

Foods by George has a wonderful gluten-free corn muffin. I'm a corn muffin lover. Can't eat chili without one. George's corn muffins were indistinguishable from gluten full corn muffins. I buttered one up, put in in the toaster oven, and let me tell you...that's one fine breakfast.

Also, Glutino Cereal bars are fabulous. I'm having trouble finding them since we moved and my local WholeFoods isn't carrying them...yet. But they are NOT frozen!! They pack and carry well. I spread cream cheese on them and it's like an Entemann's cheesecake. Seriously. The chocolate and blueberry were my favorite.