Here are a few more wheat alternative items I have in my pantry. Again, I can't stress enough, just because it's gluten free doesn't mean it's good for you. Over the years, it has become thought of as a "healthy" diet, but really you can find cookies, macaroni and cheese, and all sorts of items in the store that are gluten free and just like there gluten counter-parts, they are still not good for your waistline. But, it is nice to actually have a sandwich with bread, so these are our every once in a while treats!

CeliacCentral.org

For anyone that has some baking to do this holiday season, here is an awesome Gluten Free artisan flour recipe. I use this flour recipe cup for cup with any recipe that I am modifying.

This recipe makes a huge zip-lock gallon bag of flour:

8 cups brown rice flour
2 2/3 cups cornstarch
1 cup potato starch
1/3 cup potato flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum

If you are intimidated by trying to find the potato starch and flour, most grocers that sell organic products carries it, including HyVee, King Soopers, some Wal-Marts, Vitamin Cottage, and Sprouts. The list really does go on. Xanthan gum is actually quite common and can be found at any Wal-Mart or grocery store that I've ever been into. Xanthan gum is a tad expensive, most small bags cost around $10.00, but since you are using such a small amount, it lasts forever.

ENJOY!

When my family realized that we had a person with Celiac disease, there wasn't a lot of choices for alternatives. We ate spaghetti squash with pasta sauce, a lot of fruits, vegetables, non-deli meats, and cheeses. Now there is an array of different products out there! They even have a gluten-free section in your local Wal-mart.

Here are some of my favorites from my pantry.

Of course, this isn't even the tip of the iceberg, but you get the idea, right? Over the past few years, companies have started to produce flours, pasta, even brownie mixes. It's a far cry from what you would find at the store just 6-8 years ago! That being said, it's important to stress that if you are eating gluten free as a diet to lose weight, BEWARE! Gluten-Free DOES NOT mean healthy. There is a ton of junk food that is gluten free, and in some cases it is even more calorie and sugar ridden than the non-gluten free alternatives. But, when you don't have a choice, and you are battling an allergy or intolerance, it is quite nice to have some alternatives so that you can indulge every once in a while. 

My name is Amber and my family has been gluten free for about 10 years due to one of us with Celiac disease, which is an intolerance to gluten. It's so simple and so easy to convert almost any recipe to a gluten free alternative, and nothing at all to be scared of. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. The trick is that you NEED to read the labels of anything that you put into your cart at the grocery! There are so many items that contain it, or that have been made in factories that also produce wheat products. So, READ your labels! Also, be very careful when you are buying anything with a seasoning, seasonings are notorious for containing wheat flour. 

Here is a short video that I found on Youtube that tells a bit more.