3 Gluten Free Must Have’s
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Living Gluten Free is not glamorous.
It’s not fast and easy and care-free. You have to actually think and plan and prepare some stuff.
But it’s not as difficult as it was just a few years ago. When I went Gluten Free in 1996, it wasn’t quite simple. at all.
I was in Graduate School at The University of Mississippi and I had absolutely no clue. I lived on Mac and Cheese, Suddenly Salad and Spaghetti… and I had just started dating Morgan and was in the throws of new love.
Then, I got sick. Very sick. I went to doctors who ran tests and everything “seemed” normal. Until, one day in the bookstore, I stumbled upon a book called The Yeast Connection.
And I knew immediately I had found the answer. I had to go Gluten Free.
And being Gluten Free stank.
We couldn’t eat out, and we could cook much. And there was only the faint stirrings of the mass of information which we call the Internet today.
We ate loads of salads and lentils and Black Bean Soup. But I missed my breads and cakes and pastas…
Fast forward 15 years and now, there are amazing products everywhere!!!
My top 3 Gluten Free Must Haves
1. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Organic Flaxseed Meal
Sounds Gross, huh? It can be, but it’s great for use in Meatloaf or Meatballs. Any type of recipe that calls for some sort of Bread Crumb filler? This is excellent.
It softens the texture of ground beef so well that I even add it to my Cheesy Cheeseburgers sometimes! 
2. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Almond Meal/Flour
When you can’t eat bread, you crave it…. Like a caffeine addict on a three day hike and no Starbucks in sight…This is my favorite flour for use in Muffins or Quick Breads. It takes some experimenting with your recipes, but it does makes delicious nutty blueberry bread loaf.
I’ll be sharing some trials with you very soon in the search of perfecting my loaf bread recipes.
Now, this stuff is pricey, so for us, it’s an every-now-and-again treat. 
And if you have a nut allergy? Probably not your first choice, huh?
3. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix
This is THE best Gluten Free Pancake Mix I have found. It makes some nice fluffy pancakes and neither the boys nor Morgan can tell a difference.
Especially if they are loaded with M & M’s….
So those are my must-have products in a Gluten Free Home. You might notice that they are all Bob’s Red Mill Products. That’s just how I roll. I guess I’m a bit brand loyal?
But this is not a sponsored post and I honestly use all of these and keep them stocked in my kitchen.
Are you living the glamorous Gluten-Free Life? Slap me your must-have’s in the comments down below, so I can expand my own horizons!
*This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. By purchasing from Amazon via these links, you help feed my family. For that, I wholeheartedly thank you!
I LOVE Bob’s Red Mill! They have so many great flours and meals. I definitely want to try that nutty blueberry loaf! Do you have a recipe?? 🙂
Aren’t they wonderful! I’m tweaking the recipe and will share it soon!
That pancake mix looks like a winner! Thanks so much for sharing!
Have a great weekend rock star!
karianne
It is… makes a gluten free life so much more pleasant!
<3
Yesterday I added almond flour to my shopping list, so thanks, now I have a brand to go along with it. I’ll look for Bob.
Bliss
I lurrrrve it! I add it to my pancake mix and it is fab!
I’m a HUGE Potato Starch user in my gluten free recipes. It makes it nice and crispy and very “sugary”. Great for waffles and muffins and stuff like that!
It really does, doesn’t it? If I can have a pancake every now and then, I don’t get so crazy!
Well, now that I can’t have peanuts, dairy, gluten, yeast or sugar my world feels quite a bit like yours when you first started!! Sweet Potatoes (with a dairy free butter) have become my new best friend as well as Fritos Corn Chips!
That blueberry loaf sounds heavenly!
Sweet potatoes are wonderful! Can you eat quinoa? Kroger has a great quinoa/corn pasta…we had that for dinner tonight… LOVE it!
Yup! In moderation of course 🙂 I LOOOVE it with some sauteed onions & carrots and cooked in chicken broth! Add some chicken and I’ve got me a meal!
Mmmm….now, that sounds yummy!
It’s awesome how many options there are now, especially ones that don’t taste any different like that pancake mix!
It really makes it so much better having some options! We had pancakes for lunch today.. heavnely!
Dr just told me today to keep a food diary for the baby to try and track what’s bothering him then consider going gluten free to see if it helps…loving these tips, thanks Gwen!
I know how hard it is, girl! but these flours are a great alternative if you do have to go gluten free! Keep me posted!
If you haven’t already try Better Batter. It’s a GF all purpose flour, I use it constantly in baking. I say so much time not having to mix a hundred different ingredients and it acts almost like gluten filled flour, sometimes you just need a bit more liquid. Check it out.
I have never heard of that! I wonder it is made with Rice Flour, which my son is allergic to…ugh! That makes Gluten free even harder!
I could just use the Bob’s Red Mill Pancake mix by itself, but I have to lighten the carb load for me and using the other flours/meals brings the carbs down substantially! It can be frustrating, but you’ve got to make the best of it, don’t’ you!
Thanks for stopping by, Stephanie!
If you are looking for ready-made products, nothing beats Glutino (in my humble opinion). I have yet to be dissatisfied with any product I have tried from them.
Personally, I feel deprived if we run out of any of these three items: gluten-free pasta (whatever brand we find), gluten-free bread (Glutino or Grains for Life), and gluten-free cereal (Chex).
I haven’t tired Glutino! Or have I? I think they might make some pretzels that we buy…
Chex is great! I use it to make krispy treats!
I agree, Glutino products are excellent. Ie, the whole grain bread and the english muffins. Awesome!
Ooo! I just noticed your suggestion to use the flaxseed meal as a replacement for bread crumbs. Brilliant! How much meal do you use? Can you use exactly the same amount as the bread crumbs, or do you need to adjust it?
Hmm… I usually just eyeball it! Not as much as what it calls for breadcrumbs, I think.
I’ve never really measured it, but I will the next time I make meatballs!
JUST tried the pancake mix this past weekend – it was GREAT!! I sprinkled a few mini-chocolate chips in a couple of the pancakes. 😉 I also wrapped the leftovers in press and seal and stashed them in the freezer for later. I’ve discovered you can sometimes find the Bob’s Red Mill items at Big Lots – fyi. I’m looking forward to trying the BRM GF Cinnamon Raisin Bread soon!
It’s so awesome, isn’t it? My crew loves chocolate chip pancakes, too!
I took a normal apple crisp recipe and used Bobs Red Mill gluten free oats in place of regular and used Bobs gluten free pancake mix in place of the flour and it turned out AMAZING! everyone loved it and couldn’t tell a difference! Great products!
Wow, thanks for the tip, I love apple crisp and have to say I’m craving it since we went apple picking with the kids…will try it…thanks again Charisse!!!
I discovered a recipe for GF corn dogs to satisfy the little people using Gluten Free baking mix (bisquick or Bob’s, they taste the same to me), corn meal, and GF hotdogs (mainly hebrew national). They are delightful! Even hubby eats them, ha!
1.5 c GF baking mix
1 c GF cornmeal
2 beaten eggs
1 c milk (almond, soy or cow, no difference really)
1 TBS sugar
Sounds amazing, Courtney! Thanks!
Trying to balance work life and home is difficult on this diet. I like the flax meal idea for breadcrumbs. I will definitely try that! Thanks for you help!
Thanks Gwen for the tips…I just started gluten free since a couple of days and was looking for recipes and ideas… Sunday I found at the grocery store the Bob’s Red Mill pancake mix and also Cinnamon raisin bread mix, I bought them to try it since they were half price this week and just found your website, so glad I did…thanks again!!!
Hi Christy!
I’m so glad you found some Bob’s Red Mill! I just love his products. I’m super glad I could help. 🙂
Gwen
I also used a lot of Bob’s Red Mill products when I first started my gluten-free journey. I no longer use their almond flour because it wasn’t ground finely enough for optimal results with some of the recipes I use. I order in bulk now from nuts.com – the difference was amazing.
I’ll have to check nuts.com! Thanks, Connie!
xoxo
Gwen
Have you found a good gluten free tortilla?
Hi Karmen!
My oldest has a rice allergy, so since most premade GF stuff has rice in it, I haven’t!
I’ve made my own from the Wheat Belly Book and they are ok.
xoxo
Gwen
If you haven’t tried the cinnamon roll recipe on the back of the pizza crust pack your missing a lot. It is so good.
Janelle,
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll have to check it out.
Gwen
I prefer Glutino and Arrowhead Mills pancake mixes. And “Pamelas” makes an awesome biscuit & scone mix, as well as a bread mix, baking mix (kind of like bisquick), all purpose flour and cake mixes.
Also, “Gluten Free on a Shoestring” is a wonderful website for recipes and information!
We’ve used this mix to avoid the rice. My oldest had a rice allergy, but the doctor thinks he’s grown out of it, so I may try those!
Thanks, Cyndi!
xoxo
Gwen
I use Bob’s Red Mill Brown Rice Flour to fry chicken. It works great!
Thanks for those wonderful resources! I am baking a lot and that includes Glutenfree baked good as well. I found that Pamela’s bread as well as pancake mixes are my favorite ones to bake all my sweet and savory treats with!