
Once upon a time I used to eat loads of pasta, warm bread, and hop-filled cold beer. I’m half Italian and carbs were an everyday occurrence.
But, five years ago my Celiac disease journey started. I had some stomach issues growing up and with a family history of wheat allergies and celiac disease, I decided to get checked. I had to go and have a procedure done where they put a camera down your throat and they take a sample of your small intestine.
Days later I got the dreaded call from my doctor that I had the early stages of Celiac disease and I had to immediately cut gluten out of my diet. I had to cut it cold turkey and it felt like I was breaking up with a big part of my life—good ole carbs!
I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know what to eat. I felt overwhelmed.
It took me weeks to wrap my head around this new diagnosis. I would go to restaurants and think I knew what to order but to only be surprised that majority of items were filled with gluten. I felt robbed of my normal eating habits. I was afraid to step into the gluten free world. But, now five years later, I have tried most brands and have found my everyday favorites. From pasta, to bread, to snacks!
My family isn’t gluten free, but 90% of my pantry is filled with gluten free goodies and nobody is complaining!
My favorite Gluten-Free items:
1. Jovial Pasta
Pasta is part of my weekly dinner rotation, and since I’m Italian, it was a goal to find the best pasta that could replace the old one. I soon found out that gluten free pasta can be mushy if you don’t cook it al dente. But, then I found Jovial pasta and it has never made me feel deprived! It truly taste like the real thing. Trust me, you won’t even be able to tell the difference.

2. Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Bread
I have to be honest when I became gluten free I really tried to avoid bread altogether. But, there are times I crave a sandwich and I usually grab a loaf of Canyon Bakehouse bread. No matter what bread you pick up at the store, gluten free bread is always tiny. It blows my mind how little my sandwich is compared to my husbands. Also, the key to gluten free bread is to toast the bread in the toaster oven. It’s way tastier when it has texture, otherwise it can taste super dry.

3. Mary’s Gone Crackers
I love to snack and when I found these crackers I was so excited! They taste like Wheat Thins and they’re a favorite every time I bring them to a party. Since I’m gluten free, I tend to bring an appetizer to a party so I can at least eat one thing. You’ll start to figure out that parties can be hard if everything has gluten.

4. Siete Cassava Tortillas
I’ve shared this many times before, but Siete is by far my favorite brand. They make everything so good and grain free. They are a lifesaver for those of us with gluten issues. These tortillas taste so good heated up in a frying pan. I use them for taco night, veggie wraps, and breakfast tacos!

5. Ocean Ranch Gluten-Free Granola
I love anything with a crunch. There’s just something about that crunchy feeling and granola gives it to me. I put it on everything, oatmeal bowls, smoothies, yogurt, or just I’ll just throw a handful in my mouth. I was on the hunt for a good gluten free option and I stumbled upon this company. I order from a fruit and veggie box there locally and one of the options was this granola. I ordered it and thought let’s see how it tastes. It was love at first sight—lots of seeds, vanilla, and cinnamon. The combo of the flavors gives me all the feels!

6. Taste Republic Gluten-Free Lasagna Sheets
My Italian family loves a good lasagna! I’ve tried all the gluten free lasagna options out there and some are okay and others are darn right just hard to cook (and don’t even taste like real thing!) I thought I’d have to live without it until I was roaming the aisles at my local Whole Foods grocery store and found these fresh gluten free noodles in the refrigerator section. I’m telling you, these are so dang good! My son said this is his favorite dinner that I make.

7. Coconut Aminos
When I became gluten free I didn’t realize that soy sauce was a no-no! In my head, I assumed being gluten free was just eliminating white flour products. Let’s just say it was a learning curve for me. So I got this to replace my soy sauce, and yes, sometimes I go to sushi with it in my purse. But to my surprise, most sushi places actually have gluten free soy sauce. I also like to use this Coconut Aminos in my asian dishes. For example, when I make stir fry I replace soy sauce with Coconut Aminos. Coconut Aminos has a sweeter taste to it with no soy. It’s so yummy in dishes and I use it all the time!

8. Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Flour
When baking, I used to just buy any old gluten free flour. But, I learned real fast that most of my baked goods just didn’t taste that great or the consistency was off. I soon discovered Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour and it’s a game changer. You can make most recipes and replace the flour with this flour and your baked goods will come out just as good as if you used regular white flour. I always have a bag of this in my pantry!

9. Simple Mills Brownie Baking Mix
Sometimes when motherhood rattles our schedule and we need to mix something in a jiffy, it’s great to have a box of baking mix in the pantry. I have found that Simple Mills is a great brand, and their brownie mix is not only super simple, but it’s also not filled with a bunch of junk. It’s made with almond flour and makes a great treat when you need something fast!

10. Cappello’s Grain Free Frozen Pizza
I have had my share of gluten free pizza throughout the years and finding a good one is not an easy task. Ordering pizza once a week has been part of our routine the last few months. I have to say, the gluten free pizza at pizza restaurants either doesn’t exist or it’s mediocre. Usually it’s not very big in size and it’s not cheap. So I’ve learned to pick up one of these grain free pizzas and have it stored away in my deep freezer in the garage. When I order pizza for the family I just pop one of these in the oven for myself. Way cleaner ingredients and super tasty!

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[…] tortillas practically saved me. I ALWAYS have them in stock at my house and because I have celiac disease and can’t make a traditional burrito or tacos with flour tortillas, these have become my life […]