Foods to LOVE when you’re Gluten Free!

It’s been five weeks since I went gluten-free (well, WHEAT-free to be more specific, but it’s easier to say gluten-free because I just look for that label and know it’s wheat free!).

The first four weeks were fine, really. I did great. I accidentally had one bite of an egg casserole I didn’t know had wheat in it. And that was I think my only cheat. Until week five.

Is week five, like, the breaking point for dieting? I am curious – I haven’t “had to” diet before, and pretty much grew up in a candy store (no, really, I worked at a chocolate store for five years. And we could eat whatever we wanted. And I did.). So telling myself I can’t eat something just isn’t in my skill set. Is five weeks when you start to lose it?

Because this last week was TERRIBLE for my diet. First, my sister brings me this AMAZING Molten Chocolate Cupcake from Crumbs Bakery. I mean, how do you say NO to that? You don’t.

Then, I ate a bowl of cereal, thinking it was rice cereal. It was wheat.

Then, I had coffee with a friend at one of my favorite coffee shops. Out of habit, I grabbed my favorite cranberry-orange loaf and downed pretty much the whole thing. I think I gave my son two bites. Hey, he had his own snacks!

Finally, I went to a huge Pig Roast BBQ… um, really? Am I supposed to be gluten-free at that? Apparently, yes, because as I was loading this delicious strawberry cake slice onto my plate, graciously giving myself permission to cheat, the lady who made it said, “Oh, that’s gluten-free!” Fortunately, I could smile and say, “Oh really? I’m on a gluten-free diet.” Gee, who ever thought THAT line would come in handy!!!

Last cheat of the week: I made a Mediterranean Pasta Salad for the BBQ, but accidentally tripled the recipe (I didn’t read the recipe carefully and just boiled an entire box of pasta when I only needed 3 cups, cooked). I figured I would bring it but not eat it. But seriously? It had artichoke hearts in it – and marinated artichoke hearts happen to be a new favorite of mine. So of course, when I saw all the leftovers in the fridge today, I just ate it.

Cheat. Cheat! CHEAT!

Okay. But I’m back… back on my game. I am officially dubbing this week “Gluten-Free Week!” and check out who’s helping!!!

• Bakery on Main
• Udi’s
• Namaste
• Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels

In the next week or so, you’ll see posts on gluten-free recipes and items from these brands! And, yeah, maybe there will be some giveaways too! If you’re really hungry!!

In the meantime, here’s my short list of foods to LOVE when you’re gluten-free! All of them are naturally gluten-free, so you don’t have to worry about how they will taste; they taste like they ALWAYS taste! GOOD!!

• Pickles
• Olives
• Marinated artichoke hearts – in just about anything!
• Hummus
• Chili
• Chocolate (dark, mostly)
• Nut-Chips
• Blueberries
• Ice Cream
• Sweet potatoes
• COFFEE!

Oh boy, looking at that list, you might think I was pregnant (I’m not). I know, it’s an odd list, and not everything is the healthiest choice. But these foods, for me, fulfill some kind of “craving” that keep me from cheating. (This week being an exception!). Here’s to making it all the way to Thanksgiving with a clean slate!

What makes dieting hard for you? How do you avoid cravings??