Some of My Favorite Gluten Free Products

Not all the gluten free food I eat is homemade. As much as I wish it was, ( because ultimately it's healthiest that way) I simply do not always have the time or ingredients on hand! Throughout the week I am constantly on the go, and on workdays I am gone for at least 12 hours out of the day. Because of my somewhat busy schedule, I need to be able to quickly grab snacks and put together meals. I also need to be able to easily find what I need at grocery stores like Publix.

Pictured below are the gluten free products/snacks that I find myself purchasing on an almost weekly basis AND they can be found at several popular mainstream grocery stores! ( I know for a fact that Publix carries all of these products, and I believe Kroger does as well. Other stores like Walmart and Winn Dixie will carry some of these products but I don't always count on it!).

Thanks to Publix's great selection, my transition to a gluten free diet was tolerable with these products!  ( still not sure what gluten is? Check out this blog post)

Top Left to Right: 1. Udi's Gluten Free Bread ( by far the best gluten free bread because it's not hard, ultra chewy or super dry like a lot gluten free breads out there. However, the slices are much smaller compared to wheat bread. My favorite is the whole grain sliced bread! It can be found in the freezer section.) 2. Lundberg Organic Brown Rice Cakes ( I have a thing for crunchy foods, and these do a pretty good job satisfying that craving! My favorite is the lightly salted ones with some cheese or nut butter spread on top. yum!) 3.Vans Gluten Free Waffles ( I was so excited when I found frozen gluten free waffles, and they actually taste really good! I heat up a couple of these when I am in a rush early in the morning.)
Middle Left to Right: 4. Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flours ( Any time I bake I am almost always using their flour. They have everything from almond flour, coconut flour, all purpose flour, pancake mix, pizza crust and more! I use their coconut flour and pizza crust mix the most.) 5. Larabars ( I admit I am quite addicted to these tasty little bars. If I don't have time to make Energy Balls, I make sure I at least have a couple bars in my purse or work bag and I also keep a few in the car (but they disappear quickly!). These bars are so tasty and great for when I need a snack but I'm on the go and don't have time to make one. I also love how simple the ingredient list is! Blueberry Muffin is my absolute favorite.) 6. Back to Nature Nuts ( another great on-the-go snack to have that is loaded with protein! I like to keep the Cashew, Almond, and Pistachio blend in my work bag.)   
Bottom Left to Right: 7. Blue Diamond Nut Thins ( This is my cracker/chip replacement, and they are so good! Great for dipping too! I like the Almond & Pecan Nut Thins.) 8. Sabra Hummus ( I love hummus and Sabra carries so many different yummy dips! go great with the Nut Thins!) 9. Tinkyada Rice Pasta ( I love me some Italian, and I actually mourned the loss of it when I went gluten free....until I discovered rice pasta! This brand is pretty good, just make sure you do not overcook it or it will turn to mush!)

What are your favorite gluten free snacks?

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

I don't know about you all, but I have a MAJOR sweet tooth! So completely cutting out processed sugars from my diet seemed to be ten times harder than cutting out gluten. Not to mention sugar is in everything! While I have been sugar free for quite some time, I still love my sweets...so when someone offers me cookies or cake etc my mouth still waters as I politely decline the delicious treat. Sugar may be horrible for your health, but it sure does taste good!!! This is why the majority of my recipes are either desserts or breads of some sort, if I can still enjoy and satisfy my sweet tooth without compromising my health, by all means I'm going to do it! You get the best of both worlds!

Ice cream is by far my favorite sweet treat, and it may have to do with the fact that I just recently ended a 5 year chapter of my life in Florida- where it is hot and humid year round....which can only mean one thing- sweet cold treats all year too! So ice cream was one of the very first foods I attempted to modify! Unfortunately I did not have an ice cream maker while I was on the hunt for an  alternative recipe, so I had to find a way to make ice cream without one. This is where the bananas came in to play! After researching online, I discovered that a lot of folks are making frozen banana ice cream... I had to give this a try myself! ( plus, it's a great way to utilize those really rip bananas because they are actually sweeter!)

Here is my spin on Banana Ice Cream!
This recipe is really easy and you probably already have all the ingredients! You will be amazed at how sweet and creamy it is!!


Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream- Only 4 Ingredients!
Gluten, Dairy, and Sugar Free!
Ingredients:

• 4 FROZEN RIPE bananas  ( frozen is what gives the bananas that ice cream consistency)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk ( can use unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, etc. Just make sure whatever milk you decide to use is unsweet!)
• 2-3 TBSP Peanut Butter ( I love peanut butter & will usually add a couple TBSP, taste test the blend, and add more if I'm the mood for it!)
• 1 TBSP Raw Honey ( optional)
• Unsweetened chocolate to garnish ( optional)

Directions:

• Take your already frozen bananas, milk, peanut butter, and honey and blend in a food processor or blender until you reach a very smooth, well blended texture that looks like ice cream. 
• Add in any other flavors or supplements ( I like to mix in some coconut oil & probiotics as an easy way to get in my healthy fats & bacteria for the day) 
• Put ice cream back in freezer for a couple hours or until it reaches the desired thickness. Sometimes it's ready as soon as you finish blending it, other times it's more like pudding and needs to freeze for a little bit. ( I'm not always patient enough to wait for it to freeze all the way and just end up eating it like banana pudding!)
• Garnish with some shredded chocolate and enjoy!

Have you made homemade ice cream before? What's your favorite sweet treat?

Questions? Leave a comment below or email me!