Andrew eating his gluten-free brownie cake.

In an ideal world, I would prefer not to eat any processed food.  I know that it is not always easy or possible to make everything from scratch.  So, I am sharing my favorite wheat-free products that you can find relatively easily in most grocery stores.  At least I can find them even though I live about 45 minutes from a good grocery store.

Tinkyada Pasta
This is excellent gluten-free pasta.  It is made from brown rice.  I heat my water with a little extra virgin olive oil.  When the water is boiling, I add the pasta and stir to help prevent it sticking to each other.  Then let it boil for 2 minutes.  I cover the pot with a lid and turn off the stove.  Occasionally I stir the pasta.  After 18-20 minutes it is ready to drain.  Use as any other pasta at this point.  It comes in all different shapes.  My kids love macaroni and cheese as well as spaghetti.
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Mix
I once made a batch of these brownies and a batch of regular wheat brownies to take to a family get-together.  I could not keep people out of the gluten-free batch.  They are really delicious.  My kids request this as their birthday cake.  We add semi-sweet chocolate chips to the mix and spread frosting when it cools down.  You could add nuts or anything that sounds good to your family.
Ener-G Pretzels
These are NOT the Wyler kind.  My family does not like those.  These are the traditionally-shaped pretzels.  These gluten-free pretzels make an excellent snack.  Isaac, my two-year old, likes to dip them in almond butter.  I also use them in a wheat-free snack mix that I make occasionally.
Sunbelt Crunchy Oats & Honey Granola Bars
On days when you are on the run, I throw a box of these granola bars for a snack.  My children and I love them.  They are sweet and crunchy and wheat-free.  They have oats which are not certified gluten-free.  Make sure that you purchase the crunchy ones, the chewy granola bars have wheat.
Cascadian Farm Organic Granola
My husband is not big on boxed cereals, but he loves to eat a bowl of this wheat-free granola once a week.  I usually buy the Oat & Honey kind.  My children say they don’t like raisins so my husband bought the Cinnamon and Raisin Organic Granola box to keep them out of it and to ensure he got a bowl for breakfast.  The next morning Jake, our son, was munching down on a bowl.  My husband said, “Jake, I thought you did not like raisins.”
Jake replied, “They taste good in this cereal!”
Gluten-Free Pantry French Bread & Pizza Mix
This mix makes two pizza crusts or one loaf of bread.  It is excellent either way.  On Isaac’s birthday last year, I made four pizzas for our guests who were quite skeptical about a gluten-free dinner.  Everyone was surprised at how delicious the crust was on the pizza.  They raved and ate it all.  For Thanksgiving, I made dressing.  I used my gluten-free cornbread recipe minus the mexicorn and this french bread mix.  Again, everyone loved it and could not believe the dressing was gluten-free.

Even if you do not have a wheat issue, you can purchase these products to have on hand when your wheat-allergic friend comes over or simply enjoy them yourself.  Most of the following is gluten-free, but a few products are just wheat-free.  Always read the ingredient label as companies can change their recipe from time to time.

Breakfast is the easiest meal for me to prepare. I make oatmeal, smoothies with goat milk or goat yogurt, eggs and bacon, oatmeal pancakes, and occasionally rice chex or corn flakes. Fruit of course is also great.

Lunch proves to be the most difficult meal. Maybe because I do not really have time to make it while we are schooling. I need to be able to prepare lunch quickly. Leftovers are my all-time favorite lunch, but we rarely have leftovers. I believe that my children see my dinners as a challenge. They will eat until there is nothing else left.

I can make vegetarian chalupas quickly.  All you do is heat up flat tostada shells and spread warm refried beans over it. Then build a salad on top with lettuce, tomatoes, etc. Quesadillas made on the stovetop from corn tortillas are very good. Omelets, rice with kimchi, lettuce wraps filled with tuna or chicken salad are all very tasty options.

Dinners are not hard. The biggest challenge is when you haven’t been home all day or have a 5:45 p.m. baseball game to attend. I plan my menu for a two week time period. I try to serve a soup and a fish dish once a week. For the other five meals, I choose recipes and meals from five main ethnic groups. We eat a lot of down home cookin’, Italian food, Mexican food, and Thai or Chinese cuisine. We love meatloaf and pot roast. We love spaghetti and fettuccini alfredo. Enchiladas and fajitas are some of our favorites. We really like stir-fry and spring rolls.

I also like to get my husband involved in preparing dinner once a week. He enjoys to grill or smoke something every once in awhile. Steaks and sweet potatoes are amazing on the grill. He can also smoke a mean venison or wild hog ham. On these nights, I just have to prepare sides. We eat potatoes, rice, or brown rice pasta. Salads are wonderful as well as any fresh garden vegetables.

We occasionally enjoy dessert. Air-popped popcorn is fun to make and delicious to eat. Goat milk ice cream is our absolute favorite dessert. Little squares of dark chocolate satisfy my cravings. Some gluten-free desserts are actually quite good like oatmeal chocolate chip cake. I posted this recipe already on “Food Allergies.”

We eat many things. I try to keep a variety of flavors, colors, and textures so that dinner will be interesting. Dinner is no fun if it is always the same meal. We are blessed to live in a country where a wide variety of foods and spices are available. Try new recipes. Try new spices. The most important thing is to not get stuck in a rut.