Monday, September 26, 2011

Making life easier...

As a the mom of a baby with celiac who is gluten intolerant herself, I've been trying to find a balance between cooking everything from scratch and the realities of life.  Here are a few of the places and things I've come to depend on.

Sandwich bread
Quick:  The Fresh Market now has Udi's in it's frozen section.  Earth Fare has a large selection of gluten free breads.  Sadly the cheapest loaf runs around $6
Cheap:  Amazon.com has Gluten Free Pantry's Sandwich Bread for $23.46 for six boxes.  Since I can get  two loaves out of each box, it comes to about $3 a loaf after the other ingredients come into play.  Amazon has a lot of bulk, convenience gluten free items available on subscribe and save for much cheaper than I can find in town.

Dinner
Quick:  Let's Dish provides a pretty large variety of gluten free meals.  After talking to the manager, I felt good about the lack of cross contamination possibilities.  Another great option is a night out.  All of the Quantance-Weaver restaurants (Lucky 32, Printworks, and Green Valley Grill) are very gluten friendly.  Apparently one of the owners is gluten intolerant, so they know their stuff!  For takeout, my standby is PF Changs (available through takeouttriad.net if you are too lazy to go grab it).
Cheap:  While most entrees are easy to convert to gluten free, I've been amazed at how easy and yummy risotto is.  Naturally gluten free, and, when paired with a gluten free Rotisserie chicken (Costco), it's a family favorite.

Pizza
Quick:  Elizabeth's Pizza, Brixx, Donatos, and Mellow Mushroom all have gluten free pizza.  
Cheap:  Homemade crust and toppings using the mix of your choice.  My favorite lately is thin slices of zucchini topped with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni.

Grocery
Quick:  Harris Teeter has tons of GF items available online for pickup in their Express Lane service
Not-Necessarily Cheap:  Deep Roots Market has great sales on many GF items.  Earth Fare does as well.

This just scratches the surface of my gluten free cheats.  Please leave a comment sharing your favorite.