Going Gluten Free: Breakfast

So back in October I finally learned that a sensitivity to gluten was the reason I had felt so crappy for a while. For a few weeks I pretty much lived on sweet potatoes and squash because the whole concept of what I could and couldn't eat was really confusing. I'm from the South and a huge part of my life has always been eating. I love to eat and I love to eat bread. And pasta and drink a beer every now and then. Seriously, I would pick restaurants because of the bread. The problem with all of those foods I just listed? Gluten. Dang. Here we are are a few months later, and I'm starting to get the hang of it and I'm starting to be a little more adventurous.

Take breakfast, for example. Gone are the days of eating a quick Pop-Tart or a piece of toast on the way to work. So are the days of  eating "regular" muffins, waffles, cereal bars, cereal and some oatmeal without feeling like someone is punching me in the stomach. Of course you can buy these things made gluten free but they are really pretty expensive.  Hmmmm.. What's a girl to do? Roll up her sleeves and make her own gluten free muffins, of course.

But first, you have to find all kinds of cool flour because wheat flour just won't work anymore. You need things like rice flour  and white sorghum flour and tapioca flour and soy flour and stuff like that. After a few trips to Whole Foods and the Buford County Farmer's Market, I got all of this.

Then, I did my homework on gluten free blogs and found good sounding recipes. Then, I mixed all that new flour around and soon had...

gluten free blueberry-cherry muffins! 

They freeze really well and heat wonderfully in the morning.  What's better than a warm muffin and a big mug of coffee on a cold morning commute to teach first graders? I don't know either.

I don't have pictures of the food, but I have used this...

to make really good gluten free waffles. I found another cool recipe and made...

 

gluten free sandwich bread.  

I went on a Field Trip the day after I made this bread where I had to take a sack lunch. So what did I do?  I had me a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich!

I'm definitely still learning how to cook gluten free but I am starting to feel a lot more comfortable with it.