I’ve discovered that while I am by no means gluten-intolerant, I feel so much better when I eat gluten-free, or at least minimize gluten in my diet. But its really a struggle for me – not eating dairy or nuts, taking out gluten too seems like I am going to run out of things to eat. (Well, not really, but it sure feels that way sometimes!) My other challenge is just being a busy mom. I hate the thought of making separate food just for me. Its enough just to get dinner on the table without having to make two dinners! I have been looking for ways to minimize gluten and make dinners easier around here, so I was thrilled to try out some Udi’s goodies!
I am already a huge fan of Udi’s cookies, brownies (best brownies ever, gluten-free or not!) and granola. I’m lucky enough to live in an area where they are sold in stores, so I’m very spoiled! I eat the granola almost every day and my kids love it too. I’d never tried the muffins – but HELLO! The Double Chocolate Muffins are divine. Paired with a cup of coffee, they taste way too indulgent to be breakfast. But they actually pack a good punch of nutrition – they even have 4 grams of protein. My biggest problem? Protecting them from the kids!
Then Saturday night, we made homemade pizzas using the Udi’s Gluten Free Pizza Crust. I had never tried gluten-free pizza and was, frankly, skeptical! We piled on the toppings (my favorite was the spicy sausage and banana peppers – yum!) and everyone chowed down. My husband said, “Wow! This tastes… good! I thought it would taste like cardboard! It tastes like real pizza crust.” It was super yummy – and makes me think maybe I could do this gluten-free thing after all now that I won’t have to live in a world without pizza. We cooked one on the pizza stone and one directly on the oven rack – the one on the oven rack tasted better. The crust was crispier and everyone preferred that one. This would be excellent grilled – and would make great gluten-free appetizers!
Honestly the thing that has me most hesitating to go completely gluten-free is the bread. Man, I LURV bread. I had never tried the Udi’s White Sandwich Bread and was really surprised. It tasted… normal. I toasted it with our breakfast and served it to my family and they had no idea they were eating gluten-free bread. And – let me tell you – they are picky and would have said something if it tasted weird! I would probably buy the multi-grain variety, as opposed to white bread, for sandwiches, but the white would be great for grilled cheese or french toast. Did you know they even sell Baguettes!!!?!?!? I am so trying those the next time I head to the store! Crusty bread is one of my favorite foods!
I am going to try going totally gluten-free for a few weeks in January and see how I feel. So if you see me staring longingly at you, its not you. I’m just looking at your food 🙂
disclosure: I received several samples from Udi’s Gluten Free to facilitate this post, but I love their stuff and buy it regularly. As always, all opinions are my own.
