When I first found out that I have Celiac Disease, I had no idea what to eat. I started looking for gluten-free snack ideas and meal ideas all over Pinterest. I googled "Is _____ gluten-free?" so many times my head hurts thinking about it.
So I wanted to show you guys what I eat most every day to possibly help some other people out on their gluten-free journey.
If this provides you some new ideas for gluten-free food, great!
If you just wanna see what I eat everyday as a dietitian, have at it! :)
5:00 AM
I stumble into the kitchen and make myself some coffee, which includes coffee from my designated gluten-free Keurig, milk, a little creamer for flavor, and a little sugar. I'm new to the coffee world, so yes, I know that I don't need all that extra stuff in my coffee, but hey, baby steps.
6:00 AM - Breakfast
Egg Mug is super quick and easy! A triangle of laughing cow cheese gives it some extra creaminess. And I never thought I would like kale, but it actually isn't too bad. I actually ENJOY it! After breakfast, I take my vitamins. I've really been taking a lot of vitamins since I realized that I have not been absorbing nutrients for quite some time.
If I'm craving cereal, I beef-it-up with some other stuff to make it worth my while. That's really been my goal since eating gluten-free.
10:00 AM - Snack
Around 10, I usually start getting hungry. I prefer to eat cottage cheese with something mixed in (my favorite being PB2 powdered peanut butter, chocolate chips, and flaxseeds. YUM-O!), or I eat cottage cheese with fruit on the side.
If I am pressed for time that morning (because I don't always remember to plan my lunch the night before - oops!), I will just grab a KIND bar, or a Larabar.
This is my new favorite flavor of KIND - Blueberry Vanilla and Cashew.
12:30-1 PM - Lunch
We eat lunch whenever we get done seeing our patients for that day. It can be anywhere from 11:30 to 2PM like it was yesterday. If I miss my snack for any reason, I might be asking my patients if I can share some of their lunch tray with them. JK, it's not gluten-free. And that's wrong. Moving on....
Lunch can either be a planned outing to Taco Mama around the corner (rare, but delicious), or most often it is something I brought from home.
The other day I made this yummy blueberry salad in a jar! It was DE-LISH.
Or it could be leftovers (my favorite leftovers are Tomatillo Chicken and Green Chile Rice!)from supper the night before. Or it could be Protein-Packed Chicken Salad! I love eating this chicken salad with Pecan Nut-Thins (aka my favorite gluten-free cracker)!
I usually finish lunch off with some fruit. And lots of water.
For the record, I usually drink 3 of the 32 oz cups at work each day. Plus at home, I usually drink about 4 or 5 of the 16 oz mason jars. Therefore I usually drink over 150 oz of water every day. And yes I am aware that you can drink TOO much water, but my body has always drank (drunk? drankin'?) this much water. I crave water. I know, it's odd.
Optional Snack - 3PM
This snack usually only happens if I am STARVING. But honestly, this snack almost never happens.
Dinner - 5:30 PM
Dinner is usually planned out according to the meal plan I make for 2 weeks worth of meals prior to our grocery store trip. It can kinda vary depending on if we come home late from work, if it's Wednesday and we have our prayer service at church, or if it's been a long week and there needs to be no cooking involved or we might burn down the apartment complex.... that's probably frowned upon.
So I did make these yummy Chicken Verde Enchiladas one night with corn tortillas and they were good! I had never cooked enchiladas before so I figured it was worth a shot. Recipe to come soon!
If no cooking needs to be involved, I usually throw together a salad, like this black bean salad. I ALWAYS have black beans on hand and usually whip up either a black bean salad, black bean burrito bowl, or black beans nachos in about, ohhhh, 30 seconds. It's my go to.
One night after having Taco Mama at lunch that day, I threw together this Blueberry Salad and topped it with some sweet poppy seed dressing. Perfect light dinner after a heavy lunch.
After Dinner
So if it's been a long week or it's a special occasion, I will splurge and get my favorite treat from Nothing Bundt Cakes. It's their Gluten-Free Bundt Cake. I have never had any reactions when I have eaten it in the past. It is my most favorite thing to receive as a gift from my sweet hubby!
{I will not sit here and attempt to say that I am not an emotional eater. I am. But I just try to limit the indulgences to special circumstances.}
So that's typically what I eat in a typical day! Hope this helps somebody out there not feel quite as helpless as I did when I first started eating gluten-free!
Kelli
