I get asked a lot in real life how I’m gluten-free 100% of the time. I have a pretty severe gluten sensitivity so I just stay away from it altogether. Basically, when I eat gluten, my stomach bloats and gets upset for about six inches and doesn’t go away for about 4-6 hours post eating.
After learning about all the other food allergies I had, I decided to drastically change my diet and it’s been for the better. My body has just felt better by cutting out all of the foods that were disrupting it and while avoiding these foods isn’t for everyone, I recommend giving it a try to see if it’s something you didn’t know you were struggling with, like me! Here’s what I eat in a week so you can see how easy and yummy it is to be gluten-free!
How to Go Gluten-Free for a Week
I usually spend about $60-70 per week on groceries, depending on if I need specialty gluten-free ingredients that week. If you are thinking about going gluten-free, here are a few staples you’ll need:
- Gluten-free flour mix (don’t waste time or money making your own, go straight for a mix, usually $5-10)
- Gluten-free bread (especially if you like sandwiches!)
- Gluten-free pasta (Trader Joes has THE BEST and the cheapest rice flour pasta)
…and that’s about all I buy that’s specialty gluten-free that I also consider a staple for weekly eating! Here are the meals that are currently on my meal planning list for a full week of eating gluten-free:
*note, I do not list lunches because I make just enough for dinner that I have leftovers to eat for lunch the next day.
DAY 1
Breakfast: Gluten-free oatmeal with berries, organic honey + cinnamon
Dinner: Lemon-Parmesan Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp
I substitute Trader Joe’s gluten-free penne for the angel hair pasts, and already cooked salad shrimp that I purchase by the bag for about $4
DAY 2
Breakfast: Eggs over easy with greek yogurt and fresh berries
Dinner: Chicken with Tomato and Basil Creme Sauce, served over a bed of spinach, with roasted asparagus on the side
DAY 3
Breakfast: Rice Chex cereal with whole milk
Dinner: Baked Ground Beef Taquitos with a box of Spanish rice
One of the biggest issues of being gluten-free for me was sacrificing good tacos! But, this recipe is the best way to eat corn tortillas because they won’t break down on you when they’ve been baked in an oven.
DAY 4
Breakfast: Gluten-free oatmeal with fresh berries
Dinner: BLT’s with gluten-free bread, dill pickles, and kettle chips.
DAY 5
Breakfast: Rice Chex cereal with whole milk
Dinner: Pepper Steak, served over rice
DAY 6
Breakfast: Rice Chex cereal with whole milk
Dinner: Pepper Steak, served over rice
DAY 7
Breakfast: Gluten-free oatmeal with fresh berries
Dinner: Takeout! My favorite gluten-free restaurants include Noodles & Co. (all of their pasta dishes can be substituted with gluten-free noodles); Panera has great salads and gluten-free cookies; Jet’s has yummy gluten-free pizza or sushi!
I hope these meal ideas help out if you’re interested in how to go gluten-free, it’s pretty easy after a little while. It’s just getting into a routine and finding meals that work for you that make it easier!
Thanks for reading,