Gluten Free Jersey Girl: "Well, what DO you eat?!"

I can't tell you how many times I get this question. In fact, just today at a birthday party when someone noticed that I had brought my own food for the kids, the conversation came up about our family's gluten-free diet. The woman's face instantly became all contorted, and she asked in horror, "Well, what DO you eat?!!"

The simple answer is we eat everything (well, not everything), except for gluten-containing foods. And, believe it or not, for every gluten food out there, we have managed to find a reasonable, more healthful substitute. I personally do my best to follow a paleo diet most of the time (completely grain and dairy-free), but the hubby and kids do well with dairy and gf grains in moderation.

So what does that leave us with, as far as food options go? Well, there are literally thousands of combinations of foods to eat when you simply combine meats and/or seafood with veggies and fruits. One of my favorite paleo gurus, Robb Wolf, even created a food matrix to illustrate to all the skeptics out there just how many meal options there are to enjoy that don't include grains. According to his calculations, when considering all the different meat, seafood, fruit and veggie options, he claims that you could literally not eat the same meal for 221 years!

Well, that's cool and all, but to be honest, I am not the meal planner type. I basically open my fridge and freezer every morning and see what ingredients I have to work with, and that's how I decide what I cook for dinner. I also try really hard not to overcomplicate things (afterall, life with a 3.5 and 5 year old is hairy enough most days without fretting about dinner menus).

So, here you have it. In answer to the question, "What do you eat?", I have included tonight's dinner menu below. Everything on the menu is completely grain-free, simple to make, and most importantly, delicious. As you will see, we are certainly not depriving ourselves at all with this way of eating. Enjoy!

In health,
GFJG

Organic Grass-Fed Sirloin Steak with Creamed Spinach and Zucchini

-3 (5oz) grass-fed top sirloin steaks
-one large zucchini
-one head of spinach
-2 cloves garlic (minced)
-olive oil
-splash of organic heavy cream
-sea salt
-pepper

Rub steaks with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until desired temperature.

In saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil for two minutes. Add spinach, cream, and salt. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Saute zucchini in olive oil for ten minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Coconut Flour Brownies (Grain and Sugar-Free)
(This recipe is adapted from one in Dr. Fife's book, Cooking with Coconut Flour)

- 8 squares unsweetened dark chocolate
-1/2 cup honey
-3/4 tsp sea salt
-6 eggs (organic, cage-free)
-1 cup coconut flour
-3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
-2 tsp GF vanilla
-1 1/2 cups organic butter, ghee, or coco oil
-OPTIONAL: 1 cup crushed walnuts or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat when melted.

Mix together eggs, honey, salt, coco milk, and vanilla. Stir in chocolate mix and flour and mix until smooth. Add nuts or chocolate chips if desired.

Pour mixture into greased glass dish and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with 2-Minute Blueberry Ice Cream (see recipe below).

2-Minute Blueberry Ice Cream

-1/2 cup organic half and half
-1/2 cup organic heavy whipping cream
-stevia
-1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries
-handful of ice cubes

This literally is the easiest ice cream recipe ever, and of course, it can be made in a million different varieties. I happen to have a ton of organic blueberries in our freezer from our trip to the berry farm this week, so we ended up with blueberry ice cream tonight.

Put the cream, half and half, and blueberries into the Magic Bullet. Sweeten to your liking with stevia (I used the liquid stevia tonight and added about 7-8 drops of it- you DON'T need a lot!). Then fill the rest of the canister with ice cubes. Blend for 30 seconds and you have instant ice cream! Serve over your coconut flour brownies. Yum!!

Note: if your ice cream is too liquidy, you may have to add more ice cubes and experiment to get the right consistency, but I guarantee you, from start to finish, it won't take more than two minutes tops!