I hear ya! Over $16 for a loaf of bread is a little extreme, Cassie!
Well, that depends on how you view a loaf of bread. If you're thinking each of your kids is having 2-3 slices every morning for brekky, then yeah that could sound extreme! So let's look at it from a different perspective. For a start, it's only $1 per slice. So let's load that slice with healthy fats & protein which is good brain food & fills us longer. So what are healthy fats & protein..? Think nitrate-free bacon, leftover chicken, nitrate-free ham, leftover spag bog, eggs, avocado, olives etc. Then we can boost that with the oil we're cooking in too. Think coconut oil, duck fat, beef tallow. How about we drizzle it with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)..?
It doesn't have to stop there either. Think about serving it with some tomato, sauerkraut, rocket, cucumber etc. Whoever said brekky had to be cereal..? Oh that's right, the companies that sell it to make a profit at the detriment to our health. Silly me.
So, getting back to our 4 fave products that make going gluten free easy.
1. Pumpkin bread
2. Fruit toast with goji berries
3. Pizza bases
4. Sweet potato pastry
Pastry made from sweet potato..? Seriously Cassie..?!
I can honestly say, hand on my heart, this is the most delicious pastry I've tasted since tweaking the way we eat! Plus, when you think about making a batch of sausage rolls for example, my recipe makes up to 24-32. Besides, one thing I'm yet to mention is the cost 'food' these days has on our health. Sure, we can go to the supermarket & buy the cheap pastry for a few dollars, but what's it doing to our insides & long term health..? Not good things my friends! Not good things at all.
See, when peeps decide to tweak their diet to gluten-free, one of the first things we do is rush off to our local & buy ALL the gluten-free things on the shelf. What we sometimes forget to do, is ask what's in THOSE products..? Which is a really good time to ask ourselves "why are we making this tweak in the first place..?"
Is it because gluten affects our hormones..?
Is it because it causes leaky gut..?
Is it because it makes us sleepy & super tired all the time..?
Is it because it causes brain fog & we lose the ability to think straight..?
Is it because it makes us feel bloated after eating it..?
Is it because it causes weight gain..?
Is it because it's addictive & we crave it..?
It could be one or all of the above reasons. Gluten certainly causes all those things in me! So, by making this tweak to the way we eat, I wanted to avoid all of those things. Gluten-free here we come!!!
However, there are certain foods that mimic gluten in our body & can give us the same side effects. Cue, grains. Rice, coffee. So now we find ourselves in a place where not only are we looking for products that are gluten-free, but also grain free. If there's one amazing thing 2020 brought into our lives, it's the ninja ability to Google ANYTHING! There's a shit tonne of info online about how gluten (& grains for that matter) affect our health. Highly recommend you watch an awesome doco called "What's with Wheat". Eye opener!
Let's bring this back around to the point of this blog post. Now we understand a little more about WHY we make the tweak to cut gluten out of our diet. Most of the time this also calls for us to cut out grains too. Hence, 4 products that make going gluten free, EASY!
No longer are we looking for products that are cheap. We're looking for products that help us FEEL better in everyday life. How can we put a price on that..?! Here are some of our fave ways to view these tasty products...
Pumpkin Bread
Try frying one slice in a teaspoon of beef tallow, then using the same pan to fry or scramble an egg or 2. The flavour is next level! Plus, I promise you will not go back into the kitchen an hour or 2 later looking for something else to snack on cos you've eaten bread 'empty' of nutrition.
Not sure where to get beef tallow..? Head to your local butcher that carries grass fed beef & ask what they do with their fat. Usually, you can buy it direct.
Fruit Toast with Goji Berries
THIS bread! Oh my Lordy! We slather this with cashew or macadamia cheese & it tastes amazeballs. Def one to keep in the freezer as it hits that sweet craving. It's also a really cool bread to blitz & use as a 'crumb' for apple pie etc. So easy!
Pizza Bases
No need to miss out on Friday night pizza & a movie! We love spreading tomato paste infused with a drop of Basil essential oil onto the base, then layering with nitrate-free bacon or ham, pineapple, red onion & little dobs of cashew or macadamia cheese. So. Bloody. Good. We make 2 at a time. 1 to eat for dinner with a side salad & one to pop in lunch boxes the next day for school. Win, win.
Sweet Potato Pastry
Honestly, the possibilities are endless! Think sausage rolls, jam tarts, apple pies, quiche, steak & kidney pie, bacon & egg pie, mini pizzas. The list goes on! I love making chicken, macadamia & lemon myrtle sausage rolls. The pastry freezes really well & I can keep different snacks on hand which takes the pressure off making school lunches. Saving time & money is something I'm super passionate about!
Final thought. If we're fuller, longer, think of all the store bought 'snack' foods we'll no longer be buying. That frees up a shit tonne of cash each week we can invest in products like I've mentioned today.
You're welcome.
Cassie x
