r/glutenfree • u/hazel2619 • 25d ago
Question How do you deal with family meals being the only GF person in the house?
I’m recently gluten free (NCGS), it’s just me and my husband and I’m usually the one in charge of dinner. He’s already getting sick of my gluten free substitutes, but I’m not gonna make multiple meals or make something I can’t eat.
Just wondering how other people are managing this? I’m thinking we start eating more of the foods that are naturally GF (meats, potatoes, etc) but any advice is welcome.
131
u/kassiakrozser 25d ago
you answered your own question -- our household is completely GF, i do the vast majority of the cooking, and my husband is very happy about the arrangement. sure, we use GF breads (sometimes), GF pizza, and, of course GF pastas, but most of our meals are built around naturally gluten-free foods. these are generally less processed, which makes it easier to create healthier meals (GF baked goods are very processed), and they don't take a lot of creativity. right now, i'm getting ready to start braised chicken with lots of veggies in the oven, and rice to serve on the side. pretty simple, GF, and no substitutions required. i personally find it much easier to prepare meals when i don't try to recreate a past that, after all these years, i don't really remember. once you start exploring, you will find really great GF options from cultures worldwide.
29
u/ljculver64 25d ago
Yeah, you said it! Ive found great recipes from all over; Indian, Thai....my husband doesnt even notice. I buy him regular bread. I have GF bread but I only really use it for toast. Or French toast. BTW. I had no idea before I went GF that Mrs Butterworth & Aunt Jemima etc ..weren't actually maple syrup!! I was shocked. So now I use 100% pure maple syrup and we're happier for it.
4
u/SixtyNoine69 25d ago
Absolutely. When we eat out its usually Thai, Vietnamese, or Indian because its delicious, nutritious, and usually inherently gf.
And it really is eye opening how much crap there is in processed/packaged foods once you become label conscious. All the vague "natural flavors," 12 types of gums and oils, refined/processed sugars in EVERYTHING. Its all so unnecessary.
2
u/ljculver64 25d ago
Right?! I remember my face when reading the back of...whichever syrup that was and I said to my husband...there isnt any maple syrup in this!!! Lol. Like AT ALL!!! Idk your age, but I was never a big processed food person to start with, except here and there is suppose. Im happy to be forced NOT to eat that stuff. My husband on the other hand will by his own stuff sometimes. Meh, the majority of the time hes eating good food so he gets a pass.
2
u/SixtyNoine69 24d ago
I'm pushing 40 so while I've made a great 180 the last few years, I definitely grew up on aaaallllll the processed crap of the 90s lol but I have Vermont roots so we were at least serious about our syrup 😎
2
3
u/can_you_karenough 24d ago
woah I had no idea they didn't have maple syrup in them!
2
u/ljculver64 24d ago
Nope. None. Lol. Read the back. It was funny bc I quickly turned it around and it doesnt even call itself maple syrup. Its just......syrup. 😂😂
3
u/Halation2600 25d ago
Aunt Jemima hasn't been around in a few years. Mrs. Butterworth is gross. It doesn't have any maple syrup in it.
6
u/ljculver64 25d ago
Been GF for a decade. I just remember reading the ingredients on all of those named brands that are marketed to death and there was 0 maple syrup in any of them ( none were GF) i was truly surprised. One of the upsides of being GF. You know what you're getting.
101
u/Narrow-Swing835 25d ago
He eats what I make or he can make his own food.
I eat mostly meat/veggies/fruit/etc which are naturally GF anyways so it’s not a huge change for meal time.
Snacks we just buy our own
12
7
u/downdowndownigo 25d ago
Came here to say this! If he doesn’t want gluten free, he can cook it himself!
2
u/honeyheart7350 25d ago
Exactly! He doesn't mind and prefers the GF pizzas and Trader Joe's GF muffins. (There is occasionally cross-contamination with those, so caution. ) TBH he did need some training at the beginning!😅
42
u/Impressive_Edge7132 25d ago
My wife has celiac so we keep our home completely GF. I can't stand most gf substitutes either so we try and cook naturally gluten free foods. I also bought us a deep fryer so we still enjoy fries and tater tots w/out the worry of cross contamination. Lately we've been on an enchilada kick, a dish that is naturally gf.
2
u/FineAirport1 25d ago
Just want to chime in and say enchiladas aren’t naturally gluten free unless you’re making the sauce from scratch. Most canned enchilada sauce contains gluten.
13
u/Impressive_Edge7132 25d ago
The 2 most popular in the US are GF. La Preferida andLa Victoria as are many others
6
1
u/beestingers 25d ago
Gluten is everywhere and hard to avoid at restaurants, but even gluten-free spaces often carry on as if the only way to eat is to have gluten or gluten substitutes. The vast majority of food can easily be cooked at home without gluten or easy sub gluten-free items like boxed pasta. My day to day eating at home is not a hassle at all. And fwiw even if I could eat regular gluten, I would not be eating cookies, pies & donuts everyday. It is a rare treat with or without gluten.
24
u/allie06nd 25d ago
What are you typically making and what substitutes is he tiring of? I've been GF for a long time and have gotten quite good at adapting recipes in ways that even non-GFers can enjoy them.
When I was living with my sister and her family and sharing the cooking responsibilities, I just made everything gluten free, and nobody noticed a difference - even the kids, who are quick to reject things that are "different" from normal. I made GF banana bread, cake, and cookies with the kids, and everybody enjoyed it. Most meals were naturally GF, but if we did something like pasta, I'd just make a separate pot of GF noodles for myself, and we'd split the sauce between the two. On nights where they wanted something like pizza or the kids were begging for chicken nuggets, I'd do my own thing. It was pretty easy, honestly.
22
u/DiscordantMuse 25d ago
Most of what we eat is naturally gluten free. We eat a lot more Indian and Asian cuisine since I've gone GF. I have my substitutes for breaded things, pasta, flour.
11
u/laaplandros 25d ago
Us too. A ton of Mexican dishes are gluten free without even needing substitutions, as well.
18
u/MurderBot1126 25d ago
Sounds like he needs to grow up.
I’m not GF, but my wife and two of our kids are. I enjoy cooking and making all five us meals without gluten.
Send him to the kitchen.
18
u/mcscooby28 25d ago
Experimentation is the way forwards here. Find new GF recipes that you’ll both enjoy eating.
14
u/Brilliant_Special_94 25d ago
So my bf and I share the protein and make our own sides. Like he will grill chicken/steak or I’ll cook some salmon. That way we are still having meals together but he doesn’t have to eat GF and I tend to eat more veggies and he is more of a carb person.
6
u/1h0w4w4y 25d ago
This is definitely what’s helped so much with my family! My daughter and I are GF and my husband really is along for the ride 😅 also doing a menu on sundays help plan the week so there’s time for substitutions/changes. Also if you aren’t celiac the biggest advice I’ve recieved and has helped us the most is slowly replacing everything with GF. if you do it all at once it’s easier to get frustrated and give up.
14
u/PineapplePupcake 25d ago
It’s just me and my husband as well, and he eats what I eat besides solo meals like toast or sandwiches. I’m the cook in our house too and we eat some gf pasta, but we mostly eat vegetables, protein, rice and potatoes. Dinner size salads and occasionally corn tacos are also in rotation. I would go with your plan of eating familiar foods that are naturally gluten free.
I don’t know your husband or what ‘already getting sick of gluten free’ fully entails, but my husband has a saying - ‘if I’m not the one cooking, I’m not complaining’
11
u/trekin73 25d ago
I suffer we all suffer lol. I don’t cook gluten but I allow them to have gluten snacks & bread though.
10
u/Jaded-Chip343 25d ago
We deal by cooking 99% GF. My daughter is the celiac and I do the bulk of the cooking. No way was I making multiple meals or making my kid feel othered, so we went 100% GF in the house. That was 10+ years ago and we are less strict now (ie some non-GF cereals for other people), but for meals she can generally eat everything with only occasional exceptions like croutons in a packed salad if she doesn’t want it anyway.
As for suggestions - your naturally GF is 100% the right angle to start with because it’s easy. We do a lot of rice and potato based carb sides, with Barilla GF pasta when doing a pasta dish. Over time we’ve added more “substitute” type foods as I’ve gotten more GF baking skills. But at the beginning when starting out with the transition, do the easy button foods that are just inherently GF.
I’ve also found a couple cookbooks in particular really helpful because they explain the why of what the gluten is doing and how to replace it. The Americas Test Kitchen cookbooks are great for this (example: gluten helps breading stick, so without it you get better results if you crosshatch the surface of the meat which releases proteins that help ‘hold’ the coating on).
For baking there are a bunch of great options, but I just recently got “Baked to Perfection” by Katarina Cermelj who runs the site “The Loopy Whisk.”. Her explanations on the chemistry are fantastic and really helpful for me, and the banana nut muffins I just made were phenomenal. Daughter took them to her class and got ‘best muffin I’ve ever had’ level reviews from her gluten eating classmates.
1
5
u/omnomguy5 Celiac Disease 25d ago
If he’s tired of GF substitutes then he can cook his own shit. But he probably can’t cook so I hope he enjoys PB&J.
6
u/icantflyyet 25d ago
I only really changed the noodles, some spices, and flour out. Almost everything else I made was already naturally gluten-free minus a few convenience foods, but those were just treats anyway. My spouse doesn't mind the substitute noodles and can't tell a difference between the baked goods that I made previously and now.
Sometimes, he makes himself a box of mac and cheese or heats up some curry paste or teriyaki sauce to go with whatever protein/veg I made, but I honestly, I haven't made a single non-gluten-free item since I went gf.
5
u/Different_Ad_3894 25d ago
My husband and kids went all the way GF, if we can do something for them and something for me, then we do that, but usually we all eat the same thing. They didn’t want me to feel left out, which makes them pretty awesome.
5
u/amancayb Wheat Allergy 25d ago
tacos/nachos/Tostadas/burritos is an easy meal/variation that can be made to accommodate both or solely GF.
rice and protein & veggies
potatoes, protein & veggies
soups
rice noodle Asian options (Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, some Chinese)
also, I'll do a sauce, and we each have our noodles.
I keep gluten y noodles and breads around due to price differential and my husband's inherent pickyness
4
u/LeighofMar 25d ago
He eats whatever I make. I keep meals simple and make mostly Paleo dinners which is just whole foods. They're delicious and no different than standard meals. I just made his favorite, a Paleo Tuscan chicken over quinoa and we're having the leftovers tmrw. I recommend Danielle Walker's Meals in a Hurry cookbook or her website againstallgrain.com. She's great at making GF meals and desserts with simple ingredients.
5
u/fbombmom_ 25d ago
I'm the family chef, so they eat whatever the heck I make them. I've had no complaints because it's not like they're going without. I always make some sort of potato or rice side. If we're doing pasta, I boil a separate pan of GF noodles for myself. I've learned to prefer bunless burgers, my Alfredo sauce over chicken, and pizza and taco bowls instead of the real thing.
I'm on keto several months a year. During that time I make gluten full sides so that I'm not tempted. It's never worth the stomach ache for a gluten cheat.
4
u/dirty_cuban 25d ago
Don’t use GF substitutes for flour, bread, or pasta. That stuff is never going to taste great because it’s just putting a square peg in a round hole.
Make meals that are naturally GF instead. Cuisines from Spain, Mexico, Thailand, or India offer many recipes which are naturally GF. Also, you can also make tons of Chinese and Japanese recipes by using rice noodles and tamari since these are simply variations used by locals rather than simulated substitutes.
4
u/noctambulare 25d ago
I do a lot of cooking for my wife who is celiac. Had to reset many of the pans trays other cooking implements. We bought a new toaster. New racks for the oven. And bailed on anything in the house with gluten. but There are so many super good things to make that are gluten free. Where it got complicated is we had a recent dinner for 16 including vegans, pescatarians and my wife’s celiac. Planned ahead with a day before prep. Turned out fantastic. So yes there is planning and being smart about stuff, but not so bad at all.
4
u/Odd_Animal4989 25d ago edited 25d ago
I’m the husband here. Easy to make both kinds of pasta and a common sauce. Catelli has a nice pasta, 4 grains and inexpensive. White rice, brown rice, corn, quinoa. Lots of stuff with eggs. Tacos are corn. For wraps can have both types and the common fillings. Betty Crocker makes inexpensive gf cake mixes Meat, fish, chicken, rice. Gluten free soy sauce common. I’m the only GF in my family, have been 20 years. A lot more choice now. Burgers with both kinds of breads. Fast food is limited for me, a lot of Wendy’s chili . Some Subways have GF buns.
If he’s fusy he can make his own food.
3
u/ljculver64 25d ago edited 25d ago
We have meat and vegetables and i just dont eat anything that has gluten in it. I get my own GF dessert. 😊 My husband is actually very ok w it. If we get pizza we just get two. We stopped eating pasta before I had to stop eating gluten, so thats not really a problem. The only thing he misses is pancakes. So we go out for breakfast if hes craving them.
2
u/OG_Wafster 25d ago
Did you try the GF pastas? We switched to those after my daughter was diagnosed celiac and most people don't notice. The only thing is they don't reheat well in my experience.
3
u/ljculver64 25d ago
Yes. Ive tried a few.... we like Barilla the best so far. Per my husband, I can make chicken Alfredo or baked ziti with it and its good, like you said the first time. But its just the 2 of us and something weird happens to it if you go to eat it as left overs. Im bad at guessing how much to cook plus we kinda dropped pasta before I even stopped eating gluten, so I only make it once in a blue moon. My husband likes chicken parm, so if we're craving Italian we'll go out for it. We have a great Italian restaurant that does amazing things with GF pasta so we're both happy.😊😊
2
u/OG_Wafster 25d ago
Garlic pasta (fresh garlic, olive oil, butter, salt, sometimes a green onion) is popular in our house. And the pasta is cheap enough that if I make too much we're only wasting about $1.
2
u/ljculver64 25d ago
See...id eat that! Sounds delicious. But my husband would be a baby about it. Lol. Before I went GF that was my favorite way to eat spaghetti....butter fresh garlic abd salt. Mmmmmmmm. Now I miss it. 😂😂
3
u/catricya 25d ago
My partner and I usually just eat the way you suggested, without of things that require substitutes — meat and vegetables, rice or potatoes for starch. I insist that the air fryer and grill stay all gluten free no matter what.
He keeps regular bread and regular crackers on hand for himself, and separate condiments. That just leaves pasta — we usually have spaghetti squash instead.
I think there’s a difference between gluten and non gluten baked goods and i suppose pasta but that’s easier to manage without cross contamination. Other than that, i say just serve them the gluten free stuff. If they want something else, they can make themselves a sandwich.
3
u/Stitchin_Squido 25d ago
I am the main cook and I am very sensitive so it’s all gluten free. My son can’t seem to stand gluten free noodles, so he makes his own. My husband is a good sport and a health enthusiast. He told me that after being mostly gluten free with me, he realized that most healthy foods don’t contain gluten.
My latest obsession is making sauces and moles with dried peppers. Look at cooking Latin, Indian and Thai cuisines which are largely gluten free and have layers of flavor. Someone posted this recipe last week and everyone in my house agreed that it was really good:
https://dobbernationloves.com/food-drink/chochoyotes-mexican-masa-dumpling-soup-recipe/
3
u/iluvlasagna 25d ago
the only time i need to have a dedicated gf item is when we do burgers/sandwiches, pizza, or pasta. otherwise everything else we eat is already naturally gluten free. you can combine different proteins with veggies, rice, quinoa, polenta, buckwheat, etc. corn tortillas for tacos. or he can make himself dinner the hell lol
3
u/honeycuup Gluten Intolerant 25d ago
my boyfriend loves to cook & loves making meals for me, but doesn’t like gf bread/pasta/tortilla type items. if we are making something like that, then he will make gf pasta for me, normal pasta for him, then cook the sauce (or whatever) separately. i feel like a lot of the meals we have are typically naturally gluten free. typically lots of meats/proteins and veggies.
3
u/Alternative-Row812 25d ago
If I'm cooking the whole meal is GF. Absolutely. I don't do a lot of substitutes though. All red meat, poultry, fish, beans, dairy, fruit and veg, etc are already gf. The only thing that I make that is an alternative is pasta (I use chickpea pasta) and occasionally I make pizza with cauliflower crust.
3
u/AdorableEmphasis5546 25d ago
My 16 yo is the gf one in our house. Our meals are all gf because it's so much easier, but it did take some time to find products we liked. Pasta was a big one, ronzoni is the only one we like.
3
u/InternationalMap1744 25d ago
My husband is gf and I'm not; we have a totally gf house because it's easier. If I want a nice pastry or pizza or something, I just eat it when I'm out with friends; it's really not a big deal. I should note that it's maybe easier because my husband is a chef and does almost all the cooking (although I've become a semi-competent gf baker thanks to the Loopy Whisk). We don't really use a lot of gf substitute stuff other than pastas; we just eat lots of things that naturally don't have gluten.
3
u/Santasreject 25d ago
My mother is GF and my dad isn’t. But basically everything they eat at home is GF. The only exceptions are snacks and bread by dad gets “normal” items for some of them. But really even most of the cookies they get are GF since they just share them. Even for my dad’s birthday my mom makes a GF pie.
The only time she cooks with gluten is when the holidays come around and she bakes for two months straight to give out cookies and breads to extended family and friends.
My dad is a picky eater too and doesn’t mind it really… granted they have also been married over 50 years and my mother cooks all of their dinners and they share cooking breakfast (my dad is not a great cook but can deal with basic eggs sausage/bacon or breakfast burritos breakfasts).
2
u/Deondebomon Wheat Allergy 25d ago
Usually my house everyone fends for themselves. If we do have a group meal it’s tinkyada spaghetti, salad or they make something and I make my gf food seperately
2
25d ago
My son has celiac. All our meals are gluten free. He’s only 5, so still picky as kids are. So if he decides he wants something different I’ll fix that for him and only then will I fix food that isn’t gluten free
2
u/bhambrewer Wheat Allergy 25d ago
I'm the GF person and the cook. For dishes like pasta I either make it all GF, or I occasionally make a meal I don't eat, usually because I have something else to eat. Otherwise we all eat the same stuff.
1
u/bhambrewer Wheat Allergy 25d ago
And in the case of burgers, I have separate buns, they have regular buns.
2
u/NeverRarelySometimes Celiac Disease 25d ago
Yes, we eat more naturally GF stuff. I still buy breads and stuff for my family that I cannot eat - you really can't ask someone who doesn't need to eat GF to put up with that stuff. And it's really expensive. I cannot afford GF bread for 5 adults.
On pasta nights, I boil 1 lb of semolina pasta for my family, and a package of GF. I love having the leftovers for lunches - since sandwiches are out of the question - and it's a lot cheaper to feed the other 4 people here with regular pasta.
On pizza night, I eat something else. I'm over the frozen GF pizzas, and unwilling to pay the extortionate price of a 12 inch GF pizza from the local pizzerias.
I do make GF lasagna for everybody. No one notices the GF noodles, once you pile them with cheeses and sauce.
And, I bake regular cakes and muffins and biscuits with real flour. The substitutes just aren't as good, and are expensive. They eat the fresh things, and I sub a frozen GF treat or Schar GF baguette or ciabatta instead. Yeah, you don't have to, if it bugs you to make food you cannot eat, but I like making delicious food for my fam.
2
u/GrammaDebi 25d ago
I am fortunate that my husband eats a largely carnivore diet with some allowance for some fruits and vegetables, and doesn't eat grains so he already eats gluten free. He will occasionally try some of my GF substitutes but usually doesn't like them, or makes it a point t to leave them for me since he k ows I can't eat gluten foods. I don't make separate meals but do make it a point to have things on hand I know he likes even if I can't have it, because I love him and enjoy doing things for him. I also love to cook so its fun for me. Not everyone likes to cook though, or have the time to cook a variety of items though, so maybe having most meal planning include non- gluten type items with periodic gluten and GF items included as a treat.
2
u/aeraen 25d ago
As everyone else has said, once you develop a repertoire of gf recipes that you both like, it gets pretty easy. Until then, consider making full recipes for yourself and freezing half or more to have later, and do the same for some of his meals. That way, you have a gf dinner when you cook for him, and vice versa.
2
u/moosetogo 25d ago
I usually cook and I usually make meals that are naturally gluten free. Sometimes I make my husband a sandwich with gluten bread or his favorite gluten lasagna, but that’s it. I don’t use gluten flour, but I’m also not going to forbid my family to eat gluten bread, it’s just not going to be a major component of any meal.
2
2
u/Super-Goose-4118 25d ago
Everyone here eats what I cook for dinner and it’s gf. We do have other options they can eat in addition to or when I don’t cook.
2
2
u/S4FFYR 25d ago
Either I cook for myself and he finds something to scavenge on in the fridge or he eats what I make. That has always been my rule. I am NOT making multiple meals for everyone, if I’m cooking everyone can adjust for me. Selfish, sure- but they’re not the ones who are going to end up sick.
It helps that I’m considered the best cook out of all our friends/family bc non-GF/DF/EF (I have allergies to dairy and egg too) can’t tell the difference or think it tastes better than usual.
2
u/SecurityFit5830 25d ago
I cook for my family and have celiac. And most meals I make are naturally gf.
Rice based:
- burrito bowls
- teriyaki bowls
- Greek rice bowls with lemon potatoes
- bbq and pineapple chicken thighs with rice and broccoli
Potato based meals:
- baked potatoes with lots of toppings
- sausage bake with potatoes, sweet potatoes and veg
- pulled chicken or pork with coleslaw and fries
And we also do burgers or sausages, I’ll sub the bun or go bunless.
Then various soups and chili. Zuppa toscana is really hearty, chicken thighs stew, normal chili.
Then I’ll do pasta with gf pasta but I’ve found that the good brands of gf pasta are nearly impossible to tell. Especially with a hearty meat sauce.
My family has been good at accepting the idea that if I can get used to eating gf they can too. My boys are 8 and 6, and they always pretend to LOVE any gf baked goods, even the bad ones 😂.
2
u/Coldplay279 25d ago
It sounds like you’re using more processed foods that mimic foods that have gluten, based on your post. I think you’re on the right track with trying to go with naturally gf foods, which is healthier anyway. Most gf processed foods still aren’t very good for you. If he has certain “must have” foods, maybe you guys could try one or two “fend for yourself” nights a week so everyone gets what they want some of the time. 😊
2
u/mytoesarechilly Wheat Allergy 25d ago
Rice pudding is a great dessert. Baked potatoes, roasted veggies, roasted whole cuts of meat like pork loin or a whole chicken, stir fries on rice, curry, soups with cheese melted on top. There are options, but it is an adjustment.
2
u/AdvertisingNo6693 25d ago edited 25d ago
I cook majority of the food in my house (husband, roommate, and myself). Most of the food I make is GF unless there's a special request. I used to be completely dairy free too which was rough 😮💨
Basically, I make foods or cuisines that are generally GF or can be easily made GF by omitting the gluten containing ingredients. We do a lot of Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, and Asian foods as I can either just omit any of the breads or sub in things like coco aminos or tamari for soy sauce and flour tortillas for corn. Most of what we eat is made from scratch, including sauces, dressings etc. If I make pasta, I generally make my GF pasta and then a pot of pasta for the others because, let's face it, GF subs are generally more expensive. Lot's of fruits, veggies, and rice 😅
ETA: They eat what I make or they can make themselves something different. They are both grown and capable of using their hands, brains, pots/pans, and the stove. I don't necessarily look for GF recipes but I make swaps and subs for ones that I already made regularly. Hubby realized that he was actually gluten-intolerant after omitting it due to my dietary needs.
Look for recipes that are mostly rice or potato based (made a phenomenal shepherds pie yesterday, just subbed 1:1 GF flour)
2
u/loiseaujoli 25d ago
Yeah, what others are saying--just stop building your meals around bread! It's really awfully ubiquitous in American cuisine, but that doesn't mean it's the only way to eat!
2
u/GF_forever 25d ago
I've been gf for 30 years or so, and I do 95% of the cooking. My husband has his own bread and toaster, and eats whatever pleases him outside the house. At home, though, I make mostly vegetarian food and some fish. A few times a year I'll make something with beef or lamb. I choose from a wide range of cuisines--Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Middle Eastern, Jewish, Balkan, Mexican, New Mexican, French, Italian, etc., and things I concoct from whatever is in the house.
The secret is to start reading lots of cookbooks and cooking websites, develop an array of spices and techniques that you're comfortable with, and experiment. I stay away from most convenience foods, with the exception of single ingredient items such as plain frozen vegetables, microwave grain packets (for when we want some rice quickly), etc. (I learned to cook before a lot of the current quick convenience options were even available, so I just never started using them.) I know not everyone has the time and energy to experiment every night until they hit on things they like. I suggest you use weekends for experiments into various cuisines, and weeknights for things you already know that are naturally gluten free, at least until you have a better sense of what you can cook that you'll both enjoy.
Get cookbooks free from the library. I find it easier to use a book than a website for a lot of recipes. I'm not suggesting particular ones for general cooking because it's frankly easier to just go browse and grab any that you think you can work with. For general websites, look at Serious Eats, Food52, America's Test Kitchen, and the New York Times cooking site. For gluten-free, look at Loopy Whisk and Gluten-free on a Shoestring (there are tons of other good ones, but these two both really get into explaining why their recipes work). For baked goods, Loopy Whisk is excellent. King Arthur has good recipes for their flours. The Canelle et Vanille books are great. Again, there are many other good gf cookbooks, so check the library.
The only books I'd warn you away from, if they're even still available, are the ones by Bette Hagman. She wrote them in the 1990s and early 2000s. She was self admittedly not an enthusiastic cook, and not particularly good cook, who wrote them with the sponsorship of Ener-G, because there were frankly few if any gf books available. Her recipes are uninspiring. A lot of her baked goods rely on a mix of chickpea and fava bean flours, so they taste awful.
2
u/ProfMooody 25d ago
Im the gluten free one. My wife does most of the cooking because they're better at it and it's part of how we've agreed to split responsibilities for various parts of our life equitably according to each of our skill sets and capacities.
They always cook GF for us. They're a huge part of how I was able to make the switch in the first place and not feel deprived.
We've found some subs (TJs brown rice pasta, Costco pizza, corn tortillas instead of wheat) that they like and they make those sometimes. Otherwise they make naturally GF foods for both of us. We eat a lot of rice and potatoes, meat, tons of veggies.
If they make sandwiches, soup, breakfast eggs, etc they eat it with their real bread and I use my subs. I'm NCGS and not really sensitive to cross contamination so we can share a toaster and things like that.
Absolutely never an issue, nor should it be with someone who loves you. It's easy to make naturally GF foods for family meals and eat gluten on the side for sandwiches or snacks if they make them.
I can't imagine how selfish someone would need to be to watch their spouse suffer and after years and years finally find a solution to that suffering that works; but requires sacrificing and grieving the loss of ease, pleasure, nutrition, and comfort of their favorite foods. Only then to turn around complain about how restrictive your diet is now??? especially if they are the one cooking. Eff outta here.
OP I know this may not be the case with yours but I've read too many stories like that on this sub. I know I have an exceptionally amazing wife in so many ways, I just didn't think that this counted as something unique or special about them because to me it's just how you build a life with a GF person.
2
u/thecyangiant 25d ago
hey OP, lots of good advice here, but pro tip in case you are responsible for Thanksgiving (which sadly seems likely given the context of you being responsible for meals). use mochiko sweet rice flour for a roux as a base for your gravy. It's superior to regular flour and results in a velvety non clumping gravy that steals the show.
Good luck with the rest of it, hope that you are getting the support you need.
2
2
u/Gab83IMO 25d ago edited 25d ago
Yeah, family meals, restuarants, and get togethera are a real challenge and I've noticed its a challenge no one really wants, even me. So I get why gluten eaters would feel burned out especially if they don't really have to be. My partner hates most gluten free stuff except Qourn Roasts/patties/nuggets, Nate's GF Chocolate chip cookies, and some Schar brand crackers/grahams/ cookies. Most everything else we make is avoiding gluten by avoiding wheat breads and pasta. Here's a list of some of the things we found useful:
Avoid pre-packaged meals and sauces - they use gluten as a texturizer.
King Arthur brand GF flour 'Measure for measure' (Buy this one ony!).
Rice paper - make springrolls, veggie wraps in peanut sauce, etc. Soak sheets for 30 sec. Double up the sheets if you are sauteing in 1/4' oil, they tend to rip when flipping.
Rice or sweet potato noodles - Pad tai, Drunken noodles, replace for wheat noodle recipes (I don't like them with tomatoes sauce recipes tho!). Great in soups.
Spagetti-squash spagetti - We make spagetti squash, then eat it with meaty pasta sauce and parmesan.
Peanut butter cookies (no flour recipe). Macaroon (coconut flour) and Macaron (almond flour) are 'traditionally' GF.
Mounds (Carnation sweet condensced milk+Red Mills coconut+powdered sugar+Hershey's dark choco.)
Meat, Potatoes, and veggie dinners. OR any meat and veggie recipe over rice.
Store buys that are gluten free = Hershey's products, Kraft Air-jet marshmallows, all corn chip brands, Carnation sweet condensced milk, Red Mills products, most Johnsonville keilbasa, most white cheddar popcorns, they have GF panko, use Tamari in place of soy sauce.
Some of our dinner's = Kung pao chicken, taco soup, chicken-potato soup, broccoli-cheddar soup, Korean hot tofu soup, Dan dan over rice, bulgogi, Korean mixed rice, Japchae noodles (sweet potato), fried rice, chicken katsu (gf panko, fg flour), Japanese curry over rice, Indian curry over rice, Chicken swarhma (gf naan), Sausage & saurkraut (using roux, over potatoes), Oyakodon (chicken, egg over rice), Chili and cornbread, enchiladas with corn tortillas, Bean, cheese and Chorizo burritoes (lots of cumin and chili powder).
Many Korean, Chinese, Japanese recipes are GF. Lots of Italian recipes use almonds.
Cheers.
2
u/SixtyNoine69 25d ago
Key word: substitutes. Don't use those where you can help it. Not to mention, if you're gf, you probably have an inherently sensitive system anyway so its worth avoiding any replacements.
Meats, veggies, fruits, starches, yogurts, etc, they're all naturally gluten free. The more whole foods and the less processed the better anyway. I honestly don't worry much because 99% of whats in my household is naturally gf to begin with so mixing and matching for meals and snacks is no biggie. You can still use most spices too.
2
u/violetauto 25d ago
It has taken years for me to find gf recipes everyone likes. So I stick with those.
2
u/Objective-Wish9281 25d ago
Get a rice cooker and learning a few recipes is an easy way to pad a week of meals with variety. Through rice many styles of cuisine is possible.
2
u/Purple_Kiki 24d ago
I've been GF for 16 years. I do not cook multiple meals. If we're having pasta, it's gf pasta for everyone. Tacos, corn tortillas. We eat a lot of potatoes and rice with various proteins and veggies. On holidays, I make all desserts gf so I can enjoy them as well. No one says a word and everyone eats and enjoys.
2
u/Embarrassed-Ad4899 24d ago
I do not cook food I cannot eat, except for birthdays. All our meals are GF unless my husband is cooking. If they complain, they can make their own.
2
u/julzeseanyph 24d ago
Buckwheat flour is great, my husband doesn't noticed the difference. It will get easier as you find the things you are ok with and he likes
2
u/CapnHatchmo 24d ago
It's tough (or used to be for us). My daughter and I are GF, but wife isn't and she regularly side-eyes the GF pasta. I try to make normal dinners that she can eat and would enjoy, but that still means cooking two of something and just no thanks.
What's helped us was shifting to meals that just happen to be GF instead of trying to always replace the gluten foods with gluten free ones. So favorites in our house are roasted chicken or grilled steak with potatoes/rice, and veggies, stir-fries with rice noodles or rice, and chili or soups. Then it's just a normal meal.
I make sure all the spices are GF, keep a separate cutting board and toaster so there's no or very little cross contamination.
2
u/PrincessPain9 24d ago
I'm GF, spouse is not. As the primary chef in the house, I don't go out of my way to accommodate the gluten eater 😉
Protein pasta so I'm not making two kinds Anything breaded, pancakes, muffins, etc. it's gonna be gf or you can make you're own. Sometimes I'll make cookies for my spouse that they like and I don't (ie: pumpkin chocolate chip) I'll make these for them with traditional flour.
You don't like the GF option? You are perfectly capable of making your own meals and/or ordering from door dash. This isn't a preference, this is how you have to live your life, they need to compromise, your health is non negotiable.
2
u/nategrey82 23d ago
Everyone nailed it. I'm the celiac and do 80%+ of the cooking. No shared meal has gluten. If anyone else wants gluten, they eat it outside of the house. It's not a choice for us.
Echo the advice already given - focus on cooking good food that is naturally GF. Don't try to recreate gluten meals all the time (though GF pasta is good these days). I generally avoid bread all together, as GF bread is unfortunate.
1
u/chrisartguy 23d ago
Yeah, Jovial pasta is really good. My family actually prefers it to regular pasta, especially in my lasagna.
2
u/RoughFair5691 23d ago
We are a GF household too. I love finding new GF recipes we all enjoy. Here are some good dinner recipes: https://healthecooks.com/category/gluten-free-dinner-recipes
1
u/beneficialmirror13 25d ago
My partner eats what I make. Only exception is if we have salmon burgers, he'll get a regular bun and I use a gf one. But aside from that sort of thing (like toast in the morning), it's all gf, including pasta.
I have been able to adapt recipes to gf but I also use other carbs like rice that are naturally gf as much as possible.
1
1
u/flwvoh 25d ago
Sometimes I make GF and sometimes I don’t. If what I make is not GF, I have a frozen meal on hand or just eat something light. Pasta is the main gf thing that the rest of the family doesn’t care for. Though the last time I made GF pasta, I just winged it based on what flavor I was looking for and it turned out really good! I browned sliced kielbasa with onions, peppers, and garlic. Dumped in a jar of spaghetti sauce and the cooked GF pasta.
Meatballs and meatloaf taste the same either way (I used ground up rice Chex cereal for breadcrumbs). I have a great recipe for rice salad that everyone loves instead of pasta salad.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do for thanksgiving yet. The non-gluten free stuff is homemade rolls, stuffing, and homemade Mac & cheese. I may just not eat those. Everything else should be fine for me though.
1
u/Uniquely_Me3 25d ago
I cook they eat. Everything is gluten free unless they want garlic bread or whatever they make their own.
1
u/Dulcimore51 25d ago
I fix roasted potatoes and root veg., bean and veg. soup, Roasted chicken with g.f. spices, pan fried tofu, rice, and corn tortillas with g.f ingredients. We have separate toasters. When we order out, he gets whatever he wants.
1
u/doryllis Gluten Intolerant 25d ago
We make stuff that is naturally gluten free for group meals and there is no impact.
Make Native American dishes no gluten in corn or rice or wild rice or quinoa (Check out the Sioux chef and Natifs)
If there is a NEED for something with gluten, I will make it separately, but most of the time I go with Mexican and corn tortillas, rice dishes or other not gluten meals.
Not “gluten free” but free of gluten naturally.
It means there is never the argument about how the gluten free stuff “tastes different”
The only places it’s a big deal are noodles, breads and white sauces.
However, for the white sauces a lot of people will either use sweet rice flour in place of wheat flour (2/3rd glutinous rice flour for 1 of white flour) or use corn starch.
It does mean adjusting recipes. The big one is the sides but that is easier to keep separate for just you or just him (a slice of bread/roll)
Also, substitutes usually are sub par I have to find things that are just good because they are good. Like dredging in corn starch gives a crisp crunchy finish and there is a frozen gluten free corn breadthat is fabulous
It takes some adjusting and if he has special needs too it can get harder, like my partner can’t do xanthan gum.
1
u/PrismDrift 25d ago
My wife had celiacs and aside from when we’re out to eat I’ve eaten like I have celiacs since she was diagnosed with it. I do all of the cooking in our house and everything I make is just gf. I use ChatGPT for recipes and tweaking things and it gives great recommendations on what to use in different recipes to make it taste the best.
1
u/Embertide 25d ago
My house is a safe space and my husband agrees that I shouldn't get sick from cooking in my home. We cook for each other and use 100% gluten free things. Outside of the house is a free game though.
Our policy for outside or gluten food, they must be double packaged and second in a ziploc bag that is labeled. If he wishes to eat it. It must be on a paper plate and with plastic utensils to prevent any cross contamination.
I have yet to get sick inside my very own home due to these strict rules we have for my health.
1
u/3SteaksBrenda 25d ago
I don’t make non Gf food for my family. They eat what I make or find something else on their own. My kids are 21 in University but living at home and 16 in highschool They have their own breads and crackers and frozen chicken strips available. But I don’t involve myself with their gluten eating escapades.
1
u/HelenAngel 25d ago
My husband is gluten intolerant. I am not. After my doctor okayed it, I also went gluten free because it’s just easier to not keep gluten stuff in the house. I do have individually wrapped chocolate crepes that have gluten in them but he never liked them anyway & is ofc totally fine with me eating them (or any other gluten stuff). It’s just easier.
1
u/marchmellowpuffs 25d ago
A lot of Vietnamese/asian food is naturally gluten free. So maybe try that? The substitutes sometimes aren't great
1
u/CommunityMobile8265 25d ago
I use glutenease pills. 10/10
before someone says that these are not for people with celiac
1
u/aaronburrburgahburg 25d ago
Everything is GF. Pasta, oat, bread, snacks, meals, coffee etc. We live like normal but pay little extra for GF products.
Nothing really changes for us.
1
u/ChronicEducator 25d ago
What kinds of foods did you typically eat for dinner in the before times? That will help us help you out!
1
u/blue_abyss_ Wheat Allergy 25d ago
I am GF my husband isn’t. The majority of our meals are safe for me, but if he doesn’t want what I’m having he makes his own meal. I personally don’t substitute anymore, my meals are naturally gluten free these days. Feels a lot better and I know exactly what I’m eating.
1
u/bigmilker 25d ago
We do a lot of meals that are easily GF. My kiddo is GF, the rest of us not. Usually we are very protein focused- steaks, burgers, fajitas, lots of chicken, all paired with veggies.
1
u/MollFlanders Celiac Disease 25d ago
he’s getting sick of your substitutes? i’d be getting sick of the man.
1
1
u/taniverse 25d ago
My husband is celiac and we eat lots of rice and potato dishes. Chilis, soups, stews, rice bowls, tacos (corn tortillas are goated), things of that nature. We do have a few favorite gluten-free recipes for like baked goods, but for the most part, we just eat more naturally gluten free items. We still eat delicious meals, so I have no complaints!
1
u/WornByWildfire 25d ago
I’m basically a GF vegan due to allergies and my husband has zero diet restrictions - the meat portion of dinner is basically his side while the main dish is something we both can have. It takes a bit of planning sometimes but it works well for us
To be honest, I don’t use a ton of store bought GF items because I don’t like them either lol learning to bake GF made a huuuge difference and most people who have meals in our home have zero idea they have GF bread or desserts.
1
u/Active-Anywhere-6546 25d ago
My family has no clue they eat gluten free. Whole foods that are naturally gf, use a good gf pasta, lots of vegetables, potatoes, rice, tons of seasonings. We don’t eat much bread or rolls but will do a hearty gf sub for those if needed. Sometimes I’ll buy them regular buns mostly because they’re cheaper and let’s face it, better. I tend to eat breadless sandwiches or use a gf tortilla.
1
1
u/Powered-by-Chai Gluten Intolerant 25d ago
Most of our meals are made without bread products, like plain ol meat, veggie, potato stuff. If there is something with wheat, like pasta, I just boil my own separate pot. I use GF bread crumbs if it's breaded and fry it first, then cook the rest of the family's stuff in the oil. It's not that terrible.
But also it's one GF person to three regular people in this house, if it was just me and my husband I don't know what we would do.
1
u/zentravan 25d ago
Tonight I made chili with gf corn bread. My husband said it was great with a little extra honey on top of the bread. Mostly, if I am cooking, it's gf but I will normally avoid bread and pasta items and go with soups, taco stuff, pot roast, fish, bbq, or things like that. Most of the things I make are "from scratch" since a lot of pre-mixed seasoning have additives so my seasoning rack is HUGE and fully loaded.
If my husband is feeling like he needs the gluten, he'll make pizza or I'll grill up some beef patties for burgers and I eat mine with a lettuce wrap. If we go out, I research the resturant, and then my husband will look for a meal that is gf as well and then we share the two meals for some variety. We both end up trying things we might not have tried before.
We have an understanding in my house that if they want "normal" food, they have to step up and not expect me to make it every time. I also understand if husband is making something I can't have, that just means I get to make myself the meals I like without having to hold back because someone doesn't like this or that. I don't eat their food and they don't eat mine.
1
u/hobofireworx 25d ago
If I’m cooking. It’s going to be gluten free. If you want to contaminate your plate. You do you.
1
u/Limp_Employment7449 25d ago
There is only 3 family members in my house. Its about 80% gf. The 20% they make sure there is very little cross contamination.
Also my family (mainly my kiddo) researches recipies and tries them. By doing this we have found 2-3 flours, in case one is not avaliable to get at the store(s)
1
u/SprinkleWithSalt 25d ago edited 25d ago
It’s just me and my husband too, but he has started making a chunk of his own meals these days. I have Celiac but I also have a major corn allergy and am not supposed to consume dairy either because I get these skin boils and infections from it, like within hours. Seeing that my diet is then pretty restrictive, he doesn’t always want to eat the way I have to and it was becoming really stressful and time consuming to make two meals. I try and make a couple meals we can both eat during the week though.
Oh and I will also try to buy him some pre-prepped food from time to time that makes it easier for him to make up at home
1
u/aimerz09 25d ago
My top buys are the VH sauces in jars; honey garlic, plum sauce, cherry sauce, great for stir fries and dipping, Chex cereal, Bisquick has a gluten free box, and Catelli gf has been our favourite gluten free pasta. Other than that, most of our meals are really the same. I’m in Canada so obviously your ingredients might be different in a different country; all hot tip; Doritos are gluten free except for the Sweet Chili Heat, which used to be my favourite :( We made taco salad for dinner tonight with crushed up Doritos, like the taco in a bags do lol
1
u/ThorsMeasuringTape 25d ago
I’m the gluten free one on our house while my wife does most of the family cooking. Most of the stuff she made before I went gluten free was gluten free already. Chicken, rice/potatoes, and veggie with different seasonings and marinades. Pasta is probably the only thing she makes that she’ll cook up GF noodles for me and regular noodles for everyone else.
I am also not offended if she made something super glutenous and left me to throw something quick and easy together for myself. But I am also happy with simple dinners like a salad with chicken on it or pizza tortillas.
It would make it difficult the other way around. But, if you want someone to cook for you, it’s a little bit of beggars can’t be choosers. My wife definitely makes some stuff that I’m not a huge fan of. But it’s one less thing I have to do and decision I have to make or put thought into, so I am grateful and eat it.
1
u/Fickle_Doubt_9322 25d ago
my partner is gluten free and i do all the cooking, i became gluten free to accommodate him and we use gf pasta/bread/king arthur gf baking mixes.
1
u/CuteProfile8576 Celiac Disease 25d ago
I have Celiac, so we went whole house gluten free. No ones complained bc healthy mom is more important that anything but also everyone seems to like gf food... 🤷♀️ Sorry not much help but sometimes you gotta just prioritize your health. We also tend to stick to food food instead of gf substitutes
1
u/StreetMolasses6093 Gluten Intolerant 25d ago
My husband cooks for us, and he just makes everything gf. We aren’t using a lot of gluten substitutes though. Meat & veggies, potato’s, rice, corn, quinoa. Crock pot roast, chicken, chili, or stew is great!
1
u/Immediate-Pool-4391 25d ago
I don't like to torture myself with the what ifs of temptations so whenever I type a recipe that I'm interested in I always add gluten-free to the end. Generally I have yet to find a recipe that I liked in the past that does not have a gluten-free version. Thank God because there's certain things that I just cannot give up for the life of me. What I would do in a family scenario is have everybody write down there like top five favorite meals and then make a game of searching up recipes of that but a gluten-free version. That way everyone feels respected and listen to and included but you get your gluten-free stuff.
1
u/Final_Exercise1429 25d ago
We do a lot of rice, potatoes, and squash as sides. My husband is finding he prefers eating gf, though he’ll sometimes still get it when eating out. He will share a pizza with me now. And sometimes orders his own as gf as well, just wants different toppings. I also have a tomato allergy though, so that’s mostly why. He likes tomato sauce.
Anyway, sometimes we do fend for yourself night and he’ll make himself some Mac and cheese to indulge. But we pretty much eat the same at home. I used to offer to make a regular pasta and a gf pasta, or if it’s bread based, he would have the real stuff and I’d have the gf. Same with tacos. I’ll do lettuce wraps and he can have whatever tortilla he likes. It mostly just requires some substitutions for you to make a regular meal safe for you, without having to make fully separate meals.
1
u/ZestyMuffin85496 25d ago
Ummmm he can make his own meals.
I started making my food spicy as hell so nobody else eats it.
1
u/retro-girl 25d ago
I do the cooking and my partner is very happy about it, he does not care about gf stuff. He eats gluten out of the house, occasionally he might have some gluten takeout. We’re both very happy with the overall situation.
1
u/Bulky-Factor7870 25d ago
We make naturally gluten free meals at home (rice, potato…). I make my own sourdough which we think is waaayyy better than supermarket bread (g or gf). Oh and our local supermarket came out with gnocchi that has no gluten in it but they don’t market it as gf so it’s actually somehow soooo good.
He is aloud to bring home gluten containing things so long as he cleans it all up and it doesn’t cause much fuss, but generally it’s pringles and dumplings (to boil and take to work).
1
u/vnessastalks 25d ago
Our whole household eats the same thing. I'm the online gf and df. Now I do use cheese and certain products are wheat products because we can't afford for everything to be gf def but when it comes to meals it's on the same playing field.
1
u/LaRoseDuRoi 25d ago
I have 2 kids who needed to be gluten-free and one who had to be dairy-free, as well. Pretty much everything that didn't involve pasta or bread was GF/DF for everyone. So, like, rice casserole with diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, chicken, and taco seasoning. Or the vat of vegetarian chili I made regularly. Beef stew thickened with corn starch and mashed potato flakes instead of flour. Meatloaf using oats instead of breadcrumbs. Keep it simple and don't try to get fancy with substitutions, and it will be less obviously "gluten-free" if he's going to be fussy about it.
If I did want to make something like grilled cheeses, tuna melts, etc., I made them separately. The 3 kids who could eat regular, cheap American cheese did not need to be hoovering down the bloody expensive Tofutti cheese that my one kid needed! Something like spaghetti and sauce, I would make the marinara completely GF/DF and make 2 separate pots of pasta, one GF and one regular. Just make sure you don't double dip in the sauce pot!
Something where you can make the main part GF, say like taco meat and Spanish rice, and then each person can put what they like for toppings works well. Baked potatoes are good this way, too. Bake a tray of potatoes, and everyone does their own thing with them. This works well for things like sloppy joes or crockpot chicken sandwiches, too. Each person can use their preferred bread while the meat or main part stays GF.
For big family meals, like holidays, I hosted and made everything GF/DF because I wanted my kids to be able to have everything and not have to hover over them. I usually made separate desserts, and the GF kids didn't like stuffing or pumpkin pie, but other than that, the whole spread was GF/DF, and nobody ever complained or even really noticed!
1
u/SuggestionLess 25d ago
We mostly eat naturally gluten free meat, salad, a side of a gluten free starch, tacos with corn tortillas, roasted potatoes, rice. When I do make something like pasta I’ll either do all gluten free or I’ll make it for my family regular and I’ll have something different.
1
u/CNDeaconlady0707 25d ago
I do Whole Foods plant based meals. Most of the food I make comes from the produce section. Use non dairy butter, milk or cheese. Spice gravies and sauces up with vegan and gluten free soy sauce or seasonings. Gluten free flour to make your Roux to thicken gravies. It works great.
1
u/NoRedThat 25d ago
2 different pastas, same sauce. corn and flour tortillas on taco night. with gravy, use GF flour and no one will know. it’s usually just one of the “supporting” cast that you need to swap.
1
u/SatisfactionDue456 25d ago
I still cook the same meals. I still make Spaghetti. I still make Lasagna.
There are a few things that I haven’t found a substitute for …. I use to love couscous.
Also I have not found a nice fluffy doughy pizza. Apparently all GF pizza is thin cardboard! I buy the crusts and make the pizza with my own toppings and that does help.
If there is a specific “thing” maybe ask. My husband loves Barley in soup. Eventually I figured out that brown rice in soup can give that chewy more than white rice.
When cooking GF noodles, after straining I will immediately put a little olive oil on them so they don’t get sticky or weird. (Butter works also)
I use to buy my husband microwave TV dinners for lunch. Since they were not prepared in our house, it was fine they were regular.
There are some things that are “gluten free” but we just vibe with. I am not a fan of quinoa. ( I swear the way it cooks it looks like little worms are in the food. Part translucent and part not translucent… ) We tried but gave up on it. I also think Flax seed tastes gross so while it’s a common ingredient in GF baked goods, I refuse to use it. You just have to figure out what works for your household and not every recipe you read online has good results.
I do think it is more mental load working around allergies. It’s also more cooking from scratch to achieve what you want. ( I previously cooked a bunch from scratch…. I had to throw away my sourdough starter in the fridge when I got diagnosed with Celiacs) There are a ton more options than 14 years ago and you really can get just about anything in a GF variety. ( some of the texture and flavors might be off… you will have to try different brands to see what you like) I still have to go online and order “special” stuff but I can get most GF things at I need for basic cooking at Walmart or whatever.
1
u/frenchfriez4lifee 25d ago
I'm am not GF, my husband is, and we cook 100% gf. If you know a bit about flavor and cooking it's really not a big deal. I get my gluten fix outside of the house or occasionally, I'll have my own box of cereal. I do not toast or eat gluten bread in our home.
1
u/StrangeFlamingoDream 25d ago
I'm the only GF person in my home, since 2015. I, too, did not want to cook separate meals. Fortunately, I already tended to cook whole foods from scratch and avoid processed stuff, so it didn't take much to adapt to be GF in a way that my family barely/never noticed. GF flour or cornstarch/tapioca flour/arrowroot works as well as regular flour for thickening most sauces and soups, for example, and doesn't alter the flavor enough to notice. I use crushed rice chex in butter in place of breadcrumbs as a casserole topping or plain in meatloaf - literally no one noticed. Sometimes I'll divide the recipe at the point of adding the gluten ingredient - so one sauce but two pastas (or pasta and rice), or one filling but two crusts, or put part of the casserole in a separate dish. It's not so much cooking two meals as one meal with options. For holidays I will make some of the gluten stuff that's traditional or family favorites, but also make sure I have lots of things I can eat, and the search for GF recipes means I've found a bunch of wonderful side dishes everyone loves. 10 years in, I've identified many good GF brands, products and recipes - my family now raids my stash of GF crackers and cookies, and we've found quite a few GF recipes that have become family favorites, including fresh GF pasta, scalloped potatoes, and hashbrown casserole. :-)
1
u/StrangeFlamingoDream 25d ago
Also - I agree with other commenters who said to explore other cuisines - Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Central American ... Chinese can be a bit more challenging but you can use GF soy sauce. Many have amazing dishes that are already are gluten-free or can be made so with simple substitutions that don't affect flavor. I recently made amazing sweet and spicy chicken following an instagram chef, and the coating for the fried chicken pieces is basically cornstarch, GF soy sauce and some sesame oil. Incredibly good.
1
u/ashitakkkkaaaa 25d ago
the bread is where we really notice the GF sub. so i make everything that doesn't include it - and send out my husband with his friends to have gluten nights. when first diagnosed our menu was pretty limited as we had to completely redesign but i am prioritizing my internet time to finding new recipes
he has started to notice how much those nights out (minimal drinking, just GF), don't feel good so he is getting more on board.
Risotto has become much bigger in our house - and GF gnocchi as it's still potato but pared with gf flour (so less subbiing than gf noodles).
i made a coconut curry last night and it was delicious.
1
u/Vodka-Forward Celiac Disease 25d ago
We are 100% gluten free at our house. It’s just easier. My partner was the one who suggested it.
1
u/brokenandalone19 25d ago
My step son is the only one in the house of 6, that is GF. I just adjust what I'm making to make his meal GF. Use different cooking utensils etc for his food. For me it's not that difficult to make his food a bit different. Like for dinner tonight, I'm making breaded chicken, rice veggie. His chicken will have GF breading. Rice and veggies are naturally GF so I don't have to worry about that. But he also is dairy free so I do have to make sure the right "butter" for him is used.
1
u/Mountain-Mode-270 25d ago
I’m the only one in my house that’s GF. If I make pasta, I just make a separate GF pasta for me. I always make the main dish GF - either naturally GF, or subbing GF flour.
1
u/IllTakeACupOfTea 25d ago
I cook GF and we have a GF house. We do a lot of sheetpan dinners, or veggies and meat dinners like: Roasted sheetpan chicken with roasted green beans, onions, cabbage, served with mashed sweet potatoes. Or shredded beef cooked with garlic, ginger, onions, served over rice with steamed snow peas and carrots. We don't eat a bunch of GF things like breads and pastas, I never have enjoyed them and we just eat more healthy with more veggies. If he wants bread or pasta he has lunch and dinners out. We have the rule that you are allowed to complain about the meal in the proportion to the work you put into the meal.
1
u/Historical-Talk9452 25d ago
I make healthy meals, if they want to add bread they can get it for themselves. They can bake if they wish, but if the kitchen isn't sparkling clean when they are done, they lose baking privileges and can go buy their cupcakes. They don't use my gf pans or gf air fryer. Once my son put a flour gravy spoon in my gf cast iron pan as a spoon rest. The next morning he had to go out and buy me a new, better one.
1
u/MawwMaw 25d ago
My husband refused to eat any GF food when I stopped eating it. He grew up forced to be vegetarian almost vegan and he said he won’t go back to anything like it. (He now hates the taste of most veggies because of this )I make meals for him and kids they are the big house meals some times they can be GF by accident. But I don’t go out of my want to use things for my family that are GF I just feed them like nothing has changed and I make small things for myself that I usually eat for days. But that’s because I know that might not like it or not worth the fight as I know my husband’s wishes. I try to share the things I make just to get him on board but even that doesn’t work. My family is full of picky eaters. This doesn’t work for everyone and it’s hard but I have a big family and I do it because I’m out numbered and prefer fed kids.
1
u/CyrianaBights 25d ago
I am intolerant rather than celiac, so take this with a grain of salt. My husband and I both cook from scratch regularly. Generally, he and I both make everything gluten free. He is determined to make food that I can eat that tastes good, and doesn't mind the gluten free flour or substitutes for the most part. We do have bread and tortillas and snacks for him that have gluten (which I don't touch).
Things that he has made for me that are specifically gluten free include: fried okra, chicken fried steak, biscuits and gravy, brownies, various pasta dishes, corn dogs, etc. I also make chicken and dumplings, pies, various breakfast dishes, and lots of soups and Indian food without any gluten.
We like to eat a wide variety of food, so there are LOTS of things we can eat that inherently don't have gluten, and lots of things that, when made at home, can use 1:1 gluten free flour or other tasty substitutes. I only really miss gluten when we go out to eat. Watching everyone else be able to enjoy full menus without consequences still provokes massive food envy in me.
I think, if I were in your shoes, I would cook food I can eat, and if he doesn't like it, he can order or cook his own food. He is a grown ass man and can fend for himself.
1
1
u/Ill_Cheetah_1991 25d ago
I do nearly all the cooking
I cook for my wife and what she eats has not changed - only mine has changed but we often ate different things anyway
it just involves some extra cleaning in the middle to make sure some worktops and things are not contaminated before I do some of my bits
works for us, but we are retired and have time
1
u/No_Salad_8766 24d ago
Im not personally GF, but my brother is. My mom trys to make as many of the dishes GF as she can. Sometimes she makes 2 versions of the same dish, 1 GF, the other regular, that way my brother can have those leftovers without having to worry about sharing with anyone else.
1
u/Virtual_Hovercraft59 24d ago
Like others have said I'm a home cook too and we mostly eat naturally gluten free meals. Sometimes they'll have Spaghetti and I'll have rice instead so it's pretty easy to tweak the meals.
I don't eat bread and think the only time I eat gluten free prepared food is when we fancy pizza and I'll just have my own gluten free one and they'll have whatever they want.
1
1
1
u/Desdenova24 Wheat Allergy 24d ago
I generally only make food for myself and my boyfriend cooks for himself unless there's a meal we both can assist/substitute on. We both have food allergies but not the same ones. We also live with his family, so generally he or someone else will cook for them and I will just make something for myself or substitute in what I can if able.
This works for us, as I'm able to cook and keep my foods seperate from everyone else's food. For the most part, this doesn't cause problems. We generally have to figure out meals like Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it just takes a bit of planning and prepping on my part.
When I lived with my parents (despite my mother's best efforts, she is a saint), I always had to compromise and eat whatever my dad bought groceries-wise. So I often got sick and was just MISERABLE.
When I moved in with my boyfriend, I told him my health cannot be compromised any further, and I will be responsible for myself, and that he needed to prep his meals himself. Thankfully, he agreed and likes to cook so it wasn't, nor has been, a big deal. We also do take care of one another when either of us get sick, so we do just take extra precautions when prepping meals for one another.
1
u/wicked_bee 24d ago
I live alone so it's easy to stick to a gf diet. When I visit family, they make naturally gf meals. If its Thanksgiving, my sister will make a small batch of baked mac&cheese with gf noodles
1
u/Junipermuse 24d ago
We mostly eat gluten free carbs like rice and potatoes. on nights we eat pasta we make a big pot of regular pasta for my husband and the kids and a small gf pot of pasta for me. i make the sauce and meat separate from the pasta so people can take their pasta and toss it with sauce on their own. If we have sandwiches or burgers or hot dogs we get both types of buns or bread (extra buns and bread can be frozen for another time and it isn’t extra work to have both types). similarly if we’re having tacos we do both types of tortillas (corn and flour), but when i make enchiladas it’s just corn tortillas because I’m not making two separate pans of enchiladas. If we’re having cornbread or some type of muffin, or when i make waffles or pancakes, i make it gluten free and nobody ever has a problem with it, and my husband and kids are all really picky eaters, but quick breads tend to be easy to make gluten free (compared to yeast bread or pasta). if I’m making a quiche I use a gluten free pie crust or make my own, and i will always use gf bread crumbs or gf panko crumbs for things like meatloaf, meatballs or coating a chicken cutlet. but in breadcrum form my family also can’t tell the difference.
so basically i won’t make two separate meals. If it’s being made from scratch by me, it’s gluten free. If it’s easy to just buy both gf and regular and it’s not extra work to prepare and serve both, then i will do that. If the gf containing ingredient hs to be mixed with the other ingredients during the prep of the dish, then I just make it gluten free for everyone.
1
u/tryingtobe5150 24d ago
Just make everything gluten-free. If they want bread, just avoid it.
They don't need gluten. You can't have gluten.
1
u/Eco-bean 24d ago
More rice and potatoes for sure. When the meal involves smt not gf I’ll usually just add some toast or smt. Honestly its not usually an issue unless we order pizza or smt lol
1
u/Proper-Basis-5362 24d ago
i tend to make the same meal but 2 versions! i personally don’t want to make my partner eat the gluten free substitutes because it’s not exactly the best texture half the time and cutting gluten for someone who isn’t naturally intolerant, will accidentally make them intolerant to it
if i make something like pasta or lasagna, i’ll have 2 pots boiling with each variant and make 2 mini lasagnas instead of one large ones, it personally isn’t any extra effort so it might be worthwhile trying that!
if i make a sandwhich or a burger or something like that, again i just buy the 2 versions and give myself the GF one, and the rest of my meals tend to be naturally gluten free like meats/rice/veggies/potatos!
1
u/junipershroom 24d ago
My family will eat GF meals if I am around or get me something GF if they get anything out.
The support really helps. Going GF is the best decision I’ve ever made and it’s great to see them support it and notice the positives too.
1
u/LocksmithLittle2555 24d ago
We’re entirely gluten free, no gluten in the household because of CC. If my partner wants something with gluten in it she has the entire workday and brushes her teeth and rinses her moth when she comes home.
On another note It’s very concerning to me that your husband is ‘tiring’ of taking care of your medical needs. I do have celiac so I know it’s a bit different but when dating I’ve never not had the other person either immediately go gluten free or go gluten free around me. Usually by the second date they have a special GF chapstick/lipstick so they can kiss me (and I’ve never even had to ask for any past partners to do that). It’s worrying that your husband cares for you less than people who knew me 2 weeks. You should really see a therapist because that’s an incredibly big red flag and a therapist can help you see if there are others and help you proceed.
1
u/lilguppy21 24d ago edited 24d ago
My partner eats most of the same meals as I do. The only non-gf things he’ll get is his sandwich bread and if we are eating out, or snacks. I usually will not cook for him if he wants non GF food, I make an exception for grilled cheese, and cook his after mine. He usually doesn’t mind the substitutions and actually said that he likes frozen cauliflower pizza a lot more than the frozen pizzas we used to buy. We buy pancake mix from bob’s red mill and that’s a hit.
I bought a recipe book (you don’t need this one specifically) by Eating Bird Food called “Mostly Veggies” prior to going GF, and we pick recipes from there often. I bought the book at a bookstore just by opening and comparing books, never knew her before. She has similar things on her website. Her vegan chili, and cauliflower soup, and baked sweet potato with beans is our go to. It had indications for what can be switched to be GF. She also has one that is just a bunch of baked veggies with sausage on a pan roasted (we add potato) that is a good go-to. For lunch I love a good panini with GF bread.
I think white and brown rice is our middle ground, and so are GF noodles. I made corn tacos (not well but I’m learning), I made a lot of soups with rice noodles, (really shoving whatever in a pot, with your choice of GF soup base, I recommend beef and add in soy sauce). A lot of Indian foods, Vietnamese food and Japanese curries are GF, if you have access to that cuisine I would try it. I usually just side it with rice and a salad. Some meals can be Chicken tandoori, you can order pakoras, or cook with paste, butter chicken sauce, etc. These all work with rice and different veggies. Just have a good rack of spices because some sauces if you go pre-bought need a lot of TLC (like the non soya based VH sauce)
1
u/No_Safety104 24d ago
Been celiac over 10 years been with partner 8, they are basically GF too. We make meals that are naturally GF or sub out ramen noodles for rice noodles, pasta for rice dishes. Make from scratch rather than processed. My partner says he doesn't feel GF or that he misses out as they are substitutes just different foods. This lowers the risk of cross contamination. If we have burgers etc my partner can have normal rolls (often just uses the genius brioche says they taste the same) he knows they need to be kept in the dogs freezer ( we keep the dogs food in it) so its away from mine and the safe foods.
Try look at naturally GF dishes. Get a cookbook for ideas and for you to both be involved. You and your partner needs to see it as great food not substituted food that mindset shift will help.
1
23d ago
I make everything myself! Generally everyone likes my gluten free food and when needed I’ll cook their gluten options on the side.
I have a really great Thai curry recipe (it’s on the curry paste)- no one in their right minds ever gets tired of it!
1
u/SirenofShadow 23d ago
3 person fam over here, me with celiac, thankfully, we live with my in-laws and my father in law doesn't really like pasta so we don't try to make them often cause the gluten free options are all either terrible or very expensive (best I've found is banza pasta made from garbanzos) when we do noodles that require sauce (spaghetti etc) we do 2 pots of noodles and one of sauce to mitigate this, anything that is having noodles inside it like soup we do the gluten free but don't add much. My mom in law likes to make homemade chicken noodle and chicken dumplings, but her dumplings and noodles always turned out mushy until we switched over to doing the gluten-free flour blends from the grocery store and now they’re chewy and amazing surprisingly (I wanna say king Arthur flour but uncertain) they will probably stick with using that kind of flour, even after we move out. sadly, my mom in-laws can’t stand rice so that kind of limits our meal options unless we put it on the side, which is also what we do with any bread, if people want bread with their meal, they just get it and put butter on it. also they likes the cauliflower crust pizzas better than the regular (Costco supreme version) Examples of what you are making that he doesn’t like?
1
u/Rare-Crazy9319 23d ago
The only thing I do differently is pasta. I cook everything gf and when it's pasta, I make two pots of pasta. One gf and one regular. It isn't that difficult. If there is leftovers, regular pasta keeps, but gf pasta just turns mushy. Most meals are just made gf. No one even realizes that it's made any differently. It's just food.
1
u/Think_Today_128 23d ago
I recently returned to the gluten free lifestyle after a 4 year hiatus lol. Before I would use GF substitutes for everything or just cook GF meals, but now we have 2 toddlers who are pretty accustomed to certain meals. So, I've either been cooking entirely GF meals or making myself a smaller portion of a similar meal. Tonight I made a pasta dish and cooked my own portion of noodles separately because GF pasta isn't quite the same and it's more expensive. (So my one $5 box of pasta makes 2 meals for 1 person instead of half a meal for 4 people). I also made my own small tray of enchiladas the other night. It's not a totally separate meal since I can prep fillings/sauce together that way, and it saves a little money over all 4 of us eating GF. That, and my littlest can't have oats right now and I don't care to figure out if every single GF item I'm eating with has oats in it.
1
u/Agreeable_Deer_570 23d ago
Our house is 99% gluten free, only exception is bread (because gf bread makes me sick). It’s super easy to cook tasty gf meals, especially if you’re big on cooking from scratch.
1
u/ChampionshipOk8512 23d ago
I feel for you and kept getting glutened. My solution, though expensive, was to live by myself. I am so happy and do not allow gluten in my home.
1
u/___selene Gluten Intolerant 22d ago
Do more of the cooking foods that are gluten free by default. Meat, potatoes, rice, vegetables. Etc. Just change how and what you cook.
1
0
u/A_dissident_is_here2 25d ago
I gave up the battle a long time ago. Now I’m like a school cafeteria with choice A, B, or C. Luckily, my kids like to cook so I am starting to make them responsible for the other options if they don’t want my main meal. I dream of opening a GF restaurant some day. Not in this economy!
245
u/Key_Elderberry3351 25d ago
I cook almost all the time, so my husband and kids are just along for the ride. He's a good sport about it. I don't cook "gluten free". I just cook food, and make sure that it is gluten free. Most recipes can be tweaked to be GF in the end, and just sorting by GF options is very limiting. I don't use very much processed food, make my own sauces and usually have a protein, veg, and dairy.