Thirty Minute or Less Gluten-Free Meal Ideas

We are all busy.  Before the gluten-free diet it was easy to swing by the closest fast food restaurant and pick up dinner.  Now, though it is possible, I try to avoid it.  Following the gluten-free diet forces me to think more about my food choices.  If I choose to eat out, whether it be fast food or a sit-down restaurant, I have to consider whether or not I can eat safely.  Safely means gluten-free, it doesn’t take into account any of the other health problems that may result from frequent dining out on higher sodium, higher calorie or higher fat foods.

One way I try to avoid falling into the trap of picking something up on the way home is meal planning.  I try to meal plan on Sundays before I head out to the grocery store so I have everything I will need for those meals in the house.  Once that step is complete, I try to prep as much as I can on Sunday or Monday so that I have less steps to prepare the meal on the day it rolls around.  If meat needs to be defrosted, I use our second refrigerator for that.  Notice that I used the words “I try”.  There are times that this doesn’t happen and there are times that it does, but I don’t follow through on the plan.  I am not perfect – none of us are.

I try to have a back up plan in place for those days when I have failed to follow my plan.  Keeping supplies on hand that are shelf-stable or can be frozen is one way to be prepared.  Here is my list of pantry and/or freezer items that I try to keep on hand:

• Ground beef or turkey
• Prego three cheese spaghetti sauce
• Gluten-free pasta
• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Black beans
• Garbanzo beans
• Chebe foccacia or pizza mix (can easily be made into a pizza crust)
• Eggs
• Potatoes
• Hormel chili with beans
• Edamame
• Diced tomatoes
• Udi’s gluten-free pizza crust (freezer)
• Taco seasoning (or a blend of your own – cumin, chile powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, etc.)
• corn tortillas

Several quick meals can be created from the ingredients I listed above.  Dinner doesn’t have to be elaborate, just enough to get the tummy full and the body refueled.  Some of our quick, go-to gluten-free meals that take 30 minutes or less are:

• Tacos – Brown ground meat, season & serve in corn tortillas with a side of salad and corn
• Spaghetti – Brown ground meat & dump in a jar of Prego; boil pasta and toss with meat sauce.  Serve with green salad.
• Chili with brown rice/quinoa.  Serve with a green salad.
• Breakfast for dinner – fried or scrambled eggs, frittata or omelet.  Serve with fried potatoes and a large bowl of fruit.  Add fresh spinach to scramble for extra nutrients.
• Pizza – Spread diced tomatoes (or Prego sauce) on an Udi’s gluten-free crust.  Top with mushrooms & cheese (or whatever you like).  Serve with a green salad.
• Rice/quinoa bowls made with beans or edamame.  Add roasted vegetables to the mix.  Serve with a side of gluten-free garlic toast.

Some things I do on Sunday to make my week easier:

• Cook enough rice or quinoa for a few meals & keep in the refrigerator or freezer
• Slice vegetables for salads
• Clean & slice fruit for salads/sides (some fruit goes bad faster when cut, so use caution)
• Clean & cut vegetables for sides or use in meals.  Roasting vegetables brings out a unique flavor.  Store roasted veggies in the fridge for adding to salads, omelets, rice bowls or pizza.
• Occasionally I will buy a rotisserie chicken (or even roast one myself) to use in lunches & dinners through the week.

Another option to consider is using a crock pot.  I don’t do this a lot, but when I do I freeze some of what I make for fast go-to meals.  Some crock pot meals that freeze well:

• Pulled pork – pork loin + 1 –2 cups of white vinegar, salt & pepper cooked on low for 8 hours.  Toss with your favorite BBQ sauce.  Serve and freeze leftovers.
• Pork & sauerkraut – boneless pork loin or boneless chops + 1 bag sauerkraut + salt & pepper.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve over mashed or baked potatoes and freeze leftovers.
• Pot roast – boneless chuck roast + carrots + potatoes + onions + salt & pepper.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve with a green salad and freeze leftovers.
• Roast chicken – roll up several balls of foil & place on the bottom of your crock pot.  Season your chicken and place the chicken on top of the foil balls.  Roast on low for 8 hours.  Serve as you wish and eat leftovers for the week.

While using the crock pot obviously takes longer than 30 minutes, the prep should only take minutes in the morning before you head out the door for work and then you have most of your meal ready when you get home.  If you are looking to get more creative with your crockpot, check out Stephanie O’Dea’s “A Year of Slow Cooking”.