Ever wondered what you're going to eat? You know, at practically every meal. Sometimes as a coeliac it's really annoying being hungry, especially if you're in your own home and fancy a quick snack.
So what can you do? It's not like you can have a 'normal' lifestyle back. You know, one where you eat whatever you fancy and don't have to double-check all the ingredients first.
My advice? Get a set of staples for a naturally gluten-free coeliac cupboard, that's what. I've put one together that doesn't cost a bomb and can be sourced from pretty much any supermarket.
It's the top ten to keep in the cupboard (oh all right, or freezer). But they'll all behave themselves nicely with best before dates for 2019, which is always handy.
Frozen peas
Vanilla icecream
Frozen fish fillets
Basmati rice
Tinned sweetcorn
Dark chocolate
Baked beans
Peanut butter
Squeezable honey (or agave syrup if you're vegan)
Kidney beans
By the way, these aren't the only things you're meant to eat. But they're super useful when you want to put something together and are stuck for ideas.
So what can you do with them? Think salads with cooked cooled peas and sweetcorn or a hot meal that needs a vegetable or two. Kidney beans are fab for bulking out a main meal, especially if you've got leftover bolognaise (but it won't stretch to the whole family). Suddenly it's as if you're about to feed the five thousand!
Frozen fish fillets are brill for a stew-style vegetable simmer and rice goes with pretty much every naturally gluten-free main. Beans are a friend to many a carb, including a jacket potato (don't yawn - I love the humble spud, even if it does get served over and over again to the gluten-free masses). And a quick pudding can be pulled together from icecream, grated dark chocolate and a drizzle of honey.
You may notice that most of these are also vegan, which is quite handy if you have other diets to cater for. And if you're wondering, the honey needs to be squeezable to be absolutely sure no-one can stick a crumby knife in there. Plus, you can just whip this lot up in a jiffy. Happy days!
Do you have a gluten-free staple you'd add to this list? Please let me know below!