G-Free Meals at Costco

Since we have been working on cutting out gluten, and having Gretchen go gluten free last Fall, I've been looking for delicious gluten free meals that are quick and easy to make on busy nights. 

I had so many go-to's that I loved like Costco's Orange Chicken & Fried Rice, and I had really missed just having some simple easy meals on hand. The last few times I've been at Costco, I've paid attention to labels, read ingredients, and found a few yummy gluten free quick meals to share with y'all! 

Okay, I wasn't sure about this Korean BBQ-style chicken but we LOVED it! 

I served it with broccoli and rice, and it was seriously so good. Gretchen raved about it and took the leftovers to school the next day. 

I was excited to try these enchiladas, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them. They were easy to throw in the oven, and they may make a great snack, but it wasn't what I expected; I think they were wrapped in little pans with two each, but it needed more sauce and was a bit bland. 

I served it with siete chips and salsa. I was definitely still hungry and wanting some more. 

Okay, this shrimp was delicious. It came in a big bag, and each piece was covered frozen in the garlic butter sauce. I probably could have cooked half the bag, but I went ahead and cooked it all. I also cooked some gluten free noodles, and chopped up some bell peppers with it. 

It was another dish that we all loved and Gretchen took the leftovers to school. 

We love this easy Cauliflower Crust Pizza; it's loaded with veggies and so good! 

I also love this pulled pork. It comes in a bag, so I throw the bag in a crockpot full of water and let it heat up through the day, so it's ready when we get home. Serve it with potatoes, gluten free buns, or make pulled pork nachos. This one has been in our dinner rotation for a long time! 

If you've found some great gluten free meals at Costco, I'd love for you to share them in the comments! 

 

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

We love baking in our house, and we love chocolate chip cookies! Over the years, we've used the same tried and true cookie recipe, but this time, we're making it gluten free. 

What You'll Need:

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 tspn vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 c gluten free flour 

1 bag Enjoy Life chocolate chips/chunks

What You'll Do:

In your standing mixer bowl, add your sugars and softened butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix for 30 seconds, stop and scrape bowl, mix for 30 more seconds. Gradually add baking soda, salt, and gluten free flour to mixture and mix about 2 1/2 minutes. Add chocolate chips, and mix together.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls on to cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

The cookies are the perfect bite size, and so delicious! 

Let me know if you try them! 

 

Costco Haul

Last week, I ran to Costco, so let's take a look at the goodies I grabbed! 

DJ is working on getting better about taking his lunch to work; I grabbed these burritos for him to take to the office, and I will eat this for a quick lunch too while I'm between speech kiddos. 

Gluten free pizzas for Gretchen... she was complaining that her last ones didn't have pepperoni, so I grabbed her these. 

I love making this sausage with potatoes and peppers for an easy weeknight dinner! 

The little girls love these individual pizzas. On nights that I don't feel like cooking or when Megan needs to take dinner with her to gymnastics, these are great to throw in the microwave. 

The girls love cocktail cucumbers! I wash these as soon as I get home, and chop the ends off, and throw them in a bowl. They're perfect to add to school lunches. 

Speaking of school lunches, these chicken skewers are a great option for Gretchen to take to school! 

We love these fruit bars for a little snack during school, in a lunch, or after school. I also throw a few in my purse, in case the girls get hungry when we're on the go! 

We love their organic turkey.

Adalyn asked for blueberries :) 

And the girls love tomatoes too! 

I buy these for Gretchen, but I'll eat them with hummus! 

Please toss out your junkie cooking spray. Avocado oil (or coconut oil) is the way to go! I love that I can get these in a set of two at Costco. 

I was thrilled to find a gluten free brownie mix! Gretchen baked these last night, and they're not bad at all! 

We also like their gluten free bread. 

And the Dave's Killer Bread for Megan and Adalyn. 

I love these little granola bites! You can find them at Target too, but obviously Costco has a huge bag of them! But, Target has them in bars and has a few more flavors.... either way, these are a win, and they're allergy free. 

I bought a huge bag of chocolate chips so I can make DJ's student's some cookies, but let's be real, the girls and I eat them right out of the bag. 

Gretchen has been wanting Corn Chowder, so I bought a huge bag of corn so I could make her some soup sometime in the next few weeks. 

I also picked up more gluten free cereal for her. 

And I thought she'd want to try these gluten free cookies. 

And these gluten free cookies too. 

We love the Siete brand of chips and have been buying these for a while.

And, I feel like this has turned in to a gluten free post, because I ended up finding lots of options this time around! We use to buy Costco's ciabatta breads in the bakery section- they are so good for sandwiches with a little gourmet flair, so I was excited to find the gluten free ones. I like making a sandwich with these and heating it in the oven ;) I froze one section, and kept the other section out for Gretchen. 

We love their bell peppers. I chop them when I get home and the girls will eat them for snacks, but then they're also ready to go for dinners. 

I also love their eggs. We do a lot of baking, so these get used often, and the girls love hard boiled eggs for breakfast or school lunch. 

I bought a bunch of bananas, but the girls haven't eaten them, so I'm about to make some banana bread with them. Do your kids do that too? They'll eat a fruit when I buy it, and then the next time I buy it, they won't touch it. Sigh. 

A big bag of potatoes! Mostly for a quick dinner... I can bake these and then use the chicken skewers and peppers for a loaded baked potato, but I also grabbed them for the corn chowder. 

And orange juice, because my kids love it. 

Whew! That was a lot from our last Costco trip!

Can you believe I actually need to go back soon and pick up some more fruits & veggies, and sigh, lunchables for the days after gymnastics. 

 

Gluten Free Finds

Back in September, we decided to switch Gretchen over to a gluten free diet. There were some signs and things that we wanted to see if going g-free would help, so we've been on the search for alternates that she can eat, so she doesn't feel like she's missing out.

Of course, eating foods that are naturally gluten free are our best bet. Meats, eggs, fresh veggies, fruits.... all of those are the best option. But, I also know that when raising a teen, we need to be realistic, and do the best we can. 

I thought I'd share with y'all a few of our favorite brands and products we've tried this far. 

I found these King Arthur mini-muffins at Target, and Gretchen loved them! They are definitely a treat, and I'd love to find more of a breakfast muffin option for her, but if we have something sweet that isn't gluten free, these are a great option for her to have. 

Highey is a brand that I've found on Thrive Market, at Target, and at Costco. So far, the Costco bags are the biggest and best value. All of the girls tried these cookies and they all liked them! 

They even have snickerdoodle cookies. 

I've been buying this cereal for several years now, and it's always been a hit. Other g-free cereals include Rice Krispies, some chex cereal, and I've found a keto g-free cereal at Costco that similar to honey grahams. 

I don't typically buy oreo's, but we wanted to try out the gluten free ones and they were a hit. The girls all ate this package within a few days. Downside- the regular oreos come in larger packages. 

We've found lots of gluten-free options from Thrive Market too. I've bought flour, muffin mixes, a cookie mixes, and banza pasta through them. Thrive Market will give you 30% off your first order when you click here to join! I love that you can shop through Thrive based on your dietary needs. So, if you're gluten free, you can refine your search to just gluten free items! You can also search for Vegan, Dairy free, and more! I also love that I can hop on the app, place an order and within a few days it will arrive at my door! 

Those are just a few of the gluten free finds we've found & love! Stay tuned, because I'll have a part 2 coming soon!