Hi, I’m Tianna, a domestic goddess mother of two. I am busy raising two adorable human beings, which you can read about at www.babblingpanda.com. I am also a contributing author at Urbantastebud.com.
Being a mom of two active beings, I know what being busy looks like.
I’m a little bit of a health nut and fit in exercise and work, as well as school meetings and kid-related activities.
I try very hard to stay healthy, and to keep my son and daughter healthy in the process.
Being organized can be difficult, and sometimes my schedule sneaks up on me. I know we all want to be these superhero people that meal plan, eat only healthy kale-like substances and never EVER whip up a box of Kraft dinner for our munchkins. But sometimes, just sometimes, that processed food saves the day.
I read a lot of blogs about healthy living, environmentally friendly packaging and eating only produce if possible.
I also try to reduce the amount of packaging I buy and processed food I eat.
When I can’t, I don’t beat myself up about it. I concede and go to my pantry to get something ready-made.
Sometimes you just don’t have ten extra minutes in the day to figure out a super-food smoothie, ya know?
So here are my winners for gluten-free, processed, packaged food.
1. Udi’s Gluten Free Pizza
I know that you can get take-out pizza that is gluten free as well, but I prefer this. When we have our occasional pizza and movie nights at home, I always run out to the store and grab this from the frozen food aisle. It’s not enormous and I can eat one in one sitting, but I find it tastes way better than takeout crust. My family orders takeout and I pop mine in the oven. Then we grab a blanket, spread it out on the floor and start a movie.
Everyone gets pizza and it’s a nice way to have some family time!
You can also get the non-frozen pizza dough version by clicking here!
2. PC Brand Gluten Free Waffles
These are fantastic! My husband makes waffles every Sunday and we have tried a few gluten-free recipes, but haven’t really been happy with any of them. The struggle to find a good waffle recipe that doesn’t take 7 weird kinds of obscure flour is real, folks. My kids always complain that the gluten-free waffles we try to make have a weird aftertaste. Another concern is how they freeze and toast up in the following weeks. Every Sunday we make a huge batch of waffles, freeze the leftovers and use them in the coming weeks as toaster waffles. The gluten-free ones weren’t the best for this.
A cheaper alternative? Frozen toaster waffles.
I finally found some that aren’t hideously expensive and taste good. I really enjoy these. Great texture, no weird after-taste and quick to make. They come in plain and blueberry so far- both fantastic! I’ve also found that I can use two plain waffles to make a waffle sandwich, which makes a great picnic lunch option. A great pairing with waffles is…..
3. Johnsonville Breakfast Sausages
….sausages and sausage gravy! Every so often I grab a package of these sausages to go with our waffles and my husband will whip up some sausage gravy after cooking them through. The peppery flavour of these sausages paired with the slight sweetness of the instant waffles, plus the salty sausage gravy poured over top of them, is the best way to end a Sunday, in my humble opinion. Thank goodness these sausages are gluten-free, as they are one of my favourite brands. It’s an indulgent meal, to be sure, but completely necessary once in awhile.
Also, if you have leftover sausages, they make a great filling for your waffle sandwich the next day!
You can buy some delicious gluten free breakfast sausages by clicking here.
4. Nature Valley Nut Crisp Bars (Honorable Mention)
Although not a meal option, I did try a snack option that wasn’t terrible and deserves a mention. I would never pay full price for these, but on sale they’re a good option for an “on-the-go” food. These crisp bars are a bunch of nuts and seeds laying on top of a layer of peanut butter or chocolate. I took one on a park outing the other day. I noticed that I was starting to feel my blood sugar drop and was getting cranky. This definitely hit the spot and I will be taking some on our next summer road trip to help me survive between meals.
So if, one day while you are planning supper, you notice you are getting to that “too-hungry” point, I would recommend these bars. They are a bit “seedy” but I still enjoyed mine.
Buy these delicious bars by clicking here!
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So there you have it. Three quick meals from your local grocery store that are gluten-free and delicious.
I hope you try them and enjoy them as much as I do.
Until next time, happy eating.
*Author was in no way paid by any of these companies to review their products.
I’ve tried Udi’s Pizza and it was great. I am usually a little skeptical about gluten free products, but this pizza convinced me to start trying more gluten free things. I have yet to try the waffles. I think I’ll go and look for them when I go grocery shopping tonight!