Five Favs: Gluten free frozen comfort meals.

When you go gluten free, you have two options:

- Stop eating gluten and do not find replacements for the foods you love (this is essentially a paleo diet of fruits, veggies, meat, nuts, twigs and an unhealthy amount of trail mix)

- Stop eating gluten and find replacements for the foods you love (this means you'll gain something, probably weight, from reading this post)

I'm a replacement girl, though I went the no-replacements route for about a year. I felt great, lost 10 pounds and finally got that sought-after long and lean body. 

However, I found myself crying to my mother, sobbing "there's just nothing for me to eat! Except almonds. I eat so many damn almonds."

Then I got married and had kids, and now I'm writing a post about gluten-free frozen corn dogs. Whatever.

So when Sean's out of town and I'm alone with the little people for dinner time, I have no patience for home cooking. I also have no patience for hauling two kids into a restaurant so I can grab take-out. Even though these favorites are pricey, they're still cheaper than the cost (both in dollars and energy) of dinner out. 

Let's crank the oven to 400 and pull one of these babies out of the freezer.

1. Applegate Natural Gluten-Free Beef Corn Dogs

Come to mama. Dogs without nitrites, antibiotics or fillers, all wrapped up in a slightly sweet corn batter. $6.99 for a box of four. 

2. Udi's Uncured Pepperoni Pizza

I've yet to find a better frozen gluten free pizza than Udi's, and blessedly, they're popping up more and more at local grocery stores. And the price isn't bad--$7.99, though it'd be a stretch to say it feeds two adults. But a tired mom and two toddlers with mini appetites? It does just fine. 

3. Glutenfreeda Pesto Chicken Pizza Wrap

Sean once tried to pick out a frozen gluten free burrito at the store for me, and he picked one of the usual "rice/beans/cheese" suspects. No no, put that puppy back, said I. It tastes like, you know, a burrito. Oh, the horror, he said! That a burrito would taste like, you know, a burrito.

Enter the Pesto Chicken Pizza Wrap. All the chewy burrito texture and not a bean in sight. It's more like a frozen ravioli, really. They had me at pesto. 

$3.69 regular price, but often on sale for $2.50. I stock up. 

4. Tyson Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

While home in California last year I ventured into Walmart Neighborhood Market. I perused the frozen foods aisle and let out a loud "OHHHHHH no WAAAAY" when I saw that:

- Tyson made gluten free chicken nuggets

- Walmart now carried this holy grail of gfree goodness

- the price was like $6.75 or less for a 20 oz bag

I bagged those bad boys, made Joseph pound it, and had everyone in my family eat them for dinner that night. And you know what I did the next day? Went and bought another bag. Because they were SO CHEEEEEAP.  I've yet to find them anywhere except that little Walmart. As if I needed any more reasons to live in California. 

5. Starfish Gluten Free Battered Cod

Here's the one exception to my bake it/eat it favorites list. These require the makings for fish tacos to be properly enjoyed, so they're not simply bake--dip in processed sauce--eat, like the others above. But these have made Fridays in Lent more enjoyable than they probably should be. 

Prices vary greatly between store chains and sales, but I generally pay $6-7/box. 

So, go forth, heat and eat. You have my permission to give up the nuts and twigs, at least if your husband is working late. 

And head over to Moxie Wife to see how to kiss properly. Really!