Gluten Free Your Year with Coral – February Challenge
Welcome to month TWO of the Gluten Free Your Year challenge! I’m so glad you’re here!
You can find an overview of the challenge HERE
This month’s theme is “Gluten Free Your Kitchen,” and I have to be honest, I think this is going to be my favorite one! Food is central to the gluten free way of living because, well, many foods have gluten and we all have to eat! Whether you’ve been gluten free for a day or a decade, we can all do a little better and learn new things, right? This month’s challenge will look different for each person depending on whether their house is 100% gluten free, like mine, or if they share kitchen space with gluten food, like so many of you.
To kick off this month’s challenge, you can download your own “Gluten Free My Kitchen Checklist” to use as you walk through the weekly challenges! And scroll down to read “5 Steps to Overhaul your kitchen”
Gluten Free your Kitchen Checklist.pdf
5 Steps to Overhaul your Kitchen
1. Gather all Gluten Free Items in once Section and Label
This is a time intensive step if you are transitioning to gluten free, but it is worth it! It will be a huge learning experience, and once it’s done, you will be relieve and have so much more knowledge on the food in your kitchen. Here’s some tips:
- Download the Spoonful App, a scanning app that will mark your items as green, yellow, or red.
- Call the manufacturer product information phone number for items you are unsure about
- When deciding where to place the gluten free items, I recommend top shelves, so gluten items don’t drop crumbs on your gluten free items.
2. Utensils and Dishes
This one has really been a learning process for me. Depending on your budget and what you need for peace of mind, you can choose to buy new items or wash items on sanitizer setting. If you can’t replace everything, maybe start of with these items that are hard to get gluten off of:
- teflon pans with signs of wear
- wooden spatulas
- colanders
- toaster
- sponges
3. Create a Gluten Free Zone
It is so comforting to know you have a safe place where you don’t have to worry about crumbs or cross contact. Maybe you start off with only your bedroom, one shelf and one kitchen counter, and then expand from there as you can. Start small and give yourself the space you need to relax and feel safe.
4. Take Inventory of Your Kitchen
Start creating a shopping list. Now that you have gone through your food and your kitchen items, you know what you need to replace and buy. As you replace pots and pans, stainless steel is a great option for their durability and ease of cleaning. And my expert tip for reducing chances of cross contact with condiments– squeeze bottles! Such a lifesaver
5. Assemble a Gluten Free Cookbook
Ok, I know this sounds crazy, but you don’t have to create the recipes from scratch. There are now so many recipes on Pinterest, on my website, and many other gluten free people on social media. Put together a binder of recipes, favorite ingredients and simple meal ideas. You will be so grateful for this on days when you are feeling like, “I don’t know what to eat!”
If you want to listen to more on this topic, listen to Podcast Episode 34: Create a Gluten Free Kitchen from Scratch (Click HERE), where I have guest Susan Neal walk us through the process of making our kitchen safe and stress free!