We have been loving our gluten free granola around this house so I thought I would make some gluten free granola muffins with them. I couldn’t find a recipe that I liked so I came up with this one. They were quite delicious. I would recommend pressing down on the granola before cooking though because some of ours crumbled off.

One of our sons is on a gluten free diet and he often wishes he could have something simple to grab for breakfast on the run. These work so well for that. He ate the first batch so quickly that they didn’t even make it to the freezer for that purpose though!

I did make another batch though to test out a different flavour of granola and also to make sure that they froze well.

Gluten Free Granola Muffin Recipe:

1 1/4 cups Silvana’s flour mixture
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
dash salt

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup milk

Udi’s gluten free granola (I used Udi’s Sweet & Fruity Cranberry Granola in these pictures, but I have also used the Vanilla)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease muffin tin.

Mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. Cream together sugar, eggs and butter. Stir in dry mixture. Add vanilla and milk. Mix. Pour into muffin tins.

Top with the granola and press down.

Bake for 20 minutes.

This is the printable Gluten Free Granola Muffins recipe.

These muffins freeze well as long as you press the granola down before baking so that it doesn’t crumble off. These are quite versatile as you can use different flavours of gluten free granola or you can add fruit or cinnamon to them.

Gluten Free Freezer Meal Plan

100+ Gluten Free Snack Ideas

Our gluten free recipes so far have been hit and miss, but this quinoa greek salad was pretty good. Not all of the kids liked it, but Snuggle Puppy had three helpings!

Bring 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups rinsed quinoa to a simmer. Cover and cook on low for 30-35 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes. Cool.

Mix together 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 3-4 teaspoons of minced garlic, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, pepper, and 1/4 cup fresh parsley. Set dressing aside.

In bowl, mix together:

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1 cup chopped baby tomatoes

1 cup canned artichoke hearts, chopped

1/2 cup or more chopped cucumbers

1/2 cup chopped red peppers

1/2 cup chopped yellow peppers

feta cheese, crumbled or coarsely chopped

Stir cooled quinoa into vegetables and add dressing.  Serve chilled or at room temp.

*you could also throw in some black olives, but I didn’t have any on hand.

Since being on our gluten free experiment, I have found that the kids are hungrier, so having a list of snack ideas handy has been helpful.  In case it would help others, here is my list:

-carrots, cucumbers, celery

-carrots with honey mustard dip

-apples

-rice crackers and cheese

-rice crackers and hummus

-apples and caramel

-frozen grapes

-sweet potato fries (homemade or by Alexia)

-sunflower seeds

-peanut butter, hummus, or baba ghanouj on rice cakes

-oranges

-salsa and tortilla chips

-guacamole and tortilla chips

-hard boiled eggs

-popcorn

-popsicles

-raisins or craisins

-cream cheese on a rice cake, topped with jam

-pudding

-jello

–gluten free Chex mix

-trail mix (Gorilla Munch, mini marshmallows, raisins, sunflower seeds, nuts)

-pickles

-chocolate milk

-gluten free rice krispie squares (these can be made ahead, cut up, and frozen)

-peppers

-pineapple

-cottage cheese

-zucchini

-gluten free cookies

-applesauce

-homemade lunchables (gluten free sausage, cheese, rice crackers)

-bananas

-snap peas

-broccoli or cauliflower with dip

-yogourt or frozen yogourt

-tzatziki with red peppers

-garbanzo beans

-fruit leather

-gluten free luncheon meat rolled up in lettuce

-pickled asparagus, carrots, or jarred olives

-kiwi, cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberries, grapes, cherries

-frozen berries

-fruit salad

-Sensible Portions Veggie Straws or Veggie Chips

-Surprise Spread with tortilla chips or rice crackers

Just like before the gluten free eating, my kids seem to eat more of the healthy foods when I put them in a muffin tray.  Here were two snack trays I made last week:

-red and yellow peppers

-pineapple slices

-cucumber slices

-organic tortilla chips

-gluten free sausage

-four cheese rice crackers

-orange slices

–gluten free Chex mix

*If you have any other gluten free snack ideas, please leave them in the comments and I will add them to the list.

After many years of procrastinating out of fear, I am finally taking the plunge and putting our family on a gluten-free diet for the next 3 weeks.  The thoughts first began probably about four years ago when I was researching Aspergers and found many reports linking positive changes in some kids with autism when placed on a gluten-free diet.  Since Einstein has Aspergers, a form of autism, it is something I considered trying.  As we tried other things with Einstein such as addressing his sensory issues, his symptoms decreased and the gluten thing fell to the back of my radar.  I have heard how difficult it is and how expensive it is and frankly, it seemed like a lot of work, so I procrastinated.

Recently, Einstein’s symptoms have gotten much more pronounced.  We aren’t really sure why, but even he has noticed and is upset about his frustration level and lack of control he is feeling.  As a mom, when you see your child struggling, you will do anything to help them, even if it means it will cost you time and money.

But the reason that I am taking our whole family off gluten for a three week experiment is that I am wondering if it can help with some other issues.  Fred gets headaches and has insomnia…both things he has dealt with for many years.  I’m curious to see if the new diet will help with Miss Optimism’s eczema or even with her real health issues.  Granola Girl gets fairly regular stomachaches and Snuggle Puppy and Dancing Queen are still battling parasites.  I don’t know if the new diet will help with those, but it won’t hurt.

As for The Husband and I, I am interested to see if it will make a difference in our overall energy level and it would be a bonus if I dropped a few pounds while we’re at it!

As with most things I do, I did weeks of research and planning before embarking on this journey.  I shamelessly asked for help from friends who are gluten-free and got some great leads on websites, recipes, and ideas.  I have lists of possible snacks, breakfasts, lunches, and suppers.  I have made a special flour mix using a recipe recommended to me by my friend Richelle.  I went and bought groceries and spent three times what I normally would (gulp!).  I have convinced the kids that this will be a fun experiment.  I have gotten rid of all the bread, cookies, cake, oatmeal, and crackers in the house.  I have made several gluten free snacks in preparation.  I am trying to set myself up for success.

I am still nervous though.  Tonight’s supper of corn noodles and pasta sauce fell to lukewarm reviews.  It wasn’t exactly the encouragement I was looking for going into tomorrow’s full-blown gluten-free experiment!!!

I will post all my gluten-free successes and failures for those interested in following along.  I plan to share my lists, any health improvements or new symptoms for any of us, and recipes worth sharing.