Gluten Free Breakfast Ideas

Updated on December 19, 2008
M.T. asks from Austin, TX
20 answers

Hello moms! My mother-in-law is coming to celebrate Christmas with us this weekend and I want to make her a special breakfast. The past three years have been extremely h*** o* her. She has a mystery illness (or combination of problems) and after countless doctor visits that have taken her as far as Chicago and back they are only now starting to figure out what is wrong with her...but there still is no clear diagnosis or solution. She has been in severe pain and discomfort for such a long long time. One of their thoughts is that she has celiac disease as well as migraine disease so her doctors have put her on a very strict diet that excludes gluten as well as foods that have been known to cause migraines such as peanuts, bananas, and citrus.
I would love to make her a special breakfast while she is here, but haven't a clue as to what kinds of things I could make!
If anyone has any ideas or websites that they could direct me to I would be very grateful!
Thanks so much!

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

Thank you all so very much for all of your help! I ended up at Whole Foods like many of you suggested. I purchased a Whole Foods brand muffin box mix and added to them cinnamon and apples. They were so yummy! I also made a delicious frittata with red bell peppers, spinach, and cheese. It was easy to make and so very delicious! Everything turned out beautifully and my mother-in-law was so thankful!
Thanks for all your ideas and suggestions. I now have a long list of ideas for the next time she comes back for a visit!!

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.L.

answers from Austin on

Hi M.,

You might take a look at some of the breakfast recipes from this link: http://www.celiac.com/categories/Gluten%252dFree-Recipes/

Happy Holidays!
J. L,
Austin

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.R.

answers from Austin on

Hi M.,

You can do hashbrowns - read the labels if doing frozen, eggs of any kind, bacon, sausage (again - read labels) and something that is very easy and very yummy - Whole Foods has gluten-free sweet breads in the freezer section. The actual Whole Foods brand is the best one. French toast made with this bread is very tasty. My husband has celiac disease and he loves this! Good luck!

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.K.

answers from Houston on

My husband's best friend has celic disease. When he came to visit I made him this hashbrown quiche. I know it sounds funny, but it was delicious. HEB has a huge selections of gluten free food.
Ingredients
3 cups, shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 bag diced cooked ham (find it in the lunch meat section)
1/2 cup diced green onions
1 cup shredded Cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Gently press the drained hash browns between paper towels to dry them as best as possible. In a 9-inch pie plate, toss the hash browns with the melted butter into the plate. Press them into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown on top and puffed.

3 moms found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

This information is from my sister. She spent a decade working with doctors to figure out what was wrong with her. These are suggestions from her. She works for the International Offices of Whole Foods.

"Van's gluten free waffles (the flax one is great!)
We have gluten free pancake mixes
We have gluten free teabreads/muffins (in the frozen section)
We have gluten free breads for toast (in the frozen section)
fruit
eggs (if she's not dairy free) -fritata with veggies/cheese
bacon/ham
we have gluten free cereals (Glutino has some great ones)"

This is a great site for recipes: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/

We also tend to do breakfast tacos for my sister. We use soft corn tortillas, eggs and turkey bacon with hot sauce.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.P.

answers from Houston on

Spinach Frittata: You can put anything in a Frittata, which is rather like an omlette. Many recipies call for rice or pasta, but I never add these. Beat eggs, add frozen chopped spinach, spices, pour in pan, add cheese if desired, brown, finish cooking in 325 over. Even my kids would eat this.

Here's another recipie: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001660spinach_fritt...

2 moms found this helpful

K.N.

answers from Austin on

So this website says, 'Commonly, particular foods such as red wine, cheese, chocolate, meats cured with nitrates, and MSG might induce migraine headaches.' Another says: Chocolate is the most likely food to cause migraines; other foods which can cause migraines include avocados, pineapples, beans, peas, lentils, MSG, pork, shrimp, pickled herring, alcohol, caffeine, cheese, nitrites as preservatives (in hot dogs and other processed meats), and coconut.

One website said cream cheese is ok for migraines; cream cheese was also on the ok list for gluten free; So, maybe cream cheese with saute vegetables and crab would make a tasty scramble.

Garlic "is suppose to have anti-inflammatory properties and is effectively used to help arthritis, migraine and other inflammatory conditions"... so I'd definitely cook with that.

These website outline do and don'ts for avoiding gluten:
http://www.celiachealth.org/pdf/GlutenFreeDietGuideWeb.pdf
http://gicare.com/Diets/Gluten-Free.aspx

And recognizing I'm not a big gourmet cook... with the above info and links... If I had to do the breakfast, I would probably hit Whole Foods and serve something like:

* Fancy scrambled eggs: eggs, milk, organic no nitrite bacon, saute, fresh mushrooms, green and red bell pepper, sweet onion, parsley, in olive oil, salt & pepper... or a broccoli or asparagus & vegetable, fresh crab meat scramble. From what I read the key is to avoid cheeses and for the vegetables to be fresh (not canned or in preservatives in order to avoid migraines). I saw one place mention shrimp as a possible headache trigger but did not mention fresh crab meat; when I googled 'crab, migraine' I didn't find anything really on it. So fresh crab meat (not the canned kind) should be ok...
*Country Fried potatoes, garlic
*Organix cottage cheese and fruit salad of apples, melons, grapes or with fresh baked cinnamon apples. To be safe, if I did the baked apples, I'd spurge and get organic ground cinnamon from Whole Foods instead of whatever cheap HEB brand stuff I might already had in my pantry... because I wouldn't want some preservative in there to trigger a headache.

And, even though your question didn't ask this, I'd consider baking fresh salmon (without lemon; cook it with olive oil, garlic S&P and thyme?) for Christmas dinner... (Fresh fish was a thumbs up for both gluten-free and migraine prone diets). If I did broccoli in the egg scramble, then I'd do asparagus and roasted yams or sweet potato with the salmon.

And of course, you might want to check with her in regard to any particular ingredients beforehand just to make sure she'll agree to eat it before you buy it.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.A.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi,
I had a very similar problem 10 yrs ago. Drs could not figure it out, their remedy was medication. They told me I had IBS, which I later found out, that it is what they tell you you have when they don't know what you have. I also learned that most doctors have never taken a nutrition course and if they did it was 4 hours. I was never so called diagnosed with celiacs (too much gluten is not good for any human). I finally decided to do it on my own, by changing my diet. I first eliminated anything made with corn (HFCS-high fructose corn syrup is the worst), flour (except rice for bread I eat Ezekial it is flour less), no MSG (Migraine causing), all sodas, and dairy (www.notmilk.com). I was very limited then, but now there is so much out there. A few years later, I got a B.S. in Holistic Nutrtion and now studying to be a Naturopath. Since, then I even got rid of my fibroids. I started with a 2 week detox diet-strict vegetarian (Vegan) diet, everything I was reading said it was the healthiest way to go. I figured if I was ever going to tell someone that I had to try it. I felt much better in a few days and that was 5 years ago. For 2 weeks I ate as organic (pesticide and chemicals could be one of the causes to migraines)as possible steamed brown rice, veggies, fruits, nuts, beans, Ezekial bread (with Organic Earth Balance Non-dairy butter) and lots of filtered water (none of these food items have cholesterol). The great thing about it is that I ate as much as I wanted, I was never hungry. I know it sounds extreme, but it works. A great series of books is Skinny B!(@&, Skinny B!(@& in the Kitch, and Bun in the Oven. One of the authors has a Masters in Holistic Nutrition. Whole Foods and Sun Harvest are great places to start. I hope this helps. I'll be more than happy to answer any question if your MIL would like to contact me. www.mybiopro.com/claudia13 P.S. I doubt peanuts (improtant to buy organic, cause the have the most pesticides and chemicals), bananas, and citrus, it is more likely MSG, HFCS, HVP (hydrolized vegetable protien), processed foods, meat (full of cholesterol andit takes 3 or more days to digest meat), and dairy (very mucous producing).

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.B.

answers from Odessa on

There is a gluten free All-Purpose baking mix that you can use for waffles, pancakes, biscuits, all sorts of things. There are frozen gluten free waffles, and donuts. As far as recipes, there are a ton online that you can find. However alot of them are not going to be just gluten free as a lot of them out there are geared for those with multiple items that they have to avoid and some of the ingredients are going to cost a fair amount more than what regular items cost. I just wanted to throw that out there as when I started shopping for things for our son's diet I was SHOCKED at how much some of it can cost!

Good luck and your MIL is a very lucky lady to have you wanting to take this extra step for her!

P.S. Our favorite brand is Enjoy Life...everything they make has been great!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.H.

answers from Austin on

Kerby Lane makes Gluten free pancakes........

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.M.

answers from Austin on

I eat gluten free. My favorite breakfast is making omelettes with asparagus and cheese. Steam the asparagus for a few minutes, chopped into small pieces, fold into the omelette and sprinkle with parmesan or italian blend shredded cheese. Some crisp bacon is good crumbled up in there as well. Side of fresh berries or frozen (defrosted) goes well. I also like the gluten free frozen waffles (van's brand) that you can find at HEB. Defrost for one minute in the microwave before putting in the toaster to make it crisp. I top them with frozen mixed berries that I thaw in the microwave. Also, I buy "Bob's Red Mill" brand gluten free all-purpose flour. It has changed my life! I bake with it cup for cup in all my recipes that call for flour. You have to add Xanthan gum (which it tells you on the back of the package how much per cup of flour). Xanthan gum is expensive, you only use a very small amount. The banana bread on the back of the package is awesome! I add blueberries (frozen) or cranberries to the recipe and my husband and daughter love it! The banans must be very ripe, almost black. Also, you need to store gluten free baked goods in the fridge, because they spoil faster. Good luck! If you have any questions, please email me.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.D.

answers from San Antonio on

Hi M.,

I, as well, think you are an awesome daughter-in-law-good for you! My son is GFCF and I make him french toast with GF bread. You can get GF bacon or sausage (all natural-no preserv such as nitrates/nitrates) at whole foods-it is delicious. Maybe some fruit salad with her allowed fruits on the side and you have a complete breakfast for your whole family. You can make your family the same with regular bread but just remember to use separate pans and utensils as to not contaminate her food with gluten. Good Luck and let us know what you do!
~L.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.C.

answers from Houston on

To me, nothing says Christmas morning like cinnamon rolls! Kinnikinnick's brand has wonderful cinnamon rolls & a variety of gluten free donuts-cinnamon, chocolate & vanilla coated. I have found these at ERma's in Clear Lake (across from Johnson Space Center) but I'm sure that brand is carried other places.

Nitrite free bacon is a good option, Hormel has started making a large variety of lunch meats that are GF & don't have the nitrite preservative.

There are also a few restarants that have a GF menu so after b-fast ya'll want to go out you'll have an idea where you can go. Pei-Wei's, Wendy's, Chick-fil-A (I get my kids nuggets grilled-both children are GF & dairy free too)and I'm pretty sure OutBack Steak House has a GF menu.

Even though she'll probably bring her own toiletries, having some "safe" shampoo & hand lotion would be thoughtful. KissMyFace brand is wonderful.

ONe note, do not confuse wheat free as gluten free. That can be tricky when shopping. Wheat is not the only gluten containing grain.

You are a wonderful, thoughtful daughter-in-law! I'm sure ya'll will have a great visit!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.S.

answers from Houston on

do a search for gluten free casein free autism diets. I think gfcf.org is a big one and enzymestuff.com should be another that should have recipes to help you. HEB has a great selection of ingredients that work for these recipes (usually at the end of each aisle there is a specialty section). Whole foods has some great prepared stuff too but is expensive and harder to find. You just have to look for it among everything else, but they have cereal, cookies, some great rice cakes...etc.
Email me if I can be of any other help. I also have some cookbooks as well if you need some recipes I can scan and send them to you. I have a child with autism and have tried the gfcf diet. Tell your MIL to read the Enzyme book by Karen DeFelice. Awesome read for various gut issues. I can also recommend many pharm. companies to get things from. We have done digestive enzymes for a long time. Anyway, email me if you need more advice. Best wishes to MIL... Happy Holidays. Oh I think I have pancake mix, and a pie mix that are gfcf if you want them. I will never use them at this point.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.H.

answers from Houston on

Hi M.,

I have a 9 year old step-daughter that also has celiac. We have learned to read all labels when grocery shopping to make sure that nothing she eats has wheat. The best place to shop is at Whole Foods. They have a great selection of gluten free foods. For breakfast we will usually give eggs or cereal and sometimes even make her pancakes. At Whole Foods that have a pancake mix that is wheat free. Check it out.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.P.

answers from Houston on

First of all, you are a great daughter-in-law. You've received really great responses already. I've googled gluten-free recipes and there's alot of websites out there for this. I'd try the ones you've received response on first, though. Best of luck to you.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.P.

answers from Austin on

I don't have any gluten free breakfast ideas, but I did want to note that my co-worker's husband suffered with pain for about 3 years as well. After countless doctors and misdiagnoses, including celiac, it turned out he had gall stones (over 100 to be exact) and had to have his gall bladder removed. It was also determined that he had some sort of bacteria in his stomach that was causing pain and is now treated with medication.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.C.

answers from Houston on

You will need a blend of flours to make things like rolls or pancakes, but they also sell a few blends of flours already packaged at Kroger and at some health food stores Like Natural Kitchen in Kingwood, TX. Bob's Red Mill is a brand that has a few good mixes, but if it is a bean flour blend it will be a bit strong in taste. For sweeter pastries I prefer to make something from a rice flour blend. I also buy the Gluten Free Pantry brand which is not in strong in taste as the bean flour blends. My own daughter is on a Gluten Free and Casein Free diet, but I've met a few people with celiac's disease that have told me that at first their doctors have them eliminate milk (casein) from their diet and then they can go back to eating milk products. I however can not give any milk products to my daughter at all, but it might be a good idea for your mother in law to go see a gastroenterologist so they can test her gut. Here is a website that I like to use, hope it helps! Merry Christmas!! http://www.leewebshop.com/gfcfrecipes/

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.B.

answers from Corpus Christi on

I know that health stores and some of the HEB stores have a section that have gluten free foods. Check them out. Have a Merry Christmas and good luck with your menu.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.H.

answers from Houston on

celicac.com
glutenfree.com

Rice, quinoa and corn are great substitutes - you can find noodles, pasta and crackers made with these ingredients! You can find these products at virtually any major grocery store - HEB, Kroger, Randalls even WalMart...

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.T.

answers from Houston on

I make a Hanukkah inspired GF breakfast with rice noodles (I like the wide Thai style noodles in the Asian section) Add two beaten eggs, apple sauce and apple cider vinegar and stir. Then add several diced apples and cinnamon (could add ginger or nutmeg too!) Add sugar or stevia if you wanted it sweet. Bake at 350 for forty minutes or until set. You can add shredded cheddar on top at the end and cook till melted if she eats cheese.

HEB, Kroger and Whole Foods all have great gluten free mix options. Replace milk with rice milk. IF she's avoiding all nuts, make sure it doesn't have almond flour but my FAVORITE is the almond flour!

Something else my girls really like is Johnny Cakes. We take the Bob's Red Mill cornbread mix, add 3 eggs, and milk until it's the proper pancake consistency. Cook, add syrup and or butter to taste.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches