Here is this week’s gluten free menu plan. I made notes next the ingredients that need to be gluten free, but as always read labels to make sure that your ingredients are gluten free.

Gluten Free Menu Plan 9.14.25

This week's gluten free menu plan is full of gluten free recipe great for September and fall.

Gluten Free Dairy Free Pancakes

An easy and delicious recipe for gluten free dairy free pancakes.

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Microwave Omelet

Breakfast made easy with this microwave omelet.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

The classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate into delicious baked oatmeal.

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Zucchini Pizza {Quick and Easy Gluten Free Dinner}

Zucchini pizza will be a dinner that even zucchini haters will love.

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Apple Bacon Cheese Frittata

Apple, bacon, and cheese are combined in this delicious breakfast or breakfast for dinner recipe.

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Bacon Salmon

Salmon cooked in bacon grease is so flavorful and delicious.

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Buttered Rice

You only need a few ingredients to make this buttered rice that goes with chicken, beef, fish, pork, and more.

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Apple Chicken Salad

Apple chicken salad is a delicious salad for anytime of the year.

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Gluten Free Tomato Soup

Photo Credit: gfkitchenadventures.com

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Gluten Free Brownie Mix Recipe

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Gluten Free Chocolate Pudding Recipe

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If you are looking for inexpensive gluten free options, check out ALDI gluten free products.

I know not everyone has an ALDI near them. My family all live in Oregon and Washington, and they do not have ALDI in their area. However, ALDI is located in about forty states, so many people do have an ALDI that they shop at.

If you don’t have an ALDI, don’t worry, I have more of these store guides for gluten-free products coming soon.

I also want to say that this is not a sponsored post. ALDI doesn’t know who I am. I bought all the products mentioned in the post. In fact, I buy them regularly. I am just sharing a store that I love because it saves me money on gluten-free items.

AlDI Gluten Free Products

This list does not contain all of the gluten free products that ALDI carries. These are the ALDI gluten free products that we buy and enjoy.

They are the gluten-free products that I have bought at the ALDI stores in my area, but you might find more or different gluten-free products in your area.

ALDI carries quite a few gluten-free products, but it does vary by the time of year and the store location.

Not all of ALDI’s gluten free products are certified gluten free. I have not reacted to any of ALD’s gluten free products, but you may want to do your own research for the best products for you and your family.

I included the price on some of the items below. Prices may vary depending on location, date, and other factors.

Gluten Free Cauliflower Crust Take and Bake Pizza $8.29 – We really like this pizza, especially for the price. My son, who does not have to eat gluten-free, likes this pizza. I usually add a little more cheese to it because we like lots of cheese on our pizza.

I have even bought one and put it in the freezer, as is in the package, and frozen it. I take it out and bake it for a few minutes longer than the label suggests, and it turns out great. We do not like the ALDI gluten-free frozen pizza, but the take-and-bake gluten-free pizza is delicious.

Pad Thai with Chicken $9.49 – The ALDI Pad Thai with Chicken is gluten free and makes a quick and easy meal. My ALDI doesn’t always have it in stock, but I like to buy it to keep on hand for a quick dinner. At my ALDI, it is in the refrigerated section near the take-and-bake pizzas.

Gluten Free Crispy Rice Cereal – Rice Krispies cereal is not gluten-free because it contains malt. Malt is made from barley, and barley is not gluten-free, so most Rice Krispies-type cereals are not gluten-free. However, ALDI’s Crispy Rice Cereal is gluten-free! If you miss Rice Krispies or Rice Krispies Treats, give the ALDI version a try. It is a pantry staple for me.

Gluten Free Frozen Chicken Nuggets $6.49 – ALDI gluten free chicken nuggets are great, especially for the price. They are great for kids who have to eat gluten-free.

Gluten Free Bread $6.99 – This bread is decent for the price. Gluten-free bread is expensive, and the price at ALDI is better than most places. I buy it occasionally; however, it isn’t our favorite gluten-free bread.

Brown Rice Crisps $2.99- These are like a cross between a chip and a cracker. They make a great gluten free snack.

Cheese Crisps – These are not marked as gluten-free, but there are no gluten-containing ingredients in them. They are just dried cheese. I love them. They do have a warning on the label that they are processed in a facility that also packages products with wheat, so these might not be for everyone.

Gluten Free Granola – The price on the gluten free granola varies by flavor, but it is around $3.50 per package. Gluten free granola can be hard to find. We like the ALDI gluten free granola, especially for the price. I enjoy eating it as a snack or with yogurt.

Gluten Free Mac and Cheese $2.69 – I love this mac and cheese, and that is not something I can say about a lot of gluten free products.

My husband and I don’t generally like chickpea pasta, but it works well in this mac and cheese. I bought this as an impulse buy one day when I needed an easy gluten-free side dish to go with some leftover meat that we were having for dinner. Both my husband and I loved it, and we have bought it several times since then.

I will say that it is still boxed mac and cheese; homemade is better, but for the price and the convenience, this is an item you will almost always find in my pantry.

Gluten Free Cornbread Mix – We love the ALDI gluten free cornbread mix. I have been buying for years. It is one of my favorite gluten free products at ALDI.

My family loves cornbread with soup and chili. I occasionally make homemade cornbread, but I usually use a mix instead of making it from scratch. It also works well dairy-free.

However, the gluten free corbbread mix is often not in stock. It is more of a seasonal item during the fall and winter. When I see it in stock, I buy several boxes.

Gluten Free Brownie Mix – ALDI Gluten Free Brownnie Mix is another favorite at our house. I buy this gluten free brownie mix all the time and have served it to many people who do not eat gluten free.

The brownies are great, but the recipe on the back of the box for making brownie cookies is even better.

Gluten Free Pancake and Baking Mix – I debated on putting this on the list of things I buy. We have tried this gluten free mix, and although it is fine, we didn’t love it. If I were going to buy a gluten-free pancake mix, this isn’t the one I would buy. However, it is a reasonable price and not awful, so I understand why people love it.

Gluten Free Ramen and Gluten Free Pho Noodles – These are something we just recently bought to try. It is a seasonal item, or at least an item that ALDI only carries this time of year. I stocked up on them because we love to make ramen and other soups with this type of noodle during the fall and winter.

Gluten Free General Tso’s Chicken – This makes the list because my daughter loves it for a quick and easy dinner. She is a teacher and keeps this in the freezer for an easy meal after a long day of work.

Gluten Free Pizza Dough – I have only seen this once at my ALDI store, and that was over a year ago. If I ever see it again, I will definitely buy it. It wasn’t the best pizza crust ever, but it did make pizza night quick, easy, and delicious.

Gluten Free Egg Rolls – This is another item that I have only seen a couple of times at my ALDI store. I think they only stock them during the months they focus on gluten-free products. We loved them. If I see them again, I will definitely buy some.

Those are our favorite gluten free products at ALDI. I would love to hear what your favorites are to buy.

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Here is this week’s gluten free menu plan. I made notes next to the ingredients that need to be gluten free, like pasta, but as always read labels to make sure that your ingredients are gluten free.

Gluten Free Menu Plan September Week One

Easy gluten free meals perfect for September. Be sure to use gluten free pasta on the pasta dishes on this week's plan.

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

Boiled eggs made easy in the Instant Pot.

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Gluten Free Applesauce Muffins - Gluten Free Kitchen Adventures

Photo Credit: gfkitchenadventures.com

A classic applesauce recipe made gluten free.

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Gluten Free Banana Bread Recipe

Photo Credit: gfkitchenadventures.com

A favorite way to use up overripe bananas.

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Greek Scrambled Eggs

Make scrambled eggs special with these Greek Scrambled eggs. Makes a great breakfast for dinner.

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My Favorite Meatballs (and they are Gluten Free Meatballs too!)

These easy meatballs are a great dinner, they can be made ahead and frozen, and they are gluten free.

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Bacon Salmon

Salmon cooked in bacon grease is so flavorful and delicious.

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Buttered Rice

You only need a few ingredients to make this buttered rice that goes with chicken, beef, fish, pork, and more.

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Instant Pot Cheeseburger Helper

Easy dinner kids and adults love.

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Thin Crust Gluten Free Pizza

Gluten Free Pizza can be delicious with this thin crust gluten free pizza recipe.

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Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken

Quick and easy five-ingredient dinner! Gluten free and easy to make.

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Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

A delicious flourless cookie.

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Going gluten free can be overwhelming, but this beginner’s guide to gluten free will help make gluten free easier for those new to gluten free eating.

I started my gluten free journey back in the fall of 2009. That means this year marks sixteen years of eating gluten free. Gluten-free eating for me has been life-changing.

After an upper endoscopy a couple of years ago, my GI doctor, who I have seen for over twenty years, said he couldn’t believe he was looking at the same GI tract that he did back in 2009.

I won’t go into all the details, but in 2009, my health was a mess. My vocal cords and esphogus were damaged after years of acid reflux that we nothing would control. I had tried all the medications. I had tried all the special diets. I had cut out all the things they tell you to, but nothing worked.

That is until I want gluten free.

I have been tested twice for Celiac disease, and it was negative. However, the gluten-free diet changed my health so much that I have not eaten gluten in sixteen years.

Yes, I have gotten gluten a few times from cross-contamination, but I have not purposely eaten any gluten in years. It isn’t worth it for me.

My story is that gluten free eating changed my health, but I know that it is not for everyone. Not evereyone’s life and health will change from eating gluten free. A gluten free diet is challenging. It isn’t easy, but for many people, including myself, it is so worth it.

Gluten Free Eating Can Be Easy and Delicious

One of my main goals here at Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures is to help you make gluten free eating easy and delicious.

Gluten-free baking and cooking can be overwhelming and complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.

Gluten free food can also taste great. Those inside out chocolate cookies in the picture above are gluten free.

That pasta in the picture below is made with gluten free pasta.

Changes In Gluten Free Eating

When I first started eating gluten free in 2009 there were very few gluten free foods at grocery stores and not a lot of information online.

2009 was in the early days of blogging and food websites. There were a few out there like Shirley at Gluten Free Easily, but the gluten free world looked totally different back in 2009.

Today there is a huge amount of online information, cookbooks, websites, and sociaal media accounts dedicated to gluten free eating and cooking.

There are also so many more options at the grocery store. In 2009, my small town Walmart did not have a gluten free section of their store. In fact, they didn’t really sell any products labeled gluten-free.

If I wanted gluten-free options, I had to drive quite a way to a store like Whole Foods. And even Whole Foods had limited gluten-free options in 2009.

Today it is entirely different. You can find gluten free foods at almost any grocery store.

However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t still hard to eat gluten free. It might be easier to find gluten-free products, but the gluten-free world can still be hard to navigate.

For years, I have talked about doing posts that would be a beginner’s guide to eating gluten-free.

This fall, I am finally getting it done.

Over the next two months, I will share several posts with information and tips on eating gluten-free.

Today we are starting with a beginner’s guide to gluten-free.

The Grieving Process of Going Gluten Free

I started eating gluten free in the fall of 2009. In early 2010, my oldest daughter developed a severe tree nut, peanut, and sesame allergy.

In less than six months, our family’s food life totally changed. Not only did I start have to start eating gluten free, but we also had to remove all nuts, peanuts, and sesame from our house.

All the food changes at our house made 2010 a very challenging year for our family.

Several people told me that it was okay to grieve our food loses. I will admit that it sounded strange to grieve food, but the more I thought about the more I realized that it was exactly how I felt.

I was grieving all the food we couldn’t have.

We shouldn’t grieve forever. We have to move on at some point, but when you first have to start eating gluten free, and you realize how many of your favorite foods are not longer safe to eat, it is okay to be sad.

You will miss those foods, but know that it does get easier. You will figure things out.

Focus On What You Can Have

My number one tip for someone new to eating gluten free is to focus on the foods that you can have. Don’t focus on all the things that you can no longer eat; focus on all the things you can still eat.

Starting a gluten-free diet can be overwhelming. There are so many foods that you can no longer eat. It can feel impossible to find food that is safe, but there are so many foods that are naturally gluten-free.

Meat, potatoes, rice, dairy, vegetables, fruit, and corn are all gluten-free. If you read labels, you can easily find foods like corn tortillas, potato and tortilla chips, ice cream, cheese, bacon, and so many other things that do not contain gluten.

Making a list of your favorite foods that do not contain gluten will help you find safe foods when you are craving all the foods that you cannot have.

Learn To Read Labels

Reading labels is a must when you are gluten free. Brands and companies change and what is gluten free now, may not always be gluten free.

There are also many items that you wouldn’t think contain gluten, but they do.

Grocery shopping will look a little different when you eat gluten free. It takes a little more time, but it is worth it.

What Does Certified Gluten Free Mean?

When reading labels you will often see the label Certified Gluten Free. This means that the food has been independently tested by a third party for gluten.

Thrive Market has a great article that explains the different standards for foods to be certified gluten free.

What Does Gluten Free Friendly Mean

Gluten free friendly is a term you often see when the food is gluten free, but there is a high risk of contamination with gluten filled food.

For example there is a coffee shop that I meet friends at that has gluten free muffins and cookies. However, they are in the case, right next to the regular gluten filled muffins, cookies, and pastries.

That means there is a high risk of crumbs etc. getting on the gluten free food. That means I avoid the food there. I don’t want to take the risk when it comes to gluten free friendly.

Gluten free friendly can also mean that the item is gluten free but it was not baked in a dedicated gluten free facility or kitchen. So again the risk of contamination is high.

If you are very sesitive to gluten, gluten free friendly might not be a good fit for you.

Eating Out When Gluten Free

Eating out gluten-free can be a challenge. I love the app for my phone called Find Me Gluten Free. It makes finding gluten-free restaurants so much easier.

It shows the gluten-free restaurants in the area. It shows reviews and comments on others’ experiences there. If you read through the comments, you can see how safe people thought the food was and if they felt they got cross-contamination there. There is often a menu listed as well.

There is a free version and a paid version. I don’t eat out often, so the free version works perfectly for me. But if you eat out a lot or travel a lot, the paid version would probably be worth it.

There are several apps for your phone that focus on gluten-free restaurants, but Find Me Gluten Free is my favorite.

Are Oats Gluten Free?

Gluten free and oats is a bit complicated. Oats are “naturally” gluten-free; however, there is a high risk of cross-contamination. Oats are often grown next to or with wheat, barley, and rye.

They use the same equipment to process, transport, and store them. Because of that regular oats are not considered gluten free.

In order to get truly gluten free oats, you have to buy gluten free oats.

There is also an issue with many people who have to eat gluten free not tolerating oats well. That is because the protein in oats is similar to the protein in gluten and that can cause problems for some people who eat gluten free.

The Celiac Foundation has a great article on the topic oats and the gluten free diet.

Beginner Recipes for Gluten Free

Before I share recipes, let’s start by talking about gluten-free flour blends. No one flour can replace regular all purpose flour. It just doesn’t work that way. It takes a combination of flours and starches to get anything close to the results that a regular flour will give you in a recipe.

Whether it is a homemade blend or a store bought one, finding a blend that you like can be hard. Gluten free blends are where you realize how much science really is behind cooking and baking, especially gluten free cooking and baking.

After years of expirementing with gluten free recipes my two favorite gluten free flour blends are: Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour.

Now let’s talk easy recipes to make when you are new to gluten free cooking.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend

My favorite Peanut Butter Cookies using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend

Fudgy Gluten Free Brownies

Martha Stewart’s Buttermilk Pancakes using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend.

Flourless Pizza Rolls

Homemade Tomato Soup

Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal using gluten free oats

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Crustless Cheese Quiche

Crustless Sausage Quiche

I will share more recipes and specific gluten free prodcuts and ingredients that I use all the time in baking and cooking with you soon.

More Gluten Free Information

Look for more gluten free tips and ideas over the next few months.

I would love to hear your tips for going gluten free in the comments.

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My number one tip for those new to gluten-free eating is to focus on the foods that you can have and the foods that are naturally gluten-free.

The fall of 2025 marks sixteen years since I started on my gluten-free journey.

I really can’t believe it has been sixteen years. So much has changed, not only concerning my health, but many things have changed in the gluten-free world as well.

I am not someone who thinks gluten-free is for everyone. I would still be eating gluten if I could. I love gluten; gluten just doesn’t love me.

The reality is, though, that more people are eating gluten-free now than did sixteen years ago. That means that more people are new to gluten free and are trying to figure out what they can eat.

Over the next few months, I am going to share tips for eating gluten-free, delicious gluten-free recipes, and gluten-free product reviews. I hope these posts will be helpful to those new to gluten free. But I also hope it helps those who have been on this gluten-free journey for years find new recipes and products as well.

Today, we are going to talk about focusing on what you can have instead of what you can’t. There are so many foods that are naturally gluten free. When gluten-free eating is overwhelming, focus on the foods that are naturally gluten-free.

Focusing on what you can have actually applies to just about any food allergy or issue, not just gluten free. I have told my daughter, who has a tree nut, peanut allergy, the same thing. Don’t think about what you can’t have, think about what you can have.

I have found that if I keep focusing on what I can’t have, I will want it even more. The more I think about what I am not able to have, the more I seem to want it.

When this happens, I focus on what I can have. I focus on all the things that are naturally gluten free. The ones that don’t use special ingredients from specialty stores.

Foods That Are Naturally Gluten Free

• fruits
• vegetables
• milk
• cheese
• eggs
• yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, whipping cream, buttermilk, etc.
• meat (beef, chicken, pork, etc.)
• lunch meat, pepperoni, bacon, etc (most are gluten but read labels to be sure they are gluten free)
• seafood and fish
• corn (popcorn, corn chips, corn tortillas, etc)
• rice
• beans
• plain tortilla chips and salsa
• chocolate (almost all chocolate is gluten free, but read labels to be sure)
• potatoes
• peanut butter
• nut butter
• plain peanuts
• plain nuts
• trail mix (again read labels to be sure or make your own)
• quinoa
• coconut
• dried fruit
• oils
• sugars (so this one is not healthy, but sugar, honey, etc. are naturally gluten free)
• most beverages and drinks (coffee, tea, soda, sports drinks etc.)
• chia seeds

That is just a quick list I made of foods that are naturally gluten free. I am sure I am missing some things that are gluten free, but those are the basics. And those are just the individual foods.

There are so many things you can make using those ingredients. By combining various meats, vegetables, dairy, beans, rice, etc., there are many recipes and meals that you can still make using naturally gluten-free foods.

There really is a lot you can still eat gluten-free. I encourage you to make your own list.

Write down all the foods you can still have and focus on them. Then write up a list of meals you can make using the foods on your list. When you get to missing all those things that you can’t have, read through your lists.

When gluten-free eating becomes overwhelming, focus on the positive, not the negative!

I would love to hear your #1 tip for eating gluten-free and your favorite naturally gluten-free foods. 

Originally posted September 2015. Updated September 2025.

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