This post was sponsored by Freschetta. Thank you for supporting the companies that encourage my creativity.
It was nearly three years ago that my middle son joined me in a gluten-free lifestyle. As you can imagine, this was a difficult thing for him since he already had a limited diet as a picky eater and imagining our Friday night without pizza was not easy. Still, I persevered and pushed through until the changes incorporated into a new and fresh lifestyle for all of us.
Of course, the beginning of any change in lifestyle can be hard, and a gluten-free lifestyle is often pegged as “missing out” -especially during social events that offer food. Living in the South means food at all occasions. We are constantly sharing recipes, talking about food, and planning out what we’ll eat at the next event.
The first time I went gluten-free for six months was after my third child was born. After that, I switched to grain-free for two years, and now I’m back to a gluten-free diet. Figuring out how to make one meal for everyone was one of the toughest things and looking back, it set the tone for many of the recipes you see on this website.
Nearly all the recipes are naturally gluten-free, or they can easily be made gluten-free with the right substitute. My son and I have eaten our share of “cardboard” tasting foods, and until recently, we struggled to find the joy in our favorite family night, pizza night!
Because pizza is an iconic family-friendly food, searching for the perfect pizza my entire family would love wasn’t easy. Until, my friends at Freschetta introduced us to their gluten-free pizza and my family loved it.
Although there are only two of us that eat gluten-free in my family, I try to keep meal planning simple, and it’s important to have foods that more than one person will eat. For a while, in the beginning, cooking gluten-free seemed like a burden because I was making two versions of everything. Now, it’s just easier to make one meal so I can spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying my kids outside.
Now, I keep a frozen Freschetta Gluten Free pizza (or three) in our freezer at all times, as a convenient option for impromptu gatherings, playdates, and social activities that allow my son to feel included. In more than one occasion, I’ve packed him a few slices of pizza in a lunch container to bring to school, a friend’s house, or when we are out and about and want to make sure he has a gluten-free option available.
From time to time, we also use the gluten-free cheese pizzas as the base to create a pizza bar, where we add a variety of toppings before we pop them in the oven. Ultimately, finding foods that my family loves that are gluten-free and delicious is the simplest way to ensure that everyone is happy and nobody feels left out. Find Freschetta Gluten-Free Pizzas in your area here.
What are some of the ways you make gluten-free lifestyle easier and more fun?
Ashley
My family loves this pizza!
Marie
Thanks for replying to the other commenter with a link to your Grain Free Meals cookbook! We are new to this gluten-free living lifestyle as our teenager (boy) was just recently put on a gluten-free diet and like most teens, pizza is one thing he really enjoys. I am looking forward to exploring our recipes and trying this pizza! We also have kids with tree-nut allergies and an egg allergy so this momma is always looking for healthy shortcuts to make our life easier and happier. In health!
Laura Fuentes
You are welcome Marie! And yes, the Grain-Free book is a game changer. A book where you don’t have to think of “substitutions” that’s my thing!
Laura Fuentes
Hi Marie! I just sent you an email to send you a pizza night pack from Freschetta!
Christine Welter
We love starting with a gf crust and customizing it with all of our favorite toppings. I also love all of your recipes and tips. Thanks!
Tracie M
Thank you for this post! I keep trying to slowly introduce a GF diet to my family, as I have been told its the best option for me with my health. Pizza night is such a big part of family time – so glad to know there is a tasty one out there!
Anastacia
Gluten-free can be challenging! Do you have a cookbook for gluten-free, picky eaters? Me and my son are also gluten-free and mealtime is not always a fun. But I try to make it easy by serving the same thing for the whole family, like you said. I need some more fun meals for kids as I tend to just focus on meats and veggies – rather boring. I try to make it fun by focusing on what we can have instead of what we can’t. Like pizza night – I make my own gluten-free pizza but it requires work!. Frozen pizza would make life a little less stressful – this mama needs a break 😉
Laura Fuentes
I have an entire cookbook for the meals my family has learned to love and that is gluten and grain free. Here you go! http://bit.ly/grainfreemealsbook For a while, I made all our gluten-free substitute foods but it became overwhelming; and quite frankly, we eat real and fresh foods all the time so a little help from frozen pizza with natural ingredients was happily welcomed.