There was a time when I didn’t think I could cut back on wheat. I loved my pastas, cereals and breads. But there are lots of alternatives that can still be delicious!

My diet has changed and evolved over the years, but for a couple of years my husband and I ate a primarily gluten free diet. Now I’ve found that the type of wheat makes a big difference for me, eating organic wheat makes me feel much better. But we still try to limit breads, pastas and such to a few days a week.

Now, if you’ve seen my recipes, you know that I’m not 100% wheat-free! One of my overall goals with my blog is to promote a healthy lifestyle through the recipes and ideas I share. I think that it’s ok to treat yourself every once and awhile! But I also try to share modified recipes to help with a healthy lifestyle.

Coconut Flour

A few months ago I tried using coconut flour to make these healthy pancakes. Coconut flour can be used to replace flour in many different types of recipes. It has a different flavor that takes a little getting used to, but now I really like it.

Rice Noodles

I recently tried Trader Joe’s Fresh Rice Noodles to make this Thai Red Curry Chicken with Rice Noodles. They only take a few minutes to make, and taste so good. I actually prefer them to wheat pasta.

Cauliflower

When we did a month of Paleo earlier this year, I tried a few different cauliflower recipes. It can be made into mashed potatoes, “rice”, pizza crust and more. You’ll definitely want to have a good food processor if you want to use cauliflower to make these wheat replacements.

Rice

Try using rice as your go-to starch rather than pasta or bread. Be sure to look for rice that is not enriched. It’s relatively inexpensive and you can buy it in bulk so it will last awhile. We use rice for almost every meal! Try sautéing all of your meat and veggies with the rice in a skillet.

Spaghetti Squash

I rediscovered spaghetti squash lately. It’s perfect for replacing pasta or even for making a crust, such as for my Turkey and Ricotta Spaghetti Squash Crustless Quiche, pictured above. Typically the crust is my favorite part of a quiche, but I didn’t even miss it!

Another favorite recipe we tried was this Stuffed Spaghetti Squash from Add a Pinch. Growing up, my mom usually made spaghetti with the meat mixed in rather than with meatballs. This recipe tasted just like it, but without the wheat!

Zucchini Noodles

I bought a Spiralizer (affiliate link) recently to try making zucchini noodles. They taste almost exactly like pasta. One of my favorite ways to prepare them is to cook bacon in a skillet and then cook the zucchini noodles in the bacon grease. Add crumbled bacon and blue cheese and you’ve got a simple, healthy meal in less that 15 minutes.

We also made a super-healthy “pasta” meal using this recipe for Creamy Avocado and Spinach Sauce (similar to alfredo) and adding zucchini noodles instead of pasta. It was so good!

Brown Rice Pasta

I’ve found that the longer I go without eating pasta, the less I crave it. But every now and then I really want some alfredo or vodka sauce. I’ve tried brown rice pasta a few times, and it’s a great substitute.

It has a little bit more texture than wheat pasta has, but I am all about texture so I prefer it. Another great option is quinoa noodles.

Gluten Free Bread

Andrew and I love making over-the-top sandwiches with all sorts of deli meats and cheeses, avocados, bacon, or whatever we can think of. We gave gluten free bread a try awhile back and we both love it! It has a great texture that adds a lot to the sandwich.

One of the problems with gluten free bread for me is how much it costs! The one I like costs about $6 for a tiny loaf of around 15 slices.

Blue Diamond Nut Thins

One of my favorite wheat free and gluten free snacks are Blue Diamond’s Nut Thins. They have several different varieties, made with almonds or pecans instead of flour. My favorite is the Almond Nut Thins with a Hint of Sea Salt.

Lately one of my favorite packed lunches consists of mini sandwiches made with these crackers and sliced deli meat and cheese.

Quinoa

Have you jumped on the quinoa craze yet? There’s a reason it’s so popular. Not only is it delicious, but it’s great for you, too. You can use it to add protein to a salad, replace pasta or rice, and so much more.

Are you trying to cut back on wheat? What are some of your favorite alternatives?