Am recently on a strict no-gluten dietary plan (causes very bad heartburn)....

Usually we end up having lots of meals that have dried pasta etc. What kinds of gluten free menus would you recommend? I think I could probably go to Pack-it-Gourmet and Camp Chow for ideas too... but those get expensive.

I like packing my own food, but we don't bring much that needs to be kept... fragile (e.g. not much fresh food)....

Ideas? Go!

I understand gluten free, but what else does Paleo prohibit?

dairy.... added sugar, etc.

I'm actually looking mostly at GFree. I guess Quiona or Gfree pasta is the obvious answer...

My sister has celiac disease, so I've looked into gluten-free a little. If you aren't trying to avoid grains, then quinoa is an obvious choice, as is gluten free oats and pastas, as well as rice, all of which are readily available many places. There are other gluten-free grains also - amaranth, millet, teff, etc. - but I have no experience with them.

I think you will find more ideas and options at Outdoor Herbivore than the others. I buy a lot from them, not just because it's vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or dairy-free, but because I like them and the "hungry single size" works for me. You will also find some ideas and options at Hawk Vittles . I have him substitute quinoa in his Cashew Curry meal, which I really like, to make it gluten-free.

Oats, of course, can be eaten as oats, or turned into muesli or granola, or even baked into bars with other ingredients. Quinoa and rice can also be eaten as breakfast cereals with nuts and dried fruits and cinnamon, etc. Quinoa, which makes a good substitute for couscous in recipes, rice, and gluten-free pastas can all be used as meal bases with meats, fish, beans, lentils, vegetables. You can even find dairy-free protein powders for smoothies to add to breakfast.

There are plenty of "milk alternatives" in everyday life - like almond, cashew, soy, or coconut milk - but finding dried ones might take a lot of searching online and by then you might not have much cost advantage. I think you can find coconut cream at Pack-It-Gourmet, but I'm not sure how that would work for flavoring cereals, smoothies, etc., but might be worth a try.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask here or email me.

Quinoa and quinoa based items. You will benefit from the additional protein as well. It's lightweight and easy to prepare. Just don't get the pre-flavored stuff because it's often overloaded with sodium. You can also find a lot of baking mixes these days that are GF. Just try them at home first. As you have probably found out, gluten provides the elasticity and structure to retain air pockets when used in baking so you may have to add another additive (ie. xanthum gum) that will do the same function if you try to replace wheat flour with another type of flour in scratch recipes. As far as pasta goes, GF pasta may not absorb as much water as normal pasta, while at the same time needing more water to cook in because it gets starchy. Also when cooking GF pasta, make sure you can bring the water back to a boil quickly and maintain it once the pasta is added. It is easy to incorporate Quinoa into any meal, even breakfast and dessert.