6 Gluten-Free Recipes & Pantry Staples This Member Can’t Live Without

Welcome to Food Diaries, your chance to get inspired by the personal stories and homemade meals of our Thrive Market member community. Today we’re talking with Amy Scurria, a professional composer in Durham, North Carolina, who has been a Thrive Market member for one year. Learn about her go-to Celiac-safe recipes, what she has on Autoship, and her advice for getting started with your membership.

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I’m a professional composer living in Durham. We are a homeschooling family and love the educational opportunities in this area. I received my PhD from Duke University in music composition and was able to also serve as a teaching assistant for a food course during my final semester. Our family loves to hike, we love being active and outdoors, and we all love to cook healthy and nutritious food together!

How did you first hear about Thrive Market?

I saw an ad on Facebook about Thrive Market.

Do you remember what was in your very first order?

I didn’t remember! But I was curious, so I looked it up. We ordered:

Thrive Market Toasted O’s Cereal for our 10 year old
Thrive Market Gluten-Free Rolled Oats
Thrive Market Organic Canned Pumpkin
Thrive Market Arrowroot Powder
Thrive Market Almond Flour (yum!)
Parchment Paper
Beekeeper’s Naturals Wildflower Raw Honey
Acure Facial Scrub

What are your top five favorite products?

Our top five favorite products (if I have to only pick five) are the gluten-free rolled oats, EPIC maple glazed & smoked salmon bites, KIND bars, almond flour, and the CHOMPS Grass-Fed Beef Sticks, Original.

Had you heard about those products before becoming a member?

Some of them, like the KIND bars, and the gluten-free oats (which are more affordable than what we can find in the local grocery store). Some products that were new to us that are now staples are the EPIC maple glazed & smoked salmon bites, almond flour, and the CHOMPS original grass-fed beef snack sticks.

What are new products that you first learned about on Thrive Market, and now can’t live without?

Our 10-year-old daughter absolutely loves the KidsLuv Zero Sugar Vitamin-Packed Starstruck Coconut Kids Beverage. She asks for another order before she finishes drinking the pack!

I cannot live without the All Good Tinted Sunscreen Lotion. I LOVE this product. I’ve never been much for wearing makeup, and I don’t always remember to wear sunscreen, but this product covers both bases. It feels amazing on my face and I love knowing that my face is being protected during the day (and I don’t even think about it). I also love that it smooths out my skin.

When I discovered the Epic Maple Glazed & Smoked Salmon Bites, oh boy… I was sold. I think of them as a treat, so they aren’t necessarily always a staple, but they do get ordered very often and consumed very quickly.

The Thrive Market Vodka Sauce paired with the Jovial Brown Rice pastas are a constant staple in our house (yum!). We pair these with vegetables, sometimes meat, sometimes just the pasta and sauce. I have Celiac’s Disease and it’s been tough to find gluten-free pasta that I love. But even if I didn’t have to be gluten-free, I wouldn’t give up the Jovial rice pastas. They are so delicious.

Another staple in our house are the Unreal Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. We love these treats so much. We keep a bowl on our dining room table at all times. They are a fantastic treat that I feel good about my daughter eating, knowing that they are chemical free and low in sugar.

Thrive Market Almond Flour—as someone with Celiac, I’ve been looking for flours that work well for me. I am in love with this almond flour. I make protein balls, cookies, pie crusts, and homemade marzipan (my favorite). This almond flour makes having to deal with Celiac super easy for me.

For someone just starting their membership, what advice would you give?

Start out with products that you already use.

In what ways has your membership changed or impacted your life?

At the time that I discovered Thrive, I was dealing with health issues that culminated in having to become gluten-free. I felt overwhelmed by trying to navigate a grocery store. I have to scan products in a store and they aren’t always listed, or my wi-fi doesn’t connect in the store. It can take me a long time to find things and it ends up being stressful. I’ve also been so discouraged by the high cost of gluten-free products in grocery stores.

What Thrive provides for me and my family is the peace of mind knowing that I can easily select products that fit within my dietary needs for a price that is way less than anything I can find in grocery stores. And not having to navigate the maze of a grocery store, knowing that my items are shipped to me, makes my life as a busy composer and mom so, so much easier!

I also feel so passionate about the ethics that drive Thrive as a company. I love having the option to donate to families in need. I love knowing that Thrive is making foods available to people in need. I love knowing that the quality of the products is always going to be high.

I also love the customer service, which is really stellar. Things happen in transit and during the year that we’ve been members, we’ve had a couple of mailing hiccups. Thrive’s customer service makes me wish that other companies would learn from your model. You are responsive and respectful and remedy problems without issue.

Who do you think benefits the most from your membership and why?

We all love our Thrive membership! It’s our primary store for our staples.

Now let’s talk about food. What are your go-to recipes and meals?

Breakfast

Oat Pancakes:
1 cup Thrive Market Gluten-Free Rolled Oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Redmond Real Sea Salt
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1-1.5 cups milk
1 egg

Blend together in a high-powered blender. Pour and cook as you would a normal pancake recipe. Add sliced strawberries or Lily’s chocolate chips!

Almond Oat Crepes:
½ cup Thrive Market Almond Flour
½ cup Thrive Market Gluten-Free Rolled Oats
3 tablespoon gluten-free or regular flour
1 cup milk
1 egg
½ teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Brown Sugar

Blend together in a high-powered blender. Pour into a very flat pan to create a thin crepe and cook until brown on both sides.

Lunch

Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing:
¼ cup Thrive Market Peanut Butter
2 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Rice Vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons Eden Foods Toasted Sesame Oil
1 tablespoon San-J Tamari Sauce
2 tablespoons Thrive Market Maple Syrup
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1-inch square fresh ginger root, grated
1 teaspoon Redmond Real Sea Salt
¼ teaspoon Thrive Market Red Pepper Flakes

Mix together a salad using ingredients of your choosing. Prepare the salad dressing by combining the ingredients above. Add water for a thinner consistency. Toss and serve!

Dinner

Thai Coconut Curry Chicken or Shrimp:
2-3 tablespoon Thrive Market Coconut Oil
1 can Thrive Market Coconut Milk
1 medium yellow onion
1 pound chicken breast or shrimp
3 cloves garlic
2-3 teaspoon Thrive Market Ground Ginger (or 1 tablespoon raw ginger root, chopped)
2 teaspoon Thrive Market Ground Coriander
1-1.5 cups carrots, sliced
1-3 tablespoon red curry paste (we don’t usually have this on hand, so we use Thrive Market Cayenne Pepper)
1 teaspoon Redmond Real Sea Salt
½ teaspoon Thrive Market Ground Black Pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
1-2 cups rice, cooked

In a large skillet, melt coconut oil and add chopped onion; cook until softened. Add the chicken or shrimp and cook until done. Add chopped garlic, ginger, coriander, and cook for one minute. Add the coconut milk, carrots, curry paste (or cayenne pepper), and stir to combine. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid thickens. Serve over rice.

Snacks

Raw Vegan Marzipan Delights:
2 cups Thrive Market Almond Flour
3 tbsp Thrive Market Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Almond Extract

Stir together all ingredients and form into bite sized balls. Keep refrigerated. (These don’t last very long in our house!)

Chrissy’s Peanut Butter Balls:
1 cup Thrive Market Almond Flour
1 cup Thrive Market Gluten-Free Rolled Oats (ground into flour in a high-powered blender)
½ cup Thrive Market Peanut Butter
4 tablespoon Thrive Market Regeneratively Grown Organic Cacao Powder
⅓ cup Thrive Market Maple Syrup
Pinch Redmond Real Sea Salt

Mix all ingredients. Set in the fridge for 20 minutes. Roll into bite-sized balls and enjoy!

Drinks

Kids love Thrive Market Coconut Water (just as is!)

Do you have a favorite five-minute, five-ingredient, or under-$5 meal?

Our favorite under $5 meal is probably Jovial Brown Rice Pasta with Thrive Market Vodka Sauce. Yum!