Living Deliciously!

Gluten Free-Mainstream?

2010-12-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

(http://devourbakery.blogspot.com/)

I remember when just four short years ago, no one had even heard of gluten-including me!

This morning I stocked back up on Bob' s Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats....pretty much the only specialty product I buy regularly... then I remembered a few years ago when GF Oats were virtually unavailable, the few companies that made them, were always out of stock--- meaning if you had a bag or a few- you rationed them for months and months!

Now it's relatively easy to find gluten free oats, I've even seen a few more mainstream grocery stores carry them and this to me is a miracle!

Today though I ordered my GF Oats on Vitacost while browsing for a few supplements and teas.... under 6.00 for a bag sounds good to me!

We drink alot of tea around here- the three boxes I bought last time- Celestial Seasonings Morning Thunder, Yogi Tahitan Vanilla Hazlement and Green Tea Kombucha- lasted two maybe three weeks!

Today after much Gluten Free searching, googling- and comparing I found three more teas for our tea basket! Who knew gluten free teas were so hard to find....

I ordered Celestial Seasonings Madagascar Vanilla tea and Morning Thunder Tea... and a box of Medicinals Valerin tea( doesn't sound great but supposedly it will help me sleep!) - I am hoping!

I asked for chocolate tea for Christmas...........Numi tea or Stash....mmmm dessert teas...

If you've never used vitacost, they have amazing selection and prices on Gluten Free and other health items- Love it!

Time for a little Christmas shopping - on my list today E's family, J and M, and my best friend from home!

I have pictures to post from Thanksgiving as soon as the internet cooperates!

Chelsea Clinton Gluten Free/Vegan Wedding

2010-07-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

(http://everythingaboutfood.net/cupcake-wedding-cakes.html)

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38474741/ns/today-foodwine/

Chelsea Clinton is having a Gluten Free/Vegan Wedding! I thought this was an interesting and progressive story!

Since Bill and Chelsea Clinton are known to have a "wheat or gluten allergy" Chelsea Clinton will have a gluten free, vegetarian menu and cake offering at her wedding this weekend! Great publicity for Celiac Disease! :)

I've heard alot about this wedding over the past few days! :)

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38474741/ns/today-foodwine/
"Chelsea Clinton: Let them eat gluten-free cake
Could vegan, gluten-free choices on her wedding menu have a trickle-down effect?

Tongues are wagging — with some salivating and others going “yuck” — over news reports that Chelsea Clinton’s super-secret upstate New York wedding to Marc Mezvinsky this Saturday will feature a vegan menu and a gluten-free cake. The couple will throw at least one bone to meat eaters, though, by serving up some organic grass-fed beef.
While all-alternative banquet menus are still relatively rare — caterers say they account for just a small sliver of the pie, or cake, as it were — such requests are on the rise, a trend that is likely to continue in the wake of the former first daughter’s wedding.

“This will empower people to make these requests,” says Grace Clerihew, a principal at Table Tales, a New York City catering firm. “Prior to this, they might have thought it was not mainstream enough to even talk about, but now that they see it being done by such a public persona it becomes acceptable.”

Chelsea likely chose her menu based on both personal preferences and health needs — she is said to have been vegan since her teen years and to have a gluten allergy — but her wedding menu should have a trickle-down effect nonetheless, says Clerihew.
It’s already become standard practice for most caterers and restaurants to offer vegetarian options. Clerihew predicts this event will inspire them to explore vegan and gluten-free options “in a more inspired way.”

What vegan, gluten-free involves At hundreds of dollars a head, Chelsea’s menu had better be inspired. But even more common folk can expect to pay a premium for such specialty menus, which until now have largely been the province of higher-end caterers in more food-conscious markets.

Vegan dishes and a gluten-free cake reportedly will be on the menu at Chelsea Clinton's wedding reception on Saturday.

Vegan and gluten-free options can be one and the same, but not necessarily so. Vegan dishes are not simply vegetarian dishes; instead, they do not contain any ingredients derived from animals, including butter, cheese, milk and other dairy products.

Gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oat products, can trigger allergic reactions in people who suffer from celiac disease and gluten intolerance. So gluten-free foods are devoid of wheat, rye, barley or oat gluten.

The double whammy of vegan and gluten-free restrictions can certainly make planning a menu — and crafting a cake — a challenge, but chefs and caterers in the know say it can be done successfully and can be well worth the effort. In fact, they say mainstream eaters may be surprised to discover that vegan and gluten-free food can be delicious.
“We’ve gotten very savvy about creating wonderful things with alternative ingredients,” says Paula LeDuc, owner of Paula LeDuc Fine Catering, an event firm in San Francisco. “It’s not just pasta or a big pile of veggies anymore.”

Dishes like LeDuc’s signature grilled tofu and portobello mushroom rounds shingled on fresh rosemary skewers served on a summer corn and Beaulieu Garden sungold tomato succotash can set a banquet table abuzz and have those who ordered the meat or fish asking to switch plates. The experience is so common that her firm routinely makes extra to satisfy all who ask.
More on Chelsea Clinton’s wedding LeDuc says requests for vegan items are up 15 percent across all types of events since last year. Gluten-free requests have increased from roughly one a month last year to one a week this year. “Three or four years ago, gluten-free wasn’t even part of the conversation,” she says.

The ‘mother-in-law issue’ The trend is not just confined to foodie cities like San Francisco and New York. Jennie Scheinbach, owner of Pattycake Bakery, an exclusively vegan bakery in Columbus, Ohio, says her gluten-free business has exploded. “When we started (in 2003), it didn’t seem like anyone was gluten-free. Now about 5 to 10 percent of our cake business is gluten-free,” she says.

Vegan and organic can still be a hard sell in Columbus. “There aren’t a lot of vegans in Columbus, and your typical Ohioan doesn’t get why they should pay more for better ingredients,” says Scheinbach. Still, Pattycake has found a loyal following among people interested in food made with organic, sustainably farmed, fair-trade ingredients.

Pattycake uses such ingredients wherever possible, even though with some things costing two or three times as much as conventional ones, it’s not as profitable. “It’s dirt cheap to use crap,” she says. “It’s incredibly expensive to use not crap. We can’t charge the standard markup. It’s just part of the nature of this business.” A wedding cake from Pattycake only costs about 10 percent more than one from competing Columbus bakeries.

And then there’s the “mother-in-law issue.” Brides typically seek out vegan or gluten-free because of personal preference or because someone in the wedding party has allergies, but others involved in planning the event sometimes need convincing that an alternative menu is really a good idea.

Doron Petersan, who offers free bridal cupcake tastings of confections made with tofu, potato and tapioca starches at her all-vegan Sticky Fingers Bakery in Washington, D.C., says the taste is what ultimately convinces people. “Once people come in for a tasting, about 95 percent of them sign up,” she says.

That may be because no one thinks wedding cakes will taste good, says Petersan, whose best-selling vanilla cake with toasted vanilla almond icing wins rave reviews. “Lots of places just focus on the decoration of the cake,” she says. “Our cakes are nice looking, but we really focus on the flavor. We constantly get people saying nobody knew this was vegan.”

‘Wasn’t even a crumb left’ It’s the same story at Pattycake. “There’s a bakery in town that makes cakes that are incredibly beautiful to look at,” says Scheinbach. “We had a couple who ordered one cake from us, and one from them to appease the mom. All the non-vegans ended up eating our cake. Now I tell people, if you’re going to do that, you need to hide our cake in the back or there won’t be any left for the vegans.”

That may sound surprising, but Amy Bradley, a longtime vegan and Pattycake devotee, knew that’s exactly what would happen at her wedding in Columbus last July. Despite the fact that “we get a ton of pushback at holidays from people that don’t ‘get’ vegan and think skipping meat for even one meal is a big deal,” she ordered a small vegan pistachio rosewater cake with whipped frosting topped with pistachio nuts, and 10 dozen assorted vegan cupcakes (including a dozen gluten-free) even though she and her husband Chris only invited 100 guests. “There wasn’t even a crumb left,” she says, “and our friends and relatives said it was the best wedding cake they’d ever had.”

As more people are exposed to tasty alternative foods, demand is likely to continue to climb. “We get people now who pick a vegetarian menu not because they’re vegetarian, but just because they liked it the best after the tasting,” says caterer LeDuc. Although she has no plans to abandon more traditional dishes, offering alternatives, she says, has opened the door to new conversations about food, a sentiment echoed by Table Tales’ Clerihew. Chelsea’s wedding menu, she says, “is just one more unfolding of the public consciousness around food (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38474741/ns/today-foodwine/).

I hope you enjoyed this article, our Gluten Free wedding will be in a little under two years!

Delicious GF food!

2010-07-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

(http://sydneyveganbakesale.blogspot.com/)

Favorite new and old products!

Note: I am just a diagnosed celiac who must eat gluten free and who chooses to eat cruelty free and mostly naturally. It has taken me a long time to find the food choices and combinations that work for me, but the end is well worth it! This is a mix of fresh things, packaged things, good for you things, treat things, and things I just LIKE!

#1 New favorite Almond Breeze Almond Milk in Large Size. This finally made it to my giant. I have seen the ads in magazines and papers for about 6 months now, and finally it’s here! And the good news is a large container is about 3.50 and lasts quite awhile! The flavor is also the best out of every RICE, HEMP and other almond milk I have tasted, you only need a little to get the full flavor and it is much better to me the cow’s milk (which I have never really liked anyway though!) If you have issues with dairy try this one out!!!

#2 An oldie. Amy’s Gluten Free Pizza’s. Nothing makes a celiac feel remorse like driving past a pizza place and knowing you cannot have any or even worse attending a gathering where there is pizza present and no gluten free options. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where I do and you can go out for gluten free pizza at several places it is only a special rare treat because it is PRICEY. Upwards 18-25 dollars for a SMALL PIZZA. I am glad there is the option, but I also love having a 4-8 dollar pizza in my freezer I can dress up however I want and have at a moments notice. Always a favorite.

#3 Better n’ Butter. I bought this on a whim at whole foods because it is low in fat and the fat in regular peanut butter is sometimes too much for me! There are regular and chocolate flavors which both are like the container delicious and still healthy! I still have regular peanut butter but this is wonderful for sandwiches and snacking on apples!

#4 Fresh basil. This has always been gluten free of course. If you can tolerate it, this is the best on a fresh baked pizza or added to a salad or pasta. The flavor is wonderful!!

#5 Organic Apples. After having organic or local apples, I can never go back to the pesticide laden ones. Get them from the farmers market, the organic market- just wash them and give them a try! They are a little pricey at some places, so I work them into my budget, the organic ones are a SUPER splurge, but worth it!

#6 Portobello Mushrooms. Can we talk about Portobello mushrooms? Preferably local grown or organic because the flavor difference is monumental- let me tell you! I had my first “good “ portabello mushroom burger at a cookout this year and now I cannot get enough. Mushrooms in casseroles, mushroom burgers, mushrooms in burgers, mushrooms in salads. I never tried a mushroom before I was 25, besides the mushrooms on pizzas I picked off.

#7 Chickpeas. I have a little thing for chick peas. I must have a chick pea salad, burger, or pasta dish at least once a week. How many people crave chick peas? I love their versatility. I make cold salads, hot salads, burgers, soups, casseroles, you name it I make it and I am pretty sure they could be snuck into brownies. Why not?

# 8 Buckwheat flour.- Delicious, light, this may be my favorite baking flour.

#9 Vans Waffles. I make Apple Cinnamon PB sandwiches to go with these little guys, when I have to be on the go!

#10 Blue Corn Tortilla Chips. Just love these when I need a crunch!

#11 Honest Tea. Free of weird chemicals and artificial sugars.. Just all natural tea!

#12 Spinach. I buy this by the large bag and put it in everything I can.

#13 Good Olive Oil. For everything.

#14 Fresh Ground Pepper/ Red Pepper/Cayenne Pepper. Spice and more spice!

#15 Quinoa. I love this protein filled versatile grain. I buy big bags at costo and put it in quiche, salads, veggie burgers, anywhere I can put extra protein- in it goes! I am not a big rice person but I love the taste of quinoa.

#16 Extra Dark Chocolate. Endangered Chocolate bars. Wonderfully rich dark chocolate that is certified gluten free and a portion of the proceeds go to help wildlife. My kind of chocolate!

#17 Soy Delicious Gluten Free Cookie Dough Ice Cream. This changed my life. There are not words but a word of caution before you eat this soy ice cream with gluten free chunks use a small bowl, it’s hard to stop!

#18 Pamelas Cookies & My Dad’s Cookies brand. Pamela’s Dark Chocolate Cookies- Before these cookies I always proclaimed I did not eat or like “ Boxed Cookies” But then my boyfriend bought me a box of Pamela’s Dark Chocolate Cookies and then proceeded to eat the whole box. I did get 2 cookies before the box was gone when he proclaimed “These are the best things I’ve ever tasted! “ They passed the test.
My dad’s Cookie Company then sent me 3 boxes of cookies to sample- delighted with this I proclaimed each one better than the next and I still have not decided on a favorite- but I would have to go with the sandwich cookies because I have not had a Oreo type cookie in close to 5 years and these were BETTER than an Oreo, but now they are gone. L (because I ate them all )

#19 Tinkyada pasta. A delicious, light, real tasting, healthy pasta. I don’t eat a lot of pasta but when I do- this one is better to me than the regular gluten pasta’s – maybe because it doesn’t make me sick?

#19 Food for life Brown Rice Bread. I eat this bread half a slice at a time, heated up (I cannot eat a lot of bread or rice at one time) as a special treat with better n butter and cinnamon, if you are looking for GF packaged bread this stuff is awesome!

#20 Blueberries. All time favorite fruit. It is actually a secret dream and on my list to go blue berry picking and have blue berry pie, juice, sorbet, I LOVE blueberries all forms- Always HAVE, Always will!

#21 Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce and Tamari Crackers. This soy sauce makes eating sushi normal again! And the first time I picked up these tamari crackers I could NOT stop eating them, I have never had a little cracker that was this good.

And plenty more………….

Gluten Free Slow Cooker Chili (Vegan)

2010-07-28T09:30:00.001-07:00

Hey friends!

Sorry I've been gone for so long! If you read my other balance blog- you know I've been going through 2 knee surgeries with a difficult rehabilitation plan, changing cities etc.. and basically CHANGING.

But I am back with some gluten free goodness grams today. :) And much more from now on out!

For the past 4 months I have basically living off of meals I make ahead of time.

To do this you just need to reserve about four hours on Saturday or Sunday, fire up the crock pot, oven, and rice cooker and get creative!

It is hard work but after putting all of the weeks food in the fridge, I am done for 7-9 days!

My current favorite: Slow Cooker Vegan Chili.

To do this put in a bag of black or kidney beans. Add water. Leave in the cooker for 8 hours.
After the time is up add in 8-10 cut up ( lightly cooked potatoes.
2 packets of your desired spice ( We use Chili) or you can add in a custom blend.
Next add in 4 cups of whatever veggies you desire
Finish the pot off with 2 cups of brown rice.

Cook these ingredients for 4-8 hours, depending on how soft you want the Chili.

This recipe is extremely easy and not very labor intensive, I hope you enjoy it!

Next up a post with some new GF favorites........... :) and some old favorites!!!

Question: What was your worst glutening experience?

Mine was at El Gordedo ( I believe this is the name! ) about a month after I was diagnosed. The waiter brought out flour chips instead of corn , and said they were corn. I indulged.... and was in bed for the next 3 days!

(http://www.glutenfreegigi.com/1/post/2010/11/vegetarian-chili- a-la-gluten-free-easily.html)

Rice Dream.

2010-01-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

My household used to drink RiceDream. In Vanilla and Original.

RiceDream also used to be labeled GlutenFree. Now that label is gone, leaving me to scrutinize the ingredient list and place it back on the shelf, thinking that is odd. It used to say Gluten free?

Turns out-- Rice Milk is made with a barely enzyme.
The resulting process is a product with a gluten level of 20ppm.
20ppm is thought to be the most a product can have a be safe, supposedly but.....
There is currently no regulation on Gluten Free( thanks FDA ) in the US. And this level of Gluten is thought to be so low it is non-existent. THOUGHT TO BE.

But to many celiacs that means if Rice Milk still contains 20ppm of Gluten, it is in fact not GLUTEN FREE. But it was labeled Gluten Free?

So is Rice Milk Gluten Free? If one follows the rule that anything over 20ppm is safe to eat then this would be gluten free to that individual.

What that basically means is that you are your own doctor in this situation. If you are like me a hyper sensitive celiac who took years to get well, I would think twice about drinking this product as it is made right now.

Some celiacs may have reactions, some may not. But this is very troubling to learn especially if you have been consuming Rice Dream Rice Milk for years as a celiac.

I keep thinking what if they find out in a few years that products at 20ppm cause intestinal villi flattening....

I am currently drinking Almond Milk and safe rice milk's.

The reason for no coffee.

2010-01-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

To drink coffee or not to drink coffee?
3 months ago I cut out coffee. Completely for 2 months. Then I allowed myself to have it as an occasional treat.

You see, I have a lovely condition ( in addition to celiac disease) that rushed me to the hospital a few years ago and caused me months of pain. Oh the pain! It is called Gastritis. Oh and acid reflux, but I've had that since I was a babe. It is nothing new.

Gastritis is basically when your stomach lining is inflamed and irritated to put it very lightly.

Here is google.com's explanation,

Gastritis is an inflammation (irritation and swelling) of the lining of the stomach.
Symptoms
•Abdominal pain
•Abdominal indigestion
•Dark stools
•Loss of appetite
•Nausea
•Vomiting
•Vomiting blood or coffee-ground like material

Sounds nice right?

Causes
There are many causes of gastritis.

The most common are:

•Alcohol
•Erosion (loss) of the protective layer of the stomach lining
•Infection of the stomach with Helicobacter pylori bacteria
•Medications such as aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
•Smoking
Less common causes are:

•Autoimmune disorders (such as pernicious anemia)
•Backflow of bile into the stomach (bile reflux)
•Eating or drinking caustic or corrosive substances (such as poisons)
•Excess gastric acid secretion (such as from stress)
•Viral infection, especially in people with a weak immune system

Fresh from the hospital my no foods list included "coffee". It took around 3 months before I could eat anything at all besides baby food and frozen yogurt but I didn't cut out coffee, when I could eat again. I love it.

I finally realized that coffee for me creates way too much acid in my stomach to be enjoyed daily. A few times a week doesn't seem to be quite so bad. But I have had to say bye- bye to my lattes and cappuccino's for the most part. I still have one occasionally, but I rarely have black coffee. My stomach lining is MUCH more happier for it.

To add insult to injury the coffee subsitute products are made from a grain (Teecino) so Celiac's cannot have them. I have found one drink I love making.
Take black chi tea concentrate ( avail at grocery stores) with rice, almond, soy, milk, froth or heat up and top with cinnamon. This is one of my favorites when I need a hot drink that is indulgent tasting.

Mondays Gluten Free Meals...

2010-01-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

It is very cold outside and I am having a hard time keeping up with my no coffee resolve, but only on the mornings when I do not have time to workout. Fortunately that is not very often!

This morning I had
Vanilla Chi Tea
Container of Greek Yogurt
Cinnamon Almonds ( serving )
Mashed up- heated up banana
2 glasses of water ( very thirsty )
multi vitamin

Lunch:
Crazy Hurried Creation Salad

Hummus
Salsa
Carrots
Broccoli
Left over scrambled egg from brunch on Sunday
sweet potato
lettuce
sliced almonds.

I was in a hurry when I made this salad- I made it in 2 minutes, throwing bits and pieces of veggies and nuts from the fridge and cabinet, not my best work, but edible, pretty good and gluten free. :)

Dinner--- Is going to be a lazy slow affair, whatever it may be.....

I am really wanting to make baked tofu with orange glaze ( more on this later ) and broccoli, and this wonderful looking rice cakes from The KIND DIET BOOK by Alice SilverStone that make my stomach growl!

Happy Gluten Free Eating~

I am also going to be better and starting TAKING PICTURES and UPLOADING THEM! :)

Celiac Disease is "In"

2010-01-01T10:35:00.000-08:00

I received an email today that "Celiac Disease is IN" for 2010.

Washington Post 2010 Article

The article is great for celiac disease exposure! My hope is that many people will read this and if they have been feeling ill they will get tested. Let's spread the word!

Hopefully the Post will do an in depth article on this "IN" auto-immune disease in the relative future. Because even though it is IN now, when it goes OUT, those of us diagnosed with Celiac Disease will still be eating gluten free, looking for new ways to prepare food, and googling EVERY ingredient! It's our way of life. :)

The Kind Diet

2010-01-01T10:22:00.001-08:00

I have wanted Alicia Silverstones "The Kind Diet" book for awhile now!

Finally I treated myself to it after my bf expressed a want to make our whole kitchen not only GF but also vegetarian/vegan. The book will be for both of us. I have already been eating vegetarian mostly- except for these past two weeks- and now it will be a fun journey to both be GF/Veggies!

I love the book, it isn't at all preachy, but rather about what fits your life and particular needs.

For our household we can easily follow this diet, the only challenges will be that I love greek yogurt and must limit my soy intake, and my bf loves cow's milk. So we must find alternatives, explore other options and find out what is right for our bodies and our household.

The recipe section of the book is excellent, that was the main reason I purchased it. There are so many non-meat protein sources available ( that are also gluten free), this book just features recipes to dress them up a bit!

It should not be hard to follow this diet especially if you cook the majority of your food. It all comes down to the foods you put in your grocery cart, since I need to eat GF and want to eat vegetarian thats what we will buy and it's simple from there!

There is also a growing market for GF and Vegetarian ready-products in grocery stores. Items such as Veggie Burgers, Fruit bars, Protein bars, Protein Mixes, Bean Dips, etc... are showing up all over grocery store shelves. :) This is good news!

2010!

2010-01-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

This morning is a very sleep deprived one- going on around 4 hours of sleep at work, but I get to see my bf tonight for the first time in a week!

So I started the morning off with

black tea
steel cut oats ( I made a few days ago) with almond butter, cut up banana pieces, and a spoonful of yogurt I had left over. It's a left over kind of Friday!

for lunch-- left over chicken bake. We are eating vegetarian/vegan in our house, but in an effort not to waste food- I am finishing the last of the bake. Spinach, kale, almond slivers, baked chicken, sweet potato slices, broccoli, ginger, salsa (hot), pepper, and a few chopped up carrots- all together!

Looking forward to going back to vegetarian/vegan! The above recipe is very easily made vegetarian, just throw in beans ( whichever you like ) for the chicken, very good!

Dinner and champagne ( a late new years celebration ) tonight! And I hope a gluten free cupcake. I went to the bakery that sells them by our house and it was closed. :( There is something very indulgent about being able to walk into a bakery or cafe and being able to buy and eat a baked good every once in awhile! :)

2009-12-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

Today started off with

Gingersnap tea and agave!
Steel cut GF oats
Mixed in Greek Yogurt and a little almond butter....

Lunch a salad with leftover rotisserie chicken ( even though we are going back veg-finishing off what I have) carrots, hummus, broccoli, salsa, and pepper!

Having dinner with a friend out--- but no worries because near my apartment there are many restaurants that are GF friendly, including Austin Grill (LOVE!), Lebanese Taverna ( YUM!), 2 GF pizza places ( YES! ), 200 Asian Cuisine Places, Chipotle (Whom I've never had a problem with but I don't eat cheese or sour cream ), Noodles and Company, Macaroni Grill ( Scrappy GF Menu but HEY they at least have one!), many many many other restaurants! Including this little mom and pop authentic Latin American restaurant that makes the best frozen drinks I have EVER had. :)

YUM. :)

Gluten Free Holidays! and contamination.

2009-12-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy Gluten Free holiday!

I had my share ( and more) of gluten free goodies. I've retired my gf brownies with fudge icing and cupcakes to the back of the freezer and given the rest away to friends and family. After several days of chocolate frenzies! :)

Yesterday I made a wonderful browned mushroom, tomato sauce, with herb mix. That doesn't really have a name but it tastes good on everything. :) From meats, beans, and potato's, to chips, and salads. Very good. :)

I had a little bit of a lie in yesterday. We had an impromptu dinner on Saturday night and I didn't fell all that well on Sunday. So I just cooked here and there and made big batches of GT oats, beans, veggies, and chopped fruits.

It's very nice to be back to my normal GF routine. I am sure many other GF-eers feel the same! It's the impromptu dinners, life snags, etc... that can trip you up. :) My BF thinks I am a victim of cross contamination from the Saturday night dinner even though we were very careful- since I literally had a hard time moving all day Sunday and a horrible migraine with stomach burning, yep sounds like it to me also. But on the bright side I watched 3 seasons of friends and had a sick day. Now I'm trying to heal.

Will be very glad to get back to feeling great.... staying in one place, less sugar, no threat to cross contamination, and no meat.

Today I am having a serving a GF oats with frozen berries and bananas and almond nut butter along with a serving of cranberry probiotic yogurt poured over the top and a soy latte ( my treat!).

A version of the same thing for lunch because my stomach is still slightly sensitive and this doesn't bother me....

And dinner is left over chicken with hummus baby carrots, side salad with salsas, broccoli, and the mushroom mix I made.

Dessert is prob a piece of raspberry dark chocolate and a half a cup of rice milk.

Optional: Lara bar snack. ( Almond cookie )

A Gluten Free Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T04:39:00.000-08:00

We had a great gluten free thanksgiving!

It has been a few years now that my Thanksgivings have been gluten free are honestly.... it's really not any different. :) I appreciate it more. I think about what I am eating more and I am more thankful that the food I am putting in my body can now nourish and sustain my lifestyle and health. :)

Cheers to that!!

Nowdays....

I still enjoy a little bit of turkey ( even though I know to make sure it is a PLAIN turkey) and sometimes I do opt to go vegetarian....on Thanksgiving- it depends on the mood and the food! :) I'm a vegetarian at heart though.

I still pile my plate high with great vegetables and fresh cranberry sauce- I love whole cranberries! ( making sure the veggies don't have a offensive gluten containing sauce, ditto for the cranberries! ) Before going GF I never knew I LOVE homemade red mashed potato's- plain, Who knew??? :)

Now I opt for gluten free rolls if I really feel I need one ( I usually don't - must save room for GF PIE. )

Gluten free stuffing is also a breeze and can be made with wild rice or gluten free bread ( It is really- really good) , and gravy can be made with corn starch....

I am truly thankful that my food is medicine, not a shot or a pill. I am thankful to have my health back.

This morning I am enjoying Gluten Free Steel cut oats with cinnamon, crushed banana, greek yogurt and peanut butter, and a cup of black tea. Very good medicine. I can do this quite easily! :)

Oh yes --I am also thankful that when we visited my bf's family for Thanksgiving they had many GF offerings- rolls- pies, gravy, stuffing-- the works! It was very nice! - I should send a thank you note!

:) Hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving!

Wild Rice Stuffing:

( simple ingredients- very good! )

-Wild Rice.

-Cranberries

-Saffron

- Whichever spices you prefer

- Raisins.

Cook and mix together. Simple but very delicious with a thanksgiving meal. Try it out!

Gluten Free Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

There have been alot of Gluten Free Goodness happening around here right now...

Jsut not enough time to right about it all....

So I will leave with this....

For my GF thanksgiving contribution I will be making

Baked Apples with Cinnamon, Greek Yogurt, and honey.
Simple, delicious and gluten free.

Pictures and more recipes to come soon.

I may become ambitious and make raspberry blondies or a chocolate cake if the mood strikes! ;)

Right now I am loving Pamela's Chocolate Chip Cookies-- and I strongly DISLIKE packaged cookies- always have. Thats how good they are. :) They are even better with chocolate peanut butter.

GLUTEN FREE THANKSGIVING TIP: Watch out for turkeys injected with butter- many times ( ex: butterball brand) these contain gluten to thicken them up.

Bobs Red Mill Steel Cut Gluten Free Oats!

2009-11-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

Gluten free Steel Cut oats? Very different from rolled oats. But in a very good way. Until yesterday I am pretty sure I have never had steel cut oats. Never.

When it comes to oats I've had the big tins of Quaker Oats from my "I didn't know I had Celiac Disease days" and I ate rolled oats daily in the form of the sugary instant packets when I was a child. Blueberry! Strawberry! Chocolate Chip! Marshmallow! Undercover Bears! My how our tastes change! I never realized steel cut oats where so different because I'd never ventured out to to them....

Enter Celiac Disease and I am willing to try almost anything gluten free. There is alot of debate about Steel Cut oats vs. Rolled Oats- IS ONE HEALTHIER THAN THE OTHER?

After alot of reading my personal consensus was- I like to eat foods in the most natural un-processed state as possible. Everyone must decide for themself.
I decided to give gluten free steel cut oats a try. It helped that they were slightly cheaper on the Bobs Red Mill Website and lower in calories per serving (not that I count- but that leaves more room for bananas! Nuts! Berries!) Yes please.

I ordered these directly from the manufacturer -- and one work DELICIOUS. More to come and I've had them everyday since they arrived on my door step. I cook a huge batch in the rice cooker on Sundays...... :)

www.bobsredmill.com.

Thank you Bob.

2-3 in one parfait....

2009-11-12T10:17:00.001-08:00

I love this parfait. If you work long hours like I do without the opportunity many times to take a break you need a 2 in 1 or sometimes 3 in1 meal. I have this on the very hectic days when I cannot even step away for a second all day.

This suits my palate perfectly and if you like the below ingredients - try it out! I like to make it for a one at a time meal as well- but it is perfect for long days.....

( I'll add a picture tommorow of the parfait).

I start with a big container- usually shaped like a parfait would be, with a secure lid- whatever size works. Sometimes I feel silly eating out of a huge container! :)

From the bottom layer one:

Depending on what I have in my kitchen this layer is either Cinnamon cream of rice cereal or cinnamon oats. Right now its cream of rice, Oats will be delievered on TUESDAY! I build a good base then start with the next layer.

This is usually half a small sliced apple.

Then half a cup of whatever flavored yogurt I want or greek plain yogurt ( I LOVE THIS).

Next another half a fruit such as half a banana- a few cut up strawberries or blue berries.

Then a spoonful of whatever nut butter is desired.

Then repeat the first layer-- cream of rice or oats, rest of apple, rest of yogurt, rest of fruit, one more spoonful of nut butter, a sprinkle of granola or cereal, and a little more fruit to top it off with and cinnamon.

I usually just fill the container to the top - even adding pumpkin bread crumbled to the top if I have a piece in the fridge....

This is alot better to me than a protein bar for breakfast, a protein bar for lunch...... and it is very filling. I start with breakfast- eat a bit, put it back in the fridge, get it out for lunch- eat more.... usually there is a bit left for an afternoon snack or the next day........

Love 2-3 in on parfaits. :)

Extra time...

2009-11-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

Above--- the food with camera- phone- I had eaten most of it :)

Today I have some extra time today ---to talk about some GF goodness I am eating today........

Lunch is SPICY!

A side of Kale with hot pepper spice and basil and steamed carrots and a basil, navy bean, lentil, yellow pepper, all topped with taco sauce, wrapped in a corn tortilla creation! Yum- whew it is HOT and all GF of course!

I really wanted enchilada sauce at the groc store-- but they all contained wheat-- I haven't checked WF- or I will prob just make my own!

I cooked a bag of frozen Kale in the oven and expected it to get crispy but ... it didn't ..... maybe only fresh kale chopped turns crispy, that would make sense.

I made 2 servings of this.. one of the best things about corn tortillas is they are usually naturally GF ( unless there is something WEIRD added to them ). I feel so normal eating my cheap ( 99 cents for 20!) corn tortillas . :)

This morning while I wait patiently on my new GF cereals and GF oats I had brown rice, nut butter, coconut, banana, and a bit of apple- heat in microwave and enjoy with black tea- 1.5 cups!

Tomorrow I am excited about my 2-3 meals in one parfait! --- look for a separate post on this with pictures! :) It is SO good...

A few gluten free things....

2009-11-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

A few gluten free things....

It's Wednesday and I am finishing up vegetarian Fajitas, grilled asparagus- followed my relaxing Cinnamon Apple Green Tea....

This morning was a take two of a delicious breakfast cookie, which could also be called a breakfast mash! I basically take all of my favorite things in the cabinet and fridge and make a semi-cookie to put in fridge for the next few mornings....

This breakfast cookie had a.......

tbsp of cocoa.

a serving of rice cereal ( still out of oats )

one cut up apple

one crumbled up piece of pumpkin bread

one chopped up banana

generous portion of almonds and cranberries.

one tbsp of almond butter ( last in the can )

I think thats all.......

Mixed into a large cookie- divided in a few portions for the next day..... DELICIOUS.

A very welcome variety.......

It's a shrimp, ginger, BBQ, asparagus, veggie wrap for tomorrow. Sounds like alot but it's good!

I was going to do a nice navy bean salad for Friday but I'm working the shows so I don't get the opportunity to eat lunch that day only a nice big breakfast....... what should I make.........

I'm thinking rice cereal? Or maybe a seasonal sandwich? Pumpkin bread with almond butter and sliced apples??? Yummmm.

If there was a "Gluten Free Pill" would you take it? I was just reading about clinical trials. It would help with cross contamination.... But I really do enjoy eating gluten free- I do not enjoy getting "glutened" however. :)

Natures Path- 2 new GF cereals!

2009-11-03T12:38:00.000-08:00

I am still eating on the GF Fajitas from Austin Grill. Big portions from that restaurant!

But this post is about the 2 new Natures Path Cereals.

2 new flavors of fall deliciousness.

Crunchy Maple Sunrise and Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise.

I love maple. I love vanilla. I love crunchy. It's the beginning of a love story.....

These 2 cereals were released in September, it's now November and I still cannot find them in stores..... I am going to ask my Whole Foods to carry them but they usually takes awhile! I am so desperate to try these new cereals I think I am going to order them online and pay the 4.00 shipping. Shocking. I called all the stores in my area in my city. No luck.

People that can pluck any cereal off the shelf may not understand my " I must have this cereal attitude". :)

For three years I have given up my favorite cereals that were similar to these. 3 years. :) But finally the gluten free cereal market is getting great. Other brands are offering cereals with berries. Something else I have drastically missed. Special K with Berries was a big part of my diet before celiac disease as was blueberry morning cereal. I am a big cereal at night person, always have been!

Thank you cereal manufactures for making gluten free delicious cereals!

Has anyone tried these new Natures Path Cereals? I plan on ordering them from the website soon if I do not have any luck with the stores....

It is rare that something so exciting to me hits the GF shelves! Besides the Starbucks Cakes, Chex Cereal, and the boom of GF menus...... and of course Betty Crocker....

I'll admit it, I get excited about everything Gluten Free! :)

Finally pictures!!!

2009-11-03T12:24:00.001-08:00

The sweet potato, apple, almond, cranberry, cinnamon bake, pre-oven!

A delicious breakfast on Saturday..... Morning Thunder Black tea with Rice Milk... Small Organic Yellow Apple , Greek Yogurt, Cinnamon, and 1tbsp of Almond Butter!! I thought it looked nice... :)

Some cinnamon pumpkin bread with glaze hanging out in the pan...

A piece without glaze, Yum!

The pan of pumpkin cinnamon bread,I took into work...... it's Gluten and dairy free..... :)

E's plate of pumpkin bread with the cinnamon glaze......waiting on him!

A close up of the bread!

The all natural pumpkin gluten free bread. Made with the pumpkin from our Halloween pumpkin....

The all natural mix!

The bowl...............

The 2 sweet loafs - pre oven...

Oh yeah-- my breakfast cooooookie mix. This was SO GOOD.

and the giant breakfast cookie packed up -ready to go to work........

Next up -- Pumpkin Butter......and a breakfast burrito. I also need to get my hands on gluten-free oats. :)

Gluten Free Oct/Nov Weekend...

2009-11-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

We had a good GF weekend....

A friend made delicious Gf polenta with mushrooms and delicious baked potato with turkey bacon and cheeesse. So good and I brought along my pumpkin spice bread with GLAZE!

We went to Austin Grill on Sunday and I got the first Fajitas I have had in around 3-4 years! They were great and the portions are so big I will have them for approx 3 days! :)

I went to our whole foods looking for GF vegan meats and GF oats and sadly found neither. So I left a nice little comment in the box asking for the GF oats to be carried ( many of the other Whole Foods do carry these) and decided I would make my own GF Vegan burgers and such.... :) until then.....

I made a sweet potato casserole last night with sweet potato's, apples, almonds, cranberries, cinnamon, pumpkin puree........ delicious!

Picked up a bag of Kale at the store-- I am excited to try "Kale Chips" this week!
Bake in the oven at 325 for 10-15 minutes...... But be careful that they do not burn!
I've seen alot of recipes for them on the Internet........!

I bought several bags of beans but was disappointed to see that the red lentils I bought have the possibility of cross contamination. I could wash the beans- physically wash each bean, I'm still not sure about that. My Bf may be eating alot of beans in the next week! :) But the rest of the beans look to be fine!

Up this week I am excited to try a seasonal sandwich! On my organic pumpkin bread-- made with pumpkin from my family's garden...... natural GF flour....2 organic eggs... I think maybe a smattering of natural raw sugar went into this one and some water and that was it.....
I'm thinking almond butter and chopped apples or smushed sweet potato or cranberries.........the skys the limit..... :) and pumpkin spice tea-- if I can find it!

I do have about 25 pictures of dishes I've been talking about stored on my camera-- I am going to finally upload them tommorow!!!! :)

The Healthiest Diet.....

2009-10-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

The healthiest diet. What is it? Do you know?

I think the true answer is there is no true one size fits all healthiest diet out there because we are all different but there are great guidelines that we can follow to become our healthiest.

There are many considerations such as food allergies, food sensitivties, autoimmune disorders, Celiac disease, Crohns disease, IBS, Ulterative Colitis, Diabetes, GERD, Cancer, and other illnesses not limited to gastroinestional disorders that are important factors in choosing your diet....

The question to ask is What is the Healthiest Diet for Me?

I recently read a book on Macrobiotic eating because I was curious as to what this actually was... I found the eating style intersting and very spiritual. I haven't finished the book yet. I know I would not want to follow this diet fully unless I had a chef cooking for me. Many of the foods are hard to find or seasonal and as someone with Celiac Disease and who only eats fish and some seafood (and chicken very rarely) I would have a hard time or an impossible time getting the nutrients needed with the foods consumed.

I may have a limited knowledge because I have only read one book and a few websites on this, but that is what it looked like! Also the practice frowns on multi-vitamins and other supplements............ no good. no good.

One stringent principle I could not adhere to was the limit on fruits. I'm a fruit person. Always have been always will be. And a yogurt person. I just am. :) Give me fresh blueberries and greek yogurt anyway.

However there are some principles I can take from the macrobiotic lifestyle to incorporate into my own...

-Eating more beans
-Eating more GF safe grains.... minimally processed...
-Add in GF Miso soup....
-Keep Drinking my black tea..........
-And some more as I think of them...

GF Brunch!

2009-10-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

I guess you could call my breakfast today more of a brunch.........

Because the only time my BF and I get to see each other during the week often is in the AM I arranged a nice breakfast date with plates laid out and had the food all ready in pans the night before ( ready to be baked.)

On the menu- Buckwheat Banana (no egg) Muffins with squash hidden in.......
Turkey Bacon ( I need to find GF vegan!)
Veggie Frittata
Black Breakfast Tea

All off this was for E -- I had enough time to drink a cup of Tea and eat half of my pre-prepared breakfast of a small apple sliced a heaping cup of butternut squash with cinnamon and a half of banana and a table spoon of almond butter ( a large tbsp!) ......
All heated up.......... half was in my stomach and then it was time to head to the PT ( public transportation) to work........

around 11am I was hungry again so I had the rest of the breakfast and another cup of tea........

Today is an afternoon heavy kinda of day...... meaning I won't get to eat again or break at all until 3:30 at least........ so that GF breakfast-Brunch has got to hold me! :) Yum!

Does anyone else go through almond butter like it's going out to style?
I should prob incorporate more protein sources..... but I haven't had time to go to the groc store (ie-- been having tension headaches, migraines, tired) :) .

I've been thinking about incorporating a few vegan products into my diet such as vegan patties, franks, etc.... but I'm a little bit concerned about soy.... I suppose the right attitude to take is everything in moderation..... and perhaps I can find some alternatives that do not contains soy and I am weary of it...... I do have soy approx once a month, sometimes twice........if I knew it was safe for me- I would have it all the time, I love it!

Also I promise to get a breakfast cookie picture up soon! I've been a bit slow with the pictures lately..........

Up next --- Tonight I am going to possibly make-- GF pumpkin bread............. and next week Mini Breakfast Protein Bites.....

I am in Physical therapy trying to build back up the stabilizing muscles around my knee and I think incorporating more protein in my diet (but not too much -- itcouldn't hurt)....

GF Breakfast Cookie, I'm In Love!!!

2009-10-28T13:23:00.001-07:00

I took some inspiration from the internet and fellow bloggers and came up with a Gluten Free Breakfast cookie!

I did not follow any ingredient list. I didn't measure. I just filled a tupperware container with what looked good and stopped when I was done.

Here's my estimate:

One heaping spoonful of Almond butter!
A big handful of cranberries....
A big hanful of almonds!
generous shake of pure cocoa
the same goes for cinnamon
and a bit of nutmeg.....
I cooked half of serving of rice cereal since I am out of GF oats..... and mixed it in... (it worked great)
a small chopped apple
and 4 small sweet potatoes mashed in.

I stirred all of these together and mashed it into a GIANT COOKIE. with one small one for E and a medium one for breakfast the next day.... The pictures are still on my camera at home.....

Then I put them on cookie sheets in the fridge over night and then next morning brought mine to work to eat after physical therapy............

I wasn't expecting it to be quite so delicious and fun to eat! Cookie with your fingers? A spoon, a fork? Whichever way you feel like! It was also really filling I could only eat half for breakfast and then had the rest in the afternoon....

It was a busy day at work I was on hearings and such all day and could not get away for lunch, food--- anything, so I was glad to have the rest of my breakfast cookie for a late late lunch! :)

I'd like to try adding in..........

Different nut butters.........
Sunflower seeds...........
Dates .........
Different fruits that you wouldn't think to add...
Dark choc..........
Coconut!!!!!!!!!
GF oats....

I think Ethan even liked his BREAKFAST COOKIE............ :)

Tuesday Butternut Squash Breakfast........

2009-10-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things ( or maybe the favorite!) about being GF is my creative breakfasts that I have...

In the past growing up I would have a Nutri Grain blueberry bar, I lived off of these things, it's no wonder at some point my body said no more wheat! Enter today's gluten free breakfast some 15 years later, Awake Tea with a splash of milk, soft butter nut squash with cinnamon, small chopped apple baked with a heaping spoonful of almond butter and more cinnamon all warmed in the microwave at work. Sure beats those packaged bars. :)

For lunch I have baked egg, broccoli, topped with rice chex frittata. On the side turkey bacon ( I wish it was Vegan!), and a few sweet potato's cubed with cinnamon! It feels like a Thanksgiving dish a month early! I meant to make a greek yogurt spice topping for the egg but I kind of ran out of time..........hot sauce or syrup will do, or mustard?

I'm going to Whole Foods to try to find Vegan GF Bacon..... It must be possible to be Gluten Free and kind to the animals and have bacon at the same time.....Most Vegan Bacons use wheat as a stabilizer, but I believe Whole Foods has a GF,Vegan one! :)

Hmm.... what to have for dinner?

I've been planning a whole foods trip even though I only shop there 1-2 times every 6 months....

It is too easy to be tempted by all the goodies and come out spending a fortune!

Actually their 365 brand..... is cheaper than most things at regular grocery stores, but only the 365 brand.... and a few other goodies.. such as the Blue Diamond Almond Butter is slightly cheaper than other stores....

When I feel in a food rut though or need something special I will go however........

My favorite things to splurge on at Whole Foods........

Soy Delicious Gluten Free Cookie Dough Ice Cream

Whole Catch Salmon (best ever)

365 Cranberry Almond Trail Mix

Tropical Fruit Platters

Different Yogurt Assortments

Organic Apples/Pears/Peaches/Grapes

Maple Mozzarella Cheese

GF bake House Blueberry Muffins

Foods by George Pizzas

Sweet Potato Fries

Blueberry Soy Drink Packets ( they really are good!)

Gluten Free Oatmeal---- my old location had it.. new location does not but I requested it, so we will see if they start carrying it! I hope so!!

And alot of other things you can only get here.......

Sometimes I limit myself by eating the same thing over and over and it's great to make a trip to pick up something new....

Next up to make GF pumpkin bread......now I just need the time........

It's great to have such an array or stores up here.........Farmers Markets, Giant, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Safeway, Yess Market...Harris Teeter.... etc.......

GF FOOD on my plate......

2009-10-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

I have posted in a while, posting more on my everything plus food instead my delicious GF food blog!

I've been reading a few blogs of people that post what they eat everyday and they take pictures! The pictures are always gorgeous and actually just saying that makes my stomach growl a little. :)

The food bloggers are great because we all have one thing in common we all like to eat healthfully, as locally as we can, ditto for organic, and just plain yummy. We also prefer to cook our own food and make up our own recipes rather than get our food in a package, Gluten Free or not! :) In fact most of the bloggers I read are not gluten free but yet we eat almost exactly the same, just a few substitutions for things such as oats and whole grain bread......

A few things on any food blogger/foodie/food lover's platter:

Greek Yogurt

Oats (get yours GF!)

GF (homemade) or whole grain bread

Fuji Apples

An Array of fresh fruits (anything for can think of)

hummus & fresh dips.

fresh veggies

tasty soups ( homemade or from Tj's!)

chi tea's or fresh coffee

tofu

the occasional hormone free-organic meat....

Alaskan salmon or other yummy seafood....

beans, chick peas!

Great Desserts including............ ice cream the real thing! Frozen yogurt with toppings, delectable custards, mini cakes, gluten free and others, Lara Bars, home-made lara bars, dark chocolate ( with ginger,cherries, and blueberries!) , and the list goes on and on.

The main thing though is that food is joy, love, sustenance, and it feels great when you eat in an environmentally sustainable way that you enjoy. Take joy in what you prepare, how you prepare it and dine. Enjoy what you have with the people that you love, that's how it is meant to be. :)

Today's delicious day minus pictures...........

serving of honey nut gf o's with milk and chi tea.

snack- small apple with teaspoon peanut butter and half cup of yogurt.

lunch- salad with black beans and spicy veggies!

snack- other half of yogurt with tea spoon pb and half of a RAW bar...

now time for 2 hrs of physical therapy!

New recipes and gluten free pizza!

2009-10-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

A delicious bean stew!

The BBQ Chicken Cashew Pizza and Avocado chicken pizza- pre-oven!

Cans of mix for E's mom.......

The desserts I made....

Some fudge icing~

Anniversary dessert- Chocolate coconut trifle- REALLY RICH!

A delicious curried egg and mixed salad!

A nice mixed salad!

I actually made a decent small omlette- had to take a picture!

My favorite oats and berries with coffee!

I made a few lovely dishes this past weekend and now I finally have the pictures to go with alot of them! I didn't get a photo of the cake or pizza done because we were so rushed!

First I made the BBQ Cashew Chicken Pizza I found online. It was my favorite, I hadn't been eating BBQ sauce because I thought alot of them contained gluten, some do but I have easily found many safe ones that do not. I combined BBQ and a little tomato sauce so as not to offend delicate palates that attended our dinner!

GF Crust

BBQ sauce

tomato sauce

cashews

cooked chicken

light cheese

a few stray peppers and onions from the other pizza!

Then I made the chicken avocado pizza which was also delicious! But the BBQ was my favorite. I didn't put alot of spices in the pizza because I was SO BUSY!

chicken

avocado

tomato sauce

green peppers

tomatoes

onion

cilantro

light cheese

The best part of these pizzas was the crust! It turned out to be the best GF crust I have ever made, practice does make perfect!

I used 2 packets of yeast in one batch of dough since I made 2 pizzas.

2 eggs ( to make it fluffy!)

garlic salt-generous sprinkles

1/2 cup of water ( with the yeast)

2 cap fulls of olive oil

1 cap full of apple cider vinegar

1 shake of pepper and salt.

I let it rise for 40 minutes- if I had more time it would have been even more fluffy!

Cook for 35 minutes with toppings from pizza and this pizza crust impressed all of my non-gf guests!

Now the cake and brownies. I need to take a picture of the cake, which proved to be one of the best cakes I have ever had- on accident!

I followed a chocolate cake recipe, adding in white and dark chocolate chips, nuts and 1 cut of cocoa powder

I used yogurt instead of oil.

And made a fudge topping from cocoa and condensed milk and choc chips for the icing. And whip cream in between the layers.

I made 3 layers of cake and this ended up being very difficult because the layers didn't seem to want to stack on each other. The top layer kept sliding off from the fudge and whip cream. It was a mess. I was so worried about this cake since it was E's mom's birthday cake!

So I made extra fudge to drizzle on top to cover the mishaps and froze the cake for 2 hours.

The result? A delicious fudge- ice cream like cake! It was extremely rich and delicious! The frozen fudge in between the layers is what made this cake special!

It was supposed to be a chocolate torte. It kind of was but I think it was better.

We frozen the rest of the cake to take to E's family this weekend, I hoope they enjoy it!

Trader Joes Brownies: I made these with yogurt and butter, eggs, and 1 bag of dark chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. Man they were delicious, extremely fudgy and intense. A chocolate lovers dream!

I am getting better at making GF flour dishes from scratch. I think I have it down now. Every time I made them they get better mainly because I realized:

Some gf flours are extremely dense and require more liquid, yogurt, olive oil- depending on what you are making to keep it moist.

Using an extra egg or packet of yeast gives that fluffy rise to your crust, cake or other baked good. This really makes a difference!

Add in extra additions to make the dish special and even more delicious!

I was thinking there should be special cooking classes for newly gluten free people. I think there actually are in certain locations and places. I know whole foods does classes, I can never attend though!

After a few months -gluten free crusts, breads, and baked goods become more delicious that there former wheat, white flour counterparts!

So full from pizza now! :)

Olive Garden annouces GF menu offerings!

2009-10-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

http://blog.glutenfreeworks.com/2009/09/22/the-olive-garden-offers-gluten-free-options/

Olive garden has started offering a Gluten-Free menu, this is a big step for GF and awareness!

Olive Garden was one of my favorite childhood restaurants, so this is quite thrilling! Even thought we do not have Olive Garden's where I live it is nice to know when I travel or go back home.... Olive Garden isn't completely out of the picture!

The menu features a GF Pasta, steak, chicken, and salmon entree. There is also even a kids offering! :)

A weekend of delicious pizzas.... and cake!

2009-10-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend is going to prove to be DELICIOUS!

We are having E's family over this weekend I am def going to make BBQ Chicken Pizza after seeing a delicious recipe, I might also make Chicken Avocado pizza.

I will also be baking double fudge white chocolate brownies ( 2 batches) since we will be going to a baby christening earlier, when am I going to find time to bake all of this? I do not know, but it will happen! I might also make a birthday cake to celebrate our families birthday's.....

I found the recipes on ALLRECIPES.com. I love that site, I use it alot when I need something new and fun. :)

FIRST THE CHICKEN AVOCADO PIZZA

INGREDIENTS

2 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or to taste
salt to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled
4 (7 inch) pre-baked pizza crusts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast meat
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 pinch cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven's broiler. If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven while it preheats.
In a food processor, combine the avocados and cilantro. Puree while adding lime juice and salt to taste. Cover, and set aside.
Slice the garlic clove in half, and rub the cut side onto the tops of the pizza crusts for flavor. Brush both sides of the crusts with olive oil. Spread the avocado mixture thickly over the top of each crust, then arrange chicken and tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with cheese, and season lightly with cayenne pepper. Place pizzas on a baking sheet if you do not have a pizza stone.
Broil for about 5 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cheese has just melted and the crust is lightly toasted.

and Next the BBQ Chicken Pizza:

INGREDIENTS

3 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed
1 cup hickory flavored barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
1 cup smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
1 cup thinly sliced red onion

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine chicken, barbecue sauce, honey, molasses, brown sugar and cilantro. Bring to a boil.
Spread chicken mixture evenly over pizza crust, and top with cheese and onions. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Don't these sounds delicious, served with a large tossed salad and veggies and of course birthday cake!

Now to get the birthday present............

Best Breakfast EVER!

2009-10-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

One of my greatest discoveries while being GF is "Cream of Rice". Made my the same brand that makes "Cream of Wheat" with the same picture and packaging, it states Gluten Free on the front, and great for infants!

This is a substantial discovery because A) You can get it at most grocery stores that carry "Cream of Wheat" & B) It is affordable and dare I say CHEAP (around 2.oo a box for 20 servings ish...) C) It is delicious and you can add anything to it & D) It cooks up really fast and there isn't much taste change from using water or milk- it tastes great with either. :) and E) It is healthy with supposed vitamins.

This morning I had it with a chopped cooked soft apple with cinnamon and a table spoon of nut almond butter, all together now! In a bowl, I should have taken a picture but I was at work and it was too darn delicious to stop eating! I think I have found a new favorite breakfast! :)

Cooked apples are really the best............ I intend on trying pumpkin oatmeal soon-- to bring in the season. Spiced with Cinnamon, delicious!

Gluten Free Cookie Dough Ice Cream!

2009-09-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

A friend had told me about this a year ago...... available at Whole Foods. It was summer and I lived too far from a whole foods to keep the ice cream in tact and arrive home.

Yesterday however I purchased some. After around 5 years with no cookie dough ice cream, my taste buds, screamed, sang, and danced for this stuff. More more more! I actually got a Soy Ice Cream, I didn't realize at the time, but this was even better! It was called Purely Decadent Gluten Free Cookie Dough Ice Cream

It was so good I had to check and double check the label to make sure it was gluten free, because after the first bite I thought oh SHOOT did I just eat a bite of gluten? It tasted exactly like I remembered and even more decadent because it was the good stuff, not the sugary filled kind.

I wrote about this ice cream in my other Balance Blog-- stating that it was really almost an injustice to put this ice cream in a cone, it needed to be eaten straight from the container, picking out the hidden cookie pieces one-by-one.

Can you guess what I am having tonight? It will be hard not eating solid food for 2-3 weeks, but I will survive. :)

PA Apples and GF Whole O's Cereal

2009-09-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

This morning after trying new Organic O's Gluten Free cereal, I am biting into a crunchy juicy apple my E brought me back from PA when he went this morning.

It is delicious I feel literally like I am in the apple orchard. This is something you don't get from a grocery store apple. I have no idea what kind it is, except for it looks similar to a GALA apple and has a medium sweetness with a lot of JUICE. I wish all my apples could be like this. They should be!

By the way the new Organic Whole O's ( gluten-free) by Natures Path are delicious! I wasn't expecting much from the cereal- just bland O's like the other cereal's I have had- but these have a taste like no other! I don't eat cereal very often in the AM - eating it more for snacks and dinner since breakfast is my biggest meal of the deal and cereal tends to burn off for me very quickly, but I made an allowance this morning and tried these with some sliced banana and soy nut butter and sliced apple- and milk- very good!

I think I am going to make home made granola with these to save money later on...... ideas.. ideas!

GF Veggie Jalapeno Chili!

2009-09-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I have it all planned out. While I do my tasks I am going to cook Veggie Jalapeno Chili in the rice cooker. Simple as can be. You could also bake this in the oven or cook it on the stove. Whatever you fancy or method of prep.

8 tomatillo chili's
4 small peppers
2 cups kidney beans
1 cup green beans
1 cup broccoli
2 cups tomato's.
1 cup lentils
few jalapenos (however many you want)
garlic
parsley
pepper to taste
1/2 cup of tomato sauce or salsa in case it needs more broth type liquid
top with a little bit of cheese.

Serve with GF bread (you can brush it with olive oil- dip in tomato sauce or toast with cheese for a fun treat).

I think this would also be good served over or with quinoa.... for variation later in the week.
Time to get cooking!

This is basically from what I have in my kitchen in my cabinet.

Todays lunch is a left over mini homemade berry GF pancake with soynut butter-berries-yogurt and a GALA apple! Yum! Delicious and gentle on the stomach.....

Fall and Gluten Free Eating!

2009-09-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Gluten Free eating in the fall is good eating. :)

I happen to think gluten free eating anyime is good- but even more so with Pumpkin Pie- Puimpkin Rolls- Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls- Jack Daniels Peacan Pie- All right around the corner. Hot lattes, hot chocolate, oh I love it. :)

I am trying to decide what to make for 2 or 3 dinner parties we are hosting at our house coming up-- I have been dying to make chocolate peanut butter balls to keep in the freezer- maybe I will do that tommorow and make a big mess in the kitchen to clean up all over again! :) It is actually a pretty affordable dessert to make and they keep very well in the fridge or freezer.

For next weekend I have been planning a white chocolate fudge cake with raspberry trifle because my E loves raspberry. Even though I will not be able to eat it. I might make the Jack Daniels pie but that might be cruel punishment to myself since I will most definitely not be able to eat nuts after my treatment!

I am even looking forward to - this Friday my 2 week liquid soft diet. I love blueberry shakes with protein powder. Blueberries and bananas make EVERYTHING GOOD. :) I really cannot wait. And the fage yogurt in the fridge? It is a special treat! Why oh why is the the Fage never on sale. It is the best greek yogurt- nothing else is the same. It just is not.

What do you look forward to eating GF in the fall?

My E made us GF tomato roasted chicken and green beans last night -complete with a ice cream cone after. He has got gluten free cooking down. So much so that after reading ingredients- I hand bottles and packages to him- he is that good at it. :)

Here is to a delicious weekend!

Today started off with the usual GF oats with a sliced banana-warm rice milk a few berries and dash of cinnamon. Oatmeal-I cannot get enough, even the ferret does a little "oatmeal dance".

Gluten Free Grocery Shopping and Eats

2009-09-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting and waiting on my Betty Crocker Gluten Free coupon, the one I requested for the mother came and several of my friends coupons came as well. Mine has not thought :(. It has been about 6 weeks at this point.....

One thing I am a little obsessed over right now Is Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones. Many Giant Grocers are carrying them and we picked up a pack at our giant in silver spring, MD. I have had 4 or 5 ice cream cones-this week- one for almost every night of the week! I barely even put any ice cream in the cone- It is just the savory feeling of being able to eat a cone for the first time in 3 years that I enjoy so much. Every afternoon those ice cream cones are calling my name. I am sure the initial ice cream cone euphoria will wear off after the first month or so. But they are so good and only 10 calories, so it is especially inviting. :)

I am starting this week to eat alot of breakfasts foods, mixed with big green salads to prepare myself for my soft-liquid (dental work) diet that starts next friday. And also I am just a little tired of what I have been eating. And I love cereal and pancakes, waffles, yogurt,nut butter, eggs, turkey bacon ( wish I could find vegan GF bacon here!), apples, and fruits.....

Another gluten free discovery I made was at Quiznos--- the oven roasted chicken salad was GF. There was alot of debate online and little information from their website. But after carefully looking at the ingredients and verifying the honey mustard dressing is gluten free and the chicken was free of marinades it looked to get gluten free. I had this salad the other day WITHOUT the flatbread. I had to be very clear NO flat bread in my salad and was fine. Keep the bread far far away.

Some of the other salads look to be GF as well.

What I am finding is alot of these salads are listed as not Gluten Free and containing wheat online because they plop a big piece of bread on top and call it a flat bread salad. Don't add the bread and just call it a salad. Then it is fine.

I love quiznos jalapenos,pickle and pepper bar. I always load up whenever I go, Especially since the salads could seem a little over priced (but what isn't).
In college I used to get their kids meal weekly and get the salad as a splurge (because of the price and when I was un-knowingly eating gluten).

On to a little gluten free budget... I have been trying to cut down my GF food budget due to my dental work ( bye-bye savings and checking acct!) . I am doing better but it is time to get real and serious, next week I clean out my savings and checking account, it's crunch time.

My goal yesterday was to spend 25.00 at the grocery store for one week. The problem I have is I cannot really buy for just one week, this is really hard for me and it will take some serious practice. However I was down from my previous grocery store trip. I went down from 65 to 40. Much better and easier on the arms to carry back. I don't really eat eat or processed foods- but my bill is still high. It is all those fresh fruits and veggies. :) Yum.

I saw a few places where I could have cut back and I didn't like the Organic Cinnamon Soy Nut butter that I just had to try for my protein fix and I didn't buy the on sale yogurt because frankly my dear I just wanted a different kind. I did not want the store brand plain or vanilla again- I wanted some variety. Another place was the new Organic O's gluten free cereal that I knew would b expensive but I wanted to try it instead of GF Rice Chex. Even thought I love Rice Chex and Chocolate, Cinnamon, Corn, & Honey Nut- I wanted to try this NEW GF cereal. Everyone needs some variety. Besides after next week I cannot even eat cereal.

So it is baby steps- this week it was 40- next week I think I can get down to 30- which is good and fine for me- if I get down to 25 that would be nice as well!

For 40.00 I got:

1 box of new Organic O's GF cereal
1 Large Container Vanilla Rice Milk
2 bags frozed mixed berries
1 small container fresh blue berries ( cant resist)
1 large container Fage Greek Yogurt( my fav- I cannot subsitute)
1 large container of Light Vanilla Yogurt
4 small containers of assorted fun flavor organic yogurts (including chocolate!)
1 all natural GF maple syrup sweetened with agave
1 organic Cinnamon soy nut butter- (high protein 10g a serving!)
10 bananas
3 large honey crisp organic apples ( I LOVE THESE)
3 organic golden delicious apples

I need coupons, badly. maybe I should start getting the paper?

What to eat to feel well...

2009-09-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

What do you eat to feel well?

This may be easy for others and not so easy for the rest of us.

I have a long list of things that make me feel less than optimal to down right bad (yet sometimes I can eat these things and feel fine) . The gut and digestive system is a tricky thing.

Here is a list of my proceed with caution foods:

pasta

ice cream/dairy

bread

rice

raw vegetables

meat

peanut butter

more than just a few beans

avocado

certain spices etc.. etc.. etc..

and of course gluten :)

I am pretty sure I have IBS- it can be quite hard to figure out what to it, I've figured out how and when to eat- it is just what to eat and not to get bored that can get tricky.

The other day I had fruit-yogurt-and a waffle with nut butter for lunch and snack and I had no gastrointestinal distress and discomfort- that is really rare! Now to find more meals like this....

Now I know one thing I do wrong and that is I drink coffee-I am going to switch to chi tea's as soon as my coffee is out since I cannot have it anymore after my dental work anyway... (or rarely for a treat) .

Our Americanized processed diets are possibly and probobly the cause of the influx of IBS in our society. Thats what I attribute it to. During my youth I ate pretty standard and pretty horribly. Fast food all the time and junk food- mixed with sugary drinks and vegetables in syrup and the same goes for fruit. I hope to teach my children whole eating with moderation. :)

I have found I feel best on the gluten free-IBS diet when I ...

get to take a few minutes to eat (at work )

when I eat slowly ( I try but it dosen't always happen)

space my meals out 4-5 hours apart

when I eat smaller meals throughout the day

when I eat alot of fruit

I am actually looking forward to my 2 week liquid (dental) diet starting in 2 weeks.... but only because it means mucho smoothies- We have a decent blender, and a Smoothie King nearby when I get bored...

Happy (slow) munching,

Ashley ~

Super Egg Frittata and Green Tea

2009-09-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

Congress is back and you know what that means, no more drawn out lunches or trips to the coffee shop!

So to welcome the congress back I made Super Egg Frittata last night. By welcoming them back I mean making a breakfast with enough staying power to last 5-6 hours or more!

Super Egg Frittata

Baked in a pan!

5 eggs whipped together
2 cap fulls of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup skim milk
1 batch of cooked veggies ( asparagus, swiss chard, tomatoes, broccoli) Approx 2 cups.
1 cup of cooked lentils.
one handful of nuts and raisins to sprinkle over half.
one hand ful of rice chex to sprinkle over the other half.
one spoon ful of hot sauce to put on one square.
Place in pan cook at 350-400 degrees for 40 minutes. Take out and enjoy- this bakes up so nice and fluffy thanks to the milk addition!

I like to add in the nuts, chex mix and hot sauce on different parts so the whole pan has a different taste and I do not get tired of it. I add maple syrup to one slice after it is done baking-.

Eating it right now with green tea as I wait for Obama to start speaking, it's a good way to being the day~

Enjoy!

Ashley :)

Chocolate Raisin Oatmeal, Yes please!

2009-09-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

This morning I am working a different shift for a co-worker that is on PTO. It is SOTU PB day which most simply means after breakfast I may or may not get to eat lunch until 3pm. So it better be a filling one!

So here goes-- a skim cappuccino and.......

Oatmeal with one piece of melted dove chocolate in the center-small serving of raisins, soaked over night and then heated in the am! I wanted some almonds to put in this for more staying power-.. but I do not have any :( So this will have to do, my stomach is so warm and happy right now!

Cheers!

Here's to oatmeal! :)

I saw the pumpking spice latte was back at starbucks this morning- what does everyone think of this drink? I have a like-dislike relationship with this one. I think I like it if prepared correctly. If prepared incorrectly it has a weird artifical taste. The starbucks near my work place leaves alot to be desired (it is in the train station) but go to a more relaxed one and the drinks are much better. :)

Broadway Pizza, Gluten Free offerings!

2009-09-04T04:29:00.001-07:00

Broadway Pizza in Potomac Maryland is offering Gluten Free pizzas made with Still Riding Pizza Company Crusts....

I have heard the reviews so far and they are great, in fact due to the over whelming response- Broadway Pizza has even run out of GF crusts for 2 or 3 days! How is that for GF service! This seems to happen alot with GF offerings, hopefully companies are getting the message, we want gluten free choices!!

Below is the link to Broadway Pizza- if you live near Potomac, MD check them out- I would call first just to confirm they have the GF crust in due to the overwhelming response! One of the unique things about Broadway Pizza is -they deliver--Gluten Free pizza- delivered to your door!!!

http://www.broadwaypizzaonline.com/id2.html

Broadway Pizza
Cabin John Shopping Center
7965 Tuckerman Ln
Potomac, MD 20854

Or you can give them a call at (301) 299-3553.

Speaking of Gluten Free products...I had a friend call into the Betty Crocker to try to get the GF coupon for the new mixes and she said they were all out. The phone rep told her the response to these new GF products was unbelievable.
All of the reps were on the phone non stop- with as many people on hold as the phone lines would allow every day and they ran out very quickly of those gluten free coupons! I sure hope mine arrives soon! :)

Happy Munching!

Some tasty holiday recipes!

2009-09-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

(There is something about this recipe and nothing says It’s Holiday Time! Like Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls. Making them conjures up old memories of my father and I sneaking into the fridge to “try” a few.)

Ingredients:

16 ounces creamy peanut butter (use whatever kind you like just make sure it is easily spread able)
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate (dark can also be used or added in)

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, combine peanut butter, powdered sugar and butter. Beat until smooth. Scoop out spoonfuls and roll into 1-inch balls. Arrange on a baking sheet and refrigerate 30-45 minutes until very firm.
Line another baking sheet with waxed paper. Place chocolate chips in top of double boiler. Melt over simmering water, stir until very smooth. Using wooden picks, dip balls into chocolate to coat completely, letting excess chocolate drip back into pan. Set balls on prepared sheet. Store in refrigerator.
Yields 50. .

Helpful tips: Chocolate burns very quickly so start with medium-low heat and increase it as you need it.

A drop of water can ruin a batch of melted chocolate, so keep all water away.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

(This recipe is a favorite of my dad’s family who is from the Deep South. This pie is brought to all holiday gatherings as well as many special Sunday church gatherings. It is a true southern classic because it combines two favorite southern ingredients butter and Karo syrup. For a lighter version of the recipe substitute Agave nectar for the Karo syrup and only use 1-2 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of apple sauce. It will suit you just fine!)

2 large eggs (slightly beaten together)
1/4 cup Karo dark syrup
3/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons pure corn starch
8 tablespoons butter ( or substitute)
1/4 cup your favorite bourbon
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 bag pecan halves

GF pie shell (homemade or store bought)

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) Mix the eggs and Karo syrup together.

3) Combine sugar and pure corn starch, add to egg mixture.

4) Melt chocolate and butter, let it cool.

5) Add bourbon and combine with egg mixture. Beat together in mixer on slow speed.

6) Pour into a 9 inch unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle evenly with pecan halves.

7) Bake on cookie sheet for one hour. Pie should be firm and will firm up as it cools.

8) To decorate your pie, lay the pecan halves on top in a circle around the edge and keep making circles until the pie top is covered.

White Chocolate Berry Truffles

(This is one of those impressive recipes that may seem much more complicated that it really is. Every time my mother would make it growing up we would tell her she should open a truffle shop. This is also a great recipe because you can adapt it in a variety of ways to suit your taste. Although the classic White Chocolate Berry is a show stopper.)

For the ingredients you will need:

8 ounces of cream cheese brought to room temperature

5 ounces of white chocolate

4 cups of confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon of ginger rooted (as fresh as possible)

18 medium fresh strawberries

¼ cup of crystallized ginger finely cut

½ cup of toasted coconut

½ cut of pistachio nuts

To make:

(Yields 18 truffles)

1) Melt the White Chocolate in the top of a double boiler using medium heat and let cool.

2) Next beat the ginger root, cream cheese, and sugar together until very smooth.

3) Add the melted chocolate with this mixture and mix very well. Chill for at least an hour.

4) Then using a small spoon (or scoop) scoop out the center of each strawberry about halfway down. Make sure to leave half of the strawberry.

5) Fill each strawberry with little bit of crystallized ginger. The amount will depend on the size of the strawberry.

6) Next you will shape the chocolate/cream cheese chilled mixture around the strawberry.

7) To finish coat the top end of the strawberry in toasted coconut and the end in pistachio nuts.

8) Chill the strawberries until ready to eat

You can also use milk & dark chocolates to suit your taste as well as raspberries and blueberries for the berry part of the truffle.

Parmesan Butternut Squash Bake

(This is one of those recipes, I invented due to my love for a fresh butternut squash)

2 lbs butternut squash
1 cup of finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. parmesan cheese

1) Peel outer skin of squash with peeler or knife. Discard skin.

2) Halve squash lengthwise and cut into thin slices.

3) Place slices in bowl with onion, salt, pepper and melted butter. Toss well.

4) Spoon mixture into buttered 9-inch baking dish.

5) Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

6) Next beat eggs, milk together.

7) Then pour mixture over squash evenly.

8) Next add the Parmesan cheese sprinkling the full cup evenly over the dish.

9) Place back in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Yields 5 servings

NBC 4 Segement on Celiac Disease

2009-08-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/health/Living-The-Gluten-Free-Life-53732572.html

A full weekend of GF cooking...Soups and Frittatas!

2009-08-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

I was bitten by the cooking bug this weekend!
I baked a lovely vegetarian chili soup-that had the look of a minestrone soup (GF of course!) and I made a delicious baked almond veggie salmon frittata for Sunday morning. Needless to say we ate really good this morning.

For the soup, I used two small single serve packs of GF rice spiral noodles.
Then I added about 4 locally grown organic tomatoes.
Next a bag of spinach already cooked-seasoned with spinach.
Half a cup of lentils
Half a cup of chickpeas ( because hey they were left over and they looked good!)
A few pieces of broccoli...
A can of tomatoes
A few chopped carrots
1 can veggies stock.
1 cup fresh chili beans
1 cup fresh mixed vegetables chopped.
2 teaspoons of curry
2 dashes of cinnamon
3 sprinkles of HOT SAUCE ( from Asian store )

Let all simmer in the rice cooker for approx 30 minutes. This soup cooks up really fast. And gets better as it sits in the fridge.

Is their anything that I did not put in this soup??? :) But it was so good-- and I topped it with fresh parm cheese that melted very nicely and fresh ginger. And a few soy crackers on the side.

Now for the Baked Almond Veggie Salmon Frittata.

I baked 2 pure salmon fillets chopped them up and set aside.
Then I mixed up 6 eggs and whipped them extra fluffy.
Add in 1 tbsp of ginger.
3 dashes of parsley
4 shakes of pepper
Then add in 1 cup of spinach
And 1 1/2 cup of mixed chopped veggies
Combine all in a clear dish.
Top with almonds and a few thin slices of laughing cow cheese.
Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.
HEAVEN.
Oh yeah and I added hot sauce to my side of the dish to bake of course.

Pictures to come soon- they are stuck on my digital camera at home...

A few good links & information & resources........

2009-08-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

Betty Crocker product review

USA Today Celiac Story

Celiac Disease, where are we going?

Favorite Gluten Free Eats in the DC area:
Petes Ah Pizza
Cafe Rusico
Legal Seafood
Lilit Cafe
Maggianos (Call ahead for GF selection)
Lebeanese Taverna
Austin Grill
Shanghi Green
Jaleo
Zatinya
Peking Garden
Spices Asian Restaurant
Chipotle
Oyamel
Kramer Books and Cafe
Chopped (but make sure they do not top your salad with bread and check the website for salad dressings containing wheat because a few do)

Desserts:
Hello Cupcake
Sticky Fingers
Buzz Bakery
Red Cupcakery
Lilit Cafe
Cake Love

I am sure there are more but these are my favorites.. and what I can think of at the moment!

Another wonderful book find

2009-08-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

I came across another brilliant book.

Breaking the Vicious Cycle Intestinal Health Through Diet looks like quite a good idea for anyone that suffers from digestive troubles/ails/discomfort.

The premise of the book is using certain food groups and ways of eating to heal your gut and troublesome stomach symptoms such as IBS, Ulterative colitics, Chrohns disease and manage Celiac disease and pretty much any other digestive disorder, autoimmune illness, discomfort you can name.

The goal of the author Elaine Gloria Gottschall is for others to use this way of eating/lifestyle to achieve optimum health and a pain free life.

The book sheds more light on the casein connection as well as the gluten connection to health- I am looking forward to reading this. :)

Things I love, things I want to try...

2009-08-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

It is getting close to the big move and we are not buying any more food.
I have 6 bananas in my fruit bowl that are looking pretty ripe- there will be alot of banana oatmeal, banana quinoas, banana protein shakes to come, and maybe a banana split, or banana cookie!

Today is a nice White Bean and Basil salad with fresh tomato and broccoli. A few chick peas and a few pesto chips also made their way in... topped with red hot chili pepper-- YUM!
There is alot to be said for home grown tomatoes- I have a co worker that loves to bring them in and share at the end of the summer- and I love eating them.

This morning I was very tired after only about 5.5 hrs of sleep and was starving when I woke up, so if I couldn't get enough sleep at least I could eat a good breakfast and here it is with a few creative contributions from the fridge.

3/4 cup of cooked quinoa with a finely cut up banana, 12 almonds and 1 table spoon of our last almond vanilla creamer & a cup of raspberry black tea. Delicious!

One thing I want to try to make is homemade Strawberry-Rhubarb jam before it goes out of season as soon as we move...

This Sunday I am making Vegetarian Lentil Soup, that will kind of end up being a vegetable stew with a hodgepodge of mixings and of course spices cooked in the rice cooker...anything tasty is fair game.

So far I am going to add- 1 can vegetable stock, 1 can vegetarian chili soup, 3 tomatoes, half bag spinach ( or a whole bag ), maybe some rice noodles ( who knows ) , some lentils if I have them left or white beans, and more green vegetables, curry, curry sauce, ginger and cinnamon. I had half a chicken breast to add-but I ate it. :) Sounds like a pretty good soup and it will help get rid of some of those almond crackers I have hanging around before the move. I also have parm cheese sprinkles that would go excellent on top and a few cheese squares that the man might like melted on top.

Cheers!

Also the word on the street is The Red Velvet Cupcakery-- Located near China Town-Penn Quarter Metro area has started offering Gluten Free cupcakes!!!!
I have walked past this place a few times and wished for a GF cupcake.
Not even for the cupcake itself but just that the GF option existed.
Weird to those that are not celiacs or GF I know, but just to have one more option and one more place for normlacy- is wonderful, and I hear the cupcakes are pretty great as well!

Saving money on the Gluten Free diet....

2009-08-19T11:52:00.001-07:00

Many would argue that the gluten free diet/ lifestyle is one of the most expensive of any out there. And it doesn't just stop at the food. Added vitamins, speciality vitamins, B12 injections, more autoimmune diseases, dental enamel decencies (I have alot in this one!), speciality beauty and health products that do not contain gluten--costly doctors appointments and other testings....this list goes far beyond this- but I will just stick with the food for now.

I have learned a few things while being gluten free, a few tricks about keeping your wallet from being drained from the diet. Luckily GF food has came down since I was diagnosed and is more readily available as well. But it still hurts. Take this example: A loaf of standard wheat bread costs around 1.99 give or take a bit (I am sure you could find wheat bread cheaper or more expensive) but Gluten Free bread starts at around 4.99-6.99 per loaf and climbs up to as much as 8.00 (or even more- I have seen in some stores). Bottom line the best gluten free bread that will taste decent is going to set you back between 5-7 dollars a loaf. Compare this will regular "wheat bread" and you can see the difference...

Below are the top money saving tips I have implemented since going gluten free and realizing this could really damage your budget ( and your waistline ) without adjustments being made...

1) If you want bread, need bread, crave bread- especially at first- you can do a number of things. I purchased a relatively cheap bread mix from Whole Foods for 2.99 by Gluten Free Pantry. All of the ingredients are included- just add eggs and water- knead it- place in pan and it is delicious better than "wheat or regular" bread any day. I highly recommend this for newbies. It will make the adjustment period easier.

2)Another option is buying the occasional loaf of bread- we actually buy this bread once every 6 months as a treat and keep it in the freezer because it is delicious!
Food for Life has several Gluten Free breads but their brown rice bread is our favorite. Toasted and topped with light honey and almond butter- is a delicious treat! It is usually around 4.99 a loaf depending on where you shop.

3)Bake your own bread from scratch. If you have a big family that loves their bread- a bread machine may be in order. I actually love the whole process of making bread by hand. I love finding new things to add in, new ways to make it even better. We buy GF flour on amazon in bulk and keep in handy for a variety of recipes. My favorite so far is Arrowhead Mills Brown Rice Flour. A note on baking with gluten free flour- it tends to be very dense and absorb alot of liquid- with making bread from scratch I find that it helps to add more liquid to combat dryness when removing from the oven. BUY IN BULK. This is one of the biggest money saving tips for gluten free flours that will cost a bundle at specialty food stops. Baking bread from scratch is easily affordable and easily frozen for later use.

3) Focus on fruits (& veggies that is) Build your meals around ample fruits and vegetables which are naturally gluten free. Enjoy the fact that a juicy peach and a ripe apple are all gluten free and yours for the taking. Shop farmers markets where alot of the produce and vegetables are much cheaper (and environmentally friendly)than local grocers. Try new vegetables and fruits. Make it your goal to try something new every week, month, every 2 weeks- whatever works for you. Don't let the gluten-free diet limit you- rather let it expand you- Cinnamon butternut squash bake anyone? Marinara eggplant bake.... curried chickpea salad...spicy lentil soup... experiment!

4)Only shop for speciality gluten free items that are already made every once in awhile..... Those 8.00 ( for 4 muffins ) at the grocery store or 9.00 for a few bagels will break your budget faster than you can toast a piece of gluten free bread. If you love certain items treat them as a specialty item only to be bought on special occasions. Example: I love Whole Foods GF bake house Blueberry muffins-- LOVE THEM. However it is around 7 or 8 dollars ( it might be more now- with the down shift in the economy) for 4 muffins. And these are not your healthy muffins either, full of added sugar- so I get them once a year and make my own with flax seed and almonds, blueberry's and the like (which are just as delicious). it is nice to buy something made by someone else sometimes and something that tastes a little different- but I save things like this for splurges to the budget. You may want to splurge more than this, or less- adjust your special items to fit your life style!

5) Pre-made dough/muffins/bread. All the celiacs out there have you ever went somewhere ( especially when you were newly diagnosed and had no idea what you could eat) and could only have the plain salad and it was a function you had to attend- a long function, you did not have time to eat before hand etc... I love having a piece of my own bread, muffin, or the like handy to slip on the side. I have not had to do this in a long time- but depending on different life styles you may have to! I pre-make from scratch ( ie; cheap as dirt) cookie dough and freeze it in tubs. So when I need it I can just take it out make a few cookies or muffins and slip the rest back in. I also make a loaf of bread and a pan of muffins that are always in the freezer at any time- ready at a moments notice in baggies. Making things like this from scratch just flour, your choice of liquid, and sweetener or not, and nuts or whatever else you like is loads cheaper than speciality gluten free cookies and such which are normally around 5-8.00 a box or package for just a few ( and sometimes they are REALLY BAD TASTING).

6) Costco or Sams Club. Besides having a wealth of naturally gluten free items available ( Peaches! Strawberries! Blueberries! Spinach! Hummus! Quinoa! Brown Rice! Salsa!) They also have Lara Bars by the box full- 20 bars for 20 dollars last I went-a good price for the sometimes expensive Lara Bars. Costco has helped immensely with affording my diet. Not just for things like Lara bars which I sometimes get and Quinoa which is a great addition to any gf kitchen, but the prices on fruits and vegetables, meats and dairy- really help ease the load.

7) Grow your own. If you can, if you have space. We do not have outdoor space, but this year I am committed to growing tomatoes, peppers, basil, and mint indoors to help lighten our load (if only by a little).

8) Bag of beans. I get bags of black beans, chick peas, navy beans etc.. and pretty large bags from my local grocer for 70 cents a bag. This is much much cheaper than canned beans and no added sodium. For a cheaper protein- check out the bagged bean world. The same goes for bags of rice and quinoa- check them out.

9) Eggs. A complete source of protein. Eggs are high in cholesterol-- but a good protein source and if you are watching your cholesterol, either just have the egg white or only buy egg whites- whichever suits your individual needs. I dislike the egg yolk, so we have egg whites. Eggs are much cheaper than beef, chicken, seafood etc... sub them in every once in awhile...

10) Getting food for gifts. If there is a particular item you have been really wanting to try but you and your budget cannot afford it- if you really want it- ask for it as a gift. I did this when I really wanted to try Hollys Oatmeal with Cranberries. I asked for it as part of a Christmas gift, because it is not a recession friendly buy (not to my budget anyway). It was the most delicious oatmeal I have ever had and I will ask for it for Christmas again this year because I cannot pay that much for oatmeal. Do people know you are a celiac? For my birthday I received several gluten free food baskets with lots of food "GF foodie mixes" that were expensive that I would never buy myself. Friends and family did not know what to get me for my birthday but they knew I was a celiac so a food basket was a natural choice. Hence- grocery saving money.

11) Take advantage of free offers and coupons & be connected to the gluten free community. When Betty Crocker was offering free coupons to try their mixes it was posted on several blogs and frequenting my support groups boards. When I saw this I called immediately- got the coupon. I have seen this for several other things as well-go to your favorite manufactures website and see if they are offering free samples or coupons. Many are at any given time. I've gotten free bags of rice chips, yogurt, nuts, granola, popcorn, cookies etc.... and with not alot of work- just a little bit of down time and filling out a free sample/coupon questionnaire. This is also a great way to try something and see if you like it before wasting money on it. Joining your local support group is a great way to learn of many offerings in the area.

12)Let nothing go to waste. Freeze it, find a recipe where it will work, do something, don't waste it. Go to your local library if you need recipe ideas and check out cook books or go to to find some creative ideas.

13) Buy whole vegetables, fruits and meats. Pre-cut ones from grocery store double and sometimes triple in price. Buy the whole item and cut it your self for more money saving power.

14) Frozen is often cheaper and just as healthy.

15) Know when organic is better and when conventional is fine. ie: thin skinned fruits and veggies (grapes, peaces, strawberries- will benefit from being organic, but an avocado or a banana with a thicker skin will not have as much as a benefit) Choose wisely- be educated. Wash your fruits and vegetables very well regardless.

16) Eat in season. Only a few more strawberry months left! When your favorites go on sale buy them if it will help your budget and freeze, freeze, freeze (if it is cheaper than just buying regular frozen). This sometimes happens with berries and the end of the season. '

17) Coupons- Clip coupons. Watch for coupons. and others have special gluten free sections. Save money on all your other groceries- yogurts , milks, coffees- every little bit helps!

18) Think outside the box & comparison shop. Living gluten free involves thinking outside the box. Think outside the box for where you get your groceries as well. One example is our local target has all the GF Chex Flavors ( except Strawberry :( ) for 2.10 a box which is cheaper than all the other cereals including cheerios. But our local grocer has only 2 kinds of GF chex and they are 3.50 a box.

19) I have to reiterate buying in bulk. I did some math on amazon.com cereal and food prices in bulk and many of the cereals (they come in 10-12 box shipments) are about 1.50 a box for high quality high fiber and protein delicious gf cereals... worth looking into.

20) Have a walmart or target? We do not have a walmart- but my mother and friends tell me that their local walmart is starting to carry many GF products (cereals! GF Betty Crocker!)that are very affordable and available everywhere. They also have cheap rices and yogurts- I remember from my living near a walmart days. Get your savings where you can! Our local target however has many GF goodies including a GF Indian dinner kit that feeds 3-4 people for about $2.50 that comes with everything by Archer Farms... They also have great deals on almonds and other meals.

21) Stretch your expensive eats. Something new I have been doing is-- I have GF oats which are -- the cheapest I can find 6.00 for 18 servings and Quinoa from costco which is 8.00 for 80 servings. To stretch my GF oats which are gone too soon- I am having half a serving of oats with half a cup of Quinoa--that way I still get the oats and am stretching my dollar. Try this with whatever fits your fancy- this is something that works well for my household because we eat GF oats every since day, it is the one thing we (or I) love. Get Creative!

There are many more options to eat cheaply and healthfully on the gf diet. The biggest thing I learned was pre-GF I ate very healthy (except for the wheat-gluten that was sabotaging me)- it took me some time to realize after eating Gluten Free that I should just eat like I always did and just sub in gf foods where needed. Do what works well for you and your body, it is all about living healthfully and feeling well- that is the goal. :)

Delicious Everything Salad!

2009-08-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a week or so since I have had a everything salad....

Crisp romaine lettuce with some ice berg thrown in, lots of broccoli, red pepper seasoning, black pepper seasoning, creamy tuna, chick peas, re-fried beans with olives, a few crispy plantains, and a nice vinaigrette dressing- optional watermelon-- Yum! This was pretty much everything left over in my fridge all together now!

MMMM Interesting Sandwich...

2009-08-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last night I paced my kitchen floor trying to figure out what to make for lunch.
Cooking chicken took too long..... eggs would dirty pans....cereal didn't seem like a very exciting or filling lunch for a friday (even though sometimes it is!) .. so I settled on a Ashley creative sandwich, and man was it good.

The sandwich was 1 full piece of GF bread with one thin thin spread of PB and one a little thicker spread of nutella, then I topped it with blueberries all over.
The other half was a almost small half of GF bread with a tiny bit of GF raspberry jam. Put together, put in container. I threw in a side of butternut squash with more blueberries hiding under it, topped with almonds and alot of cinnamon- heat all in the microwave. SO GOOD.
It may sound a little odd, a little crazy or silly but it felt kind of like I was a kid eating a hot fudge sundae for dessert when compared to my normal protein/veggie and salad combos. Squash is really satisfying, so is nutella.
Some of the most interesting combinations come out of having nothing left in your kitchen.

Last nights was a bean dip and lentil salad-- good but I liked todays lunch better.

Celiac related question-- Do you ever find that when eating in public, people often say--I didn't know you could eat that? Or doesn't that contain gluten, when it is something like milk, peanut butter, watermelon or an apple,(all naturally GF) but yet you get offered cookies daily? :)

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Breakfast!

2009-08-14T05:53:00.000-07:00

This morning I decided to try something a little different. Or rather last night.
I stood over a over-cooked butter nut squash with a ice cream scooper that didn't seem to work right. Women vs. squash.
And by not work right I mean when I let go of the handle most of the squash fell out but some (along with seeds) went flying across the room. "whoa what was that?" E asked.... Would you mind running the vacuum over the floor when I am done in return for some squash I pleaded....???? He did. And I finally tackled the squash.
And then I made a nice breakfast for the morning- I had leftover quinoa with cinnamon and blueberries so I added a little more quinoa, cinnamon, milk, almonds, and a whole lot of squash in a bowl and called in breakfast. And somehow a piece of dark chocolate got in their with the almonds but it was ok, it just made it that much more delicious! And now I am full and satisfied and happy. I love butternut squash, I wish we had more.

I had 5 or 6 recipes picked out for the squash, I only made it to 2, oven baked cinnamon butter nut squash and savory pepper parmesan squash. It is pretty easy...
Cut squash in half, remove seeds or keep seeds- whichever you like, bake for 40 minutes, then I cubed it and added the ingredients and toppings of my choice.

1) Cinnamon-sunflower seeds-almonds for the sweet version
2) Pepper and parm cheese for the savory- Delicious!
And all for about a dollar... can't beat that...

I didn't make it to the butternut squash fries recipe- which means I am going to have to get another butternut squash this week, similar to sweet potato fries, baked in the oven- sweet or savory- these are absolutely wonderful- there are no words!

Seriously Good Asian Lettuce Wraps!

2009-08-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

I made Asian Lettuce wraps last night in an attempt to reduce our(or my) groceries that we have to move in 2 weeks...

I was NOT expecting them to be SO delicious. Wow, actually one of the best things I have tried new in a long time. I had to borrow a picture because I couldn't take a picture of the actual lettuce wrap, I had already eaten it. :) This will be a repeat!

So what was in this lovely wrap?

I fixed an Asian GF Seasme Peanut Noodle Cart first and let it cool.
Then I fixed 3 eggs with hot pepper flakes and chopped them up.
Next came a few lettuce leaves for the wraps artfully arranged.

I added the noodles, egg, pepper, and soy sauce and voila- Seriously Good Asian Lettuce Wraps! ( I really want to try this with Shrimp and some veggies- but the kitchen is looking pretty low ) This was a very simple recipe I wrapped up a wrap burrito style in tinfoil and took it to work the next day. It was very nice to have something different that the creative salad or protein/veggies/GF grain combo for lunch, VERY NICE. :)

Everyone was asking where did you get that lettuce wrap, where do they sell those around here? No where-- but the idea was inspired by lettuce wraps I had at Uno's Chicago Grill long before I knew I was a celiac.

It is pretty exciting when you can add a new recipe to your menu rotation :) Especially when most of you cooking is done at home.

Next week comes a variety of recipes with a large butternut squash- that is in our fruit bowl just dying to be fixed! -- Possibly something in the rice cooker.....

Ice Cream is Gluten Free

2009-08-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Ice Cream is naturally gluten free!
Well it is anyway before you add in any of the crazy brownie batter, cookie dough, cheesecake pieces etc... that can come in some ice creams. This makes a normally safe ice cream instantly contain gluten and off limits! If you follow a GF diet also remember to check fudge/caramel/butterscotch sauces before diving in! I haven't seen one yet with wheat as a thickener but you never know!

With that being said ice cream is such a wonderful, classic summer time treat! If you have homemade ice cream- thats even better!

When I am asked for examples of what I can eat that is naturally Gluten Free ice cream always makes the list- along with plenty of fruits-veggies-meats-yogurts also of course.
To me, the fact that ice cream and pure chocolate is gluten free is like a special gift intended just for the gluten intolerant/celiacs.
I may usually not be able to have the cupcakes they bring around at work or cookies at a party 9 times out of 10 at least- but I can almost always have ice cream and nice rich chocolates and truffles ( that are not contaminated ). A little bit of normalcy!

Today at work was our summer ice cream Friday. I love the summer ice cream Friday
(only once this year) because unlike cupcake days or cookie days or sandwich days or any other days, I can actually participate. And man- did that ice cream taste GOOD. I ate up each delectable spoon full of rich vanilla ice cream ( one scoop ) topped with a few nuts and a drizzle of sauce. Just enough to really, really, really enjoy it. And I mean really, really enjoy it.

There are so many ways to enjoy ice cream, sauces toppings, full fat, low fat etc... many people believe it doesn't have a place in a healthy diet, but everything in moderation is the key!

I like to experiment a little and add to my ice cream: one or two of the following at any given time.....

Pure Raspberry Puree
Walnuts
Mango
Papaya
Blueberries ( has always been my favorite )
A drizzle of agave
Dates!
Cinnamon
Raisins
Grapes ( weird but good )
peanut butter chips

Note: If you have trouble digesting dairy try a high quality probiotic. Without one I cannot digest dairy but with one, I am a dairy champion!

A few more words on lactose intolerance.......

I went through a very serious bout of this a year or so ago where no dairy was going into my system. Thankfully there now is Rice Dream Frozen Products that are delectable, delicious and won't leave you desiring a thing!
There is also Soy Dream frozen products as well if your taste runs more toward soy or you have a rice allergy.

There is also a Gluten Free cookie dough ice cream by Turtle Mountain that can be purchased at Whole Foods....It is also dairy free (it uses soymilk as a substitute).

I have had most of these and love all of them, the flavors are different comparable to Rice Milk vs. Soy Milk vs. Dairy, but all are very delicious.

One more thing.... Ciao Bella has very rich and robust sorbet in a great assortment of flavors, I highly recommend this brand!

Healthier Without Wheat by Dr. Wangen...READ IT!

2009-08-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

What an amazing book!

I learned so much more about celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and gluten allergies. In fact- I am going to re-read it again to make sure I understood everything clearly since alot of the reading was at 11pm at night!

This book has the power to change so many lives. SO MANY. Anyone with stomach issues-headaches etc... or just persistent issues mentioned in the book-- should really take a closer look at gluten intolerance and how it affects American. It is really astounding, or at least I was astounded!

I knew there were differences- between celiac disease and being merely gluten intolerant or just having a "gluten allergy" as opposed to the full blown auto-immune disease. But I did not know that so many people have the same symptoms as celiac disease minus villous atrophy and this is gluten intolerance. The symptoms are just as severe the book states and can cause some of the same health problems.

So many people sick go to the Dr. for the celiac test it comes back negative, they think well it wasn't gluten-- when it in fact many times was. Because the test was testing for villous atrophy which is ONLY present in celiac disease not a gluten intolerance or allergy ( note many other allergens might be at work as well such as dairy-corn-soy etc.... all the normals and some others) There is a test for gluten intolerance and gluten allergy......but it isn't widely used...

All of this was very interesting to me... I know a handful of people that suspect they have issues with gluten but do not have celiac disease, I have urged them to read this book.

There was also an interesting part on antibodies in a mothers breast milk that can affect a baby..... depending if the mother is gluten intolerant/celiac or not, I had never heard this!

Fridays are delicious for Gluten Free Living...

2009-07-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Today I had certified GF oats with mango, flaxseed, and almonds- add coffee. Sounds familiar- the breakfast of champions!

We had a baby shower at work and I had a GF Carrot Cake cupcake from

www.hellocupcakeonline.com (hyperlinks are not working right now) in Washington DC's Dupont Circle which I love!
Even though my favorite flavor is the lemon with strawberry icing and the vanilla with chocolate icing this is a welcome change!
Add a few Dove Chocolate meltaways, Fresca, Garlic Hummus with GF soy sauce Crackers, GF cheese balls = one happy lady!

I also called Betty Crocker for my free coupon. I cannot wait to receive ours in the mail and get to a-baking!
Check out the link below for the coupon!

( this hyper link may or may not be working)
This is from the befreeforme.com website:

General Mills is offering a FREE coupon for any one of their new Betty Crocker gluten-free baking mixes!

To redeem your free box, call General Mill’s customer service number at: 1-800-446-1898, which is the same number listed on the Betty Crocker boxes. Then, at the main menu press “4”.

The representative will then ask for your zip code, and if you / your household is gluten-free or limiting gluten, where you normally shop for gluten-free foods, and your address. General Mills promises not to sell or share this info.

I have been seriously craving new and different foods lately and COOK BOOKS! I stayed up late last night googling different recipes and plan on purchasing at least ONE cook book this weekend-- I have got to have some GF variety in my meals, I have been eating the same thing over and over and over and over.
I saw a delicious review for a GF cookbook that featured GF Hazelnut encrusted, lime sauce Salmon, YES PLEASE!

Hopefully this weekend we will get to Chipotle-- I have been reading GF safe reviews about Chipotle... after my glutening experience with Baja Fresh, I am a little bit terrified to eat out anywhere for the moment, too painful!

I have eaten at Chipotle a handful of times fine with no reaction- but I always wonder about the salad dressing...... the ingredients seem fine, but you have to watch for the cross contamination risk! I usually get a salad with light cheese and no sour cream, which cuts my CC risk down- since they touch the cheese with the gloves.... anyway we shall see...

Food is medicine...

2009-07-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

I am aware that food is my medicine and I try not to obsess over it.... but sometimes I might. :)

I try to eat nutrient rich, healthy meals for most meals, most of the time. Lots of veggies, flax, beans, oov, safe grains, fruits, etc.... and a good variety.....

I never took time to wonder why it bothers me so much when I cannot eat a good meal... then I realized what I already knew, food is my medicine.... It's the only medicine I have (besides good vitamins, exercise, sleep, and fresh air), and it is the only medicine that will work for celiacs.

So I use it in the best ways I can.
Unhealthy meals? Rarely! Skip meals-- hardly or never- even in my line of work, food matters!

Eating this way had changed my entire mindset toward food, nutrients matter, knowing what is in your food matters. Feeling good and being healthy- that is the goal...

This morning I had one of my favorite-- if not THE favorite meal:
Oatmeal with flax seed, almond, papaya chunks, cinnamon and a touch of milk
& coffee- YUM!

And lunch today is a nice broccoli and crab meat salad with a touch of sunflower seeds and poppy seed dressing... good medicine... :)

Museli...........

2009-07-26T16:27:00.000-07:00

Down south you don't see muesli. I had actually never seen it until dining in a quaint french cafe in Alexandria VA (cannot recall the name) and then again at La Madeline's. These were both in my GF days so I could not try this wonderful dish that was calling my name....

I have been researching the best way to prepare Muesli, the best ingredients to put in it, milk, coconut milk, how long to soak, to heat and then soak and so forth and same up with this. I am going to try tomorrow and then let E try it out with some Gluten grains that are tucked far far away some where in our kitchen....:)

I found a few variations:
Some like it with yogurt:

Recipe: Muesli Mash with yogurt,

1 cup thick yogurt-Greek is my favorite
1/4 cup muesli mix -Oats,flax seed, dried fruits (whatever you like)
Small handful of nuts of GF granola and perhaps a dash of cinnamon or spice of your choice/honey/agave...

Mix all the ingredients together and that's it!

A more traditional way of preparing it cold is to add the milk the night before to the Muesli and let it soak in the refrigerator over night. This actually makes a very unique, flavorful cereal in the morning — especially if there are a high-proportion of oats in the Muesli recipe. As the milk soaks, the oat flavors migrate in to the liquid, making an “oat milk” which is rich and creamy. I think I will be trying this ASAP....... ( small road side shop in Maine had 3 kinds of GF oats-- who knew!!!)

Others toast the muesli mix lightly on stove first-- the oats, flax, nuts, dried fruits ( or whatever else you use) until it is lightly golden brown....
or you can bake it in the stove at 160 degrees to 10 minutes but watch that muesli- the GF ingredients are too expensive to burn!

And take a look at this delicious recipe...

Tropical Muesli Recipe
This version of Muesli takes you to the tropics thanks to a generous amount of coconut and tropical fruits like papaya and pineapple. Give it a little extra crunch with rich, buttery macadamia nuts.

Ingredients
1 cup medium or thick rolled oats
1 cup rolled rye flakes
1 cup rolled wheat flakes
1 cup shredded or flaked unsulphered, unsweetened organic coconut
1/2 cup dried papaya
1/2 cup dried pineapple
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Directions
Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer to an airtight container. If storing for longer periods, consider keeping the cereal in the freezer or refrigerator.

Serve either hot or cold.

Hot Muesli Instructions: Add 1/2 cup Muesli to 1/2 cup water, milk or soy milk and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. You can also microwave Muesli in a large bowl on high for 3-5 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Makes two servings.

Cold Muesli Instructions: Soak 1/4 cup Muesli in 1/2 cup yogurt, milk, soy milk or fruit juice for 5-10 minutes, or soak overnight. Makes 1 serving.

The Muesli Story
Muesli (pronounced muse-lee) is a breakfast cereal that has been popular in Europe — especially Switzerland — for over 100 years. It’s made from raw, rolled whole grains like oats, barley, rye, triticale, and wheat and typically contains nuts and dried or fresh fruit.

Muesli was developed by the Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner around 1900 to serve to patients in his hospital in Zurich. The diet that Bircher-Benner prescribed to his patients was heavy on whole-grains and fresh fruits and vegetables, and Bircher-Benner came up with idea of Muesli after being served a similar dish during a hike in the Swiss Alps.

While popular in Switzerland and parts of Europe for decades, it wasn’t until the health food movement of the 1960s that this tasty and uber-nutritious cereal started to gain fans in the United States. Since then, Muesli has become much more widely available not only in health food stores, but also in mainstream markets and grocery stores.

In the late-80s, Kellogg even tried to cash-in on the healthy reputation of Muesli by developing a boxed, cold cereal version of muesli called Mueslix. Unfortunately, the cereal shared very little in common with the traditional Muesli recipe, and instead had more in common with Corn Flakes than with the whole-grain masterpiece from Switzerland. Kellogg still markets Mueslix in the US and Canada, although their version is a pale-imitation of the real deal.

Buzz Bakery and Cafe Rustico......

2009-07-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Because we need a new apt and a date night we decided to check out a few places in Alexandria, VA and hit up a few favorite GF spots. I hadn't been to Buzz bakery a GF bakery across the street from Rustico so it was time to check it out....while in the area

We had the Garlic Shrimp pizza with added tomato sauce and it was the best "fancy-gourmet" pizza I have ever tasted. E agreed and he is not gf but he gladly devoured 4or 5 pieces of our lovely chick pea pizza. :)

I didn't have any of the 5 GF beer they offered mainly because I have to be in a beer mood and because they were served in HUGE sizes 12 oz which is normal and 16 oz! I opted for a Rose wine. :)

Then we had a mini German Chocolate Cake that was a mix of custard and cream with a wonderful chocolate piece ontop of all the coconut. This was so rich it almost did us in and neither of us could eat breakfast the next morning! :) But so good!

We have been eating at home so much lately besides the GF chocolate whoopie peanut butter cookie sandwiches I bought from a small stand in Maine a few weeks ago we have been pretty much making every thing.

I did make some wonderful fudge M&M Cookies this morning for a cook out. My own recipe from frozen batter in the freezer. That is a life saver. I max a big batch- freeze and just take it out when I need to make a few cookies or whatever--- LIFE SAVER. :) Sometimes I get about 6 hours notice that I have to attend an event and need to bring something- cookies it is! I don't have to worry about if I have all the ingredients on hand- chilling the dough, mixing it... etc.... and I swear its actually better, but maybe I just don't have enough cookies. It is possible.

Yesterday I had a fruit floe from Trader Joes in Mango Flavor with nice mango chunks. Great for hot summer days with minimal AC. Held me right over till dinner and of course easily GF!

I cannot think of anything new except that I need to add some variety and some cook books to my life. Me and E have been wanting to cook -ok me--- some nice Baja meals and home, Tortilla soups, Fish Tacos, Gazpacho all of that good stuff... I know how to cook everything but I need to branch out a little bit... :)

Been wanting to try Museli-- but am afraid I will ruin my precious expensive GF oats--- knowing me I will probobly LOVE it.. maybe will try tommorow....

Gluten Free bars and safety....

2009-07-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Pure Bar on Amazon

I picked one up at Trader Joe's........

We always try to keep a box on these handy and I try to keep 1 or 2 in my purse.

I work a job where lunch breaks never ever happen and sometimes a quick dash to the "community fridge" for whatever you brought doesn't even happen... it took me a few years (maybe 1) to get used to this and stash high protein and fiber bars where ever I could for those moments....

One of my friends is going gluten free and vegetarian for a month (for non-health related reasons) and had picked up a few of these bars. Another friend ( a non-celiac) had one and had raved about the taste- so I picked one up, ready to have it when the moment struck!

Then I saw it.

The allergen notice that is in the little crease in the wrapper.
I had just awoke from my day sleep from "night shift" work, where I am typically a zombie for about 4 hours when I noticed it.
As I was sitting just really waking up I then read the dreaded label that I hate:

Safety Information
Allergy Statement: This product is manufactured in a facility that processes foods that may contain peanuts, tree nuts, soy, dairy, wheat, or eggs. Product contains walnuts, almonds, and cashews. May contain pieces of nuts, shells or pits.

This is the worst label, you get all excited about a product thinking it is Gluten-free then you see the label of death.

Here are a few celiac safe brands: That label scares me....sometimes I even homemade my own protein bars...

Think Thin bars on amazon

Lara Bars on amazon

Kind Bars on amazon

Purefit Bars on Amazon
(very similar to the Pure Bar)

Raw Revolution Bars on Amazon

Oskri Organics Coconut Bars on Amazon

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Mixes on Amazon..

2009-07-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

Betty Crocker announced the released of their Gluten-free products a few months ago and products where set to hit shelves on June 1st 2009. (my birthday!)

I haven't seen any on shelves in my grocery store yet, but I have been getting handy amazon email updates and I came across these...

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil Food Cake on Amazon

Betty Crocker GF Mixes on Amazon

All of the Betty Crocker flavors are available for bulk purchase (at a lower rate)from amazon and they all have gotten high reviews- it is Betty Crocker!

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Website Information has alot of helpful information such as a product locator (helpful!) and states they are made in a gluten-free processing facility.
:) :) :) Three cheers for General Mills!

I am sure many of these mixes are available for purchase in stores out in Virginia in Maryland... we are without a car and limited in our shopping time so this is a great alternative!

My mother always baked a beautiful yellow cake- Betty Crocker every year for my birthday so we will be trying that mix first... I feel like it is my birthday all over again....

Since the release of Chex Gluten Free cereal and Betty Crocker GF mixes as well as many other more main stream GF products our house hold has went from a GF and Gluten(scary!) household to a mostly GF one!

My BF can purchase Rice Pasta from Trader Joes and wraps for the same price and taste as "regular wheat ones" so he is been purchasing the GF ones (lucky me!). I am also very happy to say that our house has not seen a loaf of gluten bread since May.
I told him though if he wants regular bread I understand, he has just choose to eat our homemade bread lately and keep the gluten bread out of the house.
When he does decide to bring the bread in the house it will be just fine, I just realized it has been 2 months since he has touched wheat bread....

Pan Seared Oatmeal

2009-07-09T01:17:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows me well knows oatmeal is one of my all time favorite foods, I cannot get enough of it... :)

Before GF oats were more readily available(and affordable)I lived without, convincing myself "Rice and Shine" & Cream of Rice cereals were the same. It's good but it is not the quite the same....
I have been buying Bob's Red Mill GF Rolled Oats lately and just noticed that Steel Cut GF oats are available now!

After some reading it seems as if nutritionally they are pretty similar, but the taste and cooking time is different. It seems like it would take longer to break down the steel cut oats. I do not have a slow cooker or crock pot but stove cooking or baked oatmeal isn't too tedious so thats also an option and delicious. If you've ever had oven baked vanilla cinnamon oatmeal, there is no turning back to the pre-package boxed stuff!

I came across this great recipe for "Pan Seared Oatmeal" I am going to try as soon as I get steel cut oats... It seems like many deli's and restaurants serve this across the country. Wouldn't it be great to go out to brunch and get this??? Somewhere I am sure serves a GF version! :)

Here is the delicious recipe:

Delicious Pan Seared Oatmeal

Make a Day Ahead if you can:
Prepare one cup steel cut oats according to package directions. (MUST use steel cut and not quick cooking/rolled oats)

After removing from heat, add 1-2 T maple syrup or agave and a bit of milk (of your choice) to make it creamier but you won't need much.
You want to keep it thick.
Place in small plastic containers. (Such as a butter, yogurt, cool whip, etc...)
Allow to cool to room temperature in sealed containers before putting in fridge.

The Day of (or many hours after it cools) you'll need:
banana, sliced
dried cranberries
raisins
walnuts, chopped
balsamic vinegar glaze***
margarine

Remove top from tub and dump out oatmeal. It will be one solid mass having conformed to the shape of the tub. Slice into disks about 3/4 inch thick. work quickly and carefully as it will want to turn to mush the longer it sits out of the refrigerator.

Heat margarine over medium heat in skillet. Place disc(s) of oatmeal in pan and pan sear for 4-5 min per side until golden brown and remove.

Drizzle glaze onto plate and place disc(s) on top of it. Top with walnuts, cranberries, raisins, banana and a quick drizzle of agave nectar.

***Make sure you're using a balsamic vinegar glaze. If you cannot find one you can make one by bringing regular balsamic vinegar to a boil and then until reduced down to a syrup... You can also make one by using:

Ingredients for glaze:
1 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 cup Water
1/4 cup Brown sugar)
And bringing it to a boil.

Delicious!!

Trader Joes Golden Roasted Flaxseed with Blueberries...

2009-07-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

Always trying to get more fiber & more nutrients in my diet I was excited to see that Trader Joes in Washington DC had this in. I would never have seen it if there hadn't of been a line to grind coffee. :) (my favorite is the breakfast blend)

There are two flavors available Golden Roasted Flaxseed and Golden Roasted Flaxseed with Blueberries, I ADORE-LOVE-LOVE blueberries, so this was an easy choice for my first bag of flax seed. I have heard of many celiacs using flax seed in their diets for extra fiber. I was getting kind of tired of my fiber supplements and drink mixes anyway.... it is always good to switch things up.

I tried the flax seed with blueberries my first night working overnights in Bob's Red Mill GF Oats with Cinnamon and Banana. I am not sure if it was the fact that I was working overnights or the new flax seed but I had terrible heart burn from one spoonful of flaxseed added to my oatmeal, but I loved the way it tasted. The next nights I cut it down to half a spoon full and was fine, I am slowly starting to increase it until I get up to a spoonful.

I am pretty sure it was a combination of the overnights ---I do NOT do well eating at night let along 3:30 in the am at all. I never-ever eat late at night. And trying something new... thats a double kicker. The first time I tried Lara bars (the raw fruit bar) they put me in terrible pain and I had to cut down to half a bar eaten very slowly and now I can eat a whole bar fine with no pain at all. So this was probably the case, my irritable system has probably only had flax seed a few times before and then probably in things like Bumble Bars not in pure form.

I would highly recommend this for adding fiber and nutrients into a healthy diet. I plan in adding the Blueberry flavor into oatmeal, cereal, chocolate breads, yogurt, and whatever creative ideas I can think up. The regular flavor would bake good in a egg frittata or anything else you wanted to add dietary fiber and omega-3's too.
it was also decently priced around 3.00 for a bag that will probably at the rate I am going last 3 or 4 months.... (estimation). :)

On another note of digestive health besides dietary fiber-taking a high quality Probiotic such as Sustenex is the best thing I have ever done for myself besides going GF. I ordered a few other brands but they where no where near as good as this one. As soon as I started taking these I could eat dairy again and as often as I wanted and could eat without discomfort(what a relief)!

Allergies, oats and drugstore.com

2009-07-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

My friends son ( who also is around 11 months old) came down with a mysterious allergy. He breaks out into a rash right after he eats and is all around miserably, not feeling well, scratching at all hours of the night and who knows what else since he is a baby and cannot tell us if he is bloated or has a headache. He just cries and scratches, the poor thing! I saw him and saw the circles under his eyes and how he cried alot easier than he normally did when I saw him.

I knew instantly he was suffering from a food allergy and possibly something else and I felt for him. I know that feeling, I suffer from a relatively minor peanut allergy ( in addition to celiac). Which means I take benadrly and I am fine, I don't and I've ended up at the ER a few times. The joy of exercise-induced allergies. As some one that exercises pretty much every day unless severely injured or severely sick, this can be a problem, but anyway.

So he went to the doctor who sent him to an allergist- the doctor suspects an oat allergy, I asked his mother, " Did the doctor say it was a oat allergy or allergic to the protein in the oat?" I am wondering about gluten, of course. So we shall see. She is worried because bread is very important in her house she told me, but i assured her GF doesn't mean bread free, or really anything free, it's just a life style like anything else.

Lately I've been dolling out goodies to all my friends GF and non GF alike. GF chocolate coffee bread, GF chocolate chip cookies, GF chocolate marble cake, raspberry trail mix muffins. I bake alot of goods more than I can eat and I love getting the word out there that gluten free food can include delicious bread and cakes. And plus the southern lady in me likes to just bake and give away cakes...
I took many pictures of my latest and best GF chocolate, coffee bread and as soon as I get them up here I will include the recipe... it's been almost a week, but somehow the pictures are still "living" on my digital camera along with pictures from my birthday, camping, and impromptu photos of wall-e the hedgehog one Sunday morning.

I dont know if many people know this but www.drugstore.com has a whole gluten free section and they have since I have been shopping on it (for about 2 years now). It is great in the city and great for finding all kinds of random stuff and they have many many gluten free things that are hard to find including think thin protein bars at the lowest price you will find anywhere and they are much fresher at drugstore.com than amazon.com. Weird I know, but it is true.
They have soy jor bars more affordable than usual and Rice Noodle bowls as well.
More GF products at www.drugstore.com include: Pamela's Products , Lara Bar, GF Panda Puffs Cereal, the Bumble Bar and much more. Drugstore.com is really a good website for cheap GF finds and when you don't why to buy so many things in bulk.

I am deciding on a new GF breakfast protein bar-- what to choose, what to choose...my personal recommendation is the chunky peanut butter and dark chocolate fudge think thin protein bars. Warning: they are addictive but affordable. :)

Fontaine Caffee & Creperie, Old Town Alexandria

2009-06-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Gluten Free Buckwheat Crepes? Yes please....

Todays edition of the Washington Examiner jumped on the Gluten Free(delicious) train... and not a moment too soon!

This weekend while in Bethesda, MD my mouth watered at the sidewalk stands of dark brown sugar and cinnamon crepes, filled with jam, chocolate and all kinds of goodness. I love being gluten free but I also would have loved one of those crepes. Now it looks like I will be having one soon...

In Old Town Alexandria the quaint cafe "Fontaine Caffee & Creperie" serves buckwheat crepes. Yes! Buckwheat crepes! Many people including me for the longest time do not know that buckwheat is actually a fruit and a very delicious one at that. The first time I had buckwheat pancakes I was hooked. And buckwheat boasts many vitamins (including B!) and minerals, none of that crazy refined white stuff (I'm talking about you WHITE FLOUR).

Fontaine is located at 119 South Royal St in Alexandria Va and does not require reservations. You can expect a review soon, since it has been way too long since I have enjoyed crepes..... :)

DC Exotic Pet Examiner

Butternut Squash

2009-06-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

I look forward to this every year...as butternut squash comes in season I get the cinnamon and honey ready. Ready for a delicious breakfast, snack, or side dish...

Check out this delicious recipe. Squash plus cinnamon and a dollop of honey is absolutely amazing. It is also delicious as a spaghetti substitute and more nutritious...

Delectable Baked Butternut Squash

1) Butternut Squash (is best for sweet recipes but for savory recipes other squash can be used)
2) Salt
3) Butter
4) Brown Sugar
5) Pure Maple Syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Half each squash, then scrape out the seeds and stringy membranes.Sprinkle each half with salt.Add a generous tablespoon of butter to the center of each squash.Add 2 to 3heaping tablespoons brown sugar.Drizzle squash with maple syrup.Pour 2 cups water in the bottom of the baking pan.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, or until squash is golden brown. In the last 5 minutes of baking, turn on the broiler and allow tops to get a little more brown and the butter/sugar mixture to bubble.

If you are using cubed squash just place cubes in pan with ingredients over squash and follow the directions as listed. :)

Alternative: (for cubed squash) Stove Top Sizzling Squash:

1) Take cubed butternut squash cook stove top (or in microwave) until soft.
2) Add cinnamon, honey, nuts, raisins, agave, banana, or whatever you desire.

This delicious dish does not disappoint and it is literally pretty much good with anything in it.

Some of my favorites are:

-raisins
-raisins
-chopped banana
-almonds
-walnuts
-pecans
-cinnamon
-honey
-agave
-vanilla rice milk (just a touch to cool it down)

The sky is the limit with this one, I imagine it might even work with a few chocolate chips??....

You can adjust these recipes to suit your taste and either of these recipes would be delicious savory with spices baked in the oven....

Coming soon a delicious Spagetti Squash recipe....

Gluten-free thankfulness

2009-06-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

I am thankful to have people in my life that embrace my diet and lifestyle and even make their own changes for me (boyfriend going GF for June)....and mostly GF forever, thats love....and it is delicious!

I am thankful that my work now orders cupcakes from Hello Cupcake DC which has daily GF and vegan offerings so I can join in the fun. (not to mention the best cupcakes anywhere-I am not biased) :)

I am glad many of my friends are trying the GF diet for periods of time to improve their health and observe the effects it has on their body and mind. It's nice to have people around you that understand the diet isn't nearly as restrictive as many people think... (my ravings and delicious food helps I am sure)

I am glad even though some friends and family may not understand the diet completely, they just hand over labels and web addresses so I can decipher them in a millisecond- safely and easily.

I am glad the GF diet has taught me to take charge and I am never shy about asking questions when it comes to my diet. Who wants to have flu-like symptoms for a week? And even more the internal damage that I have worked so hard to heal, damaged again- no thanks! I am get weird looks, odd looks, mean looks, all kinds of looks, but hey I am healthy, GF and loving every minute of it. When there are potlucks if I don't know what is in it- I don't eat it, its not worth it. If I can't find out whats in it, I take charge of my own health and AVOID it. :) If I can talk to the chef (never the hostess and only sometimes the waiter/waitress) I will and if I can email them before I dine, I will. Awareness, proactive-ness, it's literally saving my gut.

I am glad all of this makes is very easy to brush off "gluten free that must suck" comments as I nibble on my chocolate truffle, polish off half of my GF chocolate strawberry cupcake, dine on delectable crab cakes, and add extra sauce and pepper to my or Petes GF pizza or Uno's GF pizza.... whatever you say :) :) :) My food doesn't come from a wrapper (usually/rarely)and I LOVE it.

I am thankful for all of it and much much more. Thankful for food that I love and thankful to no longer have arthritis among other things... :)
Gluten-free food has given me my life back.

Salad prepared with love...

2009-06-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

Todays salad is almost fresh from the garden...

From the farmers market I brought home carrots, green beans (large) and heads of lettuce. I cooked the green beans and carrots together in a pot with pepper and a little bit of oov. (I felt very southern as I did this).

Next the lettuce was pulled apart while my boyfriend and I chatted about various movies and life events and Nico danced back and forth across the kitchen floor looking for a cheerio (our ferret). I added hot pepper, black pepper, basil, and a little dash of ginger to my lettuce, beans and carrots. The salad base was done.

For protein I added a palms worth of Alaskan caught Trader Joe's salmon (delicious and seasoned with pepper of course!). For the top I added spicy salsa and a dollop of spicy hummus. Can you see a trend here-- I love spicy. More than a couple of people have stopped by my desk today to see just what I am eating and to tell me how good my lunch looks.

Yes it is very hard being gluten free and eating all of this delicious food, I guess will have to eat the same thing for dinner!
And again I love buying from the farmers it is so much more satisfying than buying from a conveyor belt I cannot wait for the time when we can grow our own garden. I am going to start as soon as we move I hope we a few small indoor plants ( here's hoping )!

Also eating from a garden teaches us the principles of "eating in season" when vegetables and fruits and such are plentiful, ripest, and the best for our budget
(if buying out).

It is my goal to one day have chickens for eggs and a garden for the simple things.
Perhaps the garden will be more simpler than the chickens. I really am my late-fathers daughter. Love you Dad.

Gluten Free Choco Chip M&M Fudge Cookies... ice cream optional

2009-06-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

We don't do anything plain in our house.
Perhaps I should restate that. I don't do anything plain.... I love spices and flavor.
So much so that my spices have started to take on their own shelf in my cabinet. I just added ginger (although I prefer fresh), 4 types of pepper (love pepper), and nutmeg to my ever growing collection...

When it came time to make cookies--we had a (Love their mixes) Gluten Free Pantry mix that could be made into a cake or cookies. I added 3 packs of M&M's 3 blocks of fudge and apple sauce to the mix. Just for a little flair, and you can bet cinnamon will go on at least a few of my cookies. :)

These are for a baby shower (supposedly-but I have already made 2 extra large cookies for my boyfriend 2 nights in a row- so who knows if they will make it till the shower....)

We also had them one night with ice cream. BEST THING EVER. Sometimes I cannot tell if it is because I don't eat alot of treats or if because I am GF, I don't eat alot of things out but my boyfriend inhaled the dessert proclaiming it the best thing ever and asked for it again the next night so I guess it was THAT GOOD. I am still dreaming of it. :)

GF Chocolate Chex ....... MMMMMMMM

2009-06-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend was my hero this weekend. He is always my hero everyday in small ways, but he was my hero in a BIG way this weekend. We walked to the local grocery store (which I normally boycott because of the high prices and bad produce) because you-see I have an obsession with cinnamon. I must have cinnamon on my cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, frozen yogurt, muffins, etc... I am the Cinnamon Queen. It just happened that way. Love all things cinnamon and I was out of cinnamon- I could barely eat my cereal without a generous topping of cinnamon so off to the local grocery we went.

Hand in hand we walked down the cool grocery store aisles, me trying to remember what I came there for and my boyfriend being patient (used to my store shopping techniques at this point). We walked past the chex- Gluten Free Chex at the local grocer , it still feels like the biggest Celiac awareness triumph yet. I have been wanting to try to Chocolate Chex and Strawberry Chex for several months (eh years) now- and keep checking amazon to make sure they are not stocking it yet.......

We walked past the chocolate chex (this is a long winded post) I didn't see any GF but my boyfriend started going through all of the boxes on my one and --- and about half way back the Gluten Free boxes started to emerge!!!!!!
"Your my hero!!!!!" I cried! And gave him a big hug and kiss in the middle of the supermarket. (People passing through no doubt thought I was on odd bird or on some type of drug - neither) :) .

So I have had the GF choco chex 3 times so far--- it is delicious! Just the right amount of not overpowering chocolate. This will be great to use in recipes also.... and great to snack on, use in trail mixes. etc.. etc... etc...... THANKS AGAIN GENERAL MILLS and I look forward to trying the strawberry chex hopefully in the new future......

(when purchasing GF Chex-- make sure the Box says GF on it-since the regular Barley Malt chex is being phased out...)

GF Shrimp and Bean Stir Fry

2009-06-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Many would consider this a "healthy food" I consider it a splurge... mainly because the price of shrimp keeps going up and the price of my stir fry keeps going up.
I make my own stir frys with my own vegetables and beans most of the time but for a splurge I buy trader Joe's pre-packages stir fry dinners which rose from 2.50 to 4.27last time I was at the store. :( So now I only splurge every other time we go to trader joes.

I love this stir fry. Plump pink shrimp that come without the tail (about 8 to a kit). Shrimp is a real treat in our house :) Mixed in with green beans, large green beans, broccoli and red peppers, and a packet of lemon pepper spice. A always drizzle my own olive oil or Salas on at the end.
It cooks easily in the microwave or the oven and I always look forward to the workdays when I call pull this delicious gourmet dish out of the fridge. I always get "wow--what do you have there!" comments.
mmmm it is a good Friday.

If you frequent trader joes and want a nice stir fry check this one out, I might share it with my BF next time and serve his with pasta since the portions are quite small. :) The package had to be designed by a female....

Happy Friday :)

GF Vanilla Cinnamon Pound Cake....

2009-06-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Before I made this cake it had been several years (around 3) since a pound cake of any kind had passed my lips. Cupcake yes, brownie yes, ice cream-- Oh yes!
But not a good old fashioned pound cake that is tradition down south.
Not feeling good? Have a nice thick slice of pound cake dripping with icing, topped with strawberries, "There darling, don't you feel better?"
Hard day at work? " Have a slice of cream cheese pound cake sweetheart, you'll be back in a flash", or my personal favorite,
"Honey you look tired have a slice of chocolate pound cake"!
Gotta love the south. And I do if for no more reason that it is where my father taught me to respect all people, animals and things, but that is another blog post.....

Onto the pound cake...
I made Pamela's Vanilla pound cake mix with 4 eggs, real butter
(hey! its a treat ya'll), cinnamon, extra vanilla, and a tad bit of water.
Oh this cake rose beautifully in the oven, but it was nothing like the angel food cake goodness that was described on the label, it was a dense, dense ,delicious pound cake and that was fine by me.
I took this lovely cake out of the oven frosted it with whip cream and topped it with strawberries and cinnamon (because I am a cinnamon addict or freak whichever you prefer). We cannot eat a whole cake ourselves so we added it to our GF bakery in the freezer.
A month went by and I needed the container it was in, so it was time to get the cake out and bestow the pieces upon myself, my boyfriend and various friends. It was cake fairy time. :)
A curious thing happened when I took the cake out of the freezer.... the cake was delicious the first time a great pound cake by any standards, but the second time it was practically gourmet, the flavors sang in my mouth , the whip cream and cinnamon tickled my taste buds, and the gooey crust left me wanting more.
The cake was 20+ times better. Somehow freezing the cake intensified the flavors, moistened the crust, and made it the best pound cake I have ever tasted (sorry grandma).
Either that or I was really starved for GF cake.

Vegetarian Salad...

2009-06-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Meals have been on a gluten free auto pilot at our house over the past week.
I cannot life milk from the fridge still (hurt back), so meal prep has been easy and quick so I can get back on the heating pad, ahhhhh. :)

I think my body has been un-happy at the lack of physical activity lately, going from 2plus hrs a day (walking home from work etc.. workouts etc..) to a stretching HALT. On the heating pad 12-13 hours a day. Ouch. So I fed my spirit and my body with this delicious, satisfying vegetation salad...

Vegetarian Scrumptious Salad

edamame(pods)
craisins
apple pieces
romaine lettuce
spinach
walnuts
carrots
lentils
shaved carrots
side of salsa & hummus
sweet Balsamic Vinegrette on the side.

I have a penchance for mixing flavors, sweet, salty, anything. So if it dosen't work for you switch it up a bit :)

I just place it all on a big bowl and enjoy this salad at work along with gf crackers somtimes ... :)

Strawberry Chex...

2009-06-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Very allusive...

that GF strawberry-chex...

Gluten-free chex has only been officially released in stores since June 1, 2009. Which is only a little over 2 weeks but I am very anxious for GF Strawberry Chex. We have tried and loved the GF-Corn, Rice, and Honey-Nut Chex and loved them all with the Honey-Nut being our favorite. So much so that I often eat it for dinner. Nothing like a cold bowl of cereal with fruit and nuts and GF rice chex after a long walk home in the heat. Nothing like it! I also love that it is only around $2.10 at target. I noticed that regular cheerios were around 2.89-3:50. Gluten-free cereal was cheaper???? There is justice in the world!!!

I've been browsing around online for gluten-free strawberry chex hoping for an "in" on where this cereal is hiding. I am told Wegmans has it. We don't have a Wegmans in DC though.....
I came across several Chex recipes and was brought back to my childhood in fact I am making muddy-buddies tonight!

Every year around holiday time my mom baked a chex mix holiday mix in the oven sprinkled with paprika and various spices and bakes it until it was nice and toasty. DELICIOUS.
And then we made muddy buddies Christmas eve and licked the powdered sugar from our fingertips on a sugar high racing around the Christmas tree......
MMMM--- I MUST make muddy buddies again tonight.....

And this other recipe I found that looks too good to pass up maybe my boyfriend and I will start our own GF Chex recipe tradition... that's a nice thought. :)

Peanut and Chocolate Chex Bars

4 cups Chocolate Chex® cereal
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup candy-coated chocolate candies
Cooking Gluten Free?
Always read labels to make sure each recipe ingredient is gluten free. Products and ingredient sources can change.
Substitution
Using miniature candy-coated chocolate candies distributes even more nuggets of chocolate throughout the bars.
1. Butter bottom and sides of 9-inch square pan, or spray with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix cereal and peanuts.
2. In 1-quart saucepan, heat corn syrup and sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, just to boiling. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter until smooth.
3. Pour over cereal mixture in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Stir in candies. Press firmly in pan. Cool 1 hour. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store loosely covered.

Eat and ENJOY! :)

GF Weekend!

2009-06-15T10:15:00.001-07:00

One of the good things about being GF is , when they bring cupcakes in at work. I don't drool or hope they bring them over here. I actually have a gf brownie in my lunch box if I want it. I am sure I will get up to Hello Cupcake at some point anyway, since my boyfriend is GF for the month of June and a good friend is going GF in the month of July.
I have a delicious salad topped with steamed mushrooms, peas, black beans and half a slice of Pete's Pizza Waiting for me...... mmmmmmm GF.......

This morning I tried something new in my oatmeal. Plump, ripe, sweet cherries. Bursting with flavor placed atop my oats then topped with cinnamon and a handful of granola. MMM-- I just had to try that. Last summer was the last time I had sweet, ripe cherries.

My boyfriend and I went to Petes Pizza-- EXCELLENT AS ALWAYS! We love that place. Just love it. We or I had a slight melt down because my boyfriend after I had ate a bite thought the crust wasn't GF. I am one of those people that is sick-extremely in bed sick for about 3 days after gluten. So I was worried. But no it was fine, like always. It's a good sign when the pizza is so good you can't tell if its GF or not!

Zatinya!!! For a late birthday dinner a good friend took me to Zatinya which was perfect given my love of Med food. They even had a GF menu. This I did not know! And it is substantial. We had several little plates of delicious food. Bowls of hummus and yogurt. Plates of mushrooms so good you'll forget the dry flavorless ones that top salads. A delicious spicy dip, a cucumber-zucchini , papaya type salad with a delicious dressing ( I need to get the menu and get the real names). And we had tea- delicious tea. The food was so fresh and decently priced. I cannot wait to go back, hopefully this week! It looked like the perfect place to have an engagement party or some special type of celebration!

We also got Honey Chex (MORE!) at Target. We are still awaiting GF Strawberry and Chocolate Chex debut though.........

Gluten Free Bread Recipe

2009-06-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

Gluten Free Honey Bread

3 Cups GF High Protein/Fiber Flour (we have been using Montina for this recipe but have also use arrowhead mills brown rice flour)

1/2 cup almonds

1 packet of yeast

1/4 cup honey

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup carbonated water (room temperature or warmer)

1/4 cup warm whole milk or casein free milk substitute (100 degrees)

1 Tablespoon xanthan gum (optional)

4 Tablespoons butter or butter substitute, melted

3 eggs, beaten

1-2 teaspoons of olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Bring the dry ingredients together in a bowl, the flour, salt, 1 tb spoon of sugar, and mix. The add in the eggs and milk. Make sure all of the ingredients are room temperature but no warmer (you don't want to kill the yeast). Mix all together and then add the honey, almonds, olive oil, carbonated water and butter. Lastly after making sure your yeast will proof will proof ( with 1 tsp of sugar and 2 tsp of water) add this gently to the mix. Then place the bread mix in a warm area for 1/5 to 2 areas ( it should approx double in size ), then it is ready for baking. Ovens vary in baking time, our oven took 30 minutes at 400 degrees as opposed to the 50 minutes suggested on the flour bag. So watch your bread carefully! Stick a toothpick in the middle, when it comes out clean with crumbs on it- the bread is done. Remove and let cook on a wire rack or plate and enjoy! :)

I also make this recipe with cocoa power, more honey, cinnamon, coffee, olive oil, pepper, use what you have and adjust it to your taste. I think a spicy pepper bread would be delicious!

Gluten Free awareness you've arrived.

2009-06-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen gluten free awareness has arrived. I hail from a small rural some might call "country" town in NC where the food is fried, gluten is abundant, and salads are scarce. ( if you ever want to see every fast food restaurant crammed into one town here is your chance ). :)
It's your typical small town with a walmart and not much more.... Much to my surprise my mother tells me the super walmart has started carrying Gluten Free cereal!!!!!
GLUTEN FREE CEREAL. She was not specific about the kind but I am guessing it is probably the new GF Rice, Corn, Honey, Cinnamon, Choco, or Strawberry Chex.
That is big news, if GF cereal has made it to the remoteness of this town- it has made it almost everywhere!
It also means when I travel home to visit I now have the option of buying cereal in store if I wish... A) Bringing crumbling bags on the train or B) Eating yogurt and eats only for a week...
Ahhh variety..... But its really all about the awareness...awesome awareness.

Bountiful Bread and Baking tips

2009-06-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Lately life has been hectic. Our work schedules have been changing alot. We have been on many trips just in the past month to different states, counties, camped out doors, walked on the beach, danced with geese, and all with a gluten free cooler or two in tow....

Hand in hand we have been marveling at the gluten free discoveries together as my boyfriend eats completely gluten free for June!

We toast brown rice tortilla wraps filled with chili hummus, organic turkey, lettuce, broccoli, German mustard, and pepper and smile together.
Then we have rich chocolate coconut macaroons afterwards licking the chocolate off of our fingers and sighing with delight... they are truly satisfying :)

Is it just me or my boyfriend is NEVER grumpy when on the GF diet. Maybe it's because I am home cooking 95 percent of his meals?

Last night I made 3 loaves of gluten-free bread at one time. 3! My back still hurts from the bending over and kneading. I tend to super bake when I bake. Baking 3 loaves of bread at one time for hours and hours.

My boyfriend bought me in addition to my wonderful birthday surprise a few birthday presents which included about 25 lbs of delicious high protein/high fiber gourmet gf flour. He clearly wanted some cookies, cake, biscotti, baked goods.

I made first a pepper artisan style loaf of bread, second a chocolate cinnamon honey bread, third a millet-honey bread ( that is supposedly delicious).

Every GF flour and bread recipe is different. I have found that every flour behaves differently. Every ingredient behaves differently, actually every OVEN also behaves quite differently.

I learned quite a few new things from this bread making experience:

1) Some yeast will proof, some will not. Unless you want flat bread, make sure your yeast proofs. The temperature should be about what you would take a bath in or give a baby a bottle with. This is one of the more IMPORTANT STEPS. :)

2) It is very satisfying to make bread by hand. But it would also be nice to have a machine when making multiple loafs. I tend to make one savory and one sweet.

3) Sweet breads are the best with frozen organic berries and raisins, throw in some nuts also if you have them.

4) Your batter is really only as good as the liquid you put in it. So experiment with olive oil, coffee, yogurt, apple sauce, apple cider vinegar mixtures. This can really add flavor to your bread batter.

5) Make sure you have a good knife handy for cutting GF bread. It is DENSE. But don't cut so hard you cut your finger like I did!

More to come....... plus bread recipes...

A Gluten Free Kitchen

2009-06-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

I am relishing in our completly Gluten-Free kitchen. When I found a bowl of pasta in our firdge 2 nights ago I called my boyfriend at work to ask is that rice pasta???? It was. He is going gluten free for the month of June and I love it. Alot more than I even expected. I suspect this dietary change for the month of June will bring us closer. Next week we are going to make bread together. But more than making the food together my boyfriend is taking this seriously.
On my birthday at the beach we stopped in at a little Greek restaurant for lunch. I explained to him how to order GF food safely at a restaurant. "I guess I'll just have a salad he grumbled." "You have to look outside the box when being gluten-free", I said. "How about adding some extra protein to your salad like shrimp or add some potatoes or fries to the side or better yet extra vegetables if a salad will not fill you up. And we can get ice cream for dessert. " That perked him up. "But what about salad dressing? How do you know which ones are safe? How do you know what ingredients are in what?" He asked. "I pretty much know the basic ingredients in every salad dressing by now but I always ask to be safe." I know that honey mustard is my almost always safe standby dressing and it is one of my favorites as well.
So we ordered and he asked what was in the dressing- this will definitely bring us closer. :)
When they brought his salad though low and behold it was filled with croutons he immediately started removing them stating I want to do this diet right. I thought he was going to send the salad back. I didn't realize he was taking the diet so seriously not just the gluten free diet as someone would for trendy health reasons but he is taking seriously as someone with celiac disease ie: me, would. That is intense, sweet, and touching!

We are going on a retreat this weekend and it was very nice to tell the chef--- 2 Gluten Free dinner requests and to pack a cooler with all gluten free foods. If feels like we are more of a team fighting the gluten battle together. I know at the end he will go back to eating his gluten bread and bagels but maybe he will have a greater appreciation for his food in general and what it is like to have celiac disease... it is very nice to share this experience together.

Delicious Salad... and boyfriend going GF for June

2009-06-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

Alot of people think salads are "girly, diet or wimpy" food. Not my salad. My salads are delicious and downright delectable. Well because I make them that way. I cannot eat alot of grains or rice even if they are gluten free. It's just the way my body is, so I incorporate alot of delicious salads in my workday to fuel my body and mind.
Today's salad is a romaine lettuce salad. Filled with steamed broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, lightly steamed tomatoes, steamed asparagus, lentils (of course), a spoonful of tuna (for a little flair). Topped with lots of pepper, basil,a few bites of GF toast, and a tangy ranch dressing my boyfriend got from trader joes.
MMMMM......

My boyfriend is going gluten free for the month of June and it is alot of fun. I love having a gluten free house. We are making bread together. Buying GF cereal together and making rice pasta. When we go to Starbucks I make sure to buy the GF cake for him and pack coconut macaroons for him so he has something tasty and GF to eat. More on this later......

Hellloooo Cupcake

2009-05-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

If you've been diagnosed with Celiac disease, cannot tolerate gluten or wheat, or just want a good cupcake get thee to Hello Cupcake In fact I would recommend going right after being diagnosed with celiac disease when you a more than a little bit confused about what is safe and what is not. One little bite of these cupcakes and it will all be all right. Located in trendy Dupont Circle, Washington DC and right off the red line, it doesn't get any better than that.
For my birthday at work the department brought in these little gems which is so nice and thoughtful! And also easy since there are regular, gf and vegan cupcakes at hello cupcake, something to please almost everyone. :) I had the chocolate cake with strawberry icing. Very decadent, enjoyable, and delicious. Stomach is happy. It is a tie between the vanilla cake with chocolate and strawberry icings and this one. They are all good. I had the pumpkin on in the fall but these are my favorites.
I am very thankful that places like this exist in big cites, some towns and randomly. Personally I think hello cupcake should win an award for their delicious cupcakes!

Contents of a gluten-free freezer

2009-05-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

The contents of a gluten-free freezer are quite different than those of a gluten freezer, or at least mine are. :)
In my gluten consuming days my freezer was filled was ice cream, frozen pizzas, and maybe some mozzarella sticks in the back.
Now my freezer is filled with loaves of gluten-free bread homemade and pre-packaged. A gluten free chocolate-vanilla marble cake, homemade gluten free brownies. Homemade gluten free vanilla pound cake, homemade blueberry sweet bread, homemade triple berry pancakes, frozen yogurt, homemade cupcakes, more bread somewhere in the back, homemade spice muffins with dried fruit, homemade chocolate chip cookies, homemade sugar cookies mix, coffee, blueberries, vanilla frozen yogurt, macaroons, grapes, rice, a few more frozen muffins etc... & probably more bakery products that I am forgetting. Whenever I tell people my freezer looks like a bakery unless they are gluten free I am met by questions of "why do you freeze gluten free breads?", "Everything goes in the freezer?" If I want it to keep it fresh and tasting edible it does! And what is so amazing is that is keeps for quite sometime and whenever I take it out it is perfect as if no time has passed. :)
Every time we receive something gluten free or I make something gluten free instead of throwing out the leftovers in the freezer they go. In goes gluten free pound cake making close friends with a few gluten free brownies, they don't mind. We don't throw away in my household, we don't believe in wasting here. There are too many hungry people in the world. We are fortunate to have what we have-so there is no reason to waste in the land of abundance!

Dear Starbucks...

2009-05-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

I visited today and saw your new gluten free cakes high on a cake pedestal in the bakery case at Union Station. I promise to buy one for me and my boyfriend to support your gluten free efforts- woohoo!

Lovely Lentils

2009-05-28T08:03:00.001-07:00

Lovely lentils. Another item that in my pre-gluten-free days I had maybe once or twice. My mothers lentil soup was truly delicious. I loved lentils and begged my mother to make this soup but never really pursued lentils outside of this. Lentil's don't seem to be big in a small southern town the way chicken, beef, and pork are (mmm- added hormones!). But I love lentils. I love the way they fill you up and keep you full for hours to come. I love the way you can change the flavor of lentils just by adding a few simple spices. Just like tofu whatever spice you add to lentils they absorb. I love the fiber and protein of lentils and the ease of cooking them. Often I nuke them in the microwave with spices for 8 minutes while I am cleaning or eating dinner. I love lentils for their affordability. If there ever was a recession proof- non perishable food item lentils are it. I buy big bags fron Giant or peapod.com for 70 cents. 70 cents! I also love that lentils require no pre-soaking time. I love chick peas and black beans but the soaking time requires real effort, lentils are easy.
I love how warm and fluffy lentils become after cooking. I fluff mine up with a fork and toss them in a cold salad and top with salsa. I add them to chili for a protein and fiber power house. We as celiac's always are looking for new ways to get fiber into our diet- this is it. I add lentils to homemade soups for staying power- YUM.
Try adding some lentils to your favorite sandwich. I put a layer of lentils in between spicy raspberry mustard and lettuce- my boyfriend loves if even if he doesn't realize- he is eating a lentil. You can make lentil burgers also for the vegetarians in your life, and these are great! The best thing about lentils is they leave you with a truly satisfied but not stuffed feeling. After a meal with lentils there is no urge to open the fridge and hunt for more food- satisfaction. So add lentils to your quinoa and veggies, toss them with your couscous- these power houses go with anything, I have even seem recipes for lentil brownies because they truly absorb any flavor cooked with. http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m0803F07.htm
Mind you, you can soak your lentils and there are many many varieties available- dig in- lentils really are lovely. :)

Living very deliciously...

2009-05-25T08:41:00.001-07:00

We are living very deliciously these days, more deliciously than I ever have in the past thats for sure.
This weekend we had 2 cookout-dinner type functions in one day- which means COOK-off!
I went to our Farmers Market on Saturday to pick up fresh fruits and veggies which are not only cheaper than the grocery stories they taste completely different and are free of most pesticides. Also having grown up on a farm I love asking the farmers how they grew certain items and just conversing with them.
I picked up locally grown strawberries that tasted so fresh and real. They were not uniform plum strawberries but each had a different size and texture and man were they good!

We took the strawberries to a friends cook out where we had chicken pesto (which was excellent and GF!), hamburgers, hot dogs, cookies, chips, cakes, GF brownies,trader joes wine etc... I actually prefer eating my hamburgers and hot dogs without buns now and come to think of it before my diagnosis, I often would eat hamburgers and hot dogs at cookouts without the buns because I really didn't like them. Anyway an excellent cookout! I always appreciate it so much when friends and family make special Gluten Free things because it takes effort-It always means alot to me! Also from passover my friends had picked up a vanilla and chocolate marble cake for me that I promptly stuck in my freezer even though it was sealed and is fresh until September says the package. I have alot of GF goodies in my freezer. :)

Then we had my boyfriend's family over. I couldn't figure out what to make because the price of salmon had went up etc.. etc.. etc... I had fresh vegetables from the farmers market in my fridge and chick peas in the cabinet. I like these things- but I worried about whether his family would like these things or not.
I cut up a fresh locally home grown tomato, pepper, onion, 2 stalks of celery, carrot, and mixed all together in a bowl.
I think added half a bag of freshly cooked chickpeas with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper.
I think made a homemade dressing that I stumbled upon my accident (and I LOVE this dressing) It is a mix of Greek and Italian.
I used plain yogurt, mixed with pesto sauce (normally used in pasta sauces), basil, hot pepper spice, pepper spice, dash of all spice, 2-3 tsp of olive oil all mixed together and it is FANTASTIC. Possibly one of the best dressings I have ever had. At least in the top 3. Try it out-the recipe can be modified a little more of this or that. I warned my boyfriend I used his beloved pesto, I don't think he was listening though, so we will see. :)
So I tossed the veggies and chick peas in a light bit of this dressing.
We had this with steamed garden vegetables, bean chips, corn chips, salsa, and spiced pepper rice.
White wine (chardonnay) for drink and my vanilla- whip cream and strawberries pound cake for dessert along with brownies and ice cream/frozen yogurt (White chocolate.dark chocolate-raspberry chocolate chip- strawberry rice dream- and vanilla frozen yogurt)
My boyfriend didn't eat alot because we ate at the cookout pretty late in the day but I couldn't resist the vanilla all natural frozen yogurt with cake. :)
The cake was frozen from the previous weeks potluck and I kid you not it was actually better. I was worried about the freezing process- but it froze like a dream and came out like I had just baked it.

I received a early birthday present- also a bag full of gluten free goodies--- none of which I have tried( except for the corn chips). A bag of Trader Joe's Corn-Potato Chips which are fantastic! A Gluten Free Pantry Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, a box of chocolate chip-nut trail bars (love portable snack bars!), a Cherrybrook Kitchen brownie mix-I have wanted to try this company, and a box of Glutino vanilla cookies with creamy chocolate in the middle that I am extremely excited about.

www.traderjoes.com for locations
http://www.glutino.com/content/view/80/114/ (chocolate peanut butter bars)
http://www.glutino.com/content/view/86/116/ (chocolate chip cookie and cake)
http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/products/gf_brownie.php (brownies!)
http://www.glutino.com/content/view/80/114/ (the dream bites in vanilla)

Gluten Free contest products!

2009-05-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

It's just 6 days till my boyfriend goes gluten free for a whole 31 days. I can't wait to cook meals together and not be the peanut butter and jelly police for 31 days. (we could get 2 containers but I don't eat it enough to justify 2 containers!)

This Friday I received 2 gluten free goodies in the mail- completely free- my boyfriend jumped up in the air with me and gave me a hug as I jumped up and down!
First was a bag of mini brown rice pasta's -perfect for our upcoming trips (Tinkyada Spiral Noodles). I haven;t had the spiral noodles in oh-- 5 or 6 years at least. So it won't be too long before we have these. I have many glorious plans for these noodles. Cold crisp Italian pasta salads. Warm bubbling cheesy pasta bakes. The gloves are off-- or on for that matter!

I also received completely random the new Elizabeth Hasslebeck book the G-Free Diet. I had stopped by and looked through the book at B&N and declared it devoid of important celiac information and a waste of 25.00 when you could get books like "The Celiac Bible". But at least it is getting the word out there and people that follow celebrities will no doubt buy or at least check it out. So I got the book free in the mail from entering a online random contest- I can't remember the website- But THANK YOU website for Free Gluten Free Book! A Free GF book- is a free book and it is always nice to read someones story. Her's was a unique one. I read the book cover to cover in the park on Saturday. Hmm-- I thought then I told my boyfriend about how she "cheats" eats packs or oreo's has to enlist her husband to keep her from cheating. Has her snack cabinets. Kind of now that I think about it might or might not have a healthy relationship with food--- I don't know though that's just speculation. You have a celiac disease--Live with it-- embrace it- if you want an oreo for heaven's sake buy Gluten Free ones-- you in the public spot light! I kind of felt like the book might advocate others to cheat. Sort of like it was ok to cheat. When I told my boyfriend this -- he said "Her's must not be as bad as yours". I said there really isn't a degree of severity of celiac disease that I know of. It either damages your intestines and provokes an autoimmune response or it dosen.t The symptoms are what differ widely- as far as I know. If I so much get a tiny bit of gluten its a full on migraine etc.. for 4 plus days... Why on earth would any one cheat ever? She is also having a third child no problem. My mother was almost robbed of her fertility from the disease, so it actually kind of angers me to hear her wanting to cheat- when so many people have irreversible health problems from celiac that DO NOT CHEAT. That's my rant. It was the chapter on her cheating that got to me!
The book is a decent book if the educated celiac takes it with a grain of salt and reads many other celiac disease books ("The Wheat Effect" etc...) to get the whole picture.

Weekend of GF eats...

2009-05-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

I am on my last bag of GF oats. Even though I just opened the bag and have approximately 22 servings left-I need to make sure I can get more gluten free oats. They are my staple. Take everything else out of my kitchen- but leave the oats please. The main reason for my concern is that Bobs Red Mill online has been out of stock of gluten free oats for well over 2 months now at least. I have signed up for updates on amazon when GF oat manufactures start shipping ( there are alot of new companies out there!) or I can make the trek up to the Whole Foods in Tenly Town for Oats. I still refuse to buy the other very expensive Gluten Free oats online except on special occasions, we already pay enough for GF food- lets no up the cost of a GF staple!

I need to upload a few pictures from my camera from the GF potluck this weekend. Everything was Delicious-- better than anything you could get out thats for sure.

I made Spicy Vegetarian Gluten Free Lasagna
Vanilla Angel Food Pound Cake (why is GF cake never fluffy??)
others made-- Vegetable onion stock Quinoa
Coconut Chocolate Macaroons
Pavlova (Fluffy Whipped Cream like texture with berries)
BBQ Chicken
Fried Chicken
Bean Chips
Lots of Drinks- White wine- Lemonade....Mimosa's....
I feel like I am forgetting things-- but it is Monday morning.
I also made around 30 sugar walnut honey cookies for friends. I played around the the so called "recipe". I don't really use a recipe but was pleased to see the last batch of cookies turned out exactly like the enjoy life soft batch cookies from whole foods! How did I do that??

Recipes and praise for boyfriend who carried 4 plus bags of drinks and ice back from the grocery store for potluck to come.... along with pictures...

Puffins Gluten Free Cereal

2009-05-18T05:43:00.000-07:00

For about 6 months I was very frustrated at Puffins Cereal because the box would state Wheat Free but yet it was not gluten free because the cereal contained gluten-containing oats. The cereal flavors looked delicious and my local grocer stopped carrying my favorite gluten free cereals in favor of this Wheat-free variety. But as luck would have it a Gluten Free Puffin cereal appeared in the aisles of Giant ( and Giant is the only place I have found it-except for Amazon ).
A Honey Rice Flavored Puffin rice cereal that is completely gluten free and around 3.50. It's very sweet and crunchy a box doesn't last too long in my house. I find myself wanting it for dinner, lunch, snacks etc... My ferret also will go to great lengths to get her paws on a few pieces of it. ( she is cut off from it now though- too sugary for a ferret ).
This is a good cereal, and thanks for Puffins for cutting out the Gluten-Wheat ingredients!

Outside the Gluten Free Lunch Box

2009-05-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

For me anyway.

We are still down to the bare minimun in the fridge....
I paced back and forth last night trying to figure out what to make for lunch today.
I found a half an GF English muffin in the freezer, 2 eggs in the fridge, tomato basil hummus, alot of spices, salsa and set to work. Volia a nice lunch time sandwich to eat in between work time tasks.
It was one of the best things I have eaten this week and that is saying alot.
I have no idea why-- maybe it was the bold basil and pepper spice or the soft folding of the hummus into a fluffy egg sandwich. I have no idea- but I don't care because I devoured it. My stomach is singing with delight, Happy Friday. :)

The ultimate GF Breakfast...Oats

2009-05-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

If you have just been diagnosed as a celiac or decided to go Gluten or Wheat free for health reasons you probably wonder what can I eat for breakfast.
Whether you are GF or not- this is my favorite breakfast.

Half a cup uncooked of GF oats (my favorite are Bob's Red Mill GF- and the best priced for GF)
3 shakes of Cocoa
3 shakes of Cinnamon
1 Banana Sliced
1/4 Cup of Walnuts ( or trail mix or your nut of choice )
Heat or slow cook all except for banana with your choice of milk for 3-5 minutes ( just depending on your cook method and how done you like your oatmeal).
Add chopped banana and one more shake of cinnamon if you like.
Listen to everyone in the office drool over "What is that delicious smell?"
Feel full for hours.
I could eat this everyday for breakfast and I honestly almost do and I (and my workouts) miss it when I don't!

If you like oatmeal give this variation a shot, it is almost pretty easy to transport short distances.

MMMM-- Enjoy.

Tinkyada Pasta

2009-05-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Tinkyada Pasta. If you are have Celiac Disease, are Gluten Free, Wheat Free, don't eat wheat, don't like wheat etc.... you must try this pasta. This is actually the only pasta I have ever tried. I have heard horror stories about limp pastas that stick to the pan. Pastas that taste off, odd, hard or are inedible. Tinkyada is none of that. I actually prefer it to regular pasta and would eat it no matter what. It is delicious! It cooks the same (maybe 2 more minutes boiling time) but that is about it. I have had the Pasta Noodles and the Lasagna Noodles and both are fantastic. They both hare fully of nutrients and do not leave you with that stuffed "too much pasta-overload! feeling you get from typical restaurant pastas.

As luck would have it a fellow celiac blogger, ms celiac says held her first ever online contest to win Tinkyada Pasta contest. I entered and was one of the Contest Winners. Thanks Ms. Celiac! My boyfriend who is going GF for the month of June has already asked for some pasta. :)
I am planning on making a Pasta Frittata Pie- so stay tuned for that recipe!

Creative Lunch..........Parfait

2009-05-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

We are having a potluck this weekend so most of the delicious things in the fridge are saved for that. It has been hard not diving into the Parmesan cheese or fresh mushrooms and spinach. I tell you, I cannot wait for Gluten Free Vegetarian lasagna. Smooth creamy cheese, rich tomato sauce. MMMM-- it has been a year almost. It has been close to 7 or 8 or maybe more years since I have had Angel Food cake so that will be the real prize. I don't have a mixer for the whipping of the eggs so I have my "egg whipping arm" all ready.

Back to the fridge...
I finished off the last of my baby spinach, salmon, chick peas, garbanzo beans, Asian vegetables, every vegetable in my fridge basically so it was time to come up with some creative for lunch and filling.

At work we eat on the fly often and if I don't make it a priority it is very very easy to skip meals as I found out my first few years working and end up starving at 4pm ( a bad idea ) So I try to find things that are very filling a good amount of calories and delicious as well. (hence all the oatmeal and bananas I eat :) )

I put together a make shift "Gluten Free Parfait"
I am pretty excited about eating it right now!
The ingredients are as follows.
I took a trader joes greek yogurt container with a small amount of greek yogurt left in the bottom ( about a half a serving) and added half a chopped banana , then I added half of a chopped Lara bar. Next one serving container of all natural strawberry yogurt (about 80 calories If you are curious)topped with the other half of the Lara bar , this is then topped with cinnamon, a few shakes of cocoa, then a few chopped strawberries are added to the top, almonds and a slight drizzle of honey. Sounds good to me!
I have a few nuts as back up in case this is not filling enough. I haven't had a ton of parfaits since going gluten free and even less for lunch.
But I used to LOVE Starbucks Parfait back in the day, so we shall see. :)

Trader Joe's gluten free goodness

2009-05-11T04:17:00.000-07:00

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Favorites:

The hands down winner Trader Joes Decadent Rich Chocolaty Brownie Mix at Below $2.50for Gluten Free brownie mix--This is a gluten free miracle!
Shrimp Stir Fry- price raised from 2.75 to 4.25 :( but still good and I always through a bag in because it is one of my favorites and comes with the best seasoning!
Food for Life- Brown Rice Bread- One of my favorite (if not my favorite Gluten Free breads) Sweet, great price, excellent for freezing. Keeps well. Stock up on this. Runs around 2-3.50 depending on the grocery store you shop at!
Trader Joe's GF Banana Waffles-- around 1.20 for a box~ :)

I saw ( at the Fairfax, VA TJ) GF Muffin's also so they are out there at different types of GF bread.

Trader Joes Gluten Free List

I love this list- the only thing is all of the items are not available at all locations. I have been to 4 Trader Joes now in VA, MD, and DC, and haven't seen this certain cereal "Golden Roasted Flaxseed With Blueberries" at any. I loved blueberry morning cereal before becoming gluten free so hopefully this cereal will spread to our Trader Joe's soon. (Or I could probably request it). :)

The thing I love about Trader Joe's are the unique products aside from the lower the low prices. I love the little newsletter you can grab on your way in or out. my boyfriend and I grabbed on to read on the metro on the way home and by the time we were halfway home we had our grocery list planned out. Strawberry Lemonade- 2.99-- I cried!!! Mango, Papaya-- 1.99!! You don't understand I said to my boyfriend these are my favorite fruits! I live for the time when these come around each year! ( I really do). I know what I will be getting when it's time for another TJ trip!
That little newsletter really is a clever trick. For such a small packed store, that is usually busy with people the newsletter streamlines it all. It let's you know whats on sale. What's in season what the high lights are, so you can get in and get out. I love it. I also got an excellent bottle of wine for 3.00. 3.00 and it is indeed excellent, not cheap (tasting). at all!
Trader Joe's has a good array of gluten free as well. Alot of their products are naturally gluten free such as their peach salsa, tangy frozen yogurt, and all natural blue corn tortilla chips (no gluten needed or added!)
I have to say if I could choose just one grocery store to shop at Gluten Free or not I would choose Trader Joe's over all the rest.

Starbucks last Saturday.....

2009-05-08T08:41:00.001-07:00

I have been a little late with getting this post up. Last Friday I picked up a few of the Starbucks Orange Gluten Free Cakes that the Gluten Free community has been so anxiously awaiting, and was not disappointed!

From: starbucks website

Gluten Free Orange Valencia Cake

"Many of you have asked: "Hey, Starbucks! How about something delicious to eat that's also gluten-free?"

And so here it is: our new Gluten-Free Orange Valencia Cake.

This moist, delicious citrus cake is bursting with Valencia oranges and topped with crunchy almonds. Not only is it gluten-free, it also delivers 30% of your daily value of vitamin C!"
[Nutritional info: Calories – 290, Fat – 16g, Carbs 52g (23g sugar), Protein 9g]
The Orange Valencia Cake is a delicious moist citrus cake bursting with Valencia oranges and topped with crunchy almonds.
Not only is it gluten-free, it is also prepared with 7 simple ingredients: Whole Eggs, Valencia Orange Pulp, Almonds, Sugar, Orange Peel, Gluten Free Baking Powder, and Orange Oil.

My take on this tasty little cake, DELICIOUS! I was hesitant on the flavor. I have not been a fan of the starbucks orange drinks at all and tend to go toward the chocolate-caramel-vanilla-raspberry side of things. Why orange? I wondered.
But I opened my sealed treat before a hike and was amazed at how fresh and moist this cake was. I really think it was the most moist or moistest ( is that a word) individually wrapped cake I have ever had. That alone made it delicious. But then the flavor. A hint of not overpowering orange, like a light breeze that cools you down without making you cold. Topped with sliced almonds for a nice crunch. This cake was dense (as alot of GF cakes are) yet light almost like an angel food cake. But make no mistake it was filling. The calorie count was around the mid 200's. It was delicious. I gave one to my friend and he exclaimed this is the best item I have ever had from the Starbucks bakery! There is one sitting in my fridge now waiting for my boyfriend and I to split Saturday morning over a lazy pot of fair trade coffee- ferret under foot, hedgehog on the couch. AHHHH weekend.

Celiac Aware Dentist in Washington DC

2009-05-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

As I sit here and chomp on my shrimp stir fry from Trader Joes ( under 3.00 ) and Gluten Free- of course in the frozen section- I thought I would share a dentist I went to once in the Washington DC area that was familiar with celiac disease and excellent but alas didn't take my dental insurance. :(
But if he takes yours and you have celiac disease do visit him.
He said I had great tooth bone density for a celiac -which made me feel like a rock star! Good tooth bone density- I ran home and told my boyfriend- I called my mom.
This is from someone who used to loose her hair by the handful and HAD to sleep at least 13-14 hours a day to get by (pre-gluten free diet). Rock on high bone density teeth.

Here is Joel Sendroff's office information. A great office with a caring staff. The best I have ever visited and the most Celiac informed I have definitely seen.

http://www.joelsendroff.com/

Telephone: (202) 244-4149

Address: 5415 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20015

Celiac Disease Foundation- and Building Awareness

2009-05-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Through twitter and various blogs I have seen alot of backlash about Elisabeth Hasselbeck's new book The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide. I read several posts about the gross factual misrepresentations in her book. Now as someone who considers themselves a "gluten veteran" I still get stumped from time to time and am just now trying sublingual B12 vitamins to clear up some aliments I still have (off the subject I know)
A book written about such a serious disease that has errors in it troubles me. Will this confuse a newly diagnosed celiac-- "Wait it's just an allergy?" Not to mention the general public. But rather than lament this I am going to just focus my efforts on educating the public on what celiac disease actually is. When I get gluten free news I sent it to all my friends gluten free or not (that might be annoying- or it might be interesting!)
Since May is Celiac awareness month I am trying to get my work place to implement some type of awareness campaign like they do everything else, so at least get my own brochures, make some cookies and spread the word that way. At some point I will try to come up with a nice post that explains Celiac disease to send it, its all about building awareness . :)
Back to the book of course-- Elisabeth Hasselbeck is going to be on LKL tonight talking about her book so I wrote in as a viewer with a question. I didn't really have a question, more of a statement. I wrote, "What can we do to promote awareness of Celiac Disease as an autoimmune disease and not an allergy? I have had Celiac Disease for 10 years and it is tough when people do not understand what it is and why I am often sick. Eating a gluten free diet is not an option or fad for me. It is the only way for me to live a healthy (and hopefully healing) life.
Simple and short. But I wanted to add my 2-cents in.
Celiac Disease and Gluten Free awareness is really half of the battle. Helping people to understand what it is and isn't will take time, proper education, and patience.

Here is the statement from the CDF:
Below is a message that was distributed by Elaine Monarch of the Celiac Disease Foundation. Please take a moment to read the note and then call in to Larry King Live tonight.

A message from CDF National:

Celiac Colleagues:

I am writing to call your attention to the current publicity surrounding the new book, The G-free Diet, A Gluten-Free Survival Guide by Elisabeth Hassselbeck, co-host of The View. While it is important to call attention to celiac disease, the information must be accurate – the inaccuracies in this book are potentially dangerous and detrimental to celiacs and to those yet to be diagnosed if people self diagnose and start eating GF. Our mission is to assist in getting people accurately diagnosed and the message in this book could defeat this mission. It appears that this book is being marketed as a fitness diet – eat g-free and feel so much better. Celiac is incorrectly referred to as an allergy not an autoimmune disease.

The GF diet is the medically mediated prescription that controls the condition for a diagnosed celiac. Several items in the book are misleading and inaccurate and place further limitations on the GF diet. The gluten-free lifestyle is a lifelong commitment for the diagnosed celiac, not an option, not a fad diet – adhering to the GF lifestyle requires patience and persistence. This lifestyle can not be trivialized.

Elisabeth will be interviewed on Larry King Live this evening on CNN. PLEASE take the time to call in to the show or send an email to Larry King Live to help correct some of this misinformation.

Email Larry King Live at: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.lkl.html

The phone number for call-ins to the show is 1-800-676-2100.

Thank you.

Elaine Monarch
Founder & Executive Director
Celiac Disease Foundation

Think Thin Bar Coupon!

2009-05-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

A 50 cent off coupon for thinkthin protein bars!
I have tried alot of GF bars--- and always come back to these-- they are the best!
I find them at www.thinkproducts.com, drugstore.com, trader joes, Whole foods, Yes Market, and I believe Wegmanns carrys them as well

A little information about Thinkthin products specifically:
Our all natural high protein thinkThin™ bars are draped in rich delicious chocolate and delivers 20g of protein. Rated one of the top protein bars in the natural industry, thinkThin is the ONLY naturally sugar-free, high protein bar for an active lifestyle. Our thinkThin bars also appeal to consumers with special dietary needs because they are gluten free, have 0g of sugar and offer diabetics an alternative healthy protein snack.
Gluten Free
20g Protein
0g Sugar
No Cholesterol
Fortified with 18 Essential
Vitamins & Minerals
No Transfat
Excellent Taste

Coupon:
http://www.thinkproducts.com/imgs/website_coupon.pdf

Baby Cakes NYC.....

2009-05-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

A friend that lives in NYC sent this to my boyfriend and I -- we go to NYC farily often. I cannot wait to try this out- nothing is too sweet for me :)
(http://www.dailycandy.com/new_york/article/43238/No+Gluten+for+Punishment)

No Gluten for Punishment
BabyCakes NYC Lemon-Raspberry Teacake Recipe
You know a thing or two about fructose — an overdose nearly made you comatose.

Then you learned a thing or two about BabyCakes NYC, the vegan, gluten-free, practically sugar-free bakery on the LES. With a brand-new, secret-spilling cookbook, you can guiltlessly satisfy your sweet tooth right at home. It’s just as adorable as the bakery, with lickable photos of every single recipe, anecdotes, testimonials from famous fans, and a section explaining allergen-free ingredients (so you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into). To celebrate, owner Erin McKenna gave us her spin on the classic teacake.

Lemon-Raspberry Teacake

Ingredients
2/3 c. rice milk
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
½ c. rice flour
¾ c. Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
1½ tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. salt
½ c. coconut oil
¾ c. agave nectar
1/3 c. applesauce
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. pure lemon extract
½ c. raspberry preserves

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly oil a 7-by-4-by-3-inch loaf pan.

2. Pour the rice milk and vinegar into a small bowl; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt.

3. Add oil, agave nectar, applesauce, vanilla, zest, and lemon extract to dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth. Add milk/vinegar combo and combine just until blended.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Swirl raspberry preserves through batter and bake on the center rack for 35 minutes, rotating the pan 180° after 18 minutes. The teacake will be golden brown and springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

5. Let the teacake stand in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto cake stand. Serve warm with preserves on top.

For more from Erin McKenna, get her cookbook, BabyCakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York’s Most Talked About Bakery, online at amazon.com.

Release Date for Betty Crocker Cake...

2009-05-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

is June 1st my Birthday........... :)

Here's some great news from General Mills/Betty Crocker!!

Thank you for contacting General Mills with your inquiry.
The following Betty Crocker gluten-free products will begin national distribution after June 1, 2009:
· Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix - UPC: 16000-27791

o Size: 15 oz

o Consumer adds: 1/2c butter softened, 1 t gluten-free vanilla, 2 eggs and ½ c milk/or water

o Makes an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan

· BC Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix – UPC: 16000-27792

o Size: 15 oz

o Consumer adds: 5 T Butter-softened, ½ t. gluten free vanilla, 2 eggs, 1c low-fat buttermilk or low-fat yogurt

o Makes an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan

· BC Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Brownies – UPC: 16000-27793

o Size: 16 oz

o Consumer adds: 2 Eggs and 7 T butter, melted.

o Makes an 8-inch square or 11x7-inch pan

· BC Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix – UPC: 16000-27794

o Size: 19 oz

o Consumer adds: 5 T butter-softened, 2 t. gluten-free vanilla and 2 eggs

o Consumer should line the cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. (This is included in the directions.)

Good times for the Gluten Free Community.....

2009-05-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

It is just me or is gluten free goodness spouting up everywhere?
From the release of Starbucks Gluten Free Cake.. to the arrival of General Mills Gluten Free Chex (Rice-Corn-Strawberry-Chocolate-Cinnamon-Honey that I know of so far, there has never been a better time to be gluten free. I also read yesterday that a few locations of Godfather's Pizza are delivering Gluten Free Pizza and Betty Crocker has a line of Gluten Free Cakes out. And there certainly isnt a shortage of Gluten Free bakeries around ready to serve up gluten free cupcakes at will.... Chocolate Sprinkles, Yellow Swirl, Strawberry Buttercream... Yummmmm.

It's safe to say I don't miss anything on the GF diet because there is always a substitution that is usually better and healthier.
My top 5 can't-live-with-out-it-gotta-have-it Gluten Free products are:

1) Gluten Free OATS-Anyone that knows me, knows I eat these almost if not daily. Mixed with everything from berries to cinnamon and bananas and cocoa. www.bobsredmill.com
2) Pete's Pizza http://petesapizza.com/
3) Hello Cupcakes- Strawberry ButterCream Please. http://www.hellocupcakeonline.com/
4) Think Thin Protein Bars - Chunk Peanut Butter
5) Better Crocker Gluten Free Line/Pamela Products/Trader Joes Gluten Free Line

I am sure I have more- What are your "Can't live without it GF products?"

Betty Crocker Goes Gluten Free!

2009-05-05T12:24:00.001-07:00

http://www.befreeforme.com/blog/?p=417

Check out this above link. This is the second or third most exciting thing I have heard about since going gluten free (It is in the top 5).
Childhood for me meant mom's Betty Crocker Yellow Cake with Classic Chocolate Frosting and Sprinkles. On the kitchen counter, under a class cake holder so if us kids (or dad) snuck a piece in the kitchen it would give that tell-tale ping when the glass hit glass. :)
We didn't have this special cake very often only for mother's day or my birthday, or some other special occasion. It is by far the best cake I have ever had to this day. No one else's Betty Crocker cake tate the same and just a few days ago I asked my mom what is the secret? Something about the taste and texture of the cake-- is unlike anything else-- nothing else compares. She jsut simply said an extra egg and removing it from the oven and precisely the right time when you stick a tooth pick out and it not only comes out clean but with crumbs on it- thats how you know. I don't know I still think she add's vanilla extract or something! (sorry mom!)
I thought I would never get to have this cake again but it looks like I may get to very soon.
General Mills Brand is very fast becoming a gluten free friend and champion. Three cheer for General Mills!
Any company that makes GF cereal (in more than 5 varieties no less ) and GF cake mix (comimg soon I hope) mainstream is a Gluten Free Champion!
I still love all the other companies out there of course, but the more awareness built the better! Hip Hip Horray- I will have a slice of yellow cake for my dad!

Living Deliciously!

Gluten Free-Mainstream?

Chelsea Clinton Gluten Free/Vegan Wedding

Delicious GF food!

Gluten Free Slow Cooker Chili (Vegan)

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Rice Dream.

The reason for no coffee.

Mondays Gluten Free Meals...

Celiac Disease is "In"

The Kind Diet

2010!

Gluten Free Holidays! and contamination.

More posts and daily meals...

A Gluten Free Thanksgiving!

Gluten Free Thanksgiving!

Bobs Red Mill Steel Cut Gluten Free Oats!

2-3 in one parfait....

Extra time...

A few gluten free things....

Natures Path- 2 new GF cereals!

Finally pictures!!!

Gluten Free Oct/Nov Weekend...

The Healthiest Diet.....

GF Brunch!

GF Breakfast Cookie, I'm In Love!!!

Tuesday Butternut Squash Breakfast........

GF FOOD on my plate......

New recipes and gluten free pizza!

Olive Garden annouces GF menu offerings!

A weekend of delicious pizzas.... and cake!

Best Breakfast EVER!

Gluten Free Cookie Dough Ice Cream!

PA Apples and GF Whole O's Cereal

GF Veggie Jalapeno Chili!

Fall and Gluten Free Eating!

Gluten Free Grocery Shopping and Eats

What to eat to feel well...

Super Egg Frittata and Green Tea

Chocolate Raisin Oatmeal, Yes please!

Broadway Pizza, Gluten Free offerings!

Some tasty holiday recipes!

NBC 4 Segement on Celiac Disease

A full weekend of GF cooking...Soups and Frittatas!

A few good links & information & resources........

Another wonderful book find

Things I love, things I want to try...

Saving money on the Gluten Free diet....

Delicious Everything Salad!

MMMM Interesting Sandwich...

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Breakfast!

Seriously Good Asian Lettuce Wraps!

Ice Cream is Gluten Free

Healthier Without Wheat by Dr. Wangen...READ IT!

Fridays are delicious for Gluten Free Living...

Food is medicine...

Museli...........

Buzz Bakery and Cafe Rustico......

Gluten Free bars and safety....

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Mixes on Amazon..

Pan Seared Oatmeal

Trader Joes Golden Roasted Flaxseed with Blueberries...

Allergies, oats and drugstore.com

Fontaine Caffee & Creperie, Old Town Alexandria

Butternut Squash

Gluten-free thankfulness

Salad prepared with love...

Gluten Free Choco Chip M&M Fudge Cookies... ice cream optional

GF Chocolate Chex ....... MMMMMMMM

GF Shrimp and Bean Stir Fry

GF Vanilla Cinnamon Pound Cake....

Vegetarian Salad...

Strawberry Chex...

GF Weekend!

Gluten Free Bread Recipe

Gluten Free awareness you've arrived.

Bountiful Bread and Baking tips

A Gluten Free Kitchen

Delicious Salad... and boyfriend going GF for June

Hellloooo Cupcake