Best Wishes to You in 2012!

How are you spending your New Years?  I am making some yummy GF mini cheese stuffed meatloaves and loaded baked potato casserole, maybe a Woodchuck (or two...), and a large ice cream sundae.  Yeah, the life of a mother of a three year old on New Year's, a different kind of exciting :)  I wouldn't ask for anything better :) 

Happy New Year's Everyone!

In Need of a Little Exercise Please....

I definitely over did it this year with the whole "Holiday Eating" activity.  (By the way, my son is insisting that I type this blog entry while I wear 3D glasses, needless to say, I am going to have a headache after this is post is submitted.) I feel as though I am to pop if someone would take a sharp pointy tool to my abdomen area. That may give some relief to this horrible satisfaction of my stomach being 120% full right now.  Thankfully I was blessed with family that knows and understands how to make me feel included in festivities while being gluten free.  You can overdo it on a gluten free diet-if you don't believe me, just come a take a look at the 30 pounds I have gained over the weekend (ok, I exaggerate a little, but it feels like it!)  Oh my...thankfully, through my husbands company, we are now enrolled in Virgin HealthMiles, which gives us a pedometer and we can track our daily steps.  I can then upload those miles from the pedometer via USB into the computer software and we get more extra $ towards our health savings account.  I thankfully received that pedometer in the mail the other day, just in time for me to start walking off these one million calories that I ingested over the weekend. I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday :)

Free Gluten Free Products!

So exciting!  If you follow this link to Vitacost http://www.vitacost.com/Referee?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=466000032282, you get a free $10.00 off coupon code to use on your first purchase.  They will email you the coupon code after you register. They have several gluten free items as well as all types of foods and health products. You can buy SEVERAL items totaling for under $10.00 on this website and all you pay is $4.99 shipping.  I got 3 boxes of my GF Annie's Mac and Cheese and a package of Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust Mix all for $4.99!  What a bargain!  Even if you don't need GF items, there are several other items you can buy with this $10.00 credit. 

Reba's Restaurant Bar and Grill

I am so excited! Reba's Restaurant Bar and Grill in Newton, KS serves gluten free foods!  http://www.rebasrestaurant.com/ I emailed them a few weeks ago and I received a phone call from one of the owners. They actually have GF breads and buns to serve with their meals as well as soups, etc.  They even have GF desserts. She said that I could even call ahead and they would make sure they have things ready for a GF patron. It's such a nice feeling that you are being taken care of by a local restaurant to make sure that you have a wonderful dining experience on a GF diet.   This restaurant unfortunately caught fire a awhile back and has since been rebuilt and is beautiful and going strong.  I have heard though that it an establishment that maybe it is best to find a babysitter and leave your kiddos with them.:)  If anyone has been there recently, let me know what you thought :)

Cider Anyone?

For those gluten free fans out there, I highly recommend Woodchuck Hard Cider, which is naturally gluten free.  Actually. all of their products are gluten free.  And to be quite honest with you, I am enjoying a bottle right now (the Raspberry flavor) as I write this post.  Hey, it's the holidays right? And Woodchuck is the perfect drink of choice for the celiac.  There are several flavors of cider, they even have seasonal ciders as well.  My favorite is the raspberry flavor, light and refreshing. One thing that I have noticed is that more restaurants and bars are now carrying it as well.  It used to be only the more "specialized" establishments would carry it, but not any more....so please fellow gluten free friends, continue to ask for it when you go out for a drink with some friends on a Friday night, you may be surprised :) 
Here is the link to their website. http://www.woodchuck.com/cider/ Very cool website, it even has recipes in which you use Woodchuck Hard Cider.  My kind of dinner......

I did it again....

I overdid it on the holiday baking this year. After 72 GF frosted sugar cookies, 2 batches of chexmix, and 3 batches of chocolate covered GF pretzels, I was ready for a good night's rest.  I get carried away while listening to my holiday playlist on my Ipod as a bake, and cook, and cook and bake, until I realize that there is no more room in the refrigerator to store everything that I just made. My three year old son had a blast helping me.  These are the little moments that I will always treasure.
 I have been really enjoying trying new recipes and converting them to a GF version, especially during the holidays when people with Celiacs can feel a little left out when it comes to the holiday traditions of food.  Once in a while, I will have to use the good ol' resource of Google to help me along the way, but for the most part, I do a pretty good job. 

A Great Day to Go Shopping....

A great day to go shopping....NOT!  I don't know if it was the weather or just last minute Christmas shopping, but the traffic was insane today on the east side.  About made me drive to the local bar instead of the local Starbucks.  (I did choose the latter of those two, just in case you were wondering.)  My friend and I ate at HuHot (which has gluten free options) and then went to the new Natural Grocers that I talked about in my previous post.  What a wonderful store and a great selection of gluten free items!  And guess what, my wish was granted!  They carry Against the Grain products!  Something I thought I would never see unless I drove down to Dallas or went out east.  I guess they supply to this chain, which is a bonus for all GF friends.  You need to try this line of food.  I also saw that several of the GF items that I buy on a regular basis were cheaper than any other natural food store in the area and also cheaper than Dillons.  So excited for something like this to come to town!

Natural Grocers in Wichita, KS

So excited for the new grocery store, Natural Grocers, to have opened here in Wichita.  There is also one that opened in Lawrence. I believe that this store is a chain that is huge in the Colorado area. A new place to shop for your gluten free items!  Maybe they will have those yummy Against the Grain baguettes that I talked about in a previous post....wishful thinking.  Will definitely be making a trip this week.  I will follow up on what I think :) Here is the link to their website
http://www.naturalgrocers.com/store-info/wichita

Cherry Cranberry Salad

I tried a wonderful new recipe from a book that I have titled "Cooking with 5 Ingredients" by Barbara C. Jones.  It is for a Cherry Cranberry Salad-naturally GF, of course :)  I would still double check all ingredients that you buy, just in case there are brands of the ingredients that wouldn't be gf. 

1 (6oz) package of cherry gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 can cherry pie filling
1 (16oz) can whole cranberry sauce


In a bowl, mix together gelatin and boiling water until gelatin is dissolved. Mix pie filling and cranberry sauce into gelatin.  Pour into a 9x13 pan and refrigerate. 

Love this recipe, so easy to make and yummy!

Catered Lunch Gluten Free Style

On Friday I had the opportunity to partake in a wonderful catered lunch at a meeting I had at work.  Gluten free options were wonderful, pork tenderloin, homemade mashed potatoes, asparagus with almonds.  It was wonderful and I actually left a luncheon at work full.  She even brought Pamela's lemon cookies for me with a homemade fruit sauce to dip if I wanted.  Just reminds me how easy gluten free meals can be and how many food items out there are naturally gluten free :)

For one day.....

Fellow gluten free friends, if asked the question that I am sure you have thought about several times before..., what would be the one thing that you would eat if you had one day to eat whatever you wanted?  Mine---would be a large chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and country gravy.  Just thinking about it makes me crave that moment in my life--hopefully sooner than later.  Hey, they have been working on those vaccinations for celiac patients....I am an optimist, what can I say...

Udi's Gluten Free Hamburger Buns at Red Robin?

I recently found out that the Red Robin's in the southern parts of the US are carrying Udi's Gluten fre Hamburger Buns.  I absolutely LOVE Red Robin and I wish they would build one on the northwest side of Wichita, as I know it would be a hit in that area.  Their fries are gluten free and I love the Royal Red Robin Burger, which has bacon, cheese, and a fried egg.  I always get it without a bun of course, but you can get it wrapped in lettuce.  I really hope that this trend of Udi's buns at Red Robin moves it's way north a little :) Their website is wonderful for those who have allergen questions.  www.redrobin.com.

Only a few more weeks until Christmas!

My favorite dessert crust

During Thanksgiving, I made a chocolate cream pie that was wonderful.. It didn't make it 24 hours before my son and I devoured it.  I knew there had been several regular gf pie crusts out there, but I was looking for a dessert crust.  I found these graham style crumbs to make a crust at Food 4 Thought in Wichita.  http://consumer.kinnikinnick.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.home/productcategoryid/7
Simple to make and delicious!

This crust is also dairy free AND nut free, perfect for those with those intolerances as well :)

Gluten Free Books and Magazines-Christmas Gift Ideas?

Here are some books and magazines that Glutenfreeville posted on their website.  For those of you that are wondering what to get that celiac friend, here are some ideas.  Some of the magazines on this site I was unaware of, I may check them out :)  Living Without is a good magazine, as I have been reading that one since I got diagnosed :)  Check it out http://glutenfreeville.com/featured/books.

Udi's new items for 2012 announcement

Great new items coming this next year from Udi's.  I am not a big fan of there current cinnamon rolls and they are redoing them this next year :)  Also new will be muffin tops and frozen pizzas! 
http://udisglutenfree.com/blog/social-media-snippets/announcing-our-new-gluten-free-products-v1
Great, more reasons for me to snack at night while watching mindless reality television.....

Oh I also forgot, a shout out to my crazy friend Jennifer, whom I told I would mention in today's blog :)  Everyone should know that she is a Twilight fan and I make fun of her for it almost everyday......She almost made me go to that horrible movie....But I do have to say that she attempted to make me gluten free chocolate chip cookies the other day, so nice of her, not too many people attempt such a feat (I know, she knows how to try to con me into going to that stupid movie.. )

Leftover turkey...oh so....good?

As I was browsing the internet, I came across a wonderful recipe that would help deplete my 60 day supply of leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  It is for a turkey pot pie, but of course, I converted it to a casserole and instead of putting this mixture in a gf pie crust, I made some GF  Bisquick biscuits and baked them on top of it. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/dads-leftover-turkey-pot-pie/detail.aspx Here is the link to the wonderful recipe....my family loved it.  The only problem is is that the four cups of turkey that the recipe called for barely put a dent in that 60 day supply and just made more leftovers in the fridge.  Easy lunches to reheat I guess :) 

Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can....

So tonight I felt like baking.....so I hauled out one of my favorite cookbooks "The Cake Mix Doctor Baked Gluten Free" by Anne Byrn.  This book is SO, SO wonderful because all of the recipes in her book call for a gf cake mix as the base, then you add ingredients to make different desserts.  I prefer the Betty Crocker GF Yellow Cake Mix.  The cake I made tonight was an applesauce cake with an apple cider glaze.  Wonderful!  I would recommend her book to anyone that is looking for easy cake recipes on a gluten free diet.

Schwans-New Gluten Free Items

Schwans has some new gluten free selections for those of you that have it delivered :)  http://www.schwans.com/products/searchResults.aspx?keyword=gluten+free&searchType=1
Very, very pricey, but it's a great step in the right direction....

Adventures in Turkey Shopping

Took me awhile this morning to pick out a turkey at Dillons.  The cheapest ones they had were the JennyO turkeys for 79 cents a pound.  Warning-these are not gluten free, says so right on the ingredient list.  JennyO does have gluten free turkeys, just not the ones on sale right now at Dillons. This is what makes it hard to go to other peoples houses to eat dinner, especially during the holidays, not knowing what brand of turkey they bought or what they marinated their turkey with. Please don't take offense if I don't eat anything that you serve.
  I ended up buying Butterball Premium :)  Can't wait to have my GF Thanksgiving dinner, takes a little extra work, but it is all worth it in the end.  (

"So...what do you eat then, if you can't have gluten?"

One of the first things that people ask after they find out I have Celiac Disease is "What do you eat then since you can't have wheat? That is why you are so skinny if you are not eating any carbs!"  Uhhh......not skinny, i am curvy,.... and I get plenty of carbs. Confusion then sets in with whomever I am talking to at that moment..
Here is a great example of an easy gluten free meal that I would make for those of you that still wonder...
The menu included cheddar stuffed turkey burgers, load baked potato casserole, and sauteed squash with Italian seasoning. (I can't forget the wine)  Here is the easy recipe for those turkey burgers.
1lb. ground turkey, 1tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1Tbsp olive oil.  Combine turkey, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Divide mixture into four parts and roll into a ball.  Using your thumb, depress a large hole int he middle and fill with about 2Tbsp of cheese.  Then mold the ball around the cheese and depress to form a patty.  Heat oil in non stick skillet and cook for about 9 minutes on one side.  Flip and continue cooking for about 7 to 9 minutes or until the center of patty reaches 165 degrees.  Enjoy....
Yes, this is just one fine example of what I eat (and the loaded baked potato casserole were plenty of carbs for my system for one night).

Granite City-Gluten Free

Thanks to my wonderful friend Jennifer, I now know that Granite City has a gluten free menu :)  http://www.gcfb.net/menu1_lighterfare.aspx
Whoo..hoooo!  There are about 5 dished on there lighter side and gluten free menu that state that they can be altered to a gluten free diet.  I will have to add that one to the list, would be nice to go and grab a glass of wine and some dinner, hint, hint, hubby :)

Pizza Night

I always love pizza nights at the house.  I have to share that my favorite GF pizza crust mix is Bob's Red Mill. Very easy to make it the mix only costs about 3.85 for a bag.  This mix makes 2 pizzas, so be prepared for a lot of leftovers ( I am not complaining since this pizza is great reheated). You mix the ingredients, let cover and let rise for a bit.  Then you spread the dough on pizza pans and bake for a few minutes.  After that is done, you then top with your favorite toppings and bake a bit more.  Viola!  Wonderful and easy GF pizza without leaving the house :)  Mine had sausage, mushrooms, and black olives, my favorite.

A Relaxing Evening with My Friend "Chocolate Brownie"

A follow up to my November 10th post when I talked about how wonderful that microwavable brownie was...well, here it is! I was in desperate need of some chocolate attention...so I put together Pamelas's mix and my craving was instantly satisfied.  (I also added about 200 extra calories by topping it off with Death by Chocolate ice cream).

Chick-fil-A--Gluten Free? A Big Fat Yes!

As soon as I heard that there was a Chick-fil-A coming to the NW side of Wichita, I was wondering if this would give me another option for lunch on that side of town.  I like their website, as it simply has a gluten free info link that guides you to their gluten free menu :)  http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Gluten
Their charbroiled chicken is gluten free (which is rare in fast food since the broth that most places inject in their chicken has wheat flour in it, for example, McDonalds). Just remember to order it without the bun. The big one that I am excited about it that their waffle fries are GLUTEN FREE!  I am the biggest addict when it comes to french fries and was horribly scarred for life when I found out that most restaurants have gluten filled fries.  Dear Chick-fil-A team, can you open, say, next week please?

The Way to a Women's Heart.....

On my trip to Dallas a few months ago, I picked up some free samples of Pamela's Brownie Mix.  Now I have had this mix before, but it was a 16oz. package to make a pan of brownies.  This pack pictured here is actually a single serve packet that you add with oil and water and put it in the microwave for 60 seconds.....What a wonderful concept, for the years that I have been gluten free, the one concept that I have greatly missed is the concept of "instant" when it comes to food preparation.  I was curious on where I could buy more of these single serve brownie mixes, and I found that you can  order them from their website :http://www.pamelasproducts.com/product/Pamelas_Chocolate_Brownie_Mix/13194.aspx. 

You can buy a pack of 12 for $18.28 (which I know is pricey, but are you really surprised?)  Some days I would pay four times that amount for a little sliver of GF chocolate heaven.  By the way, this is best served right out of the microwave with some vanilla bean ice cream on top :)  But I am not talking from experience or anything....

Longhorn Steakhouse=NW Wichita

I drove by the soon to be Longhorn Steakhouse on Maize Road today and it looks like completion is VERY close, which means west-siders will have one more option to eat in the jam-packed area of 21st and Maize Rd. They have a gluten free menu, thumbs up to you guys!
http://www.longhornsteakhouse.com/pdf/LH_Gluten_Free_Menu.pdf
Here it is!  Anyone up for a lunch date soon?

Gluten Free and the Athlete

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints Quarterback, follows a strict gluten free diet as well as the whole Garmin cycling team. Many athletes are turning to this diet in a way to perform better.

According to the website http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/The-Gluten-Free-Athlete.htm?page=2 "Following a gluten-free diet does show some advantages in athletic performance:

1. With gluten removed, the body's immune system can rest and absorption can be restored. The body can then function at optimal levels and repair muscles more efficiently.

2. The hypoglycemic effect that results from intense exercise is minimized.

3. A gluten-free diet helps to maintain a stable blood sugar level during exercise, which is optimal for an increase in muscle strength and stamina.

Just an idea for my "coach friends" out there......you can thank me later for your championship trophy...

Gluten Free Hollywood Hills

The hills are alive with the sound of gluten free foods, that is the Hollywood Hills.  I have noticed that more and more celebrities are speaking about their allergy to gluten or Celiac Disease in general and how they live with it on a daily basis.  Must be rough having enough money to hire a personal chef to prepare your GF meals everyday....hmm.....I will ask my husband permission before I hire mine :)  One of the most well know Celiac is Elisabeth Hasselbeck.  Cohost of the view and the wife of an NFL player, she stays busy being a mom as well as writing books regarding her gluten free diet restrictions.  When I attended a Gluten Free Expo and Convention in Dallas last month, I learned that she also has her name on a few new gluten free food items out there in the market.  Other celebrities that also have Celiac Disease are Emmy Rossum and Keith Olbermann.  Now there are a stars that do not have Celiac, but have a gluten allergy (there is a difference you know...I will explain that in a later blog).  Such celebrities such as Zooey Deschanel, Rachel Weisz, and Chelsea Clinton all have these allergies.  I was excited that when Chelsea got married, that People magazine actually featured her GF wedding cake and an quick overview on her allergy.  High five to People magazine!  Other stars that eat gluten free are Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jenny McCarty.  Victoria Beckham-now don't get me started on her, she looks so unheatlhy that it looks like a strong wind would knock her over flat onto the ground.  I do have to say though that her husband is quite the looker (wink, wink).  What does he see in her anyways...Ok wait, I am getting off subject, see what happens when I starting thinking about her soccer stud husband.  :)  Jenny McCarty sticks to a gluten free diet for her son that was diagnosed with Autism at a very early age.  This type of diet has shown to work wonders with the performance of children with this diagnosis. 
I love how Celiac Disease will get a little attention here and there in the news....even locally here in Wichita I will see a small clip on the news regarding Celiac.  Now I just need to find out how to talk my husband into hiring that personal celebrity chef...

Noodles, Noodles, Noodles

I just found out that Noodles & Co. has GF pasta!  I know that there are two on the east side, but does anyone know of any plans for the west side?  Could be a good addition to the New Market Square area?  I have never been there nor heard of anyone that has, so any suggestions or experiences would be helpful...Pasta anyone?
http://www.noodles.com/

Eating Disorder? Please Don't Assume....

So I have to say that weddings are one of the worst places that I feel out of place at being restricted to a gluten free diet.  I have had several experiences at wedding dinners that would either make a person want to hide under a table or say screw you to people that give you a weird look for not eating simply because you cannot eat anything that is being served.  Let me tell you about one of the most memorable experiences I have had at feeling like a complete loser at a wedding.  I was sitting at a table with my friends and family and dinner was served.  I graciously gave my plate to my husband (whom I knew would chow down an extra serving.)  I was sipping on my wonderful glass of wine when the girls at the table next to us took a glance at me and said to each other "Wow how rude!  She is not eating what they are serving at the wedding." The other girl then stated "She probably has an eating disorder, she obviously needs some help".   Hello, look at me!  Does it look like I have an eating disorder. Maybe you should take a look at yourself and your size zero! I took me all my might to stop myself from getting up and shoving my gluten filled plate of food down her throat.  I felt so out of place and let me tell you to this day there are always going to be times that I feel this way.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, work luncheons, parties, baby showers....the list goes on and on.  You somewhat get used to this feeling, but it never TRULY goes away.  And the hardest thing is when you want to socialize and go to, for example, a work party, and you don't eat, people will  always ask "Why aren't you eating?" .  And then you have to go into the long memorized info speech on Celiac Disease and what it means followed by the answer "No, its not an allergy and there is nothing I can take for it".  Luckily, most people that I am around on a daily basis know my story by now, which is fabulous.  A lot easier for me.....until that next wedding when I either have to smuggle some GF food into the wedding or drink my wine on an empty stomach....hmmm...let me think about that one....

Fitting in On a Friday Night

Fellow Wichitans....If you haven't been to Mulligans Bar and Grill on the east side, it is a must. Friday night was quite busy with the World Series Game broadcasting, but I was craving a wonderful GF pizza and a beer.  As an added bonus, Friday nights is half price pizza night.  (This includes the GF pizzas).  It has been fun going out to eat and to have a few drinks when I can actually drink something with my friends.  Mulligans has Woodchuck (which in my opinion is the best hard cider ou there).  I no longer feel left out when I want to socialize in a public setting.  Thank you GF gods!  It turned out to be a fun night with some friends and family.  I also found out that Dudley's on the west side serves Woodchuck as well, for those of you with Celiac's.  I talked to our waitress there and she actually had Celiac's as well. As far as food at Dudley's she said the only thing GF would be a salad without croutons.  Her and I kinda laughed, yeah, not really craving a salad with my nice cold beer....

Garlic French Bread-A New Type of GF Wonderful

While at the expo\conference in Dallas at the beginning of the month, I had the opportunity to talk to the bakers of this product, Against the Grain GF Baguettes.  These were absolutely fabulous.  The sad thing was is that this company, based out of Vermont, does not ship to individuals. They only ship to stores, many of them Whole Foods in the Dallas, TX area.  So guess where I made my husband go before we left, you got it, Whole Foods.  You get two long baguettes for about $5.00 frozen. Totally worth the cost, these are fluffy and non grainy. I had the chance to try there pizza also and it was great.  Hopefully Against the Grain will be shipped to Kansas real soon.  :)  I made them last night with a garlic butter spread and I fell in love all over again with bread......Here is their websitehttp://www.againstthegraingourmet.com/

A trip to the grocery worth remembering

Unlike any other boring, uneventful trip to the grocery store, last night I stumbled upon a new GF product that I was wanting to announce to the world I was so excited.  Pacific Natural now makes...drum roll please.....GF CONDENSED SOUP (chicken, mushroom, etc.)  This is unlike anything that I have seen out there and I am so pleased!  This will make cooking so much easier.  They did make gf cream of mushroom, chicken before this, but they were not condensed.  In a recipe that I had converted that would call for this item, I would always have to guess and not use the whole can in my cooking in the fear that my end product would be too watery.  This will be great for the upcoming holidays.....

Here is the link: http://www.pacificfoods.com/our-foods/condensed-soups?phpMyAdmin=64182e44c70f28d7524cc50d3f3485ec

Check it out!

I gotta love lazy days....

Yes, today is Monday, but no, it is not a contract day for me so I get to sleep in and enjoy the day off.  A quick hello to all my blog followers that are at work today. :)  My son fell asleep at 7:15 last night, which is way early for him and slept until about 7:45 this morning.  I woke up this morning actually feeling rested, minus the horrible side affects of something created by the devil himself, ALLERGIES.  On this cool morning, I was thinking about what I am craving for breakfast today, since I normally do not eat breakfast on a work morning.  I thought of a recipe that our family friends passed on to us years and years ago that I absolutely love that I have converted to a GF recipe.  This is a great light morning breakfast, for those of you that are fruit lovers.  You first preheat the oven to about 425 degrees with 1/4 cup of butter in a 9 by 13 pan and let it melt while preheating.  Then you whip 4 eggs in a blender along with 1 cup of milk.  After that is blended nicely, you will add 1 cup of GF flour mix, my favorite if Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Baking Mix.  (This baking mix you just substitute one for one in any recipe with flour, very easy. ) You then mix well and pour into the preheated dish.  Cook for about 20 minutes.  In the mean time, warm some canned peaches and thicken with corn starch.  This will be used to pour over your cooked dough. Any fruit can be used, but I think that peaches are fabulous.  Then sprinkle cinnamon on top of the peaches and serve. Mine is in the oven now, smelling great!  And yes, be jealous of me having Monday off :)

October is Gluten Free Awareness Month

Lots of activities going on this weekend in Wichita!  On Saturday, there are two great natural food stores that will be celebrating gluten free awareness month.  At Green Acres, N. Rock Rd, there will be a Gluten Free Fair from 11-3 with support group info, samples, and recipies. They are also featuring Gluten AllergyTesting for only $50 this day.    At Food For Thought (E. Central), there will be a Gluten Free Baking Bonanza, although I am not sure on times with this event for Saturday.  So exccited as I love trying new foods and obtaining new recipie ideas.  See you there!  Maybe for lunch I will stop at Mulligans and get a GF pizza to go :)

Here is a link to FoodFor Thought Events http://www.foodforthoughtwichita.com/uploads/Oct11.pdf

Green Acres Link http://greenacres.com/index.php/calendar/wichita/10/2011

Gluten Free Samples Galore

On Saturday, October 1st, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Dallas and attend a GF Expo and Convention sponsored by the great magazine "Living Without" (which I suggest you read if you have any kind of food intolerance). I would say there were about 200 vendors that attended. As I anxiously stood in line waiting to hand the desk attendant my ticket, I was thinking of how I will be surrounded by people just like me. For a few hours, I would no longer be the oddball and I won't have to say no to anyone asking if I would like to try the food sample that I normally would have to turn down. As I slowly, but anxiously walk through the convention hall, there are doctors, authors, chefs available to talk to and ask questions. I would say that the best part of the expo was the free samples, shown in the picture to the left. Wow! I was overwhelmed by what I brought home. I also found some great new products, such as, (hold on to your seats, fellow gf friends) gluten free country style gravy. You know, the wonderful cream gravy that you would use to smother on biscuits or chicken fried steak. Yes, I know. I fell in love all over again. I purchased a few packets after taste testing the product and I am going to savor in some gf biscuits and gravy this weekend for breakfast. My life is just a little more complete. (By the way, the GF Bisquick is amazing!)

How to Survive a Zombie Invasion on a GF Diet

Since Ethan has been born, my husband and I really watch no tv whatsoever unless its Sundays for football (which I am entirely addicted to now due to fantasy football) or the random show that just happens to draw our interest. Usually these are the tv shows that we are excited to watch and we watch the first episode, then we occasionly forget the night it is on so we lose track of what's happening. That is where the wonderful world of Netflix streaming comes into this house. The only good thing about an Xbox 360 is all the live streaming that you can do through it, my husband would beg to differ. We were browsing through the Netflix selection this last rainy weekend and came across the AMC series "The Walking Dead". So far we are on episode three and I am hooked. I was wondering how this show was going to be any different than any other zombie movie/tv show/spoof out there in tv and movie land. (It is a great show and I recommend it to anyone that has even the slightest bit of sci-fi blood in them.

On the first episode of the series you get an idea of how the surviving ransack the abandoned homes of Atlanta after a zombie invasion and stock up on food to survive. Um, oh my gosh, what would I do in this type of situation? What the heck would I consume to survive? Of course, there would be your standard soggy canned green vegetables (which are naturally GF). But what about other things, like bread, packed foods, or anything else that I could find laying around the random house in my neighborhood. Would I risk starving to death or would I choke down some wheat filled substanance and feel like killing myself before the zombies would attack becasue of the massive stomach cramps that I would develop among other things that I will not mention?Would the Red Cross have a ration of GF foods for those that need them in any type of emergency situation? Thinking about this, maybe I should pack a GF emergency food kit so I have some type of survival technique just in case there would be a need, for example, a tornado, etc. For now I will hold my breath on the chance of a zombie attack in the near future, unless I hear differently. Who knows, maybe if it comes to that point in my life, I would just say goodbye to the world as I shove a large gluten filled piece of cake into my mouth

Chocolate GF Goodness-Do I Need to Say More...

Towards the end of a rainy, yet well rested weekend, I ventured to Dillons to get a few things that I needed to complete outp pantry. As I walked towards the bakery section, which is usually the place that I just skip altogether in any grocery store setting, I happened to glance at the clearance rack. My anxious eyes leared towards the bottom of this rack and to my surprise I found Udi's Double Chocolate Chip Muffins on sale, not just any sale, a "let's mark these down cuz they are about to expire and we need to get them off our shelf" type of sale. Now let me tell you how excited I was to find these on this rainy Sunday night. I appreciate any kind of sale on GF food items, since they rob you blind. Normally these chocolate muffins would run your $6.99 for four. They were marked 50% and I snatched those bad boys and guarded them with my life as I gathered the rest of my items and moved my way to the front of the store to check out.

It is always interesting to see how some cashiers react when you purchase GF foods. I am talking about the types that seem to examine EVERY item that comes down that moving belt to the scanner...And talk about every item and let me know if they have tried it or not. I find it humerous when a get a cashier that, when ringing up a gf pizza, states "Oh, I heard about this gluten free thing, I need to try it. I need to start eating healthier". Well, yes, I think to myself, it is healthy in ways, but you can still get fat eating GF double chocolate muffins...Then you get the cashiers that state, "You eat gluten free? No wonder why you are so skinny." First of all, I am not that skinny. I have curves and I like them thank you very much. And secondly, some gf flours that are found in GF items actually have a higher fat content than wheat flour. So no, in not all ways am I eating healthier, just different than you. And I don't have a choice....I wish I did, I would be a little poor when grocery shopping every other week.

When I returned home from this wonderful shopping trip, I was unloading my paper sack full of groceries that were the ones intended for the trip. The last thing that I unloaded was those wonderful muffins and my husband states, "Now I know what took you so long at the store." I just looked at him with those lustful eyes of mine and stated "It was so worth it"......

Ghosts, Pumpkins, and Bats-The Joy of Halloween

Yes, I will admit it, I LOVE Halloween! It is one of my holidays, and no, I am not a witch. With the rainy weekend almost behind me, I ventured into the GF baking realm today and made my annual GF sugar cookies in the shapes of your most common Halloween creatures. I loved the green color I made this year, I think it kind of gives a glow in the dark appearance to the cookie. My favorite recipe for GF sugar cookies is from one of my favorite GF recipie books, "Gluten Free 101: Easy, Basic Dishes Without Wheat", by Carol Fenster, Ph.D. I omit the lemon zest in the recipie, since I am not quite fond of lemon flavorings in my food. These cookies are just soft enough to enjoy, not too crunchy, and not too brittle. the frosting that I make is just your old fashioned powder sugar frosting made with powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. I made a double batch, which at the end, gave me about 51 cookies of various shapes. Unfortunately, in a househould of a grown man, and very hungry and fast growing 3 year, and myself, those 51 cookies will not probably last very long.

6 Years of Adjustment

6 years ago marked a time in my life when all things food changed. I know you are probably thinking that this was due to diabetes, weight loss, cholesterol, etc. But no, it was something called celiac disease. At this time, which would have been 2005, when you told a person of this disease, it was unheard of. You would have to explain what is it and give the same detailed explanation of what a gluten free diet entails (yes, this is the only cure). I can't complain considering it is a disease that is treatable, if you stick to a gluten free diet. And yet, of all places in the world, I live in Kansas, the wheat state of the USA. This would be like living in Wisconsin and not being able to eat cheese curds (For all my Wisconsin followers, you know what I am talking about).

After explaining celiac disease to everyone, the next question that is ALWAYS asked is "What happens if you do eat something with gluten in it?" And most of the time, I tell them that they would not want to know, for reason of not embarrassing myself or them. For those of you that have been around someone that is gluten intolerant and accidentally consumes it, you know what happens and you would understand why I say the above.

Over that last 6 years, I wonder how many times I have explained my disease. It has become ALOT easier as the years go on due to many GF foods that are available at your local Dillons grocery store. I have learned many new recipes and ways to prepare food, as well as handling celiacs in public places such as restaurants and even such events as weddings (which are the most awkward if you have celiacs). The popularity has even increased due to some unnamed celebrities that are "going gluten free".

The purpose of this blog is to talk about my everyday experiences with living gluten free and for people to ask questions. Everyday I have several people I know ask me for my input on celiac disease due to them having a newly diagnosed family member or they are thinking that they themselves may be gluten intolerant. So please ask away....

It is possible to be gluten free and happy, even if you do live in the wheat state.