Pillsbury, I never thought I'd say this, but I love you!

I have been hearing that Pillsbury was coming out with gluten-free products, and I must admit I was hugely skeptical. I mean, they are kind of one of the main food companies and how is this really going to work? Will it really be completely gluten-free? 

Well, when I saw the pizza crust and the pie crust, and only for $4.99, I bought one of each. 

So what do I have to say about the products?? LOVED THEM!!  David, the celiac, loved them both! Loved the price and loved the products! Both products are certified by the Celiac Association, too!

I hope you're having a great gluten-free day!!! Let me know when you try these products how you like them! Would love to hear from you! 

Caroline

One of my favorite gluten-free companies!

Hi everyone! I don't know if I've shared this before, but I LOVE ordering gluten-free stuff online.  Granted, it does have it's set backs.  For example, there's no way to taste something you're ordering online.  I mean, you can't even smell it! Which brings us to the reason for this post today.  I have a website that I trust.  I trust with the taste of the product! And not just me, but my Celiac teenager! Here's the link to the site: http://go.referralcandy.com/share/Z8Z83GP  If you follow this link, you will receive 35% off your first order! And, you'll get awesome emails telling you about the daily deal.  Today's deal was donut holes! Which will be great for the first week of school and the craziness around it!  

So, whether you need to order for yourself, a family member, or you want to order for a friend, check out one of my fave's, Katz's, and let me know what you think! 

Caroline

And the blogs just keep coming! I LOVE IT!!

As usual, while scrolling on Facebook, I found a great gluten-free blog! http://www.noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2013/08/4th-annual-gluten-free-ultramarathon.html

There is so much information on here! And because the Celiac in my family is an athlete, I'm really super interested in this blog AND the book I noticed on the right side of the screen.  http://www.amazon.com/The-Gluten-Free-Edge-Nutrition-Performance/dp/161519052X/ref=lp_B001JPAH08_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1334185610&sr=1-7

That's all I have to share today! I hope you had a great week with the gluten-free way of life! Remember you're never alone and someone is always here for you! (ME!)

Talk to you soon!

Caroline

Eating to live

I often hear people make comments that they are going to die one day anyways, so they might as well eat the food they love, the food that tastes good to them.  Often, I don't even get a word in because they don't want to hear anything that could help them.  I have had someone tell me that there's no way they could ever eat a gluten-free diet, even if they had Celiac, because it just wouldn't taste good.  Really? That's like the person who just had a heart attack, eating a baconater every day and telling the cardiologist they just want to eat the food they want to eat.  Here's a reminder: IT'S JUST FOOD.  It doesn't care if you like it.  It doesn't care what you think.  It doesn't care how you feel.  It doesn't even care if it tastes good.  Our bodies are programed to like the tastes we expose it to.  I promise, you can change your taste buds.  It does happen.  It is possible.  And honestly, the food that could possibly cause serious harm to you isn't concerned whether or not your live or die.  IT'S JUST FOOD.  Now, before you clean my clock for saying this, I am well aware that we often have food at those times when we are with those we love.  Food brings people together.  It is the one thing that we often crave when we are having an emotional moment, whether a celebration or something heartbreaking.  But, again, it's only food.  If it really is about the relationships we are building, then shouldn't we be focused on people other than food? Shouldn't we care what we eat so we can be here to celebrate with those we love?

I'm sharing all of this with you because of a post I saw on a blog I follow.  Now you may already know about the Gluten Dude, I am pretty sure I've talked about him before, but he posted something today that really struck me.  So I'm going to share it with all of you.  Please watch it.  Think about it.  And remember, get a support group of those that listen, that care, that understand, that will help you and honestly, hold you accountable.  See, we are suppose to be truthful with those we love, which is why I'm sharing this with you.  Your life matters.  You matter.  Your life is more than that piece of food that could cause serious damage.  Again, IT'S JUST FOOD.
http://glutendude.com/celiac/cheating-on-your-gluten-free-diet/

Please know that I am here to help.  Just an email away.  Please, for your sake, take care of yourself.  You deserve it.

Caroline

Award winning gluten-free, dairy-free cake??

I follow quite a few gluten-free folks on Twitter and Facebook.  While scrolling along today on the Facebook feed, I noticed an a post by Cooking for Stella.  She states that her cake is not only gluten-free, but it's dairy-free, too AND it beat out other cakes that have gluten and dairy in them! Here's the link to the article: http://cookingforstella.com/2012/05/16/stellas-favorite-chocolate-chocolate-chip-cupcakes/.

This is a recipe I will certainly be checking out very soon!

Hope you all are having a great gluten-free day!!

Caroline

Sweet tooth

Do you ever have a craving for something sweet?? I know I sure do! I will tell you that my sweet tooth was WAY worse before I changed my eating habits. I still have little cravings (my neighbor can attest to that!) every once in a while, but before it was daily. Now it's about once every couple of weeks.  And mostly, I don't want anything sweet until I see or smell something sweet. 

What is a gluten-free eater to do when they get a craving? Especially if you're dairy free, that's even a bigger challenge! Well it just so happens, I decided to get creative today and I believe I came up with two yummy, sweet and healthy treats for that sweet tooth! I will give credit to the Happy Herbivore for her AWESOME recipes. She's really the creator of what I put together today.

The first one is made from corn tortillas (but you can use any gluten-free tortilla), brown sugar, a splash of vanilla, a little water, and apples. With my iron skillet on medium heat, I poured in about 1/8 cup of water with 1/2 cup of brown sugar and the splash, and I do mean a splash, of vanilla, into the pan. As everything began to melt together, I added the apples I had sliced. I mixed everything together for a few minutes, turned the heat down to low and began getting the pan ready. With a square glass Pyrex dish, I layered corn tortillas, part of the apple mixture, corn tortillas, part of the apple mixture, and finished with corn tortillas. Topping them with a little of the brown sugar mixture from the apples. (Here's something I realized when I wanted to top the corn tortillas, use a potato masher to cut up the apples if, like me, you forgot to do it BEFORE you added them to the iron skillet.)  With the oven set on 350, cook the layered apple dish for about 20 minutes. It's the perfect pair of sweetness with the apples and brown sugar! 

The next recipe was due to the iron skillet still having the brown sugar in it. I thought to myself, "Now I don't want to waste that!" With that thought, a tad more water and a sprinkle of brown sugar, I waited for the skillet to warm up. I grabbed a banana, peeled it, and sliced it right into the skillet. Moving it around with my spatula in order for the banana to soak up all of the brown sugar heaven happening, I moved the bananas to one side of the skillet and placed a Rudi's gluten-free tortilla on the other side, folded. I slowly opened the tortilla, scooted the bananas into the tortilla, and carefully turned the tortilla to the other side. I basically pick it up at the opening. Turning it is pretty easy, keeping the bananas in is the trick! But alas, after having to eat a couple of stray banana slices, I finally had my snack! I topped it with a glaze made from 1/2 powdered sugar and 2 TBSP non-dairy milk. I used about 1 TBSP as my topping. And I will say that it hit the spot!! 

Eating gluten-free doesn't have to feel like punishment when you can make treats like these!! 

Have a great gluten-free day!!

Change things up!

Sometimes our brains are so used to certain ways of doing things, that we don't even think to step outside the box. For example, there are certain foods we would consider "breakfast" foods. While, in actuality, they are only consider "breakfast" foods because, well, because we've been told they are. Why not fix something else for breakfast? I like having bean burritos. No kidding! I use corn tortillas, fat-free refried beans, and sometimes salsa. It's something I can throw together if I'm running behind. (Which is why I don't always use salsa! Can you imagine that mess???) And to throw something else your way, add a vegetable. Why not? Most of us don't get the amount our bodies need anyways. Just grab a couple of carrots while you're waiting on your coffee. 

I hope you're having a wonderful gluten-free day, wherever you are! And, as always, you're never alone in this! 

Caroline