Gluten Free Mini-Muffins

Jeff made incredible mini muffins tonight for a party. They were a huge hit and nobody even knew they were gluten-free.

The recipe took him about 30 minutes total to prep and bake. We used Jules Gluten Free Flour and the recipe from her beginners cook book.

They had frozen bannanas and blueberries. Yummm!

AND...I soo used my new pampered chef mini muffin pan on this one!

I'll also be linking up to

Taco Time: Updated Allergy Information

A few months back, I posted about Gluten Free items at Taco Time.

While I was in Taco Time today, I spoke to the Director of Operations for many of the Salt Lake City Taco Time locations. I had a great chat with him about the "old days" of Taco Time (my husband and I both worked for and managed Taco Time restaurants while we were in high school). I asked him about the spices and seasonings and the potential that they may have gluten.

He referred me to a nutritional chart that is also on their website.

The flaw in the chart is that it does not specify "gluten" but it does specify "wheat."

Here's the run-down:

Everything has "wheat" except crisp ground beef taco's, pork street tacos (be careful, the chicken street tacos do have wheat), ground beef enchiladas, chips, cheddar fries, mexi fries, mexi-rice, and refritos. (Be careful to avoid the stuffed mexi fries as those do have wheat.)

Everything has "soy" marked. This is probably in one of the seasonings.

Everything has "dairy" except pork and chicken street tacos, chips, mexi fries, and mexi rice.

Eggs is only listed in the chicken BLT and the chicken rancherito.

This list was updated on Taco Time's website on Sept 2010.

Happy Eating!!

Gluten Free Grocery Items

The local gluten free specialty store in my area has a newsletter they send out every month. This month they featured a cool website I thought I'd also pass on.

Gluten Free Overflow is a website that lists grocery food items that are gluten free.

This site has both search and browse options for many of the food items I eat on a daily basis. The system has a thumbs up or thumbs down rating.

The website also lists the date that the item was varified. As most of us with allergies know, manufacturers change their recipes periodically and you may still want to check the ingredient list to make sure that there hasn't been any changes.

They have things I wouldn't typically think of checking for gluten, like bouillon cubes and medications. All in one simple place.

I like to buy my gluten-free items that I eat regularly from amazon.com This website could be helpful in identifying which items are gluten-free and then you can purchase and compare taste within.

Now we just need an extensive list like this for fast food!

Going Sugar Free

Not too happy for all the cake!

First off, I work for a great company. They have these monthly health challenges and we get monetary compensation for following through. One of the challenges was Sugar Free. However, they stepped us into it using a structured approach. I think this approach would be helpful for anyone trying to "diet" or just improve their health.

The first month's goal was to increase water and to "stop the pop". They limited us to one can of diet soda a day. I found this first month fairly easy as I only drink diet soda. I made the goal to push myself to only 2-3 cans of diet soda a week.

The second month's goal was to continue the challenges from the first month of more water and no soda. Then we added 5 servings of fruit or vegetables and no added sugars or sweets (except one "free day" a week).

I found that once I had mostly stopped soda, I didn't crave chocolate or sweets near as much as I did before. I also noticed that the increased fruit made my after-dinner dessert habit more bearable. Instead of ice cream every night, I have switched to a fruit smoothie with almond milk or yogurt with fresh fruit.

One other thing that made the no extra sugar a much easier thing for me is that I already don't eat gluten products, like donuts, cakes, or cookies. I know that you can buy all of these items gluten-free, but it is more cost effective to make them home made and I just don't have the time or motivation to make them. Once in a while, Jeff will make me waffles and I put raspberry preserves on them and that fills my cake craving.

Next month, we're adding a half hour to an hour of exercise. That will be the challenge that pushes me to change. Wish us luck!

Cheesy Stuffed Acorn Squash

We made an excellent acorn squash for dinner tonight. We used a recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/ and used two of the comments: not cooking it in the microwave and using olive oil instead of butter.

It turned out great! We served the left-over stuffing on top of chicken and rice. Yummm....

G-Free DisNey!

Jules Gluten Free has a great article today about how to do Disney dining gluten free. She stayed in the same Disney resort I stayed in as a kid so it had a nostalgic feel to it.

She also offers that Margaritaville has a gluten-free menu. We'll have to check that out, too!

Now to book plane tickets! Mawhahahaha...

Depression

Most of my friends (and now strangers, too) will know that I have varying degrees of depression. I don't know why that feels embarassing to say. Maybe not embarassing. Maybe fearful. I'm not sure. I've had it for years and am about 80/20 these days (good/bad). This is huge progress for me, as it's been worst at times.

Some things I do that seem to help:

1-Tanning bed, some reason the extra warmth can do wonders. Sometimes, I just sit in the room with it on and don't even get in!

2-Making sure I shower everyday and do my hair. If I don't do that, I'd probably stay in pjs all day and worsten my depression.

3-Affirmations. Sometimes they are simple, "I am fine." sometimes, they are more complex but I repeat it when I am feeling overwhelmed.

4-Boundaries. I mostly have no problem saying no. I have no problem that my sidewalks aren't shoveled, my house isn't clean, and my work is behind.

5-Support System. I think what makes the difference from today, vs ten years ago is that I have a husband that is present and aware of my emotions when they change and can alert me to the change. He is non-judgemental which is crucial.

6-Cymbalta. Neurofeedback. Gluten-free. Who knows. These are three other things in my life. I don't know if they are making a difference or which one is making the most difference.

I feel that most people, at some time, suffer varying degrees of depression. My hope is that someday it wont be taboo to discuss depression and that we can sometime openly discuss even more taboo things like suicide and suicide ideation. We'll get there, as a society, but not today.

Gluten Free Waffles!

Too bad you can't upload smell!! Yumm.

About twice a month, Jeff makes me waffles that I can eat. He uses Jules Gluten free flour and her recipe for waffles. Her website

They cook quickly and the mix is easy. Give it a try!

Linkin Up to My Back Yard Eden!

UDIs G-free coupons!

There are two high value UDI's gluten free coupons!

UDI's Coupons Here

I saw their selection at the St. George Smith's and they looked great. I would definately get the chocolate muffins! I would probably freeze most of them, they are pricey but with the coupon it would be better (I'm thinking like $5 for a six pack of the muffins) but definately convenient!

Pantry Staples G-Free

Sonja at Frugal Gluten Free Living has put together a great list of pantry staples that are Gluten Free. The only thing I would add to her list is sweet potatoes! She doesn't include whole foods or frozen foods, but I always make sure that I have plenty of frozen or fresh fruits and veggies. What would you add?

http://frugalglutenfreeliving.blogspot.com/2010/10/budget-friendly-gluten-free-pantry.html

Eating Out at IHOP minus Gluten

General tips I have about eating out without Gluten is a post I'll start sometime. I just wanted to share how I did G-free at IHOP.

When the waitress first approached for our order, we explained the wheat allergy. We asked if she knew of any entrees that were wheat free. She said they could do an omellette without the mixture that has wheat (I would have guessed an omellette was g-free to begin with!) and just eggs and then the toppings. That was her only suggestion.

Then I looked through the offerrings. I don't eat eggs, so I would have to use egg substitute for the omellette and that hasn't worked well in the past. I started looking at how I could replace things that I knew had wheat (pancakes on the side replaced by fruit).

I settled on the classic sampler with egg substitute and fruit instead of pancakes. I double checked the ketchup to make sure it didn't have any gluten and used that with the hashbrowns.

So far, no stomach ache! We'll see how eating out for dinner goes!

Starting a GF diet

After going to a nutritionist and a chiropractor both agreed that I was allergic to dairy and to gluten. I began a Gluten-free diet. This lasted about two weeks in 2009 and it felt good. However, I found out I was pregnant and my main craving was doughnuts, cakes, brownies, cookies, etc. I gave up on a gluten-free lifestyle.

Once our daughter was born, I decided that it was important to go back on a gluten-free diet. I am the only one in my immediate family on a gluten free diet so I had to come up with ways to incorporate "normal" foods into my routine.

Week 1: My first week I ate mainly vegetables and rice in the place of the gluten ingredients. For example, I cooked rice and served spaghetti sauce over rice, while my son and husband ate noodles and sauce. Bread for a deli sandwich was replaced by celery (wrap the lunch meat around the celery). I ate sweat potatos for dessert (and for lunch).  This week I used more whole, fresh foods that I knew didn't contain gluten. For breakfast, I stuck with Rice Chex and Rice Crispies.

Week 2 & 3: The second week, I started adding some gluten-free products. I mainly used gluten-free spaghetti noodles in the place of regular noodles. I made sure to read labels and use the gluten-free version of products like chili, refried beans, and ice creams.

*During week 2, I noticed that I had an upset stomach with peanut butter. I now do not eat peanut-based peanut-butter. I also noticed nauseau with breakfast and attributed it to the milk. I now substitute milk for soy milk.

Week 4: This week I continued many of the same meals listed above but I ventured to a gluten-free store and purchased a gluten-free Bisquick mix and my sweet husband made excellent waffles and pancakes from them. The extras I used as sandwich bread for almond butter and jelly sandwiches. I also went to a gluten-free bakery and bought some honey butter bread, which I froze most of since we'd made the waffles and pancakes. The loaf of bread was $8, by far the most I have ever spent for bread!

I think the trick to starting G-free is to start small and with basic whole foods. Then start adding a small amount of variety week by week. If you really are allergic to gluten, your stomach and intestines need to heal from the damage of years of eating gluten.

Please comment and let me know if this has been helpful. I'd like to add more things that I've added since the first month of going g-free including menus, restaurants, and bread mixes we've tried.

Tips for Nutrionist

I wanted to jot down some quick ideas I had about seeing a nutritionist for the first time:

1-If they poke your finger and have you hold a magnetic bar in one hand, possibly reconsider. This technique is supposed to tell you what your body is allergic to and also what nutrients (and even brands of nutrients!) your body needs. I was more than slightly skeptical of the technique. I also experienced this technique in a chiropractor's office.

2-If they tell you that you need a variety of nutritional supplements, smell them before you buy them! I couldn't stand the smell of half the stuff they sold me and never used them because they were huge and smelled bad.

3-If they tell you that you are allergic to a variety of things (using previous method), get a second opinion. Although, in my case, the second opinion was a blood test of food allergies that was fairly similar to the results in the nutritionists and the chiropractors assessments.

4-After they tell you that you have said allergies, they will try to sell  you supplements to counter the allergies. Double check what they are selling you because they may not be familiar with all of the ingredients. (One of the powdered meal supplements I was sold contained barley, but I was told I was allergic to Gluten, which is often found in barley.)

5-Before they send you home with 10 bottles of pills, ask which two would be the best at prolonging your life. (I love this question, as there is no proof that any supplement, diet, or even weight range can prolong your life span.)

6-If seeing a chiropractor who uses what is called NAET, learn what NAET is and what it isn't. For some people, this seems to be an effective technique. Essentially, NAET has you hold a small amount of known allergen in a vial while the chiropractor presses key points in your back and then you refrain from that allergen for 25 hours and then you are cured of that allergy. In my experience, NAET would have been 20 treatments long and with a $35 co-pay that adds up. I'm sure my treatment wasn't successful because I didn't complete all of the treatments.

I think vitamins are good for some people and a waste for others. Figure out how likely you'd be to follow the suggestions before investing any money on the vitamins. For me, I had high hopes of taking them and of course sitting in front of the nutritionist I was going to give up all my vices! In reality, I haven't made many lasting changes from the appointments and find my pocket book shrinking.

Gluten-Free Flour Deal

Jules Gluten-Free Flour is having a special on their "Welcome Pack":

You can now save 64% with our "Welcome Pack." Get 5 pounds of All Purpose Flour, plus 3 e-books (more than 150 recipes in total), and FREE Shipping & Handling.  Priced individually, these products would cost $69.95.  However, the Welcome Pack is only $24.95 - a $45 savings!
 CLICK HERE

We just got our 5lb shipment in the mail. We used the ebook to find a pizza crust recipe that rocked. We made bbq chicken pizza with this crust and our 4 year old chose the bbq pizza over his typical Totino frozen pizza. (He's usually really picky, and doesn't eat the crust so I was surpised when he ate the WHOLE PIZZA, CRUST AND ALL!!)

The only complaint I had was that the crust stuck to the pan. The directions said to use an ungreased pan, which I did, but I'm thinking next time around we will be using spray or a bit of coconut-oil on the pan. I also will add pineapple topping.