Favorite Breads…So Far June 29, 2011

So, one thing that I am certain anyone who has had to go gluten-free understands is that trying to find tasty bread is just plain HARD!  Let me preface this by saying that I am not fond of ANY of the GF product prices, as I feel they are all far to expensive…especially since the choices are so limited to begin with, but I digress I have found two GF breads that I love!!!

 

First is the Rudi’s Gluten Free Bread

I would eat this bread if I wasn’t GF.  It is so tasty and holds together really well (even before toasting).  It tastes like fresh bread out of the oven.  I HIGHLY recommend it!

I have only tried the original so far, but plan to try the others soon.  Can be found in the freezer section, as well as the fresh bread section.  I can only find it at Earth Fare so far, but we are getting a Whole Foods here in the next year, so it will likely be there too.

 

 

Second is the Glutino Brand Sans Gluten Free English Muffins

These also I would totally eat if I was not GF!  They are fluffy and airy and are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I have used them as sandwich bread, but also plan to use them as little personal pizza crusts (they remind me of the pan pizza crusts…seriously).  They can also be sprayed with a little olive oil and garlic on spaghetti night (with GF pasta, of course) and voila you have garlic bread!

This is only in the freezer section and thus far I have only found it at Earth Fare as well.  Really wish GF foods were in more places!

Anyway, if you haven’t tried both of these…do it now! ;0)

Be blessed!

Mac ‘N Cheese

In the words of Usher:

“Oh, oh , oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Ohh myy gosh
..
It make me want to say
..
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh”

What am I talking about?

Annie’s Homegrown Creamy Deluxe Mac ‘N Cheese

I love Mac ‘N Cheese and was SO bummed when I thought I was going to have to give it up because of my wheat allergy!  Then I found this!!!

It is FABULOUS!  To all you gluten free eaters……….go get some now!  I promise you won’t be sorry!

Please Pray June 28, 2011

It’s been a few days, and I’ll get to that later, but first I wanted to ask for prayers.  In the midst of all my hopping around the internet looking up everything I can about gluten free, wheat free, peanut free, EVERYTHING FREE…I have come across this blog: 2 Kids, a Mini Van and a Mortgage.

The mother (author of the blog) apparently has Celiac disease.  However, that is not why I am asking for prayers.  She has three little ones (on the actual blog, the title the ‘2’ is crossed out and a ‘3’ is in it’s place for those confused by her blog title…she has a little baby boy, who I imagine came after she started the blog).  Her middle child, 5-year-old Lucy Hannah, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, Medulloblastoma in February 2011.  She is currently enduring chemotherapy and needs LOTS OF PRAYERS.  Currently her family is split apart during the treatment to be closer to the hospital.  They need our prayers.

I have only been reading her blog for a little bit, but I can tell you that this little girl, Lucy, is a FIGHTER!  God has moved many obstacles in the course of this little angel’s treatment already, but she has several months to go of aggressive treatments.  Please commit to praying for Lucy.  Once you start reading about her, you will not be able to help but fall in love with her little spirit!

God is BIG, and has already shown that throughout this difficult trial of Lucy’s!  Go Lucy Go!

Flours?? June 19, 2011

So, one of the things that I have been getting confused about the most as a newbie to this gluten free thing is which flours are okay and which are not.  Not only that, but which ones made a decent GF bread?  I mean, I have tasted some nasty GF breads before, and if I am going to try and learn how to bake my GF breads…well, I don’t want it to taste nasty!  Ya know?

So, in all my searching around, I found a website called Ginger Lemon Girl.  She helped me in this flour department tons!  Check THIS out!

So, for now I will be buying the GF breads that I know taste good, but hopefully soon I will be investing in a breadmaker and can make some yummy GF bread of my own.  We shall see.  I will update the blog when I do.

Be blessed!!

Wheat Withdrawal…and Links! June 17, 2011

So, I have read mixed opinions on whether or not people who ditch wheat/gluten have withdrawal symptoms.  I don’t know that I have recognized any significant withdrawal symptoms, other than some headaches…and who knows if those are withdrawal symptoms or just seasonal allergy symptoms…it is Spring after all???  Not sure.  Has anyone else had headaches (or any other withdrawal symptoms) when stopping wheat/gluten?  It has been a week and two days since I quit it and today I had a killer headache.  I Googled wheat gluten withdrawal symptoms and found stuff like “gluten has an opiate effect on the brain” and therefore “causes withdrawal symptoms” and so on.  Not sure.  Thoughts?

On a COMPLETELY different note, I found a website called Gluten Free Diva and she has a page on her website with SEVERAL GF-friendly links!  Check it out!

I have checked out several of the links so far, but have several more to check out! Yay!

Be blessed!

**Note: I work for an allergist/immunologist.  He advised me today that YES people DO have withdrawal symptoms from wheat and that headaches are certainly one of those!  So, apparently I am having wheat withdrawal.

Veggie Pizza Melt June 15, 2011

So, I made my first gluten free meal this evening.  I mean, I have been eating GF since I had my allergy test, but this is the first meal I have “made.”  Everything else has been “made possible” by the grocery store.

Here is the yumminess:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

INGREDIENTS:

      One GF tortilla

      3 tsp garlic hummus

      4-5 small fresh mozzarella balls

      1/3 cup of tempeh chunks

      1 cup of cut up squash/zucchini

      1/4 cup of diced onion

      2 tbsp shredded cheddar

      1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

      Seasonings (I used garlic, lemon pepper, Soul Food seasoning, onion salt, and a little bit of Thyme)

 

In skillet saute tempeh, squash/zucchini, onion and seasonings with olive oil.  On cooking pan coat GF tortilla with hummus.  Pour sauteed mix onto tortilla.  Place fresh mozzarella balls evenly around in mix on tortilla.  Sprinkle cheddar on top.  Bake for 10 minutes, turn oven to Broil and let cook for 2-3 minutes until all mozzarella evenly melted over mix.

Here you have your Veggie Pizza Melt.

*You can of course use different vegetable (to your liking) and just play around with this recipe in many different ways.  Next time I am going to try a stir-fry-type mix on it.  Yummo!

Here’s some pics:

Sauteing the veggies.

Hummus on tortilla.

Baked Yumminess (that’s the fresh mozzarella melted on top…not sour cream!).

Enjoy & be blessed!

The Journey Begins June 12, 2011

For those of you that may read this…WELCOME.  Basically this is going to be a place for me to document the many things I hope to learn about eating and living wheat free…and oat free…and peanut free…and other stuff free.  Several foods don’t like me.

NOTE:  I am not Celiac.  I have a wheat allergy and apparently a gluten intolerance.  My body simply does not appear to like wheat…and it makes me very sick.  Here’s a a little breakdown of the differences between Celiac Disease, Wheat Allergy and Gluten Intolerance.

Basically I was having a LOT of GI symptoms and had food allergy IgE skin testing.  This is where several extracts of food proteins are placed on your back in drops.  Then they take a needle and scratch the skin where the drop was placed.  The cells in your skin that react to these drops are called “mast cells.”  These are the same type of cells that can be found in your sinuses, lungs and GI tract.  So basically, however you react on your back is how your mast cells react in those other areas.  Hence my terrible GI symptoms!

Here is what my back looked like only a few minutes into my test.

Wheat is top row, second over.  Mustard greens is the one two over from that…what?  I think I’m okay with that one.  Then a few more over and down one is peanuts.  Can’t remember which one is oats.  Somewhere on there, it’s red with a little mosquito bite type bump.  Boo! 😦

So, this is where my journey begins.  Many changes to be made in how I eat.

Be Blessed!