Yesterday UPS dropped off a package of some GF mixes, courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill! Thank you! Cool surprise! Of course, I couldn’t wait to try the GF pizza dough mix that was in the box of goodies!

It’s a flour concoction that I had to add some oil, water, yeast packet (which was included in the bag) and eggs. Mixed it all together, let it rise, wet my hands, spread it out and popped it into the oven for a few minutes.

Pulled it out, added some sauce & cheese & back into the oven it went for about 20 minutes. Wow! The dough was great! Best pizza dough yet. It was nice and thick and chewy and tasted like a hearty healthy wheat dough.

It was really good. I wasn’t too pleased with the pizza sauce but I’m not surprised since it was just out of a jar (I didn’t have all the ingredients for home made & always keep a jar in the cupboard- just in case!) I should’ve probably spiced the sauce up a bit but oh well… it was really just a test for the dough. It was the perfect dinner for our busy day & night since we didn’t have much time left over to clean up and get our candles & flashlights ready for our Earth Hour adventure! Milo was quiet and we had Aiden in his play tent with flashlights eating GF chocolate chip cookies! Great night. Thank you to Bob’s Red Mill for the package of goodies. We also got a package of Bob’s Red Mill GF flour mix & GF brownie mix. We’ll let you know how those turn out, soon!

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My mother-in-law alerted me that the Today Show on NBC did a special on Gluten Free living.

Epicurious’ ultimate gluten-free guide

Also, here’s another link that talks about the FDA’s proposal for voluntary gluten-free standards on labeling! This is something that is very important to myself & I’m sure most anyone will a food related disease or allergy!

FDA may help!

And one more link to the www.foodallergybuddy.com! This site is pretty cool. It helps you print out allergy information cards to pass out to managers or chefs at a restaurant (or somewhere else they might be serving foods at) to help eliminate the back & forth between the managers, servers & chefs!

Good looking out, GramsMomCinda! Thanks!

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Chebe makes some garlic onion bread stick mix. Since Milo was asleep & Aiden was occupied in his toy room & dinner was in the crock pot, I thought I’d take advantage of the time & try out the new bread sticks. I followed the directions on the back but I actually had to use at least 3 more tsp. of milk than what the package called for. I threw in some Parmesan cheese, rolled them out and threw them in the oven. When I took them out, I sprinkled some melted butter & Parmesan cheese over them. They were Ok. My 4 year old loved them but I think that I would’ve liked them better had I cooked them more. They were a little too chewy for me. I think next time, I’ll try baking them to a more crispier texture! I actually can’t wait to get started on my own bread recipes but this wasn’t half bad considering the flour mix came out of a bag!

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So, as you know, Ryan was lucky enough to go to the Natural Health Expo. One of the goodies he brought back was from JustinsNutButter.com & they were individually wrapped nut butters. My favorite was the Maple Almond butter. I’m a huge fan of almond butter & this flavor was sooooo good. I loved the idea of the individual packets, especially for those with Celiac disease. There’s no need to worry about cross contamination, when I can give my son a packet and some gluten free crackers or some sliced organic apple slices for a snack on the go, while we’re out! You can also get them in a jar, the packets are just a great option, in my opinion! The flavors they offer are: Honey Peanut Butter, Cinnamon Peanut Butter, Classic Peanut Butter, Maple Almond Butter, Classic Almond Butter & Honey Almond Butter.

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My boys & I had a fantastic gluten free Easter! We started off with Brunch at my Mom’s house. Both of my brothers were there to entertain Aiden!

This is what our menu consisted of (thank you, Mom!):

Scrambled eggs with bell peppers & scallions, gf bread with Almond Butter, fresh sliced up organic oranges, mangoes & pears, fried red potatoes w/ red onions, some gf muffins and some fresh squeezed tangerine juice!

Then it was off to MrGlutenFree’s family time! We went to his Aunt’s house for dinner & an easter egg hunt!

This is what our menu consisted of (thanks Grams & Auntie Jo!):

A delicious tri-tip roast, with garlic mashed potatoes, a fresh fruit salad, fresh lettuce salad & iced tea! Later on we enjoyed some gluten free cookies (we baked them there, so they were nice and warm) & vanilla ice cream.

Aiden had a blast searching for his easter eggs filled with gluten free goodies (mainly snickers & m&ms)!

I’m going to give you the recipe for the garlic mashed potatoes that I made! Enjoy!

3 lb. bag of organic russet potatoes

1 1/2-2 cups of half & half

1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 tsp. of finely chopped garlic (I got the kind in the jar to save time on the busy holiday!)

Cook potatoes (I leave half the skins on) and drain. Mash up, set aside.

In a small saucepan cook the half & half & garlic, stirring constantly for about 5-7 min. Add into the potatoes with the Parmesan cheese. Add Earth balance spread, salt & pepper to your own preferred taste!

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Since Easter is this Sunday & my boys have lots of family, I’ve had numerous people ask me about what kind of gluten-free candy they can give Aiden. So, without hesitating, I said, “M & Ms, snickers & Peeps” because, well, those are the ones I know for sure are gluten free right now.

With manufacturers constantly changing their ingredients, not tough enough allergen labeling laws (they could be much better, in my opinion), I find myself constantly on the phone, tracking down gluten free products that aren’t specifically labeled “Gluten Free”! What a pain! With an almost 4 year old & a 10 week old, I don’t have the time to do that for every holiday! So, this year, instead of buying/researching/locating/calling different manufacturers in order to find some gluten free candy… why not buy healthier alternatives (which I’d rather Aiden have anyways) or make your own?

There are some great recipes & mixes for gluten free cookies (which you can put in cute decorative re-usable boxes) or some gluten free marshmallow/rice bars or some chocolate covered raisins (either done by you or boughten from a place like Trader Joes- who has gluten free chocolate covered raisins)?!

Now, I know that most people can’t bake or cook for others with Celiacs because of the cross contamination being an issue, so in that case, I would suggest even healthier alternatives like organic raisins, organic dried fruits, baking mixes to let the little ones make their own cookies (something Aiden loves to do), Ians gluten/wheat free cookie buttons or against all better judgement, PEEPS, since they so kindly put “gluten free” on their items… and let’s face it: what’s Easter without a little Peeps?!

Here’s a recipe for some Gluten Free Marshmallow/Rice Treats:

6 cups of gluten free brown rice cereal

1-1 1/2 10 oz. pkg. of large marshmallows (I use a little more than one bag because I like them chewier & the Kraft ones are Ok)

1/4 cup Earth balance butter spread

Melt butter & marshmallows in a pan over low heat until melted. Pour in rice cereal and mix. Pour into a dish that’s been buttered and let sit until cooled (unless you’re like myself and eat them warm!)

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Mmmmm, everyone loves a good batch of macaroni & cheese! I know it’s a favorite in my household! After numerous recipes and playing around with some, I finally came up with a recipe that’s a sure hit for any mac ‘n cheese lover! I’ve been making this for years for my boys! Enjoy…

MrsGlutenFree’s Homemade Mac ‘n Cheese

1- 1 1/2 bags of gluten-free macaroni pasta (I prefer the organic brown rice pasta)

1 lb. or a little less of organic medium cheddar cheese

half stick of organic butter or margarine

1 15oz can of evaporated milk

small organic yellow onion

1/4 cup of gluten-free bread crumbs

1 large organic egg

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pan, cook the pasta, drain and set aside (I try to time this so it only sits for no more than 3-4 minutes)

In a separate sauce pan, combine the milk, cheese & the butter. Stir until melted but make sure you continue to stir or the cheese will get lumpy. When it’s melted, add in the bread crumbs & the onion. Stir until mixed. Add this mixture into the pan with the already cooked pasta and add the egg… stir it all together gently. When that’s done, spoon it into a greased 9 x 12 (or whatever size you have) casserole dish, cover with foil and let cook about 15-20 min. Remove the foil and continue to cook for about 10 minutes or until you see the top start to brown. Remove and enjoy!

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It has been a couple days since I returned from the Natural Products Expo West and I still haven’t come down from the excitement. What a great day! Met lots of good people that are out there making the good gluten free foods we enjoy.I was there to meet the gluten free community, but there are sections serving every nook and cranny of the natural product industry. It is housed in the Anaheim Convention Center covering 5 halls.





I knew I was in for a great day when I came across this booth shortly after entering the convention center.





The Lesser Evil Brand Snack was not only a good product, but was also the most entertaining booth of the day. I had a nice conversation with Bill from Lesser Evil about their snack products. I really enjoyed the Classic Sea Salt Krinkle Sticks.
As someone with only a few months in the world of celiacs. There are some products that I’ve gravitated to because of their availability in our local Whole Foods. Brands like Glutino, Ian’s, and Amy’s were all in attendance. I had a nice chat with Clair from Ian’s about their two new products while enjoying some samples. The Mac and Non-Cheese and the Pasta with Meat Sauce were deicious and are sure to be big hits. I know our little guy, Aiden, will love them. Ian’s was sharing space with Glutino and I was able to sample some new pretzels from them. Folks, Glutino pretzels are the best pretzels in the world whether you are talking traditional preparation or not. Mrs Gluten Free and I will be receiving some samples in the weeks to come and you can expect a full review in the future.

After a brief stop in the Amy’s booth it was on to the most anticipated booth of the day for me. Our family has become very healthy since going gluten free and we enthusiastically embrace our new lifestyle, but we aren’t dead. We still love the occasional desert every now and again. The one gluten free desert maker that showed us that things were going to be OK was Pamela’s Products. I headed over there to see if there was a real Pamela. Guess what folks? There is indeed a real Pamela and she is the nicest lady!! I had a really great conversation with her. As Mrs. Gluten Free wrote about a couple days ago, Pamela sent me home with some cake from their anniversary cake and some new product for us to enjoy and review. I spoke with Pamela about putting an interview down on tape and she was excited about doing an interview for the podcast (that’s right folks, a podcast is coming). Here are some pics from her booth.





One of the big motivators for heading down to the show was to discover and talk with other, smaller gluten free food makers. Well, I consider that objective completed. One company that stood out was PatsyPie. I spoke with Pat Libling (Patsy Pie) and her husband out of Montreal, Canada. Pat along with her daughters have celiacs and they have been making gluten free cookies, biscotti, and brownies since the early 90’s. I only got to sample of their cookies and it was good. We hope to get some more product from them in the future for a more in depth review.I don’t know if this has been revealed yet, but I had a chance to speak with Rishi from Larabar and found out that they have a new children-targeted line of bars coming out. If you’ve never had a Larabar before you need to run out and get yourself two or three. We get ours at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Go ahead, I’ll wait………… see, aren’t they delicious. They are always such a test for me because I could sit and eat two or three at once.

Pizza dough is one thing we have yet to try and make. So far we have done the frozen pizza thing which is tough since we were big pizza fans. Not the big chain places, but the smaller family run pizzerias were the places we would order from. Now that we are settling into the lifestyle we feel ready to make our pies from scratch. I spoke with Cassidy from Bob’s Red Mill about getting some review products and one of those is going to be their pizza dough mix. Cassidy, like all the people I spoke with on Saturday, was really sweet and made the day one that I would deem a colossal success. I’m already planning next years trip.As I left, I snapped one last picture with my iPhone.

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Tags: gluten-free, expo, review

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Since, I’m a Mom & a bit of an eco-friendly nerd, I’m often asked about non-toxic cleaners. I’ve tried tons of them. I’ve ordered them online, gotten some from my local health food stores, made some of my own & I’ve gotta say, hands down that SunAndEarth.com products are my favorite! The all-purpose cleaner is amazing. It gets EVERYTHING super shiny clean! The laundry detergent is great, too! I can use it for all of the clothes in my entire family… great for baby clothes, too & its safe for (HE) washing machines! There isn’t a product of theirs that I don’t have or don’t use on a daily basis. It’s great that I don’t have to worry about my babies or dogs licking the ground after I clean! And another added bonus: it smells great and it’s gluten free!

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So, MrGlutenFree (otherwise known as my husband, Ryan) went to the Natural Health Expo in Anaheim, CA today… I didn’t get to go because I was at home with my boys, who happened to both have a cold! Among the exciting exhibits was the owner of Pamela’s Products, Pamela! Not only was she extremely nice & helpful (& she also happens to make the most amazing Dark Chocolate cookies) but she gave him an entire plate of their cake in celebration of their 20th year anniversary! As soon as MrGlutenFree brought the plate home, Aiden & I devoured a piece of the chocolate & a piece of the vanilla. Gluten free or not, this cake is the best! I can’t wait for our family & friends to sample some at Aiden’s b’day party (which happens to be in May!)

Soon to come… MrGlutenFree’s take on the expo!

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