I pretty much hit the jackpot today at the grocery store. I go in for a bell pepper and 3 hours later I emerge with Nathan’s Famous Beef Franks and (almost) the original Nacho Cheese Doritos… both Gluten-Free! This is exactly why Mike does most of the grocery shopping in our house… I could be there for hours on a GF Scavenger Hunt!

This find was particularly fabulous and ironic all at the same time. While I have never been a big Doritos eater (I am a Cape Cod 40% Reduced Fat Kettle Chips gal to be specific), Sam and Mike used to love them. I have been tinkering for weeks, trying to make a copycat “red bag” Doritos seasoning so I could make my own. I’m not kidding either, I have even been dehydrating tomatoes to make tomato powder because I saw it on the ingredient label! Came close, but no cigar.

So, as I was walking down the chip aisle, my eye caught the Baked! Doritos in the Nacho Cheese flavor. I had not seen these before (remember, I do not usually go to the grocery store), so I thought I would take a look. After reading the label 3 or 4 times (and darn near fainting), I decided to buy the bag, then go home and check it out before telling my guys. I knew it had to be a mistake!

Well, it was not a mistake, they are indeed gluten-free! Click here to go to the Frito Lay website page with the information.

The flavor is identical to the original Nacho Cheese Doritos. The texture is definitely different, very similar to the other Baked! chip products, but they are still really good. Not to mention the fact that they are not as bad for you as the original version!

We have been using the Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Fast Food French Fries, which are gluten free, for a few months now when I need to grab something that looks “authentic” for Sam and Luke’s occasional “Happy Meal” treat. Normally, I like to bake my own potato wedge-style fries, with the skin still on, but they do not work very well in the McDonald’s french fry sleeve!

Click here for a complete list of Ore-Ida’s Gluten Free Frozen Potato Products.

Click here for a complete list of Ore-Ida’s Vegan Frozen Potato Products.

I have also read reviews on various websites regarding McCain’s 5 Minute Fries, which a lot of reviewers seem to prefer over Ore-Ida. I have not tried them yet but will be on the lookout next time I need frozen fries. Sam and Luke used to enjoy the SMILES when they were in the early days of eating (maybe a better word would be gumming). The Baby Cakes are also pretty good.

Click here for a complete list of McCain’s Gluten Free Frozen Potato Products.

Click here for a complete list of McCain’s Dairy Free Frozen Potato Products.

I also wanted to share our favorite ketchup by 365 Organic which is available at Whole Foods Market. Growing up, I did not like ketchup at all and I would dip my fries in BBQ sauce instead. After trying organic ketchup a few years ago, I was surprised by how much I really liked it. In my opinion, I think organic ketchups are far superior in taste to their conventional counterparts. They have a more authentic and rich tomato flavor that does not leave a high-fructose corn syrup “feel” in your mouth. (OK, I have to sneak this in here (this is why I went several days without making a post, I got totally absorbed by an unexpected education on the food industry, it is alarming): Mike and I watched a documentary a few days ago called King Corn, and I highly recommend it! I think we all should know more about where our food comes from, especially with the growing concern over antibiotic resistant infections. It is available on NetFlix. Another great, eye-opening film is Food, Inc.)

I have purchased both the national brand organic ketchups and various store brand organic ketchups in the past and I think they all taste great. I buy several bottles of the 365 Organic at a time because the nearest Whole Foods is about 30 minutes away, but I do believe the last time I stocked up, they we’re only about $1.79/ea. (or something close to that).

This is so exciting! Even though I have never actually had a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog before, I have wanted to try one ever since I knew that I couldn’t! Am I the only one who thinks that way?

I read about this last night but could not find any information to verify it so I held off making a post until I knew for sure, so I sent the company an email. I haven’t heard back from Nathan’s yet, but as luck would have it… when I was at Smith’s (grocery store) today and took a look at the package…there it was GLUTEN FREE right on the front!!

Okay, I just had one for dinner. I think this just might be the best hot dog I have ever had!

These would be great to have for the Super Bowl! Mighty tasty with an ice cold REDBRIDGE GF beer!

The hot dog trays you see have been our version of a bun since we have yet to find a good gluten-free hot dog bun (I am anxiously awaiting for Udi’s to roll out GF hot dog and hamburger buns!!). I found these in the dollar bin at Target a few years ago but I have seen them each year since. I think they come out near the 4th of July so keep an eye out!

I love these quick and easy breakfast bars. I have been making these for about 10 years, ever since I found the recipe when I went to Weight Watchers years ago to lose those unwanted Freshman 15 I gained when I went to college. Only 4 ingredients that you can easily modify to meet your specific dietary needs.

Power Sticks

1/2 cup Chunky Peanut Butter (I use Jif Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, but SunButter would be a great alternative if you have a peanut or tree nut allergy. I want to try this with Almond Butter.)

3 Tbs. Honey (I use local honey that I buy at Whole Foods, and I am excited to try this using my father-in-law’s honey after he gets his hives!)

2/3 cup Crushed Corn Flakes (Erewhon and Nature’s Path make gluten-free corn flakes, but my new favorite is by CerealVit, and there are only 3 ingredients in it! To add variety, try using other cereals too!)

1/3 cup Nonfat Dry Milk Powder (could use a non-dairy powdered milk too)

• Mix everything together in a bowl. Form into 6 sticks and wrap individually in wax paper.

• I store mine in an airtight container in the freezer.

Here is a clip from a local (Albuquerque, NM) family’s holiday light display, The  Speake Family Christmas. We went to see it tonight and all Luke could say was,  “O.H. M.Y. G.O.S.H…,  O.H. M.Y. G.O.S.H!…” To hear a 2 year old scream out “Oh my gosh” is hysterical. All Mike and I could say was, “WHEN did he learn that phrase??”

Donations are being accepted for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I cannot think of a better cause. If you are able, please consider making a donation. If a monetary donation is not possible this year, a prayer for all of these families would certainly be greatly appreciated.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aI-7wmJ4eM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1]

Last year, my sister told me about a website that “tracks Santa” on Google Earth. It is a really cool website for kids and parents alike, as it really connects to the kid in all of us. We are tracking Santa this year so Sam wanted to make sure all of his gluten-free friends out there knew about this too!

Track Santa on NORAD! http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html

Sam also wanted to share the bag of Reindeer food that he brought home from school last week. We will be putting the food for Santa’s reindeer out on our front lawn tomorrow night, on Christmas Eve!

I would like to take a moment and say thank you to everyone who visits our blog and leaves comments, makes suggestions and so on. We really do think of you all as our friends, even if we have never met. I like to think of it as you and I sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee and sharing recipes and stories. The gluten-free lifestyle can be overwhelming and isolating (at least in the beginning) as we adjust to a new way of living. Being a part of our online gluten-free community has helped me and my family immensely, and I thank and appreciate each and every one of you for that.

We wish you all a very happy, healthy and (celiac) safe holiday! See you in 2010!

Love,

Heidi, Mike, Sam and Luke

I am very excited about this product. So much so, I just may have to go buy myself an Easy Bake Oven! Seriously, I bought the Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery as a gift to myself for my birthday!

It was actually after my review of the Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery that I was asked if I was interested in reviewing a gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free, kid-friendly baking mix that can be used in a toy oven as well as the regular oven. How cool is that?! It actually makes me misty eyed. I LOVED my Easy Bake Oven when I was a little girl. When Sam was diagnosed with CD, I couldn’t help but think of all the things I would have had to miss out on as a child (had I been diagnosed much earlier), and one of those things would have been my toy oven. I really believe my love and passion for cooking started way back then. Had I not been able to have my Easy Bake Oven, who is to say I would be sitting here today writing this gluten-free food blog??

Anyway, I received two complimentary mixes by Gluten-Free Essentials to sample and review on my blog. I baked these in a regular oven since I no longer own an Easy Bake Oven. The Girl Gourmet Cake Bakery was out because it “bakes” the cake in the microwave and not with a light bulb. I actually thought I would try these out in Sam’s Star Wars Creepy Crawler Oven since it uses the same principle of “baking by light bulb,” but unfortunately, it uses molds and I do not have a baking pan small enough to fit in the oven! The good thing though is that an Easy Bake Oven is not required to bake these mixes, so they are great for kids of all ages, even older kids who want to get in the kitchen.

So, we assembled the ingredients, made a huge mess along the way and before you knew it, we were pulling Sam and Luke’s Fudge Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies out of the oven. They were so proud of their baked goods that Sam exclaimed, “Move over mom, it’s time for Adventures of a Gluten Free Sam!”

“Oh yeah? You know that means you will have to do all of the clean up too.”

Sam’s response? Pretty much the very same look that was captured in the boy’s photo with Santa Claus this year:

So it seems, for now anyway, I still get to be “Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom.” LOL!

Anyway, we gave the Gluten Free Essentials Speedy Bakes mixes for kids 2 thumbs up. 1 thumb just for the fact that they are making the Easy Bake Oven a possibility for a lot of children with dietary restrictions. They even have the CSA’s Seal of Approval. Check out their allergen statement (taken directly from the Gluten Free Essentials website):

GLUTEN FREE ALLERGY STATEMENT
Gluten Free Essentials is dedicated to manufacture products that are safe for
consumers with Celiac Disease as well as some of the major food allergies.
Our products are manufactured in a completely dedicated gluten free facility
and are totally free of wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Our facility is also Egg,
Casein, Lactose, Dairy, nut (peanut & tree) as well as soy free. (The one
exception is that products made with chocolate chips do contain Soy Lecithin.)
We are inspected and registered in the State of Kansas, and do follow HACCP
(Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) procedures. These include
identifying critical points in production operations and food safety issues. This is
not a requirement for this type of business, but we feel that by following these
guidelines there will be no risk of cross contamination or any other issue
involving food safety.

P.O. Box 362, Clyde, Ks 66938           785-446-3639
Web: www.gfessentials.com    Email: glutenfreeessentials@yahoo.com

The other thumb is for the overall quality and taste of the products. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix had a lot more chocolate chips in it than I would have expected, especially for the price of only $2.99 per package. They actually cost less than the gluten-containing Easy Bake Oven refill mixes and you get a lot more mix! The brownies tasted great too, although I would probably say they were more cake-like in texture than actual brownies, but that did not matter one bit to the boys!

There is still some time left to go get an Easy Bake Oven before December 25th! Just remove the mixes that are included with the oven and order some Gluten-Free Essentials Speedy Bakes, there are 6 different mixes to choose from. The Easy Bake oven directions are on the back of the package as well as on the website: click here. WOO HOO!

This time last year when the stock market was cratering and we were tightening our belts, I really began to think about what true gift giving was about. In years past, for me it was all about the “stuff;” the toys, the gift cards, the jewelry, the power tools, etc. As with many things in life, it sometimes takes an outside force to move you out of your comfort zone and see the world in a new way, much like being diagnosed with celiac disease caused me to not only re-think gluten but the quality of our food in general. Crisis sometimes creates opportunity.

Last year, I made all of my Christmas gifts (with the exception of Santa Claus) because I felt the issues we were facing economically could be a great opportunity to “reset” my materialistic button. Most of us were in the same boat so there was no need to feel embarrassed if I gave someone an inexpensive homemade gift and they gave me a pricey gift. That was the rule, you can give a gift but it had to be homemade. I decided to fully embrace this opportunity because I love a challenge! What I did not expect was the pure joy and genuine “Christmas Spirit” that was all around us. I had so much fun that I decided to do it again this year!

When I was thinking of what I could make for my friends that was easy and inexpensive, I turned to beauty products. I love body scrubs but they can be pricey (I used to spend upwards of $40.00 for a container that would last me a week!) and they can contain all sorts of undesirables, especially for people with celiac disease* and other allergies.

*There is a lot of debate out there on whether or not topically applied gluten containing products (I am not including lipstick and lip balm in this statement. Anything that is put on the lips will inevitably be ingested so I ALWAYS make sure those products are gluten-free in our house) are absorbed into the skin and even if they are absorbed into the skin, does it cause intestinal damage to those of us with celiac disease? On one side, I am told by my GI doctor that as long as I do not eat my shampoo, etc. then it cannot harm me. On the other side, I read all of the information online that says otherwise. So which is it??

Like most things with celiac disease and the gluten-free life, there is not really a definitive answer to that question yet. What it comes down to is personal choice and risk. Gluten-Free does not necessarily “mean free of gluten” anyway. If 20 ppm is the proposed maximum limit a product can contain of gluten to be considered gluten-free (it was 200 ppm when I was diagnosed 5 years ago), is that 20 ppm per day? Per serving?  What if I eat 5 different products that each contain 10 ppm of gluten, have I just consumed 50 ppm of gluten? What will that do to me over time? I don’t know, but this is why I like to try and eliminate some risks when I can. Click here for a list of gluten-containing cosmetic ingredients that you can print and take to the store with you.

So… what is a girl to do with all of this information and feeling the effects of a lighter pocketbook? Make her own body scrubs! I made a bunch of these to give as gifts this holiday season. My friends and family have loved them and the fact that I took the time to make a gift, rather than simply buy one, has almost put some people into shock. I must say, that feels pretty good. The following recipe is probably all stuff you can find in your pantry if you are in need of a last minute gift or just want to exfoliate!

Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub (I found this recipe on the Bath and Body Recipes website. I added my own notes in the recipe below)

1 cup Granulated Sugar (you can also use Sugar in the Raw, etc. I go through A LOT of this stuff, so I buy a big bag of granulated sugar at Costco)

1/4 cup Oil (the recipe recommends Pumpkin Seed Oil or Olive Oil. I used Safflower Oil but I think you can probably use whatever you want. Just remember it is going on your skin so unless you want to smell like a stir-fry, you might not want to use Sesame Oil, LOL!)

1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree (I used canned but you could also make your own)

1/8 tsp. ground Nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground Cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground Cloves

1/8 tsp. ground Allspice

1/8 tsp. ground Ginger

Mix everything together and store in a container. I like to store mine (not the scrubs I give as gifts) in empty butter tubs, large plastic pickle containers, etc. It is a good way to recycle used containers and if you drop it in the shower, it won’t break like a glass or acrylic container will (trust me, I learned the hard way!). To use: apply generously to clean skin, massaging gently in a circular motion, rinse with warm water then pat dry. Scrubs are great for exfoliating dry skin and the oil is a great moisturizer. I like to use these especially on my elbows, knees and feet, areas that are prone to dryness. Mike, Sam and Luke also like to use this on their hands. Luke usually just eats it, but that is okay, it is GF and all natural!

Check out this article titled “The Pampering Pumpkin” to read more on the skin benefits of pumpkin!

Note to Kim at Gluten-Free Is Life: Don’t pass out, I know how much you love pumpkin!

I got the idea for this the day I was working on my GF Rice Crispies post and dipping my Buckeyes in chocolate at the same time. A light bulb went off… I wonder how it would work out to make my own GF “Nestle Crunch” candy bar with chocolate and the Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice cereal?? All I needed was a candy bar mold to find out!

I have been collecting chocolate molds for a few years now, ever since Sam was about 2 and he had a little playmate with Eosinophilic Esophagitis. This boy had a very limited range of foods that he could eat, (as in, you could count them on 2 hands!). He had a feeding tube and his diet was supplemented with EleCare Formula through his tube. My heart really hurt for him, especially during holiday playgroups when special treats were present. This little boy could not have dairy but his mom would carry around a bag of Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips to give him as a treat. I presume they are safe for those on the dairy free diet plan because this mother was very thorough in researching foods that she gave her son. But as always, double check for yourself to be sure they meet your specific needs, a lactose intolerance is very different from a dairy allergy. There are specialty brands of Gluten-Free Dairy-Free chocolate chips but they can be harder to come by and can cost more too. A few websites to look at: Chocolate Emporium, Amanda’s Own Confections, Sunspire, and Enjoy Life. I mention this story about EE (Eosinophilic Esophagitis) for two reasons: one as a way to bring up why I started making chocolate treats but also because there is an apparent association between EE and celiac disease. I found this study on CSA’s website (they are great resource for ongoing studies related to celiac disease. They post the PubMed PMID number for the various studies so if you find one of interest, you can Google that number to read the study.) If you have a child with CD and they are not healing on the GF diet, this might be something you may want to mention to your doctor.

Spectrum Brand Shortening was also okay for him so I got the idea to buy various sucker molds, melt down the chocolate and pour them into the molds to make chocolate suckers. This way he could have his safe chocolate chips in a different shape and have a special treat of his own too. Click on this link for Candy making instructions when using chocolate chips.

For the candy bar that I made, I used Chocoley’s Bada Bing Bada Boom Candy Melts since that was what I had already made for my Buckeye Candy. If you can tolerate dairy, it is an excellent product and it happens to be “celiac-safe!”

There really isn’t a recipe for this, just a method:

This experiment was a great success (taste-wise anyway… now I need to work on the appearance, LOL!) Outside of the fact that the mold I used was probably twice the thickness of a Nestle Crunch candy bar (which if I am remembering correctly were/are pretty thin), we thought the taste was VERY CLOSE to Nestle’s version, just with a lot more chocolate. I decided to break the bars up into smaller pieces since a whole bar would be chocolate overload. I have been storing the pieces in an airtight container so we can just grab a small piece to satisfy our sweet tooth as needed.

The airtight container you see here was a bonus find on my trip to The Dollar Tree a few weeks ago to buy holiday gift containers. They are very similar to the Snapware containers that often retail for $5.99 each, but only cost a buck!

I found this the other day at my local Whole Foods. I used to love Nestle Crunch candy bars but they have gluten so they are off limits. I was really impressed with the overall flavor of the candy bar but I felt the “crisp” part, which is what I like, was severely lacking.

While we all liked the flavor of the dairy-free chocolate, I decided to try and make my own (although my version did contain dairy) to pump up the crisp portion of the candy bar. But if I were in a hurry or wanted a nicely wrapped package to give as a gift or put in a stocking, I would definitely buy this again.

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