Gluten Free Quiche, Brownies and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

First let me say that no one in my family is starving or even the least bit underweight. Our bmi's are all normal or in the shameful overweight numbers.  My family is not going hungry because they eat gluten free a lot of the time. That being said, my daughter, at first, refused to try the quiche this evening because it has greek yogurt in it.  I used Namaste gluten free Biscuits, Piecrust and More mix.  Which cost about nine dollars for 48 ounces.  The piecrust was easy to make with olive oil and water.  I patted it into the pie plate till it was pretty thin. 
The quiche ingredients are as follows.

7 large eggs
3 cups of mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup of plain greek yogurt
1 package real bacon bits
1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion bits
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

Mix it all together and pour into the pie plate with the gluten free crust in it.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or so. Voila! Quiche!

I thought it was really good. The crust was a little crumbly but not too noticeable. My 19 year old son ate seconds.  And (wait for it!) my fourteen year old daughter finally tried a little bit and.......will wonders never cease!!!!!  She liked it! 

http://www.namastefoods.com/  This is their website.

The brownies were as big a hit.  I used a recipe on the back of Hodgson Mill's Gluten Free Baking Mix.  I ended up using a 1/4 cup more sugar and cocoa with olive oil instead of unsweetened chocolate (didn't have any on hand). 

http://www.hodgsonmillstore.com/

This is their website...and this is one of the brownies I made.

They were yummy!


Some of you may think I am wasting money and effort trying to find food and recipes that both I and my gluten eating family can share.  There are a couple of reasons why I do it.  For the most part it's cheaper if I find as many products that we can all eat.  And it's easier on me if I just have to fix one meal for the family.  Besides being a Celiac I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  Not sure why God chose to bless me with both issues but I'm learning to deal with my health challenges as best as I can. 
Being able to cook for myself and my family at the same time with as little extra work as possible can make a big difference in whether I am in bed at eight o'clock in the evening or enjoying time with my family.  And, most of the time, I'd like to be with my family.

So I keep on looking for easy and not too expensive gluten free options that we can all enjoy.

Till next time have a wonderful gluten free day and God Bless!

Gluten Free Oatmeal and Some New Gluten Free Purchases

I found these two gluten free items at Mama Jeans in Springfield, Missouri.  This is a health food or whole food store about 45 minutes from where I live.  They have a really good selection of gluten free items.  I haven't tried the Namaste Baking Mix yet but I tried the Canyon Bakehouse 7 Grain Bread and it is very good.  I ate a piece right out of the bag and it was moist and very flavorful.  It was a little over five dollars for the loaf which makes me just a little sad but I am freezing it (okay hiding it) so that my family will leave it alone. 

I also bought some gluten free oatmeal today and made oatmeal muffins with the Domata Living Flour.  The rolled oats were very reasonably priced and the muffins turned out quite well.  Very moist.  Kind of a relief because I tried the Domata in a brownie recipe and I wasn't as impressed.  The brownies didn't fluff up at all and were really wet. 

If you don't have a health food store in your area, there are good buys at Wal-Mart.  Progresso makes several gluten free soups.  http://progressosoup.com/soup.aspx  This is the site for the list of gluten free soups.

Wal-Mart also carries Bisquick gluten free which is a really good pancake and biscuit mix. 

And there are packaged meats by John Soules sold at Wal-Mart.  These are gluten free and reasonably priced. http://www.johnsoulesfoods.com/gluten-free.php

I'm still planning to try the Arrowhead Mills pizza mix but even Celiacs can have weight issues.  I'm saving my pizza for the weekend and I will probably use turkey pepperoni and lowfat mozzarella.  Sigh!

Till next time, have a good day and God Bless!

If It's Gluten Free Does it Automatically Make it Okay to Eat?!

When I first suspected I was a Celiac I was almost obese.  Part of the reason was my strong cravings for bad carbs.  Even when I lost some weight the urge to choose a heavy carb over a healthier choice was still there.  Since going gluten free I still have the desire to hit the carbs but it's not quite as strong.  Yet it's still there.

Most of the time I try to eat my veggies, drink my juice and choose lean meats. The gluten free bread mixes I have been testing are not an every day menu item, for me anyway.  Once or twice a week I treat myself to gluten free pizza, biscuits or something like that.  I love my gluten free bread but just because something is gluten free doesn't mean it's okay to eat it all the time. 

Which brings me to my next point.  I fixed a turkey and tomato salad with a little mozzarella and parmesan today (trying to lose weight).  I used my Grandessa Three Cheese salad dressing from Aldi's.  Gluten Free is listed on the bottle.  But I didn't check my ingredients on my lunch meat till about half way through the salad.  It was Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Turkey. This is a Kraft product. According to their website it is free of wheat, barley and rye.  And they are specific about the ingredients that are listed on their packages.  Probably more so than they are actually required to be.

A:

We understand how important it is for people who have been medically diagnosed with gluten sensitivity to have accurate information about foods to help plan their meals and diets. Therefore, it has been a long standing policy for all Kraft and Nabisco products to list ingredients that contain gluten on the ingredient statement. These items will be listed using commonly known terms such as Wheat, Barley, Oats or Rye. For other ingredients that contain gluten, the grain source will be declared in parenthesis after the ingredient name. For example, if the ingredient "natural flavor" contains a gluten source, the label would read: natural flavor (contains rye). Other ingredients that contain gluten are: Triticale, Spelt, Kamut, Mir or Farina (also known as Far or Farro). For Kraft-branded products that contain vinegar, information from our vinegar suppliers assures us that the vinegar we use in our products is gluten free. All vinegar is distilled and through the distilling process protein gluten is removed. If you have additional questions about your personal dietary needs, please consult your doctor or a registered dietician. Lastly, here's a link for more information on Choosing Gluten Free Foods: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/healthy-living-ideas/articles/food-allergies/glutenfreefoods.aspx.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/healthy-living-ideas/articles/food-allergies/glutenfreefoods.aspx

This link give more information about gluten and their products.

So...eat gluten free but eat healthy and God Bless!

Recipe for Gluten Free Sausage Balls

The Bisquick folks came up with this recipe for Gluten Free Sausage Balls which my daughter dearly loves. The recipe calls for Bisquick Gluten Free Mix of course but other than that is your usual ingredients.  I changed my recipe a little bit and it still turns out really good.  So here goes...

3/4 cup Bisquick Gluten Free mix
4oz. bulk pork sausage (the original recipe calls for 4 oz but I do better with 8 or even more ounces)
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (sometimes I add more cheese)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried rosemary leaves crushed (I skip this ingredient)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup milk
2 tbp parsley (I usually don't use this either instead I usually add a little seasoned salt...personal preference)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together.  Form into approximately one inch balls and place on a greased or sprayed pan.  Bake about 22 to 25 minutes.  Great with barbque or sweet mustard sauce. 

A couple of things I added in parentheses that I do different are just my personal choice.  I like more meat and cheese.  The recipe works with the extra ingredients for me.  But you might want to stick with the original recipe. 

Here's the link to the recipe and others.  http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/bisquick/glutenfree

Also I am checking on some barbecue sauces for easy gluten free options. 

I did check Heinz Ketchup's website and the ketchup is gluten free so homemade barbecue sauce is a possibility. 

KC Masterpiece's website is kind of vague on their gluten free sauces.  Basically they are saying that they are very specific about ingredients in their sauces but won't go as far as to say they are gluten free.

I have emailed Jack Daniels Barbecue sauce company about any gluten free products.  Should hear back from them today or tomorrow.

Country Bob's (one of my personal favorites) All Purpose Sauce is gluten free per their website!!!!!

Here is the link to that.  http://www.countrybobs.com/products/all-purpose-sauce.html

So we have Heinz Ketchup and Country Bob's for certain per their website.  I'm pretty sure the two mixed together with some brown sugar, chili seasonings and garlic powder would make a pretty good barbecue sauce. 

If I hear back from the Jack Daniels Barbecue sauce folks I will post it cuz it used to be one of my favorites.

Still need to try Domata's and the Arrowhead Mills products.  I'll get to that this week. 

Till then have a good day and God Bless!

Shopping for Gluten Free Stuff!

I got more gluten free goodies to show.  And I tried the Udi's Hamburger Buns last night. 

These are the goodies I got yesterday.  The first three photos are items that came from Aldis and are all gluten free.  The last photo are items from Wal-Mart. 
The prices at Aldis were great as usual.  This helps to offset the prices of the three items from Wal-Mart.  I've mentioned the Heartland Gluten Free pasta before.  It tastes really good and the price is just a little above two dollars.  The crackers were about three dollars for a small box, but if I can keep my family out of them, they should last a couple of weeks.  The pizza crust mix (yes another pizza crust mix to try) was a little over three dollars.

On to the Udi's Hamburger Buns...Drumroll Please!!!!!
I toasted the bun, cooked my burger with cheddar cheese on top and sauteed some onions.  With mustard, ketchup and a Diet Dr. Pepper, well, it was about the best cheeseburger I've ever had!  I don't know if it was because I haven't had one in a long time or the toasted bun or what but it was great!  Here is their website. http://udisglutenfree.com/products/
The cost of the buns on the website is more than what I paid but I got mine on sale.  They are a little pricey.  You only get four buns for over four dollars.  If there are several Celiacs in the household this could get really expensive really quick. 
They also sell sandwich bread, pizza, granola and other gluten free items.  I've tried the sandwich bread and it's pretty good and will go further than the hamburger buns. 

I promise I will make something with the Domata's Living Flour today or tomorrow.  Not sure what yet.  But I'm going to try one of my pre-Celiac recipes to find out if the flour really can be used  in any regular recipe in a cup for cup exchange. 

So eat well, eat gluten free and God bless your day!

Gluten Free Cosmetics - Merlot Skin Care Products

First let me apologize if I ramble sometimes.  My very sweet husband mentioned my rambling habits the other night (bless his pointy little head).  So if I take the long way around the barn occasionally forgive me please.
A few posts ago I mentioned grape seed oil extract as a moisturizer.  Merlot is a company that manufactures grape seed oil extract along with a line of face/body cleansers and moisturizers.  My husband bought the cleanser and moisturizer for me a couple of weeks ago but I was afraid to use either till I checked out the ingredients. I emailed them last night about any gluten in their products.  First thing this morning I got a response...

Dear Tammy,
   This is a question I put to our chemist recently and I was happily informed that, yes, Merlot products are gluten free.
mab
I would put the entire email in this post but blogger wouldn't let me publish the post with the addresses today.  Not sure whats up with that!

merlotskincare.com   This is their website if you want to check them out. 

And here is a really bad photo of the cleanser and moisturizer I can now safely use.

Next up is the Udi's hamburger buns I purchased yesterday.  On the menu for tonight.  Also I'm going to Aldi's this afternoon.  Hopefully I will be bringing home some more inexpensive gluten free goodies. 

And one more thing.  My husband informed me last night that we've tried Domata's Living Flour before.  My Bad!  I've tried a lot of gluten free items in the past and sometimes I forget.  Evidently it was pretty good because he didn't sneer when he mentioned it.  I'll be trying it again in the next few days with good results hopefully!

Have a great day and God bless!

Trying Some New Gluten Free Items!!!

I was in a long line at T.J. Max when I spied a package that had 'gluten free' listed on the front.  My eyes seem to zero in on those two little words no matter where I'm at.  It was a package of Popcorners White Cheddar Popcorn Chips.  Since they were only $1.49 I picked up a bag. If the chips tasted awful it wouldn't be too big a waste of money.  And I hate to say this, but sometimes gluten free stuff tastes really bad.
By the time I finished half the bag (yes I'm very ashamed) I was a very happy Celiac.  These were great! 
They were thin and crispy and oh so tasty!  There are several different flavors besides the White Cheddar I've tried.  They have a website...Popcorners.com....and there are several online retailers that carry this product also. 

My next stop was Mama Jeans Health Food Store.  I found these hamburger buns on sale for $3.84.  I know that's not a bargain but I was desperate for a hamburger on a a real bun.  Haven't tried them yet.  I"ll probably toast them when I do since they are kind of close to their expiration date (they're in the freezer till d-day). 

This was my last gluten free purchase.  Domata Living Flour is an all purpose gluten free flour with the xanthan gum already mixed in. The small package, 22 ounces, cost about $3.65 at the health food store. I haven't tried it yet either but it's supposed to be a cup for cup exchange in recipes.  We'll see.
Sometimes it's difficult to live gluten free but it's not impossible.  And if you're a Celiac and you don't follow a gluten free diet you're asking for some major health issues.  So eat well but eat gluten free!

Celiacs and Dermatitis Herpetiformis

When my physician told me I might have Celiacs a few years ago, I didn't have health insurance, so the expensive test was out of the question.  I toyed with a gluten free diet for quite awhile.  I would eat gluten free for a few weeks then get tired of it and go back to eating like the rest of the world.  Until I started breaking out in itchy, stinging blisters on my face.  They were mostly around my nose and mouth area.  I was miserable.  At first I thought it was poison ivy but no amount of Calamine lotion helped.  After some research I figured out I had Dermatitis Herpetiformis.  This can be an ugly side effect of Celiac disease.  Not only was it because of my diet but my face lotion had wheat starch in it.  After about of two weeks of no gluten in my food or face lotion, it cleared up. 
Now I either use Dove or Ivory soap in the shower.  My face is another matter altogether.  I'm a middle aged woman with dry skin.  I need my moisturizer!  Most of the time I use grape seed oil extract or coconut oil with vitamin e.  The grape seed oil extract isn't quite as greasy.  But it's also more expensive.  My last bottle of coconut oil cost two dollars at Dollar General Store.  The grape seed oil is normally ten dollars or more and not in any of my local stores.  I either have to get it online or make a trip to Springfield which is almost an hour away. 
Next on my list of foods to try is Domata Living Flour.  It's supposed to be a cup for cup replacement for wheat flour.  In other words, I can use my old gluten recipes with this flour.  I may even try fried chicken and gravy! Mmmmmmm!

Another Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix!!!

Endeavoring once again to create a gluten free pizza my family will not only eat but ask for again, I bought a box of Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix.  At about $4.50 for the box, the price was higher than regular pizza crust mix but not too horrible.  Or maybe I'm just getting used to paying more for gluten free products.  Anyway, I warned my family Saturday that it was gluten free pizza experiment night.  They didn't get excited but at least they didn't groan and moan this time.  For that I am grateful.

The ingredients were all items I had on hand and the instructions were easy to follow.  This is what the dough looked like after I mixed it all together. It was a little sticky so I used some rice flour when I patted it down onto my greased pan.  I also used a long cookie sheet instead of two round pizza pans.  That was probably an error on my part. The crust wasn't quite as crispy as we like but I think it was just because I didn't leave it in the oven long enough.  Four or five more minutes next time should do it.

This is what it looked like.  Not bad for gluten free pizza!  The taste and consistency of the crust was really good. I may have found a crust my family will enjoy.  Even my husband gave it a thumbs up!  Yay!

I"ll probably keep checking out different pizza crust mixes along the way but this one is definitely a winner! 

Next I am going to try Hodgson Mill Baking Mix.  I picked up a box along with the pizza crust.  It was under four dollars for the box so that is a plus.  And it already has the xantham gum in it which is great since xantham gum is so darned expensive. 

Just one more thing, about once a week or so I am faced with eating out.  This can be a challenge for Celiacs but I have researched several restaurants in my area and managed to come up with some options.  It's not perfect because there's always the chance of cross contamination.  I don't care how careful a restaurant claims to be there's always that chance.  But here are a couple of suggestions...Qdoba has some great gluten free options one being the Naked Chicken or Steak Burrito.  It's prepared with rice instead of the tortilla. 
Also Subway has some salad options that are good for those of us on gluten free diets.  I usually choose the Chicken and Baby Spinach Salad. 

If anyone has any restaurants they can recommend, let me know. 

Till my next gluten free meal, take care and God Bless!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

When I started cooking gluten free one of the things I missed most was chocolate chip cookies.  I used to be quite the baker (okay it shows in my waistline) but after going gluten free a lot of my baking came to an abrupt halt.  A year or so ago a man posted a vague peanut butter cookie recipe.  He basically mixed peanut butter, sugar and egg together to make cookies.  I started with that thought and came up with the following recipe. 
1 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips together.  Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cooking sheet.  Top each cookie with several chocolate chips.  Bake for about 8 minutes. 
Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet (sometimes they can be a little crumbly).  This recipe makes about 12 to 16 good sized cookies.  You can double the recipe if you need more.

Please note that the chocolate chips and peanut butter I used were gluten free according to the labels.  I found both at Aldis.
I think this recipe tastes better than regular peanut butter cookies.  They are moist and chewy.  And my family loves them!

Heartland Fusilli and Cooking For My Family

A couple of years ago I was checking out a gluten free blog and I ran across a woman who was upset because she had to cook for herself and her gluten loving family.  The general consensus was that the rest of the family needed to buck up and eat what she ate.  I agree with this to an extent.  Last night I fixed Chicken Alfredo with gluten free noodles and my family loved it!  It was the Heartland brand Fusilli noodles.  They are very tasty and cook very easily.  The only drawback I could see was they are made with corn and rice so if you are allergic to corn this is not a good option for you.  Otherwise they are about the best gluten free noodles I've ever had. 
But there are times when I have to cook gluten free for me and a regular meal for my family. It doesn't happen very often because I try very hard to prepare what we can all eat.  If there is an occasion when I have to fix something I can't eat I make sure I have something to eat too.  If it's cheeseburgers and I don't have any gluten free buns on hand, I eat mine plain with a side of rice or potatoes.  If it's oriental take-out, which my family loves dearly, I have homemade stir fry or chicken fried rice I've made myself.  There are gluten free soy sauces out there.  Check your labels. 
Not sure what's next on the gluten free list but I have to go to the city tomorrow so I'll pick up something from the health food store to try.

Chebe Pizza Crust MIx

I fixed gluten free pizza last night with Chebe's pizza crust mix, Classico pizza sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni.  The Classico is great and gluten free according to their web site.  I asked my husband and kids to rate the pizza from 1 to 5, with 5 being best.  My son who is normally my picky eater gave it a 4.5, surprise surprise!  My daughter gave the crust a 3.5 because she liked the pizza I made a few weeks ago better.  Since I'm not sure what crust mix I used then it's kind of a moot point.  My husband gave it a 3 because I didn't make it thin enough.  I gave it a 4 out of 5 because it was really easy to make and tasty but the instructions said to put it in an ungreased pan.  The crust stuck a little so next time I'm going to spray the pan with cooking spray.  Would I buy it again?  Yes.  But I would make a couple of changes (thinner and spray the pan). 
I have also used Chebe's bread mix.  I liked it for sandwiches but my daughter loved it!  It's also reasonably priced and simple to put together.
Next on my list of gluten free items to try....Heartland Gluten Free Pasta.  Walmart has it and it's only a little over two dollars a package. 

This has nothing to do with gluten free but I feel like I need to mention it.  I have two dogs, a Cairn Terrier and a West Highland Terrier.  My Cairn kept getting sick with a hacking cough and diarrhea.  My Westie didn't have the cough but had terrible diarrhea.  I did some checking and their dog treats came from China.  If you'll check the internet there's been some issues with the treats manufactured in China so I switched them to homemade dog treats or chewies from the United States only and the diarrhea is gone.  The cough is much better although not completely gone yet.  I'm not saying all the treats manufactured in China are an issue but it scared me enough that I am very careful what I give my dogs now.

Making Gluten Free Pizza and Shopping at Aldi's

I bought a box of Chebe Gluten Free Pizza Mix at an area health food store (if driving forty miles can be considered local).  The instructions to make the crust look pretty easy and the ingredients needed are stock items so I"ll be making it for dinner this evening.  Hopefully my loving family won't make gagging noises or ask for a can of soup instead. 
If there was any way I could have avoided this I would have. But finances took a down turn and to save money I started shopping at Aldi's. If you have one in your area you probably know that it's a low cost self serve grocery store.  I wish I had started shopping here sooner.  Their ingredients labels are very clear and they are very good to label "gluten free" and "lactose free" on a lot of their products.  They even have a frozen meat dish by Bremer that is gluten free.  There are six mcribs with sauce in the container.  Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes and my family thinks they're getting a treat! 
I also got two packages of rice crackers a couple of weeks ago from Aldi's.  The only problem is that some items are seasonal or a one time thing.  Which was the case for the rice crackers. 
Just remember to take a quarter to put into the cart (you'll get it back when you turn the cart back in) and your own grocery bags.  They charge a nickel or dime per bag. 
I"ll post a photo of the pizza and give it the Robert's family rating in the morning. 

What's a Celiac to Eat?!!!

I found out a couple of years ago I have Celiac's.  This is an autoimmune disorder that causes issues with my digestive system.  My body reacts badly to wheat, barley and rye.  Barley and rye are not too hard to avoid but wheat is sooooo difficult.  Wheat starch is in so many food items.  It comes under the guise of hydrolyzed vegetable protein, modified food starch, Triticum....anything, durum....the list goes on. 
Labels are supposed to be clear when wheat is present, however, there are times when cross contamination comes into play so I try very hard to read my labels and if an item says it is processed in a factory that also processes wheat...well, sometimes I take my chances. 
On the bright side I have found items I really like that are gluten free.  Bisquick makes a gluten free baking mix.  Of course it's more expensive than the regular baking mix (everything gluten free is more expensive) but I use it for pancakes and biscuits.  And my kids love the pancakes!  I have also made oatmeal muffins with Bisquick (oatmeal is not an issue for me) that disappear almost as fast as I can make them. 
The only recipe I have tried that didn't turn out like I wanted was their Bisquick pizza crust.  It wasn't as crispy and tasty as it needed to be.  AND since my gluten loving husband (whiney man) says I have ruined pizza for him now that I only fix gluten free pizza, I really need to find a good pizza crust mix that's gluten free.
So for the next few weeks I am going to try any and every gluten free pizza crust mix I can get my hands on.  Starting with Chebe Pizza Crust Mix.  Maybe at some point I will find a mix that my dear (whiney man) husband likes too.
If anyone is reading this they can check back Wednesday cause I'm going to try Chebe's out tomorrow night.  Wish me luck!