These are a few of my favorite things...lately

I've neglected this little blog for a while now!
A friend of mine from work asked for some recipes/tips...she is having a GF relative visit next weekend and wants to be sure she is sufficiently prepared to feed him. I decided to take this opportunity to update this blog with some of my recent favorite GF finds and share them with not only her, but the rest of blog-land as well :).

1) Kinnikinnick Foods Inc. Personal Size Pizza Crusts
These things are AMAZING. They come in the freezer section a box of 4 and are DELICIOUS. They are easy to prepare...preheat oven to 375, then bake with your choice of favorite toppings for 10-15 minutes. The crust gets wonderfully crispy and has a great texture. These crusts would be great to have a "build-your-own-pizza" night with kids and grown-ups alike. They are also wonderful to have on hand for a quick, easy meal or snack. I enjoy them with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese...and sometimes pepperoni, yellow and red peppers, mushrooms....ANYTHING, really!
I found them at a Kroger in Peoria...however according to the Kinnikinnick website, they can be purchased online as well. Common Ground Grocer in Bloomington carries Kinnikinnick products, as does Naturally Yours...however I cannot vouch for the presence of this particular product at these grocery stores....worth calling ahead and checking into, if you are interested. If all else fails, they can be ordered from the website.


2) La Tortilla Factory Ivory Teff Wraps
DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS! My friend Jillian actually found these for me...and they are amazing! Another friend, Abbey, brought them to work for a Mexican potluck lunch since she saw them at Meijer (here in Bloomington) and saw that they were gluten free and that I would then be able to enjoy them! I have some wonderful friends :). These were a GREAT find. They are yummy both hot and cold...and are completely versatile. I pop them into the toaster oven with taco meat for an easy burrito (and then top with cheese/sour cream/lettuce, etc. after cooking in the toaster oven)...or enjoy them cold with a variety of sandwich toppings (Boar's Head meats are another one of my GF favorites...available at the deli counter at Kroger on College here in Bloomington)


3) Pamela's Products Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
I found this one at Meijer here in Bloomington. These are yummy, yummy cookies! My non-GF hubby, Jeremy, actually gobbled them up even faster than me! He's a big fan of chocolate chip cookies, and a big food critic ;)...so if he approves, they HAVE to be good! ;) They are easy to prepare...and delicious. Definitely recommend these for an easy dessert...and a fun one for kids to help prepare, too.



4) I've written about this one a lot...but it's a recipe my husband and I come back to ALL of the time....Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup....
As far as seasoning goes, I use McCormick brand taco seasoning. Many McCormick brand spices are gluten free....as listed in my gluten free grocery shopping guide, and cited on this blog.
I use Tostitos chips, Daisy sour cream, and Kraft shredded cheddar...all gluten free...for the topping of this soup.

5) Chex...
Check out the Chex GLUTEN-FREE section of their website for some AWESOME snack ideas.
YUMMY doesn't even begin to describe these recipes! I've tried a few...but I want to try them ALL! Happy Chex-mixing! :)

Time for bed....perhaps a post with more later this weekend. We'll see ;).

Top ten...

Here is a "top ten" list...that is ever-evolving:
The Top Ten things I have learned in the past 3.4 months (in no particular order!):

10. Hard boiled eggs are a wonderful protein-rich "staple" to have on hand in the refrigerator. Of course it can't hurt if they are organic/free-range eggs ;). I figured if I was eating more eggs, I should probably cough up the little extra to be sure I wasn't getting extra hormones and crap during the day.
9. Larabars are fantastic...and come in a variety of delicious flavors! Minimally processed, just a few ingredients (nuts! fruit!) in each...obviously gluten free, also non GMO, Kosher....many reasons to love them! My personal favorites are Cashew Cookie, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Key Lime Pie...and Jeremy loves the Cherry Pie ones (and I love that he eats them with me...instead of getting all of that nasty high fructose corn syrup in his old standby, Quaker granola bars!). I think the cheapest place here in Bloomington to find them is at Kroger on College ($1.49 a bar), but you can also get them at Naturally Yours and Meijer (they are around $1.69 at both of those places). In addition, you can also buy them in bulk at Amazon.com!
8. Favorite gluten-free and EASY breakfast...Stoneybrook Farms gluten-free low-fat vanilla yogurt with frozen berries on top. I buy the large containers and divide it into four servings and sprinkle frozen blueberries/raspberries/strawberries/blackberries on top. I send one serving with Jeremy when he leaves for work in the morning and I take one for myself. Sometimes we sprinkle nuts on top. Delicious...and healthy!
7. a gluten free grocery shopping guide is a necessity. The two that I own are available online:
Cecilia's Marketplace and
Triumph Dining
6. Don't make any assumptions. Don't assume things are gluten free without researching it(I made this mistake with a mocha at a deli...and paid for it later that morning in a small airplane bathroom). Don't assume people know what Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance is.
5. Be prepared for unsolicited advice (from people who have no idea what you are going through or what it is like or what the best thing to do in your situation is....as well-intentioned as they may be!)...and do your best to smile, nod (and ignore! HA!). They aren't being evil, they are trying to help...
4. Finding a polite way to explain your dietary restrictions in restaurants to waiters/waitresses is a must. It is SO uncomfortable for me to discuss these things and to be "different" or "difficult"...that I (as Jeremy informed me recently) sound really forced and rude. I am making an effort to make it a more light-hearted polite conversation....practice makes perfect!
3. The Gluten Free Bible by Jax Peters Lowell is a fabulous resource...and my favorite Celiac book I own so far! I love love LOVE it! She covers everything...from diet, to doctors, to dining out, to cooking/baking, to (yes, truly!) sex and fertility. She tackles all of these topics and more with a great sense of humor...she's a lady I would love to have a glass of wine with!
2. Jeremy told me tonight at dinner (after another conversation about something random screwing with fertility issues...my latest obsession)..."you need to stop worrying and start living"...I need to adopt that mantra and go forward with my life! The more I try to control everything in my life, the more I realize that I am not in control at all. After all, why are we really here at all...but to live?!
1. Life is good :). I have wonderful friends and family...and a husband who is more than I ever dreamed a husband could be, really. I have so many friends/family members who have gone out of their way to prepare gluten-free meals/snacks for me and to make sure I don't feel ostracised at get-togethers. It means the world to me, it really does. For some reason, in the midst of this craziness God is still good :).