National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

This cool organization dedicated to advancing Celiac research and awareness has gathered a lot of important info in one place.  Check it out at www.CeliacCentral.org.

V8 Fusion is a lazy way to be healthy

V8 has several flavors of their fusion drinks on the market.  All are gluten free.  Each 8 oz serving is 100 calories and contains a full serving of vegetables and a full serving of fruit. There is no added sugar or high fructose corn syrup and this drink is delicious.

I'm working on improving my GF diet to include more fruits and whole grains and I think this fits in nicely. If you look around, you can sometimes find deals on them at places like Sam's Club.  The cheapest we've found is two for $5.

Amy's has a great, gluten-free baked ziti

I tried this for lunch today, it was very scrumptious.  I was curious how the peas would work out, but they were delightful.  Check out more of their products on the Amy's Kitchen website.

Chick-fil-a has gluten info too

I promise this is not going to turn into a site all about fast food.  But in my search for on-the-go gluten-free and healthy food, I also turned up this gem on the Chick-fil-a website.  Can you imagine?  There's actually a tab for "Gluten Info."  Thank you Chick-fil-a.

Wendys.com - a great resource

I was looking up nutritional info on Wendys.com since I'm always on the lookout for gluten-free food I can get on the road and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they have both the calories and ingredients for every item on their menu in a cool interactive format.  

By the way, chocolate and vanilla frosties are totally gluten free!

Crunchmaster multi-grain crackers are fantastic!

Although I love Mary's Gone Crackers, sometimes they can be a bit too much.  A friend surprised me by bringing Crunchmaster's multi-grain crackers to a party.  They combine the whole grains that Mary's uses and embed them in a matrix of less-dense rice cracker.  This made a very satisfying and tasty cracker that was great with cheese and veggies.  From the website, it looks like they come in a variety of flavors.  These are definitely worth checking out.

Blackbird Bakery looks promising

There is a new gluten-free gourmet in the baking world.  I am very intrigued by the images on the site, which are gorgeous, but I wish there were a physical location for this Texas-based bakery. I'd rather not order frozen food.  Even so, I'm tempted to try some of these goodies!  Check out the site here.

The Gluten Solution

I was just emailed a press release about a new website called The Gluten Solution.  I'm somewhat intrigued.  They promise to keep on top of what common products are gluten free, help you eat out safely and find medical help.  I haven't joined, membership is free only temporarily, but even if it delivers half of what it promises, it might be worth checking out.

Hot lasagna tip!

A friend of mine recently made a scrumptious gluten-free lasagna and shared it with me.  Her secret to avoid rice noodles that fall apart? Don't pre-cook the noodles!  Her husband predicted it would be like eating italian food layered with taco shells, but it came out wonderfully.  

Nature's Path has a crunchy, new gluten-free cereal

Nature's Path has come up with a new gluten-free cereal called Whole O's.  It looks sort of like cheerios, but since it's made from rice and corn it tastes pretty different.  It is crunchy and doesn't get soggy in milk, unlike some other ring-shaped, gluten-free cereals on the market.  The best part is it's made from whole grain rice and doesn't use any artificial sweeteners. 

 Although their Mesa Sunrise continues to be my favorite, I'll definitely work this into my morning cereal rotation.

Read what another blogger had to say about Whole O's here.

Farmer's market fruit - naturally gluten free and scrumptious

On my way back from Mineral Wells State Park, I pulled over at the Weatherford Farmers Market and grabbed some tangerines and peaches.  It sounds obvious to say that fruit is gluten free, but it is sooooo tasty!  I'm eating two of the peaches today.

Clearly, Weatherford doesn't own the rights to good, fresh fruit, although their peaches are really excellent, so find a farmers market near you and take a field trip.  Even if fruit is not your thing, check out the veggies.  Also, many carry preserves or other minimally processed products often made by someone on site, so you can verify the gluten-freeness of the goods!

Weatherford Farmers Market

217 Fort Worth Hwy
Weatherford, TX 76086
(817) 599-4080‎

Chef at Five Sixty says gluten-free is no problem

Wolfgang Puck's new asian-influenced restaurant Five Sixty - so named because it is 560 feet in the air at the top of Reunion Tower - in Dallas is a four-star affair.  Expect to pay $70 per person including a beverage.  However, if you're looking for a gluten-safe night on the town, this could be your best bet.  Executive Chef Sara Johannes said any of the entrees could be made gluten free.

The restaurant has plenty of sushi, yakitori and fish, chicken and beef.  I couldn't find a vegetarian dish on the menu.  Many of Puck's other restaurants are found in the Triumph Dining guide.

300 Reunion Blvd. East

Dallas, TX 75207

(214) 741-5560

www.wolfgangpuck.com

Amy's has new Gluten-Free tamale dishes

Amy's new Cheese Tamale Verde wasn't half bad.  My favorite Amy's dishes are the GF lasagna and mac & cheese, but this was a nice change.  The rice was moist and flavorful.  A lot of frozen dinners can get too dry if you're not careful when you nuke them.

NEW Cheese Tamale Verde (9.0 ounces, SRP: $4.29)
Corn masa tamale filled with Monterey jack cheese and Anaheim chilies. Topped with an authentic verde sauce of organic tomatillos. Spanish rice made with organic brown rice and tender black beans are served on the side. Gluten free.

Ode to the natural foods section at the Kroger

OK, it's not really an ode.  Since I've been cutting back on expenses, I've been trying not to shop at so many specialty stores.  Surprisingly, the Kroger within walking distance to my house in Bedford at Central and Harwood has a fabulous natural foods section and I rarely have to go elsewhere.

I was initially miffed that they were reorganizing "my store," but after the renovations, I've  really grown to appreciate the fact that they've got all of the gluten-free and veggie items in one place.  It makes my shopping trips much faster.  Sometimes they even have samples of gluten-free items like nut thins and occasionally they have sales.  Which is more than I can say for many specialty stores.

So, I'm not sure if all Krogers are like this, I rarely stray from the one near me, but you guys in the area might want to check this one out!

Gluten Free Cafe is pretty yummy

Lately, when I go to the neighborhood Kroger I am amazed at the sudden profusion of Gluten-Free products.  I have to give myself a hard smack sometimes, though.  Just because something is gluten-free and vegetarian (my general preference) doesn't mean I should eat it.  I mean, you can't just throw out all that stuff about fat and sodium, etc.

However, last night I had to try Gluten Free Cafe's fettuccine alfredo.  It was 400 calories a serving, and I ate it with some pineapple on the side.  It was quite tasty and the portion size was adequate.  It had a fairly complex medley of cheeses and the rice noodles didn't fall apart after cooking.  I will definitely add this, at least occasionally, to the rotation!

It looks like Gluten Free Cafe is new to the market.  I look forward to seeing what else they come up with!

Secret Diary of a Call Girl bashed the gluten intolerant

OK, maybe this is just me being a little sensitive, but I love watching the Showtime series Secret Diary of a Call Girl and in the past week's opening, she kind of bashes girls with Gluten Intolerance, which I did not think was cool. 

I know, it was supposed to be a snarkily innocent opening.  The whole series is about a high-class prostitute named Belle. Anyway, so in the opening, Belle talks about why husbands/boyfriends would prefer spending time with her rather than their "real" girlfriends/wives.  

Belle says something to the effect of "Why would they want to live real lives with real problems like a girlfriend with a gluten intolerance."  That's not verbatim.  I don't remember all of it, just the last part!

Seriously people, thanks for kicking a girl who can't eat donuts  - or something.

Gluten-free for a cause - Project 7

A new company called Project 7 donates 50% of its profits to deserving causes.  Check out this video I made about them for the Star-Telegram.

 Happily, their vitamin and antioxidant-containing gum is gluten-free.  It comes in a variety of flavors.  They also sell bottled water and t-shirts.  To learn more about them, check out their website.  You can even go online and vote for which cause gets supported.

Ack, I got glutened

To be sociable, I went out to a cajun restaurant called Shuck N Jive in Dallas.  I did my normal interrogation of the waitress and we negotiated down to grilled chicken on iceberg lettuce with italian dressing that they swore contained no modified food starch.

In no way do I blame the restaurant for accidentally poisoning me.  I made the choice to eat at a place that specializes in fried foods and cuisine that is routinely dredged in flour.

Still, 20 minutes later, my stomach was making ominous gurgling noises that I couldn't cover up.  Luckily, I'd only eaten half of my food so it wasn't severe.  I don't know if the gluten was in seasoning on the chicken - no one ever really believes you want plain chicken because that's gross - or there was cross-contamination, but there was definitely something glutinous involved.  

I'm not sure what the answer is - never eat out? Never try new places?  What do you guys think? Clearly, getting poisoned is not a good way to make new friends so being sociable is not a good reason to take gluten risks.