Foods I'm enjoying now and a GIVEAWAY!

    It's my goal to write more this month as it is Celiac Awareness Month. I've been trying quite a few things this week, and thought I would share them with you...and try to do my very first giveaway!

    I was at the Grand Blanc Walmart yesterday while wearing my Udi's Gluten Freedom shirt, and an Aunt Millie's rep saw me and told me, "You know, we carry gluten free bread now." I probably need better manners, because I didn't believe him at first. I asked him, "Since when?" He told me that the Grand Blanc store is a test market for "their" product, and proceeded to take me to the gluten free aisle (and not in the freezer section) of the store. He showed me the stand of soft, fresh, gluten-free bread (by Canyon Bakehouse, not Millie's) and I was astounded. There were multiple varieties- white, multigrain and cinnamon raisin, plus they make hamburger buns. I was also shocked because it was almost $6 a loaf! But, in the sake of "research," I bought a loaf of the multi-grain bread. It has all sorts of tasty and health gluten free grains, like teff, millet and amaranth. It's pretty good fresh, but it still has that gluten free bread texture. If I can behave myself, I'm going to take the rest to our support group meeting next weekend so they can sample it. All in all, tasty and handy on an emergency basis, but I still prefer my "homemade" bread that I make in my bread machine with Bob's Red Mill mix.

    I had read about Hilary's Veggie Burgers in a healthy eating magazine a few weeks ago, and ever since then I've been interested in trying them, especially to see if they would be interested in coming to the Lansing Gluten Free Fair. I finally found them at a local health food store in Burton, MI called Ojibway Foods. (They have a great deli case with gluten free salads and they make gluten free wraps on premises.) I bought Hillary's Original Burger, which is made with all sorts of interesting things, including sweet potato, millet and quinoa. Although my husband and I had originally agreed on pancakes tonight, I was able to convince him to try these instead, along with sweet potato fries and a deli salad from Ojibway. I served them on toasted bread with some sauteed mushrooms, smoked cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and spicy brown mustard. My husband really enjoyed the burger, stating that although it doesn't taste like beef, it was incredibly good. I definitely hope they can make it to our event in October!

    Earlier for lunch today my husband and I tried Purdue Simply Smart Gluten Free Chicken Tenders. I had purchased these last month for my nephew to eat during my mother-in-law's birthday dinner. (Not too many 11 year olds are interested in paella.) We ended up not cooking them that day, and we were waiting to use them on a later date. There are 150 calories per 2 chicken tenders, so their a little calorie dense. They cooked up quickly in the oven, only 16 minutes at 400 degrees. I cut my portion up and placed it on a salad...my husband had his with San-J dipping sauce and some pomegranate Greek yogurt on the side. We both enjoyed them, especially with a little bit of ketchup. But because of the calorie count, I don't know that I would purchase them again for us. I do imagine that kids would really enjoy them.

    I went to an event at Meijer a couple of months ago, and I got a ton of samples. One of these samples was an assorted bag of Enjoy Life products. The great thing about their products is that they are free of ALL 8 common allergens. Enjoy Life has 4 new soft baked Decadent bars- cherry cobbler, Smore's, cinnamon bun, and chocolate sunbutter. I was going to try saving these for my upcoming trip to South Carolina, but I keep finding myself grabbing one when I want something sweet. I had already tried the Smore's and Cinnamon Bun, and was honestly not impressed. Last night I tried the chocolate Sunbutter bar and LOVED it. It was the perfect amount of chocolate, not overly sweet, and not overly nutty. I was especially pleased with it because I had some SunCups earlier in the week and did not enjoy them. The filling was dry and hard, nothing like a Reeses', although it's a great alternative for those who are allergic to peanuts. I would definitely buy this flavor again, and they're only 140 calories.

    And now I'm saving the best for last. There is a new company called TruRoots. They carry all sorts of grains, like sprouted brown rice, sprouted lentils, and sprouted quinoa. They also make pasta with all of these grains that are firm and don't fall apart when you cook them! They also make cookies, which they call "Qookies," as they are made with quinoa flour. My favorites so far is the Sprouted Rice Trio, which contains red, brown, and wild rice. And it only cooks in 25 minutes, instead of the traditional 40 minutes.

    And it just so happens that I have some coupons for packages of free TruRoots product! If you live in the Genesee County MI area, you can find their grains at Ojibway Foods and Dale's Natural Foods. In the Lansing area you can find ALL of their products at Foods for Living and some of them at the Better Health Stores. Outside of those, you can look on their website at their store locator nearest you.
    To enter to win, comment below and tell me what new gluten free food that you have tried lately that you think everyone should know about. I will pick a winner at random who will receive 13 coupons, in honor of September 13th, which is Celiac Awareness day. I received these coupons from an event at a Meijer store, and I thought I would pass them on to you! This giveaway will run through May 23rd and then I will place the coupons in the mail and then send them on to you, just in time for Memorial Day Weekend. When commenting, please include your name and email so I can contact you to let you know that you won!

    Happy Celiac Awareness Month! And make sure to follow my blog too, as I plan on writing another post about dining gluten free in Flint, MI! You can follow through Google Friend Connect (and you don't need a Google account to do this) or you can follow by email.

My Celiac Story

    May is Celiac Awareness Month and many bloggers are promoting awareness by sharing their journey through disease, diagnosis, and recovery. I would like to join their ranks and share my story as well.
     My journey of noticeable symptoms started when I was in high school, although I wasn't diagnosed well into my 20's. Every day after lunch, much to my struggle to stay awake, I would fall asleep, like clock work in my French class. I was blessed to have the same French teacher my entire high school career, and she was wonderful enough to let it pass some days, to just let me sleep. I had an A in the class, was on top of the material, and fought like the dickens to keep my eyes open. It wasn't until years later after diagnosis that I realized that this was a side effect of my anemia due to the malnutrition that was taking place in my body.
      During high school I had a number of chronic yeast infections. Every time they would test me for diabetes, as my grandmother was diabetic. And each time, it would come back negative. I just chalked it up to being "normal" for me. I'm sure after a while my doctor was tired of seeing me. All the while, it turns out my doctor should have been testing me for Celiac instead of diabetes.....who knew? (Actually, apparently my parents did, but more about that later.)
      In college, I worked my butt off to get good grades. I often was taking a class load of 20 credits, while often working 20 hours a week on top of it. In general I felt okay, but was often plagued by headaches and a drastic need for a nap. Then halfway through my college career I started to have abdominal problems. (Though I must admit I had gastric pains my freshman year, the typical Celiac cramping that feels like you're having appendicitis.) I started to have larger than normal bowel movements, something that typically happens to Celiacs. It was rather embarrassing, and my roommates didn't seem to understand what my problem was. I started going to the bathroom on campus as much as possible, because there was greater water pressure and less chance of their being an issue with the toilet. And I just assumed that I wasn't eating enough fiber, so I started eating shredded wheat and oatmeal as much as I could, thinking that would alleviate the symptoms.
      And towards the end of my college career, the anxiety disorder started to kick in. It was during this diagnosis that my physician's assistant (I swear the best doctor I've EVER had) noticed that I looked rather pale. She had the lab draw some blood and test my iron and hemoglobin levels. She was rather socked at the results, as was I. She said that my ferritin was so low that I shouldn't even be able to stand up or walk. She was amazed at all I was doing. From there she sent me to a hemotologist, where I would get daily (painful) iron injections, because it was obvious that for some reason my body was not absorbing the iron from my diet. I went through a series of other tests during this last semester on campus, and I seemed to be nauseous all the time. I would throw up bile, and getting through my classes was becoming a shore. Again, I was blessed with great, understanding professors at Central Michigan University. It wasn't until the end of my stay there that the hemotologist directed me to see a gastroenterologist. Since I would be going home to do my student teaching, I would wait to see one back home.
       What happened then was rather surprising. My mother had been an employee at Ingham Medical for over 15 years, and knew all the best doctors. She went with me to my appointment, and at this time she told the gastroenterologist that my dad and my grandmother both had celiac, and she figured that this is what was going on with me.

What! My dad had been "sick" all this time and I never knew about it. How was this possible? For starters, neither my dad nor my grandmother every talked about it or followed the dietary restrictions that it required. I later found out that my dad was even discharged from the army because they could not accommodate his dietary needs.  When I learned more about what Celiac truly was, it made me concerned for my dad's health and I pushed him all the more to stick to the diet, and now he is so much more careful about it. And I've kind of made it my mission to alert others as well. I'm the (newly elected) President of my local Celiac support group, and I help to organize an annual Gluten Free Fair in Lansing, MI.

And because of my my own lack of knowledge of my family history, I make sure to let everyone know about Celiac, and the genetic component. That if you have celiac, someone else in your family HAS to have it, or at least the genes for it, and they should ALL be tested.

Sometimes I think about how my life had been different if I would have known at an earlier age about the likelihood that I had Celiac disease. At the very least I would have been spared from some of the diseases symptoms, like the joint pain that my mom just assumed was growing pains, the many cavities due to the lack of formed enamel on my teeth (I really did NOT like my dentist), and the embarrassment I incurred during my college years. I may have chosen to be a doctor or another health profession instead of going to school to be a teacher. I often think it's neat that my birthday is September 13th, which is National Celiac Awareness Day, recognized for the birthday of Dr. Gee who was one of the pioneers of the disease.

So if I seem to go on and on about Celiac at times, or I seem to think that everyone should be tested, don't get frustrated with me. It would be my honor if I could help you understand the causes of some of your illnesses and I could lead you on the path to recovery. I know that not everyone has Celiac, but maybe if you know more about it, maybe you can help someone else out who may be experiencing some of these same symptoms but seems hard pressed to figure out why.

And I want to make sure that I point out that I have a great dad and that I in no way hold him responsible for his lack of Celiac adherence. It's more so the medical field that failed him, who failed to help him understand the severity of the disease, that it was genetic, and that he had to be keeping an eye out for certain symptoms in his children. I love you dad, and I'm so glad that you are making the choices now to follow the diet that is prescribed for you and are on the road to health and wellness.

A trip to Ann Arbor and Plum Market

     Some of you may or may not know that I am the co-chair for the Lansing Gluten Free Fair that is taking place this October 26th from 10-2 at the Ramada Inn on Saginaw Highway on the westside of Lansing, MI. (Shameless plug) I also am one of the administrators of the Lansing Gluten Free Fair Facebook page. Because of this, I get to see all sorts of interesting posts about companies. events and recipes that I pass on to followers. Earlier this past week there was a post from Ethel's Edibles (owned by Jill Bommarito, who happens to be the niece of one of the board members of the Mid-Michigan Celiac Group) about a tasting event in Ann Arbor at Plum Market. So, I pulled on my "Gluten Freedom" t-shirt that I won in an Udi's prize pack last year, loaded up the car with lunch on the go and my husband, and off we went. (P.S. It was cold pizza from Cottage Inn, and I think I got glutened. Anyone else have that problem?)
     Putting on my Gluten Freedom shirt was maybe one of the smartest things I've ever done. Right when I walked in the door of Plum Market, I was greeted by a demo person for Fruit Bliss, and she asked if she could take my picture holding their product! Per their website "Fruit Bliss is a family of preservative-free, soft and moist dried fruit, perfect for on-the-go and stay-at-home snacking. Every piece is infused with a touch of moisture so that it is soft, juicy and truly irresistible! Fruit Bliss wants to share its commitment to healthy eating with our community. We pledge to donate 5% of our profits to organizations that share this same purpose. Giving back just seemed like the natural thing to do. Find your bliss!"
     I wanted to try the figs, because I'm not an apricot or plum fan. She was out of the figs, but because I took a picture with her, she gave me a bag of dates that were a completely new item. I love dates! They were nice and soft like the packaging said, and my husband really liked them because they weren't all dried out. Totally LOVE this product, and I'm going to try to get in touch with them about coming to the fair.

     There were quite a few other companies that I talked to as well. There's Jessica's All Natural Granola made with gluten free oats based out of Michigan, and a company called Veggie-Go's that I find really intriguing. Imagine fruit roll-ups but made with vegetables in them. My favorite flavor is the cinnamon spiced beets and apples strip, but they also have carrot-ginger, sweet potato pie, and mountain berry spinach. I also talked to Bell and Evans chicken and Smart Chicken, both of which are companies that air chill their chicken.
      Out of all the things that we sampled we only purchased 2 items. The first was Bilinski's sausage. Right away I was happy about their products because it says, in large letters, on the front of the label "NO PORK CASING," which is a huge bonus for us because my husband is allergic to pork. To top it off, their products are antibiotic-free, nitrate-free, gluten-free and low in calories. One sausage only has 90 calories! We purchased their roasted red pepper and asiago cheese sausages and decided to cook some up to put on a salad after church. Yum!  They were a little pricey at $6.99 a package, but it was a fun (and tasty) purchase.

      Our other purchase was some natural smoked cheddar from Farm Country Cheese House. This is a Michigan based company, just northeast of Grand Rapids. All of their cheeses are made from milk from hand-milked cows, which is super cool. They make over 2 dozen types of cheeses, including colby, bacon, and truffle. My husband is allergic to bacon, but he found the natural smoked cheddar very reminiscent of the  bacon flavor he misses. She assured me that the production lines are sanitized before and after each batch that is made. I honestly thought it was WAY better then the Zingerman's cheese that was at the table next to them.
      I also was photographed with my cool t-shirt at the Eat Pastry booth, which makes refrigerated tubs of vegan cookie dough. They make both regular and gluten-free cookie doughs. This would be a very handy product to have, especially for friends or family that aren't gluten free but are trying to make something special for someone who is celiac.
      They also had samples of Against the Grain Pizza, broth from Zoup, G & I Keses Halloumi Cheese, beef from Niman Ranch, and samples for Ethel's Edibles. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few in there, as I didn't try everything. But it was a fun day and a worthwhile trip...even if I had to go through traffic circles to get there. :)

    Are there any brands you love, especially ones that may not be as well known, that you would like to see at the Lansing Gluten Free Fair? Please leave a comment below and I'll try my best to get in touch with them. Or, you can pass the info on yourself! Here's a link to the registration form, or have them get in touch with us as gfreevf@gmail.com. See you in October!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFh3ZzhmQmY4dXM1ODhYaGdqTHRRUFE6MQ#gid=0
     

So in love with socca!

I have a new favorite flat bread, and it's healthy and easy to make! It's called socca and it's made with chickpea flour. You can find it rather inexpensively at a local Indian or Middle Eastern Market. Or, you could put dry chickpeas through a food processor and make your own.

I first found out about socca in a book that I bought, "101 Gluten Free Foods." Ever since then, I had been wanting to try it. When my mother in law requested paella for her birthday celebration, I thought it would be a great time to try it. We served it with some Rosey Goat cheese made in Spain and some Dutch Baby Swiss that we purchased from our local Farmer's Market. It was tasty. 

    This is traditionally found in Nice in the south of France. My husband is going there this summer and I will be eager to hear how it compares. He likes it so much he told me that I have to make it for him at least once a week! Today I made him a wrap using the socca with roasted chicken, spinach, tomatoes, and some Spanish manzanilla olives...and a drizzle of homemade balsamic dressing. I forgot to put some of the goat cheese on as I had intended. 

   I could tell you how to make it, but David Lebovitz has done it so beautifully that I will just direct you to his blog. I will give you some highlights though. You mix equal parts chickpea flour and water (if done with a measuring cup) and you let it sit for .5 to 2 hours.

 Then you pour the batter into an iron skillet that you've had warming under the broiler for 5 minutes. Pop it back under the broiler for 3 minutes, and you're done! 

Gluten Free Shortcakes...well, more like cupcakes

    I posted on my Facebook page about a week ago that I had found Gluten Free "Bisquick" at Aldi for $2.99 a box. This was their own house brand so I was super excited. Then again, it was a special buy, so it was only there for a limited time. (They also had a GF brownie mix for the same price.) Still, it was at least $2 cheaper than Betty Crocker, so I bought 2 boxes.

     I decided to attempt to make shortcakes for my mother in law's birthday, since there was a great deal on strawberries at Kroger. Plus, I decided to make homemade whipped cream...none of that artificial Cool Whip for us! ( I had made the same dessert a few nights before, non-GF, for the men at My Brother's Keeper, which gave me a general idea of what they should turn out like.)
    The directions on the box said that one recipe made 6 shortcakes. I was planning on 8 for dinner, so I decided to multiply the recipe by 1.5, which "should" make 9 shortcakes. So I did my math and I thought I had the right proportions. They did not turn out as I had anticipated.
     I also chose to use my scale to weigh the ingredients versus using measuring cups. This may be the reason my shortcakes did not turn out as I had anticipated. Instead of a biscuit like dough, I ended up with a runny cupcake -like batter. So, I made shortcake cupcakes, using my silicone muffin "tin." It made 10 cupcakes, which turned out fine, I guess. My family enjoyed them just fine, especially loaded with strawberries and whipped cream.

   So, I still have another box in the cupboard. I am contemplating whether or not to try it again. If I do, I will be sure to update you!
     What are some of the gluten free "flops" you have had, and how have you "saved" them? Leave a comment below! You can also read my blog about what I did with a cookie recipe that was a disaster.

No More Belly Aching

I was on my way home last Tuesday from Detroit Metro Airport. A dear neighbor friend of mine was on her way to Turkey, and I agreed to drive her to the airport. If at all possible, I try to make long trips like this worth my while, stopping at other destination on my way home. I decided to stop at No More Belly Aching, a gluten-free, dairy-free bakery in Brighton, MI. 

Only one small problem: I wasn't entirely sure where it was at. 

A member of the Mid Michigan Celiac Support group mentioned this new business at one of our previous meetings, and even shared a flyer listing all of their baked goods. So, all I could remember is that it was in Brighton, MI. But, my friend had a GPS in her car, so it should be easy to find, right? Wrong.....I don't think she's updated the software on it since she bought it year's ago, so it wasn't showing anything. I figured that i'd just get off the freeway and ask around. 

There's something one should know about the exit going to Brighton. From one side of the overpass to the other, at this particular exit, is a series of roundabouts. As I was trying to make my way across, I couldn't help but think of National Lampoon's Vacation, and was panicking inside that I'd never get across. Luckily, I made it. 

So I'm heading west towards the rows of strip malls, thinking I'll stop at a 7-11 or something and ask if they know of the bakery which I seek. But low and behold, it was directly in front of me. Yeah! 

As I walked in I was kindly greeted, as my eyes perused the shelves. What should I buy? There were all sorts of sweet baked goods...but after a week's worth of vacation, I knew that those were the last things that I needed. I spied a bag in their freezer case of 6 wraps for $6.99. This may seem a little pricey, but I kept in mind that I was supporting a local bakery, whose profits go back into the local economy, not a major brand like French Meadow Bakery or Glutino. 

I had visions of personal size pizzas in mind. The gentleman who waited on me ask if I wanted a punch card, and I told him that I wasn't a local person, just on my way back from DTW. When I mentioned that I lived in Flint, he shared with me that some of their products are available at Marjie's Gluten Free Pantry in Fenton, MI, a store that is 100% GF.

So when I got home, I was eager to try my new purchase. I used a wrap, which is really more like a pita or flatbread, to eat some leftover ratatouille. The bread was very tender and fluffy. My husband found it enjoyable as well. Not bad on it's own, but I was eager to try it as a pizza crust. 

To be creative in my pizza making, I thought I would puree some leftover ratatouille in my mini food processor as use that as my pizza sauce. I placed the "naked" wraps in a 350 degree oven, probably for about 15-20 minutes, until they were just golden brown. (In retrospect I wish I would have baked them longer, for a crispier crust). Then I layered my sauce, topped it with mushrooms and mozzarella cheese, and continued to bake them in the oven. I can't really tell you how long I baked them for, as I was busy talking on the phone. Just keep an eye on them until the cheese gets a nice, toasty brown. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my pizzas, as did my husband. I think I will do it again. :) 

As a side note, I love ratatouille....the food, not the Pixar movie. When I was kind, you couldn't have gotten me to touch eggplant with a 10 ft. pole. But now as an adult, I am eager for spring and summer when I know that I can find beautiful eggplants in abundance at my local Flint Farmer's Market. Ratatouille tastes like summer to me. If you've never had it, I HIGHLY suggest making it. It's incredibly tasty and incredibly easy. 

A recipe from the infamous Betty Crocker cookbook, 23rd printing, 1974. (hard cover pg. 426)

1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/2 lbs.) 

2 small zucchini ( about 1/2 lb.) 

1 cup finely chopped green pepper (1 whole) 

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 medium tomatoes, peeled and quartered

( I used 2 cans of Aldi's Italian diced tomatoes, perfect!) 

1/4 c. olive oil 

(I barely use any at all, as it's not really necessary) 

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Cube eggplant and zucchini. (I leave the skin on mine.) Cook and stir all ingredients until heated through. Cover; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender. 

****Me personally, I like it much more tender than what comes out after 10 minutes. I let mine simmer for probably at least 20 -30 minutes. 

Enjoy! 

On vacation.....gluten free

It has been a while since I have written. I have a good reason, really. I was on vacation. And what a great week and a half it was. Good friends, good food, and great service, as in acts of service I was able to perform for others.

The first memorable moment I would like to share is about Passover. The fourth Thursday of every month, I have the honor and privilege to cook for and serve the men of My Brother's Keeper. This is a facility for homeless men in Flint. This month's service happened to fall on Maundy Thursday, and coincided with Passover this year. So to make things extra special, we prepared a meal that was composed of the main ingredients that would be found in a Seder meal. I began the night explaining to the men the significance of the Passover meal, and that the Jewish faith does this every year to commemorate the first Passover, when God spared the Israelite children from death as He sent to plague to the firstborn of Egypt. They also eat this to commemorate the bondage that the Jews were under during their time in Egypt.

So we served Lamb Shoulder that night. My husband found a great way to prepare, done in a video by Jamie Oliver. Many of the men had not had it before, and that spurred on a great dinner conversation about foods that some have eaten that others may have found strange. Apparently, there are people in this world that eat seagull.....

The best part of the night was after dinner. As Jesus did on the night that he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, we washed the feet of the men that we served that evening. It was truly beautiful and humbling, and the men who participated were truly touched. I would dare say it has been my most memorable foot washing to date. (We observe this ordinance every year at our church on Maundy Thursday.)

On Saturday of that week, my maternal grandmother, aunt and uncle came up to share a meal. Instead of cooking, we chose to go to Italia Gardens, a local Italian restaurant. They have a gluten free menu, comprised mainly of dishes that can be made with gluten free spaghetti. They also have other non-pasta items on their gluten free menu as well.

I ordered the Sausage Arrabbiata, which is spicy marinara sauce with roasted onions, green peppers
and sausage medallions tossed with gluten free spaghetti, all for only $12. I had never tried this before. I was slightly concerned as the menu stated that it was a spicy dish, but it wasn't spicy at all. They cook their gluten free spaghetti in a clean pot, using clean water so as to prevent cross contamination. Because of this, the gluten free dishes take a little longer, but it's worth the wait. (If you let them know when you walk in the door, they'll start it right away before the rest of your table orders.)

The portion sizes at this restaurant are huge. You may not be able to tell under the layer of fresh grated cheese and sauce, but there is a TON of spaghetti in the bottom of this bowl. I ate all of the sausage in that setting, but I had enough leftover pasta for a complete meal on another night, plus a little as a snack. I will DEFINITELY be going back to this restaurant, and I'll definitely be ordering this again.

The next week was my husband's spring break, although I still had to work. I did have Thursday and Friday off, so we used that opportunity to do a little traveling.

On Thursday we decided to travel to Detroit, as my husband had never been to the Detroit Zoo. (Which, ironically, is not in Detroit but in Royal Oak.) Another bonus, one of my childhood friends lives in that vicinity  and we hadn't seen her in a while, so we hung out with her for the day as well. First stop, A Taste of Ethiopia!  (Be warned, the website listed on Yelp is not for the restaurant in Southfield.)

This restaurant is located in Southfield, MI in the Southfield Plaza. The big draw for us was the Injera, an Ethiopian flat bread that is traditionally made with teff, which is a gluten free grain. Most Ethiopian restaurants serve the meal on top of this bread, and then you tear off pieces and eat it with your hands. Yeah for being an adult and eating with your hands! (Sadly, most restaurants also add regular wheat to this bread, making it not gluten free. But not this restaurant!)

We arrived during their lunch buffet time, so sadly the meal was not already served on the bread, but he waiter did bring out a basket of injera for us to have with our meal.  My husband and I were surprised at the food that they offered, because much of it is what we would cook at home. They had lentils, yellow split peas, beans and rice, curried chicken, jerk chicken, and curried cabbage cooked with carrots. The one dish that was "new" to us was siga wat, a beef stew. The waiter assured me that all of it was gluten free. And my was it tasty. If we hadn't filled up so full on lunch, we would have ordered fried plantains as well.

As a side note, there is another well known Ethiopian restaurant in the greater Detroit area named The Blue Nile. While they do not have gluten free injera, they assured me when I called them that they understood gluten free dining and that the foods could be served in small bowls with rice instead of the injera. They have 2 locations- Ann Arbor and Ferndale. There is also a well know restaurant in East Lansing, named Altu's.

After a large lunch, we walked around the Detroit Zoo for a few hours, looking at polar bears, seals, camels, chimpanzees and even giraffes. All that walking made room for a snack on the way home.....

I used the website "Find Me Gluten Free" to see if there were any bakeries on the way home. As it turned out, Sugar Kisses, located in Berkley, MI was not that far from my friend's house and not too hard to find. Seeing that it said "gluten free" in big beautiful letters, I knew we had found the right place. And what an amazing place it is.

  

The have two large display cases full of all sorts of gluten free pastries, cakes, and desserts. They also have other shelves with homemade bread, croutons and bagel chips. And they have Fair Trade coffees, which was a big bonus for my husband. There were so many choices, how does one decide? We settled on a chocolate espresso cookie and a raspberry chocolate chunk scone. I split the cookie in half, thinking that we would share it, and then we would leave after drinking his coffee. Unfortunately  my will power just as broken as the cookie I broke in half, and I started in on the scone. The cookie was firm and you could definitely taste the espresso. The scone was soft, more reminiscent of a muffin. I would have liked a few more raspberries in it, but the chocolate chunks were huge. Chocolate is always a good thing.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with Sugar Kisses. They also make dairy free and vegan items, and they have handy-dandy symbols on all of the place cards to let you know which are gluten free, vegan, made with raw sugar, etc.

On Friday we chose to spend the day with my dad, as he also had the day off due to Spring Break. We chose to eat lunch at home instead of out. I made gluten free macaroni and cheese using the Ancient Harvest Quinoa Mac N' Cheese. And then I put crumbled turkey bacon in it.....and more cheese. Because you can't ever have too much cheese. :) And we had a side salad as well.

Our Friday excursion took us to Old Town in Lansing, where my husband and I ended up running into people we knew.There's a great shop called Tallulah's Folly that has all sorts of interesting old and new things to purchase. But right next door was the real reason we made our trip to Lansing, Cravings Gourmet Popcorn. My dad has always been a huge popcorn fan, and he had never been there.

When you walk in, there is a table before you with sample containers of all the popcorn that they make. They have your traditional flavors- butter, caramel, and cheddar, and then they have the more "grown up" flavors, like Molasses with Sea Salt, Cider Cinnamon, and Chicken and Waffles. I wasn't brave enough to try the last one. Once you've sampled all the flavors and decide what you want, you step up to the counter and order your bag (or tin) of popcorn. *Disclaimer- Not ALL of their popcorn is gluten free. Stay away from the cheddar flavors and the dill pickle flavors.




Now popcorn isn't the only draw to this fine establishment. They have one of the largest collections of soda I have ever seen in my life. Now, I'm not a soda drinker anymore, and it's not good for your health. BUT, we all have to live a little sometimes, right? They have your traditional colas and root beers, ( I think I counted at least a dozen different brands of root beer), but they also have sodas like Maple Smoked Bacon and "Leninade." I have to admit that I was thoroughly impressed.



My dad was planning to make Chicken Parmesan for us that evening, and I asked if he needed any vegetables. Because, we were around the corner of the Lansing City Market, and I love to buy local! So we stopped off to pick up some cucumbers.

I have to be honest, I had ulterior motives. As moderator of the Lansing Gluten Free Fair Facebook page, I share all the new businesses that are catering to those following a gluten free diet. There's a new stand that the City Market called Wandering Waffles, and they have  a dedicated waffle iron for gluten free waffles, and they use King Arthur products to make their waffles. (I've tested King Arthur before and I think it's my favorite product to make waffles with!)

So what is a Wandering Waffle? Think crepe, but instead of a flat pancake, your toppings are sandwiched between two halves of a Belgian waffle. They serve both sweet and savory creations, and they use organic, local, and fair trade products. The lady who waited on us even said that they were out of bananas because they hadn't had a chance to get organic ones that day. I was pretty impressed with their whole business philosophy  Check out their manifesto:

We chose to split one waffle between my husband, my dad, and myself. It was filled with caramel and apple butter, purchased from Horrock's on the west side of Lansing. (I love that place!) It was very hot, and we probably should have waited for it to cool....but it smelled so good! Hopefully we can encourage the owners of this great establishment to join us at the Lansing Gluten Free Fair, what do you think?

So, what's the best gluten free find while you've been on vacation? Leave a comment below and enlighten us!

Sincerely,
Margaret Clegg
Miglutenfreegal

(P.S. Yes, I am still following Curves Complete, and after my week on Spring Break hiatus, I am back to my healthy eating pattern and working towards my goal!) 

PB 2 Powdered Peanut Butter

     I had heard about powdered peanut butter a while ago, and had been curious to try it. I asked around to some of my Curves ladies if they had ever tried it, and no one had. A few weeks ago I noticed PB2 powdered peanut butter on sale at my local Spartan Store, and I thought I would try it.

      Nutritionally, the draw  about PB2 is that all of the oil is extracted from the natural  peanut butter, therefore being lower in calories. There is only 45 calories per 2 tablespoons, half the calories that would be found in only 1 tablespoon of regular peanut butter. It does have added ingredients that is not found in natural peanut butter, such as sugar. 

      I've used this product in a variety of ways. I stirred it into plain yogurt, and I think this is my favorite way to eat it. It's especially good with a bit of cocoa added. 

      As suggested on the container, you can mix one tablespoon of water with two tablespoons of powdered peanut butter to create a spread, which isn't too bad. I spread it on my pancakes. 

      Last week I made a peanut butter frosting that was to go on a chocolate cake. Instead of using a cup of peanut butter that the recipe called for, I only used half a cup and then added the powdered peanut butter to taste. I found that it worked quite well, adding lots of flavor without the extra fat. There are quite a few recipes on their website as well. They also have a powdered chocolate peanut butter.

      Maybe we'll try to see if they can come to the Lansing Gluten Free Fair, and then you can try it for yourself.   :) 

Punjabi Curry

     I was blessed to attend an even from a local Meijer store where they requested the presence of the local celiac support group. It was so refreshing to have a company come to the gluten free community to ask what things we were looking to have, versus us having to just buy what they carry. They shared samples of new products that they are looking to carry to get our input. One of the product lines,  cooksimple, is made by a company called Healthy Pantry. All of their products are certified gluten free. They're made from whole foods with no added sugar and no preservatives that I can see.
     This Punjabi Curry is one of 8 different products that they makes. Other flavors include Skillet Lasagna, Tibetan Dal, Tamale Pie, Cowboy Chili, White Bean Chili, New Orleans Jambalaya, Cranberry Wild Rice, and Asian Burgers. I also received a box of one of the chili mixes, but i haven't tried it yet. I would be very interested in trying the Tibetan Dal as well.
     I made the curry the other night, as Indian food is my new favorite love. We often make Indian food from scratch at home- we even have our own big bag of turmeric and garam masala from our local Indian market. So I was really excited to have an easy Indian meal I could make at home. I was surprised that it called for 20 oz. of chicken for only four servings, but each serving prepared was only 370 calories. The meal is simple- all you need to add is water and fresh chicken. It only takes 30 minutes to cook as well. It was pretty tasty, although I've been spoiled by making our own curry, so I would have liked a stronger curry flavor. Then again, if you're making a product for a mass market, it's better to go a little lighter on the spice and add more of your own if interested. I liked that it had large peas and raisins in it.
    I don't usually buy boxed meals, but these meals would be great to have on hand, especially at my in-laws or any time that you're traveling to another home. And I love that there aren't ingredients with long names that you can't pronounce. I hope that Meijer ends up carrying this product so that all of you may try it for yourself.

Cheese and Crackers

      I tried some new crackers recently that I think are going to be my new favorite. I received some samples of Lentil Crackers made by the Mediterranean Snacks company. They come in Cracked Pepper, Rosemary Herb, and Sea Salt. They vaguely remind me of Wheat Thins, which I haven't had in years. They make my mouth happy. They're slightly salty and very buttery. The Cracker Pepper has a bite to it, that sneaks up on you after you have eaten a few. I think my husband likes these the best.
      I tried all three flavors...I think the Rosemary Herb is my favorite. I paired it with some Snofrisk Norseland goat cheese that we bought at Whole Foods. While the picture in the link shows a spreadable cheese, the cheese we purchased was semi-soft and able to be sliced. They were fantastic together. Another benefit of this particularly cheese is that there's only 80 calories per ounce. I highly recommend buying it if you can find it.
     Some added benefits of products from this company.....Almost all of their products are gluten free, they're made without GMO's, and their crackers have 4 grams of protein.  That last fact really impressed me. They also make lentil chips, veggie straws, and will soon be coming out with Hummus Crispz- in roasted red pepper,  roasted garlic, and olive tapenade. These sound especially tasty.
     There is a coupon for a dollar off any of their products on their website. I highly suggest taking advantage of it and trying them for yourself. There is a store locator link on their website to find where their products are sold closest to you. I have purchased them before at T.J Maxx and Meijer is considering carrying them soon and selling them for 2.99 a box, which is incredibly reasonable.