Can you believe it is Thanksgiving already?  Where did this year go?  Short week for the kids…no school Weds – Fri.  Little do they know that they are hopefully getting their H1N1 vaccines on Wednesday.  That will make them really, really happy.  😉 

We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner again this year.  I love to host.  I love to roast the turkey and make all the trimmings to go along with it.  If you are unsure about which turkeys are gluten-free, please check out my Examiner post for more info.  Also, Butterball’s gravy packet is now gluten-free!  How exciting!  Here is my menu plan for turkey day:

• Veggie Tray with Dip
• Buffalo chicken dip 
• Turkey & Gravy (made with cornstarch to thicken)
• Cornbread Stuffing (GF, of course.  Recipe to come this year)
• Catholic Potatoes (recipe to come this week)
• Cranberry Glazed Carrots
• Homemade Cranberry Sauce (will also have the jellied kind)
• Crescent Rolls (for the gluten eating peeps)
• Rios of Austin Cheese Bread Rolls (GF – review to come soon)
• Pumpkin Pie (GF and non-GF)
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars
• Pecan Pie (non-GF)

My favorite is the cornbread stuffing and the pumpkin pie.  I love my Grandmother’s pumpkin pie recipe!  It is the best!

Here is the rest of the plan:

Sunday- Rotisserie Chicken, Roasted Klondike Potatoes (white, red & purple), steamed green beans & salad

Monday – Thai Chile Salmon, Brown Rice Couscous, Roasted Asparagus & Salad

Tuesday- Spaghetti, roasted veggies & salad

Wednesday – Burgers, sweet potato fries & salad

Thursday – Feast

Friday – Leftovers or Nachos & salad

Saturday – Leftovers or breakfast for dinner

Baked Goods

Bread

Pumpkin Pie

Cornbread

Cheryl at Gluten-free Goodness is hosting this week’s gluten-free menu swap.  The theme is Thanksgiving favorites.  I listed my favorites above….pumpkin pie & the cornbread stuffing (which is technically dressing, because it doesn’t go inside the turkey).  Thanks for hosting, Cheryl!

I hope you all have a safe & happy Thanksgiving.  Please check out Orgjunkie for lots more menu ideas. 

As I was blogging about crackers last week, one reader asked if I would talk about gluten-free bread choices.  What a great idea!  I have reviewed different bread products here over the past year, but I don’t believe I have gone into detail on multiple brands in one post, like a cheat sheet for newbies.  So, I am going to do it in this post.  I am going to include the breads that I have tried over the past 3.5 years.

The first gluten-free bread mix I ever tried was made by Bob’s Red Mill.  I can’t remember which one it was, but I suspect it was the Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix.  I tried this mix about a month after I went gluten-free.  I was so excited when I was making it…the smell wafting through my kitchen was delightful.  I couldn’t wait to bite into a piece of warm bread.  Well, ummm, I was devastated and may have even cried.  I hated it!  Now, to be fair, I have not tried this mix since, but have come to love Bob’s Red Mill and their products.  Perhaps I was expecting a replica of my once beloved Home Pride Bread.  We all know that that will not happen.  Looking back now, I realize I was feeling sorry for myself and very bitter about the fact that I was not digging the new diet plan.   One of my favorite mixes is made by Bob’s Red Mill – pizza crust!   I love this mix so much I have a case of it in my pantry.  I need to give Bob’s bread another try.  I may try the Cinnamon Raisin or Hearty Whole Grain this time around.

Gluten-free Pantry Favorite Sandwich Bread & French Bread & Pizza Mix.  These were my go-to mixes before I discovered Pamela’s.  The sandwich bread is a great tasting bread and holds up well under the circumstances I need it to (packed lunch).  The French bread & Pizza Mix is also a good bread and pizza crust, but the Pamela’s is better.  Pamela’s has more depth to it’s flavor and does hold up even better.  I didn’t feel like I ever had to add seasoning to Pamela’s when making pizza crust with it, where I did with GFP’s mix.  Everyone’s preferences are different, so this may be just what you are looking for.  Lots of people rave about these mixes.

Glutino Harvest Corn Loaf is a decent bread.  It isn’t as good as some of the others I have mentioned here, but it gets the job done.  This bread is also found in the freezer section.

Glutino Harvest Corn:

Ener-G Light Brown Rice Loaf is probably one of the worst gluten-free breads I have tasted.  It is a shelf stable product, so I am not sure if that is part of it.  Don’t try & eat this stuff untoasted.  Toasting makes it somewhat tolerable.  I used this bread for a short period of time between Gluten-free Pantry’s bread & Pamela’s.  It is easy to transport, but now that I take a cooler on most trips, I bring along pre-made loaves of my Pamela’s.  I am not trying to pick on Ener-G.  I like their pretzels & use their flours & breadcrumbs to cook with.  🙂  I just happen to not care for their bread.

Whole Foods Bakehouse makes some great products.  Their sandwich bread is awesome & reminds me of my Grandmother’s homemade challah bread (minus the braid on top).  I don’t get this bread often because Whole Foods isn’t all that close to me and I can make bread cheaper at home.  However, it is a  nice treat & very worthy of every penny.  🙂  They also make a great frozen pie crust that I have served to many gluten-lovers & they have not known the difference.  I will gladly spend $6 for 2 frozen crusts instead of making my own.  I didn’t make pie crust before I went gluten-free, I can’t imaging starting now.  That is not my forte.  I will stick with cookies, cakes, breads & meals.  🙂

Pamela’s Gluten-free Bread is one of my favorites and is the one we buy cases of on Amazon.com to make weekly.  Jon loves this bread.  It toasts well and travels well.  It can be toasted in the AM for sandwiches & then packed for his lunch box for lunch 5 hours later.  This mix is so versatile!  You can also make pizza crust, bagels & pie crust with it.  You can find Pamela’s in stores all over and online.  I buy in bulk at Amazon.com.

Pamela’s Bread:

Kinnikinnick Many Wonder Multi-grain Bread is another one of my favorite breads.  This is the closest to rye that I have found, well except the Trader Joe’s Rye-less Rye, but that bread is way too small for sandwiches.  This bread makes amazing sandwiches!  I also happen to love this bread schmeared with almond butter & bananas for snack! TDF!  You can find this bread in the freezer section of your local health food stores, in some mainstream grocery stores and online.

Breads from Anna is another wonderful bread mix.  I just tried this mix a couple months back & really enjoyed it.  Jon didn’t like it as much, but he is a Pamela’s boy.  That just meant more for me.  It may have been because it has bean flours in it, which also adds protein & fiber.  If I could find this bread cheaper, I would probably eat this on a regular basis & give Jon the Pamela’s.

I am editing this post to add the newest gluten-free bread that I have tried – Udi’s.  Udi’s is the one & only gluten-free bread that is amazing right out of the bag on the counter.  There is no refrigeration required.  There is no freezing required.  No toasting.  Perfect, soft bread.  I had to double check to make sure that it did not contain gluten, it was that good.  I was finding reasons to make sandwiches when this bread was in my house.  I wanted to pack my lunch & go someplace just to say that I could.  That I didn’t have to toast my bread first and then eat a cold, toasted bread sandwich.  Some lucky ducks are able to find this bread in their local stores or Whole Foods.  Such is not the case yet in Ohio, though I can order it online.  Speaking of ordering online, it looks as if Udi’s is offering 35% off shipping right now.  Bread is $5/loaf or $38 for 8 loaves.

I hope that this list helps some of you guys out.  I remember those first days and months of trying to eat gluten-free.  I remember the frustration & tears.  I have taken a bite of something & thrown the rest away.  Not only did that leave me hungry, but mad at how much I spent on it.  That is why I write this blog.  If I can help just one person out, it makes my day.  If you have any questions, please don’t ever hesitate to comment or email me.  I try to respond to each & every comment & every email, though it may take a day or two.

A few weeks back I was contacted by Samantha of Dr. McDougall’s Soups to see if I wanted to sample & review the soups.  Of course I accepted!  Samantha sent me a package out that not only contained all 7 of their soups, but a great soup bowl, placemat, napkin & napkin ring holder.  I was especially excited about the bowl, as I love huge bowls for my salads and this one is just perfect. 

Okay, onto the soups.  There are 7 different varieties (2 of which are not gluten-free: split pea & minestrone).  All of these soups happen to be vegan. 

• Lentil
• Vegetable
• Black Bean
• Chunky Tomato
• Split Pea
• Minestrone
• Roasted Red Pepper Tomato

The soups I tried were Lentil, Vegetable, Black Bean, Chunky Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Tomato.  All of the soups had a good flavor & I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of vegetables in the Vegetable Soup.  Not only were there veggies, but brown rice & lentils as well, which added to the staying power.  Jon enjoyed the Chunky Tomato Soup with a grilled cheese sandwich, his favorite combination.  Aaron tested out the Split Pea & Minestrone for me.  He said they were both not salty enough and were a little on the watery side.  Unfortunately I couldn’t taste them due to them both containing gluten. 

Some important facts about Dr. McDougall’s Soups

• · Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods® new Ready-to-Serve Chunky Soups are available in seven flavors. Low-calorie varieties include Lentil, Vegetable, Black Bean, Chunky Tomato, Split Pea, Minestrone, and Roasted Pepper Tomato
• · These great-tasting flavors cater to those with gluten allergies as all varieties, with the exception of Minestrone and Split Pea, are gluten free. All flavors feature cholesterol-free plant based complete protein except Chunky Tomato and Roasted Pepper Tomato.
• · The soup’s innovative packaging is free of Bisphenol A (BPA) concerns and is made from paper sourced exclusively from sustainably managed forests. They feature innovative Tetra Recart packaging that is recyclable and has a lower carbon footprint than cans. The packages are shelf-stable and never contain preservatives.
• · The soups are available on grocery shelves for a suggested retail price of $3.29.
• · Plus, they have 25 percent more soup than most natural canned soup brands.
• · Until now, carton soups have only been available in broths and purees. The new Ready-to-Serve Chunky Soups are the first nationally available carton soup with whole pieces of vegetables, beans and pasta.

Thank you Samantha & Dr. McDougall’s for sending the samples to me to review. 

Glenny’s Marshmallow Treats come in 4different flavors: Peanut Caramel,  Raspberry Jubilee, Vanilla & Chocolate.  The bars are organic & vegan in addition to being gluten-free.  The bars are only 100 calories per bar, making them nice to keep in your purse or gym bag for on-the-go snacks. 

I have tried the vanilla & peanut caramel bars.  The bars are both good, but almost too crispy.  Maybe I am just used to eating the Envirokidz Crispy Rice Bars, which are more chewy.  I guess it depends on personal preference.  Jon likes both brands equally as well.  The cons of Glenny’s?  Over $5/box for 5 bars.  Envirokidz are typically $3.49 for a box of 5.  I happened to find the Glenny’s on sale for $2.49, so I decided to give them a try. 

Have you tried these?  What were your thoughts?

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Make sure to check out my latest Examiner posts on gluten-free turkeys for Thanksgiving and a recent recall on undeclared wheat in some snack products.

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The Ohio State Buckeyes are playing the game of the year tomorrow against Michigan – GO BUCKS!!

My wonderful mother-in-law, Mary, made this amazing cake for the kids last weekend.  I just had to sneak some when the leftovers came home.  WOW!  This cake was awesome!  Thanks, Mary!

The original recipe came from Kraft Foods, but Mary modified it to be gluten-free.  Here are her instructions & substitutions.

OREO Cake

1 pkg. devil’s food chocolate cake mix (Betty Crocker’s Gluten-free Devil’s Food Cake)

4 squares  BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups  thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

12 OREO Cookies, coarsely crushed (Use KinniTOOS, or omit)

HEAT oven to 350ºF.

PREPARE cake batter and bake in 2 (8-inch) round pans as directed on package. Cool cakes in pans 10 min. Invert cakes onto wire racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 min.

MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP and crushed cookies. Stack cake layers on plate, spreading cream cheese mixture between layers. Spread top with chocolate glaze; let stand until firm. Keep refrigerated.

The kids devoured this!  I am glad I got my share before they finished it off!  LOL!

I’ll leave you with one more picture…..drool!

One of the big things I missed when going gluten-free was pretzels.  I love pretzels.  Small & crunchy, warm, soft & hot.  I don’t think I have met a pretzel that I didn’t like.  Oh yeah, that is because they are purely carbs!  HA! 

There are a couple of companies that make gluten-free pretzels.  Ener-G makes some good pretzels.  Glutino is the latest on my list for review. 

The Glutino pretzels are awesome.  They are crunchy & crispy, with just the right amount of salt.  I loved pairing these twists with my sandwiches for lunch. 

If you made me choose between these 2 brands of pretzels, I would have to go with the Glutino as the better pretzel.  🙂  Now, if you will excuse me.  I need to go get some water.  These pretzels are making me thirsty. 😉  LOL!  Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. 

If you are looking for a gluten-free hot soft pretzel, there are some at my local health food store, but I can’t bring myself to pay $17+ for them.  I have made bagels from Pamela’s Bread Mix before and topped with sea salt & they were very reminiscent of hot soft pretzels. 

What do those 3 things have in common?  I am going to tell you.  NuVal is a company that makes choosing healthy foods at the grocery store a little easier.  NuVal scores food based on a combination of nutritional factors and comes up with a number.  The numbers range from 1 to 100 – the higher the number, but more nutritious the food choice.  You can find out more about how NuVal works and the science of it here. 

Now, moving on.  Last week Tina from Carrots’N’Cake asked for volunteers who shopped at Meijer to check out the NuVal program at their local store.  I volunteered and thought it would be fun to see the gluten-free side of it as well.  Sometimes the gluten-free replacement foods aren’t as nutritious as the traditional version due to the removal of the whole wheat, rye, barley & oats.  This makes trading-up, as NuVal calls it, even more important.  If you are trying to choose between vegetables or fruits, choose with one with the higher number.  Spinach is rated with a 99! 

Apples?  Rated a 96.  🙂  My favorite!

Want to trade-up for a healthier sandwich?  Forgo the cheese and add a slice or 2 of avocado.

You can even choose a healthier cooking oil.

As you can see, the Canola Oil is the healthier choice. 

Cereals?  Sometimes it is hard to find mainstream gluten-free cereal, but you can even make healthier trade-ups there.

Strawberry Chex- 26

Honey Cinnamon Puffins (the only gluten-free puffins) – 25

Kix Cereal – 29

I checked the gluten-free product aisle and there were no scores on the gluten-free foods there.  It would be great to see the NuVal scores there eventually, too, to help make even more great trade-ups. 

You can see if there is a store that has NuVal in your area here.  You can check the scores of some of your favorite foods here.

An email that I received this morning from Amazon inspired me to write this post today.  The email was about Gluten-free items on Amazon being up to 40% off.  The one item in particular that caught my eye was the Dr. Kracker Flatbread Krackers – Sunflower Cheddar.   Not only were these listed in the email ad as gluten-free items, but on the item description page, “Great for gluten-free diets”, is highlighted.  Then you scroll down to the ingredients:

Ingredients
Organic Whole Grain Spelt Flour, Filtered Water, Organic Cheddar Cheese (Organic Pasteurized Milk, Hannilase Enzyme, Salt, Cultures), Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Flaxseeds, Sea Salt, Organic Sesame Seeds, Organic Spelt Bran, Yeast, Organic Barley Malt Syrup.

And then safety information:

Safety Information
Contains milk and wheat.

And then, the CYA disclaimer:

Legal Disclaimer
Actual product packaging and materials may contain more and different information than what is shown on our website. We recommend that you do not rely solely on the information presented and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before using or consuming a product. Please see our full disclaimer below.

Ultimately we are responsible for ourselves & the food we put into our mouths.  If the product is labeled correctly, the information is there for use to protect ourselves, even if a company is calling the product “gluten-free” by putting it in an ad or on a shelf that says so. 

This is just a reminder to read labels every.single.time. you buy/eat a product.  I know how easy it is to become complacent when buying and eating the same products over & over.  I am very loyal to the brands I know I can trust, however, I always double check.  You never know when a recipe or a supplier has changed. 

On another note, Hannah said something today to me regarding my having to follow a gluten-free diet.  She said “Mom, I am so sorry that you have to eat gluten-free.”  I looked at her and smiled and then said “Thank you, but I am thankful for being able to eat gluten-free.”  I went on, “I feel better than I used to feel and I am thankful that if I have to have a disease, that it is Celiac Disease and not something more serious, like Cancer.”  I think that too often, when the going gets tough, we start to feel sorry for ourselves & mourn the loss of what we thought was our beloved gluten-filled foods.  Little did we know that those foods were damaging our bodies and all we had to do to change that, is change our diet. 

Have a wonderful, gluten-free day!

I have done a few days like this in the past where I capture all the gluten-free food that I eat in a day.  I chose last Friday, a day that I ran 8 miles, to show you how I refuel after a longer run.  Before my run I had a pack of Sharkies and during my run I drank watered down powdered Gatorade.

Breakfast consisted of 2 Van’s Blueberry GF Waffles topped with Trader Joe’s Almond Butter, Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter, cinnamon & raisins.  I also had a cut up Macintosh apple on the side.  I ran out of my beloved Honeycrisp, so Macintosh had to do.  I also had an unpictured cup of decaf with cinnamon & vanilla almond breeze.

Days like this are hard for me to gauge food wise.  Some days when I run longer (usually 8+ miles), I have no appetite whatsoever and have to watch the clock to make sure that I am eating every 3 hours or so.  Other days I can’t get enough.  This day fell into the “can’t get enough” category.

Snack, not even 3 hours after breakfast, was a bowl of Glutenfreeda’s Instant Apple Cinnamon & Flax Oatmeal.

Lunch was a Baby Spinach Salad + grape tomatoes & Kraft Fat Free French Dressing, chicken, pear & sriracha sandwich on Pamela’s Bread, cut up pear & Glutino Pretzels.

Dessert, a must have after lunch, a mini Heath bar.

Snack time couldn’t come soon enough!  LOL!  I had a bowl of cereal, which included Rice Chex, Peanut Butter Panda Puffs & Barbara’s Honey Cinnamon Puffins with a cut up Macintosh apple.  Yes, I like my fruit. 😉

Friday was homemade pizza night.  I used Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Crust Mix.  I made mine with Trader Joe’s Tomato Chutney as the sauce base & topped it with roasted eggplant, mushrooms, spinach, goat cheese & pine nuts.  Kalamata olives would have really finished this off nicely, but I didn’t have any. 🙁  I also had a large mixed greens salad on the side.

I ate half of the pizza and all of the salad.  For dessert, which I forgot to photograph, I had a small helping of Edy’s Pumpkin Ice cream & some dark chocolate chocolate chips on top.

It was a good day and I felt refueled enough to run 5 miles the next AM and finished my last mile in 8 min. 24 seconds.  Love runs like that!

Hope you all had a a great weekend!

I don’t know what the weather has been like by you, but it has been glorious here the past few days.  I have been taking full advantage of that before we enter into the land of the frozen tundra for the next several months.

In My Box is hosting this week’s gluten-free menu swap with the them of “Dutch Ovens”.  I don’t have anything on this week’s menu that would utilize my dutch oven, but I do occasionally use mine to make pot roast with potatoes & carrots.  With the weather getting colder, it may be time to break it out & cook up a great roast!

Sunday – Rotisserie Chicken, sweet potato hash browns, steamed veggies & salad

Monday – Chicken/Eggplant Parmesan, brown rice/quinoa pasta, broccoli & salad

Tuesday – Honey Baked Lentils & spaghetti squash & salad

Wednesday – Filet mignon, baked potatoes w/Oikos, roasted asparagus & salad

Thursday – Bourbon Chicken, coconut brown rice, zucchini & salad

Friday – Breakfast for dinner

Saturday – Leftovers

Baked Goods

Bread

Bagels

Pumpkin Drop Biscuits

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Last night Aaron & I went out to celebrate our anniversary at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse.  What an amazing dinner.  The chef was extremely helpful & knowledgeable about the gluten-free diet.  We both ordered off the Sea & Shore 3-Course Menu.  My dinner included a beefsteak tomato & onion salad (sans onion) with hard smoked mozzarella cheese & balsamic vinaigrette, 7 oz medium rare filet mignon, Colossal Sea Scallops with lemon citrus sauce, broccolini and creme brulee for dessert.  I also had a nice glass of pinot noir & syrah.  Aaron had the same thing, but had a Caesar salad & crab cakes for his salad & seafood.  He opted for the cheesecake for dessert.   We came home & watched Orphan.  Talk about a freaky movie!  Yikes!

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Don’t forget to check out Orgjunkie for more menu ideas.

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Another fun blogging event to check out this week: Gluten-free Thanksgiving Progressive Dinner Party.  For more details, please see The Whole Gang.

Have a great week!