We are quickly approaching the largest candy celebration of the year.   Halloween!  The Halloween candy is all over the stores (I even saw Christmas stuff up at Kohl’s the other day!).  I found some Pumpkin Spice Hershey’s Kisses last week…they rock. 

The problem with Halloween for those with Celiac/gluten intolerance is that all candy must be checked.  Yes, I have a candy list posted on the site from 2008.  I also found another you can find here.  These lists are to be used as guidelines.  I am going to be doing some legwork over the next few weeks to update some of our favorites.  I will make sure to share them here.  I do have a couple of updates to share now.

Brach’s (parent company is Farley’s and Sathers) Candy Corn.  I emailed them earlier this week & got the standard response at first:

Dear Ms Bouldin:

Thank you for writing Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. regarding Brach’s® Candy Corn. Hearing from our consumers better enables us to continue to provide quality products and services. Consumer feedback is very important to us, and we appreciate the opportunity to respond.

Due to constant changes in manufacturing and packaging, Farley’s & Sathers is not able to offer a list of gluten free items. Please refer to the packaging, as the packaging contains the most current ingredient and allergen statements. Packaging is updated anytime a change is made to the production location of any item. Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company maintains several manufacturing and packaging facilities.

Thank you for contacting Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company with your request for information on our allergens. Please contact us directly at 1-888-247-9855 (Consumer Affairs) with any additional questions or concerns about gluten and our products.

Please visit our website at www.farleysandsathers.com for additional information about our products and services.

Sincerely,

Jean Travis

Consumer Relations

Then I emailed back asking about the artificial & natural flavors and the status of those in regards to gluten.  I received this back:

Dear Ms Bouldin:

Thank you for writing Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. regarding Brach’s® Candy Corn. Hearing from our consumers better enables us to continue to provide quality products and services. Consumer feedback is very important to us, and we appreciate the opportunity to respond.

At this time the artificial and natural flavors in the Brach’s® Candy Corn are gluten free. Please note on the attached document the packaged allergen warning for this product.

Due to constant changes in manufacturing and packaging, Farley’s & Sathers is not able to offer a list of gluten free items. Please refer to the packaging, as the packaging contains the most current ingredient and allergen statements. Packaging is updated anytime a change is made to the production location of any item. Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company maintains several manufacturing and packaging facilities.

Thank you for contacting Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company with your request for information on our allergens. Please contact us directly at 1-888-247-9855 (Consumer Affairs) with any additional questions or concerns about gluten and our products.

Please visit our website at www.farleysandsathers.com for additional information about our products and services.

Sincerely,

Samantha Williams

Consumer Relations

Next up, Hershey’s.  Used to be that Hershey’s would declare any gluten on their labels.  Not the case anymore.  You have to call for every product.  Here is their allergen page.  Things that are gluten-free, verified recently (not miniatures):

• Hershey’s Special Dark
• Hershey’s Bars & Kisses
• Reese’s PB Cups

Nestle.  Nestle will label any gluten that is in their products clearly on the label.  I did send an email to confirm this.  I will post again if there has been any change.  UPDATE:  Here is a list from Nestle with their gluten-free products. 

Dagoba, Green & Black’s & Endangered Species chocolate bars are all gluten-free.  Love companies like that!  Also, Trader Joe’s has a bunch of gluten-free candy & chocolate options and they have a list, too! 

This is just to get you guys started.  I will make sure to update lists & call attention in new posts as I move along with this.  🙂  Happy eating! 

I emailed yesterday to see when we could expect to see the canned pumpkin back on the shelves.  Here is the response:

Dear Ms. Bouldin,

Thank you for contacting Libby’s® 100% Pure Pumpkin.

I am sorry that you are having a difficult time finding Libby’s Pumpkin. Due to unfavorable weather conditions last fall, some of the pumpkin did not meet our high quality standards. Therefore, our harvest was smaller than typical and you may have some difficulty finding Libby’s Pumpkin.
We are in the process of harvesting our pumpkins and you will be able to find it in all sizes within the next few weeks.

We appreciate your interest and hope you will visit our website often for the latest information on our products and promotions.

Sincerely,

Tara Williams
Consumer Response Representative
Ref: N17000232

In the meantime, I have found canned pureed butternut squash & canned pureed sweet potato at Trader Joe’s.  Also, it would be much simpler to pureed baked or steamed sweet potato then a whole pumpkin.  For a fun experiment, I do plan on using a whole pumpkin for either a pie or some other pumpkin baked goods this fall.  I think the kids (ok, at least Hannah will care) will like it.  🙂

Have you all heard this craziness?  If you search “pumpkin shortage” on Twitter, you will find all kinds of people freaking out about The Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2009.  I stopped by 3 stores today and sure enough, no canned pumpkin on the shelves.  I have 2 small cans that I bought earlier this year because I use them for oats as well.  What are we going to do?  What about pumpkin pies, pumpkin cookies, all the things I posted about on Sunday that I love??   Will I have to resort to using butternut squash?  Not a bad idea.  I know you can buy that frozen.  Wonder if you can buy it canned?  Not at the stores I shopped today, or at least I didn’t see any.  Sigh. 

Speaking of pumpkin, I not only have gotten my hands on my beloved Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter, Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses, a few Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but today I found:

There was exactly 1 of these left on the shelf.  I was prepared to buy several, especially since it may be the only pumpkin pie that I will be eating this year.  I knew that I had to have this right away for my snack this afternoon.  I emptied it into a bowl with some super-crunchy corn flakes and then mixed up.  I first took a spoonful out of the yogurt container to get a true taste.  To be honest I wasn’t “wowed” like I thought I was going to be.  There was definitely a pumpkin flavor there, but I can’t really describe what it was that was holding me back from loving this.  In theory I should love it, but I don’t.  I am actually kind of glad that there was only 1 on the shelf.  Anyone else out there try this?  What do you think?

Last night for dinner I wanted to finish off the artichoke burgers that I had in the freezer, so I was trying to find something to pair with it.  I was out of sweet potatoes, but I did have a beet that needed to be used, so I chose to roast it.  I peeled & chopped the beet up into chunks.  Then I sprayed with Pam and seasoned with S & P and popped into the oven for 30 – 40 min at 400.  I loved how these turned out!  Great flavor!!  I have never had cooked beets before, but now I will be making them a lot more often.

To spice up my artichoke burger, I decided to top it with a new find:

I added about a TBSP of this Tomato Chutney from Trader Joe’s and some goat cheese.  OMG….what a great combo of flavors!!  The chutney has a nice kick to it and definitely made this meal. 

If you haven’t tried this product from Trader Joe’s, grab some!  So worth it!  I have to make a quick comment about Trader Joe’s and how easy it is to shop there for gluten-free food.  Not only do they have a list you can get online for your region’s stores, but everything is labeled so clearly.  Plus, the price is usually very reasonable, unlike Whole Paycheck, which I love, but can’t always justify shopping at. 

Since starting my blog over a year ago, I have met so many wonderful people.  Some of those people have become friends.  One of those friends sent me a great surprise a week or so ago…a bread mix from Breads from Anna!  I couldn’t wait to make it! 

This mix was super easy to make.  I chose to make it in my Zojirushi Breadmaker.  I mixed all of the liquid ingredients together first, then I poured in the mix & sprinkled the yeast on top.  I hit “start” on my Zo and walked away.  3.5 hours later my house smelled like heaven! 

I let the bread cool down for 15 or so minutes and then I couldn’t take it any longer.  I sliced off a couple of pieces and made myself a turkey, Swiss, basil & spinach sandwich (topped with Sriracha, of course 😉 ). 

The bread was so flavorful and had an amazing texture.  I love the tastes of the different flours that are used: Montina & chickpea, navy bean & sorghum in addition to tapioca & cornstarch.  Each slice has 3 grams of fiber, pretty good for a gluten-free bread!  This bread mix is free of soy, rice & nuts, perfect for those with other allergens & intolerances in addition to gluten. 

If you are looking for a great gluten-free bread you should give Breads from Anna a try.    Breads from Anna has so many other mixes available, including a cranberry pancake mix that is calling my name!  YUM!!

Thanks again, Erin, you are so sweet.  I am really enjoying this bread. 🙂

My gluten-free marathoning buddy, Beth, is the new Columbus Running Examiner!  Go Beth!!  Please stop by & say “Hi” to Beth!  She has some great advice & tips.  Also, don’t forget to wish her luck on her 14th marathon, coming up this Sunday, September 26, 2009.  🙂  I did an interview with Beth not too long about about gluten-free training.  

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My Mommy got me an early Christmas gift!  She got me a Garmin Forerunner 305!  I am so excited!  What a great tool to have for my training – not only for the half, but for the full marathon I am planning to run in May.  A special thanks to Caitlin over at Healthy Tipping Point for the recommendation on the Garmin & where to get it for the lowest price. 

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Pure Bars.  The wonderful people from Pure Bars sent me a variety box of their bars to sample.  I had reviewed a few over the past year, but hadn’t tasted all of the flavors.  I have now officially tried the other 3 flavors: Cranberry Orange, Wild Blueberry & ChocChip TrailMix.  My verdict?  They all rock!  I honestly love them all!  If you made me pick a favorite, it would be between the Wild Blueberry & Cherry Cashew.  Make sure to check out Veronica’s Blog.  Veronica is the founder of Pure Bar.  🙂   You can find Pure Bars at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. 

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See my review of First Watch on The Examiner.  What an amazing place to dine gluten-free!  Not to be missed! 

Here are some additional pics from my visit.

Check out this menu:

Egg white omelette w/ turkey, spinach, feta & tomatoes:

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I have several more reviews coming this week….Manna from Anna’s bread, Country Bob’s and Old Bay Seasoning.  🙂  Also, pumpkin spice fans, Hershey’s Kisses has a pumpkin spice flavor out and it is TDF!! 

Yes, that is right, I said “Healthy Cookies”.  🙂  I have taken a liking to 2 cookbooks that I recently checked out of the library.  The 2 books are Veganomicon, which I now own, and Eat, Drink & Be Vegan, which I am about to own.  😉  No, I am not vegan or even vegetarian, but I don’t eat meat daily.  I love veggie based dishes & find myself craving them.  I love all kinds of beans & lentils and all the different varieties out there. 

I happened upon this recipe for Super-Charge Me! Cookies and figured out that it would be very easy to modify to be gluten-free.  The changes that I made are:

Bob’s Red Mill GF Oats for the quick oats

Bob’s Red Mill Sorghum Flour for the spelt flour

Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil for the canola oil

The results were amazing!  These cookies are so addicting!  I am glad that they are healthy because I certainly don’t feel bad eating them for breakfast now!  😉  LOL! 

I did use raisins for my dried fruit & chocolate chips, too.  I might try nuts or maybe dried cherries, blueberries or chopped dried figs next time. 

Definitely a keeper of a recipe! 🙂  Even super picky Jon loved these!  One change he asked me to make…. leave out the raisins next time, though, because he prefers chocolate chips.  Umm…no!  LOL! 

Apples & pumpkins are my favorite fall fruits & veggies.  I also have a fondness for squash of all size & shape.  I am mourning my berries, peaches, plums & watermelon and moving forward.  I just bought my first couple Honeycrisp apples today!  YUM!!  I am so looking forward to eating these!  Honeycrisp Apples were developed at the University of Minnesota. Honeycrisp apple is a cross between Macoun apple and Honey Gold apples and is extraordinarily crisp and juicy with a wonderful aroma and flavor. 

Wendy at Celiacs in the House is hosting this week’s gluten-free menu swap.  Wendy’s choice ingredient of the week is pumpkins!  I could eat pumpkin every day of the week!  Here are some of my favorite pumpkin recipes:  Acorn squash with creamy pumpkin brown rice, pumpkin bread, chocolate pumpkin bread, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin chocolate chip bars and pumpkin pie.  I think I will make some pumpkin bread this week! 😉  Speaking of pumpkin, did you know that Trader Joe’s has their pumpkin butter back on the shevles!?!?!  I definitely bought some the other day!  Major YUM!

Sunday ~ Leftovers (tacos, rotisserie chix, stir fry chix)

Monday ~ Salmon (broiled with Thai Chile Sauce), coconut brown rice, broccoli & salad

Tuesday ~ Cocoa-Coconut Chili (recipe to come later), salad & foccacia (Chebe) bread

Wednesday ~ Baked Ziti, green beans & salad

Thursday ~ Grilled BBQ chicken breast, roasted asparagus, sweet potato steak fries & salad

Friday~ Leftover BBQ chicken made into homemade BBQ chicken pizza, steamed veggies & salad

Saturday ~ Roasted veggies (eggplant, carrots, zucchini) over garbanzo beans and topped with Marinutta sauce. 

Baked Goods

Pumpkin Bread

New Bread Mix to review!

Some more gluten-free versions of the Super Charge Me cookies from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

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

I hope you all have a great week!!

I am always on the lookout for new fun things to eat.  I get a lot of ideas from some other very clever bloggers and this sauce idea came from one of my favorites: Heather Eats Almond Butter.  I also saw Meghann of The Inner Workings of a College Graduate make this sauce this week and that did it for me.  I had to try it.  I figured with almond butter it couldn’t be bad, right?  So I set off making my new favorite sauce.  The best part about the ingredients is that they are all naturally gluten-free!! 

Here is what I used for a single serving:

1/2 cup Prego 3 Cheese Marinara Sauce (gluten-free)

1 TBSP Trader Joe’s raw unsalted almond butter (GF)

1 TBSP Bob’s Red Mill Flaxseed Meal

I mixed all the above up in a bowl and then tossed in the microwave for 45 seconds to a minute & then stirred.  I tasted the creation and was in heaven!!  Seriously, quite possibly the best sauce ever!!  I quickly put the rest of my ingredients in a bowl to expedite things so I could sit down to eat!

Into the bowl went:

1/2 cup leftover Trader Joe’s brown rice spiral pasta

1/2 cup chickpeas

3/4 cup roasted eggplant

leftover broccoli (1/2 cup or less)

Top with sauce and then goat cheese. 

Then, all mixed up:

If you are looking at this shaking your head, please try it.  You can use peanut butter or Sunbutter if you don’t have almond butter or can’t have nuts.  It is very rich and is healthy for you, too!  You could use this to top all kinds of stuff.  I love roasted veggie bowls with a little pasta, some kind of beans and a sauce of some sort.  Usually it is plain marinara.  From now on, it will be marinutta, as Heather calls it.  😉

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Newsworthy Notes:

1. Check out my 2 new articles on the Examiner:  Crock pot Applesauce  and Gluten-free at Hardee’s.
2. I contacted Gatorade the other day to confirm that the drink powder was gluten-free and I got the confirmation that all of their drinks are gluten-free, including Thirst Quencher, Instant Mix, Endurance Formula, Energy Drink, Nutrition Shake, G2 and Propel.
3. I am running further tomorrow than I ever have before.  I plan to run 12 miles in the morning.  This will be the longest training run before my half-marathon.  Wish me luck!!

Last Sunday was Celiac Disease Awareness day.  Celiac Disease Awareness brings me to this post on the diagnosis of Celiac Disease. The diagnosis can be tricky for a number of reasons.  The signs & symptoms of Celiac Disease can vary from person to person, so while one person may present with gastrointestinal symptoms, another may present with neurological symptoms, another with skin symptoms (Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), which is the skin manifestation of Celiac Disease), or possibly even no symptoms at all.  You may be wondering how that last circumstance is even possible, but it is.  Celiac Disease is genetic, and often after the diagnosis is made, other family members are encouraged to go & get tested.  The people who are diagnosed with Celiac Disease that have no symptoms are called “asymptomatic”. 

If you suspect that you or someone you know may have Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance, the first step should be to see your doctor & ask for the Celiac Panel.  This is just a simple blood test where the doctor is looking for the presence of specific antibodies.  If this test comes back positive, an endoscopy with biopsy of the small intestine is then performed to confirm Celiac Disease.  Celiac Disease is not an allergy, but an autoimmune disorder.  Gluten sets off an autoimmune response in those who have Celiac disease, which results in damage to the villi (small fingerlike structures that aid in absorbing nutrients).  The only “cure” for Celiac Disease is to follow a life-long gluten-free diet. 

Diagnosis is not always so cut & dried.  Some people can test negative on the Celiac Panel and still test positive on the endoscopy/biopsy.  Some people can test negative on both, yet still react when consuming gluten; these people therefore feel better following a gluten-free diet.  Some people will have a positive Celiac Panel and opt to try the gluten-free diet and skip the endoscopy/biopsy.  This is a personal decision and should not be entered into lightly.  Once you embark on a gluten-free diet your body can begin to heal fairly quickly.  The tests will likely be skewed if you were to be following the gluten-free diet while having the testing done.  It is necessary to be actively consuming gluten while getting the Celiac Panel and/or endoscopy/biopsy done in order to get accurate results.  There have been numerous discussions and various opinions on how long after one resumes consuming gluten that accurate results are possible. 

Gluten intolerance can be defined as a condition where one reacts in some way to gluten, yet doesn’t have the diagnosis of Celiac Disease, for whatever reason. 

I was not diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  My Celiac Panel came back positive and I went gluten-free (not knowing any better) and I felt a huge difference within 24 hours.  I saw a GI doctor a week or so later who wanted to do the endoscopy/biopsy after having me go back to eating gluten.  I opted not to, because I obviously had an issue with gluten, and you couldn’t pay me to eat it again.  In my opinion, if someone feels better not eating gluten, who cares what you call it!  Now, that being said, when my son Jon was tested & diagnosed, I knew better about not going gluten-free before the testing was finished and went ahead & had the endoscopy/biopsy done on him.  The main reason I did this was because I couldn’t sentence my then 10 year old to a life-long gluten-free diet without being absolutely sure that he had Celiac Disease.  I knew that later on the diagnosis would help to keep him on the diet into his teen years & adult life as well. 

I hope this post helps someone out there.  1 in 133 people in the United States has Celiac Disease.  Only 3% of those people are diagnosed.  97% are undiagnosed and even possibly misdiagnosed with something else, such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).  I was told for several years that I had IBS before I even knew what Celiac Disease was.  Yes, I had an irritable bowel – it was being irritated by gluten!  There are plenty of people out there who have symptoms, but they aren’t bothersome enough to get tested.  Undiagnosed Celiac Disease can cause a host of issues on down the road, including some cancers! 

A number of websites have all kinds of information that may help:

•  http://www.celiac.org/
•  http://celiac-disease.com/
•  http://www.celiaccentral.org/

Please don’t hesitate to email me with questions,  I am here to help.  I hope to get some brand new recipes posted in the next week for Fall!  I can’t wait!