Some of my absolute favorite foods are those that are naturally gluten-free.  The easiest naturally gluten-free foods to find are whole foods like fruits & vegetables.  When you stick with whole foods and prepare them yourself, there is no label reading or wondering if the food has been cross-contaminated or manufactured in a place that also manufactures or produces gluten-containing products.  Not only are these foods better for those on a gluten-free diet, but they are better for everyone.  There is so much processed food out there.  The less you eat, the better. 

I found this kabocha squash a week or so ago at Kroger.  I had been looking for one for a while, so I was shocked to finally find it!  Here is a little more about the kabocha squash from What’s Cooking America:

Kabocha (Also known as a Ebisu, Delica, Hoka, Hokkaido, or Japanese Pumpkin) – Kabocha is the generic Japanese word for squash, but refers most commonly to a squash of the buttercup type.

Kobocha Squash may be cooked whole or split lengthwise (removing seeds). It has a rich sweet flavor, and often dry and flaky when cooked. Use in any dish in which buttercup squash would work.

Available year-round.

To prepare the squash for roasting, I washed the squash & cut in half lengthwise & removed the seeds.  This was not an easy job, but I persevered and got the job done.  I then chopped into large chunks and placed them on a baking sheet that had been sprayed with Pam.  I then sprayed the squash with Pam and seasoned with sea salt & pepper.  I then roasted in the oven at about 400 for 30 – 40 minutes or so.   I kept checking to make sure I wasn’t over cooking it.  The flesh skin will both get tender & the flesh gets a little flaky.  The skin is edible and I think it adds a nice texture to the squash. 

This squash reminded me a lot of a sweet potato, but richer.  It was so stinkin’ good!!  I have been eating this for days & still have some left!  There are so many things you can do with this.  You could scoop the meat out & mash up for oatmeal, baking or just to eat alone. 

If you are looking for a great new fall veggie to try, don’t pass this one up!! 

This week is Aaron’s b-day week!!  Yay for birthdays!!  He will be 29 again (for the 9th time!).  We will probably have a “date” night on Saturday to celebrate.  🙂

M-Elle is hosting this week’s gluten-free menu swap at La Cocina de Michelle.  The ingredient of the week is quinoa!  One of my absolute favorite grains.  There is so much you can do with quinoa and you can pretty much sub it for rice any time you want.  Even Jon likes it! 🙂  I have even made veggie burgers using quinoa before..YUM!!  Thanks for hosting, M-Elle. 

Sunday ~ BBQ Chicken Breasts, roasted kabocha squash, asparagus & salad

Monday ~ Grilled Salmon, quinoa, broccoli & salad

Tuesday ~ Grilled Teryaki Turkey Burgers, baked sweet potatoes, corn & salad

Wednesday ~ Creamy Pumpkin Brown Rice in Acorn Squash, Chicken Breast & salad

Thursday ~ Spaghetti & veggie marinara and salad

Friday ~ Leftovers or pizza night

Saturday ~ Date night! 

Baked Goods

Bread

Pumpkin Bread

Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Check out Jay’s post over at  Gluten-free Post on a new cookbook!

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Check out my article on Celiac Awareness Day, September 13, 2009

Hope you all had a great weekend!  Have a great week!

Yesterday I posted a review on Cereal Vit Cereals.  I received an email today from Riega foods detailing how you guys can get a hold of this cereal.  There is also a code to get 15% off when you order on Amazon.com.

It takes some time to get the products through distribution and into stores.

If you want to let your readers know there are two things they can do to help get them into stores.

1) They can download the store request form from (also attached):

http://www.riegafoods.com/store-request-form.pdf

Take it to their favorite store (independent stores are more likely to buy direct from us) ask them to carry the cereals. We are happy to send samples to the stores to try and sell direct while we are getting set up with distributors.

2) They can also email us at sales@riegafoods.com with their favorite store and we will contact the store for them and try and work with them.

Finally, we have also set up packs of 4 boxes on Amazon for purchase in the short-term. We prefer to sell via stores, but we have to fulfill demand somehow. Economies of scale also lead to better pricing at store level than Amazon due to shipping and the fees Amazon charges. If someone goes to http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=cerealvit&x=0&y=0

they can see the offerings. They can also use coupon code 15CERVIT on the first order and get 15% off one order.

Again, thanks for the review, and I am happy you liked the cereals.

Regards,

Brad

I hope this helps some of you find these great cereals!  I love them! 

If you didn’t realize it by now, I am a cereal freak.  I love my cereal.  I eat it at least once a day and I usually mix more than 1 kind together in a bowl.  I then top with Greek yogurt, fruit, nut butter or Vanilla Almond Breeze (unsweetened).  I love to mix in different flavors of cereals to maximize flavor and nutrition. 

A few weeks back I received 3 boxes of cereal made by Cereal Vit.   There were Corn Flakes, Coffee Flakes and Benevit Multi-grain Flakes. 

I was especially interested in the Coffee Flakes- Coffee coated corn and flax flake cereal enriched with Omega-3 for heart health. Certified organic and gluten free.  I tasted those first.  WOW!  What a unique flavor!  It was odd at first, but then I really grew to like it!  I now crave the taste & love adding them to my other cereals or just to my yogurt alone. 

Next up was the Corn Flakes – Extra thick and crispy corn flake with no added sugar. Certified organic and gluten free.  These are great corn flakes, but don’t be expecting them to be sweet, as they only have 3 ingredients – organic corn, rice malt & salt.  They have 1.2 grams/sugar per serving.  Great for adding a serving of fresh fruit & yogurt or Almond Breeze to. 

Last, but not least, the Benevit Multi-grain Flakes – Buckwheat and rice flakes with low sugar and fat content. Certified organic and gluten free.  These are great!!  I love the flavor!  Another one that is perfect for mixing or just adding fruit & yogurt to.  I love how the flakes stand up to moisture from fruit/yogurt/milk. 

These are a great addition to any gluten-free cereal pantry!  For more information, please see Riega Foods.

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Check out my latest Examiner article on the 8th Annual “Making Tracks for Celiacs” walk. 

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A few weeks back I tweeted about not being able to get a response from Emerald Nuts about their Cocoa Roasted Almonds being gluten-free or not.  I received a very nice email from the company this week apologizing for their lack of response (they saw the tweet, but not any of my 3 emails).  They assured me that the Dark Chocolate Cocoa Roasted Almonds are in fact gluten-free.  🙂 

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I hope you all have a great weekend!  Anything special planned?  I have a long run planned for tomorrow and then nothing really all weekend after that.  I am running later than normal, so I have to play around with my schedule for eating.  Normally I don’t like to eat before a run period, but I do for my runs over 6 miles.  I will eat a banana or Clif Gel.  8+ miles also warrants a Gel of sorts in the middle.  Tomorrow I may actually eat a small breakfast first, but I haven’t figured things out yet.  I think it will depend on when I get up.  I will be stuffing my face after my run, that is for sure! 😉 

I have been eating gluten-free oatmeal for about a year now.  I have tried Lara’s, made by Cream Hill Estates and Bob’s Red Mill.  They are both very good and not hard to make at all.  However, there may be times when you need something just a little quicker.  Enter Glutenfreeda’s Instant Oatmeal.  I just happened upon this oatmeal the other day while shopping at Raisin Rack.  I picked up the variety pack, which has all 3 flavors inside:  Apple Cinnamon w/Flax, Maple Raisin w/Flax & Banana Maple w/Flax 

I have tried all 3 flavors now and they are all very good.  They range from 160 calories to 210 calories (the maple w/raisin).  They all have 4 grams of fiber and at least 5 grams of protein.  All you have to do is add water & microwave for 1-2 minutes.  Super easy on-the-go breakfast or snack. 

This picture shows the Banana Maple w/Flax and I added raisins.  I like to add all kinds of stuff into my oatmeal. If I am having it for a meal and not a snack, I will add nut butters, pumpkin, fruit, fruit spread, coconut or nuts. 

This is a great product to have on-hand for quick meals or to travel with.  It would be easy to toss in a large cup w/ water at a convenience store & micro if you are on a road trip. 

Editing to add that you can find these in bulk on Amazon:  $30 for 8 boxes of 6 packs each.

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Quick note:

$5.00 OFF every order when you purchase $25 of Glutino products on GlutenFree.com!

Just enter code: BEFREE at check-out

Hurry… Offer ends: October 31, 2009

I received an email from Caribou Coffee the other day introducing their yummy fall drinks.  They have 4 new ones:

• Hot Wild Pumpkin
• Wild Pumpkin Cooler
• Hot Wild Caramel Apple
• Wild Caramel Apple Cooler

I promptly sent off an email to find out if they were all gluten-free.  Here is the response I got:

Dear Kimberly,

Thank you for contacting Caribou Coffee Customer Service with your inquiry. All of the ingredients used to make the new fall drinks are gluten free. However, each of the drinks contain an ingredient that is made in a facility where gluten products are used. So while all effort is made to ensure that our ingredients do NOT have glutens, there isn’t a 100% guarantee. I hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,

Caribou Coffee Customer Service

You can bet I will be in there trying the Hold Wild Pumpkin & Hot Wild Caramel Apple very soon!!  YUM!!

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Joan’s GF Great Bakes is now offering crusty French bread!!!  You can order right from their site.  The French bread is $7.00 + shipping.  Columbus peeps, Raisin Rack carries Joan’s GF Great Bakes, though I am not sure if they have the French Bread in yet.  I tried some of Joan’s products last year & fell in love with the bagels.  They were amazing!  The bagels are 15% off from now through September 18th, so act fast!!

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The other day I reviewed Udi’s Baked Goods.  I have since found out that you can call Udi’s & order over the phone (Phone: 303.657.1600) if you can’t find them in your area.  Additionally, you can ask your Whole Foods or local health food store to look into carrying Udi’s. 

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I ordered a Road ID this past weekend to wear when I run outdoors.  I had been wanting to order one for a while, but I kept putting it off.  I read on more than one occasion how these IDs have helped save someone, so I promptly ordered mine.  Road ID was nice enough to provide me with a coupon code for all of you to order one for $1 off.  Here is the info:

Hey Everyone,

I just ordered one of the best products ever. It’s called a Road ID – perhaps you’ve heard of it. If you haven’t, go to their website and check it out. Road ID is a great product that could save your life someday.

When I ordered, they gave me a coupon that I could pass along to my friends. Here’s the coupon number:

Coupon Number: ThanksKimberly537687

The coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order placed by 10/07/2009. To order, simply go to RoadID.com or click the link below:

http://www.RoadID.com/?CID=ThanksKimberly537687

If you prefer, you can call them at 800-345-6335.

You can thank me later,

Kim

Oh by the way, their website is awesome, the customer service is outstanding, and the owners are very smart and good looking. (They added this last part in…..cute, huh?)

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This just in from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness:

Research identifies human protein linked to Celiac Disease!  For the complete article, click here. 

Have a great day!!

The other day I was browsing my local health food store, always trouble, when I walked by the freezer aisle and these babies popped out at me:  Julie’s Organic Ice Cream Sandiwches.

Not only were they gluten-free, but they were on sale, making them impossible to resist.  They still ended up being about $1/sandwich, but let me tell you, they were well worth it. 

Being the nice mother that I am, I basically just had a bite of one of these sandwiches & let Jon enjoy the rest.  He was in heaven!!  He has begged me to go back & get more.  He told me that when he gets his allowance he is going to give me the $$ to get him some more!  LOL!

The chocolate cookie, made by Glutenfreeda, has a great flavor & texture & the vanilla ice cream is heavenly.  This is the perfect treat for a hot summer day! 

Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8, 2009 will be a big day.   Lee Tobin, Gluten Free Bakehouse Team Leader, will be at Whole Foods in Dublin, Ohio to do a gluten-free taste testing.  Lee will be available to answer questions & possibly even lead a GF grocery aisle tour if there is interest & time. 

From Whole Foods:

Tuesday, September 8th

Gluten-Free Bake House Food Tasting

4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Free | Details

With Lee Tobin, Whole Foods Market’s Gluten-Free Bake House Team Leader

Join us in the bakery and discover the great story behind Whole Foods Market®’s Gluten-Free Bake House! Ample taste tests will be available!

I had the pleasure of having Udi’s wonderful baked goods shipped to me a few weeks back to sample.  I was so excited to give these products a try!  I received: Blueberry Muffins, Lemon Streusel Muffins, Pizza Crusts, White Bread & Whole Grain Bread. 

Muffins:

These muffins were moist & soft.  They were full of flavor & I really couldn’t get my hands on many because Jon claimed them as his breakfast!  He loved these muffins.  They didn’t crumble and remained moist for several days on the counter.

White Bread:

This is by far, the softest, freshest, best tasting gluten-free bread I have tasted since going gluten-free.  There was no toasting required. I was able to make Jon his PB & J sandwiches simply by spreading PB & J on bread that I had sitting on the counter.  I packed in his lunch box & he came home each day & raved about the bread.  Unbelievable.  I had to double check the ingredients to make sure the bread was truly gluten-free. 

Pizza Crusts:

The pizza crusts were just as good.  I made Jon the standard cheese pizza & fancied up mine.  The first was topped with EVOO, Frank’s Red Hot, fresh basil, spinach, mozzarella, chicken, eggplant & tomato.  The second one was my best creation yet:  BBQ sauce, mashed garbanzo beans, rotisserie chicken, fresh spinach, eggplant, provolone, pine nuts & fresh basil.  YUM!!!  The crust was  thin style & held up well to the sauces & toppings.  No crumbling & the taste was great. 

Whole Grain Bread:

I am officially in love.  I could eat this bread for every meal.  Soft & flavorful.  The only thing I can say I would change is that the slices are a little small, but I can deal with that.  The taste & texture make up for the size.  I don’t know how Udi’s does it, but I know that I need more.    For those interested, it does toast well too, but why toast when you don’t have to?  I tested this bread out by packing for lunches in the AM, too, and it works wonders. I also had a loaf frozen in the freezer, let it defrost on the counter & then ate at room temperature until it was gone a few days later.  Just as soft & moist. 

These products literally knocked my socks off!!  I couldn’t tell any of this stuff was GF.  There was no aftertaste, no crumbling….just moist & flavorful baked goods. 

Thank you Dee & Udi’s for sending me those amazing samples.  I hope that you are able to get Udi’s into a store here in Columbus soon!!! 

So I have been slacking a little on the menu plan this weekend!  LOL!  I guess that is what Holiday weekends are all about.  I hope that you all are having a great Holiday weekend.  We spent some time with family yesterday that we hadn’t seen in a long time and it was great to see everyone.  Everyone looked great! 

The kids are beginning to fall into their school year routines.  I just want to know when the heck they both grew up?  Where are my babies?  Soon we will be back into hockey & that will complicate our hectic schedules even more.  Gotta love life!! 🙂 

Sunday ~ Rotisserie Chicken (Meijer has a Lemon Roasted that is GF!), broccoli & salad

Monday ~ Thai Chile Salmon, roasted kabocha squash, green beans & salad

Tuesday ~Taco Tuesday!  Refried beans, corn & salad

Wednesday ~ BBQ pulled pork, yucca fries, asparagus & salad

Thursday ~ Chicken Fettucine Alfredo, broccoli & salad

Friday ~ Pizza night! 

Saturday ~ Leftovers

Baked Goods

PB Balls that I didn’t get to last week

Bread

Whatever strikes my fancy!

Asparagus Thin is hosting the GF Menu Swap this week and the choice ingredient of the week is tapioca/manioc/cassava/yucca.  I love yucca!!!  You can bet that I will be making some yucca fries this week!  Perhaps with my pulled pork!  Thanks for hosting!

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

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My nephews could still use some prayers & positive thoughts.  They have had a rough week.  The both have fought infections and they are still trying to get a PICC line in baby Wyatt.  Thank you!

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Watch for lots of reviews this week!  I have some great products that I can’t wait to share with you all!!

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Check out my review of Jeni’s Ice Creams.   They have the most unique flavors!  Can’t wait to go back!

Have a great week!!