I Love It When the Universe Cooperates...Bulk GF Crackers at WalMart!!!

I am a WalMart grocery shopper. I will admit it. I shop at other stores, too, and I'm not above walking into a store to simply buy a brand of soup and nothing else (Ahem, Progresso...). But usually I'm excited when I see gluten free options at my WalMart because that can almost always mean they are available to a national audience. I know it's not always the case, but I trick myself into believing it just to be happy for everyone else. I have bought smaller boxes of these crackers before at the SuperDuper WalMart, and then (chorus of angels....bright light from above) as I walked down the aisle I spotted these huge boxes of Crunchmaster gluten free crackers. Me being me (which in translation means I'm somewhat of a gluten free food hoarder), I bought two of the giant boxes and couldn't wait to photograph them.I know there's about a million things I could do with these crackers, and I'm planning on coming up with some great combinations to post soon. The first one I was dying to try was softened cream cheese spread on a cracker with apricot jam spread over that. Delish! This was a great salt/sweet combo, and it looks so pretty you could set them out at a dinner party or ladies' luncheon if you ever needed a quick snack. I'm thinking of those Laughing Cow cheeses, hummus, peanut butter, vegetabes, flavored cream cheeses, and nutella to start. Not all together, of course. Anyone have an unusually delicious cracker combination to share?

If you click here, you can get a coupon for $1 off a box of these crackers. Enjoy!

Happy eating!

A Gluten Free Emergency...Kit: The Backpack Method

The other day I was reminded by the gals at How Does She? that my 72-hour kits needed some attention. And after the events in Japan a few weeks ago I must admit surviving a disaster has been at the top of my list of to-do items. This is a great post about how Missy organizes her family's 72-hour emergency supplies, which is pretty much the exact same way I have organized mine over the last few years. She has better pictures and more in-depth explanations than I do, but I won't be jealous or even a little bitter about it if it helps even one person out. (If you haven't ever heard of the backpack method, take a minute to read this post, it will answer a lot of questions you may have.) A friend of mine told me she had heard someone speak about this and then shared the information with me. I wish I knew who came up with this system, because it's genius and I want to give them credit. Suffice it to say I did not invent this idea. But I love it nonetheless.

Here's the basic idea: group like items together and take up as little space as possible while making sure everything stays dry. The important thing to remember while you're putting one of these together is EMERGENCY pack. It's not gourmet camping pack or even staying at grandma's pack. It's what will keep me ALIVE until I can get to a shelter with water, heat, and food. It's the bare essentials in case of disaster. When I pulled the packs (old backpacks, a couple of $5 WalMart scores) out of the garage to rotate the emergency food, I realized that one of the most difficult tasks I have undertaken is to have emergency food set aside that is gluten free. I know without a doubt that if, heaven forbid, I am ever involved in a disaster with my family the last thing I will want to do is have diarrhea amongst the rubble because I've had to eat wheat.In my pack (keep in mind I am the adult and I have a few more things than my kids do) I have a grocery bag with clothes (sweat pants, sweatshirt, socks, hat, gloves, underwear) that I could wear if it was cold or warm, cutting off the sleeves and legs of the sweats if need be. I have an emergency item ziploc bag (yes, it all fits!) with bug bite cream, waterproof matches, hot hands, toothpaste, toothbrush, sunscreen, tylenol, band-aids, pen with tape that I could write on, neosporin and a pocketknife. My kids packs have most of the same things I have, including wet wipes and a whistle in case they get lost. They don't have the medicines, though.
I have a few other things in the front pocket and side pockets: emergency candles, flashlight and extra batteries, first aid kit, two silver blankets (thermal? solar? I'm not sure which.), more hot hands, a poncho, water cleaning drops, and some cash. I also have a bigger pack of wipes, since I'm sure I'll be wiping more people off than anyone else. I have some diversions, and my kids have some fun things for them to do in their packs as well as a waterproof poncho. Which reminded me that my pack didn't have a poncho...I'm not sure where my poncho ended up, but I guess I'll have to get another one.
I have three day's survival food for each person in a large ziploc bag, and each meal is contained in its own ziploc bag. Things like hot chocolate mix, hot cider mix, kool aid packs, granola bars, trail mix, nuts, and vienna sausages. (Why vienna sausages, you ask? They are cheap, have a long shelf life, and small.) In years past I have put Zone Fudge Graham bars in my packs, and you can get them at Costco for about 75 cents each. But they don't last long, and need to be replaced in 6 months' time. This year I added some small cans of Spam for one of the days for everyone. The goal is protein and calories, and as long a shelf life as you can find. Everybody gets three hard candies and three sticks of gum. I have five water bottles, and each of my five children has three, because they can't carry any more than that. That's a nice spot on my carpet, by the way.

This is where it gets tricky. After six years of rotating out hard granola bars and expired food, I'm seriously thinking of buying some MREs so that I only have to worry about the food every five years. It's probably cheaper, now that I think about it. But still, I thought, what if I can't find one that I can use? I love these two options from Costco, because the fruit has a two year shelf life and the trail mix at least has M&Ms for fun, but they don't last as long as I thought they would (only about 6 months). I found these at WalMart last night. They last a little longer (about a year) and I would for sure eat all three of these foods. Jack Links beef sticks (this could be questionable, but I checked the label twice and couldn't see anything wheat-related. If anything, I'll carry it for everyone else to eat.), dried cranberries (for vitamin C, fiber, and flavor) and Nature Valley has just come out with an Almond Crunch bar that is gluten free. And there's always this if you want protein and calories. (I have a small peanut butter in my pack also.) My husband's pack has a package of beef jerky that everybody else can eat. I've also got the cups and spoons and some boullion cubes for added meal options. These are also questionable, but I know there are some gluten free varieties out there, I just didn't have any on hand when I made up the packs. These are actually probably due to be thrown away so that will give me an excuse to buy some.

So I did some research to answer my burning question: is there actually an emergency food option that is gluten free? Emergency Essentials actually has two or three that would work for my backpack: Vegetarian Chili, (the nutrition information lists Textured Vegetable Protein, which I have always heard is gluten, but the label only says soy.) Southwestern Style Chicken with Black Beans, (the best option, I think: nothing questionable on ingredients) a Chocolate Shake, and refried beans. Emergency Essentials has all kinds of preparedness items if you are interested in ordering something.

I hope that has jogged your memory into thinking about emergency preparedness, and some of these gluten free options aren't ideal, but they will keep me alive until I can get back to my Namaste spice cake mix and Frosted Corn Flakes.

Happy packing!

If Corn Comes in Colors, Does It Pop In Color, Too?

Back to business this week. The huge elementary school event is over, and now I can fully focus on food. Which is, of course, my favorite thing to focus on. I have yet another discovery I made at Whole Foods the other day. I saw this bulk package of what looks like Indian Corn popcorn, and I thought my kids would get a kick out of it. I was assuming that even though the kernels were different colors they would all pop up sort of the same color. I've been wrong before, and I was wrong again. Not only do they pop up different shades of yellow and white, they also have a subtle taste difference as well. One is a little more sweet, one is more of a true corn flavor, and one is lighter and fluffier. My kids and I were eagerly watching the air popper to see if they would all come out the same. It was a super fun treat to eat "colored" popcorn together.And here's a little confession of mine: I actually like plain popcorn better than buttery, salty popcorn. I think it's a leftover from childhood, when I would make myself popcorn and be too hungry for it that I wouldn't take the time to melt butter for it. I can eat way more plain popcorn that buttery popcorn, too. Which may not be a good thing, but when I'm in one of those moods to just mindlessly snack on something crunchy, this does the trick for me. No microwave popcorn for me, thanks. And popcorn is one of those "naturally gluten free" foods that I love. No weird ingredients and no new texture or taste to get used to.

I like this corn so much I may never go back to regular! Ok, I probably will because I'm sure I'll run out at some point, but I'll always pick up a bag of this on my Whole Foods trips. Happy eating!

Need Gluten Free Inspiration? Go Shopping!

As I mentioned last week, I have really been uninspired in the kitchen lately. I know it's just because the seasons are sort of in-between and it's not hot enough for good summer meals but not quite cold enough to sit home and eat stew all day. It seems as though the only thing that's really in season is cauliflower, and I've found my favorite recipe for that one already. So, to jog my imagination and get a few ideas of new things to write about, I took a trip to my nearest Whole Foods. I went with enough time to just wander around the store and read labels, look deeper into the shelves for different things other than my old standbys. It was freeing to think outside of my preconceived box for a while. For those of you who may not know, Whole Foods is like a health-food/natural food grocery store. Everything in it is either organic or natural, and they have a really great selection of gluten free foods that are sometimes hard to find.

I know Whole Foods isn't accessible to everyone, and I'll admit the closest one to me is 20 minutes away, but I'm going to show you some items that I think you could find at the nearest health food store or maybe even a grocery store. If all else fails, I'll try to add information on ordering online, where it's available.I have seen these little square crispy things in the deli several times since I've shopped at Whole Foods, and I've always walked right by without tasting them because they look like crackers. I thought for sure they would have wheat in them, so I didn't even check the label. Well, they looked so good and I was pretty hungry so I checked the label. Guess what's in them? Parmesan cheese. That's it. They bake Parmesan cheese until it turns crispy and cut it up like a cracker. Genius! They are really flavorful, like a really salty crisp cracker, and you can still taste the Parmesan in them. These would probably be really easy to make at home. Giada has an easy recipe for them here. I thought these would be great with a spread or tapenade or some sort of dip. I found this roasted red pepper pesto in the refrigerator section that looked really yummy. It was so good. The ingredients are roasted red peppers, olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, olives, lemon juice, walnuts and parsley, all finely chopped with a food processor until it turns into a great spread. If you have a nut allergy this isn't for you, but you may be able to find an alternative that is nut free. I think I might have even liked the pesto better than the crackers, but they were great together. I love little snacks you can eat in between meals that are flavorful and fill you up enough to tide you over but you don't feel like you are eating junk.

I have a lot of other great finds that I'll be writing about this week. Happy eating!

An Easy Gluten Free Snack for a Crowd

I seem to get myself into all kinds of situations where I happen to be in charge of parties. Events, activities, get-togethers, what have you. It's so fun and I really love putting on a good shindig, but sometimes I can find myself getting stumped when it comes to treats. Especially for a crowd. That's why I like being in CHARGE of the event, not just a helper, because whenever possible I like to tailor the event to the food I want to serve. I know, that's so bratty, but seriously, it's like when you design a room: find the fabric first, then match the paint to the fabric. It's way easier, I tell you.

So a few weeks ago, I was in charge of a little activity for our church Primary, which is full of children who love a good time. It was a reward of sorts, so we got to do something fun instead of listen to boring old lessons the whole time. I put together a "Popcorn Party" where we watched a church video and everyone got a popcorn snack. We turned the lights off just like in the movie theater. This seems so simple to us adults but the kids thought it was so fun. One reason I wanted to do popcorn is that we have a couple of kids who have peanut allergies and some adults who are gluten free and I wanted to do something that would be safe for everyone. Another plus? I used air-popped popcorn and buttered and salted it myself. It cost way less than microwave popcorn, and I like the flavor of homemade popcorn better anyway. I think I spent $5 on popcorn for 60, bags included. For the labels, I just found some clip art on Microsoft office, added the text in a cute font, printed them on cardstock, and punched them out with my scallop punch. Then once the bags were full I just stapled them onto the bags after I folded them over. Cheap and easy, and the kids thought it was so cool to eat popcorn at church. What's that, you ask? Of course I had to vacuum afterwards! It's cheap and easy but definitely messy!

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Super Bowl Ro-Tel-A-Mole and Divine Dipping

I happen to be the world's biggest avocado fan. I always eat it when it's available. You know when you order something like an omelet and it's like a garnish? I always embarrass myself and order extra. I just love their buttery flavor and I completely ignore the fact that there's tons of fat in them. I always tell myself it's good fat, right? Anyway, I have a standard guacamole recipe I usually make, and I also usually don't mess with a good thing. But in the interest of the Super Bowl and the inevitable dipping that will be going on, I thought I'd try something a little different and see how I liked it. I don't like to use the flavor packets unless they're something from the Dippy Chick which I know is gluten free. For those of you who don't know, this is Ro-Tel:Canned tomatoes and chiles that are spicy and delicious. I buy mild but they have hot as well, if you like it extra spicy. You could also use a spoonful of this Green Mountain Gringo salsathat I found at Whole Foods today while I was buying these El Milagro Corn Chipswhich are known around these parts as, "the best chips, mom." They are the extra thin, salty corn chips like they serve at restaurants. Mmm. Good stuff, Maynard. So good, in fact, that I bought two bags of these: one for the children and one for me. Just kidding. But seriously. I did.

Super Bowl Ro-Tel-A-Mole
1 avocado, pitted and mashed
1 large spoonful of Ro-Tel tomatoes and chiles
garlic powder to taste
onion powder to taste
pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix all together and eat with corn chips.

And here's what I'll be doing with the rest of the can of Ro-Tel: Adding it to a block of Velveeta and melting it together to make Famous queso dip! Seriously, Ro-Tel plus Velveeta. That's it. I read the label tonight and it says it just has milk and none of the other ingredients look like wheat ones to me. I checked their website and sure enough, gluten free and good to go. For some reason I have been operating under the assumption that Velveeta had wheat in it. I swear it used to when I first started reading labels 8 years ago. Does anyone remember that or know for sure that they've changed ingredients? Leave me a comment about it so I don't go crazy! But I love finding out I can eat foods I once thought I couldn't eat!

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Super Bowl Chex Mix

I asked my friend Cody what was the one Super Bowl Snack he missed the most now that he couldn't eat gluten. His answer? The Classic Chex Mix. Good call. I knew there was a pretty good possibility that I could make that gluten free, and I have not one but two choices for you. The first one was really simple and easy, it's the Chili and Garlic Snack Mix from the folks at Chex. I like this mixture because a)it's a gluten free recipe already, b) it has popcorn in it, which is one of my favorites, and c)it only bakes in the oven for 15 minutes, so you're in and out of the kitchen in no time. It is a tad more spicy, but still really tasty. Click here for the recipe from Chex.I still really wanted to try that Original Chex Party Mix and make it gluten free myself, and since I'm the only one who will eat it I halved the recipe and made some minor adjustments. There's not too much here that's different from the original recipe, like I omitted the Wheat Chex (duh) and the bagel chips (double duh), I don't like mixed nuts so I just used almonds and peanuts, and the spice amounts are a little different, but I thought I would post my changes here instead of having you flip back and forth from my site to the Chex site to see the difference. Cross your fingers that the Chex police don't find me.

Gluten Free Original Chex Party Mix

1 1/2 cups Corn Chex
1 1/2 cups Rice Chex
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup peanuts
1 cup Ener-G Gluten Free pretzels
3 T butter, melted
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp season salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Mix cereal, nuts and pretzels in a large microwave safe bowl. Add seasonings and Worcestershire sauce to melted butter and pour over the cereal mixture. Toss to coat well. Microwave for 2 minutes, stir well. Microwave 2 more minutes, stir again. (At this point, mine was done, but if it's still not browned you could add 1 more minute in the microwave.) Spread out onto paper towels to cool. Store in an airtight container. Oh my heck, I just discovered that there's a Lemon Buddies Chex recipe. You know I'm going to have to make that one next! I also really want to try a recipe I've had before that has corn Chex, coconut, and it seems like corn syrup or something holding it all together. Anyone out there have a link to that recipe? Happy eating and Go Steelers!

Let's Hear It For the Manufacturers! Just Two Little Words...

Let's talk about some joy that came my way whilst standing in the checkout line of the grocery store. I am totally that type of mother that will buy the candy bars on sale and use them to bribe my children into doing jobs and other non-savory stuff. I have one little guy who really likes Starburst, which I haven't eaten in, oh, almost 8 years because their ingredients have been a little bit hazy on the gluten free-ness. I picked up a package and what did I find?
You guessed it. Gluten free, right there on the package. It's a little hard to see from my ultra-awesome photo of it, but it's there, trust me. And the bad news is, I have no idea how long it's been that way, because once I kicked myself of the Starburst habit I always just shopped for other candy...for my kids, of course.

I have also started seeing the "gluten free" label pop up on all sorts of food items, like mayonnaise, mustard, canned fruit and even some chilis. The major coup, however was Progresso soups placing "Gluten Free!" exclamation point and all right on the front of all of their soups that are gluten free, including the Creamy Mushroom, which is only available at Smith's if you live in Utah. I've been frequenting Costco for the produce and huge cheese lately and I also found this:
Their Rotisserie Chicken, which has got to be a housewife's saving grace when it comes to dinner, is now labeled gluten free, so there's no guessing when it comes to its safety. And I also love these Rice Works Brown Rice chips, which are made solely of brown rice, come in several flavors, and are also gluten free. They are also found here in Salt Lake City at Smith's and WalMart. Their site has a retail finder, so you can find out where they are sold near you.

The point is, gluten free consumers have spoken, and manufacturers have listened. They have finally caught on that adding just two little words to their labels will not only garner more sales, but loyal customers. (No Starburst in 8 years? We take our food very seriously.)So hip hip hooray for the food manufacturers who have caught the wave! I can only hope more and more mainstream products will join the party.

Happy eating!

Gluten Free Snacking: Boomi Bars

Snacking on the go when you can't eat wheat can require next to a Herculean effort sometimes. I am always looking for new ways to feel like I can stop at 7-11 and grab something and go. Although I can't stop at 7-11 for this little beauty, I can throw one in my purse when I know I have a busy day and not worry about starving to death.

These Boomi Bars seem to fit the bill: under 200 calories, chock full of natural ingredients, and tasty to boot.

The cute people from Boomi Bars sent me an Apricot Cashew flavored bar to try. I love how it has both crisped rice and puffed amaranth in it to give it a little bit of oomph, and the meatiness of the cashews gives it a hearty feel. I lvoe a toothsome bar of dried goodness! I'm a sucker for dried Apricots, and this bar has over one full serving of fruit packed into itself. Apparently they come in 13 flavors, like fruit and nut, cranberry apple, perfect pumpkin, pineapple ginger, and walnut date, so I'm going to have to try some more.

Check out Boomi Bars next time you are in your local health food store check them out or order some right online here.

Happy eating!

How to Blend in during Halloween Festivities

Today is the day that we run to the school about four times for different parades, parties, and Halloween festivities. So I don't have a ton of time for blogging. However, don't feel like you can't partake in Halloween festivities just because you can't eat wheat. For example, the other night when we carved our pumpkins I made cupcakes from a regular mix for the family. We had a little bit of Betty Crocker frosting and sprinkles left over, so I frosted up some of my Kinni-too vanilla sandwich creme cookies. They were yummy, fast, and I was part of the fun. Use your creativity and you can fit in at any party! Don't forget to make a comment on yesterday's post to win your own free prize pack from Betty Crocker and General Mills!
Happy Halloween eating!

Product Review: Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks...You Can Get Free Stuff!

Betty Crocker has some new fruit snacks out called, "Create-A-Bug" that happen to be gluten free. Betty and General Mills were kind enough to send me a free gift package with these little cuties in them along with some fun toys and family fun items. (It was the highlight of our day, I tell you.) I wanted to try them out so I put together a very discerning panel of judges:Betty also makes these fruit snacks, which I must say I ate way too many of in the beginning of my celiac diet six years ago. I'm sure you've heard of them:


Personally, I don't love the Gushers. My kids think they are "the bomb" but not so much for my adult palette. Fruit Roll Ups? I could get eight cavities from how much I love them. Back to the Create-A-Bug snacks. They come in these cute little bug body shapes so that you can build a thorax, head and wings to make your own buggy creation and then listen to them scream while you eat them.Or, you can use them as useful objects to put into other toys:These fruit snacks had pretty good flavor, and to be honest, they tasted pretty much like every other fruit snack I've ever eaten. The main plus was that the kids really liked them and the whole box ended up being eaten within ten minutes. These are a great lunchbox option for celiac kids, I think. I do have one parental frowny face about all fruit snacks, though: Please make your fruit snacks not so sticky so that my kids don't get cavities from eating them! Make them dissolve so they dont' cause dental caries! There, now that I've gotten that off my chest, please enjoy these with your kids. Even if you don't eat many of them, the fun of building your own bug and attacking your children with it is priceless. And, I'll be hosting a giveaway on this site for you to win your own completely FREE prize pack sent directly to you from Betty Crocker/General Mills. Just leave a comment at the bottom of the post before November 1 and check back here Monday morning to see if you've won! Good luck!

Happy eating!