Happy Spring….at least for these next couple of days!! I am hoping that maybe the weekend won’t be as cold as they are saying and that we can finally say good-bye to winter!! J
So we had a great meeting on Saturday – thanks to everyone who was able to come! Big thanks to Mary and Lana for picking up the Friaco’s for us to enjoy…….that was a great change. Those of you who are interested – they have “Taco Tuesday’s” and have $1.00 tacos…YUM!
So here is a quick recap to what we had discussed….
NEW PRODUCTS
• From Canyon House - Shelf Stable GF Bread – Ancient Grain, Country White and Deli White. Can order on their website and also available at Walmart but they have plans to roll out to other retailers later in 2018. They are also coming out with Hawaiian bread….hello Baked Ham and Cheese Sandwiches – I will definitely post that recipe once these are available!!
• Home Free – will launch new Chocolate Mint Mini Cookies (not sure what stores carry - but can order directly from website (homefreetreats.com)
• ParmCrisps – Baked parmesan cheese crackers – you can find this in most stores but I did see them in the deli area in both Jewel & Mariano’s
• Daiya – Burritos and also Salted Caramel Swirl Frozen Dessert Sticks
• GF Harvest – coming out with a new muffin in a pouch – (oatmeal muffin made in the microwave)
• Lundberg – organic grounded snacks in vanilla chai
• Schar – puff pastry dough (will be dairy free)
• Simple Mills – Soft Baked Cookies – Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate Toasted Coconut. They are also have cracker snack packs available.
• MadeGood – soft baked mini cookies
• Envirokidz – Frosted Amazon Flakes – like Frosted Flakes….
Jewel – also has expanded their gf products….now carrying Goodie Girl Cookies (variety of different flavors) – Blake’s Frozen Dinners (Shepherd Pie, Turkey Shepherd Pie, Turkey & Uncurred Bacon Cottage Pie), MadeGood bars, expanded line of Gratify products, PopChips (Nutter puffs…puffed snack with peanut butter & chocolate), The Good Crisp….like Pringles, expanded line of Pacifica Soups (Rosemary Potato Chowder, Butternut Squash Bisque).
NEW TESTING OPTION
Company called Glutenostics is now offer home bowel urine tests to test for gluten exposure without a prescription. This will test your stool/urine to determine if you have ingested gluten. The urine test can be used to check if you had ingested gluten over the past day – the stool can be used more of a monitoring – week, biweek, monthly to detect accumulated gluten exposure.
One test costs - $22.50 – minimum of 2 tests need to be ordered – they will not send just one. If you are interested you can order these tests at glutendetective.com – use “welcome” to get 25% off your 1st order.
GLUTEN FREE BLOGS TO READ
Here are some blogs that I came across that I thought you might be interested in taking a look at:
• Elana's Pantry (elanaspantry.com) - her recipes are targeted towards those with food allergies, and she offers simple dishes that are grain-free, gluten-free, nut-free and more.
• Eat Spin Run Repeat (eat-spin-run-repeat.com) - this has nutritious recipes, lifestyle advice and workout tips.
• YumUniverse (yumuniverse.com) - they have over 400 gluten free recipes. Also, offers a free monthly meal plan & good food cooking tips.
• Angela's Kitchen (angelaskitchen.com) - lots of gluten free recipes including donut holes...YUM!!!
• Life Gluten-Free (lifeglutenfree.com) - lots of simple gluten free recipes using only organic and non-GMO ingredients
• Eat, Live + Play (eatliveandplay.com) - focuses on weight loss, blood sugar balance and gluten free recipes
• Gluten-Free Homemaker (glutenfreehomemaker.com) - lots of recipes and will send you weekly meal plans to follow
HIDDEN SOURCES OF GLUTEN
Here is a list of foods that can have hidden gluten ingredients. These just show the importance of reading the labels….even on foods that you know have been gluten free before…….ingredients and manufacturing practices can change.
Pre-shredded Cheese - need to check to make sure the starch that is used as an anti-caking ingredient isn't gluten-containing.
Sour Cream - sometimes gluten is used to make it creamier
Beer/Malted Beverages (wine coolers) - most beer contains wheat and barley
Hard Cider – For the most part these are gluten free but you should still read the labels to double check…....there are some out there that will use barley for enzymes and flavor.....also, as an FYI - Redd's Apple Ale....this is an ale - not a cider….. Great source for gluten free options - urbantastebud.com
Soy Sauce
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Regular Panko Bread Crumbs
Ice Cream - some flavors contain wheat (not just the ones that you expect). Most of the flavors from Blue Bunny (including Chocolate) contain wheat……they use it as a thickener so it is in their starting product.
Nuts - cross-contamination issues
Salad Dressing
Processed Meat
imitation seafood
Soup
Condiments - ketchup, mustard, pasta sauces, BBQ Sauce, pre-made marinades - Some seasoning mixes as well. Baking Powder can also contain wheat - usually consists of 1 part baking soda 1 part starch or flour and 2 parts cream of tartar
Oats - cross-contamination issues
Flavored Potato Chips (Lay's Barbeque Flavored Chips, Sweet Maui Onion Kettle Styled Potato Chips, Pringles (all varieties)
Licorice
Chewing gum - some companies will use gluten-based powder to keep the gum from sticking to the wrapper.
Candy - Altoids (I am double checking this…but haven’t heard back from them yet) and Smalls Peppermint Mints contain wheat-based maltodextrin, Hershey Miniatures.....any flavor including those that are considered gluten free in larger sizes. More complete list can be found on verywellfit.com
Restaurant Omelets - pancake batter can be added to make eggs more "fluffy"
Blended/Flavored Coffees - many instant coffees use gluten containing ingredients as a bulking agent. syrups used for flavoring can be made from malt or barley
Caramel Color - this may or may not contain gluten. If the caramel color is made in North America it will be likely gluten-free. Sometimes the origin is not known.....so there could be a chance it could contain gluten.
The new superfood is WALNUTS…….eating just an once or two can help give you a healthier gut – they can increase the good gut bacteria (lactobacilli) because of the high fiber content. They can also help decrease cravings and help keep your blood pressure low even when you are feeling anxious.
Lastly, here is a yummy recipe from Simply Gluten Free Magazine that I thought everyone would like:
FRUITY FROYO BITES
• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1 2/3 cups frozen mixed berries, chopped small
• ¾ cup gluten free granola
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips
Put yogurt, berries, and granola in a bowl and stir to combined. Spoon the mixture into square silicome ice molds and freeze until set
Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave until almost all of the chips are melted, about 1 minute. Stir until smooth and glossy. Let cool slightly.
Pop the yogurt bites from the molds and dip one side in the cooled, melted chocolate. Place on a prepared plat or baking sheet and freeze until the chocolate is set. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.
