Gluten-Free WiKaDuKe

Happy May!! 😊
Hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather....especially since the rain is supposed to come back tomorrow!

Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting yesterday! To help get us ready to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.....Mary made enchiladas....so very yummy! For the enchiladas sauce....she used the recipe from this site https://www.gonnawantseconds.com/enchilada-sauce/?fbclid=IwAR2baEHWE_GDalTh8k7tY0mlidjcPe8wmDYF5wL-rGxKj0mGSIx4H4PY-3o....thanks Mary!!

Since this is Celiac Awareness Month, Aldi has some new awesome products:

Chocolate or Glazed GF Donuts
Spinach and Cheese Blend Ravioli
Chicken Florentine Skillet Meal
PB & J, Coconut, Dark Chocolate/Coconut Bites
GF Linguini and Fettuccine
Seeds & Grains Bread
Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns
Supreme Cheesecake Sampler
Garlic Croutons
Empanadas

Speaking of new products....Krusteaz has a couple of new mixes:

Cinnamon Swirl Mix
Yellow Cake Mix
Chocolate Cake Mix
Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Confetti Buttermilk Pancake Mix

Susan made us wonderful mini muffins using the Cinnamon Swirl Mix....they were awesome!!

For anyone looking for a protein bar.....you can try Built Bars. These use whey protein and contain15 grams of protein but only 4 grams of sugar. They are also limited ingredients and supposed to taste like a “candy bar”.

There is legislation out there to have drug companies start labeling any gluten containing ingredients and the source of their ingredients for full consistency and transparency. So hopefully this gets approved and set in place soon!

Mother’s Day right around the corner.....you can pick up Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix for pancakes....waffles.....coffee cake....muffins. What I love about Pamela’s products are that they are non-GMO and high quality ingredients. You can also find some great recipes directly on her website as well as information regarding all of her products - http://www.pamelasproducts.com/about/

Don’t forget....if you are at Fresh Thyme....pick up a container of Ethel’s Baked Goods. They are right next to the frozen speciality case when you first walk in the door (or so I heard......😊). They have several different goodies you can pick. The hard part is trying to decide which one to buy....no judgements!! 😊😊. You can also order directly from their website....https://ethelsbaking.com/ and then use the code THANKYOU20 and get 20% off your order

We hope everyone has a wonderful month!!

See you in June!!

Meg & Mary

There was a recall on Van’s Gluten Free Waffles – these do contain gluten so if you do buy them, please check to see if they have a best buy date of August 22, 2018 and lot code of A640234710-WL2

So here is the meeting recap for those of you who were not able to attend……

I made my yummy recipe for Wendy’s “like a Frosty” smoothie for everyone. The great thing about this smoothie is that the base of this is frozen bananas…..which because they are bananas cancel out any calories found in the cocoa or maybe hershey syrup that could be added to make it a bit more chocolatey… …… J

Here is the recipe:

¾ cup of Almond Milk
About 15 ice cubes
½ tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp of cocoa powder
1/3 of a banana

*I did make a couple of changes to this for the group – my version uses 3 bananas instead of just only 1/3 and peel/cut the banana to freeze first……makes them so much easier to use. Using the banana first, I blended those…….adding in 2% milk instead of almond milk as I blended – adjusting to the consistency you want….less milk for more of a “milk-shake” consistency……my version for the group only used about ½ cup so that it was more of a thick shake instead of a smoothie. You can also add in peanut butter to up the protein or add in other fruit like frozen cherries or strawberries.

We also discussed the gluten possibilities in Jello Instant Pudding - I had found a couple of posts to celiac.org questioning whether or not they contain barley. I went to Jewel and had pulled a couple of boxes and the White Chocolate Pudding mix does list barley as one of the ingredients used for the natural flavoring. I took it an extra step and used the Gluten Free Scanner on the other flavors - Vanilla, Banana Cream and Pistachio all showed "gluten free" - Chocolate Fudge and Butterscotch came back with "contains/or may contain gluten". I will reach out to Kraft to see if they can provide any direct verification. So when I hear back…..I will let everyone know.

NEW PRODUCTS

There are a bunch of new products on the market – here is a list of what I found…..

UDIs - They have some new frozen dinners available

Cheese & Spinach Mezzaluna with Artichokes…18oz bag & frozen single serve
Buffalo Style Chicken Mac & Cheese…18oz bag
Roasted Garlic Mac & Cheese with Spinach
Mac & Cheese
Pesto Tortellini

Dr. Praeger’s

Brussel Sprout Cakes – brussels sprouts, potatoes, scallions
Egg White & Kale Breakfast Bowl – This contains egg whites, kale, potatoes, onions, peppers topped with cheddar cheese
Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Bowl – This contains egg whites, potatoes, black beans, salsa and cheese atop a corn tortilla
All American Veggie Burgers – Pea Protein, black beans, carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, onions,
Fish Taco Bites – Tortilla coated bits of pollock with lime cilantro and jalapeño
Potato Puffs – Red, gold, purple, and sweet potatoes shredded into veggie puff

Daiya

Meatless Meat lovers pizza – meat-free pepperoni and Italian Sausage-style crumbles

Lance

Butter Crackers – look like Ritz. So far I only found these at Target in Shorewood.

Trader Joe’s

Thousand Island Dressing
Norwegian Crispbread

Enjoy Life

Grain & Seed Bars – made with 3 types of sorghum and GF oats

Chocolate Marshmallow
Banana Caramel
Cranberry Orange
Maple Sweet Potato

Flax4Life

Carrot cake – dairy free cream cheese frosting
Chocolate cake – topped with fudgy chocolate frosting

Milkadamia – dairy free milk made from Macadamia Nuts

Review of Schaumburg Expo

In April, I went to the expo in Schaumburg – overall it was great….there were lots of companies providing samples and products that could be bought. It was really crowded but since I went on a Sunday – it wasn’t as crazy. My biggest complaint is not all of the companies were present and some of those that were – had sold out of products from Saturday’s crowd so that was a big disappointment.

Here are some information on a couple of companies that were there…..

Aleia’s – certified GF & non-GMO – they have breadcrumbs, cookies, croutons and stuffing mix. You can purchase their products at Jewel and Mariano’s as well as directly online.

Lia P Gluten Free – They are a dedicated GF baker offering breads, cakes, desserts and pastries. The address is 1116 State Street and should open within the next couple of months.

Flipcrepes – They have a restaurant in Chicago in the French Market (131 N. Clinton). They have very yummy crepe/pancake mixes – Buckwheat & Millet, Original Vanilla….you can also can order online – flipcrepes.com

B Nutty – awesome gourmet peanut butter……salted caramel, s’more, toffee to a name a few……can order on QVC or online at bnutty.com

Maggiano’s – talked to them about how they handle GF in their restaurants – everything is kept separate so they can accommodate people with Celiac. This is also the same with their catering menu.

Zen Sweet – sugar substitute….sweetened with monk fruit. They also have vanilla cake mix, chocolate chip cookie, snickerdoodle cookie, brownie mixes. You can find these at either Whole Foods or Mariano’s in Naperville or order online at zenweet.com

Swerve – Another sugar substitute made from ingredients in select fruits and starchy root vegetables, and contains no artificial ingredients - zero-calorie, non-glycemic and safe for those with diabetes – it can brown and caramelize. Can be purchase at Jewel, Fruitful Yield, Fresh Thyme

Kiki’s – Has GF deep dish pizza which can be purchased at Jewel.

Green Chef – meal kit subscription service. They have GF option….offering $50.00 off your 1^st box if you order before May 31^st – greenchef.usGFAFexpo.com

Most reliable Restaurant Chains for Gluten Free Dining – Simply Gluten Free Magazine

Legal Seafood – all of their fried foods are GF and they have warm GF bread
P.F. Chang’s – careful preparation is done…..serves the food on specifically marked plates. Has GF dessert – chocolate dome…..
Bonefish Grill – They have been serving GF for many years also have GF dessert – Macadamia Nut Brownie
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano – GF pizza, pasta Specialties (Pasta Di Mare was listed as a favorite), Chicken Parmesan
Burtons Grill – burgers served on GF buns, crab cakes, Lobster Shimp Pasta,
California Pizza Kitchen – spent almost a year developing its gluten-free pizza and follows Gluten Intolerance Group protocol to keep gluten free diners safe. It also recently introduced Cauliflower crust, which is also GF. Everything is prepared in a separate area of the kitchen with separate ingredients and toppings and baked in a special tin to avoid cross-contamination
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse – gluten free thin crust and has a GF “Pizooke” chocolate chip dessert which is a deep-dish cookie
Outback Steak House -has many GF offerings including their Thunder from Down Under GF Brownie Sundae
Carrabba’s Italian Grill – had a variety of GF offerings
Glory Days Grill – they have a well-trained staff and a variety of GF offerings like Chicken wings, fries, flourless Chocolate Cake
Travinia Italian Kitchen – all GF items are marked on the menu
Not Your Average Joe’s – Gluten Free bread, several options including carrot cake
Wildfire – several options including brunch on the weekend
Cooper’s Hawk – several options including Lemon Cheesecake
Seasons 52 – several options including GF Flatbread and BBQ meatloaf
Pie Five Pizza Co – they have custom, made-from-scratch pizza ready in 5 minutes. The GF crust is made with Smart Flour – almost all toppings are gluten-free. The restaurant is not dedicated facility but their staff are well-trained and take many precautions to reduce cross-contamination
Burger 21 – fresh burgers with GF buns – fries – milkshakes. Orders get hand-delivered from the kitchen to confirm they are GF

5 Foods that can boost your mood and make you feel happier

Walnuts/Cashews – 1 ounce of walnuts has 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber and low in carbohydrates (also helps keep you fuller longer as well as stop blood sugar spikes). They are also a good source of magnesium and phosphorus. Having low levels of magnesium has been linked to increased risk of depression.
Kale – 1 cup of kale is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and magnesium and also a good source of fiber. It is also high in copper, which helps your body create red blood cells and maintain healthy bones, blood vessels, nerves and immune function. It can also help prevent cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
Oyster – low in calories and decrease inflammation. They are also heart-healthy because they are high in omega 3 fatty acids and also improve overall circulation. They are also a great source of zinc and vitamin B12……which helps our bodies fight off stress and is essential to the part of the brain that regulates mood and memory. Suggested serving is 10
Coffee - the caffeine in coffee can boost mental focus, alertness and athletic performance. It can also help protect against Type 2 diabetes and decrease the risk of depression. Suggested caffeine intake is 300mg – cup of coffee can contain 150mg
Dark Chocolate – this is the biggest mood booster – it provides immediate eating pleasure but it also contains a high percentage of cacao, which has more antioxidant power than many other foods. Suggested serving is 2-4 small squares

Gluten-Free WiKaDuKe

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Meeting info August 2020

Monday, June 22, 2020

How are you?

Monday, February 3, 2020

February 2020 meeting

New Bakery

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Simple gluten free cookies

Sunday, May 5, 2019

May’s Meeting

Friday, March 1, 2019

March 2, 2019 Meeting

Thursday, May 10, 2018

May Meeting Recap

Labels