Two Truths & A Lie

This isn't gluten free at all but I am playing a game of Two Truths & A Lie on my other blog if you guys want to play along...

Two Truths & A Lie Game

Thanks Starbucks for thinking of the Gluties like me!

I was counting down the days until the launch of STARBUCKS: GLUTEN FREE VALENCIA ORANGE CAKE! Today was the big unavailing! I checked twitter to see the chatter, a friend told me her Starbucks wasn't carrying it until tomorrow. I decided to call the closest location to me and they had three left! I was happy that the gluten free community was gobbling these goodies up! We want Starbucks to know that we not only exist; but that we have needs that have to be met!

We walked to Starbucks and I was so happy to see that they still had two when I arrived! See the joy on my face...
My son just wants his drink!
Then it was time for the moment of truth, could Starbucks create a fabulous gluten free dessert?

YES! A BIG YES!!! It was moist, and spongy. It reminded me of the orange version of the lemon pound cake that I loved in my pre-gluten free days! I was in gluten free heaven! The glutton in me was satisfied! Oh Starbucks you won me over, I was skeptical.

ADDITIONAL THINGS I LIKED:
It came prepackaged and it was not in the same case! So I felt like cross contamination was not something to worry about. I also liked that the ingredients and the nutritional information was listed on the packaging!


Normally when we walk, I wear different shoes. I should stick to routine because I got massive blisters that bled. This was so worth it!

Yup, that is blood!

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 290
Total Fat: 16 grams
Carbohydrates: 32 grams
Fiber: 4 grams
Protein: 9 grams

Happy Anniversary To ME!

This is what I wrote on April 23, 2008 my first day being wheat free ever:

Today was day one on my new wheat free lifestyle. I have not gotten one stomach ache, head ache, cranky moment or tired moment. Even though I will have to say goodbye to a lot of my favorite foods, it will be worth it if I feel better.

You can find that on my Endless Possibilities blog. The next day on the same blog I wrote about my first experience ordering food wheat free:

I spent time with my friend Kelly today. She and I have been friends since 9th grade. She is a lot of fun and I am totally excited for her because she and her husband are expecting their first child! We went to lunch at Johnny Rockets and I stuck to my wheat free diet by ordering a hamburger with no mayo and no bun. Afterwards, we went to Whole Foods and did some shopping. The day was great and I totally cherish the time that I spend with her since we both lead pretty busy lives. Kelly enjoying her french fries.

A year later I am still wheat free ( I celebrate my gluten free anniversary in August!) and I cannot be happier. I love the choices that I have made for myself and my health. I was told by some friends that maybe I was allergic to wheat. My best friend Stephanie has celiacs but I didn't want to think that I could possibly have it too. When I did get the diagnosis I got on the ball and took charge of my health. I will be celebrating all day this change in my life. Check back later to see how I celebrated this change in my life! Oh, and the no mayo thing was because I was on Weight Watchers at the time, not because of the wheat intolerance.

Share the gluten-free love!

I had an awesome day with my friend Melissa today. To read all about it, check out the Endless Possibilities Blog. During out adventures, we ate at Pei Wei!

I ate the Spicy Chicken (prepared mild though) with the brown rice:

So yummy!

Afterward, we went to AJ's Fine Market and I looked around for gluten free treats! I walked by the pastry case and saw eclairs. I was so bummed out because I spotted my biggest temptation! I asked a clerk there if they sold gluten free eclairs and she told Melissa and I that we should check the freezer case. They didn't have eclairs but they had gluten free donuts. Woo hoo! SOLD!

(http://glutenfreefoodreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/donutbag.JPG)


After I cooked them because they come frozen! Isn't the apron so cute?

This is us trying them!

Kinnikinnick Chocolate Dipped Donut Review!
I love donuts! I was on a first name basis with several types of donuts in my gluten eating days and I thought those days were long gone...until I stumbled upon these at AJ's today.

The Review:

Would this bag reignite my love affair with donuts? Well, I was happy to have Melissa with me to test these out! I always worry that my taste buds have changed due to the lack of gluten and I no longer know what tastes good. I have news for you all...these are good! I mean they taste like what I remember donuts to taste like. Melissa ate hers too and she liked it!

The Verdict:

The Stats:
Serving Size: 1 donut
Calories: 229
Total Fat: 9 grams
Carbs: 37
Protein: 4 grams

A Gluten Free Wedding!

Stephanie (GF Steph) married her perfect match! They are now in paradise enjoying Jamaica! The wedding was perfect!

Stephanie & I:



Stephanie had an almost completely gluten free wedding! At dinner the only gluten there was croutons served on the side and a basket of bread. The cake was beautiful! The top layer was gluten free! It was spared from cross contamination with a separator that kept Stephanie & I from getting violently ill since we were the only cool ones there...you know...being gluten free and all! Us celiacs gotta stick together...ok, her groom is awesome too!

The gluten free cake was awesome! All of the food was! The grooms cake was not gluten free but it was really awesome to look at! It is an Arctic Cat :

It was an honor to be Steph's Maid Of Honor and witness to the love Brandon & her share!

For tons more pictures, check out the Endless Possibilities Blog!

Avanti= Awesome Italian Done Right

I was nervous about going to dinner tonight. I dreaded eating Italian at a restaurant and getting sick. I haven't done it since finding out about my gluten intolerance. My sister's 30th birthday was today (happy birthday again) and she wanted to eat at Avanti to celebrate this grand occasion. I didn't glance at the menu like I normally would have. But because at other Italian restaurants I had not seen many gluten free options, I didn't bother. I walked in expecting to order a salad with no dressing and a side of lemon to sprinkle on top. Once inside, I talk to the owner. He is a wonderful Italian man that is so sweet and accommodating. I told him all about celiacs and he understood everything. He went to the kitchen and came out with a box of gluten free pene! I was so happy! He told me that he was even going to cook it himself to make sure it was ok in a kitchen they didn't use much! Woo hoo, I didn't have to worry about cross contamination! I asked him if I could eat meatballs there and it turns out that they use wheat in them, so stay away from there meatballs if you cant eat gluten! But, the food is really good!

The lovely owner and I:


I love this place!

My mom wanted to order appetizers so I looked through the menu and I figured out that I could eat the Beef Carpaccio. It comes with the bread on a separate plate and do not eat the dip on the side because I do not know what is in it. It was fabulous. I found it to be very fresh.
My dinner was the Glutino Brand penne pasta, grilled chicken, tomato sauce, fresh basil and a ton of Parmesan cheese!
Can you tell...I am happy with my food! I love Avanti!
For dessert, I had Creme Brulee with Berries!


My sister & I on her big night!
I also met Doris Roberts, the actress on "Everybody Loves Raymond"!



Avanti took away my fear of eating out at an Italian restaurant. They showed me the magic of speaking up in order to get the type of food I want. I know that my last post was a real bummer because I spoke about how bad my last restaurant experience was. Avanti really helped show me the difference between a bad experience and a good one. I cant recommend Avanti enough.

For more pictures of the night, check out the Endless Possiblities Blog.

Gluttonous Gluten Free Cake Review & My Aunt's Birthday Party GF Survial Mode...

Today was my Aunt Grace's 65th birthday! I like my Aunt Grace a lot, she is full of spunk. We went to my GG's house (she acquired new nickname today, Gross Grandma...maybe I will share that story on Endless Possibilities)

Anyway, I knew there would be some gluten free options for me to eat there. My cousin would be bringing a salad and she left off the dressing (smart!) but my Grandma is really starting to bug me. On Gluten Free Steve's blog there is a rant session and I should really utilize it because I could fill it up based on her alone. I am not trying to be disrespectful and I do love my Grandma but she does not understand what glutenings do to me (anal explosions, rectal bleeding {does this happen to anyone else?}, vomiting, rashes, bad moods, headaches, and not to mention the long term affects). I have told her 20 times what a gluten intolerance is. She doesn't get it. She doesn't get cross-contamination.

I am vigilant about reading labels. I could have a degree in it. If I eat it, I read it. Any way, there were many dishes I turned down because of items in them, she purchased chicken and told me I could eat it. I asked what kind and she told me it was from BBQ and Lemon. I got nervous and asked to see the package. Turns out that it was those chickens that you buy from the deli. I looked at the ingredients and there was barley in the BBQ chicken but the lemon was OK. Oh, and every time I tell her I cant eat something, she sighs like it is my fault. Sorry, I don't mean to be allergic, I wish I weren't! They shared the same plate but they were not touching and there was not juice flowing. No one could tell which was the BBQ chicken and which was the lemon. So, I said I was not going to risk it, plus the fact that it was already on the same plate was making me nervous. So, I said I was going to pass. My grandma then takes a piece of chicken and plops it on my plate. I get up and say to her, that she doesn't get it. I cant eat it! She took it off my plate but I still needed a new plate, it had already contaminated my plate! URRG!

Then I spent hours baking that cake yesterday and she took candles out of a cake she was about to serve and put it in one side of my GF cake. I freaked out! I was like, "You contaminated my cake!" Luckily, I feel ok and I didn't eat any of the cake where the candles were but still. " If you know something is going to make someone sick, why do it? I am losing my patience. OK, my rant is over, I hope I don't sound overly mad, I have had these issues with her before and she glutened me twice now.

Ok, Now on to the cake review!

Gluttonous Gluten Free Cake Review

Tension was high, I had a crowd of non-celiacs to please, could I pass their taste tests?

The Review:
I am not being biased because I made this cake at all. I was going to be hard on myself because I made the cake. But I really liked it.

Want proof?
By the way, I didn't actually eat all that cake! Yes, I know, I am the GF Gluten but I am not capable of eating that much cake! That piece was my non-contaminated cake! The rest was tainted cake :)

Jacob liked the cake too:
Actually, everyone liked the cake. The non gf cake that my Grandma wanted to serve remained intact and uneaten.

I don't have any nutritional info to post, I have no clue how many calories are in this cake...don't even want to think about it!

The verdict:
(Because my sister said this was the best part of the blog!)

Gluttonous Gluten Free Cake!

I worked on this cake all day. Mainly because the first two cakes did this:


So, here is how you make this Gluttonous Gluten Free Cake, crafted of course by the Gluten Free Gluten herself...me!


Ingredients For Cake & Cake Fillers :

-2 boxes Sof'ella Organic Gluten Free Chocolate Cake & Frosting Mix & ingredients to make 2 cakes!
-1/2 cup white chocolate chips
-1/2 cup chocolate chips
-2 tbs vegetable shortening
-Prepared frosting mix from the So'fella box (they come together with cake box)

Making The Cake:

Follow the cake instructions for baking on the Sof'ella box, the only difference is that you will mix in 1/2 of chocolate chips in the mix! Use the cooking times on the cakes as well. My cake took longer to bake but all ovens seem to be different. Once the cakes are baked and cooled then you will take the first cake and cut it in half. You will take the frosting mix and prepare it. You will place this on top of the top of the cake you just cut and spread it around the cake, make sure you only use half of the frosting mix:


Then place the other layer of the cake back on top of it so the cake looks whole again. Then take a small sauce pan and put it on low heat. Take the white chocolate and the vegetable shortening and place it in the pan. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Take the other cake and cut that in half. Take the white chocolate and pour it over the top of the cake!
Then take the half of the cake and place it over the white chocolate. Then take the remainder of the frosting and cover the cake with it. Finally, place top of the cake where it belongs and frost the cake with either a tub of frosting or homemade frosting!

Decorating the Cake:
I got lazy and used tub frosting for the outside but I made frosting to pipe and make flowers. Here is the recipe for the frosting:

Wilton's Stiff Consistency Buttercream (Because it is for flowers):
-1 cup solid white vegetable shortening
-1 teaspoon Flavor (Vanilla, Almond, or Butter) {I used Butter}
-2 tablespoons or milk or water {I always use milk, it makes it creamier}
-1 lb. pure cane confectioners sugar (approximately 4 cups)
-1 tablespoon Meringue Powder

Cream shortening, flavoring and water. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together. Blend for an additional minute or so, until creamy.

I know, my cake is slanted! Long day but hey, it is ok. I hope it tastes good. I worked hard on it. Well, I will find out soon. I will review it and I hope it lives up to its name.

More cake decorating pictures are on my other blog, Endless Possibilities.

Stephanie's Gluten Free Bridal Shower !

Stephanie (GFSteph),or the Bride-To-Be, as I would like to so lovingly call her had a gluten free BRIDAL SHOWER! Her wedding is now officially less than a month away and as her maid of honor I am stoked!


The food was Uno's Pizza but I failed to take a picture of it :( I was too busy...sorry, I had duties to tend to!




Dessert was cupcakes from SugarLips Cakery:






These cupcakes were beautiful and delicious. Seriously the best gluten free cupcakes I have ever eaten!

There was also a fruit arraignment from Edible Arraignments...I don't have a better picture of it, maybe Steph will post one when she blogs it!


The Bride-To-Be with her soon to be HUSBAND!!!


For more pictures, check out the Endless Possibilities Blog

Master Cleanse DAY TWO

Today was weird.


OK, I woke up with intentions of taking a walk but that didn't happen. Instead I had a play-doh marathon with my son. I found myself making food shaped objects with the clay. Lame...yes. What can I say, I am freaking hungry.

Here are some things I have noticed on this cleanse:

I am crabby. Yes, this was expected, but this is not interfering with my life. I can still parent and function so I am pleased.

My breath stinks and gum is a no-no. So, I am brushing my teeth a ton. Is that off limits? I don't know and I don't care.

I am having crazy dreams. I was taking a nap this afternoon and I had a dream that I was dancing with a giant cupcake. Yes, that is right, a giant cupcake. I was pleading with the cupcake for a bite and it kept telling me no.


Tonight I went out with my mom for a very odd night. I wrote about it on the Endless Possibilities Blog. She ended up surprising me by getting me a gluten free cookbook!

I am picky about cookbooks. I love pictures and this book does not have any but I decided that I still like it because I rather have the calorie count of the items in the book. A lot of gluten free books don't list the calorie count at all, and just because it is gluten free does not mean an item is low cal or low fat.

There are a lot of great recipes in the book and I cant wait try them out once I can eat real food!

Gluten Free Thanksgiving!

(Posted on the Endless Possibilities Blog on 11/27/08)

This was my first time eating gluten free at Thanksgiving. I ate without any issues or getting sick. My mom made this spinach and shrimp item that I liked last year with rice flour instead of wheat flour. I ate turkey, yams, mashed potatoes ( real ones, not flakes) and cranberry sauce. Each item had its own serving spoon and I watched everything carefully so I would not fall victim to cross contamination. I even had some special items to make sure that I could eat like everyone else:

Gluten Free Gravy:
This gravy was only 15 calories for 1/4 cup! It was really good and tasted like the regular gravy that contains wheat in it, at least what I remembered it to taste like.
DESSERT TIME:
Ice cream (which I can have but I didnt think a picture was needed) was served, pecan pie and pumpkin pie (both on the no list) and gluten free cookies and my wannabe eclair cake.

The cookies:
The Eclair Cake with recipe and how to pictures:

I got the recipe from here.

WHAT YOU NEED:
2 small boxes of Jell-O instant French Vanilla pudding (must be French Vanilla)
8 oz pkg of Cool Whip, thawed
1 container of milk chocolate frosting
2 boxes of GF Vanilla cookies or you can use Gluten Free graham crackers


How To Make:
Mix pudding according to the package directions. Let it set up in fridge. Mix in cool whip once it has set up.


Layer vanilla cookies in the bottom of a pan. I used a tiny pan but the link has the recommended pan size.



Top with ½ of pudding/cool whip mixture. Layer vanilla cookies over pudding. Top with the remaining pudding/cool whip mixture. Top with vanilla cookies. Let this set up for a few hours or overnight.

Then frost cookies with milk chocolate frosting (USE Pillsbury and not Betty Crocker...that brand contains wheat). This tastes the best if you make it the night before.


REVIEW:
I thought it was good but it tasted more like a Boston Cream Pie to me than an eclair. It is still something I would make again. Having it sit overnight is a total must because the cookies dissolve into the perfect consistency. What I miss about the experience is that you cant pick it up and bite into it like an eclair. It is still good though and everyone that tried it liked it. No one could tell the difference that it was a gluten free dessert.