Pregnancy Cravings

Old ultrasound

I have cravings almost daily...which sucks most times. All of the food my body seems to want is usually not gluten free, so I am out of luck! I have craved chicken fried steak, eclairs (I cant find gf ones anymore), chow mein, Big Macs (with the bun) and Hostess snacks. Since none of those are gluten free I am usually crabby when a craving hits.

The cravings I have had for food I can eat are:

• Pickles
• Ice cream
• French fries
• McDonald's onions
• Chinese food (thank God for GF options!)
• Hot Chocolate
• Chocolate
• Salad ( I eat one daily)
• Nutella
• Udi's bread
• Julia's Bakery cupcakes and cinnamon rolls
• Clemintines

Any expecting ladies or Mom's have any craving they would like to share?

Jo-Sef Products O Cookies: Cinnamon, Chocolate and Vanilla Review

Jo-Sef's is known in the gluten free community for being one of the most health conscience gluten free manufacturers of gluten free foods. They are recognized  by the Celiac Sprue Association. They offer a variety of treats that are tasty and appeal to the health conscious. I was very excited to try Jo-Sef. I love "junk" food but one of my goals for 2011 is to set a healthier twist on my indulgences. If I am going to eat something not so healthy, I am going to try to have it be more health conscious; I found that Jo-Sef products fit the criteria. Their whole product line, found here, fit the bill.

I tried the Chocolate O cookies first. Let's face it, I miss Oreo cookies sometimes. I was hoping these could capture that taste. These fell short of the Oreo flavor I was craving.  I preferred other brands of cookies I tried that were similar to Oreo cookies, but fell into the gluten free category. However, Chocolate O cookies are egg free and preservative free, so if that is an allergen or a food you are trying to avoid that is a plus.

I really liked the Vanilla O's. They were extremely delicious and somehow ( I totally don't know how) they had a lemon after taste that I rather liked. Lemon is not an ingredient but this was pretty great. These are egg free, dairy free and preservative free. It was hard to stick to the serving size!

The Cinnamon O's were my favorite. My  non-gluten free boyfriend tried these and he said they were delicious as well. I like having a cinnamon cookie surrounded by creme filling, delicious.

Each one of these cookies are perfectly accompanied with a warm glass of cocoa, soy milk, rice milk or milk. I highly recommend them.

Where have I been?

Hum...good question. I have been around and cooking. So, yay for you all! At first I got into a major food funk, which I tweeted a bunch about. This is when I was still a vegetarian. Yes, I think my vegetarianism played a part in my funk. I never knew what to eat. Going out to eat, which is sometimes a challenge as a gluten free lady got a trillion times harder at some establishments. Eating became mundane and I became more tired than usual because even though I am taking a multi-vitamin, I was still missing out on some protein I needed. I hated eating and I hated food. As a glutton, I was not enjoying the gluttony that I had in the past. So, I was grumpy about food. I would complain in the supermarket and I hated to cook. I recently stopped being a vegetarian and I am ready to make my blog return! TADA!!!

Sorry if you missed me, I missed you all too! New food post in a few days!

Gluten Free Pantry French Bread & Pizza Mix

It doesn't matter if you are new to being gluten free or not,it is still probably hard to pass by the bakery or bread isle problem on some days. The smell of fresh bread still is especially hard. Sometimes I just want to grab a croissant and shove the buttery flavor in my mouth knowing that it would cause me to have  dash into the bathroom, because  it will ultimately lead to being glutened and me crying on the toilet! Who am I kidding? Sometimes having to lead a GF lifestyle sucks.  So I have to resist all of those amazing foods in the bakery and  and search for equally amazing gluten free products. Most of the time I can find awesome products and I let you, my wonderful readers know about them.

It really sucks when I have high hopes for a product and it lets me down. I cannot tell you how badly I wanted the French Bread & Pizza Mix from Gluten Free Pantry to be delicious but I cannot lie, it sucked. It did not rise well. It was not fluffy like French Bread is, so it did not have the potential to make an amazing sandwich that I had been dreaming up. I was pretty bummed out.

This product will never be purchased again. Ever. I am still on the quest for GF French Bread. Anyone know where I can find that?

Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats

I was a big fan of Rice Crispy Treats and I am really bummed out that they are not gluten free. I know that Rice Chex treats are even more delicious (OK, my opinion) but I liked the convenience of unwrapping that blue, sinful package and indulging in some yummy goodness! My mother came home with from Trader Joe's recently with a box of ORGANIC BROWN RICE MARSHMALLOW TREATS! I was so excited I couldn't wait to try them! Plus, the box advertises that it is gluten free, vegan, free from high fructose corn syrup and low in sodium! Sounds like a winner...right?

The Review:

These caught my eye before dinner and I wanted to try them so badly. However, I had to follow the advice that I now give my own child and I resisted the urge to eat sweets before dinner. I quickly ate my dinner and waited until I was no longer full. I unwrapped the package and noticed a funky smell coming from the treat. Hum...did I want to eat this? I was committed. I had already unwrapped it and the curiosity was already too high, I had to find out if it tasted like those treats I once loved so much. I bit in expecting ecstasy and all I got was a nastiness with a kicking after taste. Yuck. I was not feeling nostalgic one bit. Maybe that smell was a warning? I should have known better.

The Verdict:

The Stats:
Serving Size: 1 Bar
Calories :100
Total Fat: 2.5 grams
Carbs: 18 grams
Protein: less than 1

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

Confessions of a gluten free gal...

Sometimes it is not fun being gluten free. There are time where I miss eating what everyone else eats. I miss that time in my life when I was not reading every label. I miss not feeling like a pain in the ass when I go to a restaurant. I feel high maintenance.

There is a lot that I love about being gluten free. The pros far out weigh the cons. I love not getting sick when I eat ( unless I get cross contaminated. I love how healthy I feel and knowing that my intestines no longer hate me. I love how my body loves being gluten free. I just have had a hard few gluten free days lately.

My boyfriend and I went to Texas Road House on Tuesday night, we have eaten there before and I always get the steak. I had a craving for french fries and a burger. I asked the server to please find out if they cooked the fries in a dedicated fryer that was only for french fries because I was allergic to wheat and gluten. She came back and told me that it was a dedicated fryer. My exact order was for the fries and a burger with no bun. She then came and told me that the management was nervous and they wouldn't feel comfortable with me getting french fries. I was really bummed out. I ordered a salad with no croutons and dressing just lemon. She then (not knowing anything about gluten allergies) asked if I was allergic to eggs and cheese! I never mentioned a dairy allergy. After she left, my boyfriend asked me if I wanted to change my order to steak and I told him no, but I was bummed out. I am sick of going out to eat and more often than not feeling unsatisfied.

Our food comes and it is just a burger with no pickle (like it stated on the menu, and I LOVE pickles) and no lettuce or tomato. I just looked at my plate. I am sick of feeling high maintenance or like I am a complainer. I am sick of explaining my allergy to people that just don't get it. I cant even tell you how many times I have said wheat allergy to someone and they tell me that they can make me a sandwich on white bread! Um...no! So, then my boyfriend calls another server and gets me my sides. I was happy he was there because I may have cried.

The following morning I was dying for some trail mix with nuts and m&m pieces. It sounded so good and I had watched my boyfriend eat Nutter Butter's. I wanted something sweet. We went to the store to see if we could conquer my craving. All of the bags had the cross contamination warming on it. I was so bummed out. I couldn't even get my trail mix.

I must sound so whiny. I love living gluten free most days. If I didn't, I wouldn't blog about it so much. I love cooking, baking and learning about how to prevent further damage gluten has caused my insides. I just wish the world was more gluten friendly. I wish more restaurants and food were gluten free friendly. I know that more and more restaurants are developing options I am just frustrated!

There are so many foods I miss. I am missing eclairs again in the worst way. Am I the only one that has moments of missing gluten?

Mission:The Phoenix Zoo: Gluten Free

Today my son and I went to the Phoenix Zoo with my longtime friend Alica and her sons! I knew this outing would be fun but that mealtimes/snacks would be tricky due to my obvious gluten intolerance. So, my mission was to have a great time at the zoo with out getting sick! Would it be a mission impossible?

Lunch:

The food areas sent small shrieks of panic with in me! Not many options. The very safe but boring option was yogurt and applesauce. Pass! No way, I eat that daily. That was my last resort food. I saw french fries on the menu. OK, let the questions begin! I asked the dude, and I say dude because the lad was young and he seemed very uninformed if the fries were fried in a dedicated fryer. He quickly said yes but I asked him to make sure by asking a manager. SCORE! He came back with a confirmation of yes! So, I ordered fries. Next question: Were the nachos on the menu 100% corn tortilla chips and were processed in a plant that were free from cross contamination?

Dude looked at me and said that he knew that they were 100% corn chips and that they were not cross contaminated. I think he was humoring me. I asked to look at them. They were the multicolored corn chips. I thought they looked OK, so I told him to put them on the tab. I ordered my son a gluten filled lunch and off we went to find a seat.

So this was my lunch:
These were the items that came with my Jacob's lunch that a someone may think is OK to eat but would get them sick if they didn't know too much about celiac disease:
Hunt's Ketchup is not Gluten Free! GFSteph has a great post about why. Click here to find out why! Heinz is gluten free though. So, I ate my fries with out ketchup. I was happy to be able to eat fries out though! It was a treat at the moment. And one would assume that a RICE crispy treat is gluten free but it is not, it is wheat free, but not gluten free.

So, during lunch Jacob kept trying to touch my nachos. I would tell him not to and explain why to him. I know that he doesn't understand cross-contamination at two but I want him to be accustomed to this from an early age. His hands were covered in chicken nuggets and ketchup. He would touch an area and then I would take that area of my chips and throw it away in hopes that it would make it safe to eat the rest of my food.

Later On:

I was wearing shorts and I noticed bumps all over my upper legs. I also had a slight head ache but I didn't mention that part to my friend ( I didn't want to be a drag). I tried to take a picture of the bumps for the blog but it didn't photograph well. I have no clue if the dude from the food stand was mistaken about the food or if Jacob accidentally cross contaminated me. Next time, I will stick to the boring yogurt and I will pack some food.

Zoo Snacks:

I saw kettle corn. I have no clue if it was safe because I didn't ask. I am assuming it was but I didn't eat it. The one thing I did eat was:
Lugi's Real Italian Ice! Jacob had some too!

It was a great trip. Glutening and all. I will have to wait and see if the symptoms get any more severe but the experience was still amazing!

For more pics from the zoo, check out the Endless Possibilities Blog!

Are these like Cheetos? Um...

I was scouring the isles of Fry's with my boyfriend after our dinner and a movie date for some gluten free snack food to eat back at his place. I came across these:

(pic taken from http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/MAIN/snacks/images/curls-puffs-bags-250.jpg)

Score!

The Review:

Are these like Cheetos? My boyfriend (a non-gluten free lad) said these tasted like cheese but I wanted a cheetos like option dammit! I needed one! I am allergic to them! I cant eat MSG! I cant eat Cheetos! So, when I saw these Baked Cheese Curls I got excited! Well, they are good but not Cheetos good. I left the bag at my boyfriends! I am not sure if I will get to eat any more the next time I am there and I dont really care...I just had higher hopes...maybe I am just remembering my old friend, my Cheetos!


The Verdict:


The Stats:

No preservatives, No MSG, Nothing Artificial At all!


Serving Size: 1 Cup
Calories: 130
Total Fat: 4.5 grams
Carbs:20 grams
Protien: 2grams
Fiber: 2 grams

And she is usually so supportive...

My friend Kelly is usually so supportive of my gluten intolerance. We bake gluten free together (check out our chocolate creations a few posts down!) and she even made me a gluten free birthday cake, but today she was just not feeling like dealing with a celiac like myself :(

Case in point:



These are from a bakery that I sometimes walk by. They usually advertise that they have hot gluten filled items ready to ruin my intestines and make me curse the day I started suffering from this awful thing called celiacs. Ok, so maybe the sign doesn't actually say that but it does say something about hot baked goods :(

Disappointed

I have been craving an éclair for months now. It is freaking ridiculous. I made an éclair wannabe on Thanksgiving that ended up tasting like a Boston Cream Pie.

Well, there is this Gluten Free Bakery around here called

Gluten-Free Creations Bakery

I have been calling them since I have been craving éclairs and they told me that they would have them for the holidays. I checked the holiday page on the website and éclairs are not listed. I called and éclairs are not part of their holiday menu.

I feel cheated. I kept thinking on Thanksgiving that an éclair was only a few short weeks away from entering my mouth. I wanted an éclair so bad.

I am sure some of you can relate to my disappointment. You get something stuck in your head that you have to have. Maybe not an éclair but something that you cannot find in this sometimes non-gluten free friendly world.

And this post is not a dig against Gluten Free Creations. I am glad they exist. I am glad they are around to give people with celiacs options. I just wish they followed through with their promise of éclairs.

Woe Is Wheat

(Published on the Endless Possibilities Blog on 8/3/08)

Emily and I were talking on messenger last night. She told me to get on the yum sugar website and go on a scavenger hunt. She knows I hate yum sugar. I love all of the other sugars but yum sugar website focuses on food; food that I am mostly allergic to. She told me to find the newest food that I would be kicking myself in the proverbial balls over.

What the hell, I looked.

My mouth salivated, there it was...something totally new. Something cruel, fatty and totally covered in goodness. It was something that would make my intestines rupture in pain and my bowels ache for mercy with one bite...not worth it. Yum sugar is hell for someone like me. It is like porn for a priest...look but don't spank (please Catholics, no emails, just a bad joke. No harm. No blasphemy!)

Thats right, fried mac and cheese! I loved mac and cheese. I know that I can make gluten free mac but I just don't find it as good. Plus add the fried concept and it just seems more...hum..whats the word...artery clogging. Jack And The Box is adding this to their menu for you lucky people not allergic to this calorie laden delight. While you are eating this, I will be munching on my rice cracker!

Check out the rest of the info on it at : YUMSUGAR