Wanna know what I am having?

Steve and I are so excited for the new addition to our family! I am so excited for Jacob to have a baby brother to play with!

Jason's Deli

Remember that time I asked you to vote to have GF food served at Jason's Deli back in 2010? Well, enough gluties did and Jason's Deli has been serving GF bread for a long while now. I have been a slacker and have not been able to try their sandwiches...whoops way to slack off!

The other day I was out and about town with Jacob, shopping for Stephanie's birthday gift (it is tomorrow , so make sure to show her blog some love!) and I drove past Jason's. Jacob loves sandwiches and I had a feeling he was hungry so I decided we should stop in. 

I am having issues with the photos I took on my camera phone ( I just signed up for mobile blogging,so I am going to try to send the photos on the blog in a few minutes to post those), sorry!

Anyway, Jacob loved the lunch he ate, he ate a non-gf grilled cheese with fruit. I ate a club sandwich on GF Bread with fruit. Jacob ate most of my fruit. I love that he loves fruit so much.

Jason's uses UDI'S bread, so that is great. However, always ask proper questions about cross contamination! The Jason's I went to was careful to prepare mine in a clean area but they don't have a designated toaster (remember my rant about "toaster sex" ) so I didn't get mine toasted.

It was a very delicious lunch and Jacob and I had a great time. It is great having the option to go out and grab a sandwich if I want. Thank you Jason's Deli!


I am so happy they added a GF MENU!

Jo-Sef Products O Cookies:

Sharing snacks with Jacob is rare since only I am gluten free. Lately, I have been taking Jo-Sef Chocolate Animal Crackers and Vanilla Animal crackers and mixing them in a small bowl for us to share. It is nice to get to share snacks with him! We get to not only share snacks but little moments together. It is really special.

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

How I celebrated!

``I warn you. This post is long. There is a lot of back story...and maybe some unnecessary ones but hey, it is my wheat free anniversary and I can reminisce if I want to!

Today, as I have stated several times already is my WHEAT FREE ANNIVERSARY! I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do to celebrate this momentous occasion in my life. I know that it may sound silly but living wheat free is a big part of my life. Taking the wheat out took a lot of pain out of my life (not all, once I took the gluten out, I felt a million times better!) but it it was a start. So, I needed to do something to celebrate. Well, as a food blogger, naturally I would turn to food. I love to bake, so I figured I would bake. I started to think about foods that I loved. You probably assumed an eclair, since I am always raving that I need one. But I think I would have a melt down baking that, so I am saving that for another day.

There is a food item that is a comfort food for me. I don't eat it often but I can actually recall big moments of my life where I did eat it. NUTELLA. I remember the first time I ate it, I was back in my home state of New York visiting my Dad. He sent me to day camp and I was homesick for my Mom. My Grandmother would make me sandwiches with bread and Nutella. It was delicious.

From time to time, I would eat this sandwich, each time thinking of day camp. The next time I craved Nutella was when I was pregnant with Jacob. I actually hid Nutella throughout my house. I have no clue if my ex-husband knows. I was a Nutella addict when I was pregnant.

I am even part of a Nutella group on FACEBOOK called "Nutella Is Sex In A Bottle". I wanted the desert that I was making to be an orgasm with one bite! I needed Nutella to be a part of it!

I hadn't had Nutella since my pregnancy. I knew that Nutella had to be a part of this celebration. I ended up purchasing some Nutella for the cupcakes I was making and I couldn't even wait for today. I ate a ton of it. Nutella, you and me...we click.

I literally baked cupcakes all day! Jacob had a blast.


I made a ton of cupcakes! This isn't even all of them! There are some that are being sent to my Mom's work and some that I am sending to my friends and family!



RECIPE FOR MY BIG O NUTELLA CUPCAKES!
365 (Whole Foods Brand) Chocolate Cake Mix ( any mix will d0) & items to make mix
Nutella
White Chocolate Shavings
Make the cake mix according to the box. Then line the cup cake pan with the liners ( I used heart liners because I love being wheat free/ gluten free!) and bake. Cool thoroughly. Using an injector for frosting, inject desired amount of Nutella in each cupcake on the top of each cupcake. Be careful not to put too much because that can cause the cupcake to rupture. Do not worry about the hole being visible, the frosting will cover the hole! Using the chocolate butter cream frosting below, then frost the top of the cupcake and garnish with white chocolate shavings!


Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting Recipe:
-1 ounce chocolate chips melted
-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.

Jacob is bummed out because I cut him off from cupcakes. Poor kid. Stephanie came over to enjoy gluten free cupcakes! So did Melissa who called me to say that they were awesome. She then Twittered that "@Michelle2008az Your gluten free cupcakes were amazing! They could even rival Sprinkles (and you know how much I love Sprinkles)." Thanks Melissa!

It was an awesome night! It was a great year of being wheat free :) Cant wait for the many years to come. I believe that this lifestyle is the best for me, thanks for reading me and watching me on this journey!

My Almost Competly Gluten Free Passover.

HAPPY PASSOVER!

Mom eating Matzoh:
I am sad because I cant:


Charoses


My son having a melt down:

All better!
Our dinner was simple, fresh and easy.


There was also chicken. The only non-gluten free item at the table was the Matzoh.

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!

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Rice Pasta & Cheddar

"This is totally the most amazing rice mac & cheese I've ever had. It's soooo good. U have no idea. Really. I love it. I love it so much I want to marry it."


That is on the back of the box. That is a lot to live up to. Did it?


The Review:
Pretty good! The box was pretty extreme! I wouldn't marry the mac and cheese, I personally prefer a cheesier mac but hey, I will take it! I served this for lunch today with some hot dogs.

Here is my son chowing down:




So, this is my final decision on the Mac:



The Stats:

Serving size: 1 cup prepared
Calories: prepared 280
Total Fat: 3.5 grams
Carbs: 52 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Sugar: 3 grams
Protein: 6 grams

For the love of chocolate!

Yesterday, my adorable friend Kelly and I had a very domesticated day. We decided to make our own chocolate bars ! Kelly has molds that are perfect for making bars and it was a fun way to spend our day!

Kelly mixing the chocolate:
Just some of the molds we used with the end result (these were the Hazelnut Coconut Chocolate Bars, shaped like owls) :

All of our chocolate, well what was left by the time I remembered to take a picture...

A mommy has to brag...





PREPPING CHOCOLATE FOR BARS:

- 2 bags of chocolate chips (we mixed semisweet & milk chocolate)

- for glossy chocolate (we didnt do this, but you can) add vegetable oil, go by sight...start out slowly with oil. Do not drown chocolate!

-Melt chocolate until it is in a nice smooth constancy and stirs well.


CHOCOLATE LAVENDER BARS:
- Use the prep method listed above.
- Add lavender extract a few drops at a time. In the case of lavender, taste as you go because it is very strong and too much can cause it to taste like soap. If you mess up, just add more melted chocolate and stir very well until the lavender taste is more even.
- Fill molds with mixture and place in refrigerator or freezer until firm.
*DO NOT PUT OIL IN PLASTIC MOLDS, just tap it out and it will slide out.


HAZELNUT COCONUT BARS:
-Use the prep method listed above.
- Add a 2 tablespoons Hazelnut spread to melted chocolate, such as Nutella. We used a different spread.
-Mix well
- Fill molds with mixture and place in refrigerator or freezer until firm.
*DO NOT PUT OIL IN PLASTIC MOLDS, just tap it out and it will slide out.

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.

GLUTENED { contains Too Much Information and profanity)

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

After our walk and the music store, Kelly and I went to Whole Foods. I have been craving éclairs for months. I need to have one. Stephanie sent me a recipe for gluten free éclairs but they just seem like too much work...she even thought so.

I found an easy recipe for this thing that promises to taste like an éclair that is half of the work. You just can’t pick it up and eat it like and éclair. I am not sure what it looks like because it doesn't provide a picture. I am going to make it soon and I will review it...with a picture.

So, Kelly and I went to Whole Foods so I could get some of the things I needed to make it and also to see if I could get a gluten free pastry from their bakery. I have been dying for a pasty.

The only time I really hate having celiacs is when I pass by the baker’s case and know that everything is off limits, at Whole Foods they were bound to have something I could have...hopefully. We get there and ask.

The BAKERY BITCH (she earned the name because I feel lied to and deceived, my intestines hate her), pointed out the gluten free items. She then points to these amazing looking things covered in chocolate with this mouse inside. It says wheat free on the label. I point that out. She said something like it was gluten free and I would be fine.

BAKERY BITCH was so convincing. BAKERY BITCH swears it won’t get me sick. BAKERY BITCH gives me a description of this pastry, that for someone that has not had a proper baked goods in a long time could almost have a big O ( and by big O...I am not referring to Oprah) from listening to them. Oprah surely would have had a big O and she doesn’t have celiacs.

Yet again BAKERY BITCH says they are WHEAT FREE but with NOTHING IN THEM that would make anyone GLUTEN INTOLERANT sick. I purchase the baked good.

I eat the baked good. I praise BAKERY BITCH in my head, but for that short moment she was not BAKERY BITCH but BAKERY GODDESS. She had given me the satisfaction that I had been seeking for months. A really good pastry; I had great tasting cakes on my birthday but I craved a yummy pastry! I had now had it!

Well, it was short lived. I felt the all too familiar rumble in my stomach. I felt the hot and colds. I felt the impending doom. Jacob was up. My mom was not home. I felt sick and I knew it was BAKERY BITCH'S fault. I was trying to avoid getting sick.

Poor Jacob must have hated me. He had to be in the bathroom with me. As my insides ruptured in the bathroom I think I casted a plague on BAKERY BITCH'S house and her first born.

There were times where I thought the glutening was over and then it came back. My mom ended up going to the gym last night. I had to make Jacob dinner and put him to bed while dealing with one of the most violent glutenings of my life.

I got this horrible headache. It was so bad that I had to ask for an extension on my homework and I don’t even know if I got it. I couldn’t look at the computer. I was in bed early. I woke up through the night...GLUTENED.

This lasted for hours. I never had a glutening last so long.

I should have known better. I should have gone for the specific gluten free sign. BAKERY BITCH was too convincing.

Gluten Free Goodness!

(Posted on the Endless Possibilities Blog on October 17, 2008)

My cravings have not been as intense since I have been implementing Stephanie's advice. I am trying to eat a little bit more carbs in my diet. This has been challenging since I don't really like the taste of products posing as my formerly favorite foods. But as my wise boyfriend says, "I have to try it to know if I like it." He is right, I am finding that there is a lot of gluten free foods that are really not that gross.

Last night I had pizza for dinner! My mom purchased these pizza crusts:

The only downer to this was that the package didnt come with cooking directions! Hello, how were we supposed to know the oven settings and time?

Then we put organic marinara sauce, cheese and some salami on the pizza!


Then this morning before my walk with Jacob, I decided to eat something other than my usual eggs or yogurt. I had a gluten free waffle with defrosted frozen strawberries, and a little sugar free syrup. It was really good!


It was the perfect breakfast before our walk! Jacob even enjoyed it!

Gelato 64!

(Originally posted on the Endless Possibilities Blog on 8/28/08)

My mom called me while she was on her way home from work. She wanted to know if after dinner I wanted to go to my favorite Asian market to get some rice noodles. I did, so I was getting Jacob ready to go while she made the commute home. We ate dinner and went to LeeLee's market.

While we were there, I wanted to pick up some miso soup since I had enjoyed some when I went out with Jared the last two times we had Sushi. Both, times I had gotten sick but I thought it wasn't related, since I am always vomiting. I looked at the ingredients and there was something in the soup with the name gluten..something. I don't remember the exact name. I just searched the web and it said that a lot of pre-made miso soups are not gluten free, so that may be why I got sick after eating it. Anyways, if you cant eat gluten, don't eat miso soup unless you know for sure what is in it!

LeeLee's is right next to my favorite places to get gelato. I love Gelato 64. It is yummy and they have my favorite flavor, hazelnut. I also love amaretto, which they have too. It was getting late, but I decided to make an exception and keep Jacob out past his bedtime. I don't take him for ice cream often and he was being so cute. Here are some pics from our outing:

With gelato on his face:


My mom feeding him :

Wheat Free Cookies!!!

(Originally posted on 5/15/08 on Endless Possibilities Blog)



After Jacob woke up from his nap, I decided to bake cookies that Jacob could help me make.



Jacob got so excited watching the mixer! He loved watching the cookie dough in the mixer.




Jacob watched me put the dough on the cookie sheets. He helped me count aloud every time I put some dough on the sheet! He is learning so much every day!





We ate a few cookies, although, the wheat free brownies from a few weeks ago tasted so much better.