Gluten Away Fall Online Expo

It's that time again!  The Gluten Away Fall Online Expo.  I love these virtual expos.  I can browse recipes, see featured bloggers, get samples and enter drawings!  This falls featured products include: Enjoy Life, Gluten Free and More, Better Batter, Ener-G, Explore Asian, GF Joe, Go Raw, I Heart Keenwah, Pamela's Products, Wicked Good Cupcakes and Yumari!  Check it out!  It goes on until September 7th! 

Gluten Away Expo

The Gluten Away Expo happens a couple of times a year and it's 100% virtual!  Tons of gluten free giveaways and discounts.  It takes place between May 1st through May 7th so take your time and browse the virtual booths, check out the websites, and enter to win the giveaways!  There is also a link to get wonderful gluten free kits!  I ordered the May Large Kiddie Kit and a single sample of Krusteaz blueberry muffin mix!  

Check out all the cool gluten free goodness here: http://www.glutenawayexpo.com/

Gluten Free Food Allergy Fest Austin Texas

Wow!  What an event!  Even though I had the entire family there it's hard to keep up with an active 4 year old when you want to keep talking to each vendor about the products!  I had a great time, caught up with some blogger friends and basically had lunch for FREE!  I wish I had taken some pictures to share or post but I really was running through each booth grabbing a sample, coupon or something!  Kid X enjoyed pizza, brownies, cookie dough bites and his favorite booth, the Enjoy Life one!  He was very excited to get samples of his favorite snack bars!

Here are some of the highlights:
Met Vegetarinmamma and scored a wonderful recipe for Raspberry Breakfast Casserole! (I may just make this for dinner this week!) I'm definitely getting her cookbook in the future!  While Kid X may not be able to enjoy it as much as I will (I was vegan before changing our families diet) I can pretty much adapt anything to his needs at this point!
Freedom Foods: Kid X loves the Tropico's rings.  Free from gluten, nuts, wheat, dairy, eggs, soy and sesame, it's a winner for most allergies and Kid X can enjoy cereal again!
Earth Balance: I know them for their vegan butter and mayo, I had no idea they make popcorn and these wonderful little bites called PB Popps! Vegan, gluten and dairy free peanut butter popcorn! Kid R and Dad loved them!  Kid X doesn't do well with peanuts but I did let him try a bite and her said they were great!
Nogii:  This is a line from Elizabeth Hasselbeck.  I have found the protein bites at costco and put them in Kid X lunch as a sweet treat.  But they make a kid's bar that is like a rice crispy treat!  I'm definitely going to be in search of these at our local stores! Kid X took a sample of every bar they offered! He said," I really love these chocolate bars."
Whole Note Baking Mixes: I can't say I've seen this brand at any local store, but man did they have great waffles and pancakes to sample!  I see they have a pizza crust, crepe mix and several muffin mixes.  So I'll be ordering some of these: I'm really interested in trying the crepe mix!
Way Better Snacks: I recently got some of these snacks in a snack pack from Gluten Away.  So I know these are delicious!  I've tried Sweet chili and Spicy Siracha!  I'm a fan.  My husband really likes them also, so if it's gluten free and he's a fan, it's a WIN!
Smart Flour Foods: An Austin Company, I love their pizza crust!  I usually purchase this as Sprouts, but if you live in Austin, you can get a pizza from Mr. Gatti's  with this crust.  I was also surprised to find that a locally brewery which we are co-op members of, Black Star Co-Op, uses smart flour as well!
Crafted Gluten Free: Another subscription/specialty gluten free box service.  You know I love what Gluten Away is doing, and I am also going to check this one out!  They have an awesome Kids Subscription box full of kid snacks to try!
Brazi Bites: Brazilian Cheese Bread!  I get these often and I love them!  So does Kid X!
Celeste's Natural Kitchen: A local Austin Catering Service, now I can't afford this but she had some amazing paleo pumpkin muffins to try!  I did sign up to win some free meals from her though!  Standard packages start around $300.
Glutino and Udi's: Enough said!  Kid X eats tons of glutino cookies and pretzels.  He even knew what he wanted: honey mustard pretzels.  Udi's has just partnered with pizza hut and we enjoyed a pizza at Kid X's recent birthday party!
Enjoy Life: Kid X's ultimate favorite gluten free snack! Whether it be cookies, snack bars or baking morsels.  I can say he really loves the products!  Enjoy life foods are certified gluten free and free from the top eight food allergens as verified by the Non-GMO project.

There were many booths I rushed by trying to keep up with a 4 year old.  But again many I wanted to go to like last year but didn't get the chance!  A few to mention are local ones, so I can do this anytime like: Austin East Ciders, Blackbird Bakery(her mixes and cookbook are awesome), Sweet Ritual and many more. Red Apple Lipstick is one I seem to always miss: boys have no interest in this!  Next year maybe I'll go both days.  One day for me to go around the booths and the next with Kid X and the family!

The cool T-shirt  picture is a shirt from I'm a Celiac!  Go order one of her cookbooks or how to live gluten free guide books! I have all of them!!  It's a little big but Kid X will grow into it!

Gluten Free Sample Kits

A really great thing to do for the picky gluten free kid, is to order a sample kit of products!  There are many different ways to do this: subscription boxes that come monthly, goggling manufacturers and seeing what they might send you to sample, or like I've been doing recently, getting a sample kit of products from Gluten Away!

Ive been following Taylor Miller for awhile on twitter @GlutenAway   He's a teenager living with Celiac Disease.  What struck me is that he is very passionate about health, wellness and nutrition at such a young age.  This gives me so much hope that Kid X will be the same.  He already knows to ask if something has "gwooten" in it and is not easily upset if he can't eat what everyone else is eating.

What I've found so interesting is that for the past few years, Taylor has organized a virtual gluten free expo called Gluten Away Online Expo which occurs a few times a year.  The next dates are April 1st through 7th.  You get Free Admission, there are virtual booths with over 100 gluten free products and huge giveaways!  Some vendors have great recipes posted with ideas on how to use their products. My favorite thing is purchasing a product sample pass that allows you to get samples from vendors shipped to your house!  Just like if you were attending a live event!  I've found products that KidX really enjoys (thanks enjoylife smores bar!) and even some that I won't pick up again!

Kid X is about to celebrate his birthday and we ordered great gluten free cupcakes in a jar from Wicked Good Cupcakes a vendor that was at the virtual expo! So chocolate birthday cake cupcakes are going to be a great surprise!  I usually make his cupcakes, but I've been really busy with my work and essential oil business, so this year, its cupcakes in a jar!

Also for his birthday, my Mom purchased 3 sampler kits from gluten away. The Top 8 Allergen Free Snack Kit(a kit with Enjoy Life cookies and snack bars)  The 16 Bar Sampler Kit( just as it sounds, 16 snack bars from several companies) and The February Sampler Kit (samples of various gluten free products) These samples came in handy for our impromptu road trip for Valentines Day!  I also love being able to put a different snack in Kid X's lunch box everyday!

Thank you Taylor!  It's so nice to see others caring so much and taking the time to educate others on a gluten free lifestyle especially at a young age!

Ham: Not Always Gluten Free

I love getting e-mails from GlutenFreeGuideHQ.com  because they have great lists of guides and restaurant menus with gluten free items.  I recently got an e-mail on ham, one of KidX's favorite things. Give him Ham or Bacon and he is in heaven!  (well I think he loves chicken nuggets more) We do go at lengths to purchase certified gluten free ham from companies like Dietz and Watson, or Jones Dairy Farm.  But it's really hard in a local grocery store to find some of these hams.  So check the label and if not, you can always call the manufacturer.  Most hams are inherently gluten free if they don't have a glaze on them, but many are processed in plants that could have cross contamination.  So here are hams on the Gluten Free Ham Listing, one of the listings you can find at Gluten Free Guide HQ!  

Armour Meats

Hams are gluten free, there is cross contamination risks at the processing facility.  Not recommended if you are highly sensitive to gluten.

honey ham

Virginia ham

browned Virginia ham

cooked ham

lite ham

cooked ham and water product

spiced luncheon meat

Boar's Head

All of their meats and cheeses are gluten free.  This is a big list! Some I've never even heard of in my grocery store! 

all natural apple-wood smoked uncured ham

all natural uncured ham

black forest brand boneless smoked ham

bold habanero ham

boneless smoked ham steak

branded deluxe ham (and low sodium version)

Canadian style bacon

cappy brand ham

gourmet pepper brand ham

pesto Parmesan ham

porketta

prosciutto do parma

rosemary and sun-dried tomato ham

smoked Virginia ham

sweet slice boneless smoked ham

tavern ham

Virginia brand ham

Bob Evans Grocery

Not my choice by a long shot, but the company says there are two safe varieties they manufacture. 

cubed or diced ham

ham steaks

Butterball

It's not pork based, but they have gluten free turkey ham! Just a side note, only 2 of their products they manufacture have gluten: meatballs and stuffed frozen turkey. 

turkey ham

Cook's Ham

All of Cook's Hams are gluten free.  This is a really long list with great varieties of ham goodness! I fee like the Buba Gump of Ham typing out this list! 

mini hams

ham medallions

ham chops

ham steaks

breakfast slicked smoked ham

smoked pork chops

original smoked ham

smoked mini pit ham

lean half ham

spiral sliced apple-wood smoked pit ham

hors d'oeuvre ham

carvemaster flat pit ham

premium boneless ham

tradition whole or half boneless ham

semi-boneless ham

skinless shankless hams

steamship ham roast

portioned hams

ham steaks

pork shoulder

smoked pork hocks

smoked ham shanks

smoked pork neckbones

sliced salt pork belly

Dietz and Watson

This company produces certified gluten free ham options! A great option if you can find them in your local stores.

black forest ham

branded cooked ham

all natural uncured classic dinner ham

gourmet lite cooked ham

imported ham

gourmet lite Virginia ham

Virginia baked ham

Eckrich

Hams are gluten free but there is a risk of cross contamination in the processing facility

black forest ham

brown sugar ham

Canadian maple

chopped ham

ham steaks

honey cured 

honey maple

luncheon ham

off the bone ham

smoked pit ham

spiral sliced holiday ham

Virginia baked ham

imported ham

fried ham

reduced sodium ham

Farmland Foods

A very big list as well.  All gluten Free!  I don't think I've ever heard of Bavarian ham! 

bilingual ham and water product

boneless steak ham

honey cured boneless steak ham

cook's ham(30% less sodium version and water products)

sliced ham breakfast

sliced ham chops

honey cured and hickory smoked ham steaks

cook's farmland safeway hams

cook's hickory smoked portion ham

reduced sodium ham steak

farmland Bavarian brand ham

farmland brown sugar

farmland carvemaster flat ham

farmland cooked ham water added

farmland deli ham

farmland julienne ham strips

farmland premium deli

farmland sliced ham

farmland cooked ham with 35% less sodium

farmland country lean brand cooked ham

farmland gold medal brand ham boneless

farmland pit hat

farmland royal danish brand ham

farmland back forest ham

boneless ham steaks

spring hill brand cooked ham

Hatfield

Several ham products and ham deli meat style choices.  

peppered ham

tavern ham

Virginia brand ham

cooked roast pork

imported brand cooked ham

premium cooked ham

Hillshire Farm

AVOID!!  This company doesn't even test for gluten on it's products at this time! 

Holiday Ham

None of their products contain gluten, but they don't test for gluten on their products either.  AVOID!! 

Hormel

Hormel has many gluten free products.  They do have the potential for cross contamination during processing because they don't test for gluten cross contamination.  However, I have tried the uncured bacon at times when I just have no other choice and Kid X has been ok. 

dublique canned hams

hormel black label canned hams

hormel cure 81 ham and ham steaks

hormel ham patties

hormel back label chopped ham

hormel diced ham, cubed ham, ham steaks

natural choice brown sugar deli ham

natural choice cherry wood smoked ham

natural choice cooked deli ham

natural choice smoked deli ham

jennie-o refrigerated turkey ham

farm john boneless ham

premium tradition brown sugar and honey golden tradition canless honey ham(DON'T USE THE GLAZE PACKET, CONTAINS GLUTEN) 

farmer john bone in hams

farmer john ham steaks original smoked

brown sugar ham

back forest ham

ham roll

honey ham

premium honey ham

smoked ham

Jones Dairy Farm

Jones Dairy Farm has several gluten free options and bacon

all natural cherry hardwood smoked uncured ham slices

ham slices

all natural cherry hardwood smoked uncured ham steaks

dainty hickory smoked ham

whole family cooked ham

bone in fully cooked ham

whole old fashioned hickory smoked ham

Smithfield

Smithfield doesn't have a gluten free list but some ham flavors are gluten free, I won't include them because they can't produce a true gluten free list. 

Wellshire Farms

all of the holiday hams are gluten free(well it's only one on the list)

healthy holiday ham

Of course there are many other companies out there and this list is not 100% comprehensive, just a quick guide to help you at the grocery store to stay safe and reduce your risk of getting glutened!  

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time!

It's the most sinful time of the year!  Girl Scout Cookie Time!  While many of you are gorging on Samosas(or Caramel Delights) Dunking your Thin Mints into an ice cold glass of milk, some of the gluten challenged folks out there are just dreaming about them.  Well wait no longer, gluten free cookies are here!  I know they had some last year, but we weren't one of the people that got to indulge in the inaugural trial. And I really wish they had some GF thin mints.....

There are two companies that produce Girl Scout Cookies. My understanding is that it depends on your local Girl Scout Council to make the decision for what bakery they are going with for that year.  Little Brownie Bakers has the Gluten Free Toffee-Tasitc Cookie and ABC Bakery has the Trios Cookie.

So I'm sure many of you were Girl Scouts, but this was one of the times of the year I hated!  My Mother, who was my troop leader, had us at every possible selling place that we could possibly go. While I loved the goal of going to camp, I hated the sale.  Standing out in the freezing cold, dreary rain, and in Texas, it could be HOT sometimes!  I did this from Brownie to Cadet.  I did however enjoy hanging out with some interesting " older boys" from our neighborhood at the local grocery store.  Sheldon, went to our church.  I loved watching him practice bagging groceries when the store was closing, practicing to be the "fastest bagger in the world" and Josh, several years older and lived in my neighborhood in a house that had the same floor plan as ours.  I though it was cool that this older boy would even talk to me, a dorky younger kid, but we did hang out occasionally at the grocery store or even when I was riding bikes around my neighborhood, those were the cool memories of selling cookies. (sorry Mom, I really disliked it, even though camp was awesome!) Oh but I did love Golden Yangles.  They were triangle shaped cheese crackers.  I could eat them by the boxes!  So glad my Mom kept them in the deep freezer and we could enjoy them all year long!

So your choices are Toffee-Tastic, which is the cookies that my local scouts are selling.  They cost me, GASP, 5 dollars a box!!!  I'm told this is actually below the national average, still sticker shock none the less.

This cookie is a dense, buttery and crunchy cookie.  I liked it!  It would go great with a cup of tea, however Kid X though it was a bit too "hard."  It contains milk and soy ingredients so I wouldn't recommend it for multiple food allergies, and is probably why Kid X didn't like it because he's used to dairy free and gf cookies! Rice Flour and Tapioca Flour are the main GF ingredients in this cookie and yes it does have the dreaded corn syrup in it!  Serving size is 2 cookies for 140 calories.

The Trios Cookie is a Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie. I'd still love to try it out(wink wink friends across the country)  it sounds pretty good although Kid X can't really tolerate peanut butter with his FODMAP issues.  

This cookie contains certified gluten free whole grain oats.  It does contain peanuts, milk, eggs and soy.  However, it uses pure cane sugar instead of corn syrup.  Serving size is 3 cookies for 170 calories.  

When everything is said and done, you are supporting your local troops and that is the important thing!  My goal was always to go to summer camp, and I made it every year, even if I thought selling cookies was the least fun thing ever!  Kid X tried something new, and something that we won't be eating everyday.  Kid R is a scout and very excited to get out there selling some cookies.  She's got great enthusiasm and I'm sure she will be selling a lot!  I'm sure this won't be the last box of Toffee-Tastic Cookies I taste this year either! 

Meal Planning?

Are meal planning services worth the hype?  I think so!  Last year I tried out one that was great for family friendly and gluten free ideas.  It was great, the family loves when I still cook some of those recipes but they were not always the healthiest and contained many highly processed gluten free products!  I'm trying to get healthier in food choices, the kids are growing up and are apt to eat better as well, but it's a constant struggle to sneak healthy things in their diets!  Plus I work full time and devote a lot of time and energy in my essential oil business. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do in life and if I could get buy cooking all day I would.  But it's like being a rock star, not realistic for me or my family.  So I turn to any help I can get with planning my weeks meals out and sticking to a budget!  Well I've found a really nice service, Real Meals!

The links I am going to post are affiliate links, but I never talk about products I don't stand behind or haven't tried, so I'm telling you, this one is nice!  It might be a little more time consuming or contain some staples that you might not have on hand always than other services, but planning makes it so much more manageable. I found out about this services from my friend Jackie of The Paleo Mama Blog: http://thepaleomama.com/  and signed up to try it out!  I later found out from her that it is run by another blogger that I follow Emily from Holistic Squid: http://holisticsquid.com/  I've been following these ladies for several years so I know the stuff they post is wonderful!

First, when you sign up, you can choose what plan you are needing for your families needs, Paleo, Traditional or Vegetarian.  The Paleo option is what I chose and it gives you an option to include primal ingredients like dairy! When you log in, you are started off with your weekly meal planner that includes all the meals for the week.  It has a timeline tab that tells you what to do during each day to prep if needed.  Suggestions include, when to defrost your meats, when to prep condiments, even tips like hit up your local farmers market!  Next tab is a customized shopping list with options to print or email.

Second is the Recipe box, It shows all the meals included for the month.  So if you don't want to eat fish today, and you don't see anything else on your weeks plan that you want to substitute, go and get a recipe out of the box and substitute!  Genius idea!

Third is the All Meals Tab, this shows me what is planned for the entire month.  A quick reference with links to the recipes!

Fourth is the Support Tab and it has FAQ's and videos!  Also instructions on how to import your own recipes into the planner.  Who does that?  This is great for me because I find that many paleo planners include tons of seafood.  My family can eat it, but I can't so if it's a recipe I can't sub anything for, I either scrap it or cook something else. So importing my own is awesome!

Fifth is the change tab, it's your profile and billing information.  Sixth is the Getting Started Tab and this is a great source of information and cute little videos! The last tab is the Switch to Mobile Tab and this is a great feature to have because I can just take my phone with me to the grocery store and check off items on my shopping list and have the recipe there!

Don't think that this is all just some boring dinners, you get some cool extras!  Several deserts, condiments and even things like cocktails are included!  Here is a sample of New Years Eve's Plan: Bacon Wrapped Dates, Deviled Eggs, Shrimp Cocktail and Rosemary Infused Sparkling Cranberry Cocktail!

Here is the Paleo link: https://realplans.com/paleo-meal-plans/?AFFID=190412
Here is the Traditional link: https://realplans.com/traditional-meal-plans/?AFFID=190412
Here is the Vegetarian link: https://realplans.com/vegetarian-meal-plans/?AFFID=190412

A Great Deal From The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle 2014

The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle

I got this deal earlier this year and they have sweetened it for the holidays! 

Hi Everyone,

How many times have you “tried harder” to improve your health? How many times have you “tried harder” than the last time, only to fail again?

You probably beat yourself up afterwards. You probably told yourself that if you just tried harder the next time around, you’d succeed.

Here’s a secret: no you wouldn't. Trying harder has never been your issue.

Instead, you should be trying different. Trying simpler.

Most people over complicate the process of improving their health. They think the silver bullet is in the complexity, in the personal trainers, in the protein shakes, in the gym memberships.

But it’s actually the opposite.

The silver bullet is in you. In the knowledge you have. In the decisions you make. In the consistency you achieve.

So we’re going to make things simpler for you today. We’re going to make improving your health a no brainer.

Join me in the FREE 4-Day Healthy Living Challenge: 4 simple steps to a healthier, better you. Each step will take you no more than 5 minutes a day.

The challenge is so easy, so simple, yet so effective. Most of all: it will change your life.

Learn more and sign up for the challenge here: http://healthylivingbundle.com/?ref=565a911762)

You’ll thank me next year at this time because of it. This offer is totally free and from Ultimate Bundles which I am an affiliate of! They will be offering the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle  which I purchased earlier in the year with some wonderful e-books! They have some great healthy living ideas, recipes and even essential oil uses! 

Best,
Rebecca Rogers

P.S. Taking these 4-steps in 4 days will be one the easiest things you’ve ever done to transform your health. Sign up for the challenge now: http://healthylivingbundle.com/?ref=565a911762)

Autumn Essential Oils Facebook Summit!

Just a quick update!  My Essential Oils Team is having a Facebook Summit with different topics each twice a day over the next week or so!  My class is about baking and I do have several gluten free recipes or adaptable recipes in my chat! Mine takes place tomorrow October 13th at 9 PM EST or 8 PM CST!  Here is the link to join: https://www.facebook.com/events/363874767114875/368191306683221/?ref=notif&notif_t=event_mall_comment

To view the full schedule of the Summit go here: http://thepaleomama.com/2014/10/autumn-essentials-facebook-summit-2/

Gluten Free Costco Shopping

I'll admit it, I've never been to Costco!  The closest wholesale store near me is Sam's.  We do have a membership, but I've never really used Sam's for anything more than toilet paper and a few other household necessities.  I do save on somethings while I'm there, I still am 2 years into a box of plastic spoons.
I know  from the online world that Costco has some amazing gluten free items!  So Kid X's Grandma and I went on a shopping spree.  And big thanks to Grandma, for getting a membership!  Our plan was simple, find a bunch of gluten free snack options that Kid X can eat!  Her can't do a ton of fruits due to his FODMAP sensitivities so I found as many healthy and slightly unhealthy snacks that a toddler could enjoy!
First off, Kirklands signature cashew clusters  These little nuggets are crunchy and sweet!  We also got Kirklands mixed nut blend, unsalted!

Some things I can't actually remember the brands or find an image of are some natural beef jerky, it was gluten free and didn't have any extra preservatives, which I love!  Kid X doesn't do well with all that nasty gunk added. Also gluten free brownie mix! Elizabeth Hasselbeck has a line of protein bar nuggets and that was Kid X's choice, all he was seeing was chocolate bar!  So that will be his big treat for school days!
Ancient Harvest had some cool grain mixes or as I tell Kid X, it's rice!  Because explaining what quinoa and amarath are is really hard to do to a 3 year old!

Also who couldn't leave without Udi's Bread! They sell a "normal sized" loaf (like all of the gluten containing brand sizes) at Costco for the same price as the small loaf you can find at your local grocery store!

I will have to go back not on a busy Saturday and perhaps childless to explore more.  There were several items I passed up to hurry up and get out of the store because Kid X was ready to eat his snacks!

Unit next time Costco!  Thanks for being really gluten free friendly!

Family Approved Gluten Free Meal!

I thought I'd post a recipe today from "Gluten Free Family Approved Recipes" by Pam Jordan.  Kid X loves this meal.  The original recipe calls for chicken breasts.  Kid X loves when I make meatballs out of this recipe.  So I've modified her recipe for meatballs! I cook something several times a week from this cookbook, I may modify somethings but my family is generally happy when I make something from her cookbook! My family hates leftovers and there is usually none left when I make this recipe!

One Dish Wonder

2 Lb ground chicken or turkey

2 cups frozen green beans

3/4 cup carrots(sometimes I use frozen corn)

3 red potatoes, cubed

1/2 stick melted butter

1/2 packed of Gluten Free Italian Seasoning Mix(I use the safeway brand of Italian Seasoning/Dressing Mix)

Gluten Free Bread crumbs(I use Italian style)

1 Tablespoon chopped onion

Salt and Pepper to taste

Season Salt and Garlic Powder to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Use a 9x13 cooking dish, I don't use cooking spray, but used a bit of melted bacon fat or ghee instead.  Place all the veggies in the dish.  In a separate bowl, mix the ground chicken, breadcrumbs and add the Italian seasoning.  You don't have to add the breadcrumbs, but I do for extra texture, I use about 1/4 cup. Shape the mix into small meatballs and add to dish.  Cover with salt, pepper, season salt and garlic powder.  Melt butter and pour over dish. 

Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.  I then take off the foil and cook for 10 more min to make the meatballs a bit brown.  

You can order the cookbook from Pam Jordan here at: http://www.imaceliac.com/