Monthly Archives: August 2010

Quesnel has Nothing Gluten Free?

We moved here from Calgary at the beginning of this year. No new news to any readers. Since arriving I am regularly greeted with the question “How do you eat in this town? There is absolutely nothing local!” You can understand my confusion at this perspective as you follow the blog!

Today ( After a GREAT Steak at Mr Mikes – thanks to the FABULOUS waitress who looked into it and offered alternatives!)  I found several types of cookies, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats and a wonderful collection of alternative flours, including wheat and corn free baking powder, at Karin’s Deli. From there we went down to the Quesnel Bakery and picked up several loaves of Maggies Gluten Free breads.   Some late afternoon grocery shopping at Save-on-Foods and I came home with some Pamela cake mixes, Ener G crackers and a ton of rice pastas which will go GREAT with the Mayacamas brand Gluten Free Pasta sauce mixes that Mother picked up at Aroma Foods the other night.

All in all I can find SO MANY gluten free foods in this little community that my bathroom scale is NOT suffering!  More importantly, I find store owners very willing to bring in the products that I ask for.  As the local banners are saying…

Shop Quesnel!   I am.

Off the Wagon . . . Again!

Wheat is everywhere! We know this and strive every day to be diligent. But it is guaranteed to happen. . . falling off the wagon. Your great aunt’s banana bread, a change in a product ingredients, or just a day of weak will can lead to dealing with side effects. We have all been there.

The biggest side effect danger is the “What the hell. . . might as well eat ____. I am already going to be ___”

We know we should know better. We know that it’s not helping the situation. Yet our inner six year old just stomps her foot and does what she wants.

ultimately, we sigh and accept that the box of donuts is still not our friend and extending the reaction time is not helping.

Sighs. Sometimes being an adult sucks.

Gluten Free Pizza…and salad?

I was ecstatic to see that Boston Pizza now has a gluten-free section in their menu. Cue the heavenly music…I can order pizza again!! I don’t eat “junk” food often, but when I do I like to know there is a safe option for me.

So this past weekend I decided to order some delivery from my local Boston Pizza – a caesar salad and a gluten free peperoni pizza. I used their new online ordering system and made a note on the salad: “wheat allergy – no croutons please”. Type in my delivery information and click send. A nice little email is sent telling me the estimated time my food will arrive at my door. I think, “Great! A gluten free feast of yumminess is on it’s way!”

The delivery driver arrives exactly when the email told me they would. I pay for my order. I dance into the kitchen eager to open the paper-bag wrapped packages of sweet gluten free goodness. I take the salad out (because even though I’m eating “junk” tonight, I still want to eat my greens first!), and this is what I see…

I called back to the restaurant and explained to them the situation. That I cannot eat this salad. The girl on the other end sighed and said a new one would be sent out to my house asap. Another 30 min. after I hung up, my salad arrived and I gave the driver back the original salad along with the receipt. Not a single apology from either the girl on the phone or the driver. While I understand that this was a mistake, that mistakes happen…for anyone with a gluten intolerance/allergy that salad was dangerous.

The staff that prepare the gluten free pizza have had training on how to deal with cross-contact. So, in theory, those of us who can’t eat gluten should be able to dine from there worry-free. In fact, I’ve eaten salad and GF pizza from this exact Boston Pizza before…without a problem. My problem is with the lack of knowledge that many people working in the food industry still have regarding food allergies. If each of us could educate just one person about it…imagine where the Gluten Free “movement” could reach?

On a more positive note…the pizza was divine. It was cold by the time I was ready to eat it and I had to re-heat it…but it was delicious. The GF crusts are from Kinnikinnick and have a very sweet taste compared to traditional pizza crusts. Regardless of my poor experience this weekend, I will most definitely order gluten free pizza from them again. My only real complaint about the pizza itself is that I wish they came in bigger sizes (currently they only offer personal sized GF pizza). It would be nice to have a GF pizza party with The Wheat Free Family!

{Brought to you by Erin}

Gluten-Free “Diets” — Fad or Fact?

I have allergies to wheat, oat, and apple. They make me insanely ill…even the teensiest bit of cross-contact and I’m sick: swollen throat, painful ears, upset stomach, wheezing, and general fatigue. I have actual medical test results in my files showing I have these allergies. And yet I still have some friends and family who think this is just a diet.

Not many people understand celiac disease, wheat allergies, or even wheat/gluten intolerance. They all have one major thing in common: zero tolerance for wheat. It’s not a fad diet, it’s the way we wheat/gluten-free people have to live.

Gluten-free eaters around the world must scrutinize every food label carefully – gluten can be found in everything from hot dogs, ice cream, salad dressings, canned soups, dried soup mixes, non-dairy creamers, processed cheeses, cream sauces, and hundreds of other common foods.

The increasing availability of information, and gluten free products is a welcome change. Even 6 years ago when I was first diagnosed, I could hardly find information let alone gluten-free products. I’m excited to see more and more companies springing up in the gluten-free market: Kinnikinnick, Ener-G Foods, GlutenFree.com, and so many others that I haven’t had the chance to explore yet.

For many of us, failing to follow a gluten-free diet could cause other health problems later in life, including osteoporosis , infertility and possibly other autoimmune diseases. My sister has Crohn’s Disease (her symptoms started in her early 40′s), and I’m trying my absolute best to avoid the same diagnoses. Taking care of my body, and avoiding gluten could help me stave off the incurable, painful disease.

My point is…the majority of people eating gluten free don’t do it because we want to. We do it because we need to in order to preserve our health. And I think it’s our job to spread the word of gluten free – share our resources, recipes, and personal stories. Comment, share your links and stories…tell us how living gluten-free (or living with someone who is) has affected your life.

{Brought to you by Erin}

Gluten Free Cake Balls

Gluten Free Black Forest Cake Balls

I love all things cake, which is why I’m going to share a recipe for my absolute favorite cake treat…Gluten Free Cake Balls! (or for the more refined of you in the audience today, Cake Truffles.) I make these little delights for parties, and no one ever guesses that they are gluten free.

Cake balls are bite-size balls of moist cake blended with rich frosting (or pie filling), surrounded in a deliciously beautiful confectionery coating. An exciting twist on cupcakes and a sophisticated alternative to traditional desserts.

Cake balls can be made in a huge variety of flavors, but for the sake of this post I’m going with Black Forest Cake Balls. Yummmm.

What You’ll Need:

  • Gluten Free Cake Mix (I used Kinninnick’s Chocolate Cake Mix)
  • 1 can of cherry pie filling (or substitute icing or other filling of your choice)
  • Chocolate – I used semi-sweetened Baker’s Chocolate, but anything that can be melted down works. Just make sure it’s gluten free – read the labels! (amount…? Lots.)
  • Some type of double-boiler system so you can keep your chocolate melted without it clumping up. (I used the ceramic part of my fondue set inside of a regular pot.)

Directions:

  1. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions using any of the recommended pan sizes.
  2. Allow cake to cool at least 30 min. Do not mix the pie filling/frosting while HOT!
  3. Crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the pie filling or frosting of choice until well blended.
  4. Use a small scoop (I use my hands, but to each their own) to form small balls of the chocolate cake mixture. Small is the key word here. You want them to be, literally, bite size. Too big and the end product will seem too rich. Place your formed balls onto parchment or wax paper covered cookie sheets.
  5. Put this mixture in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 3 hours but I did it overnight and it was perfect.
  6. Melt chocolate coating in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a metal (or ceramic) bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
  7. Dip the balls in chocolate using a toothpick, fork, or spoon to hold them. This will take practice and I find that everyone has their own dipping style. I use a fork to hold the ball, and a spoon to roll and pour the chocolate over it.
  8. Place on parchment paper to set. (on the counter is fine, but I set mine in the freezer as I usually make mine several days in advance for parties)
  9. ENJOY!!!


Note:The types and flavors of cakes and filling/icing/coatings can be substituted for anything. Your imagination is your only limitation! I’d love to hear what flavors YOU come up with!!

{Brought to you by Erin}

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-08-08

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