Mom and I took a trip to Costco yesterday, and nearly bought half the store between us. I was going to have her drive, but then decided I’d better take the Tahoe since I was stocking up on a few things so that I would be ready for these last 8 weeks and a little beyond. Good thing, as we had the back packed, and some stuff under the kids’ feet. We would have not been able to pack half of that stuff in the trunk of Mom’s Accord.

As we were wandering down the cracker/chip aisle, we passed these Multi-Grain chips. I saw the brand, Food Should Taste Good, and thought it sounded familiar. Mom proclaimed they were her favorite chips, so I grabbed a bag for her. When suddenly, I realized why they seemed familiar. On the box that the bags were sitting in was a sign -

Oh sweet words! These chips are certified through the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, run by the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. Can you tell I was excited? So I bought myself a bag.

The picture of the chip is about the actual size, give or take a little (unless you have a very large or very small screen, lol). A serving size is 10 chips, and is (for my purposes) 15 grams of carbs (18 - 3 for fiber). 15 grams is what I’m supposed to have for snacks, so I was extra excited to have these available for snack time.

These are excellent chips. A little salty, and yet, a little sweet sometimes. They say on the bag that they believe that the flavor should be in the chips and not on them. Well, I think they did a pretty good job with that.

Food Should Taste Good currently has 3 other certified gf chips:

A chocolate tortilla chip? Count me in. Next time I hit Whole Foods, HEB, or Sprouts, I’m going in search of these!

The following is a letter from Andrea Levario, Executive Director of the American Celiac Disease Alliance.  Please read it so that you will have the correct information, and share with those that may have the incorrect information.  Thank you.

Last week, information was reported, which has now circulated among groups, and in blog-posts, that the FDA’s proposed rules on GF labeling “were effective in August.” That statement is INCORRECT.

Since 2004, when we worked so hard to get the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act passed, the celiac community has been [waiting] for this announcement from the FDA. Unfortunately, it will be a bit longer.

According to the FDA:

“The final rule to define the food labeling term “gluten-free” will not be issued until sometime after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publishes a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of its draft report on a safety assessment for gluten intake by individuals with Celiac disease.  FDA will be soliciting public comments on that draft which will be considered along with the comments we previously received on the proposed rule on gluten-free food labeling as well as the findings of the safety assessment itself in developing a final rule.

The notice on the safety assessment is expected to be published shortly, but it is premature to anticipate the issuance date of the final rule. However, when the notice and final rule are published, they likely will be posted at FDA’s website www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/lab-cat.html#gluten Therefore, you may wish to visit that website periodically for any updates.”

It is not clear when the safety assessment report will be published. As soon as the ACDA can confirm the report is available, the information will be posted on the Celiac Listserv and distributed through our email network.

To sign-up for the ACDA’s news alerts go to www.americanceliac.org/advocacy.htm then scroll down and click on ‘Action
E-list’

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at info@americanceliac.org

Andrea Levario
Executive Director
American Celiac Disease Alliance

One of the many treats I brought home from the conference was a bag of Enjoy Life trail mix, specifically Not Nuts! Mountain Mambo. It is also free of nuts and dairy, and a variety of other things (including sulfites). But it is not free of taste, lol.

I think this is a very tasty trail mix, without the failures of many (like too much sugar and salt).  A handful of this makes a nice snack (within my carb boundaries even).

All of Enjoy Life foods are free of the top 8 allergens. Whether you have multiple allergies or not, this company has some really great products.

Finding out I was gluten-intolerant was not “the end of the world” for me, like it seems to be with some people. I never spent any time grieving, being angry or in denial, or any of that. It was a miracle to me to find out what was wrong and be able to easily fix it. I learned what to do, then I learned how to bake, and I’ve been helping others ever since.

I don’t know why, but this whole gestational diabetes thing has turned my life upside-down and inside-out. The strange thing is, I can’t even understand why. It’s not like I’m being forced to count carbs for the rest of my life - only the next 10 weeks (give or take). But there has definitely been anger - anger I didn’t even realize was there until it was unleashed on someone else. Is that because of the diagnosis, or because of my blood sugar, or because of my pregnancy hormones (or probably some of it all)?

Pricking my finger and taking my blood glucose level is no big deal (actually, it’s kinda neat to see the numbers - if only I understood them a little better). I now don’t even feel the prick, and have to squeeze my finger before I know if it actually got me or not.

Eating healthy? Well, I’ve pretty much always done that.

But eating 6 times a day? That, I just cannot seem to do. I feel like I’m spending almost all of my day eating, and even at that, I always miss at least one of my snacks.

And I’m nearly terrified to leave the house for any real length of time. The kids and I really needed to be with friends this week, but I can barely manage to get my meals and snacks together as it is, without having to prepare beforehand.

When I met with the dietitian on Thursday, I thought I understood everything I needed to do, and I felt fine. Well, that feeling didn’t last very long. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with another dietitian, and I definitely have some questions to ask. (I also have an ultrasound tomorrow, as the doctor wants to check and make sure the baby is as big as she’s supposed to be. Yeah, that doesn’t seem to make much sense with having gestational diabetes. But when has my body ever tried to be rational about anything? LOL.)

I guess, though, that I really must be fair to myself and say that this is only the 4th day, and things are getting easier (a bit). A few of the foods that I’ve been eating, I now “know” and I no longer need to look at the number of carbs before preparing my meal. I don’t really need to look at my chart anymore to know how much protein, carbs and fat I’m supposed to have at each meal and each snack. Hopefully, tomorrow I will make some bread (I’ve been saying I’d do that all weekend). That will give me a few more options, especially for snacks and meals on the go (like to church or a friend’s house).

Now I really need to start menu planning. It would really take the frustration out of preparing meals.

Some of the things I’ve been doing that help me are:
Using www.nutritiondata.com to make a food label for recipes I have
Sharing (emotionally) - a little bit here and there with various people, and a lot with my husband
Adding vegetables everywhere
Adjusting the recipes slightly to give a little more fiber and less sugar

I did have quite a bit of fun preparing spaghetti last night. I made the sauce from scratch. I started with the ground beef (one pound), and had some chopped bell pepper and carrots (matchstick carrots - so much easier) cooking up with the meat. When that was cooked, I added a box of frozen spinach, half a can of beets (shoestring), a can of large tomato chunks, almost 2 cans of tomato sauce (I had some leftovers in the fridge) and a can of tomato paste. A dash of salt, a little garlic powder, parsley, rosemary, and thyme, a little simmering, and presto! It was good. I had some on top of a bit of spaghetti and a salad (it was good on the salad, too - even Braden ate his that way).

What have you found that has totally knocked you flat, and how did you deal with it? Feel free to share in the comments, if you’d like.

Yesterday, after a grueling morning at the doctor’s office getting my fingers pricked, I had hoped to celebrate my freedom by going out to eat at Chipotle and checking out a bakery.  We went out, but I wasn’t celebrating.  I just found out I have gestational diabetes.  I meet with a counselor later today to determine what kinds of things I need to keep myself and my baby healthy.

Ah, but a bakery, you ask?

We headed to Sublime Bakery in Fort Worth to check out their gluten-free products.  First thing in the morning, after all the equipment is cleaned and sanitized, the owner and chef (Catherine Ruehle) bakes some gluten-free cupcakes and cookies (and that is the only time she bakes gluten-free, to reduce the risk of cross-contact).  Currently, she offers gf sugar cookies with a lemon glaze, gf vanilla cupcakes, and gf chocolate obsession cupcakes, but she is working on recipes for gf scones, muffins, coffeecakes, and snickerdoodles.  She even bakes custom cakes for weddings and special events!

That chocolate cupcake you see up there - it has a dark chocolate ganache filling.  Oh my gosh, it was good.  I only had a little bit, though (I know you’re watching me now, lol), as I shared all of that with Andy and the boys (and I took the little pieces).  The cookies were also pretty good.

If you live nearby, or are coming this way, you might want to call in the morning and have them set some aside for you or place an order, because once she’s started baking with the regular flours, she does no more gf baking that day.  The girl behind the counter told us that some gf people will come in and buy all that they have (and I believe it - those that don’t bake at all can become quite desperate for good gf baked goods).

Check them out next time you are in Fort Worth.

Sublime Bakery
817-570-9630
Country Day Plaza
5512 Bellaire Dr. South
(at Bryant Irvin)
Fort Worth, TX 76109

About a month ago, Kate at Gluten Free Gobsmacked decided to host a virtual barbeque. The date is tomorrow. Yeah, I know, I’m barely making it in time (but I’m 6 1/2 months pregnant - so cut me some slack). We each picked a letter, and I got R. I wanted to make something with rhubarb, but couldn’t find any in the stores. Finally, I found some - hiding in the back of my freezer, of all places. So here is what I came up with. It was a real hit!

Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp

1 & 1/2 lb rhubarb, trimmed and cut (if frozen, thaw and drain)
1 & 1/2 lb strawberries, sliced (if frozen, thaw, but don’t drain)
3-5 Tbs sugar (depending on the sweetness of your strawberries)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup gf flour mix*
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 Tbs buttermilk powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/3 cup margarine

1/4 - 1/2 cup gf oats
1/4 - 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Place rhubarb and strawberries in greased 9×13 baking dish; sprinkle with sugar.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine brown sugar, gf flour mix, xanthan gum, buttermilk powder, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Mix in oatmeal and nuts, and sprinkle mixture over fruit.
Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 35 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and the topping starts to brown. Serve warm or cold.

*You can use whatever flour mix you want. I used the standard Bette Hagman mix: 2 parts white rice flour, 2/3 part potato starch, 1/3 part tapioca starch.

The guys all had ice cream atop their first bowls, and ate their second bowls without. I was really pleased with how this turned out. Mom, I’m so sorry that you are away on vacation and can’t taste it.

Prior to eating this wonderful concoction of mine (yes, I am pleased with myself - I’m only beginning to really experiment in the kitchen), we had hamburgers… on buns.

I made the microwave hamburger buns for our dinner. Andy deemed them a success. Because Braden hadn’t appreciated the flax seed meal ones yesterday, I made him one with rice flour (same ratios), which he thoroughly enjoyed. Yeah, it was a little too big for his mouth, lol.

Check out Kate’s blog in the next few days for her barbeque roundup. You should definitely leave with some recipes to try!

I was recently alerted to this recipe by Carolyn on the Delphi Celiac forum. I’m not sure where it originally came from, but she found it on RecipeZaar. It is basically no-carb, which is great for my current predicament (failed first round of gestational diabetes testing). The RecipeZaar poster says it tastes like a whole-wheat bun. Quite frankly, I can’t even remotely recall what whole wheat tastes like (or any wheat, for that matter). I think it is a little eggy tasting, but I don’t think you would taste it with a hamburger (I’ll try tomorrow). It made a good peanut butter sandwich, though if I was going to make one specifically for a sandwich, I’d use a slightly larger bowl (more surface area = less height). I used a 2 cup Pyrex bowl.

I intend to spend some time experimenting with this recipe this week. I would like to see if I could use less butter, because it feels a little too oily for me. I will also try adding various flavors to the bread.

Microwave Hamburger Buns (from RecipeZaar)

Ingredients:

2 Tbs melted butter
1/2 pinch of salt
1 egg (I used large, though the recipe said extra large)
4 Tbs flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl or container, and microwave on high for 1 minute or until center is set (it will get larger in the bowl). Let set in bowl for one minute, then turn onto a cooling rack to cool. When it is cool, slice through the middle with a bread knife.

Please let me know if you make any modifications or variations that you really like.

I hope everyone in the U.S. had a wonderful Independence Day.

(The salad was prettier before I mixed it up.)

I failed my glucola test last week, and so I have been really worried about gestational diabetes (I will have a more thorough test this coming Wednesday).  I have basically been eating very low-carb to prepare for this next test (along with drinking tons of water, and walking).  Since we were spending the day with Andy’s family, I threw some meats and veggies into a cooler bag, and this is what I came up with.  I found it to be excellent, and different enough from a “normal” salad that it warranted being posted.  I just shook or grabbed until it looked right to me.  It will serve 2, or a very hungry pregnant woman. 

Salmon Spinach Salad

2 small salmon filets
1 small bag of “California-style” frozen veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and zucchini)
Rosemary-garlic seasoning
Fresh spinach
Cheddar cheese - shredded or crumbled*

In a large skillet with tall sides, cook the salmon (in one half of the skillet) and the frozen veggies (in the other half), both sprinkled with rosemary garlic seasoning.  In a bowl, tear up some spinach (however much you want) and add the cheese on top.  When the salmon is finished cooking, flake it up, mix with the veggies, and pour on top of the spinach and cheese.  Enjoy.

*To make crumbled cheddar cheese, freeze a block of cheese then defrost.  The cheese will easily crumble in seconds.

Dr. Steve Wangen spoke on a very important topic at the GIG Conference, that of Testing for Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance.

Many of you have a gluten intolerance that may not be Celiac Disease.  We are only just beginning to understand the differences, and have a long way to go.

Cynthia Kupper and GIG also understand that this is something that needs more research, and people need to hear about it.  We should see even more talks on non-celiac gluten intolerance at future conferences.

Dr. Wangen, a very fun and personable guy, has graciously made his presentation slides available to everyone through his website.  Follow that link and scroll down to the bottom of the page.  There are 6 slides full of signs and symptoms associated with gluten intolerance!  I was sad that I didn’t get to hear him speak this year (I was packing up my book table), but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him last year.  Keep an eye on him, because he has a new book coming out soon called Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of  Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance.

And, just to be fair, I know some women who have a crush on Dr. Wangen, too.  But I’m not naming names.

No, I don’t have a crush on him, but I know women who do.

I told you awhile back that we would be auctioning off breakfast with Dr. Fasano at the GIG conference. Well, we did. It was a lot of fun watching (and participating in) the auction. The final bid - $875. Go, Tara!! Just watching her bid (sometimes against herself), was a real treat. She was thoroughly enjoying it, knowing that the money was going for a great cause (gluten-free kids’ camps).

Tara wrote up a little interview, so that she could share her experience with us all. I hope you enjoy it.

Question: You were the grand prize winner of Breakfast with Dr. Fasano at the National GIG Conference in Dallas. What was the most impressive thing in your mind about Dr. Fasano?

In my opinion, the most impressive things about Dr. Fasano are his deep desire to help people and the fact that he is a “real” person, just like you and me. I was amazed by the immediate comfort level when talking with him. He instantly puts you at ease and has the ability to speak on the most complicated of topics in a manner that anyone could understand.

Question: Where did you have breakfast?

Breakfast was in a wonderful suite, chaperoned by Cynthia Kupper. (haha!) We were served a vast assortment of foods including a mix of breakfast breads, fruits, amazing blueberry pancakes, bacon, eggs and some avocado on tomato. Dr. Fasano must not like avocado because he didn’t touch it. We were so engrossed in our conversation that I had to remind him to eat!

Question: What did you learn that you did not know about Dr. Fasano?

I learned that Dr. Fasano is a humanitarian first and a scientist second. He relayed some stories about his life experiences and those of his family that left me with a feeling of awe. I knew he was an extremely intelligent man, but I did not know the depth of his caring for the people he is helping. This is a personal mission for him and for that I am truly grateful.

Question: What was the most exciting thing Dr. Fasano told you?

I was excited by everything he told me! In fact, I had to make a conscious effort to contain the dumbfounded star-struck look that kept trying to creep onto my face every time he would reveal some new tidbit of information. I think the most exciting thing I walked away with was the fact that “the pill” is real, is in stage two of testing, and the predicted date to market is 2012 barring any major complications. I also found out that this pill could benefit more people than just celiacs. I think that particular fact would have to be the most exciting of all.

Question: Did you ask Dr. Fasano about any personal health issues?

I only had two hours and there was so much to cover, honestly it never occurred to me to ask him about my health issues.

Question: What do you feel you gained from your time with Dr. Fasano?

I gained a renewed sense of empowerment. I received encouragement that what I, what WE are doing as an organization IS making a difference in the lives of others. I gained the courage to speak out to others and attempt to unite us all for one purpose and one purpose only… a better life for celiacs worldwide.

Celiacs Unite! YeeHaw!

At the conference, Tim brought me some cheese sauce mix from the Blue Chip Group out of Salt Lake City, Utah.  This mix is like the powder from Kraft that comes in the famous blue boxes.  I finally got a chance to open it up today and make Mac ‘N Cheese with some Schar penne pasta.

And we loved it!

Braden thought that the penne was cool - “pasta tubes.”  The sauce got inside the tubes, too.  We really enjoyed the sauce also.  It was just a tiny bit lumpy, because I was tired and forgot Tim’s advice to stick it in my Magic Bullet, but it didn’t bother me.

Tim likes to put the cheese powder on his popcorn, too, something I will have to try soon.

The cheese powder can be purchased in 2 pound bags (for $8.53) or a 4 pound can (for $16.07).  However, I’ve heard their shipping prices are horrendous (though I don’t know if ordering a lot would make a difference).  Blue Chip Group also sells a wide range of gluten-free specialty mixes (like pancake), and food storage items (like beans, and dehydrated veggies).

If you get through Salt Lake, I’d definitely suggest picking something up and giving them a try.  I will be sending my brother to get me some more cheese sauce powder when he is up there at the end of July.  I’m sure he could stuff a couple of bags around the kids’ car seats.   

From the Blue Chip Group’s website:

Cheese powder is blended with nonfat dry milk making this a “Just add water mix”.
Ingredients:
Whey, buttermilk solids, cheese (granular and cheddar {milk, cheese chulture, salt, enzymes}),
whey protein concentrate, salt, sodium phosphate, citric acid, yellow #5, yellow #6, lactic acid,
enzymes, modified-food starch (corn)., nondairy creamer (partially hydrogenated canola oil
and/or soya oil, corn syrup solids, sodium caseinate, dipotassium phosphate, glycol
monostearate, mono diglycerides, silicon dioxide.

This was actually the one talk that I was able to listen to during the whole conference (aside from Fasano’s at the banquet). Dr. Pietzak’s talk was entitled “Life Lessons from Celiac Pediatrics” and followed along the lines of the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

What was the first word you learned in kindergarten? Look. Look for Celiac Disease in its gastrointestinal forms (symptoms): diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, gas, bloating, constipation, change in appetite; and extra-intestinal forms: short stature, osteoporosis, DH, delayed puberty, infertility (in both males and females), anemia, behavioral changes, seizures. Look for systemic complications like night blindness, low bone density, liver inflammation, skin rashes, kidney disease, infertility, and arthritis and joint pain. Iron deficiency anemia resistant to oral iron is the most common non-gi symptom in adults (according to some studies) and is often the first symptom. So look for the symptoms of iron deficiency anemia. She also said we should look for dental enamel defects, recurrent aphthous ulcers (in the mouth), other skin problems such as hair loss, and neurologic symptoms like ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, psychiatric symptoms (depression, schizophrenia), and seizures and intracranial calcifications.

Flush. Sometimes both kids and adults with Celiac Disease get constipated. Often this is because we get stuck eating mostly starches, and are foods are not enriched. Treatment of constipation can include nuts, seeds, legumes, gf whole grains, fresh fruits (eat the skins!), fresh veggies (raw is better), psyllium seed (like Metamucil). Remember to intake your fiber gradually, as a high fiber diet could cause GI upset. Also, popcorn and crunchy peanut butter are two good ways to get fiber, especially in reluctant children. Exercise and lots and lots of water are also very important to treat (and prevent) constipation.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.  Celiac patients should worry more about osteoporosis than things like cancer.  5% to 34% of celiac patients have low bone mass, and they have 3.5 times greater risk of fracture than people without celiac disease.  Sometimes it can be hard to get enough calcium and vitamin D, especially since 20-40% of celiacs have lactose intolerance, but it is important to substitute and/or supplement to get enough calcium and vitamin D.

These notes were taken from the GIG handout of Dr. Michelle Pietzak’s talk.

Are any of you confused about the proposed FDA definition of “gluten-free” and what 20 ppm really means?

Megan Tichy, Ph.D., a lecturer from Texas A&M University, and support group leader in Bryan/College Station, was “Making Sense of Science” at the GIG Conference. She has been gracious enough to share her presentation with us. The powerpoint is pretty “sciencey”, but I hope you will come away with some knowledge. If not, we’ll ask Megan.

The important thing to gain from this lesson is that parts per million is a percentage - the quantity of gluten is based on the quantity of the whole product.

Here is a picture of Dr. Tichy, enjoying some peach cobbler at the Saturday night banquet (because, remember, It’s All About Food!).

Thank you, Megan, for sharing this with us!

.

This presentation is the property of GIG. It may not be reproduced or distributed by anyone outside of the Gluten Intolerance Group.

gig-talk-tichy

I just wanted to tell you about something I learned this morning during my dental cleaning.  I had been telling the hygienist that I haven’t been able to wear my night guard (that I got about the same time as I got pregnant) because I’ve been sick the whole time.  So when it was time to polish my teeth, instead of using that icky gritty polishing paste (which sometimes may have gluten, but they’ve checked on theirs), she got a paste-free polishing cup, that has the abrasiveness built right in.  (She didn’t want me gagging on her, lol.)

If your dentist can’t find out about gluten status of the polishing paste, or you just think it’s icky, check and see if they have a paste-free polishing cup.

If you ever get the chance to hear Dr. Breedon speak, do yourself a favor and go listen. Not only is she an excellent speaker and nutritionist, but she is a delightful person and fun to listen to.

“Aunt Cathy” works for MeritCare Medical Center in North Dakota, with a wide variety of nutritional issues. You can access all of her handouts from various workshops and speaking engagements here.

.

The handouts she used for the GIG Conference:
My Current Top Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Family’s Nutrition
Thinking About OTHER Nutrition Issues in Celiac Disease

One of the things that Dr. Breedon really stresses is getting enough vitamin D.  Inadequate vitamin D intake can lead to serious consequences like cancer, MS, diabetes, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Please take some time to read those handouts, for your health and the health of your family.

Friday morning, the conference kicked off in full with a large breakfast buffet (I had a breakfast burrito on a teff wrap, and some fresh pineapple). One of the things we decided to do this year was include the vendors in the meals. So after you got your protein and fruit and such, you could wander through the vendors and get all sorts of yummy samples.

One of my favorites was Gluten Free Kneads. At breakfast, they had samples of their pizza crust with some ham and cheese (and maybe something else?) for a breakfast pizza, and had pizza available at lunch (and I know more than a few people who went to this table multiple times for the pizza).

I also made a few trips to see LynnRae Ries at the Gluten-Free Creations table. I may have gotten a little hopped-up on donuts… just a tad.

I made it a point to not try anything I had already had before, because there was lots to try, and lots of good food from the hotel, and I was trying not to upset the baby. Plus, I had very little time with all my duties.

So… You’re waiting to hear more about these cheese crackers that I told you about last week, huh?

Roben spoke on Friday about Demystifying Gluten-Free Baking. She talked about the leavening properties of different flours, and postulated that perhaps we are often using too much flour in our gf baking.

What was I doing during Roben’s talk? Making cheese crackers, of course. (Pictures by Tara!)

One of the very few complaints that I have about the hotel was that they put my cracker dough in the freezer truck for GIG stuff instead of the refrigerator (noble - they didn’t want it to get lost). Unfortunately, that means I had to work very hard to get the dough rolled out. See that white toaster oven - that was my other problem. Roben had picked it up on her way down. While my red toaster oven (an Oster, in case you want to know) was cranking out the crackers in 9 minutes, Roben’s was barely cooking them in 20 (they never did crisp up). I think it was okay in the end, though. I heard lots of compliments about the crackers. (See the color of the dough? If you use a finely shredded cheese, “fancy”, then your dough will be more even colored. If you use a larger shred, “feather”, the you will have spots of cheese like in this picture.)

I also had the cutest helper, Kat, a nine year-old. She’s on the right in this picture.

Roben gave me permission to post the cheese cracker recipe. I hope you all enjoy it!!

From You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten-Free! by Roben Ryberg

Crackers, Cheese

- corn -

These poofy little crackers are rolled and cut. Miniature cookie cutters are available in cooking supply stores if you wish to mimic the tiny crackers loved by children.

Ingredients:

4 ounces cheddar cheese shredded

¼ cup softened butter

¾ cup cornstarch, 95 grams

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon milk

¼ teaspoon xanthan gum

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Topping:

salt or other dried herbs or spices as desired (I love garlic salt on these!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine all ingredients, except milk, in mixing bowl. Mix until mixture resembles a fine crumb. Add milk and beat well.

On lightly greased surface, pat or roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into ¾ inch squares or other small shape that you like. You can also cut into larger round or square cracker shapes if desired (just extend baking time). (You can use a pizza cutter to cut these out fast!)

Prick tops of crackers with fork and sprinkle lightly with salt or other dried herbs or spices as desired.

Bake until golden brown and crisp, approximately 10 minutes. Crackers will be light and crispy, although barely browning at the edges. The bottom of the cracker will have a bit more color.

Makes approximately 5 dozen small crackers.

One of the exhibitors this year (at the GIG conference) was a very nice young lady with Arbonne International (skin care, makeup, etc.). Catherine sent me a list of their gluten-free products last night. If you are interested in purchasing some of these products and do not know an Arbonne distributor, feel free to email me (delightfullyglutenfree AT gmail DOT com) and I will send you Catherine’s information (or click on her name to go to her website).

ARBONNE INTERNATIONAL GLUTEN-FREE PRODUCTS ( 6/12/08 )

About Face Blusher
About Face Brow Wax
About Face Cream Concealer
About Face Eye Pencil
About Face Eye Shadow
About Face Line Defiance Liquid Foundation SPF 15
About Face Lip Pencil
About Face Mineral Foundation SPF 15
About Face Sheer Shine
About Face Translucent Pressed Powder
About Face Wipe Out
Arbonne Baby Care Body Oil
Arbonne Baby Care Herbal Diaper Rash Cream
Arbonne Clear Advantage Acne Lotion
Arbonne Clear Advantage Acne Wash
Arbonne Clear Advantage Refining Toner
Arbonne Intelligence Body Lotion
Arbonne Intelligence Cleansing Gel
Arbonne Intelligence Daily Balancer
Arbonne Intelligence Daily Eye Cream
Arbonne Intelligence Daily Moisturizing Cream, Day & Night
Arbonne Intelligence Hand Cream
Arbonne Intelligence Skin Conditioning Oil
ASN HYBRIDS - Daily Nutritional Chews for Teens
ASN HYBRIDS - Daily Powder Punch for Kids
Awaken Sea Salt Scrub 16 oz.
Bio-Nutria® Herbal Colon Cleanse
Bio-Nutria® Herbal Muscle Massage Gel
Bio-Nutria® Joint Formula
BodyBetter™ Body Cream
EyeQ™ Cream Eye Shadow
f.y.i. Arbonne™ Secret Crush Color Palette
Figure 8 Vanish™ Pre-Shower Cellulite Scrub
Figure 8 Vanish™ Water Relief Treatment Serum
Figure 8® Daily Detox Tea
Get Well Soon Dietary Supplement
GetEven™ Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15
Go Easy! Protein Shake with INNER G-PLEX - Chocolate
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Thursday was the leadership portion of the conference. We started out the day in a very yummy way.

Our breakfast menu:
GF breakfast breads (The Craving Place and Gluten Evolutions)
Assorted Juices and Fresh Fruit
Yogurts
Pancakes with Maple Syrup and Strawberry Sauce (Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix)
Scrambled Eggs (no fillers or milk)
Bacon
Starbucks Coffee/Decaf & Republic of Tea hot teas
Soy Milk (Zensoy)

What a great way to start off your morning, huh?

After that, I learned way more than I ever wanted to know about taxes for a 501(c)(3). Thank goodness I’m not the treasurer, lol.

And lunch, you ask?

We started out with a beautifully arranged fruit platter. I’ve decided star fruit is nice to look at, but not to eat.

Then we had a Chairman’s Platter (tossed greens, cucumber, tomatoes, grilled chicken breast, roast tenderloin, & Chardonnay poached shrimp finished with thyme-raspberry dressing). Just prior to lunch, someone from the kitchen came out and showed us some bottles of Walden Farms salad dressing that they had in the kitchen, so we also had some ranch and Caesar dressing. That roll is from Rich’s/French Meadow, and it was wonderful (too bad they are only sold to institutions - I think we need to send them tons of emails).

Betty will probably kill me for this picture, but it is too funny to not post. We had a lot of swapping going on at our table - shrimp, beef, chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers - they moved around. Well David, Linda, and Holly all gave Betty their shrimp. Enough’s enough, right?

The hotel made a wonderful rice pudding for us.

I also got to try some Zensoy pudding. I thought it was pretty good. I really liked that it was not super-sweet, as some puddings tend to be.

One of the great things about the leadership day is we get updated on the GIG programs, like the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) and the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP). Did you know that there are over 1300 restaurants that are now part of GFRAP? How cool is that?

My favorite part of the leadership day meetings is sharing with the other branch leaders what we do in our branches that is successful, and helping out the branches who fell less-successful in a certain area. Unfortunately, this meant I had to stand in front of everyone and talk for a little while (something I hate doing). I was a little frustrated that Bob (GIG Board President) was in the back making fun of me the whole time. But I know he loves me, lol.

The absolute best part of the leadership day is the dinner, when we all kick back, relax, and have a lot of fun getting to know each other better. This year, the dinner was hosted by Claudia Pillow at her lovely home. Claudia and her sister, Annalise Roberts, spent days preparing the feast - I can’t even tell you all the food we had (I loved the beef tenderloin the best!). I didn’t get my camera out fast enough for dinner, but I managed to snag some great dessert photos. And since this conference was “All About Food”, I decided I needed pictures of people enjoying the food. (I think the dessert recipes are all in Annalise’s cookbook, Gluten-Free Baking Classics.)

Claudia Pillow

Her sister, Annalise Roberts

Chocolate cupcakes

Madelyn, branch leader from Virginia, with chocolate cupcake - mmmm

Coconut cupcakes

Chocolate chip cookies

Lemon cupcakes

Lemon cupcake texture (yes, that is my half-eaten cupcake)

Madelyn with a lemon cupcake

Holly, NTXGIG’s kids’ leader, with a whole plateful of cupcakes

Tara and I goofing off for the camera

Nancy (GIG Office Manager) and Carol (branch leader from Georgia)

Chocolate drizzled strawberries

Our fearless leader, Cynthia Kupper, with icing on her nose (she is hilarious!)

The Sangria Guy and Steve Rice of Authentic Foods

Cheers!

Cupcake shots!

After all that fun, I bet you all want to run out and start a GIG branch. Maybe I’ll see you in Seattle next year!

Meetings and food tastings are pretty important to many Celiacs. But yesterday, I found something far more important.

In our area, a 2 year old was very recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Her mother would have come to the conference, except the little girl was having her 6th surgery on Friday. CD is not her first major diagnosis, it’s her 6th. Already, you can see this is a harder situation than most of us have been in.

To complicate matters even more for this mother, she is single, with 5 kids (4 of them ages 1, 2, 3, and 4), and on food stamps because she can’t work and her ex-husband has nothing to do with them.

Enter the support group.

At the end of the conference, I make it my business to get productd and samples from the vendors, for the sole purpose of taking them to my support group, and using them in tastings and raffles. But yesterday, I was able to take 2 crates of food to this woman (along with a cookbook). I don’t think I can fully understand how grateful she was.

Thank you to Gifts of Nature, Glutino, Food Tek, and Schär Products for helping this woman and her family out in their time of need.

Have you ever read the children’s book Pigs A Plenty, Pigs Galore? There were a lot of pigs in that book.

For this conference, we had volunteers a plenty, volunteers galore. That’s one of the main reasons that we were able to pull it off so smoothly, and have such a wonderful conference.

Wednesday afternoon, we had a room full of volunteers, packing the attendee’s bags, preparing the silent auction items, and doing hundreds of other things. Registration badges and meal tickets had to be prepared, along with getting ready for the leadership day on Thursday. We had a few glitches, but it all worked out in the end.

After working hard, a large group of us went to dinner at Rio Mambo. Rio Mambo has 3 locations in Texas, and has worked to prepare a gluten-free menu. Best of all - they even have a dedicated fryer for their tortilla chips!  I must admit, I ate 2 whole bowls of salsa (with chips!), I was so excited. I also had the best chicken I’ve had in a long time, with a chipotle sauce and Monterey jack cheese. Oh, so good. I can guarantee I will be taking my family there soon.

From my heart, and on behalf of North Texas GIG, GIG National, and probably everyone who attended the conference, I would like to send out an enormous THANK YOU to all who volunteered at the conference, the locals and those who just chose to jump in and help.  We couldn’t have done it without you.

I would also like to send a big THANKS! to Cynthia Kupper (national director) and Nancy Kloberdanz (volunteer extraordinaire who manages the GIG office), for all the time and effort they put into supporting those of us with Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance, and helping us become better educated on our health and diet.  We all live better for the work that you do.

This morning I had a hankerin’ for muffins. I’d been wanting to try out this Gifts of Nature mix for a few weeks now, and finally got around to it.

The recipe says you can also make cookies with the same batter, so of course, we had to do that. The kids just loved having cookies for breakfast (and lunch, and dinner).

The muffins are not real sweet, which is a good thing for me. Those little flecks you can see are Montina, which is really high in fiber and protein. In fact, one of these muffins has 8% of your daily value of fiber. If you need a comparison, a glass of Metamucil (ick) has about 12%. I had to go downstairs to look that up, and found myself getting a muffin out of the freezer (Andy had put them there, but left the cookies out).

I know we all need to get more fiber into our diets, and I’ve been feeling the squeeze since I’ve been pregnant. This is a wonderful way to do it. These muffins have a good texture and a great flavor.

Now, I have a Gifts of Nature pizza crust calling for me. Perhaps in a couple of days…

It’s going to take me awhile, and a number of posts, to tell you all about the conference. Let me just first say that it was totally awesome!

The DFW Marriott did a fabulous job. Klaus and his crew really worked hard for us, and they were so helpful. The chefs made some fantastic food (and tons of it, seriously!), and I was always way too stuffed. I started out with the goal to take pictures of all the food, but I just became way too busy to do that. But I will definitely share with you what I have.

Interspersed with the conference po