Gluten Free App

Hello gluten free foodies! Today is another beautiful day in the world of being gluten free! 

Did you know there is an app for those looking to dine out, but are worried they won't find a restaurant that has gluten free food? It's called 'Find Me Gluten Free' and is quite brilliant. 

This app allows you to search for gluten free restaurants around you area, as well as the price and reviews from other people about their gluten free experiences. They have a homepage full of information on different gluten free foods, and news regarding gluten free companies or just gluten free things. 

Then, on the left-hand side, there is a tab where you can search places by name, address, popular chains, and then you an search for recipes and products. This app will be extremely useful to those who love to travel and need to have gluten free food.

I completely and 100% recommend this app to those of you who feel like eating out is a chore. No longer! This app will help you free your mind about where to eat dinner and whether or not you will be able to find food.

Oh, and the best part? It's free. 


sources: http://www.findmeglutenfree.com/
Photograph source: http://mygluten-freekitchen.com/friday-favorite-find-me-gluten-free-app/

Gluten Free Magic Kingdom

Disney now has a gluten free and vegan bakery at their parks. This is a huge win for those who are gluten free and vegan!!! When traveling to an amusement park, it is always a requirement to have a plan of action when traveling with someone who has a diet restriction. Where can we eat? What can you eat? What do you want to eat? And Disney World, being an enormous attraction for thousands of tourists each year, can cater to even more people who travel there. For people who have a gluten allergy, sometimes you may feel like a burden on those you travel with because of your dietary needs. A gluten free bakery will be a huge blessing to those who want to enjoy dessert while at the most magical place on earth. I wish they had these foods whenever I traveled there.

 The Bakery is called Erin McKenna's Bakery, and is located on Downtown Disney's Marketplace. They have gluten free and vegan donuts, cupcakes, cookies, and more. YUM!

Hooray for being gluten free!!!! Enjoy your travels to Disney parks. Here is a photograph for when I went to Disney about three years ago. 

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/31/gluten-free-disney-world-vegan-food_n_6970458.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

photograph sources: Jaymie Macek

Pizza Dip Recipe

Hello again everyone! Today I have an extremely special dish to share with you all. It is called pizza dip. The person who shared this recipe is a family friend, named Kim DePew. Its quick, simple and DELICIOUS! Perfect for those parties where you need to bring something to snack on. And guess what...it is one of those items that you would not have thought to be gluten free. 

Ingredients: 
1 cup of cream cheese
1/2 of sour cream
1/2-1 jar of pizza sauce
1 bag of mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 pie pan

Directions:
1. Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese with the sour cream, using a mixer. Make sure the cream cheese is soft enough for mixing.

3. Layer the mixture on the bottom of the pie pan, making sure that the entire bottom is covered.

4. Cover with a half a jar of pizza sauce. Add more if you like to have more sauce.

5. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top until the entire pan is covered.

6. Bake for 20 minutes

Then you are ready to enjoy this simple dish. I would suggest doubling the ingredients and getting a second pie pan; the first one will be gone quicker than you would expect! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do. 

source of picture: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/07/white-pizza-dip/

Detecting Gluten

Gluten may seem to be in almost every type of food....or at least the ones that you are partial too. For example, when beginning the gluten free diet, you learn that cakes, cookies, pretzels, cereal, etc. contain either 'wheat' or 'oat'. Some types of chocolate contain malt, which is an ingredient that people who are gluten sensitive or have celiac disease should avoid. 

When going grocery shopping, there are a couple of things to remember. 
1. ALWAYS look at the label of food. Once you get into the swing of things, it will get much easier to recognize which food is gluten free and the ones that are not. But, when first starting out, reading the labels is essential to getting the completely gluten free food.

2. Do not always buy the first thing you see. There are many types of gluten free desserts out there, but some do much better than others. Cereal is a huge problem with this. Some may outright say on the box 'may contain wheat,' while others may not. Look through the selection of foods and make sure to by buying what you think is best, not the first thing you see. Usually, in gluten free isles, they have 10 different types of cookie or bread. Look at each one and yes.....do some research. *GASP* Researching what foods are better than others will most likely help you with you decisions on what to buy.

3.Gluten free food is EXPENSIVE. But do not let that deter you from buying it, especially if your tummy may need the gluten free food. Just add a little more money into your food budget, especially when splurging on gluten free cake mixes. 

4. Research brands. I know I said it before, but researching helps more than you realize. This way you will be prepared when you visit the store, rather than buying multiples of items and realizing you distaste them all.

Do not be afraid of shopping for gluten free food. There are many options in today's world, as well as grocery store isles that are full of gluten free food options. Just make sure to add a little more into your budget for food shopping! You will be fine. Enjoy the food that is out there. Just because it says gluten free doesn't mean it isn't delicious. 

Picture source: http://www.reddit.com/r/AdviceAnimals/comments/1r4ztx/going_to_the_supermarket_on_a_glutenfree_diet/

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Since now you have started your gluten free diet, there is a recipe I am going to share with you. It's called Peanut butter cookies! These cookies are delicious, flour free and best of all....gluten free! This recipe is from a book entitled 'The Big Book of Gluten-Free Recipes by: Kimberly A. Tessmer, RD, LD. Here is the recipe:

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on size. 

Ingredients: 
1 cup gluten-free natural peanut butter, well stirred
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup gluten free chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup almonds or nut of you choice, finely diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 

2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, sugars, egg, vanilla extract, and baking soda. Mix thoroughly. Add chocolate chips and diced nuts if desired. 

3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon cookie dough by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until centers are cooked and edges are lightly browned. Let them cool on the sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

And there you have it folks! Delicious gluten-free peanut butter cookies. You don't have to add the chocolate chips or the nuts; they are your choice. A warning about this recipe though....these cookies are DELICIOUS! You will want to make them all of the time. 

Enjoy your delicious gluten free cookies. See, it is not so bad being gluten free. 

Sources: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-big-book-of-gluten-free-recipes-kimberly-tessmer/1113839844?ean=9781440562396
http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/5-ingredient-gluten-free-flourless-peanut-butter-cookies/

The Diet

Hello! You have just found out that you are gluten free....now what? Now it is time to take one of the hardest, greatest journey's in life....a gluten free diet! The worst part about starting a gluten free diet is the change from regular food to gluten free food. However, with a lot of faith and a lot of work, the diet will soon become second nature.

One of the things that will change first is your weight. It may go up or down, but guaranteed it will change. Do not be deterred by this factor, your weight does not define who you are. As long as you are following the diet and being healthy, your weight cannot bring you down. 

You will begin to notice the fact that there seems to be no food around you and that you cannot find ANYTHING that is gluten free. This is not the case! There are many foods, some you probably did not even realize, that are gluten free. For example, here are gluten free foods that you might not have seen as gluten free:

• Chex-mix cereal
• Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles
• Ice cream
• Fruits and Vegetables

And so many others. There are a ton of websites out there to help the gluten free novice. Plus, foods like chicken and steak are gluten free too! See, a gluten free diet is not all bad. 

One piece of advice I can give, is do not give up on yourself or your diet. The beginning can be the most challenging portion, especially if no one you know is gluten free. You may feel it is hopeless, or that you wish you did not have a gluten allergy. Be proud in yourself. Your tummy really needs you to stick to your diet. 

You are not alone in your gluten free journey. There are many people who are diagnosed with celiac disease or a gluten-sensitivity. You can do it! If you have any questions, or need advice on a gluten free diet, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Sources:

http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/diagnosingceliacdisease/tp/Gluten-Free-Diet-Side-Effects.htm

http://www.chex.com/products

http://celiac.org
http://www.thisfullhouse.com/reviews/2009/10/celiac-disease-awareness-month-new-glutenfree-cereals-party-recipes-from-chex.html

Food for Thought

Hello, welcome to my blog! My blog posts will be about gluten free food. You are welcome to read about my experiences with different types of gluten free food. I hope you enjoy reading about different gluten free food experiences.