Udi's Gluten Free Muffins

Last week I reviewed the Udi's Sandwich bread (which Grace devoured and we had to buy more!) A day or two later I got an email from Heather who is the Marketing Coordinator for Udi's Gluten Free Foods. She had seen my previous post and offered to send me some more of their baked goods to try. I was cautious at first because I think one of the things that makes this blog work is I go to the store to try something - post if I like it or not and go about my business. Would free muffins make me a cheater? I decided they would not - mainly because I am cheap and I love free stuff! So with full disclosure I will give an honest review of the Udi's Gluten Free (and dairy and soy free) Lemon Streusel Muffins.

They were REALLY good! I mean honestly really good. A bit crumbly but not too sweet and a light lemon flavor. Grace decided she wanted it with milk since it was a bit dry - I was thinking it would go well with coffee. Troy's comment was they were not "over done" as in many gluten free baked goods try to over flavor their stuff to mask the fact they really taste like crap. The texture was also very good - not grainy or sandy as other things we have tried.

Even though they were a bit on the dry side they were not "too" dry - they just were not sticky like muffins often are. They were big with a satisfying "muffin top" which Gracie loved. She ate 3/4th of the large muffin with a glass of milk she immediately wanted another. I convinced her it would be best to wait until morning. This however is the golden "thumbs up" from Gracie - if she doesn't love it she doesn't eat it willingly.

These run about $6 for a box of 4. This comes to about $1.50 a muffin. Not bad for bakery muffins but more of a treat in my house than a staple. That said - we will be buying them again.

As we try our goodies (muffins and bread) I will report back and let you know what we think. Thanks to Udi's for the goodies! We do appreciate it.

1019!!!

I go out of town and missed 1000! :)

Thanks to those of you who visit and those of you who have commented. I hope you have come away with something you can use.

When Grace was diagnosed in November of 2008 we were blindsided! How in the world would we do this??!!! A few months later we have surprisingly figured it out and honestly - it just isn't "that" hard.

We went to the Sprouts sale and stocked up on Grace's favorite snacks. The lady checking us out asked "Are both of them gluten free?" "Nope - She is gluten free and he is dairy free. It is a big pain when we eat out." We both chuckled. It is a pain when we eat out - not only is she limited by what she CAN eat but she is limited by what she WILL eat. If it were not for cheese and cereal she would waste away. That said she is a good sport about trying new things (usually) and is a good sport when she is in a position where her choices REALLY are limited - like a pizza party, a restaurant w/limited choices, surprise cupcakes at school etc. Thankfully w/a "little" pre-planning (snacks at school, brown bags when we go out etc.) it is very doable.

Thanks again! Please keep your comments coming - I would love to learn from you guys.

Gluten Corn Chex are here!

Gluten Free Corn Chex have hit our local Walmart!  I just found them at the store today.  We currently have Rice Chex and Corn Chex that are gluten free.  I am still waiting on the other flavors to come in. 

I have said it before but will say it again - I LOVE that General Mills has taken Celiac Disease and other gluten issues seriously and has provided us with a mainstream cereal that is also certified gluten free.  

Yea! 

Rice Crispy Treats - ugh.

If Grace has asked me once she has asked me 100 times "Are Rice Krispy Treats gluten free?"  We have the Crispy Rice treats that I wrote about but she really wants the REAL Rice Crispy treats like Sam eats.  

The problem is the Malt flavoring.  I guess it makes it taste good but for a kid w/Celiac it is a problem - needless to say.  

Pao de Queijo - Brazilian Cheese Bread

So yummy.  So easy.  

I recently found out that the cheese bread from Texas de Brazil (TdB) and Fogo de Chao etc. (Brazilian steak houses) is naturally gluten free!  It has been a few years since I last went to TdB but I remember the cheese bread fondly.  

It is made of tapioca flour - not wheat flour.  It is soft, chewy and really good. When I say chewy I mean chewy!  Sort of like fried cheese sticks - chewy in the middle, and crisp on the outside.  

Here is the recipe I used - I modified it from another recipe.  

Pao de Queijo - Brazilian Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil or butter 

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp salt

2 cups tapioca flour

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs - beaten

Directions

-Preheat oven to 375.

-Heat butter/oil, water, milk and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.  Immediately when it comes to a boil remove and stir in flour until smooth.  

-Stir in cheese and egg.  It may be lumpy.  Let rest for 15 minutes.  

-Drop rounded tablespoons sized balls onto ungreased baking sheet. 

-Baked until the tops are lightly browned - about 20-25 minutes.  

Things that worked for me:  I used a mix of butter and olive oil.  

I had a hard time mixing the batter by hand so I stuck it in my Kitchen Aid mixer w/the dough hook - worked like a charm.  

I used my Pampered Chef scoop sprayed with non stick spray to make the balls - it was a perfect tool and made for quick work - you could also use two spoons. 

The original recipe called for much bigger balls/rolls - since I had bite sized rolls at TdB I wanted to recreate that - you could try it bigger if you wanted to - just adjust the cooking time.  

These are great with dinner or would be a nice appetizer alone or w/with a dipping sauce (marinara?)   Also - a purist may disagree - but I would think garlic or herbs would go well with it for something new.

Years ago I tried the frozen ones in a bag but when I checked the package they were made in Brazil and they had Maltodextrin in them - not safe enough for me now. 

 

Cake Wrecks - Gluten full fun!

I love this site - it cracks me up every time I see it.  

It may make some of you thankful you can't have gluten.

Enjoy!

http://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com

Uno Chicago Grill - aka Pizzeria Uno

In one word - AWESOME!!

We went to Uno and asked for a GF menu. When the waitress came we said "She has Celiac - we need to be VERY careful everything is gluten free." We were told no problem. A bit later the Manager came by and assured us everything would be taken care of. He also told me about a local "Chef to Table" that the local Celiac group was putting on (and they were going to be a part of.)

On the menu were two choices - cheese and pepperoni. The manager also stated most of the toppings were GF - except for the sausage. Needless to say Grace wanted plain cheese with light sauce.

It came out on its own - not sharing a tray. She tried a bite, then another and said "This tastes like PIZZA!!" Not sort of like pizza or OK for gluten free but like REAL pizza! I had a bite and had to agree - it was delicious. She had 3 pieces of pizza - THREE PIECES!!

They have a whole GF menu and are very accommodating. Sam can't have dairy so they made him a cheese free pizza but said if we wanted to bring our own soy cheese next time we could. Everyone in my family left happy.

I would highly recommend Uno Chicago Grill - we will be going back.

Traveling with Celiac

I started writing a blow by blow of our trip to our niece's wedding but decided it came down to just a few points:

- All I have to say is if it were not for cheese sticks I don't know what we would do.   We took a cooler and kept them in the hotel fridge.  It was the staple of her weekend.  

- Cereal from home in individual size baggies was really helpful at the hotel.  Milk from their breakfast along with fruit made a fine breakfast. 

- We went to two buffets for dinner - the only thing she could eat was the salad.  One I got ahead and pulled the salad before it could be contaminated by the bowl of croutons next to it.  At the wedding I spoke to the waiter and they said the only thing they could guarantee was gluten free was a salad - when dinner was ready they brought out a beautiful salad and brought it to the table.  

- I learned it doesn't hurt to ask - most people are really accommodating.

- A "snack bag" filled with wrapped snacks (crackers, cookies, chips) is really helpful - it can pull together a quick lunch or just a snack on the road.  

- I spoke before about the shortbread cookies decorated with icing - I did this in the hotel room before the wedding and we brought our own dessert for Grace - she was really happy with this because it was "special" and different than a wrapped cookie.  

Don't be afraid to travel!  With limited supplies, a little planning and asking a few questions at restaurants you can go anywhere.

Sandra

400!!!

We have had 400 visitors to this blog - how exciting!

Thanks to everyone who has visited. I hope you came away with something you can use - or at least a chuckle or two. I also want to thank those of you who have posted comments. I get giddy when I get comments - being new to the blog thing and all. I especially love getting helpful tips we can use - and share.

Now a word from Grace:

Since I found out that I could not have gluten, I have been eating cheese because there are lots of healthy food that have gluten in it. Cheese is the best food to eat if you can't have gluten!!!!!!!

Thank you for visiting my blog!!!!!

Grace

FWIW Grace is OBSESSED with cheese. She makes up songs and stories and draws pictures of Cheeseland. I thought "I" loved cheese. Grace loves it more :)

Thanks again.

Sandra

Uno Pizza - Gluten free menu!

Someone recently told me that Uno Chicago Grill (forever known to me as Pizzeria Uno) has a gluten free menu! I was excited and checked it out online - here is the link:

http://www.unos.com/kiosk/nutritionUnos.html

I called the Ft Worth restaurant and spoke to a manager - he said the crust was made out of rice flour and they take care to prevent cross contamination using different shelves, tray's and paddles to pull the pizza out of the oven.

There were several toppings that were gluten free for the pizza - mostly veggies but they also have pepperoni. The pizza is about $11 - more than I really want to spend for pizza for one small person but would be nice for a sometimes treat and we can take home the leftovers.

I wish I had gotten the guys name - he was really helpful. He said he had tried it and it was pretty good - didn't taste off. I would love it if anyone has tried it "in real life" and can give their review.

A Taco Bueno mistake.

We recently went to Taco Bueno thinking we remembered the chips and cheese "nachos" to be gluten free. They are not. Grace had a bad stomach ache shortly after eating them and looked at me pitifully and said "Celiac."

UGH!

Apparently their chips are fried w/other stuff - including flour tortillas. Lesson learned - the HARD way.

Grace's current favorite snack - EnviroKidz Organic Chocolate Crispy Rice Bar

Grace LOVES these! They taste like a cross between Rice Krispy bars and Coco Pebbles. I have found them at Sprouts and at a Target in San Antonio (but not at all Targets.)

They are just a little more expensive than the Rice Krispy bars but not by much - I got them on sale for $2.99 for a box of 6 - I think they are $3.20 regular price. They also have fruit and peanut butter flavors - but she likes chocolate best.

Grace has them w/a glass of milk in the mornings or for an after school treat.

Click HERE for the EnviroKidz website.

A (semi) local find!

T0night we went to Go Go Gumbo in Boyd TX. Boyd is a very small town so we were very surprised to find such WONDERFUL food! I called ahead and spoke w/the Chef/Owner Craig and he was familiar with Celiac and we discussed several choices.

We got there and it was VERY casual and very family friendly. There were games for the kids to play (board and video) as well as a basic kids menu. I was presenting the options to Grace and since they don't have flounder she didn't want fish. sigh. She decided on a plain salad - no dressing. What impressed me was their willingness to be accommodating and we received excellent service.

For those who can eat gluten I recommend the TV dinner - a type of sample plate - perfect amounts of perfect food. It really is some of the best food in Wise County. For those who can't eat gluten they have salmon always on the menu as well as shrimp and a fish of the day and some great salads.

Added bonus - the FANTASTIC Vanilla bean creme brulee was gluten free. Heaven.

Chili's

Tonight was was "School night" at Chili's.  I knew they had a gluten free menu but we hadn't been there since Grace was diagnosed so we were not sure how helpful they would be - we were VERY pleased with their service and attention to detail.  We brought our print out of the gluten free menu and I asked for a manager when I got there.  We found out they have the menus there for you - I wouldn't print it out because when you do you get tons of pages - soy, peanut, dairy... free as well as gluten. 

The manager was not familiar w/Celiac but was very open to making sure there was no cross contamination and said he would be back there when her meal was made.   He said they made everything fresh and didn't take it from a "batch."  He did come out and asked about toppings/seasonings (Grace only wanted corn on the cob, broccoli and oranges.)  We declined the cheese and season salt and he brought us individual packaged "real" butter and they delivered her meal on its own tray.  

I know it is always a risk when we eat out at a restaurant and it is still to be seen how it went tonight - but I was pleased that they took the extra steps we requested.  

www.chilis.com/menu/default.asp   

I scream, you scream we all scream for...

Ice cream cones!!  I had heard about gluten free ice cream cones but never saw them at the store. We were in Sprouts in Southlake and saw them and grabbed a box of "Let's Do Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones."

We grabbed some Bluebell (and rice cream for Sam) and scooped up some treats for everyone after dinner - they were YUMMY!  As Grace said "They taste like they are full of gluten!!"  

Am added bonus -  they are only 10 calories per cone - not important when covered by a big scoop of full fat ice cream but would also be good filled with fruit or other treats.  I like to put dry cereal in them and send the kids outside to play in the summer - they eat the cereal out of them then eat the cone -  no trash in the yard!

I love to find great gluten free things that taste like "real people food."  It is unanimous in our family that these are a hit!

Who doesn't love a Cheeto??

Thank goodness for Frito Lay! Not only do they have a wide range of products that are gluten free but they also have them in lunch size bags and in all grocery stores. The website does say the chips are made on the same line as gluten containing foods however the lines are washed between batches but a slight residue may remain on the lines. People who are extremely sensitive may be affected. Thankfully my daughter has not been.

We love the Fritos with cheese sauce and the Lay's with turkey and cheese.

Here is a link to their website - it lists all of their gluten free products:

www.fritolay.com/your-health/products-not-containing-gluten.html

Valentines angst!

So Grace's lovely 3rd grade teacher signed us up for cupcakes! She did this as a kindness so I could take care of Grace.

I am all about driving to Walmart and getting two dozen cupcakes for $5 - all baked and decorated so I did just that - then... came home and at 9 pm baked a box of Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix to make a batch of gluten free cupcakes that looked just like the store bought ones. I had WM make chocolate cupcakes with white icing and got some sprinkles to decorate both kinds so they would look alike.

The Cherrybrook Kitchen cupcakes were horrible - smelled great but tasted terrible - something Grace and I could both agree on. There was a bitterness to it and the texture was "wrong." It was also a little gritty. I am a believer that anything w/the right amount of oil and sugar must be edible but I could only eat one bite of the cupcake - same with Grace. I asked her if she thought icing would help and she said no. sigh.

Grace's Godmother Allison sent Grace a care package and in it were Pamela's Butter Shortbread cookies - simple round cookies topped with nothing. I took the tub of Pillsbury Classic White Frosting, placed a large 4 B star tip in the corner of a snipped baggie and went to town. About an inch of icing on top, had Grace put sprinkles on top and they looked GREAT!! Honestly - you can get past almost any cookie w/an inch of frosting and sprinkles on top. Of course my graduation from classes 1 and 2 from Wilton Cake Decorating Class didn't hurt either :)

I think these may be our "go to" treats for parties from now on. They were substantial enough to "feel" special but were very simple to pull together. I will probably make sure to have a package of these on hand.

If anyone has suggestions for boxed mixes or has some great recipes for cakes or cupcakes I would love to hear them.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Lloyd's Barbeque Pork - YUM!

I had to run to the store last night and Troy asked me to get something quick for dinner we could just heat up. I picked up some Lloyd's Barbeque Seasoned and Shredded Pork and some hamburger buns - knowing Grace wouldn't like the meat. When I got home I was looking at the back of the package when I saw the lovely words - GLUTEN FREE! Yea! The meat was in a tub like margarine would be in and was in the refrigerated section by the prepared meals (meatloaf, roast beef etc.)

I heated it up in 7 minutes and we all tried it - Grace w/crackers and us on a bun. It was lowbrow but really good - sort of like Sloppy Joes w/a different texture. Needless to say Ms. Pickypants didn't like it (but she tried it w/an open mind.) Sam on the other hand had 3 - yes I said THREE sandwiches!

I have heard there are good gluten free hamburger buns out there - it would be worth a try with this. You could also make tacos out of this, put it on a baked potato or on top of rice. I give it a thumbs up!

FYI - for you purists the spelling of Barbeque is theirs with the company being from Minnesota and all. Being from Texas I know better :)

Fun family omelets!

My friend sent this to me yesterday - I had forgotten all about it. My family made these several times a couple of years ago and really liked it. You can either use left overs or have an omelet bar when you have a sleep over. The nice thing - you can EASILY make it gluten free!

Of course the eggs are more poached instead of "traditional omelets" but still fun. This would also work while camping if you could get the water hot enough.

"ZIPLOC OMELETS

This works great ! Best feature is that no one has to wait for their special omelet ! Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.

- Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the quart size Ziploc bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them.

- Put out a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.

- Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake.

- Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

- Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water.

- Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.

- Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and a great conversation piece.

Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bag in boiling water while you get ready, and in 13 minutes, you have a nice omelet for a quick breakfast!!!"

There are several "recipes" online as well as video demonstrations on youtube and the like.

Enjoy.

Sandra

I'm making waffles!

I picked up some Gluten Free Pantry brown rice pancake and waffle mix a while ago.  I made pancakes one day and they were sort of gritty - Sam liked them but Grace - you know the reason we got gluten free pancake mix in the first place - did not.  We had been trapped in the house for a couple of days so I decided to try again - this time making waffles thinking the crispy texture would marry better w/the gritty texture.  

I mixed it up, made a waffle and tasted it.  It had a "raw rice" taste to it - not appealing.  I added 1/4th cup sugar and tried again - success!  They were really good.  So good in fact that both kids ate two!  Of course the syrup helped as well but the taste and texture were on target.  You could add a little more or less sugar to your taste - the sugar adds to the tenderness as well as masking the "raw" taste.  

I can recommend the Gluten-Free Pantry brown rice pancake & waffle mix when used for waffles.  For pancakes - not so much.