When you choose or are forced to eat gluten free one of the things you lose is the ease of eating. It becomes harder to just pull something out of the freezer and heat it up. Gone are the days or frozen burritos and other lazy snacks like that. Gluten free living involves a lot of preparation and cooking. I often find myself settling for raw fruits and veggies when I am tired and very hungry. However, more and more retailers are providing premade and frozen gluten free foods. Gluten free is more common now then it ever has been. Now it is easier to go to local health food stores and even grocery stores chains and find something gluten free. This to me is amazing because as a wife , student and soon to be worker , by the end of a lot of days I do not have time or will to cook food.

The last time I was at our local Whole foods ( a local natural ,organic health food store with an incredible amount of GF foods) I stumbled up Starlite Cuisines taquitos!! I was excited to say the least. Not only are the GF but they are also vegan. This is a hard combination to find because most vegan and vegetarian faux meats are made out of my arch enemy , vital wheat gluten. Anytime I find a gluten vegan combo I ALWAYS try it. They did an amazing job in both taste and texture.

While I am not one for eating pre-made food everyday , its a Godsend on my long days. They are perfect for a quick snack for your gluten free kiddos, a quick fix after a long night, or a great contributor to your GF vegan Mexican dinner night.

They are also much more healthy than your every day non GF taquito. They are Vegan, Gluten Free, Non GMO, Non Dairy, No Cholesterol, No Trans Fats, Rich in Protein, 100% Natural. Guilt free and easy!!

They come in imitation beef and chicken flavors!

Ingredients: Corn tortilla (white corn, water, lime), water, texturized soy flour, onion, mushroom, soy flour, cornstarch, yeast extract, salt, evaporated cane juice, salt, chili, cumin, thyme, natural spices, garlic powder, carrageenan, expeller pressed canola or soybean oil.


They can be found at local health food stores or one of my favorite gluten free online retailers, The GlutenFree mall ( which I will be reviewing later).

Give them a try!! This gluten free gal gives them five stars!!

Have a wonderfully gluten free day

Gluten Free Review: vegan, GF, and no GMO.

I found these noodles at Lucky and the clouds parted. I mean a vegan, gluten free, no sugar, low cal and guilt free noodle how could it be bad.
These little guys are basically made from tofu and yam flour. They are packaged in a liquid just like tofu and seem like they would be good.

So I parboiled them( because they smell rotten when you open then) dried and heated them up in a pan with some veggies and sauce.

FAILLLLLL

I tried to like them I really did. But the test is lacking and the texture is disgusting. It was similar to day old calamari, or a sandy human finger. All I know is that when I eat pasta I do not want it to crunch.


They may be a low cal GF version of the noodle but I hope to never eat them again. Maybe you will like them, but no this little celiac girl.

GF shopping guide and a good laugh

Figuring out where to shop, whats at each shop, how far you have to travel just to make one meal is annoying for everyone but especially if you are dealing with potential integral organ break down if you eat the wrong thing. So, I thought I would create a nice guide for shopping where I live ( and places near by) for lovely celiacs and non gluten eaters. We can eat everything we did before and now you will know where to get it.

1. Trader Joe's: I like trader Joe's a lot , but they do not have a lot of gluten free stuff. They do offer cookie, chips and rice bread along with wonderfully labeled products so you know if you can eat them or not. Go here to see their full list of no gluten products. I suggest going over and trying their GF snicker doodles!! And click here to find all northern Ca location or go to their site and find one near you.

2. Raley's: Raley's was the first place i found with aisles set aside for natural foods and rows full of gluten free foods. They have wonderful delicious products. You can get any type of pasta, lots of safe flours and yummy treats. Go here and you can print out or read their GF food list. They have 146 locations all over California so click here and find the closest one to you.

3. Safeway: Safeway, like Raley's has natural food aisles where you can find all the GF foods together. They also have tags under their products throughout the store saying if the are gluten free along with other things. In the natural food aisle there is a couple shelves dedicated purely to GF products. It is easy to see and indicated in bright green tags. I was so happy to see these signs , so my lovely bestie Ash took this picture of me.
I had trouble finding a list from their sight but you can click here and it shows a break down like the Trader Joe's Pdf. Even if you don't have the list their store is laid out so you can find what you need. Go here to find the four closest to me or type in your zip to find ones closer to you.

4. Health hut: This is a tiny hole in the wall in Brentwood CA , with no site and lovely old lady holding own the fort. Here they have a lot of health foods, natural foods, organic products and vegan/vegetarian options. I love to get bread, cookies and other snacks here. Also if she doesn't have a product she will order it for you. Its located at 161 Chestnut Street, Brentwood, CA (925) 634-5361. Give her a call or stop buy you wont be disappointed.

5. Whole Foods: This store is amazing and probably will have everything you want, need and crave. Their prices are on the high side but without a doubt you'll find what you need. They sell really good pastries from mariposa( listed below) and have goof vegan GF options too. If it is gluten free it will be marked easily for you to see. And below is a hilarious fake rap video about whole foods!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU&feature=player_embedded#at=180

6. Target: Target offers gf hard cider, cookie and cake mixes, flour, dressings and Thai kitchen gluten free meals. So if you need something quick or need to quench your thirst check them out. Go here to see grocery options for GF shoppers. You can easily find a location close to you here.

7. Bevmo: Gluten free does not mean alcohol free! They show three gluten free beers on their site look here. But if you do a little more digging you can find more GF products on their site and in their stores. Click here to see stores with in 50 miles of Oakley.

8. Mariposa Bakery: I almost died when I found this place. They have fresh made bread, vegan gf ravioli, pastries , yummy breads and fresh made foods for lunch in their store. They can be found at the ferry building in sf, their store front in Oakland on telegraph , at farmer's markets in San Rafael and palo alto, online, in these restaurants and many retailers like Whole foods. Also you can have them mail ANY product to you. If you haven't tasted their products yet stop reading now and go to the closest location. You can find more information about this wonderful bakery here.

9.Gluten free specialty store: I have not been here yet but i often look at their site. They are located in Sacramento and are an all GF store. How could that be bad? They offer an online shop and products free of dairy, animal products corn , casein and more. Go here to find their location, directions and more about their store or take a look at their blog here . their blog talks about products, GF events and soooo much more. I hope to try this store out soon, so I'll let you know. This store is actually participating in the GF vendor fair at the camp I am volunteering at. SO, I will get to sample their delights very soon! 10. Miglet's Gluten Free Bakery :This is another one I have heard about , but have not been too. Check out the adorable designed website here. This little lady was a mother of a celiac inspired by a celiac camp ( the very one I will be volunteering for) . She is so inspiring and I can' t wait to try her treats. You can sample pies , cupcakes , cookies and more at her location in Danville or find her in these retail locations.


11. Sans a gluten free Grocery: This store is in San Rafael and was designed as a one stop
shop for foods and information. Check out their site or stop in their store to see what they have to offer.

12. Harvest house: this is a health food store in concord CA. They offer a lot of GF products along with many other healthy food choices. Click here to see what GF products they offer.They are open everyday or if you like you can shop online!

13. Sacramento Natural food Co-Op: This is a consumer-owned natural foods grocery store that places the values of cooperation and sustainability at the forefront.Their focus is to benefit their owners, support the local growers, participate in their community and protect the environment. What could possible be better than that? Well they sell some gf products their too. So save the planet, support local growers and eat GF. They have p;lenty of bread , breakfast and flour mix options just click here to see what they have. ( Davis, CA also has a Co-op with similar products)


These are just some that around my area but there are sooo much more. You might have to go a little further or do a little digging but options are out there, so don't give up.


cheers
nic

Gluten Free Review: easter candy swap!

This year I participated in The Great Candy Swap hosted over at My beautiful disaster . After explaining my concerns and needs Ms. Beautiful Disaster herself decided it would be best if she was my candy swap buddy. She said she had experience with my kind..lol well she didn't word it that way though.

I packaged up a cute Peter Rabbit( see hers here) bunny and some other delights I thought she might like and awaited my GF candy surprise.

Well let me tell you what! I don't care if you have to plug you car in at winter in Canada I am moving there for their stellar GF/dairy free candy options.

Erin thank you soooo much everything was wonderful and I want to move to Canada and eat those the obrama chocolate everyday( they were my favorite)!!!! They are these lovely dark chocolate bars filled with yummy flavors. I was sent an espresso bean and raspberry filled one. The little bits of freeze dried raspberries zing up the chocolate and give some texture, and the balance between espresso and chocolate is just about right ,not too overwhelming. If you live in Canada and prefer/need dark chocolate find these tasty bars!

source

I also got a few other dark chocolate delights and they were eaten quickly as well.

Erin, Your gift was thoughtful and yummy, but depressing because they don't make those in Canada. Thank you again for hosting this event and making my Easter dairy and gluten free!

-cheers
nic


And remember to enter my giveaway, spread the word for celiac awareness month and donate if you can!

Gluten Free product review: Lunch time!

Easy, quick and yummy lunch that's allergen free!

How much do you love things battered and breaded?! That extra crunch , the golden outside..it offers so much extra flavor and texture to the food. For me it is not as easy. However I have found a wonderful brand called Ian's who make a lot of allergy free food. The food is actually created for kids with allergies, so the boxes are bright and the types of food they make are kid friendly( and adult friendly too). They make GF chicken nuggets, GF french toast sticks, Waffles, pizza bread and one of my favorite products they make are their GF breaded fish sticks.

These lovely delights are wheat, gluten, soy, milk, casein, egg and nut free. So, unless you happen to be allergic to fish these are wonderfully safe and healthy for your tummy. They make a lot of wonderful allergen free products for those who eat swimmies like me and also walkies( animals that swim or animals that walk lol).

On these cold rainy days we have been having Ian's fish sticks with a hot cup of tomato soup are a perfect lunch or even a lazy dinner. Check out their website and explore their other products , you wont be sorry you did!