Gluten-Free Fest

How often do you get 10% off your gluten-free purchases? Probably rarely. If you live in the Twin Cities I recommend that you check out Fresh and Natural Foods Gluten Free Fest in Shoreview, Minnesota.  This Saturday, October 12th from 9am to 9pm the whole store is 10% off!  From 11am to 3pm they will have an assortment of gluten free food samples. This is a great opportunity to sample some new foods before spending too much. Did I mention the 10% off applies to the whole store!?!

Quick Dinners

It has been way too long since I have posted and it's definitely time I try to catch up.  We have been busy just like everyone else but it's time I share some gluten free meals that get us through the crazy busy times.  People often think that gluten free cooking is time consuming and expensive but that doesn't have to be the case.  Here are seven simple gluten free meals to get you through the week. These are quick and don't require any "special" ingredients.

1. Tacos - We also have corn tortilla shells on hand. Tacos are great for picky eaters - you can use chicken, beef, pork or veggies and everyone can customize their own toppings.
2. Nachos - We like to cover a tray with tortilla chips and sprinkle chicken and cheese. If we don't have chicken we'll use black beans and corn. After the cheese is melted we add tomatoes, onions, lettuce, salsa and sour cream. It's a bonus if we have guacamole.
3. Quesadilla -  Are you noticing a theme? We almost always have tortillas, cheese, tomatoes, etc on hand. I love adding olives in my quesadilla. This is a great meatless option.
4. Eggs & Hash browns - Typically we make scrambled eggs and add mushrooms, green peppers and onions.  Serve with hash browns and fruit.
5. Breakfast Burritos - Again, those tortilla shells come in handy. Cook some scrambled eggs (feel free too add some sausage) and add your favorite toppings. Serve with fruit.
6. Chili - I rarely follow a recipe for chili.  Keep your favorite ingredients on hand so you can make it in a pinch. We like to make a large batch and save the leftovers to make chili fries.
7. Baked Potato - Bake your potatoes in the oven or microwave, I know some people wrap them in foil and cook them in a crock-pot. We often serve these with a medley of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.  Then add cheese, sour cream, butter or salsa.  Everyone can customize it to their liking. I like to make an extra for lunch the next day.

If you don't have the time or energy to "cook" a meal pick up a Rotisserie Chicken. Make sure to check the ingredients, I know the ones at Sam's Club and Cosco are gluten free. If we happen to be out we'll pick one up and serve it with salad or mashed potatoes and warm veggies. The leftovers are great for nachos, tacos, quesadillas or making chicken salad sandwiches for lunch the next day.

I hope these ideas serve as a reminder that it doesn't have to be complicated to eat gluten free. Don't be afraid to keep things simple. I'd love to hear your quick go to meals.

The Zza Factory

I saw a Crowdcut deal for The Zza Factory in Fridley, MN.  I thought wouldn't that be perfect if they had gluten free pizza?  To my surprise they have gluten free pizza and cookies!  We also love that they offer personal or large pizzas.  I love seeing different sizes because there are many families where only one person is gluten free.  However, you are seeing more and more families where many if not all of the family are diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.  Now take a look at this amazing large pepperoni pizza.

I would recommend calling ahead for takeout as they have seen an increase in gluten free demand.  Note that seating is limited although they do have some dine in seating.  We love supporting a locally owned business that realizes what their customers need.

Leeann Chin, Finally

It's about time. Leeann Chin finally offers a few gluten free menu items. My sister was at Leeann Chin recently and noticed they now have a couple of gluten free items. I didn't notice it on their website so I had to ask what they offer gluten gree.

Here is the response I received:
Currently the items on our Leeann Chin menu, that are gluten free, would be our white rice, Bourbon Chicken, Curry Chicken Stir-fry, Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-fry and our Red Cherry Frozen Yogurt with any of the fresh fruit toppings.

We can also prepare, upon special request, a Vegetable Stir fry made with our Hunan Sweet Chili Sauce or our Bourbon Sauce.

One more item would be to special request our Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry to be made without the Teriyaki sauce but substitute either the Hunan Sweet Chili Sauce or our Bourbon Sauce.
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It is always nice to have a quick and convenient option. Now we can use the buy one get one coupon from the Sunday paper.

Gluten-free Hamburger Buns

I received an email this evening from Red Robin announcing that they now offer their burgers and chicken sandwiches on a gluten-free bun. It appears that they use Udi's hamburger buns. You can also still ask for a burger "protein style" (wrapped in lettuce).

Chocolate Covered Banana Slices

We found a new convenient and somewhat healthy gluten-free treat at Sam's Club, Dole's Banana Dippers. They are frozen banana slices covered in dark chocolate. Yum!

They are packaged as 2 servings per box but the package can easily be resealed if you have the willpower to not eat them all in one sitting.

As you can tell Brody is a huge fan. He makes sure to eat the chocolate and leave the bananas.

Celiac Awareness Month - Amazon Deals

May is Celiac Awareness month and Amazon has some great gluten-free deals. Be sure to check out these deals before the end of the month to save up to 30% off. It even includes some of our favorites like Udi's Granola and Pamela's Baking mixes. To get the best price sign-up for subscribe and save and enter the code to receive an additional percent off.

Lettuce Entertain You - New App for Your Android

Many of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurants have gluten-free menus. Lettuce Entertain You now has an application for Android phones. In the android apps market search for "Lettuce Eat" and install the app. You will be able to search for the nearest restaurant and even log in to the frequent diner club. If you live in or are visiting the Chicago area this app will be especially helpful.

Aldi

When it comes to grocery shopping I don't stick to just one store. I'll shop the standard Cub, Rainbow or Super Target and buy some things in bulk at Sam's Club. For the more specialty gluten-free items I'll go to Fresh and Natural Foods. Occasionally if I just need a few things I even shop at Aldi. I used to just get the basic produce and milk when I didn't want to run into a large store. As I looked at more labels I noticed there they carried more gluten-free items than I thought. I know a lot of people that say they can't shop at Aldi because they don't have much for a gluten-free diet. Let me show you that you actually can shop there.
Notice that standard produce and pantry items as well as some treats. Aldi is one of few places where I can find gluten-free meatballs and they are very reasonably priced.
It is difficult to see in this picture but this chipotle pepper hummus says "gluten-free" right on the lid! I love to have options and not be tied to one particular store.

On a side note: Today gluta-baby is 6 months old. I have also been eating gluten-free for 6 months now since I decided I would nurse him. Surprisingly it has been much easier than I have thought and I haven't felt deprived. I believe the combination of nursing and eating gluten-free have been major factors in helping loose the baby weight as well.

Hamburger Helper & Asian Helper

I'm sure you heard they were coming but have you seen them yet? I found the Chicken Fried Rice and Cheesy Hashbrowns at our Super Target (they didn't have the Beef Fried Rice yet). Make sure you check each box because they still had some of the old ones that aren't gluten free. These were on sale and I was also able to use a hamburger helper coupon on them.

We tried the Cheesy Hashbrowns one night while Nate mowed the lawn and I took care of the baby. It was nice to have a different option besides our typically lazy meals. They were good (not great) but I've never been much of a Hamburger Helper fan. My mom always made better things from scratch and I couldn't help but add onions, peppers and garlic to it. We won't be making this all of the time but it is nice to have an inexpensive and convenient option.

Gluta-baby Arrived

I've been a little distracted lately since Gluta-baby (as Nate's cousin affectionately refers to him) has arrived. Broderick Christopher was born on April 11th weighing 7lbs 5ozs at 21 1/2 inches long.

The day before Brody arrived Nate's grandma was telling us how gluten is passed on through breast milk. Since we decided I would be nursing I would be best if I ate gluten free due to the high prevalence of celiac disease in the family. I have been eating gluten free for 3 months now. It actually hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would. Part of it is probably because we pretty much ate gluten free at home.

However, I was more concerned about returning to work. My coworkers have been pretty supportive of it as well. My boss baked a cake using the Betty Crocker cake mix so I could celebrate a coworker's birthday with everyone and she bought ice cream for my anniversary.

At our weekly team meetings we're always trying different restaurants so I've had to ask questions regarding my meal. I have discovered new places I'd like Nate to try that we have been hesitant about before. I have a ton to post about it's just finding the time with the baby.

Cooqi Gluten-Free Delights

When we find ourselves in St. Paul during the day we try to stop in Cooqi for a treat. My favorite is a brownie while Nate enjoys the blondies or pumpkin bars. Unfortunately Cooqi Gluten-Free Delights will be closing their doors on April 30th.
The good news is Cooqi will be selling their baking mixes online and in local grocery stores.

Cooqi supplies pizza crust to many local restaurants that offer gluten-free pizza. Madwoman Bakery will be stepping up to continue to supply gluten-free crusts to these restaurants. Thank you Madwoman for helping keep this option available for us.

If you live in the Twin Cities stop in this weekend to pick up your favorite treat.

Snikiddy Coupon

Have you tried Snikiddy yet? We haven't either but you can get a coupon by signing up for their newsletter. In February they launched a new line of "baked fries." The parmesan garlic baked fries sound good and for ketchup fans there is a classic ketchup version.

Gluten-Free Pizza at Birchwood Cafe

Starting Friday, March 12th Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis will be offering gluten-free pizza. The pizza will be on pizza crust made by Cooqi. If you have a chance to check it out let us know what you think.

Ginger Hop

Last week I went out to dinner with my friend Amy for Restaurant Week and we decided to try Ginger Hop. As we sat down to look at the menu she thought I knew of this restaurant because they have gluten-free choices on the menu. I was quite surprised as she pointed out the gluten-free symbol at the bottom of the page.

Gluten-free items are marked with a star next to them. Since it was Happy Hour we tried the chicken satay and eggplant satay which both happen to be gluten-free. One of the specials for Restaurant Week was the Sweet Green Curry which we both got with chicken.
Towards the end of the meal I thought I should check if Nate wanted me to bring something home for him. I was feeling a little guilty sitting at a restaurant with gluten-free choices while he was working in the garage which means he probably forgot to eat. I called him to double check that he'd want the Thai fried rice. I listed off some of the other menu items to see if anything else stood out and he mentioned the Pad Thai with chicken.

Nate was very excited for his dinner when I got home. He asked where his rice was and I explained Pad Thai is noodles and doesn't come with rice. That wasn't exactly what he was asking for. He was expecting Pad Thai and fried rice. Although, I didn't feel quite so bad when he could only eat half of it.

Amy, Nate and I were all very pleased with our choices and would definitely recommend it. Check out their happy hour specials and enjoy some of their satay with a Redbridge.