Dr. Vikki Petersen and Vitamin D

I want to share this video with you because there is some new research that Dr. Petersen discusses that might help someone struggling with Vitamin D Deficiency.

I decided to take a closer look at the vitamin supplements that we use:

This is the Liquid Multivitamin that I take by Country Life. From the website:

Does Not Contain: Yeast, wheat, soy, gluten, milk, artificial colors, artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners.

The Vitamin A in this multivitamin, is sourced 50% from Retinyl Palmitate (the pre-formed version of Vitamin A), and 50% Beta Carotene.  Click here for a great article on The World’s Healthiest Foods website re: Beta Carotene.

I also take a calcium supplement by Country Life, called Target Mins,  From the website:

Does Not Contain: Yeast, wheat, soy, gluten, milk, artificial colors, artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners.

This is the D3 Supplement that I take during the winter, also by Country Life.  From the website:

Does Not Contain: Yeast, wheat, soy, gluten, milk, starch, artificial colors, artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners.

Sam and Luke really like the flavor of the Animal Parade multivitamins by Nature’s Plus.  The best price I have found is on Amazon (180 vitamins for $14.51 with free shipping if you have Amazon Prime).  Be sure to talk with your child’s pediatrician before beginning a supplement program.

Click here for a a better view of the Supplement Facts.  The Vitamin A is sourced from Beta Carotene, so that is good but the Vitamin D in this product is ergocalciferol, or D2 (the less desirable form of Vitamin D).

I have been giving my boys Cod Liver Oil since they were under 1 year of age!  I am really glad I found Dr. Petersen’s video, since the cod liver oil competes with vitamin D absorption.  I will be looking for another DHA supplement for them right way.

This is the Vitamin D3 supplement that I give my boys during the winter, when they are not outside much getting their Vitamin D the natural way, from the sun.  I also buy this on Amazon.

I also want to suggest the following article on The World’s Healthiest Foods website: Vitamin D.  The article covers the role/benefits of Vitamin D, food sources of Vitamin D, and it also covers Deficiency and Toxicity symptoms.

Back in September, 2009; I had my doctor test my vitamin levels.  My Vitamin D3 came back at a “sufficient level” of 79.  Per my lab, the ranges are as follows:

Insufficiency:  < 20 ng/mL

Hypovitaminosis D:  20 – 30 ng/mL

Sufficiency: 40 – 100 ng/mL

Toxicity: Greater than 100 ng/mL

I actually need to watch how much Vitamin D supplementation I take (I do not supplement at all during the warm weather months because I live in a place with an abundance of sunshine and I spend a lot of time outdoors.  It is very important to talk to your health care provider about your specific needs.

Certain supplements can also affect your medications, which is another reason you should talk to your health care provider BEFORE beginning a vitamin/supplement program!  Case in point, calcium can affect how my body absorbs my thyroid replacement hormone so I need to space them out by at least 4 hours.

Lastly, I just ordered the following video and thought others might be interested too.  If the preview interests you, the full version can be ordered here, on the HealthNow website.

PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT a paid affiliate for any of these products.  I just want to share the information.

Happy Mother’s Day

I made this cake in honor of all of my “Super Mom” friends out there for Mother’s Day.  I adore you all, and appreciate your collaboration, friendship and support.

This is Jeanne’s (of Four Chickens) Gluten-Free Tres Leche Cake, that I told you about yesterday.  I made it last night so I would not have to be in the kitchen today.

I had my first slice for breakfast...

and my second slice for lunch...

Then my husband sent me off for a facial and a massage.  I was either so relaxed from getting pampered for a few hours or I was still on some kind of sugar high from the best gluten-free scratch cake I have ever made (thank you, Jeanne!), because I didn’t even realize that I left the salon with my shirt on inside out and backwards. 😀

You know what?  I didn’t even care.

Because I came home to this:

Sam and Luke built an amazing battle scene for me (and I was the “princess” they were fighting over!).  I love having boys. 😉

I hope you all had a very special day with the ones you love.

JASON Kids Only! Gluten Free Toothpaste

A recent funny post that Kim made over at Gluten-Free Is Life, titled “True Blogger Confessions,” got me to thinking about GF dental products, so I wanted to share the brand of toothpaste that I buy for my boys.  JASON Kids Only! is an all-natural line of products that are specifically designed for children. The following is some information from the JASON Everyday Natural Care website:

Safe and natural ingredients are crucial to a child’s health and wellness. Children’s skin is approximately 30% thinner than adults so pure and effective natural ingredients become ever more important. JASON Kids Only! are free of harsh chemicals and contain an abundance of natural essential oils and extracts to protect, hydrate and soothe. Delicious natural fruity flavors and fragrances to make bathing time fun! Easy to use packaging. Ten product range to cover a child from head to toe.

• Kids Only! is Paraben and Sulfate Free
• Kids Only! is Wheat and Gluten Free
• Kids Only! is Mineral Oil, Lanolin and Petrolatum Free
• Kids Only! is Fluoride and Glycol Free
• Kids Only! is Tear and Phthalate Free

Sam and Luke love the taste of the Strawberry Toothpaste.  I love the fact that “Wheat and Gluten Free” are written right on the front of the tube! 😀

Ingredient Label for the Strawberry Toothpaste

JASON has an entire line of kid products that include shampoo, conditioner, bath gels, hand soap and toothpaste, all gluten-free!  Click here for a store locator in your area.  Know where I buy mine?  Toys R’ Us!

A couple of other quick things that you might be interested in:

In case you did not get to see the insert on Celiac Disease in the May 7th copy of the USA Today, you can read it in full here. For more great celiac awareness information, visit the American Celiac Disease Alliance.

Also, if you have a kiddo that loves pancakes, be sure to check out the NordicWare Pancake Pan Giveaway that Alta of Tasty Eats At Home is doing! Alta also made a GREAT post on Celiac and Gluten Intolerance Awareness yesterday.  Alta offered quite a few links to some wonderful resources that you may find as helpful as I have!  There are two in particular she linked to, that I want to draw your attention to (especially if you are new to the gluten-free lifestyle).  One is Shirley Braden’s (of Gluten-Free Easily) list of “50+ Things You Can Eat Today.” The other is by Karina Allrich (of Gluten Free Goddess) and it is called “Gluten-Free ABC’s for Going G-Free.”  Be sure to check out those links over at Tasty Eats At Home, and while you are there…  tempt yourself with these delectable GF Brownie Bites that Alta made (these would be great to make for Mother’s Day tomorrow!).  I mean really, with treats like that, who wouldn’t want to be gluten-free!? 🙂

Looking for more gluten-free Mother’s Day Inspiration?

Check out:

Amy’s Fresh Fruit Tart with Pastry Cream over at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free.

Jeanne’s Tres Leche Cake over at Four Chickens.

Jill’s Monkey Bread over at Hey, that taste’s good! (she’s not kidding, that tastes GOOD!)

New Mainstream Gluten Free Bread

Does this look like an illusion?  I thought so when I first saw it, but apparently, it is not!

Want to know more?  Check out Tiffany Janes article over at Celiac-Disease.com!

Tiffany brought up some very good points in her article about how the bread *might* be displayed in grocery stores, especially the concern about potential cross-contamination if the Gluten-Free Nature’s Own bread is placed in the regular bread aisle (I usually try to avoid that aisle myself, it makes me itch just thinking about it! 😉 ).

What do you think? Be sure to leave Tiffany a comment!

Green Eggs and Ham Quiche

My version was actually Green Eggs and Sausage, but that doesn’t have the same snazzy ring to it as Green Eggs and Ham!  The only reason I even used sausage is because that is what I had on hand for this final attempt at making a quiche (more of a breakfast casserole) for The Gluten-Free Homemaker’s Quiche Challenge.  I have made many a quiche these last few weeks, but they were not well received by my clan.  I think I was getting a little too fancy for them.  The Goat Cheese and Leek quiche I made, received the lowest fanfare (although I liked it!), so an idea came to me to revise the popular school snack my boys have made at their preschool each year during Dr. Seuss week.  I wanted to make a naturally green egg dish to hopefully inspire their teachers that you can make better green eggs, without the synthetic food dye and some added nutrients! 😉

*At the end of this post is a video clip of Dr. Rodney Ford talking about eczema and gluten sensitivity that you might be interested in watching.

Goat Cheese and Leek Quiche with a Pie Crust Made from Garbanzo Beans! 😀

I wish I had more pictures to share of the steps I went through, but Sam decided to play with my camera and accidentally erased everything, including all the photos of my first experiments with my new BFF, Ms. Vitamix!  Yes, I have made a very large “Note to Self: Dump your camera after each photo session!”

Onward and upward as they say…  I found this recipe and used it as my inspiration for this naturally gluten-free version of Green Eggs and Ham Sausage Quiche!  I omitted the pie crust and went with a hash brown crust, simply because it was easier. 😉

For the crust:

4 cups of Frozen Shredded Hash Browns, thawed

1 Tbs. Oil (I used Grapeseed Oil, but Olive, Canola, etc. would work fine)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

• Toss together the thawed hash browns, oil and seasonings.

• Press into a 9 x 13 pan.

For the filling:

8 oz. of fresh spinach (I believe I used more, quite possibly double this amount, but I forgot to to weigh it beforehand.  The fresh spinach came in my CSA box, but it wasn’t labeled with the amount, so I just used it all!)

1 cup Smoked Ham (I used lowfat breakfast sausage)

1 1/2 cups Gruyere Cheese, shredded

10 Eggs (I used fresh, local free-range eggs that I get in my weekly CSA box, it may be in my head, but they taste so much better!)

2 2/3 cups of Milk (I used Skim)

1 cup Heavy Cream (I used Half and Half to lighten it up a bit)

Salt and Pepper to taste (the recipe I used for inspiration called for nutmeg too, but I tend save my nutmeg for pumpkin pie.  Not very evolved of me, I know!)

To make the filling:

• Add fresh spinach (I did not blanch it, as called for in Nick’s recipe) and eggs to a blender or food processor (I used my Vitamix).  Puree until smooth.

• Add milk and cream (or substitute) to the spinach/egg mixture and puree until combined.

• Season with salt and pepper, set aside.

To assemble the Quiche:

• In the shredded hash brown lined pan, sprinkle with ham (or sausage) and cheese.

• Pour the spinach/egg custard over the hash brown, ham and cheese layer.

• Bake at 325º F. for about 55 minutes, then check for doneness.  A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.

Note: Once the initial quiche was done, there was a Pronounced spinach flavor (remember, I didn’t measure how much spinach I used!).  Once it was done baking, I had to add more cheese, salt and pepper, in order for it to be more palatable for my kiddos.  All I had was sharp cheddar, but it did the trick!!  I added about 1 1/2 cups more of shredded cheese (so much for lightening it up!). 🙂

The boys really liked it and they have been eating a square of it for breakfast each morning this week.  It reheats very well in the microwave.  I will definitely make this again, but I will just be sure to measure out the spinach next time. 😉

Linda is doing a Gluten-Free Cake Challenge for this month and that is more up my alley!  Be sure to check it out for what I am sure will be some very amazing recipes!

Speaking of gluten-free cakes, did you see Jeanne’s Tres Leche Cake over at Four Chickens?  Yummy.

In the spirit of gluten-free awareness month, I want to share a video clip with you of Dr. Rodney Ford talking about eczema and gluten sensitivity.  I posted a little bit about eczema and artificial colorings the other day on my “Funny Oranges” post.  Ron Hoggan, Ed.D., co-author of Dangerous Grains: Why Gluten Cereal Grains May Be Hazardous To Your Health, left a very informative comment to that post last night (thank you, Ron!), that I encourage you to read.  I have solely focused on reading about celiac disease over the past few years, but am starting to read more on the entire spectrum of gluten-sensitivity, and what I have been learning is mind boggling.  For further reading, check out The Gluten Syndrome.net

Funny Oranges

After I got the Breville Citrus Press and started making fresh squeezed orange juice each morning, I found myself knee deep in orange peels.  Instead of throwing them all away, I wondered if I could use some of them for a fun lunchbox treat.  I remembered seeing a recipe for Gelatin Oranges on Disney’s Family Fun website so I thought I would give it a try.  If you or your child has a beef allergy (gelatin), avoid artificial colorings, etc., keep reading…  this gets much better! 😉

These are relatively easy to make (and super easy if you have the Breville Citrus Press to do the juicing work for you!).

Funny Oranges

• Just slice oranges in half and scoop out the fruit. Be sure to scrape well and remove all the orange pulp, you will want the inside of the orange to be white.

• To keep the oranges upright, I used a muffin pan to set the oranges in.

• Prepare gelatin (or substitute, see below) as indicated on the package.

• Pour gelatin into the prepared orange halves and refrigerate until set.

• Slice Orange halves and you will have a fun little treat for snacks or to stick in a lunchbox!

The juicer only does so much, I still had to peel the last bit of orange "stuff" out by hand.

Prop the hollowed out oranges in a muffin pan for support.

Pour prepared gelatin into orange halves.

After reading a few of the comments for the Easy Lunchbox Giveaway, I decided to send in tacos for a cool new lunch. Wish I had re-read the comments before I made them as I would have known NOT to assemble the taco the night before! They were pretty soggy come lunch time the next day, LOL! I always seem to learn the hard way. 😉 If you make a taco lunch, be sure to seperate all the components and let your child assemble their own taco at lunch time... this is "much cooler" anyway as they have their own taco bar!

So there’s that version.

I have been doing a lot of reading over the past few months on artificial colorings, dyes, preservatives, etc. and I’m now of the mind that “less is definitely more!”  Just yesterday, I was reading an article in the May/June 2010 issue of Well Being Journal titled, “ADHD Increase Linked to Modern Diet,” by Jane Hersey, pages 16 – 17.  In the article, Jane sited some research by Sanford C. Newmark, M.D., from the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine:

Research has shown a consistent relationship to the intake of artificial colors and/or preservatives on the symptoms of ADHD or hyperactivity.

After describing two large British studies linking food dyes and preservatives with hyperactivity, including one that was published in the Lancet, he concluded,

One can see how the intake of these substances could ‘shift’ in a positive direction the proportion of children diagnosed with ADHD.

The article went on to credit the late Ben Feingold, M.D. for first discovering the link between artificial food additives and hyperactivity.  I just read an article on the Feingold Association website pertaining to ezcema and ADD.  Seems that children with excema are far more likely to develop ADD (Wow, I didn’t know that.  I really encourage you to check out the Feingold Association website, there is some very interesting information on it, that only further demonstrates the negative effects of processed food on our health).  Funny, I had ezcema as a child and was diagnosed with Adult ADD about a year ago.  Luke also suffers from severe ezcema (worse than mine was as a child).  Hmmm…

Another startling fact that was mentioned in the article was the dramatic increase in American consumption of artificial dyes.  Consumption of these dyes has increased almost threefold since the 1980’s, rising from about 6.4  million pounds in 1985 to more than 17.8 million pounds in 2005!!

Last quote from the article that I want to mention, and I think it is very important that all parents think about this:

Newmark pointed out that since more and more families have two working parents, family meals increasingly consist of processed (additive-laden) foods.  “It is hard to know just when a Pop-Tart became an acceptable breakfast, but it often is.  School lunches are abysmal, with an unacceptably high intake of processed foods and [denatured] saturated fats.”

I just looked at my boys after reading the article and thought to myself, “They deserve better.  They have their entire lives ahead of them and I do not want to burden them with health problems (ironically, the very ones I have!), that I can control by simple diet modification.”  That’s right, I am the one who can potentially alter the course of their life and health by taking the time to think about what I am putting into their mouths.  While we already have the benefit of being a gluten-free family (which means we cannot eat most processed foods like Pop-Tarts, but there are obviously still many products like Jello and Koolaid that we can technically have, but probably shouldn’t!).

Needless to say, the rest of my Jello stash went into the trash, as did my remaining Koolaid stash (okay, I’ll admit it…  I was actually the closeted Koolaid drinker! 😉 ).

I have been experimenting with making my own “jello” from natural juice and pectin (the grape turned out to be a kickin’ Grape Jelly without added sugar or HFCS, but it really didn’t taste like Jello.  I have yet to try juice with gelatin, but I have that one on my short list.  I did however, find a really cool new product (new to me anyway) on a recent shopping excursion to my local co-op: Natural Desserts by the NutraDrink Company!!  Check this out from their website:

Natural Desserts’ line of flavored and unflavored Dessert Jels are a truly unique line of gluten free, vegan, dairy free, Kosher dessert jells that are truly indistinguishable from gelatin, yet are manufactured using an exclusive blend of vegetable gums.  Perfect as a simple dessert all by itself, or marvelous for use in the most elaborate mold.

They even have pudding!!  I have yet to find the pudding in my local store, but I am definitely on the hunt. 😀

So, I re-made the oranges with the All-Natural Strawberry flavored Jel Dessert:

This product is still high in sugar, so moderation is key.

We really liked these quite a bit, even though Sam is still hung up on the green Jello. Wonder if I could make a spinach/apple combo juice and just add the unflavored Jel for a natural and healthy green color?? He might disown me... but it's worth a try! 😀

Update: At the suggestion of Deanna, I just submitted this recipe to the May “Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free” monthly recipe roundup (it’s a Jello theme for May), being hosted by Mrs. Ed’s Research and Recipes.  This is my first time participating in this monthly event and I am so happy that Deanna mentioned it to me, because it introduced me to a new blog that I am excited to read.  Anyone can participate in this blog carnival, you do not need to be a blogger to join in on the fun!  The “Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free” blog carnival was created by Naomi Devlin over at “Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried.”  What a fun way to make cooking at home an even more rewarding experience.  It’s like sitting at the kitchen table, swapping gluten-free recipes and the stories behind them, with great friends over a hot cup of coffee.  🙂

Glutino Chocolate and Yogurt Covered Pretzels

Yesterday, my shipment of Glutino Chocolate and Yogurt Covered Pretzels arrived!  There has been quite a bit of buzz around this new product since the announcement was made in March on Food Biz Daily, so the second I heard they were available for sale on GlutenFree.com, I had to order some.  Sam used to love the Pretzel Flipz back in his gluten days so I decided to wait and let him be the one to open the package and be the first sampler.

Now, Sam is only 6 so his taste-testing and critiquing skills are still rather limited, as is his database of descriptive words, so keep that in mind with his review (it’s a short one, LOL!).

Sam: GLUUUU-TEN, yeah, yeah, gluten!

Translation: The Glutino Chocolate and Yogurt covered pretzels taste just as good as the Pretzel Flipz in Sam’s memory!

Click the following links for ingredient and nutritional information: Glutino Chocolate Covered Pretzels and Glutino Yogurt Covered Pretzels.

My review: the Glutino Chocolate and Yogurt covered pretzels ARE good, however, they are kind of pricey after you add in the shipping costs.  I ordered one 5.5-ounce package of each flavor from GlutenFree.com, each retailing for $5.99.  After adding in the $12.00 shipping cost, each package essentially cost $12.00.  I cannot wrap my brain around that, no matter how good they are.  I would definitely buy these again, but I will wait until they are available in local stores.  Until then, I will just keep making my own (with Glutino’s GF pretzels of course!).  There is an added benefit to making my own too…  I have to make them in order to eat them, so there is a built in “self-control” mechanism going on.  When the Glutino Chocolate and Yogurt Covered Pretzels hit my local store shelves, I might be in trouble in the waistline department! 🙂

These are my homemade version of Glutino Chocolate Covered Pretzels... they are certainly not as pretty and I do not have a Yogurt version! I do have white chocolate though, hmm... 😉

Homemade Coffee Creamer

We, like many people, went through a tough time when the economy tanked in 2008.  Since changes in the stock market can affect our income, I’m sure you can imagine just how tight things became around here!  We sought out all sorts of ways to cut costs and a funny thing happened in the process… we really had a lot of fun doing it as a family, and dare I say, we grew even closer as a team!  It makes you really start to think of all the mindless dollars that go out the door each month.  Times were tough, but we wanted to make lemonade out of lemons and still try to enjoy the things we loved, just in a new way!

I began my “homemade odyssey” making my own body scrubs and soaps to give as gifts for the 2008 holiday season.  I did not know how to give “nothing.” At first, I was really embarrassed to give my “piddly” little homemade gifts (if you recall yesterday’s post when I mentioned that the words ‘frugal’ and ‘Heidi’ never appeared in the same sentence, I wasn’t joking.  I love to give gifts and make people happy, but I had a tendency to go overboard in that department!).

I was floored at how well my homemade gifts were received.  It seems as though people liked them BETTER than the high priced body scrubs I used to give my gal pals as gifts!  I had so much fun that first year, that I did it again in 2009, even though I really didn’t have to.  My friends also made me handmade gifts and it felt so good to know that someone cared enough to spend the time making something, just for me.  It has made me really think about how disconnected we have become as a society, in our pursuit of bigger, better, more.  I have been slowly edging myself toward jumping off that runaway train ever since and I cannot say that I have ever been happier, nor my kids for that matter.  I have been guilty in the past of giving them all the latest “it” toys and they never reacted to them (outside of the first 30 minutes before something inevitably broke or disappeared) nearly the way they have reacted when I invite them into the kitchen with me or Mike shows them how to use a drill!

Change is not easy, and I am by no means the “perfect” mother (besides, perfect is boring in my opinion 😀 ), who spends all her time making crafts, doing science experiments, coming up with crazy lunchbox ideas, cooking from scratch… no sirree Bob (so please don’t think I am some “Martha Stewart-Wanna Be” because of a few of the posts I have made, that is just one small slice of my pie, and most of these things I only started doing recently because I was trying to come up with good blog material!). 😉

One small successful change for me, led to another and yet another.  I began my gluten-free journey with an obsession for GF copycat recipes of mainstream processed foods that I grew up on and now I am eating raw Swiss Chard and I even had Broccolini last night!  I went from a shopaholic to a frugal homemade gal.  I went from being a very wasteful person to being a re-user and recyclyer.  I went from putting my kids in 20 different activities and buying them all the name brand clothes and “cool toys,” to spending real time with them. I went from feeling very empty, sad and angry, to being happier than I have ever been in my life, and lost 50 lbs. in the process.  I feel like I finally “get it.”  Had someone told me that even 2 years ago, I would have LAUGHED at them! 😀

So on to the coffee creamer!

This is a recipe that I have been making for about a year now and have received a lot of, “You made that?” comments from unsuspecting guests at my house. My father-in-law, who loves coffee creamer was stunned at how good it was. While I personally like my coffee black, there are times, like after a dinner party, when a flavored coffee hits the spot.  Or during the autumn when I live at Starbucks during Pumpkin Spice Latte season!

I found a recipe on the Frugal Village Forum, posted by “Yankee Mom.” for homemade creamer. I will post a portion of her recipe here so I can give you my side by side tweaks in red, as usual. (I do this because I am NOT an intuitive cook and I need recipes to start with, then I can modify as needed.  So if I can do it, ANYONE can do it!  One just needs to know how.).

Delicious Coffee Creamer
1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk (I make my own, see below. You can easily make this dairy-free too!).
1 1/2 cups Skim Milk (or dairy substitute).

• Measure all ingredients into a 32 ounce container (with a cover), seal container and shake vigorously. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

“Yankee Mom” has a few flavoring combination’s on the Frugal Village Forum that you might be interested in, so click on the above link!

Last night, I tried something new to flavor my coffee creamer with… Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia! I added about 5 drops then also added 1/4 tsp. of Cinnamon Extract (see photos below)… yum! Want to know where I first learned about the flavored Liquid Stevia?  From Kelly over at The Spunky Coconut, if you haven’t visited her website… you absolutely must!  You also need to check out Kelly’s post from yesterday (hint: healthy coffee cake!) over at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang, as part of the “30 Days to a Food Revolution” series.  I am beyond THRILLED that Diane is doing this series, it is so much fun!!  I encourage you to check it out and get on board for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk (I found this recipe on Recipezaar)

1/2 cup Cold Water

1 1/3 cups Nonfat Dry Milk Powder (I have also made this using Vance’s Darifree Milk Powder and Better Than Milk Vanilla Rice Milk Powder, since these are sweet milk powders, I reduced or omitted the added sugar below, adjust to your personal taste).

3/4 cup Sugar (I used 10 packets of Truvia for a natural sugar-free version. Technically, I think the conversion from 3/4 cup of sugar to Truvia is 18 packets, but 10 was sweet enough for me).

1 tsp. Vanilla (I omitted the vanilla since I was going to add it to add the flavoring to the coffee creamer)

1 Tbs. Butter, Earth Balance or Smart Balance (optional, but I added this to round out the taste of the Truvia; this is a new product for me so I am adjusting to it).

• In a saucepan, combine powdered milk and sugar (or sugar substitute). 

• Slowly add water, while stirring, into the milk powder/sugar mixture. Continue stirring occasionally over medium-low heat (Click here for microwave directions).

• Add in optional butter or butter substitute, and vanilla if you choose to use it.

• Heat through for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly (so it doesn’t scorch) until mixture is thickened.

• Use this in place of the canned Sweetened Condensed Milk in the above Homemade Coffee Creamer recipe!

Add powdered milk to saucepan,

Add 10 packets of Truvia, or sugar,

Add water,

Whisk to combine,

Add optional butter, and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until butter has melted and the milk powder has dissolved.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk!

To make coffee creamer: add 1 1/2 cups milk to the Sweetened Condensed Milk,

Whisk again.

I added about 5 drops of the Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia.

Add 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon Extract (or other flavor extract, to taste).

Pour in a container with lid and refrigerate! Shake before using.

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

So have you heard the news yet?

General Mills will be debuting Gluten-Free Bisquick (and a few other items 😉 ) at the Celiac Disease Foundation’s Annual Education Conference and Food Faire in Los Angeles, on May 15, 2010!

I am still speechless (shocking, eh? Don’t worry, it won’t last for long. 😀 ) that this is actually happening so I will direct you over to Anne Steib’s article on Celiac-Disease.com so you can read it in more detail.  Anne is another one of my favorite bloggers, check her out at Gluten-Free Musings, I love her honesty, her spirit and her courage, and I think you will too.

The famous yellow box. I wonder what the gluten-free package will look like??

I grew up on Bisquick.

Bisquick Pancakes, Bisquick Biscuits, Bisquick Strawberry Shortcakes, Bisquick Impossible Pie Casseroles; you name it, my mom made it.  It was one of the products I missed most after my diagnosis 5 years ago (my 5 year diagnosis anniversary is actually this Thursday, April 29, 2010…woo-hoo! 😉 ), as that neon yellow box was an integral part of growing up for me.

Being diagnosed with celiac disease at age 31 meant I would never again eat the foods of my past… mainly, my mom’s “home cooking.”  That actually had a lot to do with my 3 years of “cheating,” before I finally sought help to come to terms with my diagnosis; but I will save that for my “About Me” page I will finally have up next month (it’s been difficult to write because I have evolved so much over the past 10 months that I have been blogging. What I write today, may not be entirely accurate tomorrow!).

I have long since moved beyond the “need” for food nostalgia (note that I didn’t say “want”), but the very idea that the day has come where Bisquick will again be an option (albeit, a GF option), almost moves me to tears.

That being said, I have made many homemade gluten-free versions of Bisquick over the years but the product that I think has come closest, at least in my memory, is Better Batter’s Gluten-Free Pancake and Baking Mix (I hadn’t been to the Better Batter website in a while, since I buy it in bulk (and am well stocked)… have you seen their new site? Very cool Naomi, I love it!!).

I have been using the Better Batter GF Pancake and Baking Mix for a few months now in those old Bisquick recipes from my youth.  One of my all-time favorite Bisquick recipes is the Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, and the following is the original recipe that my mom always used to make, with my tweaks in red.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Streusel Topping

1/3 cup Original Bisquick Mix (I used the Better Batter GF Pancake and Baking Mix)

1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

2 Tbs. firm Butter or Margarine (I used 1 Tbs. Earth Balance)

Coffee Cake

2 cups Bisquick Mix (again, I used the Better Batter GF Pancake and Baking Mix)

2/3 cup Milk or Water (I used Skim Milk)

2 Tbs. Sugar

1 Egg

• Heat oven to 375° F.

• Grease 9-inch round pan.

• In a small bowl, stir streusel ingredients until crumbly, set aside.

• In a medium Bowl, mix coffee cake ingredients until blended.

• Spread in Pan then sprinkle with streusel topping.

• Bake 18 – 22 minutes or until golden brown.

I can imagine my mom enjoying this with me, in another life perhaps. 😉

I’ve also decided to launch a new campaign…

My all-time favorite cereal (I am not sure that anyone will even remember this cereal from the 70’s/early 80’s), was actually a cereal made by General Mills, called “Buc-Wheats.”

Now that the 1980’s seemed to have regurgitated all over the department stores and General Mills is a gluten-free super hero… maybe, just maybe, a reincarnated “Buc-Wheats” (that is gluten-free, of course… hey, I am not launching a cereal campaign that I cannot benefit from!).  Just replace the wheat with something else (corn or rice will work fine), replace the malt flavoring with molasses and manufacture in one of their dedicated facilities and we will be good to go! 😀

Oh Lordy Pete…I love those old commercials! 🙂

Two quick things I want mention; if you haven’t heard about the “30 Days to a Food Revolution” being hosted by Diane over at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang, it began today with a great post by Shirley Braden of GFE – Gluten Free Easily. Check it out and get involved for a chance to win some great prizes and learn some healthy new recipes! You can also “Like” The W.H.O.L.E. Gang on Facebook (is it just me or does that not roll as well as “become a fan?” 😀

Also, there is something really cool about to start… The Gluten-Free Challenge. If you have a friend or loved one with Gluten Sensitive Enteropathy (GSE), why not spend a couple of days walking in their shoes?

I did an EE (Eosinophillic Espophagitis) challenge a few years ago in support of one of Sam’s old playmates who had the disease. I ate nothing but chicken, sweet potatoes and grapes for an entire weekend. It was such an enlightening experience for me to better understand what someone else has to go through each and every day for the rest of their lives… 2 days was nothing in comparison. It really changed my life in the sense that it brought me greater awareness of the challenges other people face and instilled a level of compassion I had never known before. I am now thoughtful about making sure all children that come into my home for a birthday party, play date, etc. are made to feel like a regular kid by being able to eat what everyone else is eating. This is how I really became aware that young kids don’t care about the food itself… they really just want to play and eat what their friends are eating, Sam ate raw sweet potatoes sticks (to mimic carrot sticks) for years, just because his little friend did! 🙂

I am working hard at getting Sam to understand that he is different, but you know what? We all are, and that is what makes life interesting and fun. There are times though, when it feels good to sit at the table with our loved ones and be able to fully enjoy a celebratory meal (like the holidays) without having to watch with an eagle eye for a rogue bread crumb that may land on your plate. When I sit down with my parents, sisters and their families for a meal, I am not fully engaged in them because I can’t be while I am watching to make sure my son and I stay safe.

Of the roughly 1,095 meals a year we all consume, would 6 gluten-free meals be that big of a sacrifice? You might just find a few great new recipes that are naturally gluten-free to add to your mealtime! 🙂

I want to leave you with an excerpt from the Gluten-Free Challenge website that I think sums it quite perfectly:

Why have a Gluten-Free Challenge?

Living gluten-free can feel isolating, but it shouldn’t. We believe that if we invite our gluten-consuming friends and family to join us at the table, we can all enjoy a delicious meal together. Our goal is not to change everyone to a gluten-free diet, but to simply show our gluten-consuming friends and family that they can enjoy our food with us. We believe that everyone who to takes this challenge for their gluten-free loved one, will find that eating together is more enjoyable, easier and less stressful.

Tribe All-Natural Hummus

On a recent trip to Costco, I found a package of Tribe Hummus Snacker Packs and I thought they would be great for tossing into the boy’s Easy Lunchboxes (a great “prepackaged” 100-calorie pack! Just toss in some carrots or other raw veggies and there you have it! 😉 ).  A box of 16 individual snack packs cost just under $6.00!  I read the ingredient label and could noticed that there were no gluten containing ingredients but the gluten-free label that used to be on packages of Tribe Hummus had vanished from the package.  I went ahead and bought it but decided to contact the company to inquire about the GF status before I presumed it was okay.  The simple removal of a gluten-free label that was once on a package can easily make one believe that the product is no longer safe to consume.

I emailed Tribe and received the following reply:

March 30, 2010

Hello Heidi,

Thank you for your interest in Tribe products.
Just wanted to let you know regarding your question,
“all” our hummus flavors are “Gluten Free.” Hope this
eases your mind.

I am sending you some money saving coupons toward your
next purchase. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Peg Volpe

Consumer Affairs Specialist
p.volpe@tribehummus.com
TRIBE MEDITERRANEAN FOODS, INC.
774-961-0000

A week or so after I received the email confirming that Tribe Hummus is still gluten-free, I received a letter and coupons (thank you Tribe!) further explaining why the gluten-free label is no longer on their packaging:

In case you have trouble reading the letter:

June 5th, 2009

To Our Valued Customers,

We recently removed the phrase “gluten free” from our packaging.” Our marketing department continually revises the claims and information on our packaging to keep with current trends and to provide our customers with the information we feel is most pertinent.

Nothing has changed in Tribes process or ingredients; hummus is inherently a gluten-free food, and Tribe will continue testing to ensure such.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Jesse Norris, Quality Control Manager

Tribe Mediterranean Food Inc.

774-961-0000 x 117

j.norris@tribehummus.com

They must not have known that gluten-free foods would be one of the hottest trends of 2010! In fact, it was rated as #3 back in January by The Daily Beast.

Is it just me (assuming you have been at this for awhile too), or did we just become part of the “cool kids?” 😀