Friday

My Gluten Free Bucket List







1. Master the art of Gluten-Free baking. Seriously, I need help.

2. Visit Feast in Toronto. I've known about this gem for some time now and I really need to get there!   *Visited July 2015

3. Read:

  • Gluten Freedom by Alessio Fasano, MD 
  • The Gluten-Free Revolution by Jax Peters Lowell
  • Mayo Clinic Going Gluten Free: Essential Guide to Managing Celiac Disease and Related Conditions by Joseph A. Murray


4. Take another Walt Disney World resort vacation, aka Gluten-Free paradise

5. Add final touches to the Gluten Free Doll website and officially launch it

6. Attend a Gluten-Free expo/conference


7. Cross-border shop for Gluten-Free goods which are not available in Canada


8. Encourage Rogers Centre to host a Celiac Awareness night


9. Help rid Celiac of the fad stigma


10. Find a delicious Gluten-Free croissant and eat it









Sunday

The Little Things Make Life Sweet

Good friends are important. Always. 

As someone with a dietary restriction, I find it important to surround myself with those who accept me for who I am. People who take steps to understand Celiac Disease. People who don't make me feel awkward or like a nuisance.

Recently, at a friend's BBQ, I was treated to safe gluten-free food. I say "safe" as it was prepared properly with no risk of cross contamination. This really warmed my heart. I was included as an equal and didn't stick out like a sore thumb.




Gluten-Free Pasta Salad



Wanna know what else I was treated to?


  • Ribs
  • Corn on the Cob
  • OMG Chicken Wings - That's what I call them because they were that tasty!
  • Blue Corn Chips with Tomato Salsa
  • Watermelon Salad




Share with me YOUR stories about the little things that friends and family do to go the extra mile.




Mini Donuts: Gluten Free & Homemade




I made the above yummy donuts with my Babycakes mini donut maker. I followed a recipe from Mini Donuts: 100 Bite-Sized Donut Recipes to Sweeten Your "Hole" Day, by Jessica Segarra. The recipe I worked with is called "Nutella Mini Donut".

I simply swapped out the regular flour for a gluten free one. In this case, I used President's Choice Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend. 

Overall, I was really quite happy with how these little donuts turned out! Even the gluten eaters in my family enjoyed them. So much so, that they have been requesting that I make more!









Saturday

Not All Juice Is Created Equal


Here we have a surprising source of gluten - Juice! 

Thankfully the container hints that it is not gluten-free, with the photo of wheat and the word "Cereal" on the front. 

Red wheat bran, oat, wheat, and barley are clearly labeled in the ingredients list.


Don't worry, though, most juice is still gluten-free and I don't expect a huge surplus of gluten containing juices to hit the market. 

As always, we should still read labels to ensure product safety. You never know where you will unexpectedly find wheat/gluten!



Ingredients

Fruit juice from concentrate (water, apple, cherry, banana, raspberry, blackberry and blueberry) purées, concentrated concord grape (sulfites) and lemon juices, yogurt powder, ground whole grains and seeds blend (oat, wheat, rice, chia, quinoa, barley), red wheat bran, natural flavor, vitamin C. Contains: milk, oat, wheat and barley.





Wednesday

Save Money With Gluten Free Coupons


Gluten-free food is expensive. We all know that. It also doesn't help that most gluten free baked goods are best developed as mini versions of their gluten counterparts.This is where Gluten Free Coupons Canada comes in. I cannot begin to express how wonderful it is to see coupons for gluten-free products, available to Canadians! It's a big move forward seeing as most coupons, in general, are strictly available to our American friends.








Gluten Free Coupons Canada sends out two coupon mailings a year. All you need to do is sign up here and you will be added to the coupon mailing list. Once signed up, you will automatically be on the list for future coupon mailings. Pretty awesome, right? Well, it gets better! When used, each coupon provides financial support to the Canadian Celiac Association. It's a win-win situation.


I received coupons for a pretty good variety of items. Check out what I got in the mail, below.


  • Save $1.25 off any All But Gluten product
  • Save $3.00 on Butterball Turkey Burgers
  • Save $3.00 on the purchase of a Dempsters Bakery Gluten Zero product
  • Save $2.00 off any Mary's Organic Crackers product
  • Save $1.00 on purchase of any 1 box of Breton Popped! Beans, Breton Bean and Breton Gluten Free
  • Save $1.00 on any Catelli Gluten Free Pasta product
  • Save $1.00 on any one Enjoy Life product over $3.00
  • $2.00 off Promise Gluten Free Chia Seed Loaf
  • $2.00 off Promise Gluten Free Hamburger Buns
  • $2.00 off Promise Gluten Free Seeded High Fibre Multigrain Bread
  • $2.00 off Promise Gluten Free Seeded Wholegrain Sandwich Rolls
  • $2.00 off Promise Gluten Free English Muffins
  • $2.00 off Promise Gluten Free Raisin Bread
  • 50% off a 1-year subscription to Delight Gluten-Free Magazine





Overall, I feel that I received a great selection of coupons. While I have been a long time purchaser of most of the products, there were two which were new to me. These are the Butterball Turkey Burgers and the Breton products. I'm going to have to look for these on my next grocery run. It's a lot easier (and more exciting) to chance unknown territory and purchase a different product when you have a coupon for it! My favourite coupon would have to be the 50% off a 1- year subscription to Delight Gluten-Free Magazine!!! Holy crow that is an awesome deal and a big surprise!


Brands Which Are Part Of This Coupon Installment 


The coupons received will vary slightly, depending on where you live in Canada. Why? Well, some items are regionally based and thus not available across the country. The availability of particular coupons also depend  on  numerous other things, so please don't fret if you don't land a specific one.

Promise Gluten Free - Can I please recommend the  Double Chocolate Muffins?! If chocolate is not your thing, no worries. Promise Gluten Free offers a variety of gluten-free goods ranging from various breads, and rolls to muffins, english muffins, and even pancakes.

Catelli Gluten Free -  I'm already a huge fan of Catelli Gluten Free pasta! It cooks up perfect in under 10 minutes. It also reheats nicely, without falling apart.

Dempster's Gluten Zero - This gluten-free bread is available in both white and whole grain. One of a handful of gluten-free bread's, that I enjoy this product has a nice sweetness to it.

Breton Gluten Free - I have not tried this product yet. Various Cracker and Popped Bean snacks are available.

All But Gluten - Some really great products come from this company! My personal favourites include the Chocolate Snack Cakes, Chocolate Chip Granola Bars and the amazing white hamburger buns. You will not be disappointed.

Flamingo - This brand is based out of Quebec and offers up three of gluten-free  breaded chicken products: fillets, strips and burgers.

Enjoy Life -  Enjoy Life is one of my go-to favourite brands! They provide a large roster of items. All of which are wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish free.

Mary's Organic Crackers -  I have tried the crackers which are lovely with a cheese spread. Did you know that you can also buy Cocoa MiNis, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chipotle Tomato Pretzels from this company? I sure didn't and will now be on the look out for them.

Butterball - I had no idea until I got my coupon that Butterball sells gluten-free turkey burgers. Boxes are clearly labeled gluten-free and these lean burgers can be cooked either by skillet or bbq.

Nature's Path Organic - This brand offers many gluten-free options. They range from cereal and frozen waffles to crispy rice bars and superfood snack bars.

Pop Chips - These are a great alternative to potato chips. Pop Chips are not fried. Instead, they are heated in a pressurized chamber and then quickly released. This results in a POP.

Freybe - Freybe offers a wide range of meat products that are both lactose-free and gluten-free, with no liquid smoke or mechanically separated meat.

Summer Fresh -  Summer Fresh has over 25 gluten-free products available. This includes Tzatziki Dip, Artichoke & Asiago Dip Bruschetta, Crab & 4 Cheese Dip and Spinach & Artichoke Dip.

Grimm's Fine Foods - This company has a lot to offer gluten-free consumers. 
Products include Gluten-Free Tortillas, Smoked Turkey Breast, Black Forest Ham, Honey & Maple Flavour Ham, Pastrami and more!

SunRype -  SunRype provides gluten-free fruit and vegetable juices along with various 100% fruit snacks.

Piller's - This is a great choice. Piller's offer a wide array of gluten-free meat products through their Simply Free line.



Are you on the Gluten Free Coupons Canada mailing list? If you received your coupons, feel free to answer the following questions in the comments:




Which coupons did you receive?

Did you discover anything new?

Was there a particular coupon that was your favourite?

What brands/coupons would you like to see offered in future mailings?





****   This is a sponsored post. Although I have received compensation, my opinion is entirely my own.  ****


Disclosure

This policy is valid from 23 February 2013

This is a personal blog written and edited by me. All opinions are that of my own. I am not a healthcare professional or an expert. All information presented in this blog is purely that of my own experience and or opinion. Please consult a medical professional before making any changes to your diet.

I write this blog as a hobby that I am passionate about. From time to time, I may receive monetary compensation for a sponsored post. I only work with brands that I trust and would use in my own home.

This blog accepts complimentary products for review. The opinions I have of a product will never be swayed by a company sending me an item(s) for free. I take into consideration the opinion of family members who are gluten-free due to Celiac Disease and I also value the opinions of non-gluten free family members. Taste is a matter of personal opinion so please use your own discretion and don't take my opinion as a gold standard.

Any ingredient or gluten-free claims should be verified with the restaurant/manufacturer as things can and do change.

For questions about this blog, please contact: sandra@glutenfreedoll.com

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