Cupcake Fun....With Sprinkles!

Nothing says Summer like a delicious, moist cupcake. A cupcake I felt the urge to make at 10:30pm for some reason. The mix is from Well & Good. They are an Australian company with distribution in Canada and America. The sprinkles are a playful touch and they add a nice crunch.What a tasty idea. As you can see I really went to town with them. Being that it was really quite late by the time these creations were ready to be iced, I opted not to use a piping bag. I think they still look cute....but next time I will use said piping bag for some extra cuteness. ;)


This is the third product I have tried from Well & Good. The mixes are consistently easy to make and they taste AMAZING!


I have to say that this is definitely something I will gladly buy again!!!The kit includes icing & sprinkles.... a first that I have seen for any available mix here. Plus, how cool is that?!


I'm looking forward to the rest of Well & Good's line making it's way to Canada. Two of their products that I cannot wait to get my hands on are the Sponge Swiss Roll mix (sounds heavenly!) and the Crusty Bread Mix which you can make pita bread out of!


Check out their Facebook page for more information as well as pictures http://www.facebook.com/pages/Well-and-Good/123101024401689

It Almost That Time of Year Again

 I've been thinking about what kind of theme to have for my sons third birthday. I know it's a little far off, but October will be here before I know it! That and I just have so much fun making his cake (Gluten Free of course) and planning his special day. Right now, I am leaning towards a Thomas themed cake....not sure about flavours yet though. We will be taking him on a special outing to the Zoo this year as well. 


Below are the Gluten Free cakes I made for my son's first and second birthdays. He is able to eat gluten but I choose to make anything homemade GF for him. It's safer for my health and enjoyable by the whole family.

1st birthday was all about playing with the icing

First time I ever made a cake...not bad ;)

Must practice those piping skills

He loved playing with the dinos

Canadian Law & Cocoa Pebbles Treats

Last week I received a nice surprise from family members who had returned from an American vacation. Gluten Free food! It's always fun to see whats new and different across the border.


The Glutino wafer's were great as always (we have them here too).
Corn Chex is just AWESOME! 
I have yet to make the Betty Crocker cookie mix but noticed on the side of the box that it is manufactured IN Canada! Good news is this line will be sold here soon.
As for the Cocoa Pebbles Treats....YUM! What a great snack! This brings me to the rest of today's post-


I was so impressed with the Cocoa Pebbles Treats (it's a nice change to eat a snack that I don't have to make from scratch) that I sent an e-mail to Post asking if Canada will sell them soon.  Below is the response which really threw me for a loop.

June 08, 2011 

Dear Sandra Lajoie,

Thank you for your inquiry for Post Fruity Pebbles.

Due to character licensing and copyright issues, the Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles cannot be sold in Canada at this time. It is also due to Canadian law popular cartoon characters on the television cannot sell products such as cereal. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Thank you for using Post.

Michael Carpenter
Consumer Response Representative

~~TLXEA_19121624~~N

A law that bans cartoon characters on food cartons? I have yet to confirm this but either way it's a shame. Why should we be punished because other people cannot limit / monitor their child's food consumption properly? I know a lot of the cereal out there IS pretty junky but banning it based on a cartoon character is silly. Why not encourage these companies to make their products healthier? 


****UPDATE****

After seeing the Gluten Free, Post Cocoa Pebbles in a variety of Canadian stores, I decided to email them to see if we will be getting the GF Cocoa Pebbles Treats any time soon.

Below is the response I received.

April 09, 2013 

Dear Sandra Lajoie,Thank you for contacting Post Foods regarding Post Cocoa Pebbles Treat Bars. Unfortunately, this product has been discontinued.The Cocoa Pebble Treat Bars have been recently discontinued and you will only see those for a limited time now. The Cocoa Pebbles Cereal is available in Canada at this time and currently that is the only Pebbles or Gluten Free product that we have available to be purchased there.

We appreciate your loyalty and patronage and invite you to try another one of our many products. Thank you again for contacting Post Foods.Kerri Jordan
Consumer Response Representative

My First Online Gluten Free Order

Today I received my gluten free order from the Hospital for Sick Children's Speciality Food Shop. Not only is shipping FREE for Ontario, but my order showed up in only 3 days! They offer a wide selection of Gluten Free products to choose from. So much so that they gained a new loyal customer. I was also really happy to read that ALL of the purchase proceeds directly support patient care and research at the hospital.

 As you can see, I ordered a lot from the Simply Good Line. I stumbled across it on Amazon.com but was disappointed to find out they don't ship it to Canada. So I did some research and came across a review of the cupcake mix by Celiac Baby!. This made me want to order it even more. She let me know that Nut'N Gluten in Vaughan carries the cupcake mix. Unfortunately I probably won't get out that way anytime soon. Always good to know for future reference though! No giving up here. I e-mailed Simply Good (known as Well & Good in the lines Australian home). The response was awesome. I was informed that the line is available through  The Healthy Planet in  Pickering Ontario and online at the Specialty Food Shop (Sick Kids Hospital, Toronto).

I also purchased a pocket book which clearly lists ingredients that we can and cannot consume. Had this about 10 years ago and it was time for an updated version. I find it to be a real asset!

Celiac Cure In Our Future?

There has been chatter lately of a scientific breakthrough regarding Celiac Disease. Researchers at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne Australia have been working on a vaccine. One that is showing favorable results! The first phase of this clinical trial is now complete. Essentially the vaccines goal is to desensitise the bodies reaction to gluten, thus avoiding toxic rejection.

Photo by dzingeek available under CC (by-nc-nd)

Key Points to remember

• Phase 1 studies show that the vaccine is safe and well tolerated
• This vaccine could treat up to 90% of people with Celiac Disease
• Phase 2 trials to take place within the next 10 months
• Vaccine name : Nexvax2 

Would YOU take this vaccine?

Feelings seem fairly mixed. I'm not sure if it's just people who are against vaccines in general or if some people really feel that a GF diet is sufficient. I have thought deeply about this. For me personally, maintaining a strict GF diet is not and should not be the end of the road. I WANT A CURE! Following a GF diet is difficult and costly at the best of times. Even with caution, slip ups happen. It is virtually impossible to live a 100% Gluten Free life. I read every label but manufactures change ingredients without notice from time to time. Cross contamination does happen in restaurant's even with GF menus. It sucks but its part of life. 


We deserve a cure. Right? Perhaps we need an advocate for Celiac Disease. Someone with the power to be heard. Someone who will campaign for us and make the issue a household name.

If the vaccine were available to me after successful trials, I would gladly take it. I'm pretty sure I would still maintain a gf lifestyle. But the vaccine would take away my constant fear, my worry over "whats in that" ? I would no longer fear eating at a restaurant or feel left out at a gathering. It would also, hopefully give me the option to eat something containing wheat if I choose to do so.