Saturday

Easy Eats For A Gluten Free Trip

With Summer finally here, that means a lot of us will be going on little getaways. Driving, flying or just spending the day away from home, it's always best to have a safe food plan. Below is a list of my favourite items for on the go and the best part (aside from taste) is that they do NOT require heating or cooling. How's that for simplistic awesome?!




Enjoy Life Mountain Mambo is a tasty seed and fruit mix that comes in a resealable pouch. I love this product and buy it regularly! It's the perfect trail mix with it's lovely balance of sweet and salty. There is also just enough chocolate to fill that sugar craving while maintaining it's healthiness.










I stumbled across these by accident when we drove to Walt Disney World last October. What a genius idea - they really are a picnic meal in a box. The Turkey Pepperoni & Cheese was my absolute favorite!

Bummer note - currently not available in Canada. Will have to stock up next time I'm in the States!





LARABAR Fruit and Nut Bars are a very convenient travel item. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar is one of my favourites - it really is like eating cookie dough! There are 19 different kinds of bars, 9 of which are available in Canada. 




These cookies offer the right amount of sweetness and the perfect snap of crunch. I buy them in individual packages of two at my local Bulk Barn. The large boxes are great for home, but the smaller double packs are perfect for on the go. Each of the 4 flavours gets a star in my book!

Friday

Do YOU Have Any Gluten Free Pet Peeves?

10 The use of the word Celiacs. Celiac is derived from the Greek word koiliakos, which means abdominal. Not trying to be the word police, but hey lets get the name of our lifelong special feature right ;)

9 Crazy people who think that I should only eat 100% healthy because I am Gluten Free. Don't try to unjunk my GF junk food and I promise that I will only eat it in moderation, along with my fruits and veggies.

8 The assumption that GF is healthy for EVERYONE. *bangs head on desk*

7 When people say that they wish that they had my willpower so that they could lose weight. *Facepalm*

6 Restaurants with GF options but no formal training on how to keep them that way

5 The smart ass who decided that everything Gluten Free shall be the same price as a brick of gold

4 People who get bent out of shape at the mention of, or hope for a Celiac Disease cure.There is always a risk for product recalls due to mislabelling or CC. I would rather at least be able to take something to prevent serious damage after a mishap than not.

3 Diet and Gluten Free in the same sentence. So very, very wrong and misleading. Ever hear of anyone on the Nut Free Diet or taking up a Shellfish Free Lifestyle? Nope.

2 People who only discuss Gluten Free in the media to make money off of a book or product which they are selling. These people also never advocate for Celiac Awareness. I'm looking at you Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Gwyneth Paltrow.

1 When someone says that they are supposed to eat Gluten Free due to Celiac or an intolerance, then openly admit that they do not stick to the regime 100%. You are part of the problem, not the solution. Buck up or shut up.



Saturday

Sobeys Celebrates Celiac Awareness Month


Sobeys is celebrating Celiac Awareness Month. In honour of this, they are having a pretty nifty sale on Gluten Free items.





I was beyond happy to see Gluten Free sale items in their own highlighted box, AND that Sobeys went the extra mile to state that 1 in 133 people have Celiac Disease. 




Thank You  for doing your part to spread awareness Sobeys ! And thank you for stating that Celiac is an Autoimmune Disease!




* Please keep in mind that sale items may vary from location to location


Wednesday

Stuttering John's - Gluten Free Review





A little while ago hubby told me about Stuttering John's and asked if I would like to have dinner there. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first for a couple of reasons. One being that I have an extremely hard time trusting the Gluten Freeness of a place I've never been to before and two, the location of the restaurant is in the heart of downtown Oshawa which usually isn't my first choice for an outing.

Putting both issues aside, we ended up going to Stuttering John's for dinner. 

I'm
Glad
We 
Did!

Once inside the restaurant, the grunginess of downtown Shwa disappears. I shouldn't be so harsh. There IS a lot of greatness in the area... unfortunately it can become muddled with the not so greatness that comes along with any downtown area. With more places like this, Oshawa's downtown will be a great place for an outing. The GM Centre is in walking distance if you're in the mood for a sporting event or even a concert. Generals games are always exciting!

 Not only is the atmosphere inside Stuttering John's warm and inviting, it feels like you're just hanging out at a friend's. Cheesy sounding I know, but it's so true! The restaurant is set up with a variety of booths, bar seating and a lounge inspired area with couches and armchairs.They even utilize the beautiful artwork of a local artist.


The food was such a change from the norm for me. It was out of this world. I had the Smokin Brisket. Minus the bun as they did not have any GF ones at the time. As you can see from the first photo, portions are generous! The meat was tender, juicy and FULL of flavour!

We  went back a second time for dinner recently and I was informed that they have Gluten Free buns! I chose to enjoy something that I haven't been able to order in years - Smoken Clubhouse. I had the same side salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette. The Gluten Free buns are sourced from Cocoa and Joe's in Oshawa and Oh Em Gee were they ever wonderful! I'm sad that I did not have my camera with me for this meal because it was just as awesome as the first time around.

  • Service is friendly and fast
  • They do Gluten Free right
  • It's a great place for the whole family to chow down
  • Prices are super affordable
  • They have evening entertainment ranging from Comedy Night to Live Music and Karaoke
  • Variety on the kids menu
  • Relaxed atmosphere
  • They air playoff games on big tvs... GO LEAFS GO!


One thing that would make my meal here complete - Gluten Free Dessert. Nothing like an ooey gooey brownie after dinner. *Hint Hint* ;)

Visit Stuttering John's website
Like them on Facebook and
Follow them on Twitter


Something super cool to think about- Stuttering John's was contacted by the folks at Food Networks You Gotta Eat Here. Help make sure that they are chosen for the show by emailing: ygeh.tips@gmail.com


*As always when dining out, please verify with your server that your dietary needs can and will be accommodated. 







Monday

DK Gluten Free Cookbook Pie Crust Review



This just happens to be one of my favourite cook books. Over the weekend I attempted to make a shortcrust pastry (page 44-45) for lemon meringue pie. 

I have to tell you that I am TERRIBLE at making pie crust. The pre packaged mixes at the supermarket have even seen me fail epicly. Normally I get results that are so bad, they are actually kind of comical. That being said, this was a challenge I was not holding out high hope for.

Guess what?

The shortcrust pastry ended up being super easy to make AND it tasted great too! 








The recipe makes a crust that is flaky but doesn't fall apart. You really get a subtle hint a buttery flavour when biting into this crust. I love that it holds up when I cut into my lemon meringue pie. No exploding crumbly mess of a crust here.

As you can see, I made two different size pies. One in miniature pie tins, which are a good size to share with someone. The other was in silicon muffin cups. The muffin cup pies were great as an single portioned lemon meringue pie. They were far from delicate and held up while eating without utensils. Pretty swanky if you ask me. ;)


I should note that I used Better Batter all purpose Gluten Free flour. As per Better Batter instructions, I omitted the use of Xanthan gum that was required in the recipe.

This is a flour that is quite hard for me to find locally (I found it at Winners which seem to only randomly carry things) so we shall see if this recipe is just as awesome with other all purpose Gluten Free flour mixes.







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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