delicious!

Udi's Gluten-free bread toasted dark, spread with goat cheese and homemade strawberry jam = HEAVEN

*Chex* Crispy Bars

Josh was craving rice crispy bars tonight so we went to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients, which I assumed to be gluten free, only to discover that Rice Krispie cereal contains malt extract... BUMMER! We scoured the cereal aisle for a good alternative and settled on Rice Chex (my new staple cereal), which is labeled gluten free.

Josh was a bit skeptical, but it turns out the Chex cereal creates a killer rice crispy bar! The larger cereal pieces offer more crunch and is totally satisfying. Yay!!

Gluten-Free bread=1, Caitlin=2!!!

After my horrific gluten-free bread experience last week, I was feeling quite discouraged that I would never have a good sandwich again in my life. I decided to head down to Eau Claire, Wisconsin's local co-op Just Local Food, and met a very nice ex-baker now gluten intolerant employee. He directed me to two types of bread: Our Daily Foods, LLC "Pauls white sandwich bread" and The Green Bakery "sorghum bread".



The Green Bakery is located south of Wheeler Wisconsin, and provides freshly baked bread as well as pre-cooked frozen bread for the freezer. I have only tried their sorghum bread, but the also offer basic brown, chickpea and millet. While the bread size is small (about the size of a large deck of cards), the sorghum bread is delicious fresh out of the toaster and is great sandwich bread.



Our Daily Foods, LLC is a husband and wife team which specializes in gluten-free items. Their "Paul's white sandwich bread" is an uncooked loaf which is kept in the freezer and requires 3-8 hours to thaw and rise out of the freezer. This bread really gives you the whole baking experience with the smell of delicious warm white bread right out of the oven. While this is marketed as sandwich bread, Lara and I just ate it with butter and jam as an amazing breakfast treat!



Both of these breads have given me hope for my gluten-free future, and I hope you all get to try these amazing products!

Sandwich Bread!! Delicious!

Caitlin came to visit over the holiday weekend and we made a stop at the Seward Coop in Minneapolis for some gluten-free deliciousness. We had the MOST fantastic lunch, which included Rueben sandwiches on gluten-free bread, delicious cheesy potatoes, and gluten-free cream puffs for dessert. The meal was so yummy and we were particularly impressed with the gluten-free bread. The only way you knew it was gluten-free was because it was small, but that was truly the only indicator! After our fabulous meal, we stopped back at the cafe counter to ask what the bread was and it is a company called Udi's that has a complete line of gluten-free products. Check out the website: Udi's Gluten Free Online Store.

Gluten-Free bread=1, Caitlin=0

Buying Gluten-Free in Eau Claire, Wisconsin is proving harder than expected and after buying sandwich bread that is comparable to Styrofoam and cost $6.00, I am begining to lose hope. I love sandwiches and as a college student, they are a vital food link in my diet! Does anyone know a sandwich bread which tastes good??? I am desperate!

why tomatoes are a fruit...

I just had to post about the most satisfying and delicious gluten free meal I am currently consuming (and not missing the bread one bit!).

Thank goodness for the farmers market in downtown Minneapolis, because today I picked up some stunning organically grown tomatoes from a Wisconsin farm during my lunch break. This particular stand had many gorgeous varieties of tomatoes to choose from, so I picked out a flavorful Brandywine red tomato as well as a yellow tomato for a caprese salad.

I chopped up the tomatoes when I got home and cubed some fresh mozzarella and mixed them in a bowl. I then drizzled on some balsamic vinegar and topped with a sprinkle of sea salt & pepper as well as some dried basil (i didn't have any fresh) and it is AMAZING! The tomatoes are actually some of the sweetest and most delicious things I have ever consumed. Their texture is perfect and, when paired with the fresh mozzarella and salty/tangy balsamic, create a t0-die-for gluten-free meal.

With fresh food like this, going gluten free will be (better than) a piece of cake! So my new strategy will be to focus on the quality of my food and spend the extra money on fresh ingredients that will make the difference. If I can stick to this plan, hopefully I won't miss out on the easy gluten-filled foods I am so used to!

gluten free flour?

I'm looking for suggestions for good gluten free flour... I thought I remembered hearing that the family had a flour that was particularly good (maybe for baking?). If anyone remembers or has suggestions, I'm interested!

Thanks!

gluten-free restaurant guide - Minnesota/Wisconsin

Here are some restaurants up north that offer a gluten-free menu.

http://northlandceliacs.fastmail.fm/dining.html

yummy and quick! amy's black bean soup w/ avocado

I needed a quick meal this evening and happened to have a can of Amy's Black Bean and Vegetable Soup in my cupboard. I had an avocado that I also needed to use, so within minutes I had a delicious bowl of black bean soup that I topped with fresh avocado, some Mexican 4 cheese blend, and a few of my new FAVORITE chips from Target, Archer Farms Blue Corn with Flax Seed tortilla chips.

This quick meal was filling and totally gluten-free. I must say I was very proud of my creation!!

Your Auntie Karen recommends using the following baking mixes - said they taste "almost normal."


http://www.chebe.com/

Very Tasty Indeed!

This is great waffle mix! If you are having trouble reading the label the brand is Pamela's.

The Berger Family: Gluten-Free!

I have finally succumbed to the fact that I am very likely gluten-intolerant. I've been rationalizing with myself for over a year, hoping that my heartburn, stomach irritability, anxiety, and eczema are all "normal" and completely unrelated to wheat.

But then within the last year I started getting horrible migraines. Despite all my attempts at curbing my headaches I've been having a difficult time and, for the first time, have a symptom of gluten-intollerance that is unbearable for me. SO I gave in to my family's concerns that I am probably gluten-intollerant and got a genetic test that looks for the presence of HLA-DQ2, a gene that carries a very high probability of developing celiac disease or gluten-intollerance. This test came back positive and, when combined with the strong Berger family history of gluten-intollerance and my personal symptoms, was enough to make me think that I am likely gluten-intollerent.

Starting on Monday (Monday so that I can have one last weekend enjoying my favorite gluten-filled foods) I will be going gluten-free for a period of time as a test to see if my symptoms and general health improve.

This blog is intended to help document gluten-free foods and recipes (both good and bad) to aid in my learning process. I've also opened this blog up to the rest of the Berger Family in hopes that we can all learn from each other, since this is a genetic condition that has clearly been passed through the family...

Hopefully this blog will help us all improve the quality of our food and our lives!