Ugh. I was truly enjoying this blog challenge and the commitment it forced me to make. I’m going to try my hardest to complete. But, there’s always a but, I’ve run into a little problem.

Gluten affects me. Aside from the gastro issues gluten causes, it wreaks havoc on my brain. My memory gets foggy. Simple things become difficult and take more time and concentration.

This weekend I got careless. We went to a MLS soccer match and I had a small amount of popcorn and a few nachos. I figured they were pretty safe, at least safer than the hot dogs and pretzels. I felt fine all of Sunday and even Monday. As I have moved through today, I’ve felt progressively worse. I’m 99% certain I was glutened.

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Tags: General, Gluten Free, Health by Stephanie
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On a recent outing, I wanted to pick up some Udi’s bagels, but was no where near Whole Foods. I remembered that a new MOM’s Organic Market had opened near the area I was in and thought I’d stop in and take a chance to see if they carried Udi’s. Let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised.

I entered the store in Bowie, Maryland, not expecting much. I had only ever visited one other MOM’s store and the g-free selection was there, but I remember it being small. This was before I started my g-free diet. This new store was larger and very well stocked. I was so excited to see the ice cream cones I had been wanting and couldn’t find on my last Whole Foods trip, not only that, but they had sugar cones as well! I was so overwhelmed with the gluten free choices! My local shopping is so very limited in selection so visiting these others stores is always a joy. I found so many new things to try, bought way more than my two Chico bags could handle!

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Tags: General, Gluten Free, Helpful Sites, Reviews, Safe Things by Stephanie
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Gluten free chinese food seems so hard to find, but one restaurant is catering to those of us with cravings. P.F. Chang’s has figured it out and offers an outstanding menu.

In March of this year, they even expanded their menu to offer even more dishes. “More and more of our guests are asking for gluten free options and we’re proud to offer them a greater variety of P.F. Chang’s classics,” said Gregg Piazzi, Director of Culinary Training for P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.  “P.F. Chang’s is sensitive to all of the food allergies and dining requirements of our guests and we strive to serve customized cuisine that meets each diner’s individual needs.” They now have 28 gluten free dishes.

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Tags: General, Gluten Free, Reviews by Stephanie
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Store bought gluten free bread is nasty. End of story. I had pretty much given up on buying a loaf of gluten free bread when I stumbled upon reviews for Udi’s Bakery. The big news being that Udi’s was slowly becoming available at Whole Foods. Everyone seemed to have something positive to say.

On our latest trip to Whole Foods, which doesn’t happen often enough, I noticed that the Alexandria store was stocking a few Udi’s items. I remember seeing bread, bagels and at least something else that I can’t quite remember. I figured why not, it’s worth a try, right? I purchased one 4-pack of bagels which was quite expensive for my measly budget.

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Tags: Gluten Free, Reviews by Stephanie
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Yum. There are no words to describe the wonderful, and easy, bread. I have tried so many recipes for bread in my first year of being gluten free, but this is one that I keep coming back to again and again.

There are several bread mixes out there from Bob’s Red Mill to Pamela’s. I’ve tried many of them, but it’s always the same, they’re too dry or crumbly. They never bake completely without burning and worst of all, they never turn out the same the second time. Inconsistency is not cool!

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Tags: General, Gluten Free, Health, Recipe by Stephanie
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Yummy! So, the family has decided to go gluten free and in our new quest, we are trying out tons of new recipes. One of my favorite sites is Stephanie O’Dea’s A Year of Slowcooking Blog. Dinner tonight was soooo good! I made a few tweaks to it so I’ll post my version, but do check out Stephanie’s Creamy Corn & Spinach Enchiladas. This fed my wonderful little family of 6 with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch for at least one of us. My crockpot is a 6qt oval.

What You Need:
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
1-1/2 cans of creamed corn (we used Green Giant since it’s Gluten Free)
1 bag of spinach leaves
1 pkg of 10 corn tortillas
Lots of shredded colby cheese or other shredded cheese
1 jar of Salsa Verde from Trader Joe’s
Sour Cream
Cilantro
Freshly made Salsa

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Tags: General, Gluten Free, Recipe by Stephanie
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