Gluten Free, R U?

Friday, May 11, 2018

Schar Honeygrahams

Not quite Nabisco Graham Crackers which I ate ALL the time back when I ate gluten.

BUT these are very close in flavor, just quite different in texture and thickness. But I am ok with that especially since the flavor to me is the most important part. Plain or with peanut butter, these are fantastic.

There is very little of Schar’s products that I do not like... in fact I don’t know if there is anything I don’t like by them. I guess time will tell as I work my way back through everything to do blog posts :)

My second favorite part of these is the packaging. Six are individually packaged and that is perfect. Great to throw in my lunch bag or comic con bag for a snack.

I highly recommend these!!

Monday, May 7, 2018

Schar Entertainment Crackers

YES, YES, YES

These are by far the BEST gluten free crackers I have had.

Buttery, crunchy but a soft crunch, delicious, perfect.

Seriously, reminds me Ritz crackers but better to me because they are not as crunchy and messy.

Yummmmmmm

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Local - Tabor Farms Gluten Free Items

Best.Coffee Cake.I’ve.Had.

YUM!

Crumbly, sweet, dense, delicious, just dry enough for coffe cake, just the right height, oh my goodness I am drooling as I type this. I drive out of my way to get this whenever I am craving it. Luckily this time I was driving right by. Worth every penny of $9.99.

Garbanzo Bread:

Dense, sweet and very tasty

Blueberry Muffin:

Tasty and lots of blueberries but way too crumbly. Couldn’t even put butter on it as it would just fall apart.

Orange Cranberry Muffin:

My favorite. The flavor is amazing and it is moist and not crumbly at all.

My gluten free history

When I turned 30 years old, I started to gain weight that I couldn't lose and I was getting back to back colds. The final straw was I got bronchitis and I had to take an antibiotic to help me get better. The side effect for 4% of people on this antibiotic was gastrointestinal issues. Yes, I was part of that 4%. The medicine basically stripped away whatever had been protecting me through my first 30 years of life. You see I have always had gastrointestinal issues since I can remember. My father also had the same issues and my paternal grandmother too. I was so sick from the medicine (or so I thought) that I had to go back to the doctor and do a series of tests. During this time I was following the BRAT diet (Banana, rice, a, toast). Saltines and toast were my go to comfort, little did I know they were NOT what I should be eating. My co-worker gave me an article about food allergies and there was a quiz. You only needed to answer 4 of the 8 questions with yes to fall under their designation and I had answered 6 of the 8 with yes. I was on my way. My husband and I cleaned out all our cabinets of the 7 allergens… all that was left was rice. After a few weeks, I was feeling somewhat better when I stayed at a home where they told me to eat whatever was in the fridge. I saw the rice and started eating. Within a hour I was violently ill. I couldn't understand. I took the rice with me to work the next day and when I told my other co-worker about my issue she asked to see the rice. It was orzo… pasta… gluten/wheat filled pasta! I had my first allergen to check off the list as being an issue. It turned out at the time dairy and eggs were also triggers but I have since been able to add them back. My husband and I went on a full gluten free diet and within a few months I had lost my weight, stopped living in my bathroom, looked healthy and was not terrified to eat things any more. Now it has been 15 years and while I have gained some weight back (darn those yummy gluten free cookies and pretzels) my issues are still in check and I couldn't be happier to figure out what was wrong with my body and be able to fix it.