Gluten Free, R U?: July 2018

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Cup 4 Cup Chocolate Brownie Mix

Where to start?

First thank you to my friend for recommending this mix to me.

Second if I were served these without being told they were gluten free, I would never know AND I would guarantee the server that they were gluten filled.

Third exactly how I remember brownies pre-gluten free life.

Last worth every penny! EVERY PENNY!

Simple and easy to make. I used butter and not the oil in the mix but I did oil the pan.

The worst part....

Waiting for them to cool before cutting and eating them!!!!!

Run now and get these!! Enjoy!!

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Made Good

I first tried these at the Greater Philly Gluten Free Expo.

Then they were the snack on my plane ride to Atlanta.

And now I have found them at CVS.

Not only are they delicious BUT they are also a single serving of vegetables!!

Yes I said vegetables!! I have no idea how they did it but I do not notice any vegetable taste at all.

These are sweet, tasty and filling.

I highly recommend these. They are worth every penny in my opinion.

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.