Gluten Free, R U?: September 2022

Friday, September 23, 2022

O’Doughs Wild Blueberry Muffins

First things first,

NEEDS.MORE.BLUEBERRIES!!!

Delicious but no where near enough blueberries.

Soft, sweet, large, yummy.

I’d buy them again but I hope there will be more blueberries.

Maybe they are called wild blueberry muffins because the blueberries are so wild they don’t stick around to be in the muffins. They are out somewhere being wild. LOL 😆

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Banza Four Cheese Pizza

I won’t lie, I didn’t have high hopes for this pizza. But I’m tired of cauliflower crusts and I like chickpeas.

I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t spectacular but it was not bad at all. I would most definitely buy it again.

It was a little softer than I like for a crust but the taste was good overall. Good sauce and yummy cheese. We added some chicken and it was a good match.

I did worry that it seemed too small for a pizza for two but it ended up working and not being over filling as bigger pizzas can be. And the size also makes the calories doable for half a pizza.

This pizza was $8.99 at Wegmans and I had $1 back from Ibotta. It was worth this especially since frozen gluten free pizza prices have only increased through the past two years or so. There is a roasted veggie option that I would also like to try.

Tell me of any other gluten free pizzas I should try that I haven’t written about yet.

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.