Gluten Free, R U?: October 2022

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Cape Whoopies - Whoopie Pie

Yummmmmy

Perfect really.

Not too sweet. Not too dense.

Light, chocolatey, tasty cream and just the right size too

Found at Wegmans for $4.00. Definitely a good price for what you get.

Definitely will pick up again when I’m there.

Sunday, October 16, 2022

Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Cheese Ravioli

I tried to get these last month but they were not in stock. I lucked out this trip but now I kind of wish I hadn’t.

I usually love Trader Joe’s gluten free items. These were …. Terrible. I hate even writing that but it’s true. I would never buy these again.

No taste, and all but one exploded in the pot. It was basically a pile of gluten free pasta with some type of cheese trying to be ricotta all over it.

I followed the instructions and they were well within their best buy date.

I was so sad. It was good they were only $4.49. Let me know if you had a different experience with these.

Sunday, October 2, 2022

Gluten Free Bakery Girl

We were in Bethany Beach Delaware and one of the coffee shops 3BB Cafe had these gluten free baked goods for sale.

We had the brownie as a dessert and the bakewell as a breakfast item. They were both delicious. I wish I had bought two of each so we didn’t have to split each one 🙂

The brownie was not overly sweet and the balance of chocolate and peanut butter was perfect. It was savory and so yummy.

The raspberry almond bakewell was perfectly baked and the raspberry was sweet and just enough filling. The almonds on top were crunchy and tasty.

The bakewell was $7.50 and while it was delicious, I think that is way too expensive. The brownie was $5.50 and that seems more reasonable and worth the price. For a special vacation treat and supporting a local business, I have no complaints.

You can find Gluten Free Bakery Girl online and order for shipping. I do notice the bakewell is significantly cheaper online, more than just a mark up cheaper but again I’m happy to support a local business and have vacation treats. I might consider an order in the near future and try some of her other items.

Let me know if you have ever had her treats and what are your favorites.

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.