Gluten Free, R U?: December 2022

Saturday, December 31, 2022

Schar Panettone

I have been wanting to try Panettone for a while now. I could never find the brand that I would see on other gluten free blogs but then Schar announced they would be baking one. I was very excited as I enjoy Schar gluten free items. I was even more excited that I found the last 3 at Wegmans over Thanksgiving weekend!! I grabbed one and then waited until closer to Christmas to try it.

I am not a fan of raisins in baked goods but I knew they would be in this. Well, I now like raisins in Panettone :) This was delicious. Pleasantly spiced, tender and baked well. It actually felt like a lovely surprise with how much I enjoyed this. I understand now why people like to have this for their Christmas holiday. It seems like a nice savory opposite to all the sweets we have at this time of year.

I don't know if Schar is the best gluten free Panettone out there but I am grateful to them for creating it this year and my ability to find it. Yum

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Feel Good Foods - Three Cheese Bites

I’ve read from a few people about how much they like these bites. It took awhile to find them but a Wegmans came through.

I really wanted pizza tonight but I didn’t feel like eating a large amount of pizza. These were perfect! Amazing pizza taste but a simple and light meal. So very good.

There were 10 pieces in the box so it was 5 pieces each which was just right. I can’t believe it was cauliflower for the crust. I would never guess it. I liked the sauce and everything about these bites.

I definitely would buy these again without question. I wish I had more already.

Saturday, December 3, 2022

Katz - Gingerbread Donuts

Not as good as the pumpkin spice donuts but these were quite yummy.

I expected the ginger pieces on the donuts to be overly gingery and possibly burny as ginger can be but they weren’t at all. In fact I wondered if they were ginger after all.

I would rather the pumpkin spice donuts but I wouldn’t turn these down if I found them again.

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.