Gluten Free Snacks to Go

Last weekend we had a big all day event to attend and I needed to bring food with me.  My daughter has been a Pop Warner cheerleader for several years and in October we participate in the Mid-Florida Cheer Competition at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee. I was able to have a good experience since I brought my own food and the girls did too.... all 4 teams placed first and will go on to Regionals in November.

I initially had a problem... I remembered from last years event that Silver Spurs Arena does not allow anyone to bring any food or drinks into the arena. They have many concession stands.... i.e.   burgers, fries, tacos etc. and most items being gluten filled. I looked up Silver Spurs on the Internet and emailed the Events Coordinator and explained my issue.  I was pleased when she emailed me back and said that I could bring in my own food.  She asked me to print out my letter and show it to the entrance workers.  This was my first time having to ask for special privileges and I was glad that I did not encounter any opposition.

Now I just had to decide what I was going to bring and in what.  We have tons of coolers, but I decided to find one that was a little more stylish to bring with me to the Arena as well as around town when needed. I have been having some cross contamination issues recently and am more often than not bringing my lunch and snacks with me while on the go.  I purchased a Thirty One Picnic Thermal Tote.  A friend of mine sells them and she was able to help me decide on the right size.  The Picnic Thermal is large enough to hold a few meals and drinks, or a meal, several snacks and drinks.  If you are interested and don't know anyone who sells Thirty One, the link above goes directly to her Thirty One page. 

This is what I packed for the day:  3 hard boiled eggs, two gluten free sandwiches, 2 bananas, a quart bag of grapes, a sandwich container of celery sticks and almond butter, a sandwich bag of carrots with a small ranch dip container, several gluten free bars, half a bag of Snikiddy's (see below) and a few ice packs.  It has an outside pocket to put a small amount of bars, napkins, utensils if needed or a magazine or two.  The bag comes in several patterns (below is Black Parisian Pop) and there is also a larger Market Thermal Tote available as well as a lunch box.

Thirty One's Picnic Thermal Tote
in Black Parisian Pop

I was in the mood for some new on the go gluten free items to take with us so went to our local Chamberlain's and found two items below that I love.

Snikiddy All Natural and Gluten Free Baked Fries

These are made from natural ingredients, baked not fried and have 50% less fat than regular chips.  My gluten loving kids approve as well.  I bought the Cheddar Cheese variety, but they also come in Southwest Cheddar, Sea Salt, Original, Classic Ketchup, Barbeque, and Bold Buffalo.  They also have cheese puffs in Mac n' Cheese and Grilled Cheese flavors.

 The other new item that I found is made by NuGo  Nutrition and is the NuGo FREE - delicious Dark Chocolate Trail Mix bar.  It is softer than a lot of my other gluten free bars.  It has a rice crisp within the chocolate, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds almonds and walnuts.  The cranberries are sweet, but not too sweet.  I have recently bought the other two bars the Carrot and the Dark Chocolate Crunch, but have not opened them up yet!

We were at the Silver Spurs Arena from 7:30 am until 5 and my cooler had contained enough food for the entire day and then some. It made for a less stressful, gluten free/healthy eating day. 

Our Kids Love Brussels Sprouts!

I have always disliked brussels sprouts....not a great way to start out a recipe right?  I grew up eating frozen sprouts and maybe that is why.  And while I was not a fan, my husband has always loved them, and so I decided one day to fix some for him, but this time "fresh sprouts" and what I created became one of my kids favorite veggies.  Yes, they really do ask for sprouts ...even on their birthday!   And I will admit....I too now enjoy them enough to want to cook them and eat them.

And they are naturally gluten free.


Ingredients:

- fresh brussel sprouts (so much better than frozen!)
- minced garlic (I usually add a tbsp. or 2 enough to mix with the sprouts)
- 2 tbsp (or as needed) butter or butter substitute ( Earth Balance is delicious if you need dairy free )
- chopped vadalia onion - as many or as little as you like
- lemon juice (enough to cover lightly)

This is one of those recipes that I eye ball.  Don't add too much butter....and honestly, the more garlic and onions the better for us.  Not too much lemon juice and I just squirt to cover a bit.

Wash sprouts and cut off the tips if the edges are rough.  Place sprouts in a pot of water and bring to a boil.   

Simmer until you can stick a fork through the sprouts.  If you boil them too long they will be mushy.  I scoop the sprouts out into a shallow dish, slice them in half and set aside. Love my scoop that my husband got at a Chinese food and supply store in downtown Orlando.

 In a large pan, heat the butter, onions and garlic until onions are almost clear.  Add brussel sprouts to the pan and squirt a little lemon juice over the brussel sprouts and stir all well.  The lemon juice helps take the bitterness out of the sprouts.

Our kids do love these sprouts!

Shrimp, Naturally ~ and Naturally Gluten Free

Shrimp, Naturally and Naturally Gluten Free

~ adapted from:  Tout de Suite a' la microwave  by Jean K Durkee

This is one of our favorite cookbooks and it is well worn.  We grew up right outside of New Orleans and love cooking anything Louisiana and sharing it with our Florida born kids.  I have not been back yet as a Gluten Free eater and I am a bit nervous about that happening as there are soo many delicious, glutenous foods to eat in Louisiana, but gluten free is doable too.  Usually the fall brings about our craving for more New Orleans food, so I decided to tackle a few "old recipes" that I have made for years. You can not go wrong with any recipe in this cookbook.  They are easy and quick to make.  This recipe is one of our favorites and tastes just as delicious as cajun dishes we cook on the stove and/or oven.  Most of the recipes in this cookbook are easy to convert to gluten free and I am happy to point out that this one is Naturally Gluten Free and Kid approved as well!

I also made this one dairy free as I used  Earth Balance Soy Free buttery spread.  My kids have no idea that this is not butter!  : )


Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or butter substitute (Earth Balance), melted
1 cup chopped sweet or vadalia onions
2 cloves minced garlic ~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. Tabasco or other hot sauce
2 lbs. peeled shrimp
2 Tbsp parsley - fresh or dry
2 Tbsp green onion tops - I use about 1/4 of a cup
salt to taste if needed

We also serve with a bit of garlic powder and hot sauce. 

Directions:

In a 2 quart casserole dish, melt butter and add onion and garlic.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes or until 
                                                            onions are clear and tender. 

  Add Worcestershire, salt, Tabasco or other hot sauce and shrimp and mix well.

Cover with wax paper and microwaveon high 4 minutes.  Stir well and then cook an additional 3  minutes if needed or until all shrimp are pink.  Add parsley and onion tops after cooking.

Serve along side rice and with extra hot sauce.

If you enjoy this recipe you might also enjoy Jean K. Durkee's other cookbook, Tout De Suite a LA Microwave II, which features Italian, Mexican and French dishes. 



Toasters, Grills, Fryers and Restaurants

I have been thinking a lot about cross contamination lately....well, honestly I always think about it, but more so since I was having a few issues again.  It is either cross contamination or another food issue.  I have been lax on my food journaling and also over the past few months have been enjoying trying out new places and revisiting ones I enjoy gluten free.  But my forehead was breaking out a bit, my knees are hurting, I have been bloated a bit and the dizziness had come back slightly.  These are signs that something has snuck its way into my belly.

When thinking about cross contamination....often someone that is in the know will ask you about your toaster.  I no longer use the toaster.  If I want to toast I put my bread on a piece of foil in the oven.  And honestly, I rarely eat any bread anymore.  So the toaster is not an issue....but how about the grill??  I often find my myself wondering about my husband's favorite place to cook...the Grill.  A loved item, which has become a source of stress for me here and there.  I wonder should we get a new grill??  : )  And here's another one, should we get a new fryer?  Yep, my husband would definitely look at me a bit crazy.  : )  We have scrubbed the grill and are only cooking gluten free on it now. I also recently double and triple cleaned our fryer to make some gluten free chicken wings. And I still wonder....was this enough?


Along with worrying about the grill, I also worry about the counters, the floor and the table due to possible lingering gluten. I worry about glutened kiddy hands on the condiments that squirt. And while I have my own butter and mayo containers clearly marked "Mom" on the top, I wonder should I also have separate condiments that squirt? I also worry about the handle on the frig and drawers and sticking their fingers after eating some Cheez-its into the silverware drawer. I on occasion worry about the TV remote and the keyboards on our computers! Ok, ok... so when I say I worry....just to note...I am not freaking about these things...I am just thinking about them when I am in the kitchen and other places in my home where the kids now take food. : ) In other words, I would say... I think I have over a very short time span developed a super sonic eye for identifying crumbs!


I am happy to say that my husband is on board with keeping me healthy.  He has had his moments of not understanding the cross contamination thing, but he is understanding it more and more and recently even listened to me and agreed that it was important for the kids to understand how to keep the kitchen and food items safe as well.  At first he was afraid I was giving the kids too much to be concerned about, but they need to understand how something they do may have an impact on my health.  If this were to happen to one of them, we wouldn't think twice about educating the other kiddo.  And, unless I am to have them not be self sufficient, then they need to learn "the art of cleaning" up after themselves while feeding themselves.  Hey, maybe I am finally onto something!  Though I am still working on the younger one...to get her to pick up her plate and rinse it off, I still may just master having them become "cleaning connoisseurs"!  Wishful thinking I know, but the bottom line is: picking up their bread and sticking their bread hands into the luncheon meat is no longer ok.  Leaving bread crumbs on the counter after making a sandwich is no longer ok.  Dipping their knives into my marked "Mom" containers is not ok.  And I am still hovering over my husband some too, but he has moved from using a separate spatula for me on the grill to scrubbing it all and ditching the gluten spices so it is easier to not have to think about it.  I will note though....The Durkee's Steak Dust is still hanging out in the cabinet!

My 10 year old loves sharpies
and is keeping me safe as well!

I have made other changes in the kitchen as well.  At  home we are attempting to put breaded items in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf and my gluten free items are working their way onto the top shelf to keep crumbs from dropping on them.  I have also purchased a new pasta strainer and cutting board and the family has been warned that they are to be used for non-gluten food items only. 



So while I think we have gotten it down pat at home almost, I think about how these concerns should definitely apply to the restaurants I am visiting.  Unless someone there has gluten intolerance themselve or a family member has it, I can not imagine any of them thinking much about it.  Last year at this time....I was not giving it a thought and really even though I had heard about gluten, had no idea what it could do to someone or any idea about cross contamination. 


Recently we went to a Redbrick Pizza and I had a delicious, hot Italian sandwich wrap.  I asked my server how they handle the gluten free items and she told me (and I watched) that they change their gloves and wash their hands.  The gluten free pizza or sandwich has it's own place to cook in the oven, so as to avoid cross contamination.  If one is in there, yours has to wait....and I had to wait.  That was perfectly ok!  I was happy that they were trained and aware, but my next concern was this:  Before you changed your gloves, you had glutened gloves in the toppings, yes?  There are not separate toppings for the gluten free wraps and pizza crusts.  While the condiments are squirted on, the toppings more than likely have been previously touched or sprinkled with gluten.  While I thought about this...I tried to put it in the back of my mind a bit and totally enjoyed my sandwich.  The wrap was bread like, soft, light and delicious.  It was not devoid of flavor and was not dry and crumbly.  I do believe I will go back again and try a pizza soon.  And I did not have a noted reaction to the food at Redbrick Pizza.

One thing I love about places like Redbrick is that I can see them making my gluten free food.  I can see what I have to be concerned about.  So what about Chili's or other restaurants with gluten free menus.  If I can not see them handling my food....I really have no idea what they are doing with it.  I don't truly know if they "get it" when I tell them I have an allergy to gluten (I use allergy to bring importance to the situation...incase they have no idea what intolerance means or celiac disease means).  I have had waiters that understood and ones that were definitely clueless.  If a restaurant is to have  a gluten free/allergen menu all food handlers should be trained as to what "cross contamination" really means.  My husband and our children are 10 and 15... they are food handlers in our kitchen.....hence the reason why it is just as important for me to train them as it is for restaurants with food allergen lists to train their staff and have them take this seriously. 

Food allergens and gluten intolerance is on the rise and that along with the faltering economy, restaurants shold realize they will only benefit more if they rise to this challenge.  Provide an allergen list and train your staff about cross contamination.  Check the way your kitchen is cleaned (i.e. don't use wet rags on your tables) and how food is handled from opening to closing. President Obama signed a law this year in which major restaurant chains have to provide caloric information.  He should have taken it one step further and required major restaurant chains to also provide an allergen menu and train food handlers in lessening cross contamination in their kitchens.  Food allergies and gluten intolerance are just as much of a health threat as obesity is. 

After I began having symptoms again, I started eating from home almost exclusively over the past 2 weeks.  My forehead is back to normal and the dizziness has almost all subsided.   I still have some joint pain and swelling so will continue with my quest to figure this whole crazy food thing out.  And maybe, just maybe I will invent a new organic, chemical free product that will be put into all gluten items....so they glow!  I would be a hero if I could do that!  If scientists can develop glowing cancer cells then why not glowing gluten!