Gluten-free Cheerios!

Picture Credit: glutenfreehomemaker.com

I used to eat Cheerios all the time as a child, as it was a great snack and cereal! Of course, when I was diagnosed with Celiac at the age of 6, we didn't want to focus on what I couldn't eat-so we focused on what I could eat (there is plenty out there)! Oats are in fact gluten-free, but often come in contact with wheat during the production phase , which is why you have to buy certified gluten-free oats. I am very excited that the manufacturer of Cheerios finally has decided to make Cheerios certified gluten-free through a procedure that ensures the separation of oats from other grains during the production phase. However, make sure you check with your physician if you can tolerate gf oats, as not everyone with Celiac can!

-Sema

Gluten-free Halloween Cupcakes!

As you all probably know, I love themed food! Halloween is a great time to make "spooky" snacks and at the same time indulge in them. Today, I made Halloween themed cupcakes, which were very simple to make and even more fun to decorate. All I did was buy a generic chocolate cake mix from my local grocery store. After I baked them, I decorated them with black and orange icing. At Michaels (a craft store), I found a Halloween spider cupcake kit, which came with candy eyes and cute spider legs!

Voila! It is so cute and simple to make!

Enjoy!

-Sema

Atlanta Recap: How I Dealt With My Gluten Free Diet While Traveling

So as you all probably know, I went to Atlanta, GA last week :)! Here's a recap of how I dealt with my diet traveling on a school trip:

Lunch: On our way there, we stopped by Panera Bread! I ordered the Asian Sesame Chicken salad without wonton strips, and the creamy tomato soup without croutons!

Dinner: We stopped by Mellow Mushroom in Atlanta, GA! Unfortunately, there was a slight mix-up with the toppings on my pizza, but they fixed a new one right up for me! I packaged some extra pizza to take with me as emergency food for the next day.

Breakfast the next day: I was of course in contact with the hotel when it came to my diet before we stayed at the Marriot Marquis in Atlanta. The staff was very understanding and made sure that the omelette and hashbrowns were fried in a designated pan, and that there wouldn't be any cross contamination.

After breakfast we stopped by the aquarium. It was beautiful and worth a visit if you ever plan on visiting Atlanta! My lunch was enjoyed at a restaurant close to the aquarium. The chef made sure that I got a burger that had never touched a bun. I also ordered a side salad :).

That night, before our performance, we were to get a sandwich buffet for dinner. The event manager had been notified that I was on a gf diet and that my bread had to be wrapped separately and also have my name on it, so that I could be sure it was safe for me to eat.   But bread was not wrapped up with my name on it, as promised. I also had cross contamination concerns. We notified the manager, who was very apologetic and understanding. Instead of insisting that the food was safe for me to eat he offered a delicious vegetable medley with a baked potato! It was delicious. Lesson learnt: It's always a good idea to talk to someone whenever you notice a mishap, because you don't want to get sick just because you didn't speak up!

On our way home on Sunday we stopped by Chipotle:)! All I had to do there was to ask the server to change her gloves, and voila, I could eat the same thing as my friends! Loved it!

All in all, it was a great trip. I ate out a lot and it went really well!. There was some planning ahead in all, but it was a breeze when I was actually on the trip! I of course had a lot of snacks with me, so I never went hungry either :).

Planning Ahead for Gluten-free on a Roadtrip

Tomorrow I will be embarking on a 3 day school orchestra trip to Atlanta, GA. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to talk about how I handle going on school trips while being on the gluten-free diet!

In the last week, I have been slowly but surely preparing for this trip. My mom communicated with the teachers to make sure that all the stops on the bus we made would have gluten-free options! In addition to this, we called the hotel to make sure that I would be able to eat a hearty gluten-free breakfast in the mornings. I put together many snacks that I will bring along with me in case of traffic delays or genuine hunger.

Here is what I'm bringing:
1. Wellaby's Cheese Ups
2. Wellaby's Classic Cheese Crackers
3. Schar's Cocoa Wafers
4. Gluten-free Crisp Bread
5. Gluten-free Snyder's of Hanover Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzels
6. Gluten-free Snyder's of Hanover Regular Mini Pretzels
7. Fruit Snacks
8. Jif to go Peanut Butter Cups
9. Nature's Valley Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Bars
10. Fruit
11. Gingermints (perfect for car sickness)
12. Lifesavor Mints
13. Hand Wipes
14. Toaster Bags
15. Carrots
16. Hand Soap (for those times when there is no soap available)
17. Trash bags (no need for trash to lay around)



Stay tuned next week for a recap of my trip!

Dempsey Bakery

When you go to a bakery, you will see pastries lined up, modeling for the hungry eye. You'll see them decorated oh so carefully, but you just turn away, as you know you won't be able to eat them. Honestly, I've gotten used to it. Despite this, I still want the experience of going to a bakery and knowing that I can eat EVERYTHING.  Nikki Everett first introduced me to a great milk cake when she came to St. Louis, and she said it came from a place called the Dempsey Bakery that's located in Little Rock, AR. I shrugged and took a bite of the milk cake, and it was as if my taste buds decided to take a trip to heaven. I honestly have NEVER tasted a cake with that consistency. So, I may have eaten almost the entire cake in one day (hey I'm human right?). The funny thing is that if I hadn't come to Little Rock for the GFAF Wellness Event, I would have probably taken the trip just to go to the bakery.

The Dempsey bakery is an entirely gluten-free bakery, where you can browse many different selections knowing that you can eat EVERYTHING. It is also nut and soy free! I honestly felt so at home when I walked into the bakery. Mrs. Dempsey is the sweetest person, and she reminds everyone of a grandma you can go to when you are hungry :). She is honestly so welcoming, and I love the layout of her bakery- you will want to spend time there.

The blogger dinner for the GFAF Wellness event was at the Dempsey bakery, and I went to sleep that night with a VERY happy tummy.

Please 'like' her on Facebook, and be sure to stop by her bakery! When you do so, please say hello from me!

Doesn't she make you want to go visit her? (By the way her milk cake is amazing, please try some.)

-Sema

GFAF Wellness Event Recap

So yesterday was the GFAF Wellness Event, and it was a blast! I met so many new people and vendors and tasted so many delicious items!!
Here's the recap:

Andrea had so many delicious cakes and breads!

You NEED to try Ellbee's garlic spreads. It spiced up bread for sure!

I never knew that coconut tasted so good!

Gluten-free for Men taught me that you can use barbecue sauce as a dip!

I got to meet Gluten-free Hungry Girl!

You need to go to The Nest to try their cookies!

Here's my booth! I got to meet the fabulous Huong Dishian, and she has an AMAZING cookbook: Living Free Solutions that is worth checking out!

I also had the pleasure of meeting GF Mom Certified and I'm a Celiac!

If you are in the Little Rock, AR area, come see me speak at the next GFAF Wellness Event on June 21!
-Sema

My Favorite Oatmeal

Now, they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I couldn't agree more. But I'm always in a rush in the morning. No matter how early I wake up, the time seems to speed up so that I find myself running out of the house to get to school. For a while, I would just skip breakfast thinking that making it to the bus would be better than eating breakfast. Well, that was not smart. I found myself ravenously hungry by second hour, and a simple protein bar wouldn't suffice it. So now my favorite on-the-go breakfast is oatmeal (gluten-free of course.) If I have time, I'll heat it in a pot, but I usually just put it into a cup and add some milk and sugar- I don't even cook it. It's tasty and filling so I can get the nutrition and the delicious taste to go with it.

My favorite oatmeal so far is this one from Trader Joe's:

Mmmm look at this deliciousness. (I also love adding raisins to it!)

Enjoy!
-Sema

Wheat in Shampoo?

Wheat seems to be in a lot of things- bread, pasta, pizza, but it hides in products like shampoo as well. It seems silly to have to check the ingredients of your shampoo, but you may find that wheat proteins are used. So, be cautious of the shampoo you pick, and be sure to read the ingredients on the back! (plus, you'll see how many chemicals are being used)
Happy ingredients reading
-Sema

Nugo Bars

My favorite bars are these Nugo Dark Chocolate Pretzel Bars with Sea Salt. They are salty, sweet, and VERY filling :). I usually keep one of these in my backpack or purse, because you never know when you'll get hungry and won't find anything to eat!
Enjoy!
-Sema

There are other Nugo Bars out there, but not all of them are gluten-free, so if you want to try the other ones, make sure you check the ingredients first!

Gluten-free Goldfish

I was at the local grocery store browsing the snacks when I came across a pack of Goldfish that looked different from the rest. I immediately grabbed it and checked its ingredients, and lo and behold it said gluten free on top! I immediately grabbed two packs and headed to check out, ready to try it out. The backstory is that before I was diagnosed, Goldfish and Cheez-it used to be my main snacks. After I found out I was gluten-free, I was "deprived'' from my favorite snacks. (I of course found substitutes along the years.) That is why this is so significant to me. A mainstream snack producer finally decided offer gluten-free snacks as well :).

Enjoy!
-Sema

Walmart's Gluten Free Aisle

Last week I while was pushing my cart along at Walmart, I decided to head to the snack selection (something I cannot resist.) As I walked down the aisle, I found a sign saying gluten-free! This shows how mainstream gluten-free items have become; we no longer have to go to special health food stores to get gluten-free snacks!

Enjoy!

-Sema

Candy Cravings Come After Halloween Too

Are you in the mood for candy, but aren't sure if it's gluten-free? Fear not, for here is a fantastic website that tells you if the candy is gluten-free or not.
MyGlutenFacts.com 

Quick Tip-Always make sure to read the labels.

Enjoy!
-Sema

Store-Bought Bread?

We used to bake bread all the time before I was diagnosed. I soon found that making gluten free bread was not as easy as I anticipated it to be. I come from a family where we make almost everything from scratch. The first meal I ever cooked was an okra dish, and to this day is still my favorite. But, back to the matter of bread. We used to eat this bread that would crumble as soon as you bit into it. Not a very good outlook on bread now was it? I survived it, eventually finding Udi's. Udi's bread is fantastic, because it has the closest taste to wheat bread. (That is what my friends and mom have told me.) I highly recommend it, as it also has different products, from cinnamon buns (gosh I missed those) to pizza crusts. Udi's bread gives the look of my school lunch a sense of "normalcy." And of course, it doesn't crumble.

But a tip to all about gluten free bread: always toast it.

Enjoy!
-Sema