Gluten Free Food Fair - So Many Good Products

Gluten Free Food Fair – August 29th Jefferson County Fairgrounds

I recentaly went to an excellend gluten free food fair and shared this on my other blog but wanted to post it here as well. Hope this is helpful.This is a list of all the companies that were there.

• Bobs Red Mill GF Products – have separate milling & packaging department. Gave out coupons and packet of mighty tasty GF hot cereal. www.bobsredmill.com
o Have a pizza crust, brownie mix
o Pamphlet with huge list of GF products (70)
o Catalog lists books that are continually sought after and use by their customer base. I thought they all looked interesting but here are a few I will definitely be reading
 The Amazing Flax Cookbook – Jane Reinhardt-Martin
 Art of Cooking with Quinoa – Maria Baez Kijac
 The China Study – Most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted – T. Colin Campbell
 Cooking with Coconut flour – Bruce Fife
 The Joy of Veagan baking – Collen Patrick – Gourea
 125 Best Gluten Free Recipes – Donna Washburn & Heather Butt
 Babycakes – vegan, gluten free and sugar free recipes from New York’s most talked about bakery – Erin Mckenna (some recipes call for spelt flour which is not gluten free)
 Cooking Free – 200 flavorful recipes for people with food allergies and multiple food sensitivities – Carol Fenster

• Chipotle was there handing out chips and guacamole – their meats are not marinated in gluten and their chips are safe!

• Carinos Italian was there advertising their gluten free menu and handing out a sample of cooked potatoes

• General mills had a booth that had pamphlets explaining how to read labels. They have hundred of gluten free products and are listed at liveglutenfreely.com
o Some brands listed are Larabar, fruit by the foot, chex, Yoplait, progresso and betty crocker

• Cecelias Market Place guid had a booth – website will give you product of the day emails and product alerts – www.CeceliasMarketplace.com

• Bakery on Main – Granola products. Gave out packet of Cinnamon Raison Granola and a peanut butter chocolate granola bar. Have a 34,000 square foot manufacturing facility with in house gluten testing on every batch of products.

• Bard’s beer – founded by celiacs, made it their mission to give beer back to those who are intolerant to gluten. America’s first gluten free sorghum beer and the only beer brewed with 100% malted sorghum. To find the beer visit www.bardbeer.com or call 1-877-440-2337

• On the border was there handing out a copy of their gluten free menu and a coupon for queso. I especially love they list the alcoholic beverage that don’t have gluten :0)

• Local Denver bakery, Delicious, was there. Gluten free baking www.delicious-gluten-free.com

• Diamond Baking Co. – www.diamondbakingco.com – Boulder and Denver Metro – gluten free dessert catering

• Another booth of locals who are about to launch and had an amazing booth full of truly amazing yummy products was toosies. They will be selling products in all local natural food stores. Toosiesglutenfree.com
o Will be selling all purpose flout, bread mix, brownie mix, muffin mix and pancake/waffle mix

• Schar- company that makes gluten free products was handing out free samples or chocolate covered wafers and a food pyramid for celiac patients. To remind us what we need to be eating to stay healthy.

• Barlean’s Organic Oils had a booth advertising their Omega Swirl. Tasted and looks like a smoothie yet provides optimal levels of vital and essential Omega 3 EPA/DHA. I tried the strawberry/banana and is was really good. They are sold at vitamin cottage. Can be taken straight, mixed with yogurt and blended with smoothies or protein drinks.
o Voted best product of the year by Vitamin Retailer Magazine
o Gold metal winner of American Masters of Taste Awards

• Rudis had a booth and was giving out complete loafs of bread to everyone. I had already purchased the cinnamon swirl a few weeks ago and love it. You cant even tell its gluten free. Today I got a loaf of the multi-grain and will have to let you know what I think.
o There slogan is “gluten free doesn’t mean bread free”
o Have original sandwhich, multi-grain and cinnamon swirl bread
o www.rudisbakery.com

• The Organic Dish – pre-made gluten free and other special diet food
o www.theorganicdish.com/menu
o Can shop at their kitchen in boulder or order online for pick up, delivery or shipping nation wide.
o Food comes ready to cook with instructions

• Bready had a booth. An automatic gluten free baking system. Very large and bulky and is $299.99. You can check it out at www.mybready.com

• Simply Boulder culinary sauces – sold at whole foods and vitamin cottage. Very good dipping sauces. Gluten free,agave nectar, dairy free, vegetarian, 100% natural. www.simplyboulder.com

• Gluten Free Oats – www.glutenfreeoats.com – tested at Univ of Nebraska Food Allergy Research a

• Kinnikinnick Foods was giving out packets of information – have bread products, doughnuts, personal size pizza crust, waffles, smores, bread crumbs and oreos.
o www.kinnikinnick.com or goglutenfee.com
o Gluten free never tasted so good
o To provide Celiacs, people with Autism and other people with special requirements with uncontimated, risk free source of food products.

• Glutenfreeda – gluten free burritos, granola and oatmeal.
o All products produced in our own 100% gluten free facility

• Gluten free passport had a booth. You can download an app on your phone will give you a list of restaurants and menus that you can eat from. www.GlutenFreePassport.com

• Jules Gluten Fee – www.JulesGlutenFree.com.
o Had some amazing desserts
o Author and creator of the flour was there
o The flour looks like it would be really great to use has tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch, white rice flour, corn flour and Xanthum gum. I am thinking of ordering some, then I wouldn’t have to mix all of these together while cooking.
o The author signed by book that I bought
o Can go to her website for some great GF recipes.

• Minnie Beasley’s Handmade Almond Lace Gourmet Cookies – first let me say that the creator of this cookie is a little intense but they are very good. He said that if you google “best damn cookie ever” his will pop up. Very good and they will ship pretty much anywhere.

• Arbonne cosmetics – all products including make-up, moisturizer and shampoo are gluten free. I asked for a catalog but they were out. I am going to email the consultant I met today and have her mail me one.

• Themissingmenu.com – “where the missing allergy-free menu can be found”
o Search local and national restaurants and bakeries
o Search by allergy, cuisine and neighborhoods
o View allergy free highlighted items and menus
o Stay current with allergy conscious community by using our twitter and facebook feeds

• Happy Bellies – the only organic baby cereal with DHA plus probiotic protection.
o Have formula that is allergy friendly
o Fresh, frozen organic baby meals
o Organic puffs

• Beaujo’s pizza – have gluten and dairy free pizza. I got a preferred discount card for 15% off every purchase. I have never tried this pizza but will make a note to do it soon and let you know what I think.

• The Gluten Free Gal Baking Company
o Gluten free, Soy Free,Dairy Free, Nut Free, Yeast Free, Corn Free, Sesame Free and Refined Sugar Free
o www.theglutenfreegal.com

• Namaste foods – contain zero gluten, wheat, soy, potato, corn, tree nuts, peanuts, casein or dairy
o Dedicated allergen free facility
o 15 baking mixes, 3 pasta dishes and all natural
o Also listed on a card I picked up is Bread, cookies, pizza crust, vanilla cake, sugar free muffins, perfect flour blend, biscuits pie crust and more, Chocolate and Vanilla frosting, muffins, brownies, spice cake, waffles/pancakes and chocolate cake
o I have tried the spice cake and I believe this is my favorite GF spice cake mix. I recently made the brownies, I thought it was really good but I added some things to it (organic justin’s peanut butter, walnuts, flaxseed and a bit of soy milk.

• Funky Monkey – fruit snacks
o 100% natural, real fruit, delicious,
o Nothing added
o Gluten Free & veagan
o Raw food
o Kosher
o I received a free bag which I will try and get back to you. They also gave out funky monkey temporary tattoos. I am sad to say I can’t find mine but if I could, would proudly be wearing it right now

• Udis Gluten Free Foods
o Made in a 100% dedicated gluten free facility
o Also dairy free, soy free and nut free
o Shown in the brochure is bagels, granola, pizza crust, sandwich bread, cinnamon rolls and muffins
o I haven’t tried their stuff but I got a coupon which means I will try it soon.

• Celiac Spruce Association – www.csaceliacs.org
o Handed out a bunch of information
o Flyer on “the gluten free diet and celiacs disease” class being offered taught by a registered dietician with over 20 yrs experience working in the field. Diagnosed herself with celiacs and multiple food allergies.
o Class is $45.00 and includes a copy of a list I bought today. A small bound book listing all safe GF products. Designed to take to the store with you and help decifer which products are safe.
o http://www.denverceliacs.org/

General Mills GF Products & Yummy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

A few weeks ago, I went to a gluten free food fair at some fair grounds in Colorado. I came out of that place with more then a full belly, there was so much helpful information I collected I didn’t know where to start going through it all. One of the things I discovered at this fair is that General Mills has a website for Glute Free Customers which means that I can now shop at Walmart again for some of my grocery needs. The website is http://www.liveglutenfreely.com/products/default.aspx. New to the list of products: Bisquick Gluten Free, Larabar Chocolate Chip, Progresso Soup Traditional Split Pea and Yoplait Whips-Key Lime Pie.  I picked up a flyer at the fair but was almost jumping up and down when I went on the site to check it out. They have organized all of their Gluten Free products and made a print friendly brochure you can take with you to the store.  I haven’t been grocery shopping yet, but I plan on taking it with me. Very cool!

I have been testing out Gluten Free Oatmeal and I have found two brands that I really like they are Gluten Freeda Instant and Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Oatmeal (very good with soy, flax, blueberries and a little bit of stevia). Here is a recipe for Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Cookies straight from their website.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

3 cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats

1 cup Butter (softened)

1 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 large Eggs*

1 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 cup Raisins (Unsulfured)

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter and sugars together until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. In a separate bowl, blend flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and Xanthan Gum. Stir flour blend into wet ingredients. Add oats and raisins and mix well. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool one minutes then transfer to wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

*Eggless Option: Mix together 2 Tb. Flaxseed Meal with 6 Tb. of water and let sit for a minute. Add to recipe as you would the eggs.

*I like they provide egg subsituation option. I didn’t know you could use flaxseed that way :0).

Gluten Free Food Fair

So, this is my first posting to my new addition to my so called blog life.  I figured that some of my readers who were interested in the nutrtion and/or celiacs information probably dont want to hear about my fertility problems (even though I think everyone does).  This is what made me decide to start this second blog. I figure as I continue to venture into the wonderful world of gluten free living and cooking I might want to share it all....so without further adoo......

I have officially reintroduced red meat and grains back into my diet and guess what?? My metabolism has picked up. With only fruits and veggies, I was starving my body of vital nutrients and now that I am eating grains and red meat, I am also not getting cravings for all things sweet anymore.  Now I admit that maybe three dinners in a row eating steak might have been over the top but that is what my body wanted so I did it…and it was so yummy! I have been finding that there are a lot more restaurants that have gluten free menus then I thought and I have been able to stay on my diet and before coming down with a sinus infection had been feeling pretty good.  I have cut down to only taking one of the six pills for my daily vitamin and am adding maca and royal jelly to my morning smoothies each day. That reminds me, during a recent trip to vitamin cottage, I learned that it is best to take probiotics first thing in the morning (45 minutes before you eat your first meal) or at night before you go to bed. The package says to take them directly before a meal…..but I have started taking my probiotics in the morning while making my juice and I have started taking a liquid iron supplement (recommended for gluten intolerant people because most of the time the women are anemic). The iron supplement is Floradix. They make a gluten free blend and this is the best iron supplement on the market.  Before yesterday, the above mentioned supplements were all I was taking. I attended another Gluten Free Food Seminar and Fair and a local vitamin cottage yesterday and found it to be very helpful.  The woman who gave the lecture is an in house nutritionist and man did she know her stuff.  First I am going to share my favorite find from this lecture. A company by the name of Enzymedica, has two products that are great for people who can’t break down gluten, GlutenEase and Digest Gold. They are currently doing a study with Celiacs patients using both of these products to see if they help the body heal quicker from the damage created when eating gluten. I will be curious to see the results.  GlutenEase “assists in digestion and assimilation of the offending proteins. Is able to break down the proteins believed to be a factor in the intolerance. Proactively supports the gut, allowing proteins to be properly absorbed in their digested state. Also good for those who wish to remain on a Gluten Free Diet to ensure complete breakdown of proteins safe and effectively. Also addresses a related issue that also stems from gluten intolerance, problems digesting the carbohydrates of offending foods. The nutritionist suggested that people trying to heal their bodies should take GlutenEase and DigestGold so that is what I am going to do.  You take one of each before each meal.  If you would like to check this product out you can go to a vitamin cottage or go to http://www.enzymedica.com/.

Namaste Foods was there and they had some samples of some amazing coconut cookies.  They had a bunch of recipe cards and a flyer explaining that if you send in four proofs of purchase, they will send you a free allergy friendly cookbook to use with their products.  They even gave me two proofs of purchase :0)   They also have recipes on their website http://www.namastefoods.com/. I think their spice cake is so yummy and the cookie mix makes cookies that are so fluffy and actually rise just like regular cookies. All of their products are made in a dedicated facility.

A company called Organique was there handing out samples. I grabbed samples or hand & body lotion and exfoliating walnut & apple face scrub.  Their products are natural head to heel body care made with organic essential oils and herbs. I will use them and let you know what I think.

Maverick Ranch also had a booth. They specialize in organic meats. I got a coupon for steak and one for chicken which I purchased both of. I thought the hamburger meat was pretty good and the chicken was also very yummy. It can be purchased at vitamin cottage.

They also passed out a list of all the gluten free products that vitamin cottage carries along with some recipes for the holidays and suggestions on how to substitute in recipes for allergy friendly items.

I purchased gluten free toothpaste from vitamin cottage. It does not feel like my mouth is clean after brushing with the stuff.  Feeling frustrated, I decided to do some research on toothpaste, here is what I found..

According to http://www.withoutthewheat.com/Dental_Products.html

Oral-B"No Gluten: Phophy Paste Stages Tooth and Gum Care --All the other product we cannot be excluded as a processing aid in the manufacture of raw materials. We DO NOT guarantee are gluten-free. If a consumer has a sensitivity or other concern about gluten, we suggest they do not use the product."

Colgate "All Colgate products are gluten free." 4/25/07
Colgate Palmolive "We do not intentionally add gluten to the following Colgate Palmolive products. However, we cannot guarantee that the ingredients used are not exposed to any glutens. Sorbitol is an ingredient which can be grain derived and may be found in toothpastes. Our sorbitol is corn-derived." 4/25/07
Crest (Procter & Gamble) "There is no gluten in any of our Crest Whitestrips products, the Crest Night Effects, Crest toothpaste varieties or Gleem toothpaste. None of our current Crest toothpaste versions, Crest Whitestrips versions, or Crest Night Effects contains gluten. In addition, none of the ingredients used in Glide dental floss contains gluten. Although we do not directly add ingredients that contain gluten to Crest Pro-Health Rinse or to Crest Whitening Rinse, it's possible these products could contain trace amounts. We recommend you contact your doctor before using these rinse products if you have questions or concerns about gluten. "

This site has a gluten free dental section and has other great information like blistex products that are gluten free.