The time of year has come when Starbucks is once again making the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte. Due to Starbucks making changes earlier this year to their Frappuccinos, I thought it would be in my best interest to email them to verify the gluten-free status of the lattes/syrups, etc. I am not at all pleased with the response that I got.

Hello Kimberly,

Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.

Starbucks is unable to guarantee a “gluten-free” environment in our retail locations due to the potential for cross contamination with gluten-containing products. The open environment and operating procedures of our store locations may present additional risk for gluten-sensitive customers aside from the gluten-containing ingredients themselves. “Gluten-free” is a claim with specific requirements defined by government agencies and industry standards. We are unable to make this claim on a product unless the item is specifically formulated and manufactured to meet the definition of the claim.

We do offer some packaged food items that meet gluten-free requirements including Kind Bars, Lucy’s Cookies, Peeled Snacks, Two Mom’s Raw Granola and Food Should Taste Good Chips. Please note that product assortment varies from location to location, and our packaged food offerings may change from season to season. If a packaged food item qualifies as gluten-free, it will be indicated on the label.

If you have any further questions or concerns that I was unable to address, please feel free to let me know.

Warm Regards,

Allison T.
Customer Relations
Starbucks Coffee Company
800 23-LATTE (235-2883)
Monday through Friday, 5AM to 8PM (PST)

While I appreciate the honesty, I am saddened that I can’t have my beloved latte. 🙁 They don’t come right out & say that the pumpkin spice syrup has gluten in it, but they won’t say that it doesn’t either. I do appreciate the other gluten-free snacks that they are now offering, but in all honesty, their plain coffee is not good enough to entice me into the store to buy it or the snacks.

So long Pumpkin Spice Latte, so long. Perhaps I can save all the money I would have spent on my PSLs and put it towards something fun – like a new pair of jeans or pedicure!

Time is important to all of us. Some people respect that, others don’t. I have had some major issues recently with doctors offices & long waits. It infuriates me. I feel like I am at the mercy of these doctors because I don’t have a medical degree and can’t perform my own physical, allergy tests, pap smears, etc.

Today, the straw broke the camel’s back. I had an allergist appointment this morning. I arrived 10 minutes early and asked if Dr. F was running behind, as he typically does. Last time I was there I waited 30 minutes to get back to the exam room and 30 – 45 after that to see the Dr. Completely unacceptable. I was informed that I didn’t have an appointment today? WHAT? Yes, I did – their office called me to schedule the appointment. The receptionist went to get my chart and sure enough, I had an appointment. Well, duh?! I wouldn’t be wasting my time standing in your office if I wasn’t supposed to be there. I asked again if they were running behind and was told yes. I asked how long and she said she couldn’t tell me. Okay – can’t or won’t? I wanted to ask that, but I didn’t. I explained that I couldn’t sit there for as long as I did last time. She repeated that she couldn’t tell me. I asked to speak with the office manager and was told she would be out in a minute. When she came out she told me the same thing. I expressed my concerns and added that since I wasn’t even on the schedule, even though I had an appointment, that will most likely make my wait even longer. She continued to stick by her guns. I couldn’t even get out of her how many patients behind they were. I made a snap decision to leave the practice then & there. I fired my allergist. I asked for copies of my records and the kids and was on my way. The manager apologized and I told her that it was unfortunate that I had to leave, and I liked Dr. F, but this was not fair to me.

I have a tendency to cry when I get mad and I hate that about myself! I was able to compose myself today, even though I was furious. I am so tired of being taken advantage of. I fired my primary care doctor last month and started seeing my sports medicine doctor for primary care now as well. I loved my PCP, but again, my time is valuable too.

So, how am am cooling my mad self down? With one of these:

*Photos courtesy of Breyers.

Breyers newest gluten-free treats! They are amazing! I can’t decide which one I like more – the chocolate covered strawberry or the triple chocolate chip. Seriously, these bars are worthy of hiding from the kids. Simply put at the back of the freezer and don’t get caught eating them. Jon caught me on Sunday as I was eating the last one. He was all over me – where did I get it? Could he have one? Guess I better be prepared to share my next box. When it is not appropriate to have wine (breakfast time or for lunch), have one of these instead. It made me almost as happy. 🙂

The kids went back to school last week and they both had great weeks! They are beginning to settle into routines and I am sure the homework will start flowing in. The need for quick meals is also going to be increasing as we get into hockey season & Hannah’s activities start up again.

My menu for the week…

Sunday – Mellow Mushroom gluten-free pizza (OMG….review coming this week!)

Monday – Teriyaki Salmon (Steelhead Trout), coconut baked brown rice, fresh green beans & salad

Tuesday – Spaghetti with marinara, steamed broccoli & salad

Wednesday -Breakfast for dinner – quick after ice skating

Thursday -Burgers, sweet potato puffs, roasted veggies & salad

Friday – Baseball game – packing food for Jon & I, though we will have catered food there.

Saturday – Pizza night

Baked Goods

Biscuits

Blueberry muffins, bread or bagels

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Weekly Recap

In case you missed it, the winner of the Katz Summer Desserts giveaway is here.

Got some information regarding flavored coffees that you may want to read if you drink them.

BTS information for you & your kids regarding a gluten-free diet.

thinkThin introduces a new bar.

Udi’s is introducing new products!!

Mary’s Gone Crackers adds cookies to their lineup.

Bard’s Tale Beer is now available in more locations.

Raisin Rack is now carrying Glow Gluten-Free cookies – a very, very good thing!

Check out these fun allergy-free gift baskets – perfect gift idea to send someone you love.

I am anxiously awaiting all of the pictures & reviews from the bloggers that were able to attend the IFBC in Seattle this past weekend. I wish I could have been there. Perhaps next time the IFBC can be in Ohio? LOL!

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Hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Yes, I am slacking. I said I was going to pick a winner for the Katz Summer Dessert giveaway on Saturday, but I got distracted and cleaned closets & such. Believe me, I would have much rather been here blogging. 😉

The winner of the giveaway is…..

Pamela Smith
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Oh, to be able to have desserts that taste delicious again. You have a well written article hear. I want to run and try the Katz’ desserts, but I will have to be patiend and order some of these desserts.

Pamela, please email me at kim@glutenfreeislife.com with your information so that I can get it to Katz and they will send your $25 in Katz Dollars to you.

The runner up is……..

Anna
August 24th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Already LOVE you on FB

Anna, please email me at kim@glutenfreeislife.com with your information so that I can get it to Katz and they will send your sample pack to you.

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My menu plan will go up tomorrow. I was supposed to spend the day doing nothing and things did not quite go as planned (or not planned). I do have some fun information to share with you all – I got to try a new gluten-free pizza this weekend and it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! Thank goodness I am running again or there could be trouble in paradise with this stuff nearby! More details to come soon!!

When I first went gluten-free one of my concerns was my coffee. Don’t take away my coffee. Of course the plain & decaf are gluten-free, but the flavored, that is another story. I went on a wild emailing spree and got a bunch of answers back in 2006 and I thought it was time to update some of those, seeing as how it is now 4 years later.

The first company that I contacted again was Folger’s. I had picked up some Folger’s Decaf Hazelnut last week and thought since it was in my pantry it should be the first one that I investigated Well, it is a good thing that I decided to check because according to the email I am going to share below, I was 2 days away from glutening myself.

August 24, 2010

Dear Ms. Bouldin,

Thank you for contacting The J.M. Smucker Company relating to our Folgers coffee products. For over 110 years, consumer safety and product quality have been of paramount importance to our Company.

Coffee is not a source of gluten and our Folgers roast and ground coffee items are produced in a dedicated facility where no other types of agricultural crops are handled or processed. However, due to the use of common equipment within the agricultural community to harvest, store and transport crops, it is possible that our roast and ground products may contain trace amounts of grain based ingredients.

Additionally, our flavored coffee products may contain added ingredients that are not gluten free.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us. If you should have further questions or need additional information, please visit our website at www.folgers.com or contact us at 800-937-9745, Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. EST.

Sincerely,

Meghan
Consumer Relations Representative
Ref # 9156408

Phew – close call, huh? I am not worried about this statement “However, due to the use of common equipment within the agricultural community to harvest, store and transport crops, it is possible that our roast and ground products may contain trace amounts of grain based ingredients“, as I drink Folger’s Decaf all the time with no issue. The flavored statement has me concerned, so I will stay away. Better to be safe, right? I know at one time I was told the flavored versions of Folger’s were gluten-free, but they are now officially stricken from the list. Everybody sing with me – “The best part of waking up, is not having Folger’s flavored coffees in your gluten-free cup!”

I will make sure to update you all on any further information that I get regarding flavored coffees. It is just as easy to dump in a flavored creamer, such as the So Delicious Coconut Milk Coffee Creamer or Vanilla Silk Pure Almond, in my opinion.

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One last thing, don’t forget to enter this Katz Summer Dessert giveaway! Tonight at midnight is the deadline!

So ’tis the time of the year that all parents look forward to and all kids dread – back-to-school! Routines are resumed & supplies are purchased. Over the years I have written several posts on what we do for school in regards to Jon eating safely. Instead of rehashing the same old thing here, I am going to post the links so that they are all in one place for easy reference.

The next few days & week will be spent emailing this letter to Jon’s teachers & school nurse. Since he is in high school now (OMG), he doesn’t have only 1 teacher, or even just 2 or 3. He has 8 or 9. I want them all to be aware of Jon’s condition even though most of them will not be feeding him or ever have food in the classroom. By having that knowledge, they will be able to be more understanding if Jon isn’t feeling well or has to leave the room in a hurry to go to the bathroom.

You can find my newest plan in regards to Jon’s lunch here. Every child is different, so take likes & dislikes, as well as age, into consideration when deciding what to pack for your child. While Jon may not get a completely balanced meal at lunch, I make sure to fill in those missing parts at breakfast, dinner and snacks. There is no sense in packing food that I know he will not eat or not eat in front of his friends. This year his lunch is at 10:10 AM. We talked about how he isn’t even really hungry yet after stuffing breakfast in early, so I pack only a sandwich & nuts and he buys milk. Then he takes a Soy Joy bar to eat between classes. Some other snack or protein bars that he will eat are:

• Envirokids Lemur Peanut Choco Drizzle
• thinkThin bars
• Nature Valley peanut or almond crunch

Jon’s school starts at 7:20 and he needs to be out the door by 6:45 AM and we are finding it is hard for him to eat so early. He is used to not eating until 9 or 10 AM, so this is an adjustment for him. He will adjust over time. For now he is drinking a Carnation Instant Breakfast* and eating a banana. Something is better than nothing and we have a deal that if he doesn’t eat fruit for lunch, he needs to for breakfast and either snack or dinner. Bananas are quick & easy & require no prep. Yogurt and fruit may be another thing that he opts for as he gets used to eating so early. I will also make a large batch of pancakes & freeze them for him so he can reheat in the microwave quickly.

I will also be contacting the director of food service to see if there are any safe options for Jon. He knows he can have yogurt, fresh fruit, salads (as long as he checks dressing) and some other packaged foods. I doubt that he will be purchasing any prepared foods at school.

*Not all varieties of Carnation Instant Breakfast are gluten-free. Please read labels before consuming.

Did you have your waffles today? August 24th, 2010 is National Waffle Day! Here is some fun information about the day & waffles from MrBreakfast.com:

National Waffle Day (August 24) is the anniversary of the first U.S. patent for a waffle iron. Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York received his patent for a “device to bake waffles” in 1869. His early waffle iron was used in conjunction with coal stoves, consisted of a griddle and a cover and required flipping of the device to cook both sides of the waffle. At present, National Waffle Day is at best a “bizarre” or “unique” holiday” – the fluff stuff of radio DJ commentary. Waffle promotions at some restaurant chains have helped to keep the holiday alive, if only barely.

13th Century A.C. – Ancient Greeks cook flat cakes between two metal plates. These early waffles were called obleios and were primarily savory in nature, prepared with cheeses and herbs.

1620 – The pilgrims bring Dutch “wafles” to America.

1735 – The word “waffle” – with two “f”s – appears in English print for the first time.

Late 1800’s – Thomas Jefferson returns to the U.S. from France with a long handled, patterned waffle iron.

1869 – Cornelius Swarthout patents the first U.S. Waffle Iron.

1953 – Frank Dorsa’s Eggo Frozen Waffles are sold in Supermarkets for the first time.

1964-65 – Brussels restaurateur Maurice Vermersch brings his wife’s Brussels Waffle recipe to the World’s Fair in New York. The fluffy yeast-infused waffle becomes a huge hit and becomes known as the Belgium waffle.

I love waffles and had some Van’s gluten-free blueberry waffles for breakfast. 🙂 I love to top them with almond butter, fruit spread & fresh fruit. In addition to Van’s, there are several other frozen gluten-free waffles on the market:

• Trader Joe’s
• Nature’s Path
• Kinnikinnick
• Van’s

If frozen waffles aren’t your thing, there are many great mixes on the market as well:

• Better Batter
• Bob’s Red Mill
• Pamela’s
• Kinnikinnick

Making your own from a mix or from scratch lets you customize ingredients. I personally like to add blueberries to my waffles, but chocolate chips, pumpkin and other berries work well, too.

Here is a picture of my morning waffles today.

And, I will leave you with a perfect fall waffle recipe from Karina – The Gluten-Free Goddess – Pumpkin Waffles.

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Don’t forget to enter here for your chance to win some sweet summer desserts from Katz Gluten-Free.

A couple weeks back I was contacted by “The Katz Man” to review some of their summer desserts & then host a super fun giveaway for my fabulous readers. They had me at “desserts”. If you read my blog, you know that I am a sucker for all things sweet. Toss in some chocolate and I am one happy gluten-free girl. I first reviewed some of Katz products earlier this year and I really enjoyed the bread cookies & rugelach. I was thrilled to find rugelach in my complimentary samples package when I received it the other day. Also in the package were chocolate chip cookies, apricot tarts, chocolate strip, chocolate cup cakes and honey muffins.

We have been enjoying these treats all weekend! The rugelach is light & sweetened just right. The honey muffins make a perfect Sunday breakfast treat paired with a nice bowl of fruit. The apricot tarts remind me of the kolache that my mom & grandma make and I haven’t had since going on the gluten-free diet. Boy, did that bring back some memories!  The chocolate chip cookies & chocolate strip are dessert tonight, though I did sample them each and then made it appear as though they were untouched.  😉  No worries, there won’t be any company for dinner, just the fam and they are used to me sampling their food right from their plate.  LOL!

The last time Katz sent me some samples, I was unable to sample the rolls because they had sesame seeds on them. I have since found out that they are available without the sesame seeds! I see an order in my future! To see a complete list of Katz products, click here.

A little more about Katz:

About Katz Gluten Free for Gluten Free Products, Foods & Recipes

Katz Gluten Free Bake Shoppe was established in early 2006 by F. Katz, with not much more than a home model kitchen mixer, some thoroughly tested recipes, and an unyielding quest for perfection. As word of our famously delicious confections rapidly spread, so did our base of operations.

Today, Katz Gluten Free operates out of a state-of-the-art facility, which has been Certified Gluten-Free by the Gluten Intolerance Group® (www.gluten.net) , for our unmatched reliability in complying with strict gluten-free standards. Our facility is completely nut-free and dairy-free. All of our products are certified Kosher, and are under the stringent supervision of the OU and Rabbi Y. Gruber.

As the mother of two children who are gluten intolerant, Mrs. Katz knows firsthand the hardships and daily struggles parents endure in their attempts to maintain a thoroughly gluten-free diet for their kids. She knows – as only a parent could – that the only way to minimize and avoid temptation, is by offering a variety of products that are rich in flavor, texture, and taste. That is why she constantly strives to concoct recipes that are as luscious as they are healthy.

We feature an extensive, ever-expanding selection of products, to meet the culinary demands of every gluten-intolerant individual. Our products consist only of pure, all natural high-quality and fresh ingredients, with no preservatives added, and are thoroughly taste-tested to ensure absolute goodness in every bite.

At Katz Gluten Free, we are truly passionate about our products and we hope that so are you. Our entire staff is committed to earning your satisfaction. We therefore welcome and anticipate your comments and suggestions. It is, after all, your input and feedback that have helped us achieve our goal of creating the most sought-after baked goods in the gluten-free market.

Now for the fun part! One lucky reader will win $25 in Katz dollars and the runner up will win a free sample pack! YAY!! What do you have to do to enter?  Just one simple thing –

1. Leave a comment here telling me which Katz product you would most like to try.

For bonus entries, complete 1 or more of the following & leave a comment for each one completed.

2. Follow me on Twitter.

3. Follow Katz on Twitter

4. Like Gluten-free is Life on Facebook

5. Run around your house 10 times. (just kidding) 😉

Contest ends Friday night at midnight. I will announce a winner on Saturday morning (August 28th).

An additional bonus – You can also enter to win $100 on the Katz website. One lucky winner will receive $100 Katz Dollars! To enter in the grand raffle, you simply visit the Katz special web page, and enter your name, email address and referring blog (Gluten-free is Life – make sure to include this, as I also have a chance to win some Katz dollars for the most referrals. Mama needs some challah!).

Hey, where did my weekend go? Last thing I knew it was Friday night. I took a much needed break from working out/running this weekend and just chilled. I literally stayed in my PJs all day yesterday and it felt fantastic! I spent the day catching up on blogs and finishing The Kitchen House. What an amazing book. I am so glad that a friend of mine recommended this book to me earlier this summer. While this book doesn’t fall into the typical genre of books that I read, I loved it. I think that I have really been limiting myself in the books that I am reading and I plan to change that immediately. This summer I have really enjoyed reading and can name 4 excellent books that I am happy to have read.

The Help

Emma & Me

The Island

The Kitchen House

Have you read any of the books listed? Find any really good “must read” books this summer that you care to share? Feel free to “friend” me on GoodReads if you like. Next up for me is Emily Giffin’s “Heart of the Matter” and Lisa Wingate’s “The Summer Kitchen“.

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The kids start school this coming Wednesday, so we have a very crazy week on tap. The one aspect that I am looking forward to is a break from all extra-curricular activities this week! Phew! They all start up again next week. Monday & Tuesday are jam packed full of BTS doctors appointments and a special lunch out at Chipotle. The kids and I do this every year (okay, so last year was the first year) the day before school starts.

Sunday – Rotisserie chicken, roasted green beans, baked acorn squash & salad

Monday – Mexican pizzas (veg or turkey), refried beans, roasted corn & salad

Tuesday – Bourbon Chicken, brown rice, broccoli & salad

Wednesday – Turkey burgers, butternutt squash fries, roasted zucchini & salad.

Thursday – out with friends

Friday – Make-your-own-pizzas and salad

Saturday – Leftovers or breakfast for dinner

Baked Goods

Some kind of cookie for Jon’s lunch

Bread

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Tomorrow morning I am announcing a super fun giveaway featuring one of my favorite selection of treats. Not only will I choose a winner, but a runner up as well! Make sure to check back for all of the details Monday morning.

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The week in review:

I chatted about cornbread here.

Amy’s Kitchen launches gluten-free burritos!

I reviewed Organic Bistro meals. They were really good and healthy, too!

I reviewed a new yogurt that I am in love with! Must.Try.Other.Flavors!

Trader Joe’s boxed macaroni & cheese is a hit!

Raisin Rack is hosting another gluten-free sample day.

Van’s French toast sticksrock!

Heidi made gluten-free sopaipillas!! Oh, yes, she did!! They seem fairly easy, too! I remember eating these when I worked at Chi Chi’s back in the day. We won’t say how long ago that was. Now that I am nearing 40, I don’t like to specify any amount of time in “years ago”.

Amy makes an awesome looking stuffed Italian chicken with her mom. Look how cute they are together! 🙂

Shirley is rocking the lemon-lime coconut basil ice this week and it looks so refreshing!

Kim shared tips on how to heal a leaky gut, something that is common in those with Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance.

Okay, so I hope you all got a nice giggle out of the title of my blog post that went up last night. I am sure you figured out that it was supposed to say “Gluten-free Pantry”, not “Gluten-free Panty”. I have corrected it, however, it seems as if the title can’t be corrected once it is published. So, while I could delete the entire post & start over, I decided to leave it up and provide you all with some comic relief. If that doesn’t make you laugh, you must really be having a bad day. 😉

On a real, serious topic, I was browsing Twitter this morning after I slept in and came across a conversation about Godiva chocolate and whether or not it was gluten-free. I saw many responses – some said it was, some said it wasn’t. I shot Godiva a quick email and already got a response:

Thank you for your email and your interest in Godiva Chocolatier.

All of our chocolates may contain gluten due to our manufacturing process.

An individual should NOT consume any of our products if they have a gluten allergy or any other restrictions for gluten consumption.

Thank you for your interest in Godiva.

Robbin
Customer Care Department
Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.
1-800-946-3482
Take Prompt #3
7 days a week
8:00 am to 11:00 pm ET

Is that the classic “CYA” statement because the candy may be processed on the same line as chocolate that does contain gluten or does the chocolate really have gluten (most likely barley malt) in some flavoring? I have no idea, but I can assure you that I won’t be testing it out anytime soon.

This conversation came up at a really good time as I have been emailing chocolate & candy companies this week to get a good list compiled for the upcoming Halloween & Christmas season. There are many other companies out there that make amazing gluten-free chocolate, so crossing Godiva off of the list isn’t really that big of a deal. Green & Black’s organic chocolate, Dagoba chocolate, Endangered Species chocolate are a few of my favorites.