I received a wonderful package full of gluten-free products to sample the other day courtesy of MamboSprouts. Included in this package were crackers made by Crunchmaster.

Crunchmaster Crackers are crunchy oven-baked multi-seed crackers. Unfortunately I can not eat these due to the sesame seeds, but that didn’t stop my family from sampling the crackers. I served the crackers along side of some Trader Joe’s Hummus at our Mother’s Day party on Saturday. They were a huge hit! Aaron refused to try them at first and then apparently snuck over to try them when I wasn’t looking (per my Mom – thanks Mom!). He loved them. He was quick to confiscate the unopened packages & claim them for himself. Sorry Lindsey, Aaron took your crackers. A side note – I will be introducing you all to Lindsey later this week or early next week. Lindsey works with Aaron and has been gluten-free for the past 9 -12 months. She is one of my samplers and seems to be enjoying the “job”. I did manage to take a small bite of the cracker and really wish that I could eat them! Darn sesame seed sensitivity! They reminded me of “normal” crackers. Crackers like the fancy seeded crackers that you would serve with brie or pate.

More from Crunchmaster:

Our Story

It’s a long way from the rice fields that surround Niigata along the coast of northern Japan, where the art of handcrafting, aging, baking (on open grills) and perfecting rice crackers has long been passed down from generation to generation.
At Crunchmaster, we’re committed to fusing the tradition of the East with the tempting taste sensations of the West to give you authentic, all natural snacks that not only taste great, but are better for you.
Using our exclusive, proprietary rice baking techniques, we craft our baked rice crackers in the “Usuyaki” style (that’s Japanese for thin and flat) tradition, using pure, all natural ingredients. The result? Great tasting crackers with an incredible crunch!
Crunchmaster is brought to you by your friends at TH Foods, Inc. For more information on our company, visit www.thfoods.com.

Grown for You

Our crackers are made in the USA at our baking facility in Loves Park, IL using only the highest quality ingredients.
We use only pure, GMO-free, California grown rice. The sesame seeds used in our products are grown in the U.S. with a special hybrid that was developed to fit the climate in Texas and Oklahoma. Our quinoa and amaranth seeds are sourced from the Andean region in South America. And our flax seeds are grown in the plains of the upper Midwest and Canada.
Each of these seeds are known for their unique, nutritional benefits. Quinoa is sometimes called the “mother of all grains,” since it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete food. Several studies have shown that amaranth seed, like oats, may be of benefit for those with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that among other benefits, the sesamin in sesame can lower total and LDL cholesterol and raise tocopherol levels. Flax seeds contain high levels of lignans and Omega-3 fatty acids and may help lower your cholesterol levels.

Crunchmaster Crackers come in 3 different types – multi-seed, multi-grain and rice. All 3 are certified gluten-free, cholesterol free, low in saturated fat, low sodium and all-natural. There is a $1 off coupon at the bottom left of this screen on the Crunchmaster site. To find Crunchmaster Crackers you can enter your zip code on the same site where you find the coupon or you can order from the online store.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Crunchmaster Crackers. Thank you MamboSprouts & Crunchmaster for the complimentary samples.

I was so excited to learn that Rusty Bucket was now offering a gluten-free menu!  I couldn’t wait to go in and give them a try.  I was especially excited about the 2 different gluten-free pasta dishes on the menu.

A couple of Saturdays ago, I took the kids and met up with my in-laws for dinner at RB.  I ordered the Chicken Pesto Penne and a house salad; Jon ordered buttered penne and grilled chicken and my mother-in-law ordered the Chicken Penne.  My mother-in-law doesn’t have Celiac, but chooses to eat gluten-free most of the time.  The restaurant was really busy, as it was a Saturday night.  Our salads came out incorrectly and had to be sent back, though it had nothing to do with gluten.  The food took a very long time to come out.  I snapped a few pictures and then we dove in.

The meals looked great, but they were far too salty.  After speaking with management, it was determined that the pasta water was over-salted.  Apparently the gluten-free pasta is prepared per order, while the rest of the pasta is made in advance.  After waiting so long, we opted not to have the dishes re-made, but did receive a gift card to go back another time.

We went back later the following week and the restaurant was less busy.  My mother-in-law ordered the Pesto Chicken Penne and Jon ordered his buttered penne & chicken breast again.  I got the Blackened Salmon Salad.  The food still took a while, especially considering  there were not many people there.  When we finally got our food, it was cold.  🙁  My salad was very good, and as a matter of fact, it wasn’t supposed to be piping hot, but my mother-in-law’s dish and Jon’s, too, were sent back to be re-made.  A side note – Hannah’s grilled cheese sandwich was even cold.  The regional manager was there and I was able to speak with him.  I told him that I was there to review the gluten-free menu and that I want to help get the word out so that the menu is successful.  I explained that I knew they were trying to work out some kinks and only had  the menu in place for a couple of weeks, I know they are all still getting used to it.  However, slow service is not something that has anything to do with the gluten-free menu.  Our meal was taken care of and we were given more gift cards.

Well, the third time is the charm, right?  Almost.  My Mom and I went back last night for some “girl time”.  I ordered the Blackened Salmon with roasted carrots & broccoli.  My mom ordered the Tilapia with Black Bean Salsa, broccoli & tomato/cucumber salad off of the gluten-free menu.  Our food came out steaming hot (yay!), however, my salmon was not blackened, as ordered, and my mom did not get her broccoli, as ordered.  Our server did offer to re-make my salmon, but I declined.  I wanted to enjoy my food with my mom and not wait for another meal.  The salmon was cooked perfectly and was seasoned just right.  I was very impressed with this dish.  My mom’s tilapia was also cooked perfectly & seasoned well.  The black bean salsa was amazing, as was the tomato/cucumber salad (with feta cheese).  I was a little concerned that our server didn’t seem to have a good grasp of the meaning of gluten-free.  I had asked if the black bean salsa had onions in it and she told me that nothing on the GF menu has onions, implying that onions had gluten.  I explained that onions have nothing to do with gluten (and wanted to point out that the salads on the GF menu clearly state “onions”).  She stood by her “nothing on the GF menu has onion” statement.  I left it at that.

After my three experiences at the Rusty Bucket, I have to conclude that there is still some training and fine tuning that needs to be done on the gluten-free menu and perhaps service in general.  I was told by the regional manager that the staff underwent training before the menu rolled out. (He told me for how long, but I can’t recall right now).  Clearly the server we had last night either did not attend or was confused and could benefit from more training.  The kitchen staff seems to be inconsistent even when the restaurant is not busy.  While there is a new menu in place that can add confusion, the mistakes & issues we experienced did not have anything to do with getting a gluten-filled meal instead of a gluten-free meal. It was over-salted food, cold food and food that was not made to order.

I did not write a review after my first or second experiences at Rusty Bucket because I really wanted to write a spectacular review for them.  My goal is to help spread the word about restaurants that can safely feed those of us who have to follow a gluten-free diet, not write a review like this.  Will I go back to Rusty Bucket?  Probably.  I can’t say that I would add it to my “favorites list” at this point, but I would not put it on my “never go there again” list, either.

Did you all get to see Betty White on Saturday Night Live last night? I just love Betty White and loved watching her on Golden Girls as Rose Nyland. She never fails to make me giggle.

If you missed it, you can view Betty’s monologue here:

And here is Betty’s NPR themed sketch:

Kudos to Betty White!

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Next week at this time I will have ran my first marathon! I am as ready as I am going to be and can’t wait to conquer that race & own it! Lots of carb loading this week. Weather is supposed to be a high of 70 and low of 55 with a 10 – 20 % chance of rain. Perfect and maybe a little too warm for running. Hope the humidity isn’t too high.

Hope all the moms out there are having a great Mother’s Day! We had family over yesterday to celebrate for a nice meal. It was great to see them all. I love spending time with my mom.

Sunday – Rotisserie, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed carrots & green beans, salad

Monday -BBQ chicken tenders, basmati brown rice, asparagus & salad

Tuesday -Spaghetti, roasted veggies, okra & salad

Wednesday -Leftovers or Bonefish Grill

Thursday – Burgers, baked steak fries, corn & salad

Friday – Baked Beans over sweet potatoes, zucchini & salad

Saturday – Cleveland for the race on Sunday – not sure yet

Baked Goods

Bread

Scones

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Weekly Recap:

Did you see Nature’s Own is rolling out gluten-free bread? See Tiffany’s post for more information.

Mama Mimi’s is now offering take & bake pizza on Thursdays!

Plantains are naturally gluten-free.

Celiac Disease Awareness month to be observed at Raisin Rack

Gluten-free at Uno Chicago Grill

Celiac Awareness in USA Today

Books on Celiac Awareness

If you aren’t following Gluten-free is Life on Facebook, come join in the fun!

You can also follow me on Twitter!

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Like healthy chocolate chip cookies? Check out Erin’s recipe! OMG…I need to make these and soon!!

Michael at Gluten Free Philly mentions that Amazon.com is having gluten-free sales this month for Celiac Awareness.

Hope you all have a great week!!

If you get USA Today, you probably noticed the large insert dedicated to Celiac Awareness. If you don’t, no worries, you can read the insert here. This insert will reach over 1 million readers nationwide! I just can’t say enough how happy this makes me! The thought of someone needlessly suffering because they don’t know what is wrong makes me sad. Have then been to the doctor and they doctor didn’t test them? Is the doctor not familiar with Celiac or did the doctor brush them off? With the help of this ad, hopefully anyone that is suffering can go to their doctor armed with this information and ask for the test.

I know that I have mentioned it before, but I want to mention it again. I had to practically beg our pediatrician to test Jon for Celiac Disease. Even though I found out about myself 6 months earlier and started asking then, he said that Jon didn’t fit the “classic symptoms”. Classic symptoms can be defined as diarrhea, weight loss, malnourishment or dermatitis herpetiformis. Jon had none of the above. Jon was in the 95% for weight & height and had no diarrhea. Jon did have constipation and had some ADHD like symptoms. In May of 2006, we had Jon evaluated for ADHD. His grades had dropped & he couldn’t sit still in class. He was always been active, but his grades were always good. I put my foot down and said there would be no medication for ADHD until we did the blood work for Celiac. I had read in many places that sometimes children can have ADHD like symptoms with untreated/undiagnosed Celiac. We did the blood work and the doctor called me himself. He apologized and told me that Jon had a very positive result. His ttg number was supposed to be under 20 and his was 222. We scheduled his endoscopy & biopsy and confirmed that he did indeed have Celiac disease.

So, if you or a friend or family member has unexplained symptoms and has not been feeling right, don’t be afraid to speak up! Be an advocate for your health. You can view a symptom checklist here.

I don’t know about you, but after finding out that I would be changing my diet forever, I was scared. I did what I do best when I am scared – I research and gather as much information as humanly possible. I wanted to get my hands on every book that I could that told me about Celiac Disease and the gluten-free diet. In this post I am going to share the books that helped me out.

The first book I read was Dangerous Grains. I was fascinated by this book. The sheer number of ailments or symptoms that can be attributed to the grain-filled diet is amazing. I highly recommend this book – not only if you are following the gluten-free diet, but if you are suffering from any symptoms of an unknown cause. Heck, even if you do know the cause, the book is probably still worth reading, you never know if your diet may be connected.

Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic came out shortly after I began the gluten-free diet. I don’t think I have ever rushed out so quickly to purchase a book before. Remember, I was information gathering. 🙂 In this book, Dr. Peter Green and Rory Jones write about Celiac Disease and all you ever wanted to know about it. Celiac Disease is one of the most underdiagnosed autoimmune diseases. It is said that 1 in 133 people actually have Celiac Disease, yet only 97% are undiagnosed. That is huge! I really liked learning what happens to your body when you have Celiac Disease and how it can recover once gluten is removed.

Wheat-Free, Worry-Free. Danna Korn has written several books on Celiac Disease and the gluten-free diet. This book is very informative on every aspect of the diet from symptoms to recovery & food. Danna’s son, Tyler, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 1991. She founded R.O.C.K (Raising Our Celiac Kids), a support group for families with kids on a gluten-free diet. I liked this book so much that I also purchased Kids with Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free for Dummies.

Gluten-Free Diet – A Comprehensive Resource Guide. I purchased this book after Jon was diagnosed in July 2006. This is an excellent book to have on hand. My book is outdated, but Shelley has a revised & expanded edition out now! There is so much useful information in this book. I love all of the gluten-free specialty foods companies that are listed with their contact information included!

Recognizing Celiac Disease: Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders & Complications. I received a complimentary copy of this book to review & was impressed with all of the information in it. This book is very technical, so it is not as easy to read as some of the others that I have listed above. I particularly liked the lists of all of the health manifestations of Celiac Disease. There are so many things that can be related, you just don’t even realize.

I have learned so much over the past 4+ years and continue to learn more & more every day. I have a thirst for knowledge when it comes to Celiac Disease & the gluten-free diet. My hope is that by arming myself with this knowledge I can help other people. Whether I am helping someone by sharing the newest gluten-free products on the market or a new recipe or restaurant, I enjoy doing what I can.

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If you are interested in helping to raise money for Celiac research, please visit The University of Maryland Research Center and purchase an awareness bracelet or magnet for your car, van or truck. More than 40,000 bracelets have been sold so far!

T-minus 14 days until my marathon! I have been seeing a sports doctor this week & found out that my sore foot was my plantar fascia acting up. I have never had issues like this, so it is all new to me. With a little ART (deep tissue massage), PT and TLC, I should be just fine by race day according to my doctor. I did freak out a little this week, but I am feeling better now.

Jon leaves for DC the day after my race for a week. I am also stressing about him going and eating safely. Fortunately there is a mom going who also has a child with Celiac disease. She & I have been chatting about food for the kids.

When I went shopping today I picked up lots of fresh produce and not a lot else. I have a bunch of protein already in my freezer, so I didn’t need to grab any meats. I spent only $100!

Sunday – Rotisserie chicken, sweet potato, okra & salad

Monday -salmon, basmati rice, carrots & salad

Tuesday – Chicken tacos/burritos, corn, refried beans & salad

Wednesday – Burgers, baked fries, green beans & salad

Thursday -Bonefish Grill

Friday – Veggie pizza and salad

Saturday – Beef tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, salad, pistachio cheesecake (Mother’s Day get together)

Baked Goods

Bread

Pistachio Cheesecake

Weekly Recap

Review: Udi’s Cinnamon Rolls

Review: No Nuttin’ Granola Bars

Review: Udi’s Bagels

Teens following the gluten-free diet

Bard’s tale beer

Columbus Stores carrying hot items

Holiday Baking Company changes hours

Mixes from the Heartland discounts

Soy Joy bars review

5 Things to know about going gluten-free

General Mills debuts GF Hamburger Helper & Bisquick

Diane’s (The Whole Gang) 30 Days to a Food Revolution

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And, for those who read my “True Blogger Confessions“, I have been flossing almost daily! I went from not flossing to flossing 5 out of 7 days last week. The 2 days I forgot I was already in bed and was too tired to get back up when I remembered.

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Have a great gluten-free week!

Foodbuzz sent me some samples of the new Soy Joy Blueberry bars as part of the Tastemaker program. I have always wanted to try the Soy Joy bars, but I had never bought one before, though I am not sure why. I think part of the reason is that I was not sure if soy was making my stomach feel off or not. I have determined that soy was not the issue, so while I can eat soy, I don’t eat a lot of it.

Soy Joy uses only non-GMO soybeans in their bars. The bars are comprised of a mix of real fruit & ground whole soybeans. They are minimally processed & then simply baked. Soy Joy bars contain no trans fat, no hydrogenated oils, no artificial colors or flavors & no preservatives. Each blueberry bar contains 140 calories, 4g protein & 4g fiber. As I was reading through the list of FAQ on the Soy Joy website, I came across this question that really interested me:

Why whole soy?
Answer:
SOYJOY® is made from ground whole soybeans to take full advantage of all of the nutritional benefits of whole soybeans. SOYJOY® does NOT contain soy protein concentrates, isolated soy protein, or any other highly processed soy ingredients. For more information on the benefits of soy, click on the soy benefits link.

I loved these bars! The picture on the package that you see above and can see here is exactly what the bar looks like. I meant to take a picture, but I was eating this on-the-go. I was really impressed with these bars. Jon happened to be hungry one day in the car and I had another one in my purse. I offered it to him thinking he would quickly turn it down, but he took it and started to read the ingredients and said he wanted to try it. He loved it and asked me to get some more! He asked what other flavors they made:

• Blueberry
• Mango Coconut
• Raisin Almond
• Apple Walnut
• Berry
• Peanut Chocolate Chip
• Strawberry

I plan on picking up quite a few more of these to keep around and to send with him on his week-long trip to DC with his school. If I had to list 1 negative about the bar is that it is a little small, but then again, I was pleasantly surprised that it held me over until my next meal.

Where can you find Soy Joy bars? You can enter your zip code at the top of the page here. I know that I have seen them at my local Walmart for $1. They new Blueberry bars debuted in April, so they should be on the shelves. now.

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month. I plan on sharing several posts that pertain to awareness this month, beginning with Five Things to Know About Being Gluten-Free.

Starting out on a gluten-free diet can be very scary. The foods that may have once provided a source of comfort & satiety – pastas, bread, and cereals – are now off limits. On top of feeling robbed of old favorites, you may not be feeling all that great either. Gluten can wreak havoc on the body and can cause a multitude of symptoms for those who can’t tolerate it. Here are five basics to know about being gluten-free.

1. Do not embark on the gluten-free diet until all of the testing that you & your doctor have talked about doing has been completed. It is understandable that once you get your blood test results and find out that gluten has been causing your problems that you just want start the diet and feel better. However, the test that doctors use to confirm Celiac Disease, an endoscopy with an intestinal biopsy, is most accurate while you are still consuming gluten. Removing gluten from your diet before the testing is complete can skew the test results.
2. Start simple. Instead of stressing out and combing through countless articles and labels, buy the basics that are naturally gluten-free. Fresh fruits, vegetables, rice, potatoes, most unseasoned meats (feel free to add your own salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc at home), milk and plain yogurt are all naturally gluten-free. Sure, there are thousands of items in the store that are gluten-free, but starting out simple will make the entire process seem a whole lot less daunting.
3. Once you have the hang of it, there are many gluten-free replacement foods on the market. Arm yourself with your lists of safe & forbidden ingredients and get to work. Several mainstream companies have begun to label their foods as “gluten-free. Some of these companies are Van’s International Foods, General Mills, Kraft and Hormel. Triumph Dining has a grocery guide to help navigate the grocery store. There are also many specialty companies that make breads, mixes, rolls, cakes, pies, etc.
4. Eating out is still possible when you are following a gluten-free diet. Many of the chain restaurants now have gluten-free menus available. Triumph Dining also has a dining guide & cards available for purchase to help navigate the restaurant world. Aside from making sure the food you order is gluten-free, you need to make sure the staff is aware that you are following a gluten-free diet and that precautions should be taken to keep the risk of cross contamination to a minimum. Some of these precautions include mixing your salad in a clean bowl where no croutons have been tossed previously, cooking your food in a separate pan or clean area of the grill and using separate utensils to flip and/or stir food.
5. Attending public events is still possible. As soon as you receive notice of the event, start your plan. Contact the person in charge of the event and find out what, if any, food is going to be served. Casual family functions may be the easiest, as you will feel most comfortable explaining your dietary needs to them. If your friends and family are not willing to accommodate you or you don’t feel that they have grasped the severity of your needs, simply eat beforehand or bring along a dish to share that you can eat. More formal functions can be handled by contacting the person in charge of the food and going from there. Most restaurants or conference centers can accommodate you in some manner. Always keep a gluten-free bar or snack in your bag, car or purse. There are several gluten-free options that travel well, including Lara Bars, Pure Bars, Zing Bars and when in doubt, nuts.

So, while starting the gluten-free diet can seem intimidating, it can be tackled one step at a time to make the transition more manageable. Of course there is so much more information, but I want to try to put this information into small, easy-to-read & access posts. If you are ever looking for more information, please make sure to check the links on the right side of my blog. There are restaurant menus, grocery store gluten-free lists, celiac links and more. Furthermore, if you can’t find information you are looking for, you can always email me and I am happy to try and help.

Do you like saving money? I know I do, especially since gluten-free mixes can be on the pricey side. Mixes from the Heartland has many gluten-free mixes from pancakes to muffins to pies to dip to soups & casseroles. I reviewed some of their products a few months back. Mixes from the Heartland now has a new Gluten Free Buying Club that offers some great savings incentives.

• 15% discount
• Lower prices not offered on the website
• Access to new recipes
• Special orders
• Expanded variety of new products not offered on the website

How much does the Gluten Free Buying Club cost?

• One year membership – $25
• Lifetime membership – $40
• Group/Wholesale membership – $100

There is also a sale going on right now for members: Assortment Packages for $28.00 ($8.00 off). There is free shipping on all orders over $100 and $10 flat rate shipping on all orders under $99.

A little more about Mixes from the Heartland:

• No peanuts, eggs, tree nuts, soy, barley, wheat or rye in the factory
• No bean flours
• Eliza testing at 5 ppm

I just received an email from Teri, CEO of Mixes from the Heartland, with a coupon code for everyone to use through May 30: GFMFTH If you haven’t found Mixes from the Heartland on Facebook or Twitter yet, please make sure to check them out.

General Mills is continuing to expand their gluten-free foods line by adding Gluten-free Bisquick and Hamburger Helper. These products will be debuted at the Celiac Disease Foundation Annual Education & Food Faire in Los Angeles on May 15, 2010.

The event starts at 8:00 AM and goes until 4:00PM. On the agenda:

FEATURING TOP NATIONAL SPEAKERS

Peter H.R. Green, MD Professor of Clinical Medicine, College of Physicians & Surgeons Columbia University, New York
Director, Celiac Disease Center Columbia University

Sheila Crowe, MD Professor of Medicine, Gastroenterology/Hepatology and Researcher University of Virginia Health System

Daniel C. Adelman, MD Senior V.P. & Chief Medical Officer Alvine Pharmaceuticals

Shelley Case, BSc, RD Registered Dietitian, author, speaker, and leading international nutrition expert on celiac disease and the gluten-free diet

Anne Lee, MSEd, RD, CDN Registered Dietician, Certified Diabetes Nutritionist, Director of Nutritional Services for Schär USA food products

&
Back by popular demand
Frank Baldassare, “The Missing Ingredient”

Also featuring

Question and Answer

Peter H.R. Green, MD and Sheila Crowe, MD

Cooking for Kids with Celiac Disease and Food Allergies

Lunchbox options and enticing gluten-free family meals
Elizabeth Kaplan, Chef

Parents of Celiac Children

Marc & Melissa Riches

CDF Connections & Chapters

Meet local support group leaders and members

Young Adults & Teens Get Together

Presentation of the 2010 Champion of Celiac Disease Awareness Award

Meet the Authors – New Books Sales & Signing

Dr. Green – Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic Revised and Updated
Dr. Crowe – Celiac Disease for Dummies
Shelley Case BSc, RD – Gluten-Free Diet A Comprehensive Resource Guide – Revised and Expanded

Gluten-free Pancake Breakfast and Luncheon*
Gluten-free Goodie Bag with each registration
Raffle
Extensive vendor displays with gluten-free food samples and sales

* Please contact the CDF office for dairy free or vegetarian meals

Registration information can be found here. There is still a discount until April 30, 2010, so if you are interested in going, register soon!

It is important to know that the Gluten-free Bisquick & Hamburger Helper will not be available in stores at this time. The Hamburger Helper, which will come in 3 different gluten-free varieties: Chicken Fried Rice, Cheesy Hashbrowns and Beef Fried Rice, will be available beginning at the end of May. The Gluten-free Bisquick will not be available until July. Due to lags in shipping times, there may be a delay until these items are commonly available in stores. Please visit Live Gluten Freely for the most recent information.

When I shared the General Mills news on my Facebook Fan Page, there was quite the discussion that blossomed. Anne Steib, my colleague at Celiac-Disease.com, wrote about the new products last week. There was a lot of mention of how the new products are highly processed and aren’t we, as a country, trying to get away from processed foods. The sodium levels were also mentioned as a concern. While these products may not be for everyone, they will certainly be filling a void in the market. There are specialty companies that make baking mixes and the helper type mixes, but no mainstream company, such as General Mills, has taken on such a task.

If you follow a gluten-free diet should you start eating the Cheesy Hashbrowns for every meal? No. Just as with everything else in a healthy diet, moderation is key.

What purpose do these mixes serve then? They provide safe options for those needing a fast meal. When I say “safe”, I mean gluten-free. I don’t necessarily mean low-fat, low-sodium or full of only healthy ingredients. I am strictly referring to the gluten-free status of this product.

Can you make the meals healthy? I think that the meals can be rounded out nicely by added some fresh steamed veggies, salad and maybe even some fruit for dessert. Again, maybe not something to have on a regular basis, but it will certainly be useful for many.

As far as the Gluten-free Bisquick goes, while I have not seen the ingredients, I can’t see this as being much different from something like Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix.

What are your thoughts?