Now that fall has officially arrived, it is time to bring back the warming comforting breakfasts.  Waffles, hot cereals (oatmeal or Bob’s Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal).  I can’t wait to start making my oatmeal again.  Perhaps tomorrow AM since we have a frost warning tonight & a low of 35 predicted!  Yikes!!  I am thinking a pumpkin pie spin on the oats is the way to go. 

Another thing I love for fall breakfasts are pumpkin or banana breads.  Cream cheese or butter is the perfect topping.   I am thinking of making some pumpkin pancakes here soon, too.  I am going to add some flax & chocolate chips for extra texture. 

What are your go-to gluten-free warm breakfasts?

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Kinnikinnick is offering a pretty sweet deal right now.  Any order shipped in October will include a free sample of waffles!  You can see my review of Kinnikinnick bread here.  I love this bread!  🙂  They have a flat shipping rate of $10, so load up! 

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Speaking of comfort foods, check out Amy’s Homemade Chicken Stock post.  OMG!  I have to make this soon!! 

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Have a great night!  I can’t wait to watch Modern Family tonight!  Have you guys seen that?  What a hoot!

There are a few things I wanted to share before I forgot.  So this post will be some short & sweet notes.

First, Campbell’s has updated their gluten-free information on their site.  You can see it here.  They don’t have any gluten-free soups, but some of the broths are gluten-free.  This list does include their Prego sauces & Pace salsas.  Good to keep on hand.

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Udi’s Gluten-Free Bakery now has online ordering for all of those who don’t live close to any stores that carry Udi’s.  You can see my review of Udi’s baked goods here.

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A wonderful reader, Michelle, sent me a link to Ruby Tuesday’s gluten-free menu.  You can view it here.  I will also be placing a link in the right sidebar under “restaurants”.    Thanks for the great email, Michelle! 🙂 

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And lastly, why I am not allowed to buy anymore cereal or baking supplies:

Hehe…I have a bit of a problem.  I see a sale & buy.  I better get busy baking, huh? 

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Tomorrow is hump day!  The week is half over.  Is it cold where you live?  We went from A/C last week to needing coats today!  BRR!!!  It was down right blustery out! 

Can you believe that it is the last week of September and October 1, 2009 is Thursday?  Where in the world did this year go?  It certainly didn’t feel like fall here this week.  It was so humid we had to turn our A/C back on.  Tonight however, it is glorious out.  So cool & almost crisp!  It smells like fall! 

Update on the pumpkin shortage – I found large cans of pumpkin at Meijer today.  They were the store brand, though, not Libby’s.  I have a friend here in Columbus who found some at Kroger, but they were going fast.

Cheryl at Gluten-free Goodness is hosting this week’s Gluten-free Menu Swap with a vegetarian theme.  I have been loving my vegetarian meals lately.  Here are some of my favorites:  Honey Baked Lentils, Cocoa Coconut Chili, and the Mexican Pizzas I am making on Wednesday.  

Onto the menu.  This week is the last week before hockey starts.  Evaluations are this weekend and then the craziness begins.

Sunday ~ Rotisserie Chicken (Lemon Herb), mashed garlic potatoes (Aaron’s specialty), steamed green beans & salad

Monday ~ Burgers (beef or turkey), baked fries or pan-fried potatoes, broccoli & salad

Tuesday ~ Mexican night.  Tacos or Mexican Pizzas, refried beans, corn & salad

Wednesday ~ Spaghetti with marinara (Marinutta for me) & veggies (eggplant & zucchini) & salad

Thursday ~ Herb roasted pork loin, roasted squash, sugar snap peas & salad

Friday ~ Pizza night and salad

Saturday ~ Leftovers

Baked Goods

Pumpkin Raisin Bread

Pumpkin Cookies

Pamela’s Bread

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Information on the 22nd Annual Celiac Conference in Columbus.

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Hope you all have a great week!  Enjoy fall!

Nature’s Path is introducing 2 new gluten-free cereals!  We all know how I feel about cereal, so I was so excited when 2 boxes showed up on my front door step to sample & review. 

I couldn’t decide which box to open first, so I opened them both!  The Crunchy Maple has an amazing maple flavor to it.  I love the different textures & crunch going on in this cereal.  It is great right out of the box or topped with Greek yogurt, fruit or almond milk. 

The Crunchy Vanilla is just as good as the Crunchy Maple.  The vanilla is a nice flavor, but not overpowering.  The crunch & texture rocks.  I love all the different shapes.  These cereals almost eliminate the need for me to mix my cereals together!  I don’t know how much I have talked about it, but I never eat a straight bowl of cereal.  I always mix together 2 or more cereals. 

The best thing about these 2 new cereals is the nutritional content.  3 grams of fiber per serving is good for a gluten-free cereal.  Also, each serving contains .15 grams of Omega 3 per serving, which is 11% of the RDV of 1.3 grams.

A++++ for the 2 new Nature’s Path cereals!  🙂 

No, I don’t mean illegal drugs.  I mean over-the-counter & prescription drugs.  It just dawned on me today that I have never really blogged on gluten-free things other than food.  In addition to making sure food is gluten-free, Celiacs/gluten intolerant individuals also need to check any medications that they may take orally.  IV drugs don’t need to be gluten-free, as they don’t go through your digestive system.  Cosmetics are another whole category of items that need to be checked for their gluten-free status.  I am currently working on a post for cosmetics now, too. 

There is one great website for gluten-free drug information.  This site is run & maintained by a clinical pharmacist as a public service.  I have found this site to be very useful over the past several years since I have been gluten-free.  There are some newer medications that aren’t on the list yet and some generics as well. 

Walgreen’s will print a list of all of their Walgreen Brand gluten-free drugs for you.  Just go to the pharmacy & ask them for it.  It is very nice to keep on hand.  One nice thing I found at Walgreen’s – their brand of Tum’s/antacid is listed as gluten -free and the Tum’s brand contains gluten. 

Meijer (for those in the Mid-West) has a list of their brand name gluten-free medications (and food too) online.  It is fairly extensive.  I take their generic brand of Motrin/Advil & Tylenol.  Much cheaper, gluten-free and works well. 

Some prescription drugs that we have used in the past year that I can tell you are gluten-free are: Singulair (5 mg. chewables), Lexapro, Ambien CR, Fluticasone – made by Hi-tech Pharmaceuticals (generic for Flonase). 

Make sure to check your medications periodically as ingredients and/or suppliers can change. 

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Check out my latest article on The Examiner about the upcoming Celiac Conference here in Columbus in November. 

Hope you all are having a nice weekend!  GO BUCKEYES!!!  (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!)

OH.MY.GOD.  Hands down the best chili I have ever had.  Dreena has done it again with this amazing recipe.  Cocoa Coconut Chili is from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan.  This is quickly becoming my favorite cookbook.  2nd recipe this week from it that is outstanding.  And, it is naturally gluten-free!

I did modify the recipe slightly.  I used mushroom instead of onions (I can’t eat them).  I also left out the agave because the coconut milk is sweet enough (there is a note in the book that suggests this).  I also added diced avocado to the top of my chili.  I served with a large salad & half of a Trader Joe’s gluten-free French roll. 

Sorry for the picture quality…it was rainy & dreary out today.  I made this full recipe and I think I am the only one in the family who will eat it.  That is fine by me, though, I froze a couple containers of this so that I will have this yummy goodness to pull out when I feel like a bowl of love.  😉  I see myself making this recipe a lot. 

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Hope you are all having a nice Friday night!  I am about to head to bed & watch Flash Forward that I DVR’d last night.  I have to get my sleep…9 miles on the agenda for the AM!

We are quickly approaching the largest candy celebration of the year.   Halloween!  The Halloween candy is all over the stores (I even saw Christmas stuff up at Kohl’s the other day!).  I found some Pumpkin Spice Hershey’s Kisses last week…they rock. 

The problem with Halloween for those with Celiac/gluten intolerance is that all candy must be checked.  Yes, I have a candy list posted on the site from 2008.  I also found another you can find here.  These lists are to be used as guidelines.  I am going to be doing some legwork over the next few weeks to update some of our favorites.  I will make sure to share them here.  I do have a couple of updates to share now.

Brach’s (parent company is Farley’s and Sathers) Candy Corn.  I emailed them earlier this week & got the standard response at first:

Dear Ms Bouldin:

Thank you for writing Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. regarding Brach’s® Candy Corn. Hearing from our consumers better enables us to continue to provide quality products and services. Consumer feedback is very important to us, and we appreciate the opportunity to respond.

Due to constant changes in manufacturing and packaging, Farley’s & Sathers is not able to offer a list of gluten free items. Please refer to the packaging, as the packaging contains the most current ingredient and allergen statements. Packaging is updated anytime a change is made to the production location of any item. Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company maintains several manufacturing and packaging facilities.

Thank you for contacting Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company with your request for information on our allergens. Please contact us directly at 1-888-247-9855 (Consumer Affairs) with any additional questions or concerns about gluten and our products.

Please visit our website at www.farleysandsathers.com for additional information about our products and services.

Sincerely,

Jean Travis

Consumer Relations

Then I emailed back asking about the artificial & natural flavors and the status of those in regards to gluten.  I received this back:

Dear Ms Bouldin:

Thank you for writing Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. regarding Brach’s® Candy Corn. Hearing from our consumers better enables us to continue to provide quality products and services. Consumer feedback is very important to us, and we appreciate the opportunity to respond.

At this time the artificial and natural flavors in the Brach’s® Candy Corn are gluten free. Please note on the attached document the packaged allergen warning for this product.

Due to constant changes in manufacturing and packaging, Farley’s & Sathers is not able to offer a list of gluten free items. Please refer to the packaging, as the packaging contains the most current ingredient and allergen statements. Packaging is updated anytime a change is made to the production location of any item. Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company maintains several manufacturing and packaging facilities.

Thank you for contacting Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company with your request for information on our allergens. Please contact us directly at 1-888-247-9855 (Consumer Affairs) with any additional questions or concerns about gluten and our products.

Please visit our website at www.farleysandsathers.com for additional information about our products and services.

Sincerely,

Samantha Williams

Consumer Relations

Next up, Hershey’s.  Used to be that Hershey’s would declare any gluten on their labels.  Not the case anymore.  You have to call for every product.  Here is their allergen page.  Things that are gluten-free, verified recently (not miniatures):

• Hershey’s Special Dark
• Hershey’s Bars & Kisses
• Reese’s PB Cups

Nestle.  Nestle will label any gluten that is in their products clearly on the label.  I did send an email to confirm this.  I will post again if there has been any change.  UPDATE:  Here is a list from Nestle with their gluten-free products. 

Dagoba, Green & Black’s & Endangered Species chocolate bars are all gluten-free.  Love companies like that!  Also, Trader Joe’s has a bunch of gluten-free candy & chocolate options and they have a list, too! 

This is just to get you guys started.  I will make sure to update lists & call attention in new posts as I move along with this.  🙂  Happy eating! 

I emailed yesterday to see when we could expect to see the canned pumpkin back on the shelves.  Here is the response:

Dear Ms. Bouldin,

Thank you for contacting Libby’s® 100% Pure Pumpkin.

I am sorry that you are having a difficult time finding Libby’s Pumpkin. Due to unfavorable weather conditions last fall, some of the pumpkin did not meet our high quality standards. Therefore, our harvest was smaller than typical and you may have some difficulty finding Libby’s Pumpkin.
We are in the process of harvesting our pumpkins and you will be able to find it in all sizes within the next few weeks.

We appreciate your interest and hope you will visit our website often for the latest information on our products and promotions.

Sincerely,

Tara Williams
Consumer Response Representative
Ref: N17000232

In the meantime, I have found canned pureed butternut squash & canned pureed sweet potato at Trader Joe’s.  Also, it would be much simpler to pureed baked or steamed sweet potato then a whole pumpkin.  For a fun experiment, I do plan on using a whole pumpkin for either a pie or some other pumpkin baked goods this fall.  I think the kids (ok, at least Hannah will care) will like it.  🙂

Have you all heard this craziness?  If you search “pumpkin shortage” on Twitter, you will find all kinds of people freaking out about The Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2009.  I stopped by 3 stores today and sure enough, no canned pumpkin on the shelves.  I have 2 small cans that I bought earlier this year because I use them for oats as well.  What are we going to do?  What about pumpkin pies, pumpkin cookies, all the things I posted about on Sunday that I love??   Will I have to resort to using butternut squash?  Not a bad idea.  I know you can buy that frozen.  Wonder if you can buy it canned?  Not at the stores I shopped today, or at least I didn’t see any.  Sigh. 

Speaking of pumpkin, I not only have gotten my hands on my beloved Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter, Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses, a few Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but today I found:

There was exactly 1 of these left on the shelf.  I was prepared to buy several, especially since it may be the only pumpkin pie that I will be eating this year.  I knew that I had to have this right away for my snack this afternoon.  I emptied it into a bowl with some super-crunchy corn flakes and then mixed up.  I first took a spoonful out of the yogurt container to get a true taste.  To be honest I wasn’t “wowed” like I thought I was going to be.  There was definitely a pumpkin flavor there, but I can’t really describe what it was that was holding me back from loving this.  In theory I should love it, but I don’t.  I am actually kind of glad that there was only 1 on the shelf.  Anyone else out there try this?  What do you think?

Last night for dinner I wanted to finish off the artichoke burgers that I had in the freezer, so I was trying to find something to pair with it.  I was out of sweet potatoes, but I did have a beet that needed to be used, so I chose to roast it.  I peeled & chopped the beet up into chunks.  Then I sprayed with Pam and seasoned with S & P and popped into the oven for 30 – 40 min at 400.  I loved how these turned out!  Great flavor!!  I have never had cooked beets before, but now I will be making them a lot more often.

To spice up my artichoke burger, I decided to top it with a new find:

I added about a TBSP of this Tomato Chutney from Trader Joe’s and some goat cheese.  OMG….what a great combo of flavors!!  The chutney has a nice kick to it and definitely made this meal. 

If you haven’t tried this product from Trader Joe’s, grab some!  So worth it!  I have to make a quick comment about Trader Joe’s and how easy it is to shop there for gluten-free food.  Not only do they have a list you can get online for your region’s stores, but everything is labeled so clearly.  Plus, the price is usually very reasonable, unlike Whole Paycheck, which I love, but can’t always justify shopping at.