Gluten Free Me

Welcome back to the blog! This week’s blog is about my favorite snacks from Trader Joe’s. They are open and have adjusted the way their stores function by limiting the number of people inside. They also adjusted their hours, so keep this in mind if you go out for these snacks.

Number 1: Kale Chips

Amazon.com: Trader Joe's Seasoned Kale Chips (Pack of 2) 2 OZ

I love these “chips” because they advertise “gluten free” on the package and they taste so good. For people like me who are lactose intolerant because of celiac disease, the cashew butter and seasoning creates a cheesy flavor (if that’s even possible) so I don’t miss dairy as much.

Number 2: Acai bowls

Trader Joe's misses the mark with this Organic Acai Bowl. I think ...

This is another product that clearly states “gluten free” and it’s super simple to make. You can defrost it overnight in the fridge or microwave it for a minute. If you’re not a coconut person, or don’t like granola with your acai bowls, it all comes on the side. It’s great to keep frozen for when you want something fruity.

Number 3: Sweet Potato Crackers

Amazon.com: Trader Joes Gluten Free 3 Seed Crackers 6.5oz (Sweet ...

Oh. My. Gosh. These crackers are a staple in my home because of how good they are and because they’re a super healthy snack. They taste amazing with hummus, but they’re just as good by themselves.

About the Author

*I am not a dietitian. My goal is to share what works for me with others, but consulting a GI doctor might be appropriate for a diagnosis.

Hi my name is Nicole. I am a teenager dealing with a gluten allergy and I’ve been gluten free for about 3 years. I got so stressed out trying to navigate a gluten free diet without any help, so I wanted to be that influence in someone’s life, so I started a blog! I hope to share tips, as well as recipes to help others.

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Gluten Free Me

Welcome back to the blog! This week’s blog is about an awesome gluten free brand, HomeFree.

This is a great cookie brand that makes allergen-friendly cookies in a multitude of flavors. My person favorites are chocolate mint and lemon. They are made in New Hampshire, which I think is super cool and they taste amazing.

What I like about this brand is that they have boxes of cookies (shown above), as well as individual bags of them. This is convenient for those who want to try the flavors before committing to a whole box, but trust me, you’ll want the whole box! I get them at my local grocery store in their “gluten-free” snack aisle, but for those without that option, these cookies can be found on amazon.

About the Author

*I am not a dietitian. My goal is to share what works for me with others, but consulting a GI doctor might be appropriate for a diagnosis.

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Gluten Free Me

Welcome back to the blog! This week’s blog is about gluten-free eating during the Corona pandemic.

I’m sure many of you have made trips out to local grocery stores this week, hoping to stock up on gluten free food. And I’m also sure you dealt with the same things as me- no gluten free food left! Everyone in my family is stocking up on the long list of gluten-containing foods they can eat, but what about me? I went to the store and none of my gluten free go-to’s were left! Not even essentials like gluten free oats. There’s either a lot of gluten-intolerant people in my area, or people are hoarding… Not cool!

I managed to get the last of the Trader Joe’s Gluten Free white bread before they closed temporarily, but our local Hanaford’s is still open. You can freeze bread and bagels that you buy to prevent them from getting moldy. Good things to have on hand are frozen goods that won’t go bad quickly, so you can have them as “just in case” kinds of food. My go-to’s are gluten free chicken nuggets (Perdue makes great ones) and frozen meals like gluten free mac n cheese.

A lot of people complain about changing brands since everything is running out of stock, but what about people who can’t have gluten? Painkillers like advil have gluten in them, so if people are onto the next brand, there might not be any safe brands for those who are gluten-intolerant. That’s an issue, not necessarily for the gluten-intolerant community, but for the panic-stricken shoppers hoarding anything they can get.

During this pandemic, don’t forget to do a quick look-up on the brand you’re reaching for. The gluten free scanner I mentioned a little while ago is super convenient at the grocery store to quickly scan a label. Feel free to suggest topics in the comments if you have questions. Stay safe everyone!

About the Author

*I am not a dietitian. My goal is to share what works for me with others, but consulting a GI doctor might be appropriate for a diagnosis.

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Gluten Free Me

Welcome back to the blog! This week is dedicated to the struggle of eating gluten-free while on vacation.

Recently, I went on vacation with my family and I thought I was going to starve. Of course, I brought tons and tons of food, but when I wasn’t in the hotel room, it was so hard to find anything for me to eat.

Some essentials I bring when leaving for a short vacation are bread and bagels (from Trader Joe’s, obviously) and a dedicated gluten free toaster for them. I also brought gluten free beef jerky from Trader Joe’s and some dried fruit. The basics.

Still, I’m not a pack mule and couldn’t bring every single thing with me, either from home or out of the hotel room. So, it was rough.

My bit of advice for those in similar situations is to simplify your meals, like a sandwich for lunch that can be made with gluten free bread or a wrap. You might also want to consider meals as multiple snacks while on vacation, like carrots and peanut butter, then some toast, or little things you have on hand until you’re full.

About the Author
*I am not a dietitian. My goal is to share what works for me with others, but consulting a GI doctor might be appropriate for a diagnosis.

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Gluten Free Me

Welcome back to the blog! This week’s blog is a recipe using the gluten free flour from my last post.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups gluten free flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract**
2 eggs
12 oz chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

**Not all vanilla extracts are gluten free, so make sure the brand you use is safe. I use McCormick vanilla extract, but their “all-natural” version is not safe.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop in 1 inch rounds onto baking sheets covered with parchment paper. If you like bigger cookies, shape the rounds into bigger balls, but you may need to add more time for them to bake all the way.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

This is a modified version of the NESTLE toll house recipe. The instructions are also from their recipe, but I changed them a little bit.

About the Author

*I am not a dietitian. My goal is to share what works for me with others, but consulting a GI doctor might be appropriate for a diagnosis.

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Gluten Free Me

Gluten Free Baking

Welcome back to the blog! This week’s post is dedicated to baking with gluten free ingredients.

Gluten Free Flour

The easiest way I bake while being gluten free is with 1 to 1 baking flours. This means that I can use gluten free flour the same way I would use normal flour. Remember that recipe you found with regular flour? You can use this flour the same way for effortlessly gluten free foods. My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill:

It’s a little pricey ($5.39 on their website) but anything gluten free is going to cost a little extra.

A few recipes I like to substitute it in are :

Gluten Free Cookies

Pancakes

About the Author

*I am not a dietitian. My goal is to share what works for me with others, but consulting a GI doctor might be appropriate for a diagnosis.

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Gluten Free Me

Gluten Free at Chipotle

This week’s blog post is all about gluten free foods at Chipotle, and their gluten free experience as a whole.

For menu items, hard tacos and burrito bowls are gluten free because both corn and rice are gluten free. However, their website warns about cross contamination of wheat and corn in the growing process. All of their toppings are gluten free, but be aware of cross contamination between items like lettuce and cheese, which are grabbed without changing gloves.

The Gluten Free Experience

If you suffer from a gluten allergy or sensitivity, let your Chiptole workers know and they will wipe down the counters, ask everyone to change gloves, and alert you of any cross contamination with toppings. They also verified with me that they have a dedicated fryer for their corn chips, so they are gluten free as well. This was all done as a procedure, so it is not uncommon to ask. However, it might be best to wait to order until the line is short because it does take a bit longer for them to clean their counters and follow you through the topping process.

About the Author

*I am not a dietitian. My goal is to share what works for me with others, but consulting a GI doctor might be appropriate for a diagnosis.

Publication date: January 19, 2020

Author: Nicole Pepin

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Gluten Free Me

Top Picks for Gluten Free Foods

This week’s blog post will have a little less advice and a little more food. I’ve recently discovered some great finds that make being gluten-free a little less hard.

Feel Good Foods

This brand has great products that mimic those with gluten. These are my two favorites from the brand. I found this brand at Target.

The only downside to the vegetable egg rolls is that they are not high in protein. Aside from that, they taste amazing and are surprisingly filling. Three egg rolls come in a pack.

These pepperoni bites are great for people with kids who are gluten free because they are so similar to the common “pizza bites” that kids love. They’re also great for adults 🙂

Evol

This brand was also found at Target and is a great product because of how high in protein it is and just how tasty it is. They have several flavors, such as this gouda cheese, as well as bacon. These are frozen and cook for a while (about 40 minutes) but they really are worth it.

About the Author

*I am not a dietitian. My goal is to share what works for me with others, but consulting a GI doctor might be appropriate for a diagnosis.

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Gluten Free Me

This Week’s Blog: How to make sure you’re eating gluten free foods

Last week’s blog mentioned hidden sources of gluten, such as maltodextrin. It also mentioned cross-contamination, which is another cause for reactions. This is why it is important to look at food labels for sources of gluten and make sure the brand advertises a gluten free product. If a product is not labeled gluten free, there are measures to take before deciding it’s safe. The first step is to think about the brand. Do they make products that contain gluten? If yes, do they have separate facilities or production lines? If no, the cross contamination could be great enough for the product to be “not gluten free”.

Gluten Free Scanner

One of the easiest ways I determine whether something is gluten free is to use a gluten free scanner app. It’s free in the app store and it scans barcodes to access the ingredients, as well as alert you of cross contamination.

About the Author

*I am not a dietitian. My goal is to share what works for me with others, but consulting a GI doctor might be appropriate for a diagnosis.

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