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Capella Market in Eugene Offering Gluten Free Demos

Eric — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:25:50 +0000

For those of you who live in Eugene, OR, Capella Market offers Gluten free demos on the 3rd Saturday of every month from noon until 4pm. Capella Market is near 24th and Willamette in South Eugene. The staff is on hand to answer any questions and they have samples that you can try. Capella Market is locally owned and operated and defines themselves as a natural food market place.

Capella Market has a growing selection of gluten-free products throughout the store. To aid you in identifying these products, we have placed a small blue dot on shelf tags for gluten-free products.

You can download their gluten free product list HERE

3 Days Until a Gluten Free Christmas: Bread Machine

Eric — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:58:18 +0000

Well here we are. 4 days until Christmas. I hope you have been able to look at the great recipes and maybe had enough time to try them out or at least plan on it! Today I wanted to give you another gift idea and this is something I think is very important to every Gluten Free dieter, a Bread Machine. Bread can be expensive, and not always taste the best. Having a bread machine will allow you to make bread when you want to. Most of the times it is better than breads you can buy at stores (which are sometimes froze). I have a bread machine and love it for the freedom and the knowledge that it is for sure Gluten Free. The only better thing that buying your own bread machine is receiving one as a gift! Here is a great bread machine that would be a perfect present!

Breadman TR875 2-Pound Breadmaker, Stainless Steel

Product Description (from company)

Bring Home the Bakery! Fall in love with your favorite breads and baked goods all over again! Featuring 16 unique baking functions in 3 loaf sizes – 1, 1.5 & 2 lb. – plus light, medium and dark crust control, you can make all your favorite breads, dough and even jams with ease – including low carb and gluten free! Our patented automatic fruit & nut dispenser means no more waiting around, while convection technology ensures even cooking and professional results.Please Note: When delivered, kneading paddle may be attached to the power cord of the bread maker

If you use bread machines about 20 times it will pay for itself! I think it is a great investment and I highly recommend it!

9 Days Until a Gluten Free Christmas: Avoiding Cross Contamination

Eric — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:32:50 +0000

I have done a post in the past about cooking in a contaminated kitchen. I thought it would be helpful to go over it again since holiday cooking is often hectic and very busy and sometimes things get mixed up. So to review from past posts: Use paper towels, designate butter, label your items, and Dedicate a toaster!

Here are a few products that could help this process. First is a Farberware 3-Piece Poly Cutting Board Set

These can take the place of paper towels and can serve as space for Gluten Free items. It will be a lot easier to locate these items if they are on something different than everything else. * Also check out the spatula sets on Amazon. Using different colors can be important for recognition*

Another great product will be the Farberware Enhanced 10-Piece Nonstick Cookware Set This will give you or the Gluten Free person in your family their own set dedicated for them and it is a great set!

These products make great gifts but they are also to have around the house for this time of the year!

10 Days Until a Gluten Free Christmas: Hershey’s Fudge

Eric — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:38:51 +0000

With Christmas fast approaching I thought it would be neat to do 10 posts all relating to Christmas whether it be a recipe, a gift idea or a general tip. So in between all the madness that is Christmas shopping I hope you have time to read these and try them out.

So for the first recipe I chose a personal favorite, Hershey’s Chocolate Fudge. This recipe comes from Hershey’s website.

What I have done in he past as a variation is replacing peanut butter for regular butter.

Here it is:

Ingredients:

* 3 cups sugar
* 2/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa or HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1-1/2 cups milk
* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Line 8-or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter foil.

2. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in heavy 4-quart saucepan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full rolling boil. Boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches 234°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water, forms a soft ball which flattens when removed from water. (Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of saucepan.)

3. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. DO NOT STIR. Cool at room temperature to 110°F (lukewarm). Beat with wooden spoon until fudge thickens and just begins to lose some of its gloss. Quickly spread into prepared pan; cool completely. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature. About 36 pieces or 1-3/4 pounds.

NOTE: For best results, do not double this recipe. This is one of our most requested recipes, but also one of our most difficult. The directions must be followed exactly. Beat too little and the fudge is too soft. Beat too long and it becomes hard and sugary.

VARIATIONS:
NUTTY RICH COCOA FUDGE: Beat cooked fudge as directed. Immediately stir in 1 cup chopped almonds, pecans or walnuts and spread quickly into prepared pan.

MARSHMALLOW-NUT COCOA FUDGE: Increase cocoa to 3/4 cup. Cook fudge as directed. Add 1 cup marshmallow creme with butter and vanilla. DO NOT STIR. Cool to 110°F (lukewarm). Beat 8 minutes; stir in 1 cup chopped nuts. Pour into prepared pan. (Fudge does not set until poured into pan.)

HIGH ALTITUDE DIRECTIONS:
– Increase milk to 1-2/3 cups
– Use soft ball cold water test for doneness OR Test and read thermometer in boiling water, subtract difference from 212°F. Then subtract that number from 234°F. This is the soft ball temperature for your altitude and thermometer.

Again thanks to Hershey’s for the recipe. Check back in for tomorrow’s! Enjoy!

Great Post From Train2Move Regarding Thanksgiving Eating and Preparation!

Eric — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:00:34 +0000

I found a good article from our friends at Train2Move . It gives suggestions about preparing for a day of eating while giving tips ranging from exercise to water consumption.

The annual eating frenzy is about to begin. Here are a few tips we want to share with you to perhaps lessen the negative side effects of the family feast this year.

First is to realize that the odds of you doing much after your meal are fairly slim so take the time to do a workout before you eat. It does not have to be much but even a little stimulus to the muscles throughout the day can make a major difference. If you are not sure what to do, follow some of these links to free workouts we have given you in the past. Here is a warm-up. Here is a strength training routine. And finally here is a general yoga style routine.

If you have the time, do all 3!

Some other useful tips we can share with you are to drink a lot of water before, during, and after you eat. The amount of food we eat and the types both can be brutal on our digestive system. Water is a major asset to your digestion so do yourself a favor and drink some. Try starting early in the day and shoot for 40-60 ounces before you eat. Then have some water with you as you are eating. When finished have another 15-20 ounces an hour or so after you eat.

Now let’s assume you want to get up and move some after you eat. Make sure to give yourself a good hour before you do. When you do get ready to move choose something light like a nice walk to get away from the In-laws, or take them along, whichever seems necessary. Feel free to do some of the exercise routines we provided above as well.

And one final piece of advice to help lessen the damage to your body today is go easy on the appetizers! If you are like me you will eat a significant amount of food long before the main feast arrives. This will drastically increase your calories and make you less likely to take in the better calories to be had later. Look for the fruit and veggies when eating your appetizers!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone.

The Train2move Crew.

If anyone else has any tips to share please do!

Whole Foods Wheat Free or Gluten Free

Eric — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:26:24 +0000

While shopping at the local Whole Foods I came to the bakery and found the “Wheat Free” bakery section. I was pretty excited to see this section and started looking around at all the great looking baked goods that I was going to buy and scarf down when I got home. Before I ordered I asked the simple question “Are all of these items Gluten Free also?” This question prompted a simple answer of “no” they could not call these items Gluten Free because of the cross contamination issue. Be careful when food packages say “no wheat”. Although that is one of the words you need to look for when staying away from Gluten, a item can contain Gluten and not wheat. I have noticed a lot of packaged Wheat Free foods. It will state it is Wheat Free but on the ingredient list it will say “contains gluten” I am glad they specify this because it is better to be a little disappointed than really sick.

Back to School With Celiac Disease

Eric — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:13:09 +0000

I found a good article about sending your kid with Celiac Disease back to school and offers suggestions to the struggles you may encounter. The article talks about ways you can bring up the situation to the right people who work at the school. It is important to speak with the dietitian, school nurse and even the principal. At a younger age like elementary school your child may not understand completely what they need to avoid so it is important to get an adult on the same page so they can look of for your student. When speaking with the dietitian of the school you could offer alternatives for your child during lunch time or ask what types of food they believe to be Gluten Free, even then you need to make sure their is little cross contamination.

I remember after I was diagnosed with Celiac in the 2nd grade the struggles I went to at my school to get a good lunch. It was so uncommon that hardly anyone knew what I was talking about so I ended up bringing my own lunch which can be healthier most of the time. Now that Celiac Disease is becoming more common I think it will be easier to get a meal at a school cafeteria for students younger and older. Does anyone have any more experience with school nurses or people in the kitchen? Please share so we can all get new ideas!

Follow this link to the article: Going Back to School

Tip: Buying Squeezable or Spray On Items

Eric — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:15:15 +0000

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on how important it is to be safe when cooking in a contaminated kitchen and gave a few tips on how you can lower the risk of cross contamination. They included:

Using Paper Towels

Separate Peanut Butter

Labeling Items

Using A Dedicated Toaster

These can be very important for a Celiac who happens to live with people who are not so concerned about following a specific diet. Another great idea for you to try is getting squeezable or spray on items. Mayonnaise, mustard, jelly, and butter are all examples of items that can be squeezed or sprayed on. Having these lets everyone use it with little risk of cross contamination because there is no direct contact and no contact with a knife or something that may touch gluten first.

Benefits of Oats

Eric — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:11:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I did a product review on Bob’s Red Mill Rolled Oats and then a recipe for Oatmeal Cookies. I recently found an article that explains the health benefits of eating oats. I found the article on Health.Learninginfo.com. It goes into some good detail about oats and how they can benefit the body. Recently I have been eating oatmeal nearly everyday, I am glad I found a breakfast that is both delicious and healthy for me. If you have not tried oatmeal or do not eat a lot, I would at least give it a shot.

According to the article and the American Cancer Society oatmeal can benefit the body simply because oats are a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber.

Here are 6 reasons why oats are good for your health:

1. Insoluble fiber’s reduce toxicity in certain bile acids.

2. Soluble fiber may reduce bad cholesterol.

3. Soluble fiber slows down the digestion of starch.

4. It has been found that those who eat more oats are less likely to develop heart disease.

5. The phytochemicals in oat may also have cancer-fighting properties.

6. Oats are a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium. Oats are also a good source of protein.

Health Benefits of Oatmeal