Events

These 5 tips will help you stay gluten-free at the times when it is toughest.

Restaurants: Talk to the Manager.

Restaurants can be a minefield. Talking to the manager before you eat, even before you visit, can guarantee a safe meal. Why the manager? The manager has a vested interest in making sure you have a great experience. He or she often knows what is in the meals, usually understands gluten if the restaurant claims a gluten-free menu, and has quick access to ingredient labels. The other staff, even including cooks, may be new hires or less educated when it comes to gluten.

Family Events: Bring it. Hide it.

Family parties and get togethers are great, fun, boisterous times! Unless you know the host is making a gluten-free meal with lots of options, it is best to bring your food, even if it is “just in case.” Why hide it? When the cousins see your delicious gluten-free cookies or meatballs or bbq chicken, they are going to eat it. All of it. Cross contamination is also an issue. We’ve all seen people use the same spoons to scoop up different dishes. Bring it. Hide it. At least hide some of it.

Grocery Shopping: Choose Whole Foods over Processed.

Most processed foods contain multiple ingredients. Some are easy to figure out. Others might as well be a different language. Choosing whole foods makes it easy to shop gluten-free. Whole foods include eggs, meats, vegetables, nuts, fish, fruits…basically ingredients. While preparation might take a little longer, lots of times the meals we make are more nutritious and delicious. Especially when made with gluten-free love.

Don’t Chance It. When in Doubt, Toss it Out.

I once asked my mother whether a leftover in the refrigerator was still good. “When in doubt, toss it out,” she said. The idea is that it isn’t worth getting sick over. This logic applies to gluten-free. If you’re not sure about a food or meal, don’t risk it. Eating that particular food or dish isn’t worth being sick for hours or days. Also, your instincts are generally right.

Snacks Save.

“I……am…….starving!” We’ve all been there. Skipped breakfast. Worked through lunch. Whatever the reason, now we are starving and judgment is out the window. This is exactly the situation we want to avoid because being hungry makes it exponentially harder to make good decisions. Carrying snacks is so important and can be a live saver. Find a few shelf stable snacks you like and keep them in your glove compartment or in a desk drawer for those times when you need ANYTHING to eat.

Gluten Free Works is celebrating Celiac Disease Awareness Month with a Gluten-Free Extravaganza!!!

We Have Hundreds of AWESOME Gluten-Free Prizes to Give Away!

Some of your favorite gluten-free companies are giving away products and services that YOU could win.

Read More »

Words can not begin to express how excited I am to have been chosen as an Official Blogger for the Gluten Free Allergen Free Expo (GFAF Expo) in Secaucus, NJ on September 7 & 8, but I am going to try anyway.

I was diagnosed five years ago with celiac disease and what a journey it has been. There have been some great moments and some really horrible ones, but it is all a part of it and you have to learn to adapt and move forward. Over these five years I have managed to Read More »

Let me preface this post by noting that Valentine’s day is not a holiday I, personally, subscribe to. The cards, the flowers, the mush, the grand gestures, and all the things that some expect of this day…none of that is really my jam. So, last year, after I requested no frills or fancy dinners or grand gestures, my boyfriend, Mike, presented me with a terracotta pot with a yellow lily and some dirt in it. (Read: don’t scoff yet…) Upon further inspection, it turned out that the “dirt” was finely crushed chocolate cookie bits covering a blue Solo cup filled with his gluten-free version of cookies and cream ice cream (my absolute favorite) that he had mixed and made himself. This gesture seemed small to some in my life, but to me, the girl who hadn’t had cookies and cream ice cream in almost two years, it was the grandest gesture of them all.

Betsy’s Bakery in Camp Hill, PA

That one grand gesture, when someone went out of his way to make sure that I could eat what I loved and not get sick is why the the candlelight dinner at Betsy’s Bakery in Camp Hill, PA is so important. This little bakery is hosting a reservation-only, gluten-free candlelight dinner on Valentine’s day this year. Taking your gluten-free sweetie to this dinner may be the gesture they’ve been looking for if you haven’t quite mastered the gluten-free vibe in the kitchen, or if you’re tired of going out to eat at the same “safe” restaurants all the time. Read More »

You are invited! The Greater Cleveland Celiac Association Annual Cookie Exchange

Sunday, December 9, 2012 from 2:00 to 4:30 PM

Solon Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library

34125 Portz Parkway Solon, 44139 (off Rt 91 – SOM Center Rd )

Visit www.clevelandceliac.webs.com for details.

Bring the kids! We will have kid’s activities at this meeting. Read More »

Mouth Watering Marlin Tacos from Alma de Cuba

Besides the pasta, there were all kinds of interesting and delicious gluten-free foods at Appetite for Awareness. Caffe Gelato Restaurant and Catering, out of Newark, DE, was offering perfect crabcake morsels full of crabmeat while Rittenhouse Square’s Alma de Cuba was serving up mini marlin tacos. Chef Eric Paraskevas of Terra was plating up beautiful samples of his gluten-free pulled pork tostados and El Rey presented hungry attendees with mouth-watering Read More »

Photo Courtesy Linda Pickett

Seashore Celiac Support Group CSA #96 is pleased to announce its 11^th annual 100% Gluten Free Picnic in conjunction with Central Jersey Celiac/DH Support Group and Cel-Kids Network CSA#58.

Now bigger and better than ever!!

When: Sunday June 24, 2012 (Rain or Shine), 1 to 5 pm

Where: SharkRiverPark–Neptune,NJ

Directions: http://seashoreceliacs.org/SharkRiver.htm

All family & friends of celiacs welcome!

Please RSVP by June 18 with the gluten–free dish you’ll Read More »

Enter to Win a T-shirt on Bard's Facebook Page!

June 20th is the official start of Summer! And what better way to celebrate than with a cool new t-shirt from one of the hottest gluten-free beer makers?

Bard’s Beer is counting down the days to summer by giving away a Bard’s Beer t-shirt to a random winner every day from June 1 to June 20.

It’s easy to enter. Just visit Bard’s Beer’s Facebook page and click the Giveaway Image or click this direct link to go straight to the giveaway. Read More »

Gluten-free products dominated the new products category at Expo West this year, which saw record attendance in both the number of attendees and exhibiting vendors.  Here is my second installment of my favorite picks for gluten-free candy, cookies, and mixes.

Candy

• Justin’s – has turned their line of squeezable peanut/nut butters into three candy bars: Milk Chocolate Peanut, Dark Chocolate Peanut, and Milk Chocolate Almond.  They taste like a healthy version of a snickers made with quality ingredients and packed with protein. Read More »

The Gluten Intolerance Group is having their Gluten-Free Health and Wellness Experience at the DoubleTree Hotel in Seattle on June 16th.  The Experience combines expert speakers, gluten-free exhibitors, free health screenings and more to help attendees learn how to live a healthy, balanced gluten-free life.

Registration starts at $15 per person and includes admission to all of the events. Topics for the day cover nutrition and health, lifestyle, cooking and exercise. Cholesterol and bone density can be checked and Read More »