If you think being on a gluten free diet means never eating some of your favorite foods, think again. There has been an explosion of gluten free products over the past few years so become familiar with the brands that work for you. Bionaturae has many options for pasta like elbows, spaghetti and penne rigate.

Here are important tips to cooking good gluten free pasta:

• Make sure there is plenty of water when boiling.
• Add salt to the boiling water.
• Start testing the pasta 1 minute before the recommended time. If it’s not done, test in 1 minute intervals.
• Don’t over mix or over cook gluten free pasta; it will fall apart.

The key to a satisfying macaroni and cheese is learning to make a good cheese sauce. By making a few adjustments from a traditional recipe, you’ll soon be in business. Read More »

Since I have this brand new bag of blanched almond flour that Honeyville sent me burning a hole in my pantry, I decided to try one of the savory recipes from Elana Amsterdam’s book. My kids love Cheddar Bunnies and Goldfish snack crackers, so I made these cheddar cheese crackers, hoping they’d be something we could all enjoy. I’d never attempted homemade crackers before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy they were.

For the cheddar cheese crackers, you’ll need:

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ tsp sea salt
½ baking soda
1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons coconut oil (original recipe calles for grapeseed oil) Read More »

Do Crayola products contain Gluten?

[Editor’s Note: Updated January 5, 2022]

According to Crayola’s safety specialists, “Crayola Dough*, Glitter Dots, and Easy Peel Crayon Pencils are manufactured with wheat (flour) as an ingredient and therefore are not considered gluten free. All other Crayola products, including Silly Putty, do not contain wheat or other grains known to be a source of gluten.

Multiple Crayola products are produced in the same manufacturing facilities and on the same machinery. While there is a slight chance of cross-contamination, the machinery used to manufacture Crayola products is cleaned between production runs in a manner that meets or exceeds all regulations.

*Some Crayola dough products manufactured by our partner A1 Toys are gluten free, while others are not. Please read the packaging carefully to determine if dough is gluten free.”

The following statement can be found in Crayola’s Gluten Statement Page. 

THE FOLLOWING ARE PREVIOUS STATEMENTS FROM CRAYOLA AND MAY NO LONGER BE ACCURATE…

The question was raised regarding gluten-free crayons and what type are gluten-free. We contacted Crayola to determine the gluten-free status of their crayons and other products. See below. Please note that Crayola licenses their name to other manufacturers, bath products, cooking products, etc. Crayola only knows the gluten-free status of products they make. If the product is not made by them, the manufacturer should be contacted directly.

Question:

Hi Glutenfreeworks.

I am looking for a gluten-free crayons. I wonder whether you have one or if not could you give me some idea where can I get it from? Thank you and await your reply.
-I.

Answer:

Crayola crayons are gluten-free. We just spoke with a safety representative at the company. Their crayons do not contain wheat, barley, rye or oats. They are also not made on a manufacturing line that uses any of these grains.

The only products Crayola manufactures that contain, or may contain, gluten are their Crayola Dough and modeling compounds. The Crayola Dough contains wheat. The modeling compounds are made on the same line after a thorough wash using a gluten-free cleaner.

The following information can be found on the Crayola website. Crayola
——————————————–
The exact ingredients of our products are proprietary, however, we are happy to provide you with the 7 most common ingredient requests NOT FOUND in products currently manufactured by Crayola–This does not include products manufactured under license. Please check packaging carefully to determine manufacturing company.

Peanuts
Shellfish
Fish
Tree Nuts
Eggs
Milk
Latex

(Latex gloves are one of the personal protection options requested by and available to our employees for the occasional handling of raw materials and finished goods during the product manufacturing process.)

***We are often asked if any of our products contain gluten (wheat flour). Gluten is contained only in Crayola Dough. Other Crayola modeling materials, including Model Magic modeling compound, Modeling Clay, Air-Dry Clay, and Model Magic Fusion are gluten free. All of these products, however, are produced on the same machinery. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products.***

For information regarding specific ingredients not listed, please call us at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time.
—————–

When you have a child diagnosed with a severe food allergy it can be extremely challenging to help them feel comfortable and safe in social situations.  While living with food allergies may always present challenges there are a few things you can do as a parent to help your child manage their fears and anxieties.

First and foremost…you must try and remain as calm as you can, while still watching out for them.  When you get very worked up  and anxious in front of your child, they feel this and it passes on to them.  Teach them to be cautious and what to watch out for, but Read More »

(My monster fudgesicle – gluten and dairy free! Happy Summer)

I’m always up for making things at home (beef jerky, granola bars, ice tea, etc.). I know there is convenience in buying many of these things, but I rather enjoy making things at home. One it’s a challenge for me, two I know exactly what is going into my food. I love making gallons of ice tea at home because I can control the amount of sugar (or honey, or agave) that goes into my tea. It is truly amazing how much can be found in a gallon of store-bought ice tea.

We don’t buy much ice cream at the store and I don’t ever make it only because I do not have an ice cream maker. Oh, how I wish I had one. Instead I make pops. We bought two packages of Monster Popsicle Molds (I found mine at Marshall’s/T.J. Maxx) which can be purchased from Read More »

Hey there! Welcome to our Gluten Free Snack Attack! Today we are looking at Dried Mediterranean Apricots from Sams Club.

These apricots are amazing! Sweet and moist and chewy, but not tough. They are high in potassium, fiber and vitamin A.

This is a great snack and just $6 for 26 oz. or 18 servings.

Here are a week’s worth of gluten-free school lunch recipes that add variety, kid-friendly flavors and nutrition to school lunchboxes. High protein sandwiches, pizza, warm comfort foods including convenient leftover entrees and veggie-rich soups and salads will keep even picky eaters and those with multiple food intolerances happy and healthy all through the school day.

Be sure to read Lunchbox and Lunch Bag Safety from Kevin Weeks, our About.com Guide to Culinary Arts.

Photo by David Shankbone

Cooking for children on gluten-free diets requires special planning and care to ensure that they are getting all the nutrients they need to grow and thrive. Replacing gluten-filled junk food with gluten-free junk food of course, isn’t good for kids.

Does your family love Lucy’s gluten-free cookies as much as mine does?  If so, you will be happy to hear that Lucy’s has added two new lunchbox-friendly products to its baked goods line… Lucy’s Snack N’ Go cookie packs and Brownie Cakes.  Both products are now available in stores!