Pretzel’s, Beers BFF(Best Friend Forever)
From what I hear, beer and pretzels are a regular part of life for many Americans. Since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 1992, and beer and pretzels are a fairly recent phenomenon, I’m willingly making them part of my new normal. Glutino’s is bringing that sense of normalcy back to the lives of the gluten free consumer with a varied selection of pretzels we can enjoy with or without beer. If your favorite pub does not already provide you with gluten free snacks, ask them to carry your favorite Glutino’s pretzel!
Glutino’s is giving away gluten free pretzels to one of our followers. In order to enter the giveaway, please:
1. Answer the question on this post or the YouTube video: Which type of pretzel would you’d rather have, Sticks, Twists or my personal favorite, Sesame?
2. “Like” GlutenFreeDee on Facebook; “Like” Glutino Foods
3. Follow me on Twitter and GlutinoFoods too
4. Post a tweet with your favorite type of pretzel and include @GlutenFreeDee @GlutinoFoods #GlutinoPretzelsGFD
Glutino’s enables consumers to live fully and they’ve enriched my life by making some yummy pretzels we can have for dessert. My theory is that you never know when you are going to die, so eat dessert first! And that is just what I would encourage you to do 🙂
Glutino’s gives us two delicious choices, Yogurt or Chocolate covered pretzels. They are getting easier to find around the country as more stores cater to the needs of the gluten free consumer. Which are your favorite? Tell us and you could win some of your own.
Glutino’s is giving away some yummy pretzels to one of our followers. Here’s how to win:
In order to enter the giveaway, please:
1. Answer the question on this post or the YouTube video about which flavor of pretzel you’d rather have, Yogurt or Chocolate.
2. “Like” GlutenFreeDee on Facebook; “Like” Glutino Foods
3. Follow me on Twitter; GlutinoFoods too
4. Post a tweet announcing this giveaway, with a link to this post, and including @GlutenFreeDee @GlutinoFoods
A lot has changed since 1992 when I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and it’s all very exciting! Here’s an info-graphic demonstrating the scope and profit there is to be made in serving the gluten free community.
![What every restaurant operator should know about going gluten-free [Infographic]](http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/images/Going-Gluten-Free-infographic.png)
How are you benefiting from the new trend?
What are your favorite restaurants?
Who has the best Gluten Free pizza?
In what cities are they found?
Compliments of PizzaMarketplace.com
Special-Diet Food Banks
How to help when the cupboards are bare
By Connie Sarros and Alicia Woodward; Article originally posted on: www.livingwithout.com
© Rene Jansa/Shutterstock imagesAfter a short prayer of thanks and a slightly longer prayer for protection, Cindy and her 12-year-old daughter Meagan begin eating the macaroni and cheese they picked up at the food bank in Akron, Ohio. Cindy enjoys every bite, as does Meagan. But Cindy knows that in a few short hours, she’ll be holding Meagan’s hand and offering comfort because, as a celiac, Meagan can’t handle this meal. Yet without it, Meagan will go hungry.
Meagan and Cindy are not alone.
Across America, thousands of people who depend on local food banks for their meals are facing the cruel irony of needing food to live yet knowing the items offered could make them sick—or even kill them. Food banks are drastically ill-prepared and under-informed about how to handle the special dietary needs of a growing population of people with food allergies and sensitivities.
A Call to Action
In December 2009, Dee Valdez of Loveland, Colorado, organized a gluten-free pantry as a section in her community’s food bank, the House of Neighborly Service. The first of its kind in the United States, the House of Neighborly Service now distributes food to needy families who are on special diets. For Valdez, the idea was sparked by a phone call she received 17 years before.
“In the early 1990s, a single mom called me because she didn’t know how to feed her little girl who’d just been diagnosed with celiac disease,” recalls Valdez, who headed a local celiac chapter at the time. “I went through a list of products and her response was, ‘How can I afford that? I have to choose between feeding my daughter and all my kids. What would you do? I guess my daughter will just have to learn to live with diarrhea.”
Unbeknownst to the caller, Valdez, a mother with three young children, was not much better off. Despite her own hardship, she was determined to help. She gathered up food from her household and from others who offered to assist and delivered six bags of groceries to the mother.
“I knew that was maybe a week’s worth of food for her and her children,” Valdez says. “I vowed that one day I would find a way to feed families like that, especially kids with special dietary needs.”
Several years later, Valdez found herself living in an identical situation as the caller.
“Back then, there were times when I actually had to rely on a food bank but it wasn’t designed to meet my dietary needs as a celiac. I’d get food for my children there—but I was just eating rice,” says Valdez,
Feed the Hungry
It was 15 years later when Valdez, a former journalist and TV news anchor, felt she was finally at a place in her life where she could follow up on her vow. The community need had remained unmet.
“I was rather appalled that nobody had gotten this important work done. Then I thought, well, I’ll go ahead and do it myself,” she says.
There was no sense in reinventing the wheel, Valdez thought, so she decided to start with an established food bank and work from there. That way, any issues about location, shelf space, government regulations and paperwork, staffing, safety and sanitation would already be addressed. She approached six different food banks in the Denver area—but not one of them fit the bill. The reason? No one had what she termed a “willing heart.”
“It’s not enough to have a food bank facility, sufficient space, a massive amount of donations or a lot of money. If the people who run the place don’t have willing hearts, a special-diet pantry will not be sustained,” Valdez says. “The food banks I talked to were like, yeah, that’s probably something we could look into—but I wanted people who would really embrace this.”
Another criteria for Valdez was that the food bank would offer gluten-free items on each and every day they were open, not just occasionally.
“I didn’t want this to be personality driven,” she explains. “Once I backed away or the executive director leaves, I didn’t want the whole system to fall apart. Because once you start feeding people these special-diet foods, you need to continue to do so. People should be able to count on that.”
Pierce’s Pantry, a gluten-free food bank started by high school student Pierce Keegan, operates out of Wayland, Massachusetts.
Photo courtesy of Tracy Keegan/www.Piercespantry.com
Ultimately, Valdez found the right combination in her own backyard—the House of Neighborly Service in Loveland, Colorado.
“The executive director there had lived gluten free for a while due to health reasons. She understood how challenging the diet can be and how vital the food is to people who need it,” Valdez says, calling the food bank “a really sweet find.”
Valdez called the celiac groups in the area, asking them to help secure both financial and food donations and to publicize the project throughout the Denver region. She also contacted gluten-free manufacturers across the nation, obtaining ongoing product donations in order to keep shelves regularly stocked with gluten-free pastas, cookies, pretzels, baking mixes and other goods. The staff at the House of Neighborly Service jumped right in, enthusiastically altering their procedures to incorporate the gluten-free items. Working with Valdez, they trained volunteers to read labels, sort products and stock shelves.
Opening Day
The House of Neighborly Service agreed to launch the project in December of 2009, just in time for the holidays. Christmas, a hectic time for food banks, was fast approaching.
To help publicize the availability of gluten-free food to needy families throughout the area, Valdez decided to make the opening a media event. The press, local and state dignitaries and families across the region were notified—and the event was well attended. Valdez recalls a moment at the opening that was particularly poignant for her.
“A family with seven kids came because they needed food for the holidays. Out of nine in that family, four were gluten free,” she says. “Many of the celiac moms used the food bank as an object lesson in giving, taking their kids grocery shopping to help stock the shelves. A 3-year-old girl with celiac disease gave a box of her favorite gluten-free cookies to a little child in this family. It was a powerful visual that still makes me emotional.”
Since then, Valdez has gone on to work with other food banks across the nation to help them incorporate special-diet pantries into their day-to-day operations.
“I know from personal experience how important it is to be able to have the right food to meet special dietary needs,” she says. “Parents shouldn’t have to choose between feeding their child something that’s ‘poison’ or having them go hungry. If we can get even one family the special-diet food they need, we offer them restored health and hope—and that can permanently change their lives.”
Connie Sarros has written several gluten-free cookbooks, including co-authoring Gluten-Free Cooking for Dummies. She lives in Fairlawn, Ohio.
3rd Grader “Happy” with Options at Gluten Free Food Faire
A positive attitude and supportive family goes a long way when diagnosed with Celiac Disease or told to go gluten free to improve your health.
Michael went gluten free 1 month before starting 3rd grade. We interviewed him during the 6th Annual Incredible Edible Food Faire in Denver, Sunday, August 19, 2012. Michael’s mom, Kathy Stinson, and his Aunt Lexi, own The Last Crumb Bakery in Denver. We will continue to interview Michael as he journey’s thru his new gluten free life.
Michael and his dad, Ed, and little sister, a very cute tiger who starts kindergarten the day after this interview, were looking for options for the school year to keep things fresh and interesting for sack lunches and mealtime during the year.
What are some things you have found to be ideal for sack lunches taken by your gluten free child?
(No animals were harmed in making this video. The tiger in the video was a friendly one and did not bite!)
Rudi’s Gluten Free Introduces Flour Tortillas! #GFLuv Giveaway
Rudi’s Gluten Free debuts their new gluten free 51% whole grain flour tortilla at the Denver Edible Gluten-Free Food Fair, sponsored by the Denver Celiac Spru Association, Sunday, August 19, 2012. Gluten Free Dee speaks with Rudi’s Organic Bakery, Doug Radi, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, to get the low down on this delectable treat!
Interview and Tasting of Rudi’s Gluten Free Flour Tortillas!
There are 3 flavors, Plain, Spinach and Fiesta. The new tortillas offer a soft, pliable base for a yummy sandwich wrap or burrito. As with all of Rudi’s Gluten-Free products, the tortillas are made with only the highest quality, wholesome ingredients, and are certified gluten-free and carry the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) seal. They are soft, they are pliable and they are yummy! Oh, and they are gluten free!
Rudi’s and I will be giving away a nice prize pack to the follower who has the most creative entry (including the words Rudi’s Gluten Free, #GFLuv and Gluten Free Dee) in any/each of the following social media outlets:
https://www.facebook.com/rudisglutenfreebakery
https://www.facebook.com/GlutenFreeDee
https://www.facebook.com/DeeMValdez
https://www.facebook.com/GFMealsInAMinute
https://www.facebook.com/GlutenFreeInDenver
On Twitter, tweet something creative with #GFLuv for @GlutenFreeDee & new #GF Tortillas from @RudisGlutenFree
https://twitter.com/GlutenFreeDee
PRIZE PACK:
- Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery’s new Gluten-Free Tortillas
- Rudi’s Gluten-Free T-shirt
- Rudi’s magnet
- Tortilla press
- Cookbook with lots of gluten-free goodness
Comment below to show your #GFLuv and share the #GFLuv with your friends! Contest runs thru Friday, August 31st, 2012
Special-Diet Food Banks: How to help when the cupboards are bare
Special-Diet Food Banks
How to help when the cupboards are bare
By Connie Sarros and Alicia Woodward; Article originally posted on: www.livingwithout.com
© Rene Jansa/Shutterstock imagesAfter a short prayer of thanks and a slightly longer prayer for protection, Cindy and her 12-year-old daughter Meagan begin eating the macaroni and cheese they picked up at the food bank in Akron, Ohio. Cindy enjoys every bite, as does Meagan. But Cindy knows that in a few short hours, she’ll be holding Meagan’s hand and offering comfort because, as a celiac, Meagan can’t handle this meal. Yet without it, Meagan will go hungry.
Meagan and Cindy are not alone.
Across America, thousands of people who depend on local food banks for their meals are facing the cruel irony of needing food to live yet knowing the items offered could make them sick—or even kill them. Food banks are drastically ill-prepared and under-informed about how to handle the special dietary needs of a growing population of people with food allergies and sensitivities.
A Call to Action
In December 2009, Dee Valdez of Loveland, Colorado, organized a gluten-free pantry as a section in her community’s food bank, the House of Neighborly Service. The first of its kind in the United States, the House of Neighborly Service now distributes food to needy families who are on special diets. For Valdez, the idea was sparked by a phone call she received 17 years before.
“In the early 1990s, a single mom called me because she didn’t know how to feed her little girl who’d just been diagnosed with celiac disease,” recalls Valdez, who headed a local celiac chapter at the time. “I went through a list of products and her response was, ‘How can I afford that? I have to choose between feeding my daughter and all my kids. What would you do? I guess my daughter will just have to learn to live with diarrhea.”
Unbeknownst to the caller, Valdez, a mother with three young children, was not much better off. Despite her own hardship, she was determined to help. She gathered up food from her household and from others who offered to assist and delivered six bags of groceries to the mother.
“I knew that was maybe a week’s worth of food for her and her children,” Valdez says. “I vowed that one day I would find a way to feed families like that, especially kids with special dietary needs.”
Several years later, Valdez found herself living in an identical situation as the caller.
“Back then, there were times when I actually had to rely on a food bank but it wasn’t designed to meet my dietary needs as a celiac. I’d get food for my children there—but I was just eating rice,” says Valdez,
Feed the Hungry
It was 15 years later when Valdez, a former journalist and TV news anchor, felt she was finally at a place in her life where she could follow up on her vow. The community need had remained unmet.
“I was rather appalled that nobody had gotten this important work done. Then I thought, well, I’ll go ahead and do it myself,” she says.
There was no sense in reinventing the wheel, Valdez thought, so she decided to start with an established food bank and work from there. That way, any issues about location, shelf space, government regulations and paperwork, staffing, safety and sanitation would already be addressed. She approached six different food banks in the Denver area—but not one of them fit the bill. The reason? No one had what she termed a “willing heart.”
“It’s not enough to have a food bank facility, sufficient space, a massive amount of donations or a lot of money. If the people who run the place don’t have willing hearts, a special-diet pantry will not be sustained,” Valdez says. “The food banks I talked to were like, yeah, that’s probably something we could look into—but I wanted people who would really embrace this.”
Another criteria for Valdez was that the food bank would offer gluten-free items on each and every day they were open, not just occasionally.
“I didn’t want this to be personality driven,” she explains. “Once I backed away or the executive director leaves, I didn’t want the whole system to fall apart. Because once you start feeding people these special-diet foods, you need to continue to do so. People should be able to count on that.”
Pierce’s Pantry, a gluten-free food bank started by high school student Pierce Keegan, operates out of Wayland, Massachusetts.
Photo courtesy of Tracy Keegan/www.Piercespantry.com
Ultimately, Valdez found the right combination in her own backyard—the House of Neighborly Service in Loveland, Colorado.
“The executive director there had lived gluten free for a while due to health reasons. She understood how challenging the diet can be and how vital the food is to people who need it,” Valdez says, calling the food bank “a really sweet find.”
Valdez called the celiac groups in the area, asking them to help secure both financial and food donations and to publicize the project throughout the Denver region. She also contacted gluten-free manufacturers across the nation, obtaining ongoing product donations in order to keep shelves regularly stocked with gluten-free pastas, cookies, pretzels, baking mixes and other goods. The staff at the House of Neighborly Service jumped right in, enthusiastically altering their procedures to incorporate the gluten-free items. Working with Valdez, they trained volunteers to read labels, sort products and stock shelves.
Opening Day
The House of Neighborly Service agreed to launch the project in December of 2009, just in time for the holidays. Christmas, a hectic time for food banks, was fast approaching.
To help publicize the availability of gluten-free food to needy families throughout the area, Valdez decided to make the opening a media event. The press, local and state dignitaries and families across the region were notified—and the event was well attended. Valdez recalls a moment at the opening that was particularly poignant for her.
“A family with seven kids came because they needed food for the holidays. Out of nine in that family, four were gluten free,” she says. “Many of the celiac moms used the food bank as an object lesson in giving, taking their kids grocery shopping to help stock the shelves. A 3-year-old girl with celiac disease gave a box of her favorite gluten-free cookies to a little child in this family. It was a powerful visual that still makes me emotional.”
Since then, Valdez has gone on to work with other food banks across the nation to help them incorporate special-diet pantries into their day-to-day operations.
“I know from personal experience how important it is to be able to have the right food to meet special dietary needs,” she says. “Parents shouldn’t have to choose between feeding their child something that’s ‘poison’ or having them go hungry. If we can get even one family the special-diet food they need, we offer them restored health and hope—and that can permanently change their lives.”
Connie Sarros has written several gluten-free cookbooks, including co-authoring Gluten-Free Cooking for Dummies. She lives in Fairlawn, Ohio.
Rice, Beans and a Date – It’s all Available at Your Local Food Bank
Rice, Beans and a Date – It’s all Available at Your Local Food Bank
This guest blog is by Syrah and featuring Al Clad, members of The Food-Sensitive Foodie Team
The scene:
The San Francisco Food Bank annual Penn State SF/Bay Area Chapter Community Service Day. A cool, crisp December morning. Two good-looking Penn State alumni volunteers emptied countless barrels of food collected from local grocery stores and sorted them into food groups – vegetable, fruit, and bread products.
The meet-cute:
Syrah: I volunteer my time for the Penn State Chapter serving as a young alumni chair. That morning I was there greeting alumni from participating Big Ten schools.
Al Clad: Apparently, during that time I was finishing my crepe at the Crepe House before heading to the Food Bank to volunteer…and then some. I had ulterior motives – I had done my Facebook research!
Syrah: His supposed ulterior motives were not clear to me. He showed up an hour late with a girl I presumed to be his girlfriend! Who shows up an hour late to volunteer?
Al Clad: Turns out my late arrival meant I had missed the heavy lifting (and was down some points in the first impression department). Seriously though, I hate being late but yes I did show up an hour late. I couldn’t find the Food Bank! It was all the way across town from where I had breakfast. So, by the time I got there, I was sent straight to bagging rice and beans.
Syrah: We were bagging rice and beans (in hairnets — you’re welcome for the visual) when these two young Penn State alumni come strolling in LATE to help.
Al Clad: It was like a conveyor belt of mixed generations, men and women, all wearing the colors of their alma mater. The girl-who-was-NOT-my-girlfriend and I quickly gravitated to the sea of blue and white.
Syrah: The Late Guy in his Penn State hat quickly took a place one table over from me while his “girlfriend” joined my table. Girlfriend or not, late or not, I’ll admit it, I was curious about this young guy with a huge smile and contagious laugh.
Al Clad: I wish I had joined Syrah’s table. Instead, I filled the open spot next to the two “mature” alumni of the group, but I kept the girl in the purple shoes and ripped jeans in my peripheral vision. You see, I had done my homework before signing up for the Food Bank. Facebook had assured me there would be cute girls participating.
Later that night:
While our volunteer duties at the Food Bank kept us from doing anything but exchanging sideward glances, the alumni mixer following our community service day did give us a chance to chat – free of hairnets, rice and beans. A date was set and a few nights later Al Clad and I went on our first date.
It’s been nearly a year since our food bank outing and first date. We are grateful for the Food Bank for the good they do within our community, and for bringing us together. We’ll be giving to our local Food Bank again this year – and lucky for us, rice and beans are gluten-free so we’re giving gluten-freely! We encourage you to give to your local Food Bank this holiday season or donate your time. Make the holidays memorable for another family in your community. And just maybe score a date!
Inspired to give, and maybe even meet someone new? Check out our list of what you can donate and where you can give…and when you do, make sure you give gluten-freely this holiday season!
Sharing Your Gluten Free Good Eats – Give to Your Local Food Bank!
By Marisa Voorhees, the FSFoodie and Dee Valdez, Gluten Free Dee
‘Tis the season – the season of lots of good eats. For you. For me. For the family down the street. So, which one of us has to eat gluten free? Certainly your friendly authors are eating gluten free. And you, our dear readers, probably are, too (or at least you’ve tried it). And, if you’ve been eating it, then you already know that a gluten-free diet comes with a much higher price tag than the standard American diet.
Last week, we encouraged you to “Give, and Give Gluten-Freely” to your local food bank. Why? Because, for low income families with at least one member on a special diet, it is a difficult choice. Feed one special diet or feed the whole family. That’s where you and your local food bank can help.
So, where can you take your gluten-free goodies so that they get into the hands and tummies of those who need them? There are over a dozen already established food banks with gluten-free shelves and labeling procedures in place to make the food accessible and easily identifiable for those on special diets. They include:
Loveland, CO – The House of Neighborly Service
565 North Cleveland Avenue, Loveland, CO – phone: 970-667-4939
Pittsburgh, PA – Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Network including:
North Hills Community Outreach – phone: 412-487-6316
East End Cooperative Ministries – phone: 412-361-5549
West Hills Food Pantries – phone: 412-262-4930
Brentwood Presbyterian Church Food Pantry – phone: 412-882-6035
Pierce’s Pantry, a Gluten-Free Food Bank, which accepts monetary donations online.
If time is tight, or a donation box/food bank isn’t easily accessible to you then consider supporting those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance by giving a monetary donation. Your local food bank will gladly accept monetary donations, too, and they have tremendous buying power so your donated dollars will stretch further.
Here’s the good news – you don’t just have to find an already established gluten-free food bank. You can turn any food donation box that you see popping up in supermarkets, the mall, schools, and your office building into a gluten-free/special diet donation box.
Eat it: The next time you’re at the market grab an extra can of hearty gluten free soup, chili, canned chicken, or fruit in juice — a very special treat. It is rare for a family to get cooking oil with their food so, if possible, include a bottle with your donation.
If you donate a grain such as quinoa, be sure to also package it with all the things that would turn it into a tasty meal such as a box of chicken stock, and some canned tomatoes. This is often the expensive part. Keep in mind that your entree may be the only food a family of four eats that day.
Drink up: A carton of shelf-stable rice, almond, or coconut milk would be appreciated. Or simply grab an extra bag of your favorite gluten free or special diet treats. Any of these options would make great gluten-free donations and all of them would be welcomed at a food bank near you.
Also, make it easy for those sorting the food and add a “GF” notation in permanent market to the top of the can or clearly identify the donation as gluten free when putting it in the collection box or handing it off to a volunteer at the food bank.
These simple steps will make it an easy process for you making the donation, for the food banks sorting the donation, and for the families who will benefit significantly from your generosity this holiday season. Give, and give gluten-freely!
So – what are you going to be donating to the food bank or food donation box in your neighborhood? What gluten-free treats are you going to encourage your kids/friends/neighbors to donate? Do you know of a gluten-free or special-diet food bank in your area? Tell us! We want to know.
