Allergy or Intolerance? A fine line.

An informational MSNBC Health article published today, Is it a food allergy or a food intolerance? helps differentiate some of the most important differences between a food allergy and a food intolerance. This article is informative, especially to those unfamiliar or recently diagnosed. But don't be mistaken, in my opinion and from experience, intolerances are just as serious dangerous to your health and immune system & possibly deadly if gone untreated or not properly diagnosed!!

How informed are YOU? What do you think of this article?

Gluten Free Summer - Back to Basics

Has everyone had a great summer? Although fall is so very beautiful I am always a little sad to see summer go. I know I've mentioned this before but I love the beautiful warm summer weather. Tans, tank tops, sunshine....ah I'll miss you summer. There have been some ups & downs over here at The C Chronicles this summer. Job hunting has been at the forefront of my summer. It has certainly been a roller coaster of experiences & emotions! Following and respecting my gluten free/microscopic (lymphocytic) colitis diet is more important than ever through times like these, times of stress. One thing that I've learned is that my body reacts directly to my levels of stress!

I've experimented over the summer by incorporating some of my favorite summer veggies into my gluten free dishes. A trip to the local farmers market is a great way to get the best in season veggies, and it supports the awesome local farmers!

I love love stir fry! Brown rice with organic chicken, green & yellow zuccinni, red peppers, and pea pods. I've switched to all organic chicken because I learned that they add chicken broth to the frozen chicken I used to buy to preserve it and keep it's flavor. Is this chicken broth gluten free? I don't know... so I switched.

Gluten free turkey, olive & cheese burger. The gluten free bun from was key. Pam from the local Bread Stone Bakery gave me the bun to sample and it was absolutely fabulous! Yes, I'm getting that excited over a hamburger bun! Major kuddos Bread Stone Bakery.

The lettuce wraps at PF Changs are darn tasty so I thought I'd try making my own. They were delicious although next time I'm going to use a lot less of the wheat free soy sauce out of the sauce mixture, too much salt...and soy. Extra lean ground turkey, chopped up water cheastnuts, pea pods, & bean sprouts. Wheat free soy sauce, Rice vinegar, & red wine vinegar for the sauce.

...and obviously another stir fry concoction! This is actually one of my regulars because I love wax (yellow) beans. Brown rice with organic chicken, water chestnuts, & yellow beans. So simple!

Who says it's hard eating gluten free on a budget? Not me! I'm saving my money for upcoming fall shopping trip, candy apples, concerts, girls night out, and nice cheap bottle of vino!...ok maybe two cheap bottles of vino!

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Desert Giveaway!

Isn't it fascinating the lengths people go to for free stuff?  I include myself in this because I am blogging today not only to inform the public but to get an extra entry into a fabulous GF giveaway!  Was scanning through tweets this morning and came across GlutenFreeDude's tweet about this giveaway.  Clicked on it and it takes you to The Lucky Lady Bug's blog post about the giveaway.  Clicked on the Mommy Googles link and VOILA!  So basically, just click on Mommy Googles if you're reading this and want to enter!  I just had to share my frantic yet enthusiastic hunt for the entry information!

Here's what you get: 4 samples, one of each of the GF desert mixes, 2 free coupons, a tote bag, a magnetic grocery list pad & pen.  Kind of awesome right?  Ok, maybe I'm a little too excited about this! HA!  When you enter at Mommy Googles, you have to post a gluten free recipe to get at least one entry.  If you're not gluten free & you don't know one, don't fret.  I would recommend googling gluten free recipes, pick out one that you fancy and post it!  You never know what you might find in the process!  Expand your horizons people! (yes, I did just write that)

These GF products by Betty Crocker are brand new to the shelves and I have yet to find them in any of my surrounding grocery stores so weather I win or not, I am especially anxious to try them!  

B-B-B-Birthday Shout Out!

Happy Birthday to my dearest friend AC!  Are we getting older & wiser?  Hmmm, well at least one of the two for sure!  We've had (and continue to have) so many good, bad, and just plain craZZZY times!  

(new school)

(old school with the Tom Cruise circa Top Gun framed photo hanging on the wall)

(marti gras party or just your average Saturday night back in the day?  We'll never know.)

Happy Birthday to you!!!

GF Baking with Bob's!

Brace yourselves people, I've been baking!  Turns out one good thing about losing your job is it opens up a little free time to bake!

This Bob's Red Mill gluten free cinnamon raisin bread turned out great!  Waiting for it to rise then waiting for it to bake was the worst but totally worth it!  Many thanks to my mom for talking me into baking bread on a Saturday morning!

The cornbread was on a whim craving for something, anything bready.  Uhh, SO good!  I used an organic almond non-dairy substitute in place of the milk for this one and they still turned out fabulous, maybe even a little more flavorful because of the hint of almond.

A healthy alternative for non-Celiac's as well.

Bob's Red Mill products are highly recommended!

Yum!

Gluten Free fun in Vegas!!

They don't call it "sin city" for nothin!  I've been back from Vegas for a good month now and have yet to blog about it so I figure before I do anything else this Memorial Day weekend I better get on it!  Vegas was a total blast and I'm more happy now than ever that I went and that I enjoyed some great times with AC & LMO!  

For all of you non Celiacs, my gluten free restaurant rundown might bore you but to you I say, use this to your benefit for tips on good "overall" places to eat!

We stayed at the super fabulous New York New York Hotel & Casino.  The first restaurant we ate at was the Nine Fine Irishmen right in NYNY.  GF menu, awesome tasting food, live Irish music!  A wonderful welcoming experience to Vegas!  I ate the Brie Stuffed Chicken Breast and it tasted great!  

What better way to ring in the NFL draft on Saturday then to have lunch at the ESPN Zone, also in our hotel/casino?  Not to mention that the place was crawling with testosterone!  No GF menu here but I got a burger, no bun and a baked potato.  

PF Chang's inside Planet Hollywood was a favorite.  I've indulged in PF Chang's here in Michigan so I am very familiar with their GF menu.  I got my usual Singapore Street Noodles w/sauce on the side.  I would say that if you've never had PF Chang's, gluten free or not you absolutely need to!

The one and only unpleasant GF eating experience I had while I was in Vegas was on Saturday night ay the restaurant Olive's inside the Belagio.  Olive's was an early choice because of the awesome atmosphere.  A very positive email from the executive chef assuring us that there would be many GF options available set my comfort level pretty high.  Well let's just say there were NO GF options available.  Both managers on the floor knew I was frustrated and neither bothered to come over to the table to talk to us.  It was awful.  I ended up eating very little of this raw beef dish that our waiter, Rick, drummed up.  Thanks again Rick for your efforts and sorry again for my slight rudeness.  All frustrations were postponed until later the next day as I proceeded to enjoy the rest of my evening!  

Sunday night, after seeing the Cirque du Soleil show Zumanity we went out with a bang for our last meal of the trip at Gallagher's Steakhouse.  No GF menu here but I asked the waitress if the chef could accommodate and they did!  I got the filet with a baked potato and it was so amazing!

Overall, my Vegas GF dining experiences were very good.  You just have to do a little research before your trip.  Make sure you know your surroundings and be aware of the types of restaurants that are going to be in close vicinity to you.  You don't want to get there and be like, "duh, I don't know" and waste your whole trip trying to figure out where to eat!  

Yay!  Can't wait to go back!

I'm not worthy Betty Crocker...

Seriously! I had to blink TWICE when I saw this over at GF Steve! I love you Betty, I love you General Mills! A thousand thank you's! I will be anxiously awaiting the month of June!

Follow this link to get the scoop right from the horses mouth and spread the word! Don't worry...it's not gossip!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to ALL the spectacular mommies out there, including my own VERY fabulous mother! Thanks for everything you do every day!  Love you! XOXOXOXO

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world"

- Anonymous

Rollin with the homies!

Gearin' up for some much needed vaca with the ladies this weekend so see ya when I get back blog world! Hopefully I'll still know my last name when I get back!

Lighten Up!

Just finished reading Lighten Up - Survival Skills for People Under Pressure, by C.W. Metcalf and his wife Roma Felible.  Pretty much in the nick of time too since it's due back at the library tomorrow!  The book's copyright is 1992 but except for some early 90's statistics & a few references to people like Ronald Reagan, Bon Jovi, & Paula Abdul, one wouldn't really know the difference.  I had no special purpose for choosing this book, it began as a complete distraction to studying for the GRE!  I usually take notes as I read so I'll share below a few things I considered interesting enough to write down from my read:

For people coming out of a rough spot in their lives, recognizing the absurdities of prior behavior is essential for regarding that all - important sense of joy at being alive.

How we choose to view challenge and change dictates whether we cope or are crushed.

Take yourself lightly and your situation seriously.

It's better to look for what works before you focus on what's broken.

Those with a strong will to live consistently discipline themselves to nurture the positives life has to offer.

If we do not generate & practice reverence for the joys in life, then the miseries, wars, and backed-up septic tanks will pull us under.

Importance of a "Joy List" - Look for the moments of absurdity, laughter, and joy around you.

Being old isn't just bad or just good, it isn't just sad or just funny.  Truth is that being older is similar to the rest of your life; some of it is Heaven on earth, and then there's the plain ol' Mondays.

The author includes a lot of funny stories in delivering his techniques for lightening up!  It's a good read and an easy read for the "out of practice" so to speak (like me and pretty much the majority of the country).  It's refreshing to read something for enjoyment that isn't a textbook or a People mag!  Don't underestimate me though, People.com is always a click away!

Slack-meyster the blogger

HI-YA, HI-YA!  I have been such an absent blogger, this I know!  Just call me the slackster.  I've had so much to do, some of it business, some of it pleasure so I have been the ultimate slackerator!  I've been filling my time with a number of activities like applying to grad school, checking out and reading books from the library (shut up, this was an activity for me!), booking a gals trip to Vegas, attending numerous happy hours, taking care of my mom after her foot surgery (emphasis on the happy hours after this one!), working, & working out (or a weak ass attempt at working out).  

...did I mention the St. Patty's Day celebration down in the D?  
Here's my Irish partner in crime, LMO and her ultra celebratory hat!  This is how our afternoon started out and the rest is pretty much history..... 

LMO = "Where's the parade"?

C = "I dunno LMO, where IS the parade"?

LMO = "I don't see it but it's supposed to be RIGHT HERE!"

C = Uh, stay calm LMO but I think we're in the wrong spot."

LMO = "Screw it C, let's find a bar!"

C = "I'm pickin up what you're throwin down sister!"

Health is going so-so at the moment.  Officially went off the Entocort (steroids) on March 4th and sure enough began to have all of my classic Celiac symptoms again.  The joint pains pretty much blow so I'm contemplating my next move and keeping a close eye on everything else in the meanwhile.  I have this process of complete and utter frustration and pissed-off'ness (a word? maybe...) followed by some calmness and focus!  Keep on a truckin right?  

...off to enjoy the 1st weekend of spring!

Now that's my kind of mac & cheese!

Happy belated Valentine's Day to everyone!  I was studying all weekend for my big GRE exam yesterday.  On Sunday I needed something quick to make so I could get back to relearning all of the math I failed in high school & college.  Ahhh, Trader Joe's mac & cheese...I hope it tastes good....cross your fingers!

mmmmmmmm...............holy crap, this is amazing!  Very close to Kraft mac & cheese as a matter of fact!  I'm very impressed you delightful box of mac & cheese!  Celiac's if you miss Kraft I highly recommend you give the Trader Joe's brand a try.  And on the up side, the rice pasta is so much better for you than the enriched pasta!  Sold at all Trader Joe's stores so visit their website to see of there's a store near you.  One box only set me back $1.99.  How cool is that?

***Be careful because it's made on equipment shared with peanuts, tree nuts, and soy.  I am fairly sensitive to soy but I took a small risk and I was fine.  Only you know you so you be the judge.

I hope to someday take my best shot at a homemade GF mac & cheese but until then I am happy to explore and find my "from the box" favorites!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Saz's BBQ Sauce

I would certainly be doing a disservice to the world, especially my fellow Celiac's and allergy prone peeps if I didn't share with you this great product and deal! A few weeks ago, while down & out in a, "good Lord I cannot possibly eat another piece if plain baked chicken" rut, I decided to try out my skills at making homemade chicken nuggets. I used my Gluten Free corn tortilla bread crumbs (as mentioned in a previous post) and I've been hooked ever since! I had in the fridge some Saz's BBQ sauce that someone bought for me FOREVER ago and I just never gave the stuff a fair shot. I'm chalking it up to me just being stubborn and assumptive, as I was back in the day...ok, I may still be a tiny bit stubborn...depends on who you ask! Silly rabbit. Saz's BBQ sauce created the perfect marriage to my crispy homemade chicken nuggies!

I recently ran out and haven't been able to find it anymore at my local grocery store. I found Saz's BBQ products online and low & behold they had a super deal. The "Saz's Sauce Trio" for $10! That's 3, 28oz bottles, one of each of Saz's signature flavors for $10 (S&H was free!). I ordered 2 of the trio's and the shipment arrived within about 24 hours. Amazing! I haven't tasted the Vidalia Onion or the Sassy yet but all three flavors are Gluten Free, Fat Free and also do NOT contain any Soy, Milk, Egg, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Wheat, Fish, or Shellfish. My body is not a fan of soy and do you know how hard it is to find a BBQ Sauce, or ANY type of sauce for that matter, withOUT soy in it? Go order yours so you're ready for all of the big summer BBQ's coming up and a much deserved Thank you to Saz's for this delish product!

Holla at'cha suga! Suga COOKIES!

This sugar cookie mix has been burning a hole in my brain for a good 6 days now.  I found myself gazing out the window thinking about cookies, then sugar, then the little man standing on the pile of cookies on the box.  Yes, it got a little out of control but that's all over because they are now a reality!  The Cherrybrook Kitchen sugar cookie mix was on sale for about 4 bucks at my local health food store (worked out to be about $2 a dozen). The actual mix is Gluten Free, Peanut Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, & Nut Free...and they DON'T taste like crap!  How wonderful is that?  If you or anyone you know has any or all of these types of food allergies this mix is 100% recommended!  OR if you're on a diet: 1 cookie w/o the frosting is 0g fat and about 15g-18g of total carbs depending on how big you make them!  Not bad!  The back of the box calls for rice milk to keep it dairy free but I sub'd Fat Free Organic Milk because I'm good with dairy consumed in moderation.   

The store bought frosting scares me.  Way too many "unknown" ingredients so I made my own cream cheese vanilla frosting using butter, cream cheese, organic GF vanilla, and powdered sugar.  Someday I'll make them from scratch, but not today!!  I'd like to think of this as my Sandra Lee semi-homemade experiment.  Tiz the shizzy if I must say!  

As promised...

Our January Dinning Divas theme was "Italian night" so I decided to try making something new. I decided on a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis for herb stuffed tomatoes. I watched Giada make them on her Food Network show Everyday Italian. On the show she made them with italian gorgonzola cheese but I did a trial run before "Italian night" and come to find out, gorgonzola cheese is nasty, or at least the one I bought was. This same recipe posted by Susie D on Recipezaar is essentially the same thing but with pictures, which being an amateur I definitely prefer!

They turned out great! I'm pretty sure the girls liked them, and if they didn't they weren't telling! I sampled only one because I'm not a huge tomato lover and it was da bomb! I mixed the grated provolone with some shredded parmesan then sprinkled it very lightly with colby jack right at the end. It was a special occasion so I cheesed it up but if you wanted to just keep it simple with the provolone it would still be awesome. I of course substituted Gluten Free bread crumbs for regular bread crumbs. I have to say that the Southern Homestyle GF Bread Crumbs are one of my new favorite things. I make homemade chicken nuggets with them and they always turn out so crispy & crunchy, just like nuggie should be! Delish. I rate this dish super easy to make if you're thinking of entertaining a few people or just feeling like trying something new!

Party Like It's 2009!

Happy New Year to all!  Hope everyone had a fabulous and safe celebratory weekend.  I celebrated in GR at GP Sports Bar inside of the Amway Grand Plaza.  MC squared, AC, EC, and I ended up there in a round about way because it was too damn cold to wait in line anywhere else but we ended up having a blast!  This pic is essentially me on my tippy toes taking a picture of the Times Square ball on a very large TV!  YAY!

The 1st week of 2009 brought unto me a flu unlike any other.  I'm not gonna lie, it was 4 nights of pure hell.  As if being a Celiac is hard enough!  After some TLC and much needed rest I'm back in the saddle and ready to get 2009 rollin!  So thanks to all for a wonderful 2008 first blog year.  My resolution is to add to my blog plenty of my Gluten Free faves!  Most are everyday store bought items, but my goal is to try and add an occasional recipe (if I'm brave enough!).  I've not yet perfected the whole baking/cooking thing so I'm sure there'll be some good stories to go along with...