What is your "Gluten free trick" of the trade?

I am seeking input from all of you regarding your gluten free tricks. What do you do daily living gluten free that makes your life easier? What products do you have in your kitchen that you can't live without? What do you do to prepare meals that makes your prep and cooking time easier? I want to hear it all.

Consider it a "Gluten free trick contest" if you will. The Celiac Shack wants to know what your personal tricks are for making living gluten free easier.

Submit your trick and you may just send you a FREE gluten free product. The Celiac Shack is looking for great ideas to include in our future newsletters, so let us know what you do in your every day life. How easy is this challenge??

The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

http://www.theceliacshack.net/

theceliacshack@yahoo.com

The Pipeline for August

Ok..so we're busy working on our monthly newsletter, The Pipeline. We're gotten so many great emails from a lot of you and we're going over all of the gluten free BBQ recipes to pick our winner for our July BBQ recipe contest! The winner will be sent a bottle of Hot Rod Bob's BBQ sauce as their prize, and we're going to mention their name in August's Pipeline.

You still have time to submit your recipe. We're looking for great, unique, unusual, delicious, and of course, gluten free BBQ recipes! Get going and send one in. You could be the winner!

The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

http://www.theceliacshack.net/

theceliacshack@yahoo.com

Gluten Free Vegan Brownies!

Oh my! I was at the grocery store yesterday, and ran into a woman that was buying brownie mixes. She asked if I had ever made the kind of brownie mix that she was looking at, and I informed her that I make gluten free brownies. She was intrigued with that comment and we talked for awhile about food allergies and nutrition. She was quite fascinating and I had to eventually end the conversation because my frozen foods were melting!

She told me about a recipe that she makes for her son that is completely vegan with Brownies.

1 Brownie mix

1 15 oz can unseasoned black beans

Puree the black beans and pour them into the brownie mix. Mix this mixture until smooth. Bake at the temp listed on the brownie mix box.

She swears this recipe will blow anyone away. She said people who don't eat vegetarian can't tell the difference and it's a healthy, low fat, vegan way to enjoy brownies.

I will be trying this very soon, so I'll let you know how it turns out. Give it a whirl and send us your opinion.

Sign up for The Pipeline for more awesome gluten free recipes!

The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

What can you eat?

I keep getting questions about Celiac disease from almost everyone I encounter during my day. From other Moms and Dads, to kids and even family members that don't fully understand what Celiac is and what it effects. So I have a "canned" answer as to what Celiac is and what happens to people with it when they eat gluten, but I thought I would write here what awesome foods you can in fact eat when you're celiac or gluten intolerant.

I tell everyone that I use this list as a guide and am able to add to it with other gluten free items. We really can eat almost anything we want, with a few modifications, and as an extra bonus, we eat healthier, and live a healthier lifestyle in general because we're not eating a lot of the fast food, overly processed foods and foods loaded with preservatives that we used to consume. We all feel better and it's kind of a thrill to go one day at a time on a quest to eat only gluten free foods. Sure, it takes a little more planning in the beginning, but overall, it is the best thing we ever did for ourselves.

Take a look at all of the foods on this list, and if you have questions about what you can add to it, or use for substitutions, please let us know and we will help you out in any way we can.

Gluten Free Foods

Fresh meat
Fish and shellfish
Poultry and game
Vegetables
Fresh herbs
Fruit
Dried fruit
Nuts
Eggs
Cheese
Cottage cheese (not cheese spreads)
Milk (when newly diagnosed you may be lactose intolerant)
Dried beans, peas and pulses
Vegetable oils, sunflower oil, olive oil
Almonds, ground or whole
Rice, ground, long or short grain
Rice cakes/crackers
Rice flour (and other gluten free flours)
Yeast
Cream of tartar
Bicarbonate of soda
Sugar
Dried peppercorns
Cornflour (from the maize plant
Tamari soy sauce
Marmite (only if made in the UK)
Yoghurts (without crunchy bits)
Cider vinegar
Wine vinegar
Distilled vinegar
Sago
Tapioca
Millet
Quinoa
Flax seed
Corn Tortillas
Corn tacos
Popcorn (check any coating)
Homemade soups (not roux based)
Jelly (jello)
Jam
Marmalade
Honey
Golden syrup
Black treacle or molasses
Tea (check herb teas first)
Fruit juice
Fruit squash (not barley water
gluten free beer
Wine
Xanthan gum (replaces "elastic" quality of gluten)

The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time

Sign up for our newsletter, The Pipeline for more great gluten free information and recipes!

The Celiac Shack supports the Dads out there too!

It was brought to my attention that I have been directing most of my blogs, twitters, and notes towards the Moms out there, and have been neglecting the hard working Dads. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize as I would never leave out you Dads intentionally! You guys are just as important as the Moms in this fight against gluten, and I can speak from personal experience that my husband works just as hard as I do.

On that note, from this point on, I will include all of the people that may be taking care of gluten intolerant children in all of our publications.

It is said that it takes a village to raise a child, and I know first hand that this is true when raising kids with food allergies.

The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

Great Review on The Celiac Shack!

I just read the most fabulous review on The Celiac Shack! I was so happy to see that people are really enjoying our community and products! Take a moment to read this review and then check us out for yourself!

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The Celiac Shack

A new online Gluten Free Community and Pantry! It's hip, it's cool, and it's a really great place to get a ton of information and to purchase some really awesome gluten free products at great prices!

I've had celiac disease for a few years, and I've found The Celiac Shack last week. It has an island atmosphere and it has catchy photos and a Hawaiian theme. It's unique, fresh and brings a new approach to living gluten free. My wife loves it because it is aimed at Mothers of gluten free children, as we have 2 kids with Celiac disease also. You can sign up for their newsletter, called The Pipeline, and they run Monthly contest. You can win FREE products each month just by submitting a recipe to them at Theceliacshack@yahoo.com.

It's really a great place to visit and buy some awesome gluten free products. All of their products have been tested by their four children, which they refer to as "The Jones Gang." Very cool concept. I like knowing that their kids have taste tested and actually like the food they have for sale. My kids have eaten so much gerbil food, that they are happy to get great tasting snacks finally!

I would highly recommend that you go to Theceliacshack.net and experience this site out for yourself. You'll be happy you did.

Remember to sign up for their newsletter and submit your gluten free recipes to get discounts on their products!

Their shipping rates are also the best I've encountered. They use USPS, and my shipments have been simple and perfect!
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The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

Some Days Are Better Than Others

Today I am scratching my head wondering what it takes to get peoples attention. I Twitter, blog, Facebook, Myspace and send smoke signals. lol Though I am a store trying to sell goods, that is not my main purpose. I desperately would like to get participation to our newsletter "The Pipeline". We have contests and a whole section dedicated to submissions from subscribers. Though our sign-ups are on the rise, there has been no participation form subscribers for two months. If you are interested in saying your piece or entering the "Contest Corner", please log on to http://www.theceliacshack.net/ and sign up. If you have any ideas on the overall subject, please e-mail us at theceliacshack@yahoo.com. We are trying build a on-line community and could use your help.

Thanks gang!

Susan Jones

"Magical" Breakfast!

I woke up this morning, and made my pot of "Go-Go Juice", aka, coffee. I looked in my fridge to find something for the kids to eat for breakfast. I saw a bottle of mustard, a half full jar of pickles, and some leftovers from last nights dinner. Hmmm...although it is possible to make a delicious and nutritious meal from mustard and pickles, I opted to look behind these items and I saw fat free vanilla yogurt and some fresh blackberries from my yard that The Jones Gang hand picked this week.

Viola! We had breakfast! Below is a delicious and easy breakfast that my kids love, and of course, it's gluten free.

Gluten Free Berry Smoothies!

1 cup Black Berries (any kind of berry will do)
2 c. fat-free vanilla yogurt
1 cup skim milk

1 cup Ice

Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth, pour in glasses and serve cold!

I usually offer up my kids something along with this breakfast smoothie, but this morning, my kids were perfectly content slowly drinking their delicious smoothies solo.

As I sat down and drank my "Go-Go Juice" with my kids, my three year old daughter, Maggie, looked at me and said, "Momma, this breakfast is magical"! WOW! Couldn't we all use some magical moments in our life? I had one this morning. :)

The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

Sign up for The Pipeline for more easy gluten free recipes.

What Is Celiac Disease & Do I Have It?

How do you know if you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance? Good question, but there are not many good answers. This disorder is widely unknown and misdiagnosed most of the time by physicians. It could manifest itself as skin rashes, digestion issues, etc. I am not a doctor, but what I do know is that the medical world is slow to accept change or new ideas. It unfortunately takes decades for things like this to gain wide acceptance in the medical world before it is taken seriously. The Mayo Clinic explains the disease as follows.

Celiac disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. If you have celiac disease and eat foods containing gluten, an immune reaction occurs in your small intestine, causing damage to the surface of your small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients.

Eventually, the decreased absorption of nutrients (malabsorption) that occurs with celiac disease can cause vitamin deficiencies that deprive your brain, peripheral nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment. This can lead to other illnesses and stunted growth in children.

No treatment can cure celiac disease. However, you can effectively manage celiac disease through changing your diet.

They have a link on their website to make an appointment to discuss this with patients. So no matter who is blogging or trying to sell you something, talk to a professional to make sure that you have this problem before self medicating. So many times people are fed information that is well intended, but not correct for the person whom is processing it.

Regards,

Susan Jones

Gluten Free On-The-Go Snacks for the beach!

So The Jones Gang is requesting for us to head to the beach. *Sigh* As a mother, I think of all the work that is involved in a beach trip, as I'm sure many of you can relate to! I think of all the swim suits, towels, sunscreen, squirt guns, swim floaties, blow up toys, beverages, and snacks! Snacks...food...snacks...hard to come up with on the go food when you have Celiac kids! Not for me now though, as I've found some great treats for my kids, which they taste tested and hand choose because they are the taste testers for The Celiac Shack! Success!!

Today, they requested Chili Nacho Cheese Chips, gluten free brownies, and GladCorn. You can find all of these fabulous gluten free items on our site, www.theceliacshack.net. If you have gluten free kids, and are looking for some quick on-the-go snacks, you really need to come to The Shack and check out all of our great products. Our kids love them, and so will yours!

The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

Calling ALL Gluten Free recipes!

I am finding it harder everyday to add diversity to the menu. Trying something new tonight though. A home style fish fry with all the trimmings. BBQ food is great but there is only so many ways to cook meat over flames. If you have a favorite gluten-free recipe, we would like to hear about it. Send your meal ideas and recipes to theceliacshack@yahoo.com and we will try to publish them in our newsletter "The Pipeline". Look forward to trying some of your submissions.

Regards,

Susan Jones

Isles Of Wheat & Not A Bite To Eat

I just got back from the local food store where they looked at me baffled when I asked them where their gluten-free items were located. I cannot believe that the major chains are still resisting stocking their stores with food that we need. They all have token areas that amount to very little more than a marketing ploy. It's darn near impossible to put together a days worth of meal options let alone an entire weeks worth. If I don't beat these stores to the punch, I believe that we will see a supermarket that will be 100% gluten-free from top to bottom within the next 5 years. No label reading with all the choices people need to do their full shopping. As Celiac disease and other gluten-free related illnesses gain acceptance in the medical world we will see a major shift in what we are putting into our bodies. Until then, I am afraid that we are forced to piecemeal our list together from all over town. Keep the faith everyone, I have a plan!

Susan Jones

http://www.theceliacshack.net/

Gluten-Free Brick & Mortar?

Website or brick & mortar? I spent the better part of the afternoon walking around downtown Northville, MI checking out one of the many locations empty from failed businesses due to the bad economy. Though I am proud and happy of our website http://www.theceliacshack.net/ I can't get rid of the need to press the flesh with the gluten-free public. Though some of the locations are attractive, it's still a lot of overhead for a small business like mine that still has its training wheels on. This search was spawned by an e-mail I had received regarding a gluten-free bakery that just opened up in a near by city. Though I am happy for them and wish them all the luck in the world, I am a bit jealous and nervous. Nervous that a gluten-free store may open so close to my future location that I will miss my opportunity to realize my final goal. So keep those on-line orders coming folks! lol We appreciate your business and hope to see all of you in person soon. A girl can dream!

Susan Jones

Refer a friend to The Celiac Shack

Aloha everyone!

I would like to extend an offer to all of you for a new program we have put into place. It's The Celiac Shack's refer a friend. If you know of anyone with gluten intolerance's, and think they would benefit from our information, health links and gluten free products, please refer them to our site, www.theceliacshack@yahoo.com and have them sign up for our newsletter, The Pipeline. After they sign up for The Pipeline, we will send you out FREE samples of our products absolutely free of charge to you. We would like you to help us out by referring all of the Celiac friends you know, and in return, we would like to thank you by supplying you with FREE samples to try of some of our great products that we're offering in our gluten free store.

How easy can it be?

Take a moment and think of all the contacts you can refer ~ This is our community, so let's make it great together!

The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

The "Shack" is back!

The "Shack" is back from relaxing by the lake and gluten-free BBQ bliss.

We had several get togethers that focused on food and we played a fast one on our guests. One of our guests in a previous discussion before the get together mentioned that they were not fans of any diets or crazy dietary gimmicks. I explained what gluten-free living was about and he laughed it off stating that he thought that all special dietary food was without taste and similar to cardboard. After this guests got done woofing down ribs, bread and all the fixing, he stated that was some of the finest BBQ they have had in a long time. I then with pride stated that everything he just ate was gluten-free. lol It was priceless to see this person eat their words.

Just because you have special dietary needs doesn't mean you have to stop living and enjoying food. Don't get me wrong, some of this stuff does taste like cardboard. You just have to do a lot of taste testing to find what's good for your palate. Stop by theceliacshack.net for some of these BBQ delights and sign up for "The Pipline" during your visit for recipes and information about the gluten-free lifestyle.

Susan Jones

Gluten-free beer?

Now I have seen it all. There is a beer company from England that makes a whole assortment of gluten-free goodness. They have three of their brews for sale here in the states. You don't have to cross the pond to find this unique brew. I know I typically focus on mom's and their children, but I had to represent this product because the BBQ season is upon us. If you are a mom that may enjoy an occasional spirit, or a father that has been doing without because of availability, stop by theceliacshack.net and sign up for our newsletter. You will find the link to these lovely libation in the "Health Links & Information" section of "The Pipeline". So check it out and CHEERS!

Susan Jones

July's newsletter ~ The Pipeline

Aloha everyone!

We just sent out the July's newsletter, The Pipeline. It contains some great information, links, contest rules, and a discount code for our product of the month. We are really seeking feedback from all of you. We want to know what is going on in your life, any stories about your gluten free journey, and especially your family's favorite gluten free recipes. We are offering up a FREE BBQ sauce for our contest this month when you submit your best gluten free recipe, so let the e-mails fly!

Check us out and you'll see why The Celiac Shack is the coolest gluten free destination spot out there!

The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

www.theceliacshack.net
theceliacshack@yahoo.com