Bob's Red Mill

Good Deeds Go Noticed!

It was so refreshing to read the article stating that Bob Moore, age 81 and owner of Bob's Red Mill , turned his company over to his employees.

I've included the link if you haven't head about this kind deed yet.  It makes ya just wanna go out and do something nice for someone! 

Bob's Red Mill is now employee owned!

I wish you a fantastic gluten free day!

Susan :)

The Celiac Shack

The Celiac Shack: working hard and accepting gluten free samples

So I'm working non stop on the new and improved Celiac Shack and in the meantime, I'm being mom, wife, chauffer, chef, maid, reader, tutor, mentor, counselor, snow shoveler and head zoo keeper. In all of this stress that I call life, I had a giggle today when I downloaded my photos from December to my computer and saw my daughter, Margaret, wearing her fruit snacks well. Ahhhh, the small things in life ARE what's important!

Okay, status report on The Celiac Shack: I'm recreating our layout for a more user friendly site. I'm working on choosing and adding new products to our site. I'm really excited about this step because The Jones Gang are happily taste testing everything that is being sent to us. Some have been hits and some items have been immediately declined. It's been a great experience and a lot of fun for them. When else are they going to eat gluten free cookies every night! Wooo hooo! haha
Back to the purpose of my post. I would like to extend an offer to all of you out there that produce, manufacturer, or package gluten free foods to send your samples to us for review. If they pass the Jones Gangs' test, I'll be happy to add them to our site for sale. This is the perfect time to get your product added to a site with a ton of members and customers from all over the world! Send me a note and I'll give you our shipping address.
That's the update folks. I am wishing all of you a happy gluten free day!


Susan :)
The Celiac Shack
Making gluten free fun one day at a time!
theceliacshack@yahoo.com

Favorite Gluten Free Sweet

No big secret that I love, and when I say love, I mean LOVE Tootsie Rolls. They are the perfect sweet morsel. They come in a number of sizes and each one is consistently awesome. I prefer the classic sized Tootsie Rolls because I can monitor my munching status when they're smaller! Although I do admit that I get so excited when I come across those mambo ones that come in the full candy bar size packages - my mouth is watering just thinking about them! The best part is...They're GLUTEN FREE! They were my favorite candy before and I didn't have to give them! Score for Susan!

Now that I've shared my dirty sweet secret, I'm curious what your favorite gluten free sweet is. What tiny or huge confection do you get excited to see and even more ecstatic when you have it in your mouth? I know I'm not the only one out here that has a weakness for a favorite sugary treat!
So open up and spill your gooey gooey goodness favorite! Oh, by the way, I'm also looking for your replies so I can build my own personal candy list! ha-ha ;)

Best wishes for a happy gluten free day!
Susan :)
The Celiac Shack
Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

Website Designer Wanted!

I have the most fabulous distributor that is more than willing to work with The Celiac Shock. I have TONS of new gluten free products to add to our site that are awesome and fabulous. I have support of so many great members, friends, my community, business contacts and my family, but what I don't have is an updated website. The one thing that I need and want the most.

The Celiac Shack launched in May 2009 and we were new to the online world as far as owning a business. I have learned so much in the past year about our business and the workings of a website, and my goal is to update our site to make it more user friendly for all of you. I have come to a cross road and I am waving my white flag.


I NEED help on my website because I just do not have the time, or I should say, uninterrupted time, to do what needs to be done.


So here it is, I am seeking a website designer to incorporate all of my e-commerce, information, and social sites onto one silver platter. I NEED search engine optimization and I really want input for a new and fresh approach.


Sounds like a great plan, eh? Well, here is the kicker...I need it done for a REALLY low price :D


I'm the Mom of four kids...I really need a guardian angel that believes in what I'm doing to help me out. In my life, I always say that I make one change daily to be the change that I wish to see in the world, and I am really in need of someone to practice this philosophy for me.


If you are a web designer, or know of a web designer that is looking to work and grow with us, please let me know. I'm looking for a long term working relationship with this person, and I promise that I will do everything in my power to make our relationship beneficial for all parties involved.




I'd appreciate any input or contacts you may have - I don't ask for assistance very often, but I'm definitely in need right now.




Have a wonderful gluten free day!


Susan :)
The Celiac Shack
Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

Rants & Raves of Susan

Feeling The Stress!

For the next month, I really want and need to share with all of you my daily events, trials, failures and successes regarding The Celiac Shacks' new launch.


I've been working for the past month on everything from adding new products, gaining ground on creating our new website, and keeping up with all of my contacts, customers, vendors, and communications. I've also been non-stop interrupted by my four lovely children and life in general. I REALLY need another ME at this point just to accomplish what I want to accomplish!


After working for over a month, I've realized that I am spinning my wheels on many sections of my progress and I'm beyond frustrated. I know any of you that have a business or have worked in a business understand this frustration. I am constantly taking two giant steps back for every baby step I take ahead. My first and foremost priority is my family, and let me tell you that they take a LOT of time! Geeesh...some days I cringe at hearing the word "Mommmmmm"! But at the end of the day, I know that they come way ahead of anything I'm working on and I do what I do with love and compassion...or at least I'm trying to!


I am working on adding new products to our site, which brings me to my question for all of you:

Are you guys looking for frozen and refrigerated food items? Do you purchase pre-made meals that you can pop in the oven? If the replies are yes, then I will incorporate those items into our inventory...if the replies are no, then I want to know what types of items you're looking for and using everyday. 

 I really want to carry items that are going to prove helpful to all of you at a low cost, so I'm really asking for your input here. Your input would greatly help me out. I'm trying to stop spinning the wheels over here and hopefully keep some of my sanity at the same time!


Ok...enough ranting and raving for now. There will be more to follow! ;)


From my crazy home to yours, I wish the best of gluten free days!

Susan :)
The Celiac Shack

Kids Corner

It's been a few days since I've blogged, and I wanted to tell all of you what my kids made last night for dinner. (I was actually very impressed that they wanted to make this dish, but all of them loved it and had a lot of fun making it)

Gluten Free Mujadarrah

(For those of you that don't know what Mujadarrah is, it's a lentils/rice/onions dish that is REALLY easy to make and quite nutritious and delicious!


1 bag of dried lentils
1 bag of rice
3 sliced onions in rings (I use a lot cause I love onions but you can use less based on your taste)
Minced garlic to taste
Salt/Pepper to taste
About 1/2 cup of olive oil - again, I prefer my mixture to be a little moist so you can use less olive oil if you prefer


In a large pan, put about 1/4 cup of the olive oil and heat slowly
Slice the onions so they're in rings
Place the sliced onions and garlic in the pan and sauté until just past the point of being caramelized. They should almost look like they're about to burn, but just a medium shade of brown.
Put this pan aside
Rinse your lentils and place in a large pot. Cover with just enough water to cover them a simmer until the water is absorbed.
Place the rice on top of the lentils and cover this mixture with just enough water to cover all of the rice. Simmer until all of the water is absorbed.
At this point, you should have a beautiful mix of fluffy rice and lentils. Take off the heat and pour the rest of the olive oil and the onion mixture. Mix gently as not to crush the lentils.

Serve with plain yogurt, cucumbers, diced tomatoes, and pita bread. The combinations are endless. I've even added grilled chicken before to this mix to make awesome pita sandwiches.


My kids had a lot of fun slicing the onions (They think it's fun to see who cries first! ha-ha) It's a great dish that is easy to make and doesn't require any measuring, so the kids think it's really neat to be able to just make a dinner for everyone so easily. This dish is a great source of protein and is a great option for vegetarians.
Have fun ~ Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments.


Susan :)
The Celiac Shack
Making gluten free fun one day at a time!