Shack Attack!

The Opportunities Are Endless!

2010 is proving to be a fantastic year for The Celiac Shack! We were featured in an article in The Free Press last Sunday, and that article has brought about so many exciting opportunities for us. I've received numerous calls from local physicians and businesses that want to work with us, and we'll be meeting with all of them to see how we can reach our dream of helping even more gluten free families.

The Celiac Shack's mission is to provide real time and in-the-trenches advice, information, recipes and products for living gluten free.

We want to help you live your life with your condition, NOT let your condition live your life!


Updates to follow...

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

Shack Attack

Aloha Everyone! Below is a special segment from our newsletter "The Pipeline". The lounge focuses on input from our subscribers. In December we asked people to give us their very own personal stories regarding their gluten intolerance. We had a couple of really good submissions that we would like to share with you today. If you like what you read, click on the following link to receive your copy. You will find an assortment of stories, recipes, contests and more! Hope you enjoy it and I look forward to sending you your copy today!

Subscribe: "The Pipeline"

I have a personal story for you. I've always gotten headaches (forever!) but 7 years ago I suffered a spontaneous subdural hematoma and since that time have been plagued by chronic migraines occurring regularly up to four times per week. I've seen countless neurologists, alternative medicine specialists, acupuncturists, and surgeons. Nothing worked and I resigned myself that I would suffer these debilitating headaches daily for the rest of my life. Six weeks ago my 13 year old son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and my entire family started the gluten free diet with him. My son was rightfully discouraged by his diagnosis but took it in stride saying God gave this to him for a reason, he just didn't know what it was yet. Well, since starting the diet with my son I've only had one migraine! One, in six weeks! I haven't ever felt relief like this. Obviously, I'm very gluten intolerant and just was never diagnosed. I thank my son every day for getting us on this diet. It isn't easy and it isn't fun but, I think he now has his reason for his diagnosis - it was to help his mom. (From: Tami Wessley - Gluten Free Faces)

Hi my name is Mike, and I'm a recovering gluten-holic. My story is somewhat unique, because I do not have the typical "bathroom" symptoms like most people experience. My mom made me get tested, because celiac runs in my family. I was diagnosed with celiac when I was 21 years old, a sophomore in college, and doing all the things 21 year-old college students do: Cold beer in the fridge, Pizza buffet on the corner, and especially the $1 McDonalds double cheeseburgers. Immediately after college, I started a business and worked 24/7. I couldn't resist the temptations and convenience of quick, high carb, meals on the go. After selling my business, my life slowed down a lot, and I could start to see some symptoms that I had previously overlooked. About a week after I switched to a gluten free diet, I could tell a difference. I was in a better mood and more energetic. Since then, the benefits have become even better. I believe success all is about your mindset. You have to make yourself believe that you will never eat "poison" again under any circumstance. If you are serious, your friends and family will also feed off of your new attitude and will begin to accommodate to your needs. To make it easy on myself, in the beginning, I stuck to meats, rice, fruits, and vegetables. Over time, I have slowly added other safe foods into my diet. Yes, you can still go out to eat. Just do some quick research beforehand, talk to your server of chef, or always keep a snack with you. One last thing: get involved! Talk with people on Twitter, Facebook, and people in your community. They will keep you motivated and updated on all the new things going on in the quickly growing gluten free community. (From: Mike Hutchinson - Switch To Gluten free)

I like what you've done with the Celiac Shack...your theme, messages and info are always informative. Keep up the good work! (From: Chad Hines - Gluten Free Faces)

Regards,
The Celiac Shack
"Making gluten free fun one day at a time!"

Shack Attack

From our shack to yours.....

Happy Thanksgiving to

 you and your family!

Regards,
The Celiac Shack
"Making gluten-free fun one day at a time!"

Gluten-Free Product Info.

Glutino-Introduces G.F. Frozen Chicken Entrees

One of our Canadian followers wrote to me and stated that she tried a Chicken Pad Thai entree last week from this company and said it was really tasty and well priced. Though we don't sell this at our store, my objective with my blogs is to create awareness to our readers. These are not solely pieces for self promotion. Since only two out of the six "Jones Gang" our gluten intolerant, this looks like a quick healthy option for us when I don't have time to cook something different for my son and myself. It looks like the only way to buy it here in the states is on-line at www.glutenfree.com. Yup, one of our competitors. I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but the Canadians seem to be really progressive about this whole gluten-free thing. Yes my husband and three other kids are supportive, but still occasionally miss some of the gluten filled delicacies I used to make. Little do they know I am secretly searching out options to recreate these dishes gluten-free.

Glutino Foods and its brands Glutino and Gluten-Free Pantry are known by consumers living with celiac disease and other food allergies for providing a wide selection of gluten-free and wheat-free products.

New Glutino Frozen Chicken Entrees:
Tuscan Chicken with brown rice
Chicken Ranchero with brown rice
Chicken Pad Thai
Chicken Penne Alfredo

Regards,
The Celiac Shack
"Making gluten-free fun one day at a time"

Celiac Disease & Psoriasis

Aloha!

I've been doing a lot of reading on the connection between psoriasis and celiac diease/gluten intolerance. I have found many articles stating that there is a connection between the two. I have suffered from psoriasis for about 15 years, and have been diagnosed with sporadic arthritis for the past two years. I've been on Humira injections for my joint pain and inflammation, but I have high hopes that a gluten free diet will allow me to go off my injectables and finally lead a "normal" life without medications.

I will keep updating my findings on the links between psoriasis and celiac, but for now, I'd like to share a list of signs, symptoms, associated disorders and typical misdiagnoses of CeliacDisease:

Abdominal pain (Naspghan pediatric guidelines)Addison's Disease (1, 2, 3)Alopecia
Anemia (Grisolano, SW)Anorexia (Naspghan pediatric guidelines)Apthous ulcers ie, mouth soresArthritis (Stagi S)ArthropathyAtaxia (Hadjivassiliou, Hadjivassiliou)Atrial Fibrillation (Candelli M)Cardiomyopathy (Goel,NK)Constipation (Naspghan pediatric guidelines)Crohn's Disease (Tursi A)Delayed Puberty (Naspghan pediatric guidelines)Depression (Pynnonen P)Dental Enamel Defects (Aine L)Dermatitis HerpetiformisDiabetes, Type 1 (Mahumd F, Picarelli)DiarrheaDown's SyndromeElevated liver enzymes (hypertransaminasemia) (Duggan) EpilepsyGraves DiseaseGrowth Hormone Deficiency (Salardi S)Hair loss (not male pattern baldness)Heart Problems (Cardiomyopathy, Myocarditis, Ventricular Arrythmia)HepatitisHives (urticaria) (Caminiti, Meneghetti)Hashimoto's ThyroiditisHyposplenism (ie, poor function of spleen increasing risk of infection) (Di Sabatino)Hypertransaminasemia (ie, elevated liver enzymes)Infertility, male or femaleIrritabilityIrritable Bowel SyndromeKawasaki Disease (Stagi)Lactose Intolerance (Ojetti)Lupus (Hadjivassiliou)LymphomaMigraines (Gabrielli)MyelopathyMyocarditis (Frustaci)Multiple SclerosisNystagmus (Mohn A)OsteopeniaOsteoporosis (1)Pancreatitis (1, 2 3)Peripheral NeuropathyPrimary Biliary CirrhosisPsoriasisPulmonary (lung) inflammation (Brightling)RefluxSchizophrenia (Kalaydjian)SeizuresShort Stature (Salardi S)Sjogren's Syndrome (Luft)Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, aka papillary stenosis (Patel RS)SteatorrheaThyroid Disease, AutoimmuneTurner SyndromeVentricular Arrythmia (Frustaci) Vertigo (Mohn A)VomitingWeight Loss (unintentional)Weight Gain (from increased appetite)Williams Syndrome

As you can see, the list is extensive. I believe that so many of these symptoms can be alleviated from a gluten free diet. (My personal opinion, and you should always check with your Dr. for any medical suggestions or advice).

I will keep everyone posted as I find new studies and information.

Wishing you a happy gluten free day!

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

www.theceliacshack.net

theceliacshack@yahoo.com

Grilling for Gluten free kids~

My kids LOVE hot dogs, and since most hot dogs are not gluten free, I have come up with a solution to fulfill their desires, and keep their favorite foods gluten free. They never know the difference between the old hot dogs and the Jennie-O Turkey Franks that I've been substituting in their place.

Listed below is a link that gives info about all the hot dogs and sausages out there. It is very helpful and useful.

http://surefoodsliving.com/2009/05/14/hot-dogs-and-sausages-gluten-free-and-dairy-free-list/

Join The Pipeline for more great links and recipe ideas. We really are looking for you and all of your personal stories to help make our gluten free community even better!

http://www.theceliacshack.net/

theceliacshack@yahoo.com

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

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

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!

"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.

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!

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

Gluten Free summer camps for kids!

GLUTEN FREE CAMPS!

I’m particularly interested in gluten free camps for kids, because my son has been asking to go off to camp this summer. I thought I’d share a link with Gluten free camps listed. Sounds like FUN!

http://www.csaceliacs.org/CKNother%20camps/Otherceliaccampsforkids.php

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

Michigan Moms ~ Business owners

I am so excited! I am going to a party/discussion group tonight that is supporting Michigan Moms who are business owners. I am going to see what the format is and I will be keeping all of you posted on the discussion groups/support meetings that I plan to be holding in the near future.

I am really interested in getting in touch with other Michigan Moms who have their own business, or are thinking of starting their own business. Although my company focuses on gluten intolerance's, I think that all Moms have something important to share with each other when it comes to starting a business no matter what type of business you're thinking of creating.

If you know of any Moms that would like to be in contact with other women with similar situations relating to gluten intolerance's, or business in general, please send me an e-mail and let me know what you're looking for and how I can assist you in your journey!

I'll let everyone know how the meeting goes tonight, and as always, The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

www.theceliacshack.net
theceliacshack@yahoo.com

Fun things to do with your celiac kids!

Hey everyone!

If you're like me, I am always looking for fun activities to do with my children. My kids LOVE Playdough, but as you know, it contains gluten, so I am posting a great recipe for GLUTEN FREE PLAYDOUGH that is easy to make, and you should have all the ingredients right in your kitchen.
My kids spent all day yesterday playing with it, and they made all different colors. GREAT summer activity for rainy days, or out on the picnic table for easy clean up!

GLUTEN FREE Cornstarch Playdough –

1 cup baking soda
1 cup water
1cup cornstarch

Mix baking soda, water and cornstarch in a saucepan over low heat and stir until mixture becomes very thick. Add liquid watercolor or food coloring. Remove from heat, knead until smooth. Store in Ziploc Bag in refrigerator for up to a month.

If you have any great gluten free summer activities, send them to me at Theceliacshack@yahoo.com or comment on our blog. You should also sign up for our newsletter, The Pipeline to receive discounts on our products and to get other great recipes, ideas and links! Really looking forward to hear from you.

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

www.theceliacshack.net
theceliacshack@yahoo.com

Life at The Celiac Shack

When I decided to begin my journey with the gluten free lifestyle, I knew that I had to create a destination for other moms. I knew I wanted this destination spot to be honest, sincere, and above all else, useful in daily life. I created The Celiac Shack, and it has taken most of my time for the past year to get to the point where I'm now. I've poured myself into this project and I am proud of my results thus far. I knew that it was going to be an uphill battle to get the word out about The Celiac Shack, but I didn't expect it to be as difficult as it has been over the past month.

I have learned more in the past month than I have ever thought possible about Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Blogging, LinkedIn, etc... I have spent countless hours typing, emailing, speaking with people, and I have really enjoyed every step of this journey thus far. I am looking for suggestions as to how to get The Celiac Shack's name out to more people. I'd like to extend a thank you to all of the supporters who are following me on all of my sites, and would love to receive input or suggestions from everyone. It is not easy to go up against some of the "big guys" out there on the web, and I would love nothing more than to prove that The Celiac Shack community is something different than what the "other guys" have.

I will continue to provide you with everything I can to make your gluten free life easier, and I welcome all of your comments. Help me spread the word about The Celiac Shack...mention us to a friend, sign up for our newsletter, The Pipeline, comment on our blogs, follwing us on Twitter, and help me make The Celiac Shack's community the biggest and best around!

Gluten free macaroni and cheese!

I'm making a gluten free macaroni and cheese for my kids today for lunch. I have to fave about these two products, as they have become a favorite of my children. This dish is incredibly easy to make and it tastes great.

I start with our gluten free elbow pasta by Ancient Harvest
and then mix up some Glute free cheese sauce by Full Flavor Food.

I simply follow the directions on the packages. I guarentee your kids and your family will love it!

If you have any gluten free recipes you'd like to share or have a comment about any of our recipes, please send them into s at http://www.blogger.com/theceliacshack@yahoo.com. Your comments and recipes may end up in our monthly newsletter and you can win FREE gifts just for sending us your comments!

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

Gluten Free Cream of Brown Rice Cereal

Aloha!

I am writing today's blog about the delicious breakfast that I made for my kids this morning before they went off to school. I couldn't be more pleased with this product from Gluten Free Sensations. My kids used to love Cream of Wheat before we went gluten free, so obviously, they were very upset when I took that off the menu. I had to come up with an alternative that would satisfy them and something that tasted great, and I have found it with this Cream of Brown Rice.

It is simple and easy to make, and taste even better then Cream of wheat. I follow the directions on the package, and it makes more than enough for my entire family of six. I add brown sugar and some milk. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with this product! Fabulously Gluten Free, awesome taste, nutritional, and easy...what more could any mom ask for?

Check back tomorrow for another great recipe from The Celiac Shack.

Check it out: Gluten Free Cream of Brown Rice

Gluten free Grillen Chicken Breast Recipe

Aloha ~

I hope everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day holiday!

I know food is such an important issue everyday when you're gluten intolerant, but food on a holiday is a huge issue, especially when you're out at someone else's house and they're not celiac. We actually had a fantastic meal and I'd like to share it with you so you can see how easy eating gluten free really can be.

BBQ RIBS!
We started out with two slabs of ribs
I placed them in a shallow pan with 1/4 cup of water
I covered them with aluminum foil and baked them in the oven for an hour @ 350 degrees.
I then rubbed the slabs with a gluten free pork rub. (I used El's Kitchens as we are going to be carrying this line soon!)
I placed them on the grill on low for 10 minutes on each side, then basted them with Hot Rod Bob's Gluten Free BBQ sauce - DELICIOUS sauce with a lot of flavor!

I then made a Gluten free coleslaw:

1/2 head cabbage (6-8 cups shredded)
1/4 cup grated carrots
2 Tbsp finely diced onions
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions
Mix cabbage, carrots, onions, sugar and salt; set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar and oil. Toss with cabbage mixture.
Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

To top off the meal, I made a loaf of Gluten free GARLIC bread made with our Gluten Free Naturals Multi-Purpose Bread Mix - I added some butter, salt and garlic powder on top then broiled the bread slices until golden. Great way to add garlic bread to your meal!


Of course, our meal wouldn't have been complete without a Vanilla Cake made with our Gluten Free Naturals Yellow cake mix topped with our Cherrybrook Kitchen Vanilla frosting!

Ahhh what a way to spend the holiday afternoon! Please contact us at Theceliacshack@yahoo.com if you have any comments or questions on any of our recipes.

Until next time, we hope you have a happy gluten free day!

Gluten Free Taco Pizza Recipe!

The Jones Gang is having a Pizza & Movie night! We're making
GLUTEN FREE TACO PIZZAS!!

Of course, the crust is made with our Tastefully Gluten Free Pizza Crust on sale now at The Celiac Shack ~ Surf on in, pick up a bag and have a fun Pizza night with your kids this weekend!




Taco Pizza
Think Mexican! Serve the kids one of their favorite meals in a fresh new way.


Ingredients
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Crust:
1 pkg Tastefully Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix
1 tsp Sugar
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Oregano (optional)
1/2 tsp Basil (optional)
Water
Toppings:
1 jar Gluten-Free Taco Sauce
1 lb. Cooked Ground Beef
2 cups Coarsely Crushed Tortilla Chips
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Shredded Lettuce
Diced Tomatoes
Instructions
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Prepare Tastefully Gluten-Free Pizza Crust dough according to package directions and spread evenly into 2 12-inch pizza pans.
Spread your favorite gluten-free taco sauce evenly over the dough.
Spread ground beef, crushed tortilla chips, cheddar cheese evenly over dough.
Bake as directed.
Cut and sprinkle with shredded lettuce and tomatoes.

An easy and fun meal that your entire family will love!
The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!