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!

Guidelines for celiac testing

Aloha everyone !

I've been asked by many parents about how do you know if your child needs to be tested and what are the signs and symptoms of celiac. I always tell them that the signs are numerous but I wanted to include a few of the classic and most common signs and symptoms of celiac and gluten intolerance's.

Among babies, symptoms may include pain in the abdomen or diarrhea that may be bloody. Babies may also stop growing and fail to gain weight.
Among young children, symptoms may include nausea, loss of appetite, sores in the mouth, anemia and skin rash.
Children who become malnourished from celiac disease may have thin thighs, a small bottom, and a large, swollen belly.
Among teens, symptoms may include stunted growth, delayed puberty, and hair loss.
Lactose intolerance.
An itchy, blistering skin problem.

There are more helpful health links on our site, so be sure to check it out.

www.theceliacshack.net

Remember to sign up for The Pipeline, our monthly newsletter to get your discount codes and great recipes!

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

theceliacshack@yahoo.com

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

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

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

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!

The Celiac Shack offers gluten free solutions to local school districts in Michigan

Aloha ~

I spent time this morning speaking with my daughter's preschool teacher and members at her school, Northville's Early Childhood Center, Kids' Creative Corner in Northville, MI. I filled out all the information to be part of Northville's LISTSERV for gluten free needs in the community. I began thinking about the needs that schools have when dealing with gluten free children in their classrooms, and the challenges the teachers face. I explained to Northville's administration that The Celiac Shack will be an asset to the local mothers and families by creating a network for support, finding information regarding celiac disease and autism, and a great place for sharing knowledge among each other.

I have also volunteered to donate gluten free products to the classrooms for the celiac and gluten intolerant children in Northville, and if this collaboration is successful, I will consider extending this offer to other schools. I'd like to create a partnership with the local school districts in Michigan to become a focal point of reference for all of their gluten free needs. I truly believe this would prove to be an asset for the classrooms to have these snacks on hand.

If you can assist The Celiac Shack by helping us to promote our community in the local school districts, I will be pleased to feature an article about you in our Monthly newsletter, "The Pipeline". I believe in helping each other and our proposed offer with the local schools will benefit everyone involved.

Please feel free to share our contact information with everyone you think that would benefit from our community and services. The Celiac Shack believes in being the change we wish to see in the world, and this is just one more step to make a difference not only in our community, but in yours also.

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

The Celiac Shack
www.theceliacshack.net
theceliacshack@yahoo.com
248-374-1902