Treasure Sandwiches- Family Financial Goals

May 3, 2019

It’s important to teach your kids about the family money, budgeting and saving. They need to know that you and the family in general has a finite amount of money to spend. In the words of a common idiom: “Money doesn’t grow on trees”. Setting family financial goals helps to teach kids some essentials in how to use, spend and save money.

There are several ways to do this and the kids don’t even know they are being taught a lesson about money!

Teaching about family money

1. Menus and Lists

Early on, being married, we found that preparing a menu and grocery list saved us money and time. Not only did we NOT have to go through the whole, “What do you want to eat?”/ “I don’t know” scenario (at least as frequently), but we had a plan, were a little more organized and saved money!

*My daughter, who is now an adult, said menus and lists have been incredibly helpful for her. She grew up with it and hasn’t had to learn it as an adult.

Remember to include meals besides dinner and snacks that your family likes and will eat.

My daughter, quickly learned about the grocery list. She would melt my heart when she would look at me with those big brown eyes and sweetly ask “Is this on the list?” Sometimes, I would give in and say yes, it is on the list! Since she couldn’t read yet, she didn’t know that I couldn’t say no to that sweet ask! She needed that win once in awhile and other times I would tell her not today.

I was teaching more than one lesson here. 1. money, 2. self-control, 3. flexibility, and 4. delayed gratification. She took the list seriously, because I took it seriously. She would sometimes scribble out her own list and I would ask her about her list and see if we could include things from her list on our main list.

Make a menu- make sure you add in some lazy or easy dinners or even plan a night to eat out. Be willing to move the menu around as needed.
Make a grocery list.
Stick to your list.
Check out money saving apps like ibotta
Look up online coupons or do couponing the old fashioned way.
Look for sales and stock up on things your family uses often.

We need:

So, my daughter understood the list at almost 3 years old. (She talked early and talked well.) She was carrying the fly swatter around and couldn’t find a fly to hit. At that point, she turned to me and said, “We need more flies. Put it on the list.” I asked why and she said because she wanted to hit them!

Another thing she thought should be on the list; trains, great big freight trains. Often when we would run errands we would see a train. She loved to see the train and her excitement took away some of the annoyance of waiting for the train to pass. If we didn’t see a train she was a little sad and wanted them on the list to get more.

Cheap Dinners

Plan some less expensive dinners. I cook a lot, since I am gluten free and make most of our stuff from scratch. Things that were cheap when we were eating gluten like: bread, pasta, and pizza aren’t as economical as they once were! Less expensive dinners for us include: breakfast for dinner with homemade pancakes, bacon or sausage and hashbrowns; Rice bowls with some stir fried veggies and a little meat or tofu; Chili with hot dogs; Mexican Ramen; and having a baked potato bar with things like chili, cheese, ham, broccoli, etc.

This post contains affiliate links. I include these links for your convenience. I earn a small commission for the referral, but your price remains the same.

Setting financial goals as a family.

Set a financial goal as a family for things you want to do or buy. It can be anything like a piano, new car, a home down payment, vacation, school clothes etc. Brainstorm as a family, the ways you can save, cut back or earn extra money. This teaches kids not only about money, but working together for a common goal. It helps them to look outside of themselves.

Kids might want to pick up a summer job and help out with their own expenses to relieve some of the financial burden from the family, especially older kids.
Decide to eat out less often
Eat out at cheaper places
Make more meals at home
Buy fewer name brands for clothes and shoes
Change phone and/or cable provider
Cut back on coffee, soda or whatever you do that is a regular extra
What are you paying for that you could do yourself?

How to set financial goals as a family

First, everyone in the family needs to understand the family finances to some degree. You don’t have to tell them how much you make, if you don’t want to. Explain it in percentages if that helps you to feel more comfortable. If children are very young, using some visual aids may be helpful.

The amount of money you make is 100%. What percentage goes to taxes and what does that leave you? What percentage are the bills that must be paid? What percentage is for consumables and has leeway? What percentage can you save?

What has to be paid

Teach them about responsibility and how you pay certain things every month: mortgage/rent, water, electricity, etc. If you have a car payment or other loans or credit cards, those need to be talked about, too. What is your debt philosophy?

What is flexible

We can decide how much to pay or put toward other things like: yard care, lessons, clothing, food, treats, etc. Cutting back or doing things differently may require a sacrifice.

Are the family financial goals worth it for everyone and how can it have meaning for everyone to participate?

This is why the family goal is made together. Everyone in the family should have a voice and an opinion. Brain storming helps everyone feel included and to see what one another is willing to do.

While brain storming, other issues, worries and concerns may arise. Address those concerns and worries. Come to agreements that all are willing to participate in.

In the Loop

Keep everyone in the loop. We made a family goal to get out of debt. We told our kids how much we have to spend on consumables. (We went over the budget and what has to be paid, but the important part is what we can spend. (That’s everything extra, including food and clothing needs.)

We keep a running tally in our kitchen, so everyone can see if we are on track. Recently, one of our daughter’s asked how we were coming on reaching our goal to get rid of this debt. They needed to see that the debt side was coming down. We had been focused on reducing spending, but hadn’t given feedback to how it was working. Everyone wants to know that their sacrifice is paying off.

Treasure Sandwiches

When our 3 oldest girls were 2, 5 and 8 we really wanted to take them to Disneyland for the first time. We set a goal and came up with a plan. One of the things we decided to do is to have a cheap dinner once a week. We would eat “treasure sandwiches”. (Of course, we did other things, too. This is just the most memorable and what we specifically did as a family.)

The name “Treasure Sandwiches” was mostly for me. Cheese sandwiches for dinner didn’t seem very appetizing. We explained to our girls that the cheese is like gold and the reward would be the trip. It gave us all a goal and a purpose. We were working together for something we all wanted.

Those dinners became fun. Treasure Sandwiches stuck. It is now a treat to have a Treasure Sandwich. The memories are now the gold!

5+ Favorite Gluten Free Snacks

Mar 30, 2019

It can be hard to find the right gluten free snack! There are now a lot of choices and they tend to be more expensive than their gluten counter parts. So, trying new things and discovering it tastes awful is costly as well as disappointing. Here are some of our more recent favorite gluten free snacks.

This post contains affiliate links. I include these links for your convenience to be able to find similar items to what I am using. I earn a small commission for the referral, but your price remains the same.

Mrs. Hewitts Cookie Dough

It looks like their products can be ordered from their site. We usually find them at Costco. I am not affiliated with them and get nothing in return for promoting their products; they are really good and needed to be included in this list.

The dough is frozen and you bake it and have wonderfully fresh, homemade tasting cookies! They really are wonderful!

https://gfbakers.com/product/cookie-dough/

Kinnikinick Chocolate Cookies

Do you miss Oreo’s? These are a fabulous substitute for the chocolatey goodness you may be missing. We use these in many ways besides snacking. They make a great cookie crust for a pie, Dirt Pudding, which is like the pie, but put into cups, homemade cookies and cream ice cream, and to crush and put in hot chocolate.

Yum Licorice

Licorice is one of those snacks I have really missed! I love the Yum licorice and it is my favorite, that I have found so far! I can easily eat a whole bag and it is hard to control myself. I also like that it is a certified gluten free product.

Glutino Chocolate Covered Pretzels

I am a fan of Glutino products. I really like their pretzels, but there is something special about pretzels covered in yogurt!

Udi’s Mug Desserts

Recently my girls discovered Udi’s mug desserts and they love them! We haven’t tried the coffee cake yet, but it is on my list!

I hope this list helps you to try and to find some favorite snacks, too!

Chocolate Dirt Pie- Gluten Free

Mar 14, 2019

This is a no-bake gluten free pie! It is easy to make with simple ingredients. You will love this Chocolate Dirt Pie! For a twist decorate with gummy worms, in the “dirt”.

This post contains affiliate links. I include these links for your convenience. I earn a small commission for the referral, but your price remains the same.

Ingredients for the Chocolate Dirt Pie:

5.9 oz box of Pudding- I used chocolate fudge, but any flavor of chocolate will do. Follow the directions on the package. Which means you will also need:

3 cups milk

8 oz Cool Whip

3 Tbs melted butter

Gluten free chocolate cookies. My family likes K-Toos . However Glutino chocolate cookies also work well and taste good.

Direction for the Chocolate Dirt Pie:

Make your pudding first, by following the directions on the box of pudding. You will need 3 cups of milk to complete this. Set aside and let set up while you prepare the pie crust.

*I spray the pie plate with a non-stick spray, just to be sure it can be easily served when it is time.

You need to chop or smash your cookies really fine. You don’t want any big pieces left. You can do this by using a chopper, food processor or put in a zip-lock baggie and roll a heavy rolling pin on them.

Put 3/4 of the crushed cookies into a bowl and mix with the melted butter. Set aside the rest of the cookie crumbs for later.

When all the crushed cookies are wet, put the mixture into the pie plate. Press up the sides and the bottom.

Remove approximately 1 cup of pudding from the set up pudding. There is a little too much pudding to fit in the pie plate.

Stir in 1/2 of the Cool Whip.

Spread into your crust.

Top with the cookie crumbs that you set aside. Refrigerate for approximately 4 hours. Serve with the rest of the Cool Whip to top off each slice.

Happy Pie Day!

Chocolate Dirt Pie- Gluten Free

Shannon LeMmon

No-bake, cookie crust gluten free pie.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Ingredients

5.9 oz box of chocolate pudding
3 cups milk
3 Tbs melted butter
Box of K-Toos chocolate cookies
8 oz Cool Whip
*Optional -Gummy worms

Instructions

Make the pudding first, so it can set up. Use the 3 cups of milk as it is called for on the box of pudding. Set aside. It will continue to set up as you prepare the crust.
Crush the cookies finely.
Spray pie plate with non-stick spray.
Put 3/4 of the cookies in a bowl and mix with melted butter. When crumbs are moist put in prepared pie plate/pan/tin. Press on bottom and up sides.
Remove approximately 1 cup of pudding from the set up pudding. (Let the kids enjoy it.)
Add to the remaining pudding 1/2 of the Cool Whip. Stir until combined.
Pour into the prepared crust.
Cover the top with the cookie crumbs you set aside.
Refrigerate approximately 4 hours.
Serve with the rest of the Cool Whip.
Option * put gummy worms on top in the "dirt"

Cream Cheese Ham Rolls- Gluten Free Lunch or Snack

Mar 6, 2019

When I was first married, I went to a class that was teaching some fun food ideas for appetizers and easy to make, but fun food items. The one thing I remembered and started making after that class was cream cheese ham rolls.

They suggested cutting them into bite sized pieces and putting toothpicks in them, but hey if it is your snack or lunch why bother? Except that might be fun for the kids.

When I was diagnosed with celiac, I remembered this idea and it was a life saver!

This post contains affiliate links. I include these links for your convenience. I earn a small commission for the referral, but your price remains the same.

Lunch Time!

I like Kirkland’s ham, from Costco, for making these. Also, I like the 1 oz cream cheese packets (I find them at Costco, too). It is easy to use and just the right amount! I do recommend letting the packets sit out for a little while to come closer to room temperature, making the cream cheese easier to spread.

Typically, I eat three, sometimes 4. They are filling, easy and have a lot of protein.

Cream Cheese Ham Roll Ingredients

3-4 oz of cream cheese – spreadable

3-4 slices of deli sliced ham- not too thin, because you need it to be able to hold ingredients

3-4 pickle spears

Knife- for spreading

Cream cheese seems to make so many things taste good! I have a few other recipes with cream cheese, you can check out: Cream Cheese Enchiladas, Pimento Cream Cheese Salad, Cream Cheese Chicken Crockpot, Creamy Lemon Pie, and Applesauce spice cake with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Ham Roll Directions

Spread the cream cheese on the slice of ham.

Gluten Free Cream Cheese Ham rolls - great snack or lunch

When I made these, I wasn’t really hungry and not patient enough to bring the cream cheese to room temperature for easier spreading. It isn’t pretty, but it is still delicious!

Put the pickle spear at one end and roll the spear in the ham. You can do it without the pickle spear, but it is so much tastier with it!

The spears are sometimes really thick and I often cut them to be a little thinner.

It is at this point you could put toothpicks in (usually 3 or 4) and cut into bite sized pieces or just eat as the roll!

Easy Peasy!!!

Serve with chips, Cheetos or Doritos, some grapes and a juice box and you have a full lunch!

Great for travel

I think these are easier to put together on the road because they don’t get slimy and soak in pickle juice until you are ready to eat. I have done them both ways depending on whether we will have time to stop or not.

Both ways meaning: already made vs making on the road.

They are easier, in my opinion, if you can find the one ounce packets and just squeeze the cheese onto the ham and then spread it out with a knife. If you don’t have a knife or don’t want to worry about it you can squeeze the cheese on one end and then carefully roll it. You will still get cream cheese in every bite. However, the small spreadable containers are also easy for travel, too.

Gluten Free Cream Cheese ham rolls great for lunch or a snack

Cream Cheese Ham Rolls- Gluten Free Lunch or Snack

Shannon LeMmon

Easy to make at home or on the go.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Course Lunch

Servings 1

Ingredients

3-4 Ham slices
3-4 ounces of cream cheese
1-2 pickle spears sliced again making 2-4 pickle spears - optional
Knife
Plate

Instructions

Spread cream cheese onto ham slice. Optional: put pickle spear at one (short) end of the ham slice. Roll the ham from short side to short side making it a log roll.
Optional: put toothpicks in and cut into bite sized pieces.

Why Cooking Gluten Free At Home Is Better

Jan 9, 2019

Let’s face it, it is nice to eat out! It is fantastic to not have to think about: what to make, shop for the ingredients, cut, chop and put the recipe together, standing and cooking, or do any of the clean up afterwards! Eating out is awesome as far as all of this goes! I love that there are no dishes to do, when we eat out!

My goal, before being diagnosed with celiac disease and going gluten free, 15 years ago, was to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. I didn’t like to cook! 15 years ago there weren’t a lot of options when it came to eating out and it was much, much less safe to do so. Awareness about celiac and gluten intolerance has helped in providing better gluten free products and options all around!

With that being said, there are a lot of benefits to cooking gluten free at home!

This post contains affiliate links. I include these links for your convenience. I earn a small commission for the referral, but your price remains the same.

Benefits to Cooking at Home

Finances
Safety from cross contamination
Less cross contact
Improve cooking skills
Healthier lifestyle
Family time

Finances- a Benefit to Cooking Gluten Free at Home

It is expensive to eat out! Gluten free dishes often cost more when eating out. The reason for this is because gluten free products cost more for everyone! It isn’t a straight across substitution to have a gluten free pizza crust versus a regular pizza crust. It costs a lot more for them to offer these substitutions.

Not to mention, that if the staff is well trained, your food needs more attention to detail in order to cut down on chances of cross contact.

Safety From Cross Contamination

When in your own kitchen, you have a system. If you don’t, you should. I have an all gluten free house, because everyone in our family has gluten intolerance to one degree or another. I know that there is no gluten in my kitchen and this is important in our family.

If you have a family where only you or a couple of family members are gluten free, gluten free foods should be clearly marked: jam, peanut butter, anything that can be double dipped with a knife or other utensil. This is a common way to spread cross contamination from gluten products to gluten free products. I recommend having a black sharpie in the kitchen and clearly marking “GF” on your strictly gluten free products. Then, educate the family on why they can’t use that peanut butter to make their gluten sandwich.

Less Cross Contact

You don’t have to worry about whether or not the people handling your food, understand how to properly handle your food! Gloves must be changed! Fresh ingredients that haven’t had a chance for gluten to be introduced should be used. Do NOT make my food on the same counter you just had gluten. You can’t brush off gluten crumbs and then touch gluten free foods.

My daughter got sick doing S’mores with college roommates because they were using the same bag of marshmallows. The other girls touched their graham crackers and then reached in the marshmallow bag. That is all it takes!

Improve Cooking Skills

Cooking gluten free at home is a great opportunity to improve your cooking skills. There are so many ways you can do this, but the biggest thing is trying and doing.

Take a gluten free cooking class
Read blogs to understand the differences between how you cooked before and cooking gluten free
Watch Youtube cooking demonstrations
Watch the food channel for ideas
Learn how to make substitutions
Take a chance and try a new recipe
Join gluten free Facebook pages
Have a meal prep day/evening or weekend
Get the family involved in the process of preparing dinner

Healthier Lifestyle

Have you ever noticed how much better everything tastes when it is homemade. When I was first diagnosed and had to cook gluten free, I found cooking from scratch to be cumbersome and frustrating. Over time (at least a year), it got easier. I planned into dinner the time it would take to make my own creamed soup and figured out what I could do while that was cooking.

We use fresh ingredients and eat more fruits and vegetables. My daughter had a friend who loved to eat at our house, because they never had vegetables at her house. We also use a lot less processed foods. We haven’t exchanged all our old processed gluten ingredients for processed gluten free ingredients. This is also more economical to make as much as we can ourselves.

We have tried more things and experimented more. I can make gourmet pizzas, Lasagna (which used to terrify me), Korean food, and so much more. It is fun to have a varied menu!

Family Time

We have tried to make dinner more of a family time. It was more challenging when we were eating out frequently. Grabbing a meal in the car and running from place to place. Sure you are together, but it isn’t always as meaningful as when you are sitting face to face and talking.

I have loved our family dinner times. My older two girls usually sit at the one end by me and the younger two sit at the other end of the table by my husband. My older girls and I have a joke that our end of the table is the fun end. There is usually more laughing, teasing and so forth at our end of the table.

Memories and relationships can be strengthened around the table in your home atmosphere, in a different way than what happens in public. Everyone is more open, for better or worse. Sometimes the worst times open up the way for better times and more communication.

2019 Gluten Free Goals For the New Year

Jan 4, 2019

The start of a new year has always been a great time for setting goals. It is a time to renew our resolve to the things we would like to accomplish. Here are a few goal ideas to help you with your gluten free experience.

Eat at Home

It is expensive to eat out. Often more expensive if you are gluten free. Gluten free ingredients often cost more than other ingredients, especially if they are buying only a few buns or bread to keep in stock. Often, the more you buy, the more you save, especially in retail. If places don’t get a lot of gluten free customers, they don’t buy as much and don’t receive the same kick backs as places that buy in higher quantities. Therefore, it is more expensive for them to stock gluten free specialty items.

Eating out increases your risk of getting accidental cross contact or straight up accidental gluten. The more you eat out, the greater your risk. You have no control of your food, how it is handled, or what ingredients are actually being used. Eating out is ALWAYS a risk! Most places try hard to keep you safe and minimize cross contact, but even the best places sometimes have errors.

I’m not down on eating out. I love to eat out, but there are definitely draw backs and risks. Eating at home has some great benefits besides finances: family time, less worry, and expanding your cooking ability!

Learn to make something new

My stance on cooking at home is that if I have to go to all that work, it better taste good! I love Pinterest! I love all of the ideas. I don’t count out the gluten recipes. If something looks good, I see how I can modify it. Does it just need a gf pasta or gf bread? What are my options for making it gluten free?

I used to be so intimidated about making something new or things that seemed hard to make. I was very intimidated by lasagna! I first learned how to make lasagna after going to a gluten free cooking class and the lady demonstrated how easy it was. It wasn’t bad, but I found an easier way to do it in a church cookbook. I made it gluten free and modified it to my liking, making it my own!

Try something new, make some adjustments, ask on gluten free pages for advice and soon you will be able to make anything gluten free. Let yourself experiment and enjoy the process.

Things I have made that used to intimidate me:

lasagna
cream puffs
eclairs
donuts
Korean food
gourmet pizza
cooking more at home

Try a new place

Like I said, I am not opposed to eating out. I love to eat out and would rather eat out than have the mess at home.

I get tired of going to the same couple of places. We used to hear about a new place opening up and plan a day to go try it out! I miss that! The adventure of trying a new place, new food, etc. It is still doable. You just need to know what questions to ask and have an adventurous spirit.

Here are some tips to make it a more pleasant experience:

Call ahead and ask about gluten free options and practices
Do you have a gluten free menu?
Do you have a dedicated gluten free kitchen area?
Are you able to use fresh ingredients that haven’t been handled all day?
Do you have a dedicated fryer? Are there any breaded items that are fried in that fryer? (Breaded fries or onion rings) Sometimes their dedicated fryer only excludes fish and meat.
Is the grill cleaned before cooking gluten free foods? Do they use a grill mat or can they use tinfoil to cook your food on?
Are there any measures taken to cut down on cross contact?
Is the staff willing to change gloves?
What are the substitutes you need to make?
Do they have any suggestions of what will make it easier for your to communicate your needs when you are interacting with their staff?

Try a gluten free product you haven’t had before

We can get stuck in our ways. We find products we like and stick to. Shake things up a little bit and try a product you haven’t tried before. Find out if the Trader Joe’s gluten free products are any good, try a different pancake mix, see if that gluten free cake mix tastes a little more like what you used to have, etc.

You may be surprised by what you find. There are a lot of great products out there and they are worth finding.

Attend a gluten free expo

These are great events to go to! There are a lot of booths and samples. This is a great way to find new products without breaking the bank. You get to sample and then decide if you like it enough to buy it!

Often there are information booths to learn more and activities for kids.

Participate in a gluten free event

The Gluten Intolerance Group often has events throughout the country on education and support. These are great for learning more about the health issues involving celiac, gluten intolerance, and other diseases and health problems that facilitate the need to be gluten free.

We have a local gluten free group that is putting together a Disneyland gluten free experience! They are planning on making it an annual event.

There are also gluten free summer camps and family trips.

Join a support group

(*I am a support group leader, but get nothing for endorsing going to a support group or the GIG website. I just believe in what they do and I know how it can benefit others to join and be involved.)

Joining a support group helps those who are newly diagnosed and connects people together who are living the same lifestyle. Support groups need the experience of those who have been gluten free, to help one another. Surprisingly, those who have been gluten free for a long time often find other benefits from coming to the support group:

Information you didn’t know you need to know
Places where gluten hides
Health information
Special speakers
Special events
Interacting with people going through similar difficulties and challenges
Help in how to handle situations with medical professionals, family, friends, work, etc.
There is just something different about talking face to face

This is a great year to get healthy, try new things, and enjoy being gluten free!

The Benefits and Downside of Flaxseed- gluten free issues

Nov 14, 2018

Flaxseed, what is it and why do so many people put it in gluten free foods? What are it’s benefits and is there a downside?

I must say, this post has been an educational experience for me and has changed my point of view.

Flaxseed

Flaxseed is also known as linseed. Doesn’t mean anything to you? Me neither, though I have heard the word before.

The plant is flax, but in another article it was referred to as the linseed plant. Frequently, it goes by both names. The seeds are called linseed or flaxseed. It is an ancient grain that people have been growing as early as 3000 B.C.

“Her hair was flaxen!”

Flaxen hair

Flaxseed Benefits

Here is why people like flaxseed, but keep in mind many researchers still don’t consider the benefits settled. They do agree that research suggests that there “appear” to be many benefits. Let’s list a few:

Reduce the risk of:

Cancer
Stroke
Heart Disease
Diabetes
Lung Disease
high blood pressure
high Cholesterol
inflammation
(reduce) hot flashes
(prevent) constipation

What makes flaxseed so beneficial?

Omega-3s- Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
healthy fats
protein
fiber- both soluble and insoluble fiber
lignans
antioxidant properties
amino acids

This post contains affiliate links. I include these links for your convenience. I earn a small commission for the referral, but your price remains the same.

Which is better flaxseed or flaxseed oil?

With flaxseed you get the entire seed and benefits of the whole thing. The oil only gives you part of the pieces of the seed.

Don’t just eat the seeds

The body isn’t made to digest flaxseed in it’s whole form. Eating it straight will not give you the benefits, because it will go straight through you. So, to get the benefits of this wonder seed we need to grind it down. Because flaxseed has a lot of oil and the seeds are small, the best way to grind it is with a coffee grinder.

The oils will gum up a grinder and many find that using an electric coffee grinder is the way to go, when you are doing it yourself. In fact, any seed or other oily grain that you want to grind, does better in a coffee grinder.

Is there a downside to flaxseed?

There are a few concerns and downside to flaxseed, for some people. Keep in mind these problems usually go along with other conditions or from high consumption of flaxseed. Some people tolerate it very well and others may not do so well. Listen to your body.

High consumption of flaxseed can lead to a laxative effect. For this reason the National Institute of Health has suggested that those with the following conditions should not use flaxseed: diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. (I need to re-evaluate our use of flaxseed, considering my husband was diagnosed with crohn’s.)
If you are eating a lot of flaxseed it can cause obstructions in the esophagus, intestines or bowel.
Some people are allergic to flaxseed
Because of the estrogen found in the plant, it can have a negative effect on those with certain hormone related health conditions. This is because the hormone in the plant acts the same as human hormones. (Reminds me of the issues with estrogen in soy.)
May reduce blood clotting; making the blood thinner.
Can cause the mania in some people who are bipolar
May contain heavy metal amounts because of contaminated soil. The one of most concern with the flaxseed crop is cadium. The cadium the plant absorbs may actually increase the chances of breast cancer. Undoing all the benefits of the flaxseed. Organic foods are NOT tested for heavy metals.
Possible cross contamination with gluten. As with any grain, if the flaxseed is grown in a field that alternates with gluten grains the potential for cross contamination increases. Also, if the milling happens in a plant, but especially on the same equipment or same area as gluten grains the potential for cross contamination is greater.

Who shouldn’t supplement with flaxseed?

With so many great benefits it seems like everyone should supplement their diet with flaxseed! However, there are groups of people that should be more weary:

Pregnant women (more below)
According to research, breast feeding mothers may not want to consume flaxseed. Studies are contradictory and the risk may outweigh the benefits.

“Our own animal studies showed that flaxseed exposure during these stages may be protective against breast cancer in the offspring. But a study of another investigator showed the opposite effect,” Thompson says.

Hormone related health conditions: endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, and breast, ovarian or uterine cancer. Pregnant women also should not consume supplemental flax seed, as it could stimulate menstruation or cause other hormonal effects that might be harmful to the developing baby.
You shouldn’t eat flaxseed if you have the following: diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
People who have scleroderma.
Those who have an allergic reaction to flaxseed which can include: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or anaphylaxis.
Diabetics should be cautious about consuming flaxseed and how much. (This one is a little confusing since other information says it may lower the risk of diabetes. One would think that it would also help if you already have diabetes. I think the biggest problem for diabetics with this is the thinning blood.)
People with bleeding disorders should also be cautious. This is because it can thin the blood and reduce blood clotting.
Those who are bipolar– flaxseed may bring on mania.

Why I Use Flaxseed in My Flour Mixture

I wanted to add more protein and fiber to our flour mixture. Our whole family is gluten free and so, I make Bette Hagman’s combination for flour; it is less expensive for me to do so. Which is simply: 6 cups rice flour, 2 cups potato starch and 1 cup tapioca flour. Then, I add approximately 1/4 cup (maybe a little less) of ground flaxseed. I really like this mixture and it works well in most things.

For baked goods I use Bette Hagman’s Featherlight combination of 1:1:1. 1 Cup rice flour, 1 cup corn starch and 1 cup tapioca starch. (I do not add flaxseed to this! You want it to be light so your baked goods can be fluffy.)

***Remember that there IS a difference between potato starch and potato flour. Potato starch will last longer and they have different textures.

Tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the exact same thing! There is no end to the confusion in the gluten free diet.

Continued use of flaxseed?

I need to carefully decide if we should continue to use flaxseed in our mixture; I am leaning toward not doing so. My husband has been diagnosed with crohn’s and that is a big deal! The last thing I want is to cause him more problems with his digestive tract.

Another big concern for me is the hormone issues. My daughter has Hashimotos and hormones do affect this disease in a negative way. It is recommended to avoid soy (which is also hard to do on a gluten free diet) and the hormone issue is the same or similar with flaxseed.

In my opinion, I don’t understand why so many gluten free companies use these plants that are hormone disrupters. People with celiac already have a higher risk of developing certain conditions like auto-immune thyroid and these foods can have such a negative effect.

I am disheartened by what I have learned in writing this post. When I began, I was a proponent for flaxseed, but after what I have learned I am strongly leaning toward discontinuing using flaxseed.

Gram Flour Verses Graham Flour- Is there a difference?

Oct 20, 2018

There are many types of flours. Basically, if something can be ground down, it can be a flour. Flour can be made from practically anything! For those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, it is important to know which different varieties of flour are made from gluten. You can’t avoid what you don’t know to avoid.

Know the Variations

There are many gluten grain/wheat-derived strains of grains with names other than wheat, rye or barley. Here is a list of some of these gluten grains (not complete). With so many names for wheat or other gluten grains in order to stay healthy it is important to learn about them.

Kamut
Bulgur
Triticale
Spelt
Bran
Couscous
Farina
Orzo
Wheaten Corn flour
Frumento
Duram or Durum
Einkorn
Seitan
Matzoh/Matzah/Matzo

Graham VS Gram

So, What about Graham and Gram flour? They are pronounced the same, but unlike some of the variations in the list above, they are not even close to being the same or similar in their properties. This is unlike duram and durum or Matzoh, Matzah or Matzo which are all the same types of flour, just variations in spelling.

However, in the case of Matzoh, Matzah and Matzo, they can be wheat, rye, barley and/or oats. The oat variety can be safe if the only flour is oat and is made with purity protocol oats.

So, the short of it is, graham is derived from wheat grains and gram is not.

What is Graham?

Graham is literally a whole wheat flour! The inventor of Graham flour was Sylvester Graham who thought that refining flour was unhealthy. More is ground into graham flour than the more traditional flours we use.This results in a coarser, darker flour.

Winter wheat endosperm is ground down and added to the wheat grains that are also ground down. The endosperm creates starch and nutrients in tissue of the seeds. This combination of bran and germ is what makes graham flour different than wheat flour. It is brown in color with a nutty flavor.

Graham Crackers are made from this flour and are also a creation from Sylvester Graham.

What is Gram?

Gram on the other hand is a gluten free flour! It is made from chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. They are a part of the legume family.

This flour is mostly used in cooking Indian foods. It grows just like peas in pods. They are pale yellow in color. Some variations in the name are: besan, chana, cici, chickpea or hummus.

Gram flour is high in protein, fiber and carbohydrates. It also has a nutty flavor to it.

***If it is milled in a mill that does wheat flour the chances of contamination with gluten is high. Look for gram flour that meets FDA rules for being gluten free. Certified gluten free is the best!

Using Gram Flour

There are a lot of breads especially flat breads that can be made from gram/chickpea flour. Check out the links below for a few recipes and ideas.

Authentic Italian Flat Bread

9 of the Very Best Gluten-Free Chickpea Flour Recipes

Do Your Own Gluten Free Homework!

Oct 18, 2018

We are all so willing to take the word of others at face value, whether it be from a doctor, chiropractor, dietician, blogger, someone in gluten free food service, social media or an app. Often, we take the word of other people, instead of doing our own homework.

We Trust:

Medical professionals know everything about everything and so we don’t question them.
The blogger has done their homework/research.
People making gluten free foods understand the laws and what gluten free means and they are following proper procedures.
Gluten free community events like expos are always 100% safe.
People on social media like Facebook know what they are talking about and have asked all the right questions.
Apps that help you find products, restaurants and other gluten free things.

Seriously?!

Let’s start with doctors and other medical professionals:

There is no way for any doctor, even those who are specialists to know everything about everything and expect them to always give you accurate information. That sentence contains a lot of absolutes!

If you have been gluten free for many years, you know the struggles patients have had with doctors! (Perhaps you have run into some who still are using old information) For many years, medical schools have been teaching the wrong information about celiac disease!

Examples of misinformation that has been taught:

It is a childhood illness
All children with celiac will look malnourished with extended bellies
You outgrow celiac
It only affects the GI tract
Everyone with celiac is very thin

Unfortunately, many doctors continued education comes from the pharmaceutical companies as drug representatives talk to them about drugs that can help their patients. These representatives talk about different illnesses and explain how the drugs can help patients and sell the doctor on using those medications for their patients.

Celiac and gluten intolerance doesn’t have a drug, yet. Personally, I am glad for this, because many times the side-effects are worse than the original problem. (My humble opinion) However, because of there not being a drug, celiac has not been talked about and many doctors still don’t think gluten intolerance is a real condition! So, between being taught old information and not hearing any more about celiac/gluten intolerance doctors often lag behind.

My plug for support groups:

I have been a support group leader for over 10 years. Recently, I was disheartened when I was working at an expo and someone told me they would never go to a depressing support group. Is this why people shy away from support groups?! My experience both before and in being a support group leader has been very positive, helpful and educational.

A support group does the following:

connects you with others going through the same thing
most of the time, people living with the disease have a better understanding and better information than your doctor does
something special happens talking to people in person- discoveries are made about things you thought you knew and didn’t know you needed to know
information on topics
speakers knowledgeable about issues, treatment, nutrition and more
samples of gluten free foods and products
a place where people understand how hard it can be at times and leave you feeling rejuvenated and able to conquer being gluten free and living with a chronic auto-immune disease

Here is how you can find a support group or start one yourself.

I still recommend doing your own homework, because even a seasoned support group leader sometimes doesn’t have accurate information. They are doing their best and trying to stay up to date, but there is so much, it is hard. We need to help one another!

Trusting Gluten Free Bloggers

Let’s face it! There is a lot of information out there, true and untrue. Wading through it can be difficult and confusing. This is probably why we want to trust others with the “facts” they have found.

Check the sources of information from those you read. Where are they getting their information? Is it coming from other bloggers as a word of mouth information, is it an opinion or are there legitimate sources?

I’m not saying that it is bad for bloggers to cite one another’s posts or that it isn’t true if it is cited from one place over another. What I am saying is that you need to use your best judgment from everything you read. Be careful about taking anyone’s word as absolute truth.

I believe most bloggers are trying to give accurate, well thought out, good information that will help others. We are all human and make mistakes or misunderstand things. So, keep that in mind.

This post contains affiliate links. I include these links for your convenience. I earn a small commission for the referral, but your price remains the same.

Trusting Gluten Free Events

Yes, there is an expectation to trust that when going to a gluten free event, like an expo, that everything at that expo is going to be safe. Having put on events like an expo and participating as a vendor I know how strict the rules are. However, even with the strict rules, sometimes one vendor will slip through that shouldn’t be at the event.

If that rogue vendor continues to show up at events I would question organizers and their motives for doing such events. It’s a one shot deal, for the vendor, unless serious steps are taken to rectify the problems.

My Recent Expo Experience with a Rogue Vendor

I was running an information/education booth at our local expo, last weekend. At the end, as I was cleaning up, another vendor approached me (to tell you the truth), he was fairly rude from the get-go! He wanted to know what I was selling and when I said I was selling nothing, he pressed me and had a hard time letting it go, because I had to be selling something! (My booth is non-profit- information and education!)

Next, he tried to get me to agree that there are different strains of wheat and that some of them are more safe than others. Nope! Any wheat in any form should NOT be ingested by those with celiac or gluten intolerance! He did not like my answers and became more aggressive. It became clear in talking to him that he has no understanding of celiac or gluten intolerance. (Since the expo, I have checked out his web-site and he believes that yeast (quick rising) has caused gluten intolerance. That is a new one I haven’t heard before!)

Another alarming thing he said, is that gluten free isn’t cut and dry, but rather a LOT of gray area. Yikes! The gluten free regulations (FDA) are pretty cut and dry without gray areas! (More about the labeling laws) I warned him that other bakers have been prosecuted for selling products that are marked gluten free, but are not. He said he makes no gluten free claim, which isn’t true because it is all over his web-site. Perhaps he was talking about his other breads? I don’t know since he talked in circles.

What this quick homework session reveled

It became clear that he is a danger to the gluten free community. He only has one truly gluten free product and that is sourdough. However, his kitchen processes make that debatable. (I wouldn’t even sample it, let alone eat it!) I had someone tell me, he told her, at the expo, any gluten or gluten contamination bakes out during his process. (Here we go again! Someone who has a magic oven!)

Talk to the vendors, talk to companies, check out their websites and ask questions. You never know what someone’s agenda really is and asking questions helps to ferret out those that are just on the band wagon.

What I don’t understand is why someone would be willing to make people horribly sick and cause damage to them just to make a buck!

Actually, I think I do know why, they don’t believe it is real. The disease, the intolerance, the symptoms, and the effects of eating gluten.

Trusting Social Media sites and pages

Are we really so quick to take the word of people on a page? We know nothing about them.

Do they have celiac or gluten intolerance or are they gf for other reasons, which may not have anything to do with gluten free health issues?
Did they not get sick because they are doing it for other health reasons?
Inversely, was this just one bad experience? (It does happen, even to good places.)
What questions did they ask, do they know the right questions to ask?
Who did they talk to? I have had experiences where they have changed our server to someone who knows gluten free, instead of the new staff member.
Is this person overly or under concerned about answers. I might feel differently asking the same questions.

Trusting Apps

There are a lot of different apps and devices that can help with finding gluten free foods and products. They are so helpful. However, are we relying on them too much?!

Nima Sensor

This is a great tool, but it does have its draw backs. The Nima Sensor can give false negatives and false positives. It also may not be helpful in detecting cross contact. Though it can give a little more of a sense of security when eating out. However, that doesn’t mean you should stop asking questions. Always ask questions and make sure your server and/or chef understands that you are gluten free and what that means.

Gluten free apps

These apps can be helpful in finding products and restaurants. Reviews are by those who use the apps and comment. If you solely take the word from comments on these apps you will likely be led astray.

I love and frequently use Find Me Gluten Free! We have found great places using this app, especially when we are on vacation! However, we had a horrible experience following the advice to go to HuHot. (And it’s update here. No more has been done about them, it is disappointing.)

Everyone said HuHot was a great place to go and safely gluten free. However, as we asked questions I was confused by their menu:

“ALL LISTED SAUCES ARE GLUTEN FREE AND MSG FREE.

Wheat has been processed to meet FDA standards for Gluten Free foods.”

What process? I quickly discovered they use hydrolyzed soy sauce, which is NOT considered safe! In asking other questions we became more and more leery about eating there and left. This led me to doing more homework about HuHot, the FDA laws and contacting the Gluten Free Watchdog.

Do Your Own Homework!

Your health is in your hands!

Ask your own questions, do some research, get to know the ins and outs of gluten free and the conditions related to why people are gluten free.
Join a support group
Know how to safely eat out and what questions to ask. Here is a great article on how to dine out safely.
Learn about shared kitchen safety. (The article is about roommates, but the same principles apply to other kitchens.) It takes a puff of flour 3 hours to settle, but gluten can linger in the air for as long as 24 hours.
Don’t rely solely on others opinions for your information.
Use your own intuition and knowledge to make the best choices for you and your health.

13 College Tips For Gluten Free Students

Sep 6, 2018

If you have been diagnosed with celiac or gluten intolerance before going off to college, likely you have depended on your mom for taking care of all those pesky gluten free issues. Or if you have recently been diagnosed, you need to learn the dos and don’ts of gluten free living. Now is the time for you to take your health into your own hands, as you embark on your journey into adulthood.

1 Understand what gluten free is

Gluten free is cutting out ALL forms of gliadin protein from your diet. Gliadin is the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. This also includes their derivatives: triticale, duram, kamut, spelt, graham and many more.

Learn where gluten may hide: brewer’s yeast, malt, soy sauce, thickeners, etc.

Understand that the way foods are handled is as important as the ingredients in the food. Cross contact happens easily and quickly. This can be anything from crumbs on the counter, touching gluten and then touching gluten free, to blatant cross contact by putting a knife back in the jar of peanut butter, after touching gluten bread.

2 Learn how to read labels

Label reading is essential to staying healthy when you have to be gluten free. Don’t solely rely on the gluten free claim on the packaging. They aren’t always accurate. No one is checking to make sure products are properly labeled.

Looking for gluten free products is a good place to start and then double checking that there are no gluten ingredients. Even better, is looking for certified gluten free products done through GIG (Gluten Intolerance Group). Their process is very strict and they only certify products that test to 10 ppm or less. They also conduct regular testing to make sure certified products are up to the GFCO standards.

This quick reference card can be printed out and laminated to keep in your wallet. It can help, while you are learning what to watch out for and double checking labels.

3 Be strict about your diet

This is especially true if you have celiac. If you don’t take your diet and health seriously neither will anyone else. This also makes it hard for others who are gluten free. Check out this post about why this is the case.

Being gluten free and cheating on your diet just sets you up for having a hard and difficult time. The noticeable symptoms, for most people, last 3-5 days, but the body continues to react for much longer. If you have celiac, you are putting your health at serious risk for other complications: early osteoporosis, higher risk of some cancers (if you are strictly gluten free the risks normalize to the rest of the population), greater risk for other auto-immune and other health issues, sick and unable to clearly think.

4 Learn how to cook gluten free

There are so many resources online! I have several boards for gluten free recipes. If a recipe isn’t naturally gluten free, I put in the description of the pin (when I pin it) suggestions for alterations. The most sure way to know you aren’t getting gluten is to be in charge of your own food.

5 Teach your roommates

Teach your roommates about why you are gluten free. You can print out materials to help you explain it, from here. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to get it or care. However, it doesn’t hurt to try to educate your roommates and it may turn out to be a great experience and help to cut down on your stress.

Tell them what it is like for you when you get gluten. This was difficult for one of my daughters because we had been so good at not getting sick from gluten. It happened so infrequently, she didn’t know what to tell them. Unfortunately, they got to see first had when she got gluten on a really bad date! It had a neurological affect on her and for 3 days she would randomly pass out, was very tired and so weak. All of which is very unlike her.

Good roommates vs bad roommates

A good roommate will respect your things and try and help you. Your roommate even a good one, may not fully understand the cross contact risks and may try and push the boundaries. They may really think that something isn’t a big deal, like popping their gluten bread in your toaster, when you aren’t home. Many people think, you can’t be hurt by what you don’t know. Even good roommates make mistakes.

However, not all roommates are good. In the case of a bad roommate, have place in your bedroom (hopefully you have a bedroom door you can lock) where you can store the things you are worried about. My girls have always kept their toaster and waffle iron in their room on a shelf. (Even when they have had good roommates.) Accidents can happen and this cuts down the risk.

Squeeze containers for things like: mayo, jam, etc. help to reduce cross contamination from someone using your condiments on purpose or by accident.

6 Some things to ask

Wipe up crumbs
Wipe out microwave
Don’t use my jam, butter, mayo, etc. Double dipping causes cross contact which will make me sick.
Please don’t touch my gluten free things after you have touched gluten.
Please don’t use my pans or colander (stainless steel pans are the best. Non-stick is porous and holds onto the protein. Gluten can also hide in the nicks and scratches in non-stick surfaces, beaters and colander holes.)
Don’t use my toaster
If possible: ask for your own section in the fridge, cabinets (so you can keep your dishes together and separate, which can reduce your stress), and possibly counter space (My daughter’s have kept anything they were worried about, in their bedrooms: toaster, waffle iron, etc. and only brought them out to use and then put away. No accidents.)

It’s not that you don’t want to share or be unkind, but you can’t risk the cross contamination. I have a daughter who got sick doing S’mores with her roommates. They were touching graham crackers and then reaching into the marshmallow bag, contaminating the marshmallows with gluten. My daughter thought she would be okay, but definitely wasn’t. (My daughter had gluten free graham crackers)

7 See what is available on your campus

Many campus’ are starting to carry some gluten free options. Remember it isn’t enough to just have gluten free ingredients, it is also important how that food is handled. As for gloves to be changed, if there is a dedicated fryer, etc. Find out what precautions they take and how they handle the gluten free foods. There is no 100% safe place unless you are completely in charge of your food and environment.

8 Kissing can be a source of cross contact

Unfortunately this is true! If your loved one or date has just consumed gluten and then kisses you, you can get sick! The gluten on their lips or in their mouth transfers to you and without even realizing it, you are now glutened. Ask your partner to brush their teeth and wash their lips before kissing. I know this can be uncomfortable, but we are talking about your health.

Also, if someone who eats gluten applies chapstick or lipstick after consuming gluten, their lip “stuff” is now cross contaminated from cross contact. Every time they apply their lip product it puts gluten back on their lips. This is another way you get glutened from kissing.

9 Dating

Be upfront with your dates. Let them know you are gluten free and you can’t cheat on your diet. When possible, offer suggestions of places you can safely eat. If you are worried, eat before you go and order a salad (without croutons). Most places will at least have a salad.

10 Cook gluten free with roommates

It is always fun to share a meal with roommates. This is still doable. Pick a gluten free meal and make together. It really does depend on your roommates and how well you get along. My oldest daughter was lucky that all her roommates were interested and enjoyed doing this together. Many recipes can easily be adapted.

11 Don’t miss out on activities

If it is an activity involving food, you can still participate in the social aspect of the event. Either, eat before going, since there likely won’t be anything you can eat or take some food with you. Activities and participation are a lot of fun in college and you will regret not doing more just because of your diet. Find a way to participate without putting your health at risk. Don’t let being gluten free hold you back from enjoying these wonderful college years.

12 Drinking

I’m not a drinker, but many drink and experiment in college. Be careful, not only are there a lot of unhealthy activities involving alcohol in college, regardless of your diet or not, but many alcoholic drinks contain gluten.

13 Find or start a campus support group

A support group is really helpful when dealing with an ongoing condition such as celiac or gluten intolerance. Having people to talk to about gluten free struggles helps you to not feel alone. You can talk through and find solutions to help manage being gluten free better when you have a group to share with.

A local University has gluten free pot lucks once a month. The students rotate where they meet and help one another with recipes and cooking issues.

Start a Gluten Free Students Facebook page for your university. For example: Gluten Free Students At . . .

To Dos From these tips:

Learn about gluten free and any condition you have that necessitates you to eat this way.
Educate others.
Be strict with your diet.
For the sake of your health, be assertive.
Research places to eat and what is available.
Know and understand all the ways you can accidentally get glutened.
Have fun and get involved.
Help others and be proactive!

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu- Gluten Free

Jul 27, 2018

Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of my favorites! I also love to grill during the summertime. This combined 2 of my favorite things and turned out great!

*If you plan on making your own cream of chicken soup, you will first need to make the mix. Recipe here.

Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu

Approximately 2lbs boneless, skinless thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
Slices of Monterrey Jack Cheese Approximately 6 slices
Approximately 6 slices of ham
2 cups gluten free cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
Toothpicks

This post contains affiliate links. I include these links for your convenience. I earn a small commission for the referral, but your price remains the same.

Preparing the Chicken

Light your grill to preheat.

Lay out you chicken flat (cut side up) sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place cheese on top of your thigh pieces. (I broke the slices to better fit the size of the pieces of meat.)

Next, place your ham slices. (I also cut the ham to fit the meat size better)

Fold the chicken, encasing the ham and cheese inside and close with toothpicks to hold together.

Finally, put it on the grill. I cooked it around 350 degrees, turning with tongs until it was cooked through. I used a meat thermometer to make sure the meat reached 165 degrees and was completely cooked.

A Little Messy

With the cheese it is a little messy, but so worth it! I regret nothing!

When the chicken is fully cooked remove it from the grill and remember to remove your toothpicks.

Cover the chicken breast with sauce and enjoy.

Preparing Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce

Use either a pre-made gluten free cream of chicken soup or make your own with this mix and recipe.

Start your sauce when you put your chicken on the grill. I use 7 Tablespoons of the mix dissolved in 1/2 cup water (dried onions will not dissolve), and 2 cups of water.

When your soup thickens add 1/2 cup sour cream. When soup and sour cream are thoroughly mixed turn down to warm until chicken is fully cooked.

Meal Suggestions

We love mashed potatoes with this because you can use the sauce like gravy. That is the reason why we make so much sauce!

Green beans or mixed vegetables pair well.

Green salad with garden tomatoes.

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu- Gluten Free

Shannon LeMmon

Chicken Cordon Bleu- gluten free- easy and fairly quick to pull together. Grilled on the barbecue grill.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Course Main

Servings 4

Ingredients

Approximately 2lbs boneless skinless thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
Slices of Monterrey Jack Cheese Approximately 6 slices
Approximately 6 slices of ham
2 cups gluten free cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
2 tsp gluten free bouillon
1/2 cup sour cream
Toothpicks

Instructions

Light your grill to preheat.
Lay out you chicken flat (cut side up) sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place cheese on top of your thigh pieces. (I broke the slices to better fit the size of the pieces of meat.)
Next, place your ham slices. (I also cut the ham to fit the meat size better)
Fold the chicken, encasing the ham and cheese inside and close with toothpicks to hold together.
Finally, put it on the grill. I cooked it around 350 degrees, turning with tongs until it was cooked through.
Remove the toothpicks and cover with sauce.
Sauce:
If using the same mix I use do the following:
Start your sauce when you put your chicken on the grill. I use 7 Tablespoons of the mix, dissolved in 1/2 cup water (dried onions will not dissolve).
Put this mixture, bouillon and 2 cups of water in a sauce pan.
Stir frequently.
When your soup thickens add 1/2 cup sour cream. When soup and sour cream are thoroughly mixed turn down to warm until chicken is fully cooked.
Pour sauce over chicken and use as gravy on mashed potatoes.

Chef Aaron Flores, A Legend in the Gluten Free Community

Jul 25, 2018

Chef Aaron Flores became my hero shortly after I was diagnosed with celiac disease. He had been a chef at Disneyland, California in the Story Teller Cafe. He has been a great advocate for the gluten free community. You may not know how he has affected your life. If you have had great food at Disneyland, he was the pioneer! He also helped with gluten free menus for many other places including his work at Hilton (if I remember right) and Marriott.

His resume is very impressive! It includes things like cooking for the Obamas in the White House and holding the title of Executive Chef. There’s so much more, but I am unqualified to list them. Within the gluten free community, he: helped to build the largest gluten free cake, spoke at celiac conferences, and was a pioneer in gluten free cooking and products. He also helped with the FDA labeling laws for gluten free foods.

My 1st Introduction to Chef Aaron

I was worried about how we were going to go on vacation and if there would be anything there I could eat. I was a part of the Gluten Intolerance Group of Utah County and the Branch Manager told me a wonderful story about an incredible chef who had worked at Disneyland! What a relief to know that people were looking out for those of us who have to be gluten free!

I went from thinking there were few, if any, vacations in my future to feeling relief that there was one place I could safely go.

The Gluten Free Story

I have recently heard this story with differences in the details, told by other people. (The biggest detail difference has been what he made for the little girl. I remember being told it was bland eggs and someone else said it was bland chicken with bland steamed veggies. In any case, it was bland.) This is the way I remember it.

Chef Aaron was busy working in one of the Disneyland kitchens, Story Tellers Cafe. A grandmother came in pulling her large rolling suitcase with her, accompanied by her young granddaughter. The grandmother sent a card to the kitchen about her granddaughter’s dietary needs.

Wanting to know more, Chef Aaron came out of the kitchen and talked to this woman and her granddaughter. She explained to him that her granddaughter has celiac disease and how she couldn’t eat gluten. Her suitcase had been packed with food for her granddaughter, but they had run out and she needed to eat. Chef Aaron’s heart went out to them. He said he made the most bland eggs for her because he didn’t want her to get sick.

The grandmother also explained that they were in town for a conference about celiac disease and the conference was still going on. Hearing this, Chef Aaron found out where the conference was being held and as soon as his shift ended, he went to the conference. He sat in the back in his full chefs uniform to learn everything he could about celiac disease and gluten free.

He talked to people and made it his mission to develop recipes and options for people who are gluten free so that everyone can enjoy Disneyland without having to worry about what they can eat.

Our Disney Vacation

Chef Aaron- responsible for great gluten free options at Disneyland! Thank you Chef Aaron

Minnie and Friends Character Breakfast with the BEST gluten free pancakes, ever!

It was amazing! Chef Aaron no longer worked there, but he left wonderful things in place! We had fantastic food and such a wonderful time! It was such a treat to get to eat pancakes outside of our house and have pizza! (Not to mention that they tasted amazing!!!) We hadn’t had pizza, spaghetti, or pancakes outside of our house since being diagnosed. (We took this trip 3 or 4 years after being diagnosed and have now been gluten free for 14 years.)

At Disneyland, we met another great chef, named Edgar. We absolutely loved him. He was so disappointed that our gluten free girls only wanted to have pizza. He wanted to make the whole family prime rib (it wasn’t even on the buffet menu), of course, my husband and I gratefully accepted his offer!

They sat us in the middle of the restaurant and when they brought the food out to us 6 chefs in full uniform (hats and all) came out carrying our food! We looked and felt like royalty! Especially, since this was a buffet restaurant and everyone else had to get up and get their own food.

2009 GIG Conference Meeting Chef Aaron

In 2006 or 2007, there was a Gluten Intolerance Conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Chef Aaron was scheduled as a speaker. I was so excited to finally get to meet the great Chef Aaron! However, he was unable to make it due to a family emergency.

Then, in 2009 my girls and I attended the Gluten Intolerance Group‘s conference in Seattle, Washington. At this conference my daughters not only got to meet Chef Aaron, but they were taught by him and got to cook with him. They loved Chef Aaron!

My daughter felt empowered walking into a fast food place and using the words Chef Aaron taught her: “Do you have a dedicated fryer?”

He also taught my girls to not ask things about “cross contamination”. He explained to them that this is an insult to most chefs. They think of cross contamination as having a dirty kitchen where your foods are in danger of meat juices, where they shouldn’t be.

A better phrase to use is, “Cross Contact”. This more effectively describes what we are worried about. Touching gluten or having a surface touched by gluten that comes in contact with gluten free items. This then, makes them unsafe because of the contact, not because of a dirty kitchen, that should be shut down.

Thank You Chef Aaron

Chef Aaron at the 2009 Gluten Intolerance Group Conference in Seattle

Great teacher! Great advocate!

When I met Chef Aaron I thanked him for all he had done at Disneyland. It was such a wonderful experience! He told me that he was happy to hear that it was such a great experience. It is what he was hoping to accomplish with the work he did there. My meeting him was very brief, but it meant a lot to me. I really wanted to thank him and I’m glad I had that opportunity.

I have so much gratitude for all he has done to make the world more accepting of gluten free foods and kitchen processes that make it safe to enjoy these foods.

I am grateful for:

His curiosity and willingness to learn more
The innovation and care he put into making products and recipes for the gluten free community
Advocacy in raising awareness for the need of gluten free options
His help with the FDA gluten free labeling law
Willingness to educate and help people understand more about gluten free issues
Inspiring others to follow in your footsteps
I know there is so much more that he has done. He has done so much good for the gluten free community!

Rest in Peace Chef Aaron, July 24, 2018. Our hearts and prayers go out to your dear family. May they find comfort in their time of mourning.

*I am a Gluten Intolerance Group Branch Manager. This blog and post are not connected in anyway to the Gluten Intolerance Group. All opinions are my own and not necessarily shared by the Gluten Intolerance Group.

cook

Teaching about family money

1. Menus and Lists

Remember to include meals besides dinner and snacks that your family likes and will eat.

We need:

Cheap Dinners

Setting financial goals as a family.

How to set financial goals as a family

What has to be paid

What is flexible

Are the family financial goals worth it for everyone and how can it have meaning for everyone to participate?

In the Loop

Treasure Sandwiches

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Mrs. Hewitts Cookie Dough

Kinnikinick Chocolate Cookies

Yum Licorice

Glutino Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Udi’s Mug Desserts

I hope this list helps you to try and to find some favorite snacks, too!

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Ingredients for the Chocolate Dirt Pie:

Direction for the Chocolate Dirt Pie:

Happy Pie Day!

Chocolate Dirt Pie- Gluten Free

Ingredients

Instructions

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Lunch Time!

Cream Cheese Ham Roll Ingredients

Cream Cheese Ham Roll Directions

Easy Peasy!!!

Great for travel

Cream Cheese Ham Rolls- Gluten Free Lunch or Snack

Ingredients

Instructions

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Benefits to Cooking at Home

Finances- a Benefit to Cooking Gluten Free at Home

Safety From Cross Contamination

Less Cross Contact

Improve Cooking Skills

Healthier Lifestyle

Family Time

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Eat at Home

Learn to make something new

Things I have made that used to intimidate me:

Try a new place

Try a gluten free product you haven’t had before

Attend a gluten free expo

Participate in a gluten free event

Join a support group

This is a great year to get healthy, try new things, and enjoy being gluten free!

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Flaxseed

Flaxseed Benefits

Reduce the risk of:

What makes flaxseed so beneficial?

Which is better flaxseed or flaxseed oil?

Don’t just eat the seeds

Is there a downside to flaxseed?

Who shouldn’t supplement with flaxseed?

Why I Use Flaxseed in My Flour Mixture

Continued use of flaxseed?

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Know the Variations

Graham VS Gram

What is Graham?

What is Gram?

Using Gram Flour

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We Trust:

Seriously?!

Let’s start with doctors and other medical professionals:

Examples of misinformation that has been taught:

My plug for support groups:

A support group does the following:

Trusting Gluten Free Bloggers

Trusting Gluten Free Events