Friday, March 6, 2009

It's not about what I can't have...

When people first learn about the restrictive diet I must follow due to my celiac diagnosis, they often give one of the following responses: “That’s awful!” or “I can’t think of anything worse!” Even though the diet can be tricky, there are many worse diagnoses than celiac disease and I feel blessed to have my health back (most of the time) and a disease that I can control simply by my diet.

Instead of spending time thinking about the foods that I can no longer eat, I try to embrace the delicious items that I can enjoy that make me feel good!

My diagnosis has made me appreciate food more than I ever did, particularly now that I don’t live in fear of being sick every time I eat. David and I love being in the kitchen and we definitely keep a stocked pantry of naturally gluten free foods. I’m now a firm believer in getting quality foods and ingredients that will provide the most flavor.

Here are some of my favorite foods to have in the house:

Blanchard’s Coffee: There’s nothing I enjoy more than a lazy morning with a good cup(s) of coffee. I’ve definitely become a coffee snob and I love freshly roasted coffee. My favorite coffee brand is Blanchard’s Coffee. They’re located in Richmond, VA and they freshly roast all of their coffee. You can order their very reasonably priced coffee online or if you’re lucky enough to live in Richmond, they sell it in Ukrop’s. The flavor and aroma of Blanchard’s coffee puts Starbuck’s to shame! The Ethiopian Yergacheffe is my personal favorite.

Check out the Blanchard’s Coffee website: Blanchard's Coffee


Blueberries: In the final stretch of winter, I long for the summer farmer’s markets and the fresh fruits and vegetables to be purchased! In the cold winter months, I’m still happy to splurge on a container of blueberries at the grocery store. While the flavor is not quite the same as local produce, I love any snack or meal with blueberries. Yogurt (I use Stonyfield Farms brand) and blueberries topped with granola is a favorite snack, but my all time favorite food with blueberries are pancakes.

I’m inspired to write today because of the blueberry pancakes David made this morning using Pamela’s Baking Mix. The pancakes are delicious and a perfect way to spend a morning on spring break! David has mastered the art of gluten free pancake making and today he made waffles for the first time as well. Of course we enjoyed Blanchard’s Coffee with the pancakes! (If we don’t have blueberries in the house when making pancakes, David adds bananas and chocolate chips to the mix.)

Aunt Ruby’s Peanuts: I love peanuts and I don’t know what I would do if peanuts weren’t gluten free! Aunt Ruby’s peanuts are crunchy, salty and very flavorful. This North Carolina company sells peanuts that are packed with yumminess! Their prices are very reasonable and you can freeze them so they last for a long time if you buy in bulk for the best prices. The Country Style peanuts are a staple cocktail hour snack for us.

Aunt Ruby’s: Aunt Ruby's Peanuts

Feel free to share some of the many foods you enjoy! Remember, it’s not about what we can’t have; it’s about embracing all of the delicious food we can eat.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Traveling? Your guide to gluten free blogs!

I must give my husband, David, credit for this discovery. If you click on the following link, it will show you a map that's marked with the location of gluten free blogs throughout the country. When you click on the link below, it will look like it's just a blank map, but if you click on the map, then thumbtacks will provide you with the locations and you can click on the individual thumbtacks for details.

This is so useful if you're planning on traveling and want to find restaurants, stores, or resources that are accommodating for the gluten free diet. Since I'm going to Atlanta next week, I just found multiple Atlanta gluten free blogs that will help me make my dinner plans!

Gluten Free Blogs across the country

Check it out and let me know what you find!