At times, it’s hard for me to remember life before the title of “Mom”.   I have many other labels – wife, daughter, sister, and friend, but “Mom” feels most special.  Being loved unconditionally is a pretty amazing thing.  There’s nothing like your son telling you how pretty you look when in all reality your hair looks like a bird’s nest and your sweat suit attire should have been packed away five years ago.  I did get my son Ryan’s eyes checked after his adorable statement but his peepers were just fine.

My daughter Emma just turned 10 and my son Ryan will be 7 next month, so I’ve had the pleasure of celebrating many a Mother’s Day.   No matter how you choose to celebrate, the most important part of the day is being together.  With that said, presents, flowers, and sparkly objects will not be turned down…

Happy Mother’s Day from one mom to another!

Breakfast in Bed

I love to sleep.  I think it’s because I was sleep deprived for the first five years of my kids’ lives.  In my humble opinion, there is nothing better than being served breakfast in bed.  Well, an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii would totally be better, but that’s comparing apples to oranges.   Why not treat mom to a delicious gluten-free breakfast?  Don’t forget to clean up the dishes afterwards – that’s sure to score you bonus points.

There are so many gluten-free breakfast options!  Open up your box of Gluten-Free Bisquick to whip up some PB&J Waffles or a Coffee Cake.  Check out my hints to serve up mom a creative & tasty breakfast!  Than brew up a fresh pot of coffee or pour her a glass of OJ and start mom’s day off deliciously!

Picnic in the Park

Picnics are fun for the whole family.  Pack a picnic basket with mom’s favorite foods and head off to celebrate Mother’s Day while she relaxes on a blanket reading her favorite book or magazine.  Rain in the forecast?  No worries – bring the picnic indoors!  Set up in your living room and put on some of mom’s go-to music.

Picnics are all about easily transportable foods.  Pack up a container of Tomato, Mozzarella & Roasted Red Pepper Salad or White Bean Hummus with some carrots and celery.  Go Picnic has ready-to-eat meals for your picnic-themed jaunt. Want a sweet treat for mom?  Bring along some of Lucy’s Sugar Cookies and Chocolate Peanut Butter layer bars.  Mom’s belly will be full after your gluten-free picnic eats, so let her doze off for a bit (remember my comment on sleep deprivation?).

Dinner Fit for a Queen

Mom will truly feel like royalty has you prepare her a delicious Mother’s Day dinner.  If she loves “comfort food”, bake up a Glazed Meatloaf or a Bard’s Beer Chocolate Espresso Chili.  Surprise mom with a fine dining feel with Coq Au Vin.  Bake up a gluten-free Carrot Cake or a Gluten-Free Devil’s Food Cake with a Rich & Creamy Cherry Frosting.

Don’t forget to give your mom a big hug and a kiss.  Those moments will be forever treasured!

Episode 51 “Gluten-Free Globetrotting ” Features:

• Vanessa’s traveling to Phoenix Gluten-Free Expo 2012
• Picazzo’s Restaurant in Sedona, AZ
• Gluten-Free Easter & Passover eats
• Super fab ice cream truck man (bring your GF cones!)
• What do YOU think of the HTG Podcast? Leave your feedback wherever you download this podcast!

Read the blog. Listen to the podcast. Educate yourself.

Rock on Celiacs!

Subscribe to the podcast using iTunes (or whatever media player you use) at http://feeds2.feedburner.com/htgpodcast

Click the player below to listen to the show now!
Download audio file (051_HoldTheGluten-19Apr2012.mp3)
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Looking for an egg-cellent (and tasty) activity to make with young ones?  I bake this adorable Easter bunny cake each year with my kiddos.  What a perfect finale to your egg hunt party or holiday meal!

Easter Bunny Cake with Cream Cheese & Coconut Icing

2 (15-ounce) boxes of Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix
2 sticks (1 cup) butter (softened)
4 teaspoons vanilla
6 eggs
1 1/3 cups water
3 containers of Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Frosting
3 (14-ounce) bags of sweetened shredded coconut
Pink food coloring
Blue food coloring
Gluten-free jelly beans
Gluten-free gumdrops

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans with butter or olive oil spray.
2. In large bowl, beat cake mixes, butter, vanilla, eggs, and water with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour evenly into pans.
3. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4. Place one cake in center of large platter for bunny’s head. Place other cake on cutting surface; cut two football-shaped pieces from each side of cake to use for ears. Place ears on top of bunny’s head. Place remaining piece under bunny’s head for bow tie.
5. Reserve 3 tablespoons frosting. Frost entire cake–except insides of ears–with remaining frosting. To reserved frosting, stir in 1 drop pink food color; frost insides of ears with pink frosting.
6. In a small food-storage plastic bag, shake 1/2 cup of the coconut with 1 drop blue food color. Carefully sprinkle blue coconut over bunny’s bow tie.
7. Sprinkle remaining (un-dyed) coconut all over bunny’s head and edges of ears, leaving centers of ears pink.
8. Make whiskers, eyes and mouth with jelly beans.  Use gumdrops for the nose and bow tie buttons.

Baskets filled with (gluten-free) Easter joy!

Unsure what candy is safe and what is gluten-filled?  Never fear!  Before you fill those baskets with sweets, stop by MyGlutenFacts.com for an amazing listing of gluten-free holiday candy.  Their comprehensive directory is even broken down into two categories – jelly beans and candy.

From the Hold The Gluten family to yours, enjoy your Easter holiday!

Every year, my family travels to our nation’s capital, Washington, DC for the National Cherry Blossom Festival.  In 1912, Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo gave the gift of 3,000 cherry trees to the city of Washington, DC. The annual celebration honors the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan.  This year, the world-famous National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the 100th anniversary of the gift of the cherry trees.

Viewing the cherry blossoms is absolutely breathtaking.  Light breezes blow through the tree branches and create a shower of delicate pink and white petals while our national monuments serve as a stunning backdrop.  An added bonus for visitors is that Washington, DC is a fabulously gluten-free city!  Dining options abound, from casual to elegant. Be sure to save room for a gluten-free dessert (or two!). For more information on gluten-free travel, visit Delight Gluten-Free Magazine’s interactive map of Washington, DC.

In honor of the Cherry Blossom Festival, I’ve created this delectable cherry-themed dessert. Happy spring!

Gluten-Free Cheesecake with Cherry Topping
Who needs a graham cracker crust?  Whip up a delicious Chex Cereal crust for this cherry cheesecake!

Chex Cereal Crust

2 cups of crushed Rice Chex cereal
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted salted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a food processor add all crust ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined. Press crumbs against the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Cheesecake

3 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese , room temperature
1 ¼ cup white sugar
3 eggs
¾ cup sour cream
½ cup of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Gluten-Free Bisquick
1 can (21-ounces) cherry pie filling

While crust is baking, blend cream cheese until fluffy with a mixer. Slowly incorporate sugar until thoroughly combined.  Add eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, and Gluten-Free Bisquick.  Using a spatula, scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl to ensure the batter is thoroughly combined.   Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan. Bake in center of oven for 60 minutes at 350 degrees F. Place a baking sheet filled with water on the rack beneath the cheesecake to eliminate cracking and maintain moistness.  After 60 minutes, turn off the oven, crack the oven door, and let the cheesecake remain in the oven for 1 hour.  After 1 hour, refrigerate cheesecake to chill. Add cherry pie topping and serve.

If you don’t have a waffle maker in your kitchen gadget arsenal, stop everything (well finish this post first), run to the nearest kitchen gadget store, and buy one! My waffle maker is one of my go-to appliances. The kids love waffles for our weekend family breakfasts. Since weekdays are absolutely crazy with school, soccer, piano, gymnastics, and other random sports the kids are involved in, I’ll cook up a large batch of waffles and freeze them for a quick breakfast during the week. Waffles are also the PERFECT substitute for bread!  Think BLT, egg and cheese, or (one of my favs) Nutella and Nutella with some extra Nutella on the side (I have a bad obsession with this stuff).

I’m going to share one of my special recipes: PB&J Waffles. I am a self-proclaimed expert on all things peanut butter & jelly since I ate a PB&J sandwich every.single.day from Kindergarten to High School.  Seriously, I’m not kidding… Why not take this waffle craze a step further and host your own Waffle Bar? Imagine how fun Sunday Brunch will be at your house!

Gluten-Free PB&J Waffles
Makes 4 six-inch waffles

1 1/3 cups Bisquick Gluten-Free mix
1 ¼ cups milk
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 ½ cups of warmed jelly

1. Stir ingredients until blended
2. Pour onto center of hot greased waffle maker, close lid
3. Bake according to waffle maker instructions
4. Remove waffle and serve with warmed jelly in place of syrup

Host Your Own Waffle Bar!
Hosting your own Waffle Bar is SO easy… Here are some topping ideas to include in your buffet. Get as creative as you like, the possibilities are endless to what you can top a waffle with!

Sweet Waffle Toppings
Bananas
Chocolate Chips
Blackberries
Raspberries
Homemade Whipped Cream
Maple Syrup
Cinnamon & Sugar

Savory Waffle Toppings
Crumbled Bacon
Caramelized Onions
Cheddar Cheese
Diced Ham
Sliced Almonds

Kick Start Your Day and Heart
General Mills shares with us that “Cereal eaters  consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than noncereal eaters.”

Start your day with a bowl of cereal with sliced fruit.  My favorite cereal topper is a handful of nutrient-rich frozen blueberries. There are SO many amazing wholesome gluten-free cereal options. Serve up a bowl of Orgran’s  Multi-grain O’s with Quinoa or Honey Nut Chex.  Looking for a warm and hearty breakfast?  Glutenfreeda’s Banana Maple with Flax Instant Oatmeal is a perfect choice.

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

According to the Mayo Clinic, “The healthiest kinds of grains are whole grains. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that at least half of all the grains you eat are whole grains.”

Change out your gluten-free white sandwich bread with these whole grain and multi-grain options.  Your heart will thank you!  Gluten Freely’s Sandwich Bread recipe uses sorghum and garbanzo bean flour.  No time to bake homemade bread?  No worries, there are plenty of whole grain bread options including Udi’s Whole Grain Bread, Glutino Multi-Grain Bagels, and Schar Multi-Grain Sandwich Bread.

Eat Your Fruits and Veggies!

This Homemade Guacamole is not only delicious but avocados can help you meet the American Heart Association’s dietary guidelines because they have both monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat and contain potassium.  Your body will thank you for eating the “rainbow”… Mix up your servings of all types of fruits & vegetables throughout the day.

Lean Protein

Halibut is truly a nutrient-dense food.  Get your fill of omega-3 essential fatty acids with this fabulous recipe for Mediterranean Halibut.

Changing your eating habits can be daunting.  Take baby steps and continue making those important changes!  Your heart will thank you!

I’ve been racking my tinsel-filled brain trying to come up some little holiday gifts for teachers, friends, and that random aunt who only likes cats and QVC.  Since I didn’t want to give my gluten-free cookies away, the kids and I decided to make peppermint bark.  Traditional peppermint bark is made in sheets and broken up to resemble bark (clever, huh?).  However, being the crazy family that we are, we decided to go off the grid.  I have a slight addiction to Michael’s Craft Store, Joann Fabrics, and AC Moore (I’m like the Norm of Cheers but with a glue gun).  I found these cute silicone molds that we could use for our peppermint bark.  Truth be told, I’d never used silicone baking stuff before as it sort of creeped me out.  But I have to tell you, these molds worked perfectly.  The peppermint bark popped right out (and into our mouths).  One tip – you need helpers to successfully make this recipe.  I made a batch by myself (kids were bored at that point) and the chocolate hardened before I could sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top.

Happy Holidays to my Hold The Gluten family!

Holiday Peppermint Bark

1 bag of Wilton’s white chocolate melts (12 ounces)
1 bag of Wilton’s dark chocolate melts (12 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 teaspoons canola oil
crushed candy canes

Place molds on a cutting board or cookie tray (since they are rubbery, it will be tough to pick them up on their own).  Lightly mist the silicone molds with canola or olive oil spray.  Put the dark chocolate melts, 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract, and 1 teaspoon canola oil in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 45 second intervals at 50 percent.  Stir and continue microwaving until the chocolate is melted.  Evenly distribute melted dark chocolate in molds – filling approximately 1/3 of the way.  Transfer to the refrigerator and let harden for 30 minutes.  While the molds are chilling in the refrigerator, begin crushing the candy canes.  Put candy canes in a large  zip top bag and seal.  Using the smooth side of a meat mallet, gently break the candy canes in to small/medium pieces.  Don’t let your frustrations out on the candy canes or you’ll end up with candy cane powder.  Put crushed candy canes in a bowl and set aside.  Once the dark chocolate has chilled for 30 minutes, melt the white chocolate using the above directions and begin filling molds 1/3 of the way.  Immediately top with crushed candy cane pieces and return to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.  One chilled, remove from refrigerator and pop the bark out of the molds.  Refrigerate in a container.  Makes approximately 40 small molds or 24 large molds.

These sweet treats would be perfect in a candy gift bag, tin, or holiday themed “take out” box.

The holidays are coming!

Let the panic/stress/I’m off my rocker festivities begin!  All joking aside, I seriously love celebrating the holiday season by serving up a delicious breakfast buffet.  Breakfast is much more manageable than attempting to clean a turkey and make like 26 side dishes from scratch.  Don’t forget the hand stamped and embossed place cards.  Yeah, I’m so over it!  Why not join my holiday mutiny and kick off your celebration with a warm and cozy gluten free breakfast?  Since we’re all family here at Hold The Gluten, I’m sharing my Good Morning Gluten Free Coffee Cake recipe with you!  Now don’t you feel special?!  You’ll not only find the cinnamon-sugary streusel mix on the top of this fabulous coffee cake, but in the center as well.  Can you say gluten free goodness?  I would but my mouth is totally full of coffee cake…

Good Morning Gluten Free Coffee Cake Recipe

Streusel Mix
2/3 cup Bisquick Gluten Free mix
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup butter

Coffee Cake
2 ½ cups Bisquick Gluten Free mix
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
½ cup sour cream

Pre-heat oven oven to 350°F. Spray an 11-inch round springform pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, prepare the streusel mix using 2/3 cup Bisquick mix, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Cut in butter, using a mixer until mixture is crumbly; set aside.  In medium bowl, stir all coffee cake ingredients until blended. Spread half of the coffee cake batter in pan; sprinkle with half of the streusel topping, spread remaining batter and then top with remaining streusel topping.  Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm! Store tightly covered.

As a little girl, pancakes for supper was a special treat.  We’d feast on stacks of pancakes, crispy bacon (nom nom nom), and hash browns.  What kid wouldn’t love a meal like that?  Way better than roast beef and (gag) turnips.  Although watching my grandfather eat scrapple still traumatizes me just a bit even to this day.  That stuff is just nasty!  To keep the tradition going, my kids and I eat a lot of pancakes for dinner.  We even get a little crazy and add chocolate or vanilla chips or fresh berries.  A few nights ago I decided to add a little chunky peanut butter to the batter.  The result?  Totally awesome!

Peanut Butter Pancakes

1 cup Gluten Free Bisquick Mix
1 cup milk
2 tbsp oil
1 egg
2 tbsp peanut butter

Stir ingredients until blended.  Make sure the peanut butter is thorouglhy mixed in.  Pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto a hot greased griddle.  Cook until the batter starts to form bubbles and the edges are dry.  Flip pancake and cook until golden brown.  Serve with warm maple syrup.  Makes about 8 pancakes (we like ours on the big side).

Savory Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese

Linus, “I’ve learned there are three things you don’t discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin.”  (From the classic movie, It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown)

I’m totally having a love affair with Fall right now!  We’re in the “honeymoon phase” so I’ve yet to find out that Fall doesn’t take out the trash, put the toilet seat down, or pick up his socks.  Ahem, anyway…  My last few posts have been about “eating seasonally” and I’m happy to continue the theme!  Our local farm stand has pumpkins out the wazoo right now.  Did you know that you can buy a pumpkin, cook it, and make puree?  I guess that’s where the canned stuff comes from!  If you need step by step instructions, check this out.  What’s better than a savory baked pumpkin mac n cheese on a blustery day?  Did I mention this is topped with homemade parmeasan cheese bread crumbs?  Oh yeah, I totally went there!  By the way, the health benefits of pumpkin aren’t too shabby either.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese

• 16 ounce bag of gluten free pasta
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded gouda cheese
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• salt/pepper to taste
• 4 slices of gluten free bread
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook pasta to al dente.  While pasta is cooking, combine pumpkin, cheddar, fontina, gouda, half & half, nutmeg, salt & pepper in a saucepan over low/medium heat.  Stir pumpkin/cheese mixture until melted and thoroughly combined.  Put drained al dente pasta into a large bowl.  Pour pumpkin/cheese mixture onto pasta and toss to coat.  Once combined, pour pasta into an 11 x 7 inch baking dish.  Toast four pieces of gluten free bread and break into small breadcrumbs.  In a bowl combine breadcrumbs, olive oil and parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle mixture evenly over the top of the mac n cheese.  Tent with tin foil.  Bake covered for 20 minutes.  Remove tin foil and bake for five minutes uncovered.  Remove from oven and top with additional grated parmesan cheese.

Now that we’ve got my deep, dark secret out of the way, let me share with you how tasty this humble squash can be!  I love to eat what’s in season.  Firstly, you know it’s fresh and hasn’t traveled 3,502 miles to get to your table.  Second, it’s cheap.  We are so on the budget in our house.  I not only count the change in our pockets but the lint as well.  Third, it’s ridiculously easy to prepare.  So easy a monkey could do it!  There are several variations for roasting butternut squash…  Here are two recipes – one savory & one sweet.  A word of caution though:  I felt as though I was taking my life in my hands when peeling the butternut squash.  The skin is like Fort Knox.  I used a chef’s knife and almost lost a few fingers.  After some research, I realized there is a contraption that makes squash peeling so much easier and safer (duh, why didn’t I think of that?).

Roasted Butternut Squash with Fresh Garlic

• 1 large butternut squash
• fresh garlic cloves
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice approximately one inch from the top and bottom of the squash.  Discard these slices.  (Carefully) peel the butternut squash removing all outer skin.  Slice squash in half and remove the seeds & membrane.  Discard seeds/membrane.  Cut squash into one inch cubes.  Add squash to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Season with salt & pepper and as many smashed garlic cloves as you prefer.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Bake approximately 30 minutes.  I like my squash mushy so I tend to bake it a bit longer.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Brown Sugar & Cinnamon

• 1 large butternut squash
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice approximately one inch from the top and bottom of the squash.  Discard these slices.  (Carefully) peel the butternut squash.  Slice squash in half and remove the seeds & membrane.  Discard seeds/membranes.  Cut squash into one inch cubes.  Add squash to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish along with cinnamon and dark brown sugar.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Bake approximately 30 minutes.

Here’s an awesome and time saving tip:  peel and cut up several butternut squash and store in a airtight container in your fridge.  Prep work for future dishes is done & the squash will stay fresh for several days.

Gluten Free Baked Apples

• 4 medium apples (I used Gala)
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• apple cider
• butter
• maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Core the apples (be sure not to go all the way through).  In a baking dish (or large muffin tin), pour approximately 1/2 inch of apple cider in the bottom.  In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.  For each apple: put 1 tbsp of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture in the cored out portion.  Top with 1 tablespoon of chopped pecans.  Add a pat of butter to the top and drizzle with real maple syrup.  Bake approximately 30 minutes.  Serve warm apples with vanilla ice cream.  Take the sauce from the bottom of the baking dish and drizzle on top.

You can also sprinkle 1 tbsp of gluten free granola on each apple before baking!

Review of 125 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Fenster, Ph.D

Pros:

• Excellent assortment of gluten free vegetarian recipes.
• Bonus vegan recipes.
• Details the calories, fat, protein, carbs, cholesterol, sodium and fiber for each recipe.

Cons:

• No food photographs.  Prior to going gluten free, I didn’t cook much at all.  After being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I was essentially forced to get in my kitchen. I need pictures of what the end result will look like!

Want to have an awesome and tasty gluten free breakfast?  Included are some recipe ideas as well as cool suggestions for jazzing up your morning meal!

Fun with Food

Egg in a Hole – I learned this simple yet fun recipe in 8^th grade Home Economics class.  The teacher also tried to teach me how to sew a pair of shorts.  That lesson did not go as well as the cooking portion of the class, but I digress…  Here’s how to make this dish:  using the mouth of a glass, press down to cut a circle into a piece of gluten free bread.  Remove the circle.  Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Place the bread along with the circle in the skillet and toast on both sides.  Once toasted, crack one egg into the hole of the bread and season with salt & pepper.  Cook about two minutes.  Flip the egg and toast and the circle of bread.  Add more butter if needed.  Cook another 2 to 3 minutes depending on if you like your egg runny or more firm.  Transfer to a plate and enjoy your Egg in a Hole!  You can use the circle part of the bread to dip or just enjoy it with a little jelly.

Pancakes – take your ho hum pancakes and make them extra special by adding berries (frozen or fresh) or white/chocolate chips.  Check out the gadgets section of my article for more pancake fun.

French toast sticks – french toast just seems more fun when you can pick it up and dip it into maple syrup!  Make your french toast using gluten free bread and then cut into three sections.  Dip into warmed maple syrup.

Bacon Egg & Cheese Sandwich – Nothing says breakfast like bacon!  Well, for me, any meal with bacon is a wondrous meal.  Why not put your bacon, egg & cheese on a gluten free bagel or even between two waffles?

Groovy Granola Bars – use gluten free oatmeal mix as a base to make homemade granola bars.  Add in your favorite nuts, dried fruit, and spices.

Gadgets for Gluten Free Tastiness

Waffle maker – I LOVE my waffle maker!   You can make up a batch of waffles for breakfast and freeze the rest for later.

Pancake molds – who wouldn’t want to eat pancakes shaped like star wars figures (or hearts, trucks, flowers and dinosaurs?  Pick up some pancake molds at your local superstore or online.  They are so easy to use.

Toaster art – get creative with your toast!  Toasters now have “stencils” that toast an impression (a sun, princess, words, etc) onto your bread.  Just remember to keep this toaster designated “gluten free” to avoid cross contamination.

Ahhhh, the great outdoors.  There’s nothing quite like enjoying the company of family and friends while kicking back in nature.  If you are planning on getting your recreation on, here are some tips and advice to a fun and successful camping trip!

Breakfast Menu

Just because you are away from home (and your kitchen), doesn’t mean that you can’t have a tasty and filling breakfast.  How about toasting a delicious Udi’s bagel and topping it with cream cheese or even making it into a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich?  Break out the cast iron pan and whip up some chocolate chip pancakes using Gluten Free Bisquick.  Gluten Free Chex Cereal with fresh fruit is a great start to the day as well.  Don’t forget your percolator for freshly brewed coffee!

Lunch

Lunch is time to recharge and refuel.  What’s more filling than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Udi’s Whole Grain Bread?  You could get really adventurous and try my favorite sandwich – peanut butter and bacon!  It sounds a bit vile, but I promise you’ll be hooked once you taste it.  Homemade or store bought soup warmed over the campfire is another great choice.  You could always keep it light with yogurt topped with gluten free granola and mixed berries.

Mid-Day Snacks

I am obsessed with making my own gluten free Chex Mix!  It’s so easy to make and very portable.  The Chili and Garlic Chex Mix is my favorite, but the possibilities are endless.  Another great snack option is fruits and veggies.  Crunchy apples or carrot sticks will tide you over till the dinner bell sounds.  Some grab and go ideas are Larabars, Nature Valley Nut Crunch bars, or Glutino Pretzels.

Dinner

Pack some gluten free hamburger or hot dog buns so you can grill up a gluten free sausage with peppers and onions or a double decker hamburger.  Roasted potatoes and veggies cooked in a tin foil pouch are an easy side.  Premix all of the dry ingredients at home for skillet cornbread and add the wet ingredients at the campsite for traditional camping fare.  Get shucking and serve up grilled corn with chili-lime spread.  Grilled corn on the cob has such awesome flavor!

Dessert

What’s a camping trip without s’mores?  I’ve taste tested the Kinnikinnick GF Graham Crackers and they are awesome for s’more making?  Or be creative by using two Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cookies to sandwich your chocolate and roasted marshmallow.  Just bake the cookies ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in your cooler.  Premade Gluten Free Brownies or Gooey Rice Krispie Treats are also a well-deserved treat after a day of exploring.

A little pre-planning will help to make your camping trip an awesome experience.  Remember to pack your own utensils and pans to avoid cross contamination.  Be sure to educate your fellow campers of your gluten intolerance and the need to keep your foods separate from their gluten filled eats.