There's Been A Glutening

Sadly, Wade has thrown up twice now, both times after having gluten free macaroni for dinner.  It's very sad, and he's okay now, but I'm rather upset because these gluten free elbows were bought in bulk at Winco and I suspect that someone wasn't doing their job right and mixed the regular noodles in the bin with the Wade-friendly ones.  (The bulk bins are self serve--scoop and bag, self labeling.)

We've hooked up an awesome mac n' cheese recipe for Wade as follows:

Gluten Free Mac N' Cheese

1 1/4 cup gluten free macaroni
1/4 cup cheese powder
1/4 cup almond milk
4 tbsp. margarine

And it's great because those noodles are a little over a buck a pound, so buying 10 pounds of the stuff will last a month if not longer.  Now we've got a bag of tainted noodles that we can't use!  And Winco isn't exactly close by. 

So I call Winco.  Oh god.  Some lady with an accent answers and I ask to speak to the manager and she says "What are you griping about?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"What are you griping about today?"

"What am I what?"

"Griping.  What are you calling to gripe for today?" 

I'm maybe thinking English isn't her first language and she doesn't quite have the right word in place.  Anyway, she tells me that she is the person in charge (I don't know if that was true) and I told her that I suspect someone in the bulk department switched the noodles because my son is having allergic reactions and she was like "Oh.  Oh.  Oh.  I'm sorry.  Okay.  Um...Just bring them back, okay?"

I'm not really sure if my message got across. 

Good gluten free macaroni that we have tried and had success with is Annie's Homegrown Gluten Free Mac & Cheese.  It's made from rice pasta, which is excellent in my book, except that it also does the weird rice pasta slimy water thing when it cooks but it evens out at the end. 

Trouble is Annie's is not cheap and it's somewhere around $4 a box.  The bulk elbow noodles were kind of a staple for Wade since he's not into rice.  I can't really do bulk Annie's and get the same amount of gluten free elbows that I was getting for the price I was getting them at, and I'm worried about ever buying the bulk noodles again. 

Was it a fluke though?  Was this a one time accidental thing? 

See, speaking of flukes we thought maybe Wade's allergy was a fluke because he demolished a gingerbread house about 3/4 of the way before David caught him and had no ill effects that we knew of.  No barf, no runny poop that we know of, and we thought "huh." 

But then he barfed up this mac n' cheese and it's like...what do we do? 

What is your opinion?  Should I buy the bulk gluten free macaroni again or should I avoid it now? 

Poor Man's Gluten Free Bread Substitute

Sorry for my absence.  I've been editing a MASS amount of pictures and I'm just now able to get the time to update any of my auxiliary blogs.  I also owe a gluten free pizza crust mix post to you and I will deliver it.

But for now, let's think back on that Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix I raved about in October.  Tasty is it?  Yes.  Cheap however?  Hell no.  Depending on where I can find the stuff, $5-$7 is way too much to pay for bread, even if it is just for one little gluten free guy.  Especially since we started finding that the bread would start to mold in just 2-3 days sometimes.  And yes, keeping it in the freezer is an option but again, see price.

Now, it was rather convenient that David happened to find a gluten free bread in the mark down bin at Stater's that we'd never seen before in our lives.  Food For Life Brown Rice Bread.  It says that it is wheat and gluten free and even sweetened.  The Food For Life Baking Co., Inc (located in Corona, CA) says:

This unique bread is designed to meet the needs of those who are not able to tolerate wheat or gluten.  

Ingredients include brown rice flour, filtered water, fruit juice concentrate (pineapple, peach and pear,) tapioca flour, safflower oil, yeast, xanthan and cellulose gum, rice bran, and sea salt.

It also warns that the facility that it is processed in also handles tree nuts.

As for taste, Wade says it's good but it's kind of hard--though that might be a result of it being slightly old, but it doesn't even have a date on it.  One of those mysteries of life I guess.  Perhaps this would be better for toast and grilled cheese.

Another alternative to bread that we've discovered, and it's sort of the "poor man's" gluten free bread substitute is corn tortillas.  We don't even do them "wrap" style, we actually just put everything between two tortillas and call it a super flat sandwich.  We've totally pan fried ham and (light) cheese, peanut butter and banana, or he can just eat it raw.

They come about 100 to a pack and they're anywhere from $0.50 to $3.  And he's not complaining.

The Gluten Free Wonderful Bread is nice, and I don't want to totally knock it, but for the price and for how it doesn't seem to last long, I think the corn tortillas do the trick for now.

By the way, have you seen the pretzel filled M&M's?  And there's no real way to tell them from regular non deadly M&M's.  This is a glutening waiting to happen to some poor kid.  Talk about death by chocolate.

Why Miss Lemon Lime Is Awesome

This is a great story that I just had to share...

I went to Wade's parent-teacher conference, and she told me the funniest thing.  In October the class went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch, and while we had packed a special lunch for Wade, they left it at school because nobody else had lunches and Mrs. Miss Lemon Lime didn't think there would be time to sit and eat anyway. 

And then someone broke out some cookies to share for a snack. 

"OH NO!" Miss Lemon Lime says, "Wade can't eat those!" 

So she sent one of the parents to the store to go buy Wade a gluten free snack, while her and Wade went off on their own little excursion by themselves so that Wade didn't see everyone else eating cookies and feel all excluded.  And yes, the parent returned with PRETZELS!

"HE CAN"T EAT THOSE!!!" she exclaimed.  So she went to plan B. 

Miss Lemon Lime quietly ushered Wade into her car and they drove to the store together to buy Skittles.  So while the other kids were doing whatever you do at a pumpkin patch, Wade was off at the store with his teacher. 

Was it totally legal for her to drive off with him like that?  Oh, I'm sure it's frowned upon.  But the fact that she went out of her way to get him a gluten free snack just makes me smile.  She's so darn cute, I just want to punch her or something, I don't know. 

And the best part is that Wade never mentioned ANY of this to us.  This is the kid who we ask how school went and he answers "Uh, I don't remember."

This made me laugh.  Best parent-teacher conference ever. 

What's Up With Coconut Milk?

New favorite!  You have got to try Almond Breeze Dark Chcoolate milk.  I've been hooked on almond milk since I decided that soy was slimy feeling and rice tasted like paper, but now they're selling Dark Chocolate in the refrigerated section at the store.  They also have regular Almond Breeze Chocolate Milk in the 32 oz boxes that you buy from the shelf unrefrigerated, but the dark chocolate is NOM! 

It literally tastes like the leftover milk from a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles, which for all intents and purposes is also gluten free as Post's official statement on the glutenosity of their cereals is "if the ingredients do not say wheat, barley, oats or rye, it's gluten free."  (Cross contamination is still a possibility so take the regular precautions with this one.)

So anyways, as much as I love Almond breeze (and Silk's version which is called Pure Almond,) I did notice that Turtle Mountain is also refrigerating a new lactose free alternative:  So Delicious Coconut Milk. 

I've seen So Delicious around for a while, as they also make a delicious soy based ice cream sandwich.  And about two months ago, I noticed coconut milk based So Delicious ice cream products.  But now they're selling this stuff as a milk alternative for the anti-milk crowd, and I'm a little bit concerned about it for one reason. 

Isn't coconut milk mother nature's laxative? 

Coconut milk is well known for its use in aiding constipation, as coconut products have laxative effects.  I personally avoid milk because it causes me to have horrible diarrhea, stomach cramps, and vomiting.  Even Lactaid causes me to barf, as I found out last Christmas with the Lactaid-Nog.  So the idea of switching to something that's also going to give me the runs is not my cuppa. 

Turtle Mountain's website says this about their coconut milk:

NEW! The world's first (that we know of) coconut milk beverage is now So Delicious!
Slide over soy milk and move over dairy milk, something new and exciting is coming to the milk aisle, So Delicious® Coconut Milk Beverage! Enjoy it on cereal, in coffee, in recipes or just in a tall glass. One sip and you will say, "Wow, that is So Delicious!"

• Dairy Free / Lactose Free
• Soy Free
• Gluten Free
• Rich in Medium Chain Fatty Acids
• Excellent Source of Vitamin B12 (vegetarian friendly)
• Formulated for Maximum Calcium Absorption
• Cholesterol Free
• No Trans Fats
• Certified Vegan

 Great.  But I'm scared.  I'm wondering if anyone has tried this? 

Looking around the internet at reviews, I'm hearing that it tastes great.  The vanilla version is slightly sweet with a hint of coconut, and the plain version isn't very fragrant or coconutty at all.  Both are said to be smooth and without funky aftertaste.  It is also surprisingly similar to real whole milk, which is why I prefer the almond milk because it is more milky to me than rice or soy. 

So we know how it goes down, but how does it come out?  Does it give us the milk turds?  What's the deal?  All I see are screamingly positive reviews about the act of drinking it and how it can be used, but does it still do that thing that coconut milk does so well?  That's what I'd like to know!

I'm far too burned to potentially give myself the runs by trying this product.  But if anyone who has tried it, whether they liked the taste or not, would please let me know if it subsequently lived up to its name "mother nature's laxative," I'd be interested to hear your story.  Not too detailed, of course.  A simple "it made me crap for days" would be fine. 

Gluten Free Halloween Candy

Halloween was pretty fun this year, lots of candy, but naturally when we got back we had to dig through and find all of the gluten free stuff that Wade could have. 

Hat tip to the Skittles people. Thanks for being awesome. 

Anyway, I found a 2010 list of the Halloween candies that are gluten free.  The more shockingly gluten free candies I found on the list are Butterfinger, Jelly Bellies, and Peeps.  Seems like everything has malt-o-something or "natural flavoring" these days.  Thanks to all candymakers who offer gluten free goodies. 

*please note that not every candy on the list is processed in a gluten free facility. 

The Gluten Free Wonderful Bread

Wade's been having bread?  What?  Oh yeah!  Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Wonderful Bread.  It's pretty much the best thing to happen to him since becoming gluten free. 

Wade loves sandwiches, I mean what five year old doesn't?  Peanut butter, peanut butter, peanut butter, that's his stuff.  And Nutella.  He loves toast, gets sad when other people have it and he doesn't, and is now having the time of his life with his own personal loaf of Gluten Free bread made just for him. 

Making home made bread is a total "I'm a good mommeeee!" thing and a big cause for eyerolls.  Then again, some people do it just because they think it's awesome.  I myself am all for it when it's possible to do so but then again I cheat at it by using a bread machine.  

We have the Sunbeam 5891 2 pound model and I've had it for about three years now.  I've made a few different loaves from scratch over the years, including a honey mustard bread, a cardamom bread, and a delicious chocolate bread.  I've even made jam in it.  But I also really think that gathering all of the ingredients can be a pain at times, so I generally find a good mix and stick with it.  There's a Hawaiian bread mix that I've been stuck on for a few years now.  So good that we eat just a whole loaf of fresh warm bread for dinner with loads of butter.  

So the whole gluten free bread thing?  Got a million times easier when we found Bob's Gluten Free mix.  We have found frozen loaves of gluten free bread at Winco, but it's expensive and small.  And frozen.  Not that I'm against frozen bread in general, as our usual plan of action for the rest of our family bread supply is to hit up the discount aisle in the back of the store and grab loaves for 50 cents to a buck and freeze them until we need them.  But the gluten free loaves that come frozen are $4, the slices are dinky, and there are only about 14 slices.  

We're happy to be baking our own 1.5 pound loaves now.  The Bob's Red Mill is of higher quality, makes larger (taller) slices, and is easy to make in my bread machine (which isn't just monkey-math as there are complicated things involved like "enough egg whites to fill 3/4 of a cup plus one whole egg.)  

How does it turn out?  

 

Sweet, hearty, and easy to slice.  Some of my breads come out with big giant holes through them from the way they were mixed, but not this stuff.  It mixes very clean and produces good solid bread.  

Wade loves the crap out of it.  Smacks his lips when he comes home and smells it in the house baking.  A kid with a gluten free peanut butter sandwich is a happy kid.  We like to make our kid happy.  

On another note, we tested him with some Quaker Oatmeal (which I previously debunked as NOT gluten free) and he seemed to be okay with it.  I'm still cautious, but it seems to be all right.  

Guess what else we found?  Gluten Free mac and cheese!  Stay tuned...

You're Not Gluten Free, Quaker Oats.

At Fresh And Easy the other day we were shopping for things Wade could eat.  Down the breakfast aisle we went and grabbed a box of Kix and then stopped in front of the oats.  And for a little over $3, we found for sale a 2 lb. tube of Quaker Oats. 

Oats, from what I've learned, Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology published a  study that concluded: “Long-term use of oats included in the gluten-free diets of patients with celiac disease does not stimulate an immunological response locally in the mucosa of the small intestine.”

TL;DR: oats are fine.

But--and there's always a but--Quaker Oats are considered to be "cross contaminated" with gluten.

Their website says this on the subject of whether their oats are gluten free:

Because oats are grown, stored, transported in bulk, they may contain trace amounts of wheat, rye and barley. USDA grain standards allow a certain percentage of other grains to be present in the oats. Therefore, gluten may be found in oats, even if very small amounts of these other grains are present.

This is kind of like how there are certain small percentages of bug guts in your bread because of how impossible it is to completely rid plants that are growing in fields of bugs, which are then accidentally ground up into our flours and such--not fun to think about but the USDA does let stuff slide.  Or at least that's what some teacher told me.  Sounds reasonable, anyway.

The thing with oats is that not all who are gluten sensitive are sensitive to specially certified gluten free oats such as Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats, Legacy Valley Certified Gluten Free Whole Grain Rolled Oats, and Gifts Of Nature Certified Gluten Free Rolled Oats.  But I read on a gluten free forum that a person who is newly diagnosed with gluten allergy/celiac disease should not consider oats until they have been dianosed for a year and have had your followup bloodwork done. The person's antibodies should be in the negative range before even bothering with the specialized oats.  The extra careful ones won't even consider oats as a viable option because of the risk for potential Wheat Turds (or worse for some people) involved. 

Generally speaking, unless it is 100% certified gluten free, it's not safe.  And even the list of "gluten aware" products at Fresh And Easy warn that even though the product does not contain gluten, it may be processed somewhere that it may become contaminated with gluten.  Only certain products from their list get the burgundy and green "gluten free" sticker on its shelf.  The Kix and the Jell-O to name a few. 

Besides the fact that it was made with Maltodextrin, the granola bar that set off Wade's horrible yet very telling bout of Wheat Turds a few weekends ago may have been made with contaminated oats. 

I've yet to find specialty oats anywhere but online at this time.  Though I did notice that Stater's sells the McCann's Irish Oats.  At almost $8 for a tall can I had to really stop and consider whether it was worth spending the money on, considering they didn't actually say that they were 100% safe and even though Willie really likes oatmeal, he's already got the big thing of Quaker Oats that Wade can't eat.  Dumping nearly $10 on something we basically already have and that may not be safe seemed dumb to me.  And it probably is.  Because McCann's has this to say about their oats:

All McCann’s oat products are processed in a dedicated oatmeal mill that handles only oatmeal. In the supply chain between farm and mill, there is a possible cross contamination with other grains, such as wheat and barley but we reckon that the level of non-oat grains to be less than 0.05%. Cleaning equipment within the milling process would remove the vast majority of these grains along with other elements such as stones, straw etc. But we cannot guarantee that McCann’s oats are totally gluten free and we recommend that consumers use their own judgement as to whether they wish to use our oatmeal or not. Many celiacs can tolerate our oatmeal products without any adverse effect but they may not suit those who are particularly sensitive.

So as whimsical and fitting as it would be to feed Wade "Irish Oats," even though he's actually Scottish as I've not a lick of Irish in me, it's just not safe.  Even though I would totally willingly drop $10 on something that is safe for him. 

Take for example the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix, which at $6 a bag (that makes one loaf,) I was willing to give it a try.  Results of that little experiment next time.