*/ /* Use this with templates/template-twocol.html */ body { background:#EEEEEE url(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_66wIGDjagHk/ShU-3gFnC1I/AAAAAAAAAbY/M_z2Dt_PHpM/s1600/bg.jpg) repeat scroll 0 0; color:#333333; font-family:arial; font-size:small; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0; text-align:center; } a:link { color:#424242; text-decoration:none; } a:visited { color:#424242; text-decoration:none; } a:hover { color:#0792CD; text-decoration:underline; } a img { border-width:0; } #header-wrapper { background:transparent url(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_66wIGDjagHk/ShU_CDO_KwI/AAAAAAAAAbg/Hd2gX2wzLBs/s1600/top_frame.jpg) repeat scroll 0 0; height:356px; margin-top:-10px; width:1000px; } #header-inner { background-position:center center; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; } #header { color:#EB4209; padding-top:48px; text-align:center; } #header h1 { font-family:arial; font-size:48px; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:-3px; line-height:normal; margin:5px 5px 0; padding:15px 20px 0.25em; text-transform:none; } #header a { color:#EB4209; text-decoration:none; } #header a:hover { color:#EB4209; } #header .description { color:#EB4209; font-family:arial; font-size:15px; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:bold; line-height:normal; margin:0 5px 5px 131px; max-width:700px; padding:0 20px 3px; text-transform:uppercase; } #header img { margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; } #outer-wrapper { font-family:arial; font-size:100%; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:normal; margin:0 auto; text-align:left; width:1000px; } #main-wrapper { background:transparent url(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_66wIGDjagHk/ShU_LTmXYCI/AAAAAAAAAbo/Bkz5o4g9FVQ/s1600/content_bg.jpg) repeat scroll 0 0; float:left; margin-top:-24px; overflow:hidden; width:637px; } #sidebar-wrapper { background:transparent url(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_66wIGDjagHk/ShU_UFTJtnI/AAAAAAAAAbw/XWD96BuD5ZI/s1600/sidebar_paper_bg.jpg) repeat-y scroll 0 0; float:right; overflow:hidden; width:251px; } h2 { color:#855045; font-family:arial; font-size:15px; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:bold; line-height:1.4em; margin:1.5em 0 0.75em; text-transform:none; } h2.date-header { margin:1.5em 0 0.5em; } .post { border-bottom:1px solid #ECECEC; margin:0 30px 1.5em 32px; padding-bottom:1.5em; } .post h3 { color:#803821; font-size:24px; font-weight:bold; line-height:1.4em; margin:0.25em 0 0; } .post h3 a, .post h3 a:visited, .post h3 strong { color:#803821; display:block; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:none; } .post h3 strong, .post h3 a:hover { color:#333333; } .post-body { line-height:1.6em; margin:0 0 0.75em; } .post-body blockquote { line-height:1.3em; } .post-footer { color:#999999; font-family:arial; font-size:12px; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; padding-bottom:12px; text-transform:none; } .comment-link { } .post img { border:1px solid #CCCCCC; padding:2px; } .post blockquote { margin:1em 20px; } .post blockquote p { margin:0.75em 0; } .comment-author {} #comments h4 { color:#666666; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.2em; line-height:1.4em; margin:1em 0; text-transform:none; } #comments-block { line-height:1.6em; margin:1em 0 1.5em; } #comments-block .comment-author { background:#CCCCCC none repeat scroll 0 0; border:1px solid #CCCCCC; font-size:15px; font-weight:bold; margin-right:20px; padding:5px; } #comments .blogger-comment-icon, .blogger-comment-icon { background:#EEEEEE none repeat scroll 0 0; border-color:#CCCCCC #CCCCCC #CCCCCC; border-style:solid; border-width:2px 1px 1px; line-height:16px; padding:5px; } #comments-block .comment-body { border-left:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-left:0; margin-right:20px; padding:7px; } #comments-block .comment-footer { border-bottom:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-left:1px solid #CCCCCC; border-right:1px solid #CCCCCC; font-size:11px; line-height:1.4em; margin:-0.25em 20px 2em 0; padding:5px; text-transform:none; } #comments-block .comment-body p { margin:0 0 0.75em; } .deleted-comment { color:gray; font-style:italic; } #blog-pager-newer-link { float:left; } #blog-pager-older-link { float:right; } #blog-pager { margin-left:30px; text-align:center; width:500px; } .feed-links { clear:both; line-height:2.5em; } .sidebar { color:#666666; line-height:1.5em; padding-left:31px; padding-right:15px; } .sidebar ul { list-style-image:none; list-style-position:outside; list-style-type:none; margin:0; padding-bottom:0; padding-left:0; padding-right:0; } .sidebar li { background:transparent url(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_66wIGDjagHk/ShU_q6wgrQI/AAAAAAAAAb4/AdIw8KGBN-o/s1600/topli.gif) no-repeat scroll left 6px; line-height:1.5em; margin:0; padding:0 0 0.25em 18px; } .sidebar .widget, .main .widget { border-bottom:1px dashed #CCCCCC; margin:0 0 1.5em; padding:0 0 1.5em; } .main .Blog { border-bottom-width:0; } .profile-img { border:1px solid #CCCCCC; float:left; margin:0 5px 5px 0; padding:4px; } .profile-data { color:#999999; font-family:'Trebuchet MS',Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; font-size:78%; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:0.1em; line-height:1.6em; margin:0; text-transform:uppercase; } .profile-datablock { margin:0.5em 0; } .profile-textblock { line-height:1.6em; margin:0.5em 0; } .profile-link { font-family:'Trebuchet MS',Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; font-size:78%; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:0.1em; line-height:normal; text-transform:uppercase; } #content-wrapper { margin-left:86px; width:888px; } #footer { background:transparent url(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_66wIGDjagHk/ShU_3_z56NI/AAAAAAAAAcA/7jjeYiIPTXY/s1600/footer_bg.jpg) no-repeat scroll left top; clear:both; color:#6D382C; font-size:1.1em; height:127px; margin:-16px 0 0 86px; width:637px; } .credit { padding:50px 0 0; text-align:right; width:585px; } .credit a { color:#6D382C; text-decoration:none; } #navigation { font-size:11px; height:36px; margin:90px 0 0 699px; width:279px; } #navigation div { display:table; height:36px; position:relative; } #navigation div div { display:table-cell; vertical-align:middle; } #navigation ul { list-style-type:none; width:277px; } #navigation ul li { float:left; font-size:1.4em; font-weight:bold; padding:0 12px 0 0; } #navigation ul li a { color:#8A460F; } #navigation ul li a:hover { color:#EB4209; } #rss { padding:0 0 0 925px; } #searchform { background:transparent url(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_66wIGDjagHk/ShVAErJEVMI/AAAAAAAAAcI/RVVJl2p2X5o/s1600/search_bg.jpg) no-repeat scroll 0 0; height:82px; left:-3px; margin:5px 0 0 855px; position:absolute; width:259px; } .searchtext { background:transparent none repeat scroll 0 0; border:0 none; color:#666666; display:inline; margin:26px 0 10px 60px; width:152px; } #searchsubmit { border:0 none; display:block; height:18px; margin:0 0 0 167px; width:52px; } #comments { margin-left:30px; margin-right:30px; } ]]>

1 : :

       

   
 

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Alternative Baking Company: Gluten Free Cookies Pumpkin Delight & Lemon Dream

What’s a gluten free snack staple on Sac State’s campus?

Alternative Baking Company's COOKIES!

Pumpkin Delight
So far I have tried Pumpkin Delight and Lemon Dream, but they also have other yummy flavors like Coconut Fantasy and Fudge Indulgence.

Rating: 3.5/5
The overall flavor is there. The pumpkin delight has pumpkin spice and the lemon delight cookie was plenty lemon-y, but I could still taste the garbanzo bean flavor that a lot of gfree products have. The texture is soft and chewy so if you’re looking for a buttery shortbread-like cookie this is NOT the cookie for you.
However it’s still a great sweet treat alternative for gluten free people, and with a cup of coffee it makes studying more bearable! LOL
xoxo,
-T

Friday, April 20, 2012

Sticky Situation #1

Here's the first of the postings entitled, "Sticky Situations" in which either Tiff or I will try and give some advice as to how to easily deal with certain gfree situations that you may find yourself facing.

Sticky Situation #1
You're going to a social/party and of course, there's food. The problem is, most of the finger food is most likely not gfree or its contaminated in some way. You feel bad when people offer you food and you say no for your own safety, but it makes it seem like you're not enjoying yourself or the food tastes bad. What do you do?

Okay, so I can speak from experience that this kind of situation happens ALL the time. Here are some quick tips to stay safe, not make your host/hostess feel bad or obligated to serve you gfree food, and to still have a good time.


  • If it's a dinner and you're not sure if you can eat anything, you can contact the host/hostess ahead of time and ask what food he or she is serving. Depending on your sensitivity to gluten, chances are that if the food is naturally gfree, some contamination won't send your stomach rollicking. However, if you are highly sensitive, it would be best to eat/cook before going and kindly explain to the host/hostess that you have eaten beforehand since you have a restrictive diet and will not be needing them to prepare your portion. They may feel bad and try to change their menu for you, but insist that it is not necessary. The best way that I have found is to offer to bring/cook something gfree to bring to the party so that not only you can eat it (since it's safe) but everyone else can enjoy it too and you won't be left not eating when everyone else is eating! 
  • Speaking of snacks... most parties have finger foods that are made entirely of gluten/wheat: crackers, quiches, breaded mozzarella sticks, cream puffs, cake, cookies, pretzels, you name it! Even if the dish is gfree, say some kind of dipping sauce, you can't be sure its 100% safe since other people tend to not be as careful and like to "double dip" or maybe in triple or quadruple dip. Crumbs from food containing gluten may be indirectly and unknowingly ingested by you, and then you get sick. The number one golden rule for gfreers is: WHEN IN DOUBT, JUST DON'T EAT IT. It's better to be hungry, than to be sick. Trust me. I always suggest having gfree snacks in your purse or bag in case you get the munchies. Bringing gfree snacks to share is cool too! I've found that many snacks that I used to eat before I was diagnosed were naturally gfree (ie popcorn, some veggie chips) and people won't think your snack is weird since it doesn't have the words GFREE sprawled across the label (although I like when food companies are super clear like that!!)
  • If people offer you food that you know you can't eat, don't just say no. Kindly explain that you have a gluten allergy and that the item they offered you is not safe for you to eat. You don't really need to go into alot of detail about your diagnosis and the history of how you became a gfree eater (although most people I talk to are highly interested, and so I'll tell them). Let them know that they don't have to go out of their way to serve you or bring/make you food because you either ate beforehand or have food with you. They'll still feel bad, but at least they won't feel like it's their fault they gave you food that made you sick (which is much worse in my opinion)!       
Summary/ Take Away
1) Eat before going to a party/hang out since you can't be sure of contamination or if safe food will be provided.
2) BYOGS- Bring your own gfree snacks! Bring gfree snacks to share too! :)
3) If someone offers you food, tell them gently that you can't eat it because you have a food allergy. Make them not feel bad by saying you ate beforehand or you have snacks you brought that you can eat. Try not to overwhelm someone with your gfree history unless they want to know. Never assume they want to hear about your medical history!
4) WHEN IN DOUBT, DON'T EAT IT!! It's not worth even if it looks incredibly tasty and everyone else is eating it. Getting sick is much worse and its a downer to any party.

Good luck and eat safely!

-Kris
 

Monday, April 16, 2012

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Pizza is one of those foods that I miss the most when going gfree. It is also one of the trickier foods to perfect gluten free crust.
Thanks to the internet and other blogs I found a really good cauliflower pizza crust that is every bit satisfying as normal crispy pizza crust!

 I used Beth’s recipe from:
http://www.eat-drink-smile.com/

Great blog so check it out!
Recipe: http://www.eat-drink-smile.com/2011/04/cauliflower-crust-pizza.html
I loaded my pizza with veggies and it was deliciously delightful J

Uncooked caulifower pizza crust
Nice and brown
Mmhh mushrooms and caramelized Onions.


Enjoy!

T

Monday, April 2, 2012

Eating Out: Mikunis


A couple of weeks ago a group of friends and I decided to go to the sushi restaurant Mikunis. So what's a gluten free girl to do? All sushi restaurants use soy sauce and tempura batter, a gluten free no no!

Not to worry, working at a sushi restaurant myself I knew my options. Most bento boxes are off limits; they contain a delicious myriad of deep-fried tempura vegetables and shrimp. Be extremely careful when looking at sushi besides nigiri and sashimi. Most house special rolls contain gluten, either in the form of tempura shrimp, bbq unagi, and teriyaki sauce. Safe bets are kappa maki (cucumber roll), tekka maki (tuna rolls), California rolls (made with real crab meat), spicy tuna rolls, variations of a rainbow roll, tamago, fresh nigiri and sashimi.

So what did I order at Mikunis?  I ordered the lightly seared Poki Albacore Salad with gluten-free ponzu sauce. It wasn’t bad, but it definitely was not the best. The albacore was a little mushy and grainy which meant that it was not fresh; basically the ponzu sauce and micro greens saved the rest of the dish. Mikunis serves regular edamame and then they have what they call super spicy edamame. Being a light weight to spicy foods it sure packed a punch!    




Lightly Seared Poki Albacore Salad: 2 Stars

Regular Edamame & Super Spicy Edamame packs a punch!

On Mikunis's website they offer a gluten free menu which I have linked below:
http://www.mikunisushi.com/en/menus.php?layout=category

Happy gfree eating!
xoxo
T

Gluten Free Blog

Kris and T are two college students that both suffer from Celiac Disease. We've decided to collaborate together and start a gluten free blog that encompasses gluten free eating on a college budget, GF dining, GF product reviews, and a host of other topics that comes with living a gluten free lifestyle.


Kris & T