Going bananas.....

So I recently had a little surgical procedure done and have been banned to my home and told to "take it easy and rest."  Like for 4 weeks.  And for all my friends who know me, I'm not the best at just sitting for any length of time and sitting around makes me go bananas. But like my mama always said, "when life hands you a bowl of mushy bananas, make banana bread!"

I'm kidding.  She never said that.  But my head did.  And that's exactly what I did today to keep myself from swinging from the vines stir crazy....

Today I'm going to share with you my FAVORITE banana bread recipe of all time.  I got this from my buddy Mark's cookbook years ago, Preserving the Harvest. Hands down it is still the best banana bread recipe I've made and eaten.  And now I've adapted it to a gluten free and proud to be version that any monkey would love. 

  

Banana Bread:

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
6 ripe bananas, mashed
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Gluten Free Flour (or your favorite gf flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum***

Optional: 
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Blend the sugar, butter and vanilla until smooth.  Add the eggs one at time and beat well after each addition.  Stir in bananas gradually.  Sift the dry ingredients together and fold gently into the banana mixture.  Pour into 2 well-greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. 

***General Tips for Using Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum in Gluten-Free Cooking

• Bread and pizza dough recipes: Add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per cup of gluten-free flour used in bread and pizza dough recipes
• Cake, muffin and quick bread recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup of gluten-free flour used
• Cookie and bar recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon (or less) xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup gluten-free flour used

Xanthan gum can be purchased at your larger grocery chains (look in the baking aisle) or you can order online (Amazon carries it).  It's expensive, but you use so little of it, that it lasts a really really long time.

Why Xanthan gum?  It helps to thicken the batter and "glue" it together - replacing and mimicking what gluten does in wheat flour.  Much needed when converting your favorite gluten-filled recipes to a GFP2B one. 



My monkey loves his with chocolate chips!

What's your favorite GFP2B baked-good recipe?  Please share! 



Boy these shoes hurt...

So my GFP2B friends, let me tell you a story ('bout a lovely lady...sorry, love the Brady Bunch).  My fun and crazy family is full of not-so-fun and crazy autoimmune disorders.  Between me and my 7 brothers and sisters and my 15 nieces and nephews, we have Juvenile (type 1) diabetes, thyroid disease, crones disease and of course  - Celiac disease.  

I scored two of the autoimmune disorders - both Juvenile Diabetes and Hashimotos Thyroiditis (say that 20 times fast).  Lately, I've had a lot of issues with the lovely Hashimoto thyroid condition and in doing research, there were a lot of articles on the benefits of - da da da dum - a gluten free diet to help with the condition.

What did I have to lose?  I mean - I already was a gluten free guru, right?  And hey - as a GF Mama, it was my duty to walk a mile in the boy's shoes and see what it's like for him to be GF.  I already ate GF 50% or more of the time so really, could it be that difficult?

Yes.  Yes it could. 

I found myself struggling with what to eat for lunch - especially when dining out for work.  Salad, salad and more salad - that got old pretty darn fast.  If I was at a restaurant that had a GF menu, I was in heaven - over the moon!  But I would be lying if I told you  I didn't miss my favorite tuna salad wrap from my favorite lunch haunt.  However I was pleasantly surprised at how many restaurants had GF options!  So that definitely helped.  Sadly, no GF tuna salad wraps though.  Bummer.

Then there was beer.  Specifically Troeg's Nugget Nectar beer.  This German girl's favorite seasonal brew.  That one hurt.  Bad.  Then I found out there is actually some really good GF beers out there.  My favorite?  Dogfish Head Craft Beers - Tweason' Ale.  Sweet, tart, crisp.  Had me singing Edelweiss in no time. 

There were some great pizza options. Typically we get the boy his own GF pizza and the hubby and I a "regular" pizza to save on the price. Our favorite GF pizza is about $12 for a small pizza.  That's the same price as an regular, large pizza.  With toppings.  But it was pizza.  Really really good $12 pizza. 

Then there were those awkward moments of going to a party and worrying if they would have GF foods available.  Or the work event that only serves wheat filled, breaded hors d'oeuvers.  Pass the crudité. 

I did the GF diet for about a month.  Though it was not easy for this 44 years of gluten-eating mom, the boy was one of my biggest supporters - and I think he was really proud of me for trying.  I gained such an appreciation for his lifestyle and what he does to stay GF in social situations.  And how hard it can be sometimes.  I am in such admiration of him - he deals with all the challenges a GF diet brings with a big goofy smile on his face and a zest for life!  And being GF doesn't bother him one bit.  How awesome is that? 

I'm going to try and go 100% GF again. Hopefully this time I will be stronger than that Nugget Nectar beer......

What's your best GF coping skill that you've learned?   Do tell! 

My cup runneth over....

Can I just tell you what a lucky GFP2B mama I am?  I got yet another new gluten free product to try from another one of my super-wonderful BFF's - Kris the awesome baker who happens to also work at Williams Sonoma.  That's a long title, but she's worth it.  Kris picked this up for me and the boy to try:

Cup for Cup Gluten Free Waffle and Pancake Mix

 

Now there's lots of great pancake/waffle mixes out there.  But I gotta tell you ladies and gentleman, this stuff is really superb.  Check out how these bad-boys cook up:

 

 

They were so light and fluffy!  I mean "IT'S SO FLUFFY" kind of fluffy!  In fact, I made them a little too big (but really, can there be a pancake that's too big?).  And of course you have to add chocolate chips. Because it's Saturday. And it's chocolate chips. 

 

The texture was absolutely perfect. Very light and well...fluffy. This mix calls for milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla, making the batter rich but still light and not too sweet.  

 

Cup for Cup makes lots of great GF products.  You can see a complete list on their website and  they are available (obviously) and Williams Sonoma and on Amazon. 

 

Boy thought they rocked!!!  Definitely a top-ten hit in this GFP2B family!



What's one of you favorite GF breakfast items?

Sa-weeet!

You know what's sweet?  One of my fellow 3rd grade mom friends.  And she happens to work at a local grocer. And she happens to watch out for the boy and thinks of him when she sees new GF options hit the shelves.  And she happens to get their hands on great sample products like these: 

Now this super-sweet mom-friend grabbed these up when the sales rep dropped them off for the employees to try.  And were we EXCITED!!!  Look at these snack cakes!!!  They look like Little Debbie's do they not?  The boy loved loved loved them.  And the macaroons?  Coconutty goodness and so moist.  Boy was in GF heaven! 

 

Now I checked out their website and the good news is they look to have a nice variety of awesome GF products.  Sadly there is bad news - it looks like so far they only available in Northern California and Canada (no fair, eh).  So we may need to call our local grocers in droves and demand our All But Gluten for our very own!

 

So while we wait for these to come our way, here's some old favorites the boy loves to satisfy his sweet tooth:

 

 

First - GLUTINO chocolate vanilla creams.  They are so close to the real deal.  And worth separating those chocolate wafers and licking the cream center.  We find these at our local grocer and they make lots of other good GF products.  But these (especially when dunked in milk) are really good!

 

Number two is a newer cookie my super-wonderful mom actually discovered for us - WOW baking company GF peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies.  Soft and chewy and super delish!!!  A definite family favorite.  And guess what?  AMAZON SELLS THEM!! YES - AMAZON (as if I couldn't love them more).  But seriously, take a look at WOW baking company's website and check out all their great products. You can order them online from the WOW Baking Company too!  Now that's some convenient GF goodness!

 

Number three goes to Lucy's.  I love that they have these snack packs! Great for sleepovers, parties an school lunches.  These are crunchy goodness and the boy definitely enjoys these for his on-the-go snack attack.  You can peruse their great options here. 

 

Sweet!

 

What does your GFP2B kid grab when they want dessert? 

 

 

 

Something's fishy....

It's Friday friends (can I get a woot woot?) and for this family it's also Lent.  Which means Friday = no meat for you (well for us).  So tonight was a fish-stick and mac-and-cheese kinda night. 

I typically broil fresh fish or even grill it.  But have I told you I'm a working mom?  Which means by Friday I am the one who is fried.  So I make the quick and easy - or reservations.

Tonight I was excited to try a new GF frozen fish product I stumbled upon at Wegman's  - Star-fish Crispy Battered Haddock

And did I catch deliciousness THIS BIG!!!!! These were outstanding!!!!  Crispy on the outside and succulent, flakey fish on the inside.  Seriously - no one would ever guess they are GF!  And according to their website they have cod and halibut varieties also!  I think I caught a new family favorite friends!  Definitely worth a buy.  The boy love them too and gave it his official GFP2B seal of approval. 

But let's face it - he's a kid,  and all kids like their fish as sticks.  And our go-to fish stick belongs to Ian's GF Fish Sticks.

Boy thinks these are "awesome" and wishes he could find them in rivers (oohhh-kayyy?).  Our friend's at Ian's has lots of GF products, which you can find at many local grocers and on their website. 

GF MAMA TIP:  You can make your own tarter sauce (my husband taught me this tonight) by mixing mayonnaise with some finely chopped pickles and add a little splash of pickle juice.  

So GFP2B friends - sometimes it pays to cast a line into an unknown sea of GF food products and try a new brand.  You never know if you'll get a good bite!

Do you have a good fish story to tell?  What are some of your favorite GF seafood recipes or products? 

Mother (doesn't always) knows best

So when the boy was diagnosed with Celiac, I became a label-reading warrior.  Examining those teenie, tiny little ingredient labels to ensure I was uncovering any hidden gluten and making sure my Gluten Free and Proud to Be kid was just that.

Then this one time (not at band camp), boy got eczema on his legs.  We made an appointment with a dermatologist, but in the meanwhile I diligently put lotion on his legs especially formulated for eczema - but his legs got even worse.  Bright red in fact. 

I showed my sister-in-law (the mom of my Celiac niece - both of whom are my GF angels, let me tell you).  She asked me what I was putting on his legs.  When I named the popular brand of lotion I was using, she looked at me and said, "the main ingredients in that brand is oats! You're putting gluten on his legs!".

Gluten???  In body lotion??  Shut the front door!! 

Yes folks, it's true.  Some bath products, shampoos, sunscreen and even cosmetics can contain gluten.  And that can affect your GFP2B kid.  Here are some common ingredients you should look out for:

• Vitamin E derived from wheat germ oil
• Any ingredient derived from wheat or oats
• Wheat or barley extracts

Even some gummy vitamins can contain wheat ingredients.  True (albeit sad) story.

Thank goodness for Google, because you can look up almost any product and see if it contains gluten products, thus avoiding turning into this mom:

 GF MAMA TIP:  Look at the labels of your GFP2B kid's favorite bath and body products and look for the above ingredients.  Or Google the product information - even call the manufacturer to ensure they do not contain wheat ingredients. 






Do you have a favorite bath product that is GFP2B?  Have you found any products that have hidden gluten that we should be aware of?  Do tell!

A nugget of information......

Chicken nuggets. Chicken tenders. Chicken bites.
That breaded kid favorite smothered in ketchup, barbeque sauce, or the boy's favorite - ranch dressing. 

When the boy was diagnosed with Celiac 8 years ago, a good GF option for chicken nuggets were not only tough to find but also very pricey.  But after eating our way through many dry, card-board simulated varieties, we have found three delicious brands we LOVE! 

Coming in at number 3:  Bell and Evans gluten free chicken tenders and nuggets.  Their fresh chicken products are organic and Sweet Caroline are so good so good, and their GF products are fantastic. You can find a complete list of their GF chicken on their website:  http://www.bellandevans.com/glutenfree. They even make a gluten free chicken patty!!  Now because they are organic, they are little bit on the pricier side, however my Central PA folks, they have a retail outlet store in Fredericksburg!   It's about a 35-40 minute drive from Harrisburg, PA and worth the trip.  Here is the information from their website:

Bell & Evans Retail Outlet - Fredericksburg

154 West Main St.

Fredericksburg, PA 17026

717-865-1122

* be sure to call for store hours

 

Number 2:  These babies. Golden Platter All Natural.  Found them by accident at my local grocer in the frozen section of the meat department.  My husband especially likes them.  They were about $6.99/bag and gave us 2 meals for a family of three.  Their website has a store locator so you can find them in your area.  Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside....just the way we like them. 

Our number 1 go-to GF breaded chicken is a love-me-chicken-tender pick.  And it goes to our fine friends at Perdue Chicken - Perdue Simply Smart Gluten Free Chicken Tenders.  They are no only super affordable, they are also super tasty!  And super easy to make!  Which is - you guessed it - SUPER!  I find these at Target.  You can check out the Perdue website to see their other GF options.  

GF MAMA TIP:  Serve with my blog-for-mentioned Annie's Deluxe GF Mac and Cheese and some steamed veggies - it's the perfect 15 minute, kid-adored meal!

Have you found a GF chicken product that you love?  Tell us about it!