Blogging to Stamp out Hunger

Celiac's know how hard it is to manage a diet. Whether you've been Celiac for a month or a year there is always a time when you hit a bit of a brick wall and the realities of this lifestyle slam into you full force. Imagine having no food on your table, no money and kids to feed. And what if that kid is Celiac.

Not a lot of options.

The food banks are reaching new lows, shelves are depleted and there are lots of hungry families out there.

December 15th Bloggers are uniting to get the word out about our Food Banks. Spread the word and ignite the fire and lets bring out food banks up to an acceptable level.

Check out Bruce.

Start a food drive.

Drop off some non-perishable food.

Spread the word!

Oh those Christmas Parties

Dealing with Christmas parties can be especially trying for a Celiac. The best strategy for dealing with these parties is to bring a fabulous dish or desert with you so everyone will be drooling over your food. Also be the first to dish up your portion so there's no cross contamination!
My daughter attended a Christmas party with a group she belongs to and brought a tray of her Delicious chocolate chip cookies. (I steal these cookies every time she makes them-they are soooo good!) When she was questioning one party goer about the chicken and rice dish they made-any flour, breadcrumbs, etc in there?-another person stepped up to her and asked if she was Celiac. This woman had been diagnosed about a year before. My dd pointed to the cookies-those are GF too! The woman was so excited to have something from the desert table she could eat she practically danced.

Moral of the story? Where ever you go...there we are!
Oh yeah, and be prepared. . .
Celiacs of the World Unite!

Autism and diet

I don't have an autistic child. A friend has a son with it and I've watched what she's gone through for the past ...12 years. I do have Celiac's disease and so do my two daughters. I think the fact that a gluten free diet helps autism is amazing.
I can launch into the politics of that fact that wheat is the cheapest filler used in too many foods in our diet but I'll save that for another post...
Let's talk about Jenny:
I saw Jenny McCarthy on one of the morning shows and was very impressed. Truthfully, I used to think she was a real ditz, all glam, no brains, (sorry Jenny) but after hearing her speak and seeing the lengths she went to, to help her child I now think she is an amazing woman.
Louder than Words is on my to be read list now and I think it's something everyone should read. Autism is on the rise in this country so get informed! The next person diagnosed could be someone close to you. Read this book!

Scary part of Celiac Disease

Doctor's refuse to diagnose it.

I was recently at a Celiac picnic and one of the most profound things these people had in common was all the doctors they had met -- over 100 people-- never tested them for Celiac and they waited years for a diagnosis. My own doctor refused to test me. Amost wouldn't test my daughter until I sat down and refused to leave. (both positive-thank you!)

In parts of Europe a Celiac test is quite common. So...excusseee me! Aren't most of us European? I'm 100% Irish. So, if I lived there would I have been diagnosed years ago?

Modern medicine in the USA should be ashamed. Everyone would with cronic digestive problems should be given a Celiac blood test. If doctors would wake up..the could save people years of suffering.

150 PIZZAS

Monday night I tried to order a Gluten Free pizza from this place but I was SOL.

They sold 150 Gluten free Pizza's over the weekend!

Whooohoooo! Now thats a PIZZA!!!

Gluten Free Pizza! Morgano's

The menu from Morgano's in Middltown. The owner says he can convert most of the stuff on his menu to Gluten Free.

Yum!

If you click on the picture it should get big enough to read.

:)

Happy dining!

Crock pot bread~~~ Who knew???

I read on Delphi forums that you can make bread in your crockpot. This Amazing Woman has a whole website to crockpotting. (Okay, her bread looks better then mine but she's like a professional or something)

First, please know, I'm no cook. I don't like cooking-hey! after years of food making me so sick, why would I care for cooking? I have too many issues! But this one I had to try.

It was like using a cake mix. I threw the stuff in the bowl, electric mixer (and I don't have one of those fancy-schmancy mixers, I used the little hand held one) flopped it all into a greased bread pan and placed it in the crock. I vented the top with a chopstick and poof! Three hours later we were munching on some really good bread!

So, give it a try!

And check out the Crockpot Lady, she's got some great ideas.

Eating out with Celiacs

Eating out is always risky. Mantra of many Celiacs when venturing out in the real world. Who knows who lurks in the kitchen, armed with stupidity and ready to contaminate our meals?

I shiver in my pleather diner booth.

So I make it my mission in life to hunt down the best GF restaurants in my area!

This place is called Morgano's in Middletown, NJ. I heard they were serving Gluten Free Pizza so I went in to get the scoop.

I found a very nice restaurant with plenty of seating. Its casual Italian atomsphere was nice and the whole place looked clean as a whistle. The owner was a nice man who took the time to answer all my questions. I'd definately bring the family there for dinner. (okay, I'd do lunch too)

They have more then just PIZZA! Chicken nuggets! Meatballs! Pasta! Yummmy!

We ordered a pizza to start and it tasted like heaven.

The owner is creating quite a Gluten Free menu with the help of his sister-in-law who happens to be a Celiac. He says he experiments on her ;) She has helped him understand the cross contamination issues and how to safely feed a Celiac. (Thank you sis in law!)

Either way, he makes a great pizza and I'm going back this week to sample some other stuff.

If you're near Middletown, NJ come and check out this great place to dine.

:)

Happy Pizza Day!