Gluten-free, Breastfeeding and the Hidden Village Music Festival

As you all know I am wheatfree and still nursing a 38 month old preschooler. So what does that have to do with the Hidden Village Music Festival?. Simple, you can do both at the festival!

I might talk badly about my arch-nemesis but he really is the best champion for living your life as you need to. So what? That means that despite all of the crap he gives me for being wheat-free, all of the drinks (as best as I can tell) at Standpipe are gluten-free! Unfortunately there are no gluten-free desserts. Sometimes there are some gf chips but no guarantee. Make sure you bring your own gf snacks! That is one area that Standpipe excels at, they won't shoot you any dirty looks for bringing in your own snacks. When you come down for the Festival, bring a $5 spot for a Standpipe (which is so good) and your own Udi's muffin.

For the nursing mamas out there, Standpipe is your place. They are as welcoming as Motherhood but with coffee (decaf if you need it). I think Jailbait would probably drag a person out of the Standpipe before allowing them to talk down to a nursing mom. Cover, no cover, no problem. While I am trying to wean Ravebaby and at this point don't nurse her in public much anymore, Standpipe is one of the places that I know it wouldn't be a problem. Nursing mamas buy your ticket! Piece of advice, buy your baby/toddler/nursling a pair of headphones for the more rocking shows. Ravebaby wears Babybeats.

So in short the Hidden Village Music Festival is for everyone! March 8th - 18th at Standpipe Coffeehouse, Lufkin Tx See you there.

If Birds Could Fly will be playing at Standpipe Coffeehouse on Monday March 12th. Buy your tickets today!

(Closed) Review & GIVEAWAY: Kinnikinnick New Gluten-free Bread Line (Ends 10/24/12)

So if you have been gluten-free or wheat-free for any length of time, you have tried finding bread. When DH and I first tried going wheat-free 9 years ago gluten-free bread was hard to find and tasted worse than dirt. Don't even get me started on the texture! Most were like biting into sand, just plain old gross! So anytime someone gives a gluten-free bread high marks, I am first in line to get it. As soon as I started hearing good things about the new Kinnikinnick bread, in the yellow packages, I wanted to try it. When the reviews said it was better than Udi's, I had to get it!

So you know I live in the backwoods of deep East Texas, known for pine trees not healthy eating, where the hades was I going to this new bread. They announced it back in March and I still had not seen it anywhere. When I saw that Kinnikinnick would be at the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo, I knew this would be my chance to try the new bread! Now let me just get this out there, I was really suspicious of the Kinnikinnick bread. I had choked down some before and just like I said, I choked it down. Seriously, it was awful. To me any bit of improvement would be heads and tails above the old bread line. I decided to keep an open mind but to be honest I wasn't expecting much. I think the tag line, Toss Out The Toaster, was probably the real kicker for me. Even if it taste good, I just knew you would have to toast it so it would not fall apart. I mean we were an Udi's family so Kinnikinnick was going to have to work very hard for our approval.

At the Expo I made a bee line for Kinnikinnick, they have to have the new bread. They did but everyone else was also running for the bread. I got a small little piece. It was good! It wasn't toasted! I wanted more but so did the crowd! I was pushed along. No more bread for me :( What is a Wheatless Mama to do? Me, I got brave and sent Kinnikinnick a request to do a review! They said yes!

This is what I got in the mail! One loaf of white, one loaf of multigrain, one package of hamburger buns and one of hot dog buns. I was in heaven. What was I going to make first? The thing I had missed most, Grilled Cheese!

That's a picture of my grilled cheese. It was good! I gave my mom half of one and asked what she thought. Her words, what are you doing eating regular bread? Yep, it tasted GOOD! The texture was nice and airy not like sand at all. The taste was like fresh white bread. Let me tell you, Ravebaby ate the crust! She always leaves the Udi's crust. I think that says a lot. The bread was so good and soft that she didn't want to leave any. Ravebaby has never eaten "real" bread; she's always had Udi's. DH also loved his grilled cheese. He's not a bread eater anyway but this he enjoyed.

So test number 1: grilled cheese - verdict PASSED

Next up, the cold picnic sandwich! Toss out the toaster? Okay Kinnikinnick here is the big test. I have missed cold sandwiches. I grew up with cold bologna sandwiches and really enjoy and have missed them. Not that there is anything wrong with sandwiches on toast but on a hot day, I don't want a hot sandwich!

We went all out. Fresh turkey breast from the deli and fancy cheese slices, we were going to do it right. Ravebaby had a playmate at the park so a picnic was perfect. First thing I noticed, the bread didn't fall apart as I made my sandwich. Next I took a bite. The bread did not fall apart! THE BREAD DID NOT FALL APART! It was cold and straight from the package and it did not fall apart! After two years of Udi's, this whole "I don't have to toast my bread" thing is revolutionary. I will say it was just a bit sandy in texture but I only noticed it because I was looking for it. This bread is the real deal!

Test number 2: cold picnic sandwich - verdict PASSED

Next up: hamburger buns

So just as a point of information, there are only four buns per package. This is pretty par for the course for gluten-free items but just wanted to make sure you know. My first impression they were soft and airy. They smelled and looked like 'real' buns. So far so good and then we hit a problem! They aren't cut! They are not pre-sliced. Honestly that would have been the nail in the coffin but, and this is a big but, they tasted fantastic! Straight from the package to my burger, no toaster, and it tasted like a good 'real' buns! No texture issue, no grainy sandy feel, just a good bun. It also didn't fall apart like the untoasted Udi's buns. DH seemed to feel that they might be too airy but I didn't have that issue.

We tried them again two days later. I had left them in the car but I sealed them pretty well. This time they still tasted good but I did notice a little bit of a sandy feel at the end. Again, no toasting just straight from the package. I thought that was pretty normal since 'real' buns tend to change if left in the car open too.

Test 3: Hamburger buns - verdict PASSED

Last up Multigrain bread

I was hungry and wanted toast. The only thing I had was the multigrain in the freezer. Perfect timing for me. I grabbed two slices from the freezer and into the toaster they went. I like a medium toast and on my toaster that is a four. I thought I would have to put it through twice since it was straight from the freezer. No need. Once my toast popped up, I added butter and jelly and I was in heaven. Before going wheat-free I use to eat the 7-grain bread from Petridge Farms and honestly, I had to do a double take. I could not believe it was gluten-free bread. It tasted great, had a great texture and just made me happy.

Test 4: multi-grain bread - verdict PASSED

I have some Udi's in the freezer and unfortunately it is the easiest to find around here but after this I'm going to be a thorn in the side of my local grocer until they carry the new Kinnickinnick line. Forget what you know about gluten-free bread. Forget what you had with the old Kinnickinnick line. March down to you grocer and demand this bread.

Disclosure: I approached both Udi's and Kinnickinnick for samples. I purchased my own Udi's and have eaten for many months. Kinnickinnick did provide me with a starter package of their new bread line. I have not received any money for my review.

Giveaway Time: I'm using Rafflecopper so it should be very self explanatory. Winner will be required to provide address, sorry no PO Boxes, and phone number. Open to US and Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GF Expo - Outrageous Baking

So the first people I want to tell you about are Outrageous Baking out of Boulder CO.  They were at the very back of the expo and they were mobbed.  To be honest I had never heard of them before seeing them at the expo so see this is why I think that expo is well worth it.

So who is Outrageous? They are a dedicated wheat/gluten/soy/dairy free bakery.  I was very surprised by how good the samples tasted.  I has skipped them at first but DH insisted that I had to try them and that we were buying something.  Thank you DH for dragging me back there. 

I tried their Chocolate Zucchini bread and I have to admit I was not loving it.  It seems a little fudge-y to me.  I don't like fudge.  I wasn't sold and was ready to move on and then DH shoved Lemon Poppy Seed in my mouth and I suddenly forgot I was eating gluten-free.  If you are gluten-free then you know that is no small feat.  We bought one loaf and got handed a slice of pumpkin bread for later too. 

I was so excited.  I had to slap my own hand from opening up the fresh Lemon Poppy Seed and eating it right then and there.  We did manage to save it for the next day but it didn't last past Sunday.  The poor delicious little loaf was devoured.  How could we resist?  The pumpkin bread was very good too.  Ravebaby stole my half but of what I got I will say it tasted like fall in the Piedmont.  It was really good.

Follow them on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OutrageousBakingCompany (I've heard they'll be posting coupon codes!)
Follow them on twitter: https://twitter.com/OBGFBaking

Tell them that I sent you but they have no clue who I am so it really doesn't matter.  Seriously, they are worth the price.  Why couldn't they be based in Lufkin?  Oh well such is life of a small town Wheatless Mama.

Disclaimer:  I was given a free slice of Pumpkin Bread but I paid for the Lemon Poppy Seed bread loaf.  I was not given anything money or more free bread for this review.  Outrageous Baking is great!  I'm waiting for the next payday to order more.  Shipping is a killer but for them I'll willing.

Gluten and allergen free Expo - Dallas: Review - how I felt

How much would you pay to feel normal? How much would you pay to relax when you didn't realize just how tense you were? How much would you pay to finally see that you are really not alone? My cost: $40 for tickets and $130 in gas.

When DH and I first started talking about going to Dallas on Sept 8, it was just to see Social Bliss play a show. Then about 3 weeks ago I realized that the Gluten & Allergen Expo would be in town, I just had to make it happen. Dallas is a 3.5 hr drive so it could be a day trip. Kill two birds with one stone; expo for a couple of hours and then Social Bliss. Sounds like a great day to me!

Wednesday my allergies began to kick my ass. By Friday I looked like hell and DH was wondering if we should be going anywhere. By bedtime my voice was walking out the door. Saturday morning, my voice was gone and thoughts of staying crept in. 9am I woke DH up and started getting dressed to go. He still had doubts. Ravebaby woke up and didn't want to go anywhere. About an hour away DH got car sick. We were really wondering if we had made the right decision.

We found the conference center and as we walked up the energy changed. We started to relax. Once we got to the Udi's table and Ravebaby focused on pizza and brownies, I relaxed. It occurred to me that I didn't need to freak out about what DD was grabbing to eat. She could eat everything! There in that place we were normal. There in that place we were just like everyone else. Every single person in that expo was dealing with living without.

After having two incidents in the last two weeks of telling Ravebaby no, it was liberating to say yes to everything. It was a bit overwhelming to realize that I didn't have to ask if it had wheat. No wheat allowed. No need to ask. There was pizza, sandwich bread, pita bread, cake, pie, chips, crackers and the list goes on. There in that place for the first time in almost three years, I could relax.

Wa the trip worth it? It feels like a MasterCard commercial:
Gasoline for the trip: $130
Entrance fee: $40
Finally feeling normal: priceless

To be continued: up next - products

Wheat/Gluten-free fad (My wheat-free life for real, yo!)

So apparently it's going around that going gluten-free is a good way to lose weight.  I'll be the first to to tell you that I lost weight going wheat-free.  In fact for the first 3 months of going strictly wheat-free I was losing weight so fast it was a bit scary and I was worried about my health.  All together I would say I've lost about 30 lbs to the wheat-free diet I know live.

So that sounds great right!?  No, wheat but I lose tons of weight.  That sounds fantastic where do I sign up?  While now that I've been wheat-free for over 2 years, I have to tell you, I'm not strict.  Once I backed off the strictness of my wheat-freeness, the weight lose stopped.  I've maintained but the losing has stopped.  Not a problem for me.  I'm happy.  I didn't go wheat-free to try to meet Oprah or Miley.  My DH was diagnosed with a wheat allergy in 2003.  My DD was born with a wheat allergy.  I have no issue with wheat except that it causes my family pain. 

I've talked about my journey to wheat-freeness before but today's pain is, wheat-free shouldn't be a fad.  I really struggled with going wheat-free.  I cried.  I prayed.  I cursed.  I wanted a quick fix.  I've accepted my life as a wheat-free person.  Wheat will never be in my life like it was before Ravebaby was born.  Wheat-free is the way I eat. 

So back to the weight loss thing.  Yes you will lose weight.  You would be surprised at the number of things that have wheat.  If you go wheat-free, you need to be strict.  Once you go strict you realize that unless this is a life/health thing, it ain't fun and you go back to wheat. 

Here is the number one reason I say don't go wheat-free unless you have to: It Takes Work!  Much like any diet, you have to plan.  I have to plan all of my meals.  I can't just go out and pick up a burger.  No just heating up a Hot Pocket for lunch.  No bucket of chicken for dinner.  Being wheat-free is inconvenient.  Being wheat-free and going out to eat requires you to speak up; you have to pester/educate the waitstaff.  You have to plan.

What I miss most of my wheat filled day?  Convenience.  Seriously, the days of going to McDonald's for nuggets are missed only for the convenience it held.  I don't miss the food with wheat anymore.  I've found replacements for all of my favorites.  I've found food that I prefer wheat-free, like Udi's Chocolate Muffins, OMG!  Really, I miss paying $1 for a loaf bread instead of going to the specialty health-food store and paying $5 for a loaf that is smaller. 

I have to think out going out to eat; this is especially a problem when I'm going out with others.  How about pizza?  Sorry, can't Martha doesn't eat wheat.  Burgers?  Well I can just get it bunless. (Sad looks all around.)  Even sushi is a problem.  Notice I said I'm not strict anymore.  Sushi is why.  I never have my wheat-free soy sauce.  I have cut back on my soy sauce usage.  I try to avoid eel sauce.  I love sushi.  DD doesn't react so I allow myself to use regular soy sauce. 

Like I've said, I would go wheat-free for my family again without hesitation.  No hamburger is worth my DD screaming in pain.  No fried pie is worth my child being sick.  You want to go wheat-free to lose weight, go for it but don't say I didn't warn you.

Before going wheat-free, circa 2007

Post-30 lb weigh loss

Random recipe: glutenfree cheesecake

So this cheesecake is the result of my need for cheesecake and my random trying of various recipes I have found on-line. It combines two different recipes all while making it my own. Things to note: read the ingredients on all of your items to make sure there is no gluten in them and if at first you don't succeed, you still have a decent enough cheesecake so enjoy. :)

Preheat oven to 325.  You'll need a 10-inch springform pan.

Crust:
1 box Betty Crocker Gluten-free Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I love cinnamon so I try it in everything, so it makes more like a Snickerdoodle crust)

Mix everything in a bowl until a soft dough forms. mold into your 10-inch springform pan. Go up about an inch or go all the way up and have an extra bit of cookie crust.  Now time to make filling.

Filling:
3 packages of 8oz cream cheese, softened
1 & 1/4 cups sugar (regular stuff)
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs

Beat cream cheese and sugar together on slow until blended.  Beat in vanilla and eggs one at a time.  Pour into crust.  Bake for about 65 - 75 mins until puffy and light golden brown.  Let cool and enjoy!

I think the hardest part is the crust.  The dough doesn't always want to stick to the pan or will try to fall apart.  It's gluten-free so keep in mind it's not exactly like 'regular' cookie dough.  Play with the recipe.  Add chocolate, avoid the cinnamon, but most importantly enjoy.  I've made this three times and each time it goes faster than the first.

Wheat challenge - Round 2

So Audrey's birthday is in 6 days! So hard to believe I'll have a 2 year old in less than a week. But this leads us to wheat challenge - round 2. Audrey's allergist suggested we challenge the wheat-free diet around Audrey's 2nd birthday. I guess 2 is the magic allergy number. So we decided to head to Olive Garden and order whatever we wanted!

I was excited. Order anything! Eat a breadstick! Not worry about what I"m eating, sign me back up for that life. I wish it was that easy. Having been strictly wheat-free for almost 2 years, plus off an on for 6 years prior, it's hard to go back to eating without worry. I don't know why I thought I would go back to old me in one trip to the Olive Garden. I still asked for the gluten-free menu. I wish they had an ingredients list. We do eat gluten-free since it makes life easier but strictly speaking we're wheat-free. Having something with a little MSG don't kill us so if the ingredients are clear of wheat we eat it. The Olive Garden's gluten-free menu is small and they have one penne pasta that is gluten-free. But I'm sure they have other things that are wheat-free that we can probably eat.

Anyways, we were going with a challenge so I start looking at the regular menu. What to have, what to have? Alfredo? Eggplant parm? Nope I start looking at Herb Salmon. Yep, even in my eat anything I'm still going toward the gluten-free stuff. I finally decided on the Chianti braised short-ribs. Not gluten-free but not pasta either. It comes with risotto. Where the gluten is in the dish I know not. We also ordered calamari. Audrey got a children's gluten-free penne with marinara. We didn't want to push her too much.

I got a bite of calamari. Strangely it wasn't as good as I remembered. I got a bite of breadstick. So disappointed. Why had I been pining for this stuff? Did we hit the Olive Garden on a bad day? I think DH said it best. "You're just a wheat-free girl now!" Laughing with glee. Evil wheat-allergic man! I did get mad. I don't like the food anymore. I didn't want the breadstick; I wanted a piece of Udi's with garlic butter. The calamari was just sad. My ribs were good. I guess the wheat is in the "gravy." Audrey ate some calamari, a bite of DH's spaghetti and lots of penne. Later that night we let her have a bite of "real" brownie. We had a wheat-filled day! or what we think of as a wheat-filled day.

So last night, 3 am, Audrey is crying. She's passing gas like crazy. She's rolling around unable to get comfy. Guess what, the kid is still allergic to wheat! She kept nursing but since I had had wheat she was just pouring more allergens into her system. Today she is all broken out. I think we can call this done. Audrey has a wheat allergy. Is it deadly? Thankfully no. If she decides to eat a piece of regular pizza, I won't panic. I don't be taking her to Mikey Dee's anytime soon but I think I can let go of some of the panic I've had in the past.

As for me, I am realizing that wheat-free isn't a diet or a change for now but a change for life. I'm learning to bake wheat-free. I"m longing for my food past less and less. I'm finding that "bread" doesn't appeal to me like it use to.

Wheat-free not Calorie-free

Okay so the number one thing I hear about going wheat-free is "Wow, I hear you can lose a lot of weight doing that."  I guess people just want to be positive; you know find the silver lining.  I think it doesn't help that I've lost about 30 lbs since I went wheat-free. But the research actual shows that usually people that go wheat-free/gluten-free gain weight.

So why the gaining of weight?  I think it comes down to this: wheat-free is not calorie-free.  People are always looking for the easy fix, which means buying things labeled wheat-free and stuffing your face til you are so full you can walk.  What's wrong with this approach?  Well it is wheat-free but not calorie-free so you are still overeating and not exercising so you gain weight.  Processed food is processed food so you get calories from the sugar and the other stuff in the food.

I think the only reason I lost weight is that instead of buying lots of replacement gluten-free versions of processed foods I was eating homemade items and lots of fresh fruits and veggies.  Basically I was eating healthy without wheat.  It's only been in the last few months that I've been buying gluten-free bread, muffins and cake.  Weight loss has stopped since I discovered processed gluten-free food.  I make this wonderful fat-fill wheat-free cakes and stuff my face.  Not going to loss weight by eating chocolate cake, even if it wheat-free.  So in closing, wheat-free is not calorie-free.  Even we wheat-free peeps have to watch the calorie counts and use portion control.  Just because my Carl's Jr burger is half the calories since it has no bun does not mean I should eat 2 to make up for it.  Maybe I'll try the tofu noddles, I hear those are wheat-free and almost calorie free too but they are pretty price so we'll see.

Wheatfree Chocolate Cake, my downfall

Sunday - Suspicions and Spaghetti

So Sunday I decided to get Audrey out of the house.  She stays at home with my mom and doesn't hang too much with other children so I try to get her out of the house when I can.  With the super hot Texas summer, cool places are hard to find but luckily the local mall has an indoor playland.  Off to the mall we went.

It was like any other trip to the mall.  She played and insisted I take video.  She had a grand ol' time.  After a walk around the mall, we headed back to the playland.  It was packed.  Kids everywhere!  She was having fun.  I soon as we got there I was scoping out parents and kids.  Seeing who belonged to who; checking to make sure the older kids didn't hurt Audrey or the other smaller kids.  A couple, I'm thinking a mom and son, caught my eye.  No children were going up to them.  They weren't calling after any kids.  They were just sitting there.  Part of the reason I noticed them is because they looked 'mixed' like Audrey but there were no 'mixed' children playing besides Audrey.  I noticed they were watching Audrey and me.  I got a bad feeling.  I got Audrey and we headed home.  Maybe they were super nice but tired people and just needed a place to sit (there were four benches within 10 feet).  Maybe they planned no harm to my child.  I was taking no chances.  It felt bad so we left.  Better to be over protective than have a regret.

After the mall and church, my DH had lovely gluten-free dinner for us.  Spaghetti!  Audrey and I love pasta (I know, it is so cruel).  We're lucky that we have found a rice pasta that we love from Tinkyada that I think is just like the real thing.  So we were enjoying family time with spaghetti and Udi's bread with garlic spread.  I said to DH, " you know if anyone came in right now, they won't be able to tell we are eating totally gluten-free."  It was a nice feeling to feel like a regular Americana family.  Toddler in the high chair grubbing and wearing spaghetti.  DH and I fighting over garlic bread.  We were normal.

So that was Sunday.  Suspicions and spaghetti, I wonder what the week will bring.

1 year wheatfree

So Audrey and I are celebrating our one year anniversary of being totally wheat free.  Which means it's been a year since Audrey was released from the hospital for a UTI.  While the doctor never said so (since she's a twit and doesn't believe in the food/body connection) I totally believe it was our eating wheat like it was going out of style for the two months prior that lead to the UTI. 

To be honest, I had been ignoring the signs of her allergy.  The broken out skin, the gas, the night fits, I had my head in the sand.  Thinking back now, I don't know why or how I could do that.  I was upset about the move and all I wanted to was feel normal to eat like a normal person.  So I did.  So we did.  So Audrey paid for it.  All my fault.

Once we brought our baby home I went totally wheat-free.  With the exception of communion each Sunday, I've had no wheat for the last year.  I do miss wheat.  There are times I watch people eat doughtnuts or hamburgers and think man I really want to eat one.  Just one bite can't hurt.  But it does so I don't. 

I got a Facebook comment from a momma who is going gluten-free for her child.  I could hear the stress in her comment and it made me realize that I don't talk too much about my wheatless life, anymore.  Once I came to see it as my normal, once I stopped fighting it, I just stopped talking about it.  I'll try to remember to talk about the struggles.  To remember that helplessness I felt when I first when wheatfree and the joy/calm that still comes over me when I meet other wheatless folk.  So I'll try to share tips and reviews and the such. 

So tip number 1, if you have just gone wheatless/gluten-free know that you are not alone.  Know you can do it.  Know that it is okay to morn the loss of wheat.