Save the Date - AMC Gluten Free Vendor Fair

So many people have asked me when the next Atlanta gluten-free vendor fair is that I can't wait for the press release from the group to post about it. It's on September 25th, 2010. Visit the Atlanta Metro Celiac website for details. Thanks!

Give-away: Seventh Generation Cleaning Kit

You might think the above title is a strange one to see on a gluten-free website. Earth Day is this Thursday, but you can be "green" all year long by using non toxic cleaners in your home. Since I can't use most mainstream cleaning products, I was thrilled to find out about the non toxic Seventh Generation product line about three years ago. Most people are not eating their cleaning products, but some do avoid those with gluten in them. None of the Seventh Generation products are confirmed to be gluten-free, so people who avoid gluten in their cleaning products might not want to use the product line. Here is the statement about gluten on the company's website.

For most of my life, I've been allergic to many perfumes, dyes and of course toxins, which are still found in many of the most popular brands of cleaning products on the market today. Many years ago, the only laundry detergent we could use was Tide Free. In January 2006 I went on the gluten-free diet and after two weeks, I started reacting to Tide Free as well. Was it gluten that was making me sick? I didn't think so then and still don't. The reaction was due the smell and I did not get a rash or other things some people with DH get. However, at that time I was eating nothing but whole foods - nothing processed. I didn't know what was safe to eat so I stuck to fresh foods only. My system was so clean that something in Tide Free that had not bothered me before started bothering me badly. The ingredients had not changed in any way. Frantically, I searched online for something more natural to wash our clothes in and the Seventh Generation website popped up. Since that day, we have been using their Free & Clear laundry detergent. Later on we found the dryer sheets, the Free & Clear dish washing and dishwasher detergents for the kitchen.

When Publix brought the much of the Seventh Generation line in I was over the moon. Finally, if we ran out of laundry detergent we didn't have to run over to the health food store to buy more. In the beginning, the Seventh Generation items were in the Greenwise section (health food section at Publix) and I loved that. No need to walk down the "normal" detergent aisle that would inevitably make my eyes water and start to swell. Then one day the Seventh Generation products were not in the Greenwise section. My first thought was that they'd not sold well enough at the store so they were dropped. The manager proudly marched me to the "normal" detergent aisle to show me where they were stocked. Since my husband does most of the shopping at Publix, he gets the detergent so I can still avoid the "smelly" aisle, as I refer to it.

When the My Blog Spark program offered a spark for the Seventh Generation cleaning kit, I jumped at the chance to get some new products we'd not tried before. Additionally, we scored a fabulous book called "The Conscious Kitchen" which is part of the spark. I've got to admit that I'm not crazy about brown paper towels. I switched to unbleached coffee filters and that was hard enough to get used to. However, the Seventh Generation paper towels do work quite well. They just don't look that great on my paper towel stand. The "disinfecting cleaning kit" offers two spray cleaners (Multi-Surface and Bathroom), two rolls of paper towels, wet wipes and the book mentioned above. All are neatly packed into a cleaning caddy. Not surprisingly, I love all the cleaning products - especially the wet wipes, which have no scent! The book is quite eye opening and anyone who cares about the environment, safe food production and keeping toxins out of their home would enjoy it.

Now for the fun part! One lucky reader is going to get their own Seventh Generation kit! Leave a comment for a chance to win and see what using non toxic chemicals can do for your home. Deadline for comments is April 26th. *Shipping address must be in one of the 48 contiguous U.S. states.

UPDATE: Ginger is the lucky winner of this great cleaning kit and book!

*Special thanks to Seventh Generation for my great kit and enlightening book! Also, thanks for sponsoring this give-away through the My Blog Spark program!

Gluten-free Overload

It seems like every day something exciting, annoying or even upsetting affects people living gluten-free in this country. Food companies or restaurants tout gluten-free products and menu options that may or may not be gluten-free. It's up to the gluten-free consumer to figure out who to believe and who to question. One one hand, it's great that we are all of a sudden the target market to get as many products out to as possible. On the other, it's aggravating that many people and even blue chip food companies think the gluten-free diet is a fad that is on the way out.

I'd love every chef and food company to take a moment and carefully consider if they really want to get into the gluten-free game to feed people who can't eat gluten - or if your goal is to get trendy gf-ers (those are people who won't know if you serve them gluten) to buy your stuff or eat at your restaurants. If you fall into the latter category, please leave those of us who can't eat gluten and are not being trendy alone! If one more owner of a pizza place calls me to come try their gluten-free pizza - that doesn't know gluten can be in anything except the crust - I'm absolutely going to scream!

For those of you who really want to get gluten-free service right, consider getting a copy of Shelley Case's book. Then maybe we'll trust you know what you're doing when ask us to head over to try your new gluten-free dessert. Thanks!

Giving Thanks

Recently on the Triumph Dining blog, I listed the Top 10 gluten-free things I'm most thankful for this year. Some things of a more personal nature that I'm extremely grateful for are better suited to a post here.

I'm so very thankful to my readers on the sites I now write for becuase without them, I could not have quit my day job earlier this year. Special thanks go to Ross Cohen of Triumph Dining. Ever since I bought my first Restaurant Guide from his website, I've admired what he and the team at Triumph Dining are trying to do for the gluten-free community. Now to be able to be part of the team is an honor I appreciate so very much!


Additionally, I'm so very thankful for the opportunity to write for Kyle Eslick of www.Celiac-Disease.com. What I particularly respect about Kyle is the fact that he knows how the intracacies of online writing work and therefore he chooses to have people in different areas write for his site. He's not interested in hiring five people from one area to write about the same topic. That's not to say that if I move to Denver (I wish!) he'd give me the boot. If someone moves to Atlanta that is already on his site, for instance, he's not going to get rid of them either. It's just that Kyle is not interested in hiring two people from the same area going into the situation because he knows that is not the best decision for anyone - him or the writers.

This season I'm thankful to have been able help others learn that you can live life deliciously gluten-free and have a ton of fun in the process! Happy Holidays to all my readers and favorite vendors who read my work - see you in 2010!

Follow my online work

Some of my readers have asked why I don't post on this site very much anymore. I assumed that the 'Follow My Work' links on the left side of my blog page - and a post about where I'm writing these days - would help people find me. But this was not the case for several of you. So, please accept my apologies for assuming anything - it's never a good idea no matter what the situation.

Here is where you can find my articles these days -

Celiac-Disease.com
Triumph Dining

To those of you who asked if I'm writing at Examiner.com anymore, the answer is no. My husband gave me a directive to make some money at my hobby of helping the gluten-free set or get a new job. Ever since I started my gluten-free life, I enjoyed helping others learn how to enjoy it as much as I did. Unfortunately, my volunteer work didn't pay any bills. My old career held no interest for me anymore so I finally gave it up to pursue work in the gluten-free community. This requires me piece mealing an income together from various opportunities, but since what I do now does not feel like work in any way, I really can't complain. I'm happy to make the trade offs needed, in order to do something so rewarding. Thanks for being a part of my new journey - without my followers none of this would be possible!

Gluten-free Week in Atlanta!

The creator of some pretty good gluten-free baked goods and some incredible gluten-free mixes, Lee Tobin of Whole Foods, is teaching a gluten-free cooking class this Friday in Atlanta. There are still some spots left, so please sign up soon if you're interested in attending.

Here are the details from the website-

October 16th / 6:30 - 8:30pm / Whole Foods Alpharetta / $35

After years of perfecting gluten-free recipes, Lee Tobin developed the idea
for Whole Foods Market Gluten-Free Bake House, producing delicious gluten-free
products including breads, cookies, scones, biscuits, pizza crusts, pies and
brownies. Join Lee for an entertaining and informative look at the gluten-free
diet and learn some delicious recipes to savor at home this holiday
season.

Menu: Turkey Pot Pie; Roasted Squash Stuffed with Quinoa; Mini Yucca
Cakes; Caesar Salad with Croutons; and Sweet Potato Pie

Instructor: Lee Tobin of Whole Foods Market


This class is a pre-paid event. Please sign up here to attend -www.wholefoodsmarket.com/saludalpharetta

Don't forget this Saturday is the gluten-free event of the year in the Southeast. Here are just a few of the great vendors that will be exhibiting at the AMC Gluten-Free Vendor Fair:

Food:
Namaste / Kettle Cuisine / Domata Living Flour / Kitchen Table Bakers / Caesar's Pasta Products / Gluten-Free Naturals / Gluten-Free Bakehouse / The Free Cookie / Sweet Oven and Company / Pamela's Products

Books:

Gluten-Free Passport / Triumph Dining (yours truly at this table)

Where am I these days?

Some of you are aware of my work on the website Examiner.com. That site offered me a great platform to enter the world of internet writing. If you pay attention to detail you probably know that I am not a trained writer by any stretch of the imagination.



I started this blog in 2007 when I could not find one that helped people learn how to eat out and travel and live "normal" lives gluten-free style. Today there are a zillion such blogs and I'm thrilled to be a part of the group that knows how to live full and tasty gluten-free lives. I love spreading helpful info news to the masses - or the gluten-free masses anyway...lol!



Because of my readers on Examiner.com, I was able to transform my hobby and love of helping others live delicious gluten-free lives into a new career. So, if you followed me there I owe you a huge THANK YOU!



If you want to follow my work these days you can find my author page on Celiac-Disease.com here. Or you can follow The Essential Gluten-Free Blog on the Triumph Dining website here. You can also subscribe to feeds on the sites listed above. In print you can find me in the current issue of Delight GF magazine.



If you have news you think my readers can use please e-mail me at makemineglutenfree @ yahoo (dot) com. I apologize that I can not reply to every note personally these days but I do read them all.



Thanks for being a part of this interesting gluten-free journey with me. It means more than I can put into words...remember I'm not a writer by trade - just a gluten-free advocate who thinks that together we can really make a difference in this gluten filled world of ours!

Gluten-free Fan Night at Turner Field!

Calling all gluten-free Atlanta Braves fans to come out and support the team and ARAMARK's brand new gluten-free concession stand. This Saturday - October 19th is gluten-free fan night at Turner Field. At least that is what the local gluten-free dinner club has dubbed it. The group members are going out in support of the gluten-free food stand (behind section 106 at Turner Field) this Saturday night!

The goal is that if enough fans show up to thank ARAMARK for this great effort on their part, we will be able to have the new gluten-free food options next year as well. It is wonderful that they have Redbridge gluten-free beer at the park but last week they actually rolled out their new gluten-free concession stand - complete with hotdogs WITH buns!

If you get out to a game before the end of the season, you'll have LOTS of great gluten-free food options for the first time in Atlanta Braves history. Check out the details here!

NOTE: The Atlanta Braves, ARAMARK and Turner Field are not affiliated with the Atlanta Gluten-Free Dinner Club, nor have they endorsed this event in any way.

In Memory of David Marc Fischer

Last month I posted some terribly sad news about the death of a true advocate in the gluten-free community. David Marc Fischer wrote the blog Gluten-Free NYC and helped countless visitors to the Big Apple enjoy amazing gluten-free adventures there - myself included.


Since that sad day I've wrestled with thoughts about doing something special in memory of David. David and I both had Cafe Press stores which offer gluten-free slogans on merchandise. Because I didn't care if someone bought a shirt from my store or someone else's, I added David's and the Celiac Chicks store links to my Atlanta Examiner.com page when I started it. The point of my store - and most gluten-free products stores there - is to spread awareness. If you are familiar with Cafe Press you know that the company is making most of the money off the sales - not the shop owners.




The New York City Celiac Meetup group is hosting a dinner on Sept. 14th in honor of David. If there was any way possible for me to be there I would be. Erin Smith is the Organizer of the Meetup group up there, and she's planning a very special event for David's gluten-free friends at one of David's favorite restautants - Lilli and Loos.



Recently, I awoke with the idea of how I could honor David. From Sept. 1st to Dec. 31st 2009, all my profits from my Cafe Press store will be donated in David's name to The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. December is my biggest month by far at the shop so that is why I'm going to extend this donation promise through the end of the year.

If you don't like anything in my shop, check out David's shop. David was all about spreading awareness in the world about celiac disease and living gluten-free. The point is to help spread awareness in any small way you can. David was a generous, witty and wonderful person and those who knew him in NYC - or from the online gluten-free community will miss him dearly.


Special thanks to Erin Smith for putting together this special event in honor of David.

Erewhon gluten-free cereal winners!

OK - the winners of the new cereals from Erewhon have been selected! Due to computer issues (thanks AT&T...) these winners will be announced next week on my Examiner.com page, when we have all five addresses needed for the company.


If your comment is listed below, you are a winner and will recieve two boxes of FREE cereal from Erewhon! Please click on my profile on this page, click on e-mail and e-mail me your FULL and complete shipping (or mailing) address. This information is being sent to Erewhon and once they confirm they have it, all addresses will be deleted from my records for good.


Thanks to all who entered the contest! There will be another exciting offer next week so be sure and follow me on Twitter (ATLglutenfree) and read my page on Examiner.com.

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Kim said...
I would love to try these cereals! I have been looking all over & can't find them!


http://samkaine.com/ said...
I've been feeding the regular brown rice version of this a 'finger food' to my baby since we don't know if he inherited my celiac or not. I'm so excited there's a chocolate version. That box will be all mine!


Katie said...
They sound great! I'm fairly new to the gluten-free world, and it's very helpful to read reviews of products before spending lots of money trying new things. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

Jamie P said...
I would love to try them! The Strawberry one reminds of me Special K Strawberry...

dionne said...
I can't find these cereals anywhere, but would love to try them (especially for free!).


Special thanks to Erewhon for helping my readers get to taste these great new cereals for FREE!

Huge loss for our community

Today I received some very sad news via a celiac listserv post. One of the nicest gluten-free bloggers (Gluten-Free NYC: http://glutenfreenyc.blogspot.com/ ) around who helped untold visitors to NYC enjoy their gluten-free visits immensely through his blog posts, passed away from a sudden illness. David Marc Fischer was a joy to know - even if only through the internet. Recently he and I had begun corresponding via e-mail. He had a great sense of humor and a generous spirit and rarely did I not get a laugh out of something he included in his e-mails.

I am deeply saddened by this news and I'm certain that many others who knew David in any way feel like I do. The gluten-free world was better off with him in it. He will be missed greatly. Hopefully we can all take a lesson from David and live our lives to the fullest and not let a dietary restriction get in the way of that goal.

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From the listserv post : "David will be greatly missed, and remembered for his friendliness, intelligence, and sincere contributions to the celiac community. His family would like people to know that any donations in David's memory can be made to the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. This can be done either online or by mail.

Online: https://giving.columbia.edu/giveonline/Use the "Select a School or Division" drop down box, and select Celiac Disease Center. You will be able to specify on the next page that the gift is in memory of David Marc Fischer, and a note will be sent to the family.

By mail: Checks payable to: Trustees of Columbia University. Please note on the memo line that the donation is in memory of David Marc Fischer, and a note will be sent to the family. Mail to: Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Harkness Pavilion, 180 Fort Washington Avenue, Suite 934, New York, NY 10032"