Instagram!

I LOVE pictures. I'm sure I take too many but it's my way of showing the word a peek into my life. And a good way to remember last week. If you have a smart phone, follow me on Instagram at Pixie_Chef

Bread!

My Amazing Gluten Free White Bread

Sorry, not sharing the recipe for this bad boy. This awesomeness is my baby. Took me months to create and is the base of all my breads. So..MINE. One day I hope to be able to share my goodies with the world but until then, wipe that drool off your keyboard and wait patiently.

It can magically turn into this RYE BREAD!

Or this everything bread (think everything bagel)!

Or this cinnamon apple cranberry raisin bread!

 

Shopping

  Finding gluten free products is much easier now then years ago! Our local grocery store carries a variety and you can find many online stores. For my flours and pasta I shop at the local Asian market and save big bucks on rice products. If you have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's near you then you are super lucky! Both places are worth the travel even if a little distant. Making most of my food from scratch helps keep cost down as well. I know not everyone has the time or skill to do so but that's what this handy blog is for! Make sure you check out my tips and recipes. Please ask any questions that pop in your head as well! And a little fairy dust for good luck of course.

I'm magical and all but if you're still feeling overwhelmed here's some sites to shop GF and give yourself a break!

http://www.glutenfree.net/ 

http://www.celiac.com/glutenfreemall/ 

http://www.glutenfree.com/ 

 Those are my top 3 places to get your GF needs met.

Gluten Free Me

 I'm not diagnosed Celiac (neither were my kids, they were all too young to test at the time) or allergic to wheat. So why gluten free? I chose to try a gluten free diet for myself because when I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 6 years ago medication alone wasn't effective. I cut gluten and dairy from my diet and have been so much better ever since. Not that this super fun disease doesn't still cause me a lot of issues but consuming gluten makes my colon bleed without hesitation. At the same time as my diagnosis, my oldest son (then 2) was waking monthly with a fever, pale, and vomiting half the day. Multiple test and months later the only things they can come up with is CVS (chronic vomiting syndrome)...in other words they had no clue why he was sick. Pulled gluten from his diet and VOILA no more monthly vomiting, fever, and looking like Casper. As a mom who watched her baby suffer for almost a year, I was easily convinced gluten was the source of evil in our diets.
  Now, lucky for my family I'm an awesome baker. Being in the kitchen is a comfort zone for me and it makes me so happy to see my loved ones enjoying food that is good for them and taste fantastic too. It's a challenge at times but I'm a determined mama who likes to figure it all out. Most of the time I also cook dairy free. I can't consume it but the kids were recently reintroduced to it and are digesting it well. I'm honestly just not a fan off all they shove into milk products these days and buying organic isn't cost effective. I also steer clear of dyes, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial anything. I like my family and self to eat real food.