The Campus Celiac

THE CAMPUS CELIAC HAS MOVED

2012-03-14T21:48:00.003-07:00

Hey ya'll-
I've up and moved over to Wordpress. Check out the new digs at http://thecampusceliac.wordpress.com/

Study Break

2012-03-08T11:49:00.004-08:00

It's that time of the quarter, once again... finals. Duhn duhn duhnnnnnnnn. That time where I find myself forfeiting hours of Pinterest and Facebook to study in cozy corners of coffee shops from sun up to sun down. Lucky for me (being possibly the worst test taker west of the Mississippi), the majority of my final work is essay writing. I finished my anthropology paper (about the social networks of blogging) last weekend, which I am thanking myself for now, and my Italian culture paper is a work in progress-- I'd forgotten how much more difficult paper writing is when you really haven't quite wrapped your head around what you're trying to say. I'm a little all over the place with that one, but I have a feeling that it'll work out, eventually. I have two final exams: Hydrology and Communications in Popular Culture. The pop culture one's gonna be easy-peasy, I think. With the amount of television that I watch and magazines I read, I'm pretty much a pro at any pop-culture. The hydrology one, on the other hand...well, we'll see. Positive thoughts!

Gluten Free Scone from Wash Perk!

Any questions about Italian film history? Shoot 'em my way.

Gluten Free Whole Foods Haul!

2012-02-26T15:02:00.003-08:00

My first video... please disregard the obnoxious finger-in-camera in the beginning and the overall awkwardness.

Let me know if you want more videos!

http://youtu.be/oJcX5AQJ2xo

Enjoy Life; Crunchy Cookies

2012-02-25T21:56:00.000-08:00

I'm officially an Enjoy Life super fan. They were nice enough to send me four boxes of delicious cookies from their new crunchy cookie line, and if someone gives me tasty gluten free cookies, I consider them my friend. So basically me and the people of Enjoy Life are BFFs now. They make some flippin good cookies.

Literally every flavor is amazing in their own individual way (they have Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate, Sugar Crisp, and Vanilla Honey Graham) and I can't seem to get enough. Let's just say those 11 pounds I unexpectedly lost last week are slowly getting gained back in the best way possible.

Let's take a closer look...

Everyone loves a good chocolate chip cookie, right? As said by my mom "They taste just like regular cookies!". Words of wisdom spoken, indeed. I think I ate the whole box in like 3 days. I regret nothing and have no shame, by the way.

These remind me of those delicious brownie-cookie type things that I used to be able to eat B.G (before gluten). Of course, these have the crunchy texture rather than the soft brownie type texture, but I actually prefer it. There is something oh-so satisfying about crunching into a perfect chocolate cookie.

So simple, yet so delicious. These guys have really grasped the concept of less is more- the basic ingredients of this cookie is a simple flour mix, cane juice, and cane sugar for the sweetness. The simple and natural ingredients in this cookie really makes all the difference: I love the fact that it doesn't taste overly processed and chemically altered like many sugar cookies do.

It's like a graham cracker had a baby with a sugar cookie- a delicious baby! The honey flavor is subtle enough to not taste like straight up...well, honey. I don't think a honey cookie would taste very good, but maybe that's just me. Either way, the honey taste is nice and light with the graham flavor really making this cookie. I wonder how it would taste with some chocolate and a toasted marshmallow in the middle. mmmmmmmm

All of the Enjoy Life Crunchy Cookies are...

Zero Trans Fat

No Artificial Ingredients

Vegan

Kosher

Gluten-Free

&

Casein Free
yay!

Getch'yo self some and share them with friends... or not.

This Only Makes My Cravings Worse

2012-02-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

I've been a sick lady lately. Pretty much positive it is due to taking some glutenous medicine- wouldn't really be surprised considering the pathetic nature of current FDA drug labeling. About a week ago, I was relatively healthy, maybe a little stressed, but generally good. Here I am now, permanently in bed at a hotel, nearly ten pounds lighter, a little (well a lot) worn for wear, with my momma (who flew in from Seattle, bless her heart) heating up some vegetable soup for me. Oh and, I'm missing the Young the Giant concert tomorrow. WTF, life?

On the brighter side, Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family just started so that does make things at least a little better. And staying at a hotel is a nice change of scenery. And the fact that my mom is here makes my heart happy.

   Anyways, from Monday to yesterday (Thursday), I had pretty much zero appetite. My favorite foods suddenly made me want to gag and I just had no interest- or energy- to eat a thing. Sad, since eating is probably my favorite thing to do.

   By some miracle, I finally wanted to eat again last night. But of course, having not eaten even 500 calories total in the past four days, I've had to remember to take it a bit slow. I've been eating pretty three things: baked potato, boiled eggs, and vegetable soup. I'm a little weary of eating anything to heavy or flavorful, as I don't want to throw anything off BUT this has not stopped me from craving certain foods like a pregnant woman. And because I'm weird and tend to deal with cravings by torturing myself with pictures of the food I want, I thought I'd just share with you the lovely list of things I would be eating if I wasn't on my deathbed*.
      *I'm not actually dying, stop calling 911.

Spaghetti Bolognese

French Fries

Chipotle Burrito Bowl

Grilled Cheese

A Burger That Looks Like This

Pizza

SO basically, I've been craving anything that is absolutely terrible for my health. But hey! I've lost 10 pounds, I have to gain it back somehow, right?

Eating Freely With "Enjoy Life"

2012-02-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

This week was a hard one. I was faced with being sick, doing not so well on an Italian history quiz, and just being in a general slump. We all have these weeks, right? There's not always a whole lot we can do about this, but we can absolutely make it at least a little bit better through the one thing that will always be there to pick us up when we're down: Chocolate.

The fine people of Enjoy Life sent me a couple of their brand spankin' new products: Double Chocolate Crunch Granola and Semi-Sweet Mega Chocolate Chunks.

Deeeeeeeeeelicious. Yes, that's a 10 "e" delicious.

I think I ate the entire bag of chocolate chunks in a matter of three days, and the granola has become a staple for my daily half cup of yogurt. The chocolate chunks are perfect for those who are dairy free but are looking for something with that rich chocolate taste- of course, they are perfect for anyone who loves chocolate period! These are great to use for chocolate chunk cookies, melting down for fruit dip, tossing in some cereal, etc. The chocolate crunch granola lives up to the "crunch" in it's name, having more of a cereal texture than oat-y granola texture, but I'm fine with that. The taste is not overly chocolatey, but definitely gives me that chocolate fix I need.

Enjoy Life is great in that all of their products are free of: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, and shellfish, along with most of their products being also free of potatoes, sesame, sulfites, and casein. So perfect for people with multiple allergies! Along with the items I received, Enjoy Life also sells soft baked cookies, crunchy cookies (a new line), chewy bars, chocolate bars, chocolate chips, cereal, granola, and trail mix.

Oftentimes, food companies that offer such a wide array of allergen free products are not sold is your regular old supermarket- sad, but true. Luckily for us, Enjoy Life is sold at pretty much every grocery store- everywhere from Kroger to Whole Foods, it's there!

Check out where you can find Enjoy Life foods near you!

Better Batter & Food Nostalgia

2012-01-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

I had a moment last night. Well, a couple of moments really. One happened just after I'd finished filling my donut pan with some Better Batter chocolate cake batter. Almost as if out of instinct, I began to lick the spatula covered with the remaining drops of batter; something I haven't done for a long time. You see, raw gluten free batter mixes are often decent but don't quite hit the spot in the same way that those glutenous batters from my childhood did.

Better Batter is different. It literally tastes exactly like the chocolate cake batter that I used to eat way too much of. The consistency is smooth (not grainy like other gluten free mixes) and the chocolate taste is subtle enough to not be overly rich but it completely satisfies a sweet tooth.

There I stood in the communal kitchen, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl with my pointer finger until I'd finished off the whole thing. Good thing I'm not too paranoid about salmonella. I had a thought about how this action was so simple, yet so meaningful to me for some reason. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I thought I'd never eat (good) chocolate cake ever again when I first went gluten free. Maybe it's just a nostalgia thing. Either way, it was a reminder that, at first look, food is such a small part of life but in truth, it is linked with so many memories-mostly happy ones. I mean, who isn't happy while eating? Licking a spoon covered in chocolate cake batter was one of those small joys that I got when I was kid, so standing in my college dorm kitchen, 19 years old, licking that spoon as I did in my childhood was a slightly nostalgic, if not emotional moment.

The second moment of the night happened after the cake donuts had cooled and I'd "frosted" (with melted peanut butter) them. I took the biggest one off the cooling pan, put in on a plate, grabbed a fork, and sat down. Without doing anything but simply eating, I dug in, savoring every bite of this cake that tasted exactly like what I remember regular, not gluten-free cake tasting like. It was around 10:30 on a Friday night and I was sitting by myself in silence, eating some chocolate cake with a giant smile on my face. So simple, yet so calming and fulfilling at the same time.

I could've happily eaten every last cake donut, but I'd probably get a tummy ache, so I decided to leave the remaining ones out on a tray in the kitchen for my neighbors to enjoy-and enjoy they did! They were gone by noon the next day and I had several people going out of their way to tell me that they were delicious! That makes me feel good. Even if I didn't make them from scratch.

Thank you, Better Batter, for not only making me look like an awesome baker to my neighbors, but for bringing me back to those simple food memories of my childhood that I had long forgotten about.

*Stay tuned for a Better Batter pancake review coming up!

Ener-G; Taking the Boring Out of Restrictive Diets

2012-01-22T08:44:00.000-08:00

First off, let me start by saying the people of Ener-G are awesome. I contacted them about my interest in reviewing their products and in a matter of about 30 minutes they had emailed me back, asking what I wanted to try. I replied, letting them know that all I'd love to try just a couple snacky type things. I was expecting a small box to arrive with just a couple small bags of snacks. However, what I actually received in the mail was a quite large box which revealed to contain stacks upon stacks of glorious snacks.

Luckily, I got all of this right before a Glee and New Girl viewing party so I was able to bring all of these with me and share them with a group of non-gluten free eaters, making this review a little more rounded (people who eat gluten on the regular tend to be more harsh critics of gluten free food so they are great for getting honest opinions)!

First things I tried were the pretzels; fantastic! I think the Sesame Pretzels were my preference over the regular pretzels, as they were a bit saltier and I love me some salt! The regular pretzels were awesome as well, though- let's just say the entire bag was gone after two hours of tv watching; eaten up by gluten-eaters! These are really perfect for a sack lunch, to put in a bowl at a party, or just for snacking on while studying.

Next up are the Cinnamon Crackers. I expected these to be a little crunchier, as they are called "crackers". The consistency is sort of somewhere in between a cracker and a puff pastry (cooked of course). They are certainly tasty though! They kind of remind me of those giant elephant ears I used to get at the fair (deep fried dough, covered with cinnamon and sugar. NOT real elephant ears. I don't encourage or endorse the consumption of elephants.) At 10 for 100 calories, these make a great, quick snack, dipped into some Greek yogurt, topped with fruit, or even just plain.

Ok, this one is absolutely my favorite, hands down. In fact, I wish I had one in my hand right now. Biscotti is one of those random things that are a little more difficult to find in an allergen free variety, so I was really excited to get my hands on these babies. The kind that the fine people from Ener-G sent me is chocolate with cranberry and white chocolate chips! The cookie itself has that homemade dark chocolate cookie taste and combining that with the juicy cranberries and white chocolate chunks- fan.tas.tic. Try these.

These chocolate chip snack bars are quite good. They taste like an extra-sweet chocolate chip cookie in bar form. At 160 calories, I might not consider it the best snack, but great for a quick on the go pick-me-up or a good replacement for a candy bar. It is a little overly sweet for me (I prefer low-to-medium sweetness level), but I've definitely been nibbling off of these- after all... who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies?

Well, speak of the devil- chocolate chip cookies! Technically, chocolate chip potato cookies, but I prefer to leave the "potato" part out just cause it makes me think it will taste weird. But these taste quite good! The cookie is texture-wise, somewhere between crumbly and soft with an ample supply of chocolate chips. These are great when warmed in the microwave for about 20 seconds and topped with some Justin's Chocolate Peanut Butter. Yum Yum Yum!

All in all, I would call Ener-G one of my new favorites. I didn't know much about them before sampling their products, but now that I have, I can say that I will certainly come back for more!

You can find their products at Kroger and Whole Foods stores nationwide, as well as at several regional chains and international chains.

My Weekend in Pictures

2012-01-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

I will happily get fat off of peanut butter.

Figure skating at 7 am, basketball at 7 pm!

What did you do this MLK weekend? Any travels? Good eating? Football?

Lessons Mark Bittman Has Taught Me.

2012-01-13T20:17:00.000-08:00

This is Mark Bittman. He's kind of my favorite.

He is a food writer with The New York Times (author of the weekly column "The Minimalist"), as well as the author of what is possibly one of my most prized books, "Food Matters; A Guide to Conscious Eating". He also happened to write a hefty cookbook by the same name.

I don't think I've ever wanted to recommend a book as much as this one (maybe in a screeching second after The Hunger Games). Not only am I eating healthier (or more "sane" as the man himself would put it), but I feel really science-y and smart when I'm able to shoot out fun facts about the food industry and nutrition- something that Mark writes about in an entertaining, yet eye opening way that makes you really assess your own eating habits and want to change it for the better. Best thing is, it's not just about food benefitting the body- it also highlights reasons why the environment depends upon a healthier diet, AND why we can actually save money and time in the end by choosing healthier foods.

But enough of my fan-girl rantings.

For those of you sillies who won't go out and get this book right away, I thought I'd share some of the most valuable lessons I've taken away from Food Matters- a little taste tester of the book, if you will.

Eating Meat Kinda Sucks for the Environment

Eating the typical family of four steak dinner is a rough energy equivalent of driving around in an SUV for three hours. While leaving the lights on at home.

If we each ate the equivalent of three less cheeseburgers a week, it would cancel out the effects of all the SUVs in the entire United States.

Switching from eating red meat and dairy to eating chicken, fish, and eggs just one day a week is the equivalent (in greenhouse gas emissions) of driving 760 miles less a year.

To reduce our impact on the environment, we need to focus more on eating foods that require little to no packaging, processing, or lengthy transportation- we need to increase our reliance on whole foods, mainly plant based foods.

Cheap Soy, Cheap Corn, Cheap Lives.

Corn and soy are extremely dominant crops in United States; so dominant that America does not even grow enough edible fruits and vegetables for every person to eat our government's recommended five servings a day. To achieve these full five servings, we'd be dependant on imported vegetables!

More than 50% of the corn grown in the United States is being fed to animals-who are meant to be grass fed- and most of the remaining corn is in junk foods, corn oil, and ethanol.

Forests are being destroyed in order to make room to grow more of these crops- meaning decreasing resources.

Despite the fact that a cow's digestive system is developed to eat grass, mass "farmers" are feeding their animals with corn and soy due to the fact that grass is less efficient for animal feed when they are running mega-factory farms.

The Government Isn't Really Helping that Much

The government spends close to $1 billion to buy commodities from farmers every year to help provide healthy and affordable meals to kids at school. However, according to a recent study by the USDA, school lunches routinely fail the government's own nutritional standards.

In the 1970's, the meat industry was taking a hit. The Secretary of Agriculture told discouraged farmers to continue growing wheat, feed crops and cotton, and ensured them that they would get paid for their work. This created overproduction and made farmers rich. Today, this costs taxpayers about $19 billion a year and only benefits about 3,100 farmers.

Someone has to eat all this food that is being produced, and producers made the plan to process their grains into profitable and easily transported things like animal feed, white flour, high fructose corn syrup, and oil. Therefore, junky food is cheap.

To get more information, please go check out Food Matters!

Catching Up

2012-01-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

Annnnnnnnnnnd I'm back! Back to Denver, back to school, and (hopefully) back to a semi-steady blogging routine... I'm not gonna promise anything, considering my schedule can have days that are busy down to the last minute, and also days that I spend watching Gossip Girl in bed for hours on end. Like today.

Oddly enough, I'm really happy to be back in school. While it is lots of fun to spend my life on Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, and oh, I guess with my friends and family, I love being productive and feeling busy. I also like having excuses to go hang out in hip coffee houses which is something I guess I could do sans-homework, but it would feel awkward to just sit there by my lonesome and creep on all the cute hipster coffee addict boys. Oh, my life.

I took on a fairly light load this quarter- luckily, as I get deeper into my college years, my courses gear more towards my Communications major and Tourism Studies minor and less towards math and science (ick) gen-ed requirements. I'm taking Communications & Popular Culture, 20th Century Italian Culture and History, Hydrology (requirement, NOT by choice), and Anthropology; Social Networking. So basically, 3/4 of my classes involve lots of media studies (movie watching and book reading), yay! And 1/4 of my classes make me want to die (*cough cough* science), but that's all good- I have a friend in that class so we whine about it together and that makes it a little bit better.

As for the blog, I'm gonna try to regularly post quick recipes and tips that I pick up along the quarter. This whole gluten free thing gets easier with time but there are always new experiences and things to learn- I'll keep you updated!

Babycakes Gluten Free/Vegan Donuts

2011-12-31T00:56:00.000-08:00

My dear friend, Sarah, gave me the "Babycakes Covers the Classics" recipe book for Christmas this year, and let me tell you... aside from Young the Giant concert tickets from my dad, this has got to be my favorite Christmas present from this year! Sarah and I went with my mom to NYC this past summer, and of course we couldn't leave the city without taking a stop in Babycakes, arguably the top vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free, and generally allergy-free bakery. I double fisted a pumpkin cupcake and a vanilla sprinkled donut and I fell in love with both at first bite.

Naturally, I couldn't have been happier when I found out that the founder of Babycakes, and my hero, Erin McKenna, has written not just one but two fantastic (and super cute) recipe books, making it possible for even the most average gluten free college student such as myself to make the amazing Babycakes confectionaries in my own kitchen!

I recently tried out the plain cake donut recipe and it was a rousing success! While I won't post the recipe itself (in hopes that you go grab a copy of the recipe book for yourself), I will give you some insight on the process of the baking-of-the-donuts as well as some tips and tricks along the way!

This is what you'll need. And yes, I am aware that Nestle Chocolate Chips are not vegan but I'm not vegan either, so I'm going the cheap route.

Bob's Red Mill.

Bob's Red Mill. (whatta bargain!)

Bob's Red Mill

This stuff is freakin' expensive, but totes necessary. Getting this on Amazon in bulk next time.

Bob's Red Mill.

Coming upon the measurement "1/8 tsp". #firstworldproblems

It's not fancy, it's cheap, and it works.

Goop.

Takes baking to the next level.

Very similar to cake batter at this point- once all ingredients are fully incorporated.

Oh and b.t.w, you will absolutely need one of these.

Fill it up with a bit of room at the top so it doesn't overflow, but is a good sized donut.

Well, it will look better once its' all cooked.

Well hey! Look who's on the back of the Garbanzo flour!

Cinnamon sugar topping.

Be sure to do this topping procedure about 5 minutes after they pop out the oven so it sticks.

Aren't they purrrrrty?!

This is what they should look like fully cooked. Slightly puffed, beige/brown colored.

Dad told me not to do it this way, but what can I say... I'm still in my teens, I'm gonna rebel. And it worked. HA Dad!

Ooooooh. I ate to many of these.

Keep stirring or else you'll have some burnt chocolate which is no good at all.

Vanilla glaze in the works. Glaze the donuts after letting them sit 15 minutes. They'll be warm but not hot.

Please, please, use this nice under-belly side of the donut as the glazed top for maximum donut-attractiveness.

Dunk-ty dunk dunk with a light grip.

Like a Krispy Kreme, I tell ya!

I regretted this, so I ate it. It was delicious, but ugly.

The best.

Dunk the donut, give it a light twist, lift up, let it run a tad, place on a tray.

Homemade goodness.

Get in my belly.

Ta-da!

What to Get a Celiac for Christmas

2011-12-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

It seems like Christmas is approaching at turbo-speed this year. I could have sworn that I just flew home from Denver for Thanksgiving yesterday, and now I find myself here- wrapping presents, drinking hot chocolate, and listening to Carol of the Bells... ok, more like the Justin Bieber Christmas album, but same thing.

This post might be a little late for most, but for you procrastinators out there, here's a quick list of things that the celiac in your life would probably like having.

A Babycakes cupcake or two. Or five.

Every celiac who has the chance to travel to NYC should run straight to Babycakes NYC as soon as they de-board the plane. I'm telling you... this place is heaven, not only for celiacs but for anyone with a gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, or a vegan diet. However, if you are like me, and do not have the money to simply fly over there whenever I want one of their delectable cupcakes, they offer delivery! Mind you, its expensive as hell considering it's just a cupcake but it will probably mean the world to a celiac who a) has been addicted to their baked goodness since tasting it for the first time or b) just wants the chance to try a Babycakes baked goodie for themselves. I would suggest ordering your cupcake(s) just a couple days (max) before Christmas cause they send them as quick as possible, seeing as their baked goods have no preservatives.

Or you could just get them the Babycakes recipe book

A tacky humor t-shirt about celiac disease

I don't really know if I would choose to wear this on any regular old day but it would actually be really funny for a gluten free convention/celiac convention, or just for sleeping. Either way, it would get a laugh out of me if I got this for a gift from someone.

Some really nice quality tea

Mind you, not all of us like tea. Including myself- I find if quite revoting, kind of like hot water that has been mixed with dirt and garbage juice. But thats just me. If you have a friend who orders tea at Starbucks on a regular basis, they would surely appreciate some nice tea for themselves. Tea also helps relieve some symptoms of being glutened for some people, so it might be nice to have on hand.

Gluten Free restaurant cards

We celiacs have all had the awkward and unsettling experience of trying to explain the basics of celiac disease to a clueless waitress who has no idea what "gluten free" even means, let alone what celiac disease entails. With gluten free dining cards, all a person has to do is hand the waitress one of these cards that explains the basics about celiac disease (condensed of course), which is then taken to whoever is preparing the food. These cards even come in multiple languages- great for traveling!

An iPhone (or some other kind of smartphone)

So this one is definitely on the more expensive range, but it has features that could make all the difference for someone dealing with food allergies and complications. The internet connection of these phones is what I can see coming in handy. For example, impromptu trips to the store for cold medicine would be made less stressful, being able to Google search if certain medicines are gluten free. Requests to go out for dinner with friends would be simple, as one could just look up gluten free restaurants around their area. Not to mention various apps that are meant to help people struggling with a gluten intolerance/allergy/celiac disease.

Pins/Music of the Week!

2011-12-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

Stylin'

Rome: where I'll be living around this time next year!

This is divine

I could easily (and happily) get morbidly obese with sweet potato fries.

I'm convinced we're soul mates. And yes, he is my boyfriend, in my own head.

Honestly, who doesn't want their toes to look like this?

I came upon this video/singer when I was reading my favorite blog HelloGiggles. I instantly fell in love with her voice and her quirky style, along with the perfect song choice. This is the perfect song to fall asleep to on a wintery night- take a listen!

Black Bean Brownies; Gluten Free!

2011-12-13T12:23:00.000-08:00

Why does there have to be this grouchy pre-conceived notion that ALL desserts that are tasty and delicious have to make us fat?

Why do we have to be using granulated sugar when we could be using the natural sugars from fruits or agave nectar or honey? Why can't we, instead of using sugar-calorie ridden milk chocolate, use real dark cocoa-that has been proven to have health benefits? Why do we have to use all these complicated enriched flours to thicken things when we could use natural thickeners, say like black beans? (cue segway)...

http://www.mmmisformommy.com

Now, I know this is nothing competely new to a lot of you foodies out there, and I certainly cannot take the credit for coming up with the fabulous idea of using black beans in brownies, BUT I'm posting this anyways because I think that it's important for people to realize that dessert doesn't have to be the enemy! It can, in fact, contain loads of protein and fiber and other good things- it's all just about using unexpected ingredients.

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES:
You Will Needs:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups soft cooked black beans (drained, please)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup instant coffee
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 large eggs
1.5 cups light agave nectar

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a brownie sized baking pan with parchment paper and lightly oil it with butter or non stick spray

Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high. Or, (for what I find to be better consistency), put a bowl over a saucepan w/ simmering water and slowly melt the chocolate and butter by stirring it over the heat of the hot water. Stir with a spoon to melt the chocolate completely. Put in the beans, 1/2 cup of the walnuts, the vanilla extract, and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Blend about 2 minutes, or until smooth. The batter should be thick and the beans smooth at this point.

In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until light and creamy, which should take about 1 minute. Add the agave nectar and beat well. Set aside.

Add the bean/chocolate mixture to the coffee/chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well.

Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are set. Let it cool for a bit, then dig in!

Signs that You Should Get Tested for Celiac Disease (or other gluten issues)

2011-12-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

One of the most complicated aspects of celiac disease is the fact that there are so many possible symptoms that a person with celiac could possibly have. Almost all celiacs have had the similar experience of seeing a crazy number of specialized doctors, being given every pill on the market, and being diagnosed with every kind of ailment out there. Here is a list of some symptoms that you might see as a red flag for celiac disease or another kind of gluten sensitivity...

A family member has been diagnosed with celiac disease or some kind of gluten intolerance.
GI issues, IBS, abdominal pain, nausea, etc
Skin issues; rashes, eczema, psoriasis, allergic reactions to certain skin products
You have been diagnosed with conditions such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, thyroid issues, and adrenal issues.
Anemia; pale skin, low red blood cell count
For women: premenstrual disorders, irregular periods, infertility, difficult or problematic pregnancies, miscarriages
Neurological/psychological issues; depression, seizures/epilepsy, ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, bipolar disorder, irritability/moodiness, brain fog, anxiety/panic attacks, OCD, restless leg syndrome
Insomnia, other sleep issues
Frequent headaches
Organ issues like appendicitis, gall bladder, kidney, liver problems
Dental issues like discolored teeth and enamel defects
Other food intolerances like lactose intolerance
Weight issues (underweight and can't gain weight easily or overweight and can't lose weight easily)
Frequent infections/illnesses; sinus infection, strep throat, pink eye, bronchitis, ear infections, flu, common cold, etc
Down syndrome
Cancer- usually stomach, pancreatic, lymphoma
Frequent or constant fatigue
Canker sores/mouth ulcers
In children: failure to thrive, difficulty in development, difficulty concentrating in school (often misdiagnosed as ADHD or ADD), short stature, bloated belly, leg aches and pains, irritability
Asthma
Hair issues; falling out, thinning, not growing, brittle
Blood pressure is too high or too low

*About 40% of those with celiac have NO symptoms

*Be sure to continue eating gluten regularly before getting tested, or else the test will be skewed and you will not get a proper diagnosis.

Pins of the Week/Song of the Week

2011-12-09T22:48:00.001-08:00

Dream. House.

Lululemon makes me want to workout. Quite the feat.

Drool

Can this be my life?

Hello, gorgeous.

New years?

Bamf.

I absolutely love it when I come upon a YouTube musician who actually puts out true quality, original stuff. You can only take so many covers of Adele songs, so it's quite refreshing to find some new content. This melody is so catchy, her voice is so soothing and warm, and the song has great variance throughout the whole thing. The quality is awesome too. Have a listen!

Celiac Disease Facts & Figures

2011-12-08T20:57:00.001-08:00

One in 133 Americans have celiac disease.

This means that about 3 million Americans suffer from celiac.

Nearly 95% of celiacs are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

The average person waits 6-10 years to be correctly diagnosed.

5-22% of celiacs have family members who also have celiac.

The number of people with celiac disease in the U.S would fill 4,400 Boeing 747 planes.

It would take 936 cruise ships to hold every American with celiac disease.

Many people who test negative for celiac disease are gluten sensitive and find that symptoms go away with a gluten free diet.

By 2019, the celiac diagnosis rate may reach 50-60%.

Gluten free sales exceeded $2.6 billion by the end of 2010 and are expected to reach over $5 billion by 2015.

Merry Macarons

2011-12-06T13:12:00.001-08:00

Photo Credit: Truc over at Treats http://treats-sf.blogspot.com/2011/08/blackberry-and-strawberry-macarons.html

Ok so... I'm sort of cheating on this one. I haven't actually made these YET (key word there). But, I promise you, I'm planning on making these in the near future- sometime closer to Christmas so that they don't go all stale and nasty before I give them to people as gifts. I thought I'd post the recipe on here earlier so that you guys can make these for your friends and family for Christmastime as well! So at least my cheating is all in the name of time management, right?

MERRY MACARONS (recipe adapted from Sorted Food). makes about 48 small macarons
-3 egg whites

-1/3 cup (75 g) superfine sugar

-1/2 cup (125 g) ground almonds

-3/4 cup (175 g) icing sugar

-Flavorings (I recommend using extracts to get the best flavor such as Raspberry extract, lemon extract, vanilla extract, etc.)

-Food coloring

-Fillings of choice (ex: raspberry jam, lemon curd, nutella)

HOW-TO
Preheat oven to 320 F
1. Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until thick and glossy

2. Add the superfine sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form

3. Drop the almonds and icing sugar into the mixture and carefully fold in, retaining as much air as possible.

4. Divide the mixture equally between however many types of flavors you want in seperate bowls. I'm planning on doing three. You can choose your flavor/color combos, but for the sake of instructions, let's use what I plan on doing.)

5. Into one bowl, fold in raspberry flavor and pink food coloring. In another bowl add lemon flavor and yellow food coloring. In the last bowl, add vanilla flavoring and blue food coloring.

6. Spoon each mixture into seperate piping bags

7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and pipe small rounds (about 3 cm) onto the tray, leaving a small gap in between each one

8. Put the tray aside to rest for about 15 minutes so that a slight skin forms on the rounds

9. Pick the tray up and drop it on aflat surface from a small height. This forms the wafery layer under the cookie.

10. Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove and allow to chill at room temperature until they are completely cooled.

11. Make a sandwich with 2 macaron rounds and the filling of choice. For example, take two vanilla rounds and spread some nutella on the flat side of one round and top it off with the other round.

12. Eat/gift within the next 28 hours or some, when they are still fresh!

Opinion: Doctors Don't Like Diagnosing Celiac Disease.

2011-12-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

OPINION ALERT, OPINION ALERT. Yes, this is all my opinion, no I don't have proof for any of this, and no I will not fight you about it. I would, however, like to hear your opinion on the matter- comment below!

I've had a rising suspicion that doctors don't like diagnosing celiac disease. Ever since reading Shawna's (Gluten Free Girl) story of her prolonged diagnosis experience, I've been continuously baffled by the lack of attention given to celiac disease by doctors. I mean, she practically had to beg her doctor to test her for celiac disease. Something is fishy there. I've had to ask myself: Are doctors really out for our best interest?

Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that ALL doctors have alternative motives- the doctor who diagnosed me in 2010 was honestly a great guy who was dedicated to helping me heal. But unfortunately, there is a scary amount of doctors out there who would rather just throw a bunch of pills at someone than go through the effort of diagnosing somebody with a disease that isn't entirely prevalent in the eyes of many a doctor. Besides, prescription drugs earn the doctor more money than a patient's gluten free diet does. As mentioned in the film "Food Matters", "One quarter of what you eat keeps you alive and three quarters of what you eat keeps your doctor alive" As long as a doctor can keep you eating gluten, you will keep needing to buy more medications to solve your problems; a better continuous money-maker for the medical field as opposed to solving the overall problem through celiac diagnosis.

We, as consumers, have been told by corporations and our own doctors that our health problems can be solved with prescribed medication. Therefore, we are given medications for every little problem we have. Unfortunately for the medical industry, celiac disease cannot be cured by a pill; it can only be cured with food. Natural, wholesome, gluten free food. The natural grocery stores are going to be benefiting more from this than our doctors will- possibly explaining the reason why so many celiacs claim that their doctors took an obscene amount of time to even suggest running blood tests. This makes me question the ethics of the medical field. Are they really out to help us in the long run, or are they out to help themselves by milking our consumption of modern medicine for all it's worth? Do doctors even learn anything about natural remedies at medical school, or are they merely taught to give people pills?

Thoughts??

Pins of the Week/Song of the Week

2011-12-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

Pinterest is my drug of choice. Check me out. Pinnin' like a fool.

Yes, please.

Pretty sure those are the exact faces I make in this situation.

I'll take five.

Classic.

Sameer Gadhia. I love you, let's get married. P.S This is proof that guys should wear baseball t's more often.

Yep, it's real and it lives in Germany.

Perfection.

For my song choice this week, I've chosen something that my friend-who-is-much-cooler-and-down-with-the-music- scene-than-me showed me a bit ago. The genre of the song is called Post Dubstep, which doesn't really come out until towards the end of the song, where you get a bit of a surprise twist to the song. I'd say it's not for everyone, but if you like music that keeps you guessing, you should get something out of this one

I Never Learnt to Share: James Blake

Should We All Go Gluten Free?

2011-12-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

This is a topic that has been circulating the gluten-free blogosphere lately, so it might be old news to some. The New York Times recently released an article written by Keith O'Brien about Celiac Disease, "Should We All Go Gluten Free?"- a relatively unimportant bit of news for most people, but for the Celiac community, this kind of publicity and awareness is what we strive for.

I'll let you read the article if you want to get into the details, but I thought I'd mention some bits that I found interesting:

-Dr. Stefano Guandalini of the University of Chicago came to the United States from Italy in the mid 1990's where he was surprised by the lack of information about celiac disease. He claims that even experts seemed to ignore it, citing a primary medical textbook published in 1999 (fairly recent!) that states a prevalence of 1 in 10,000 in the U.S and says that it is a mostly European condition that is decreasing in relevance. This was the formal medical teaching of celiac disease in years as recent as 1999. Scary.

-Celiac disease was extremely prominent and well noted in European countries well before the United States became aware of it. Dr. Alessio Fasano of the University of Maryland even wrote a paper in 1996 titled "Where Have All the American Celiacs Gone?". He wrote this, as an Italian native who moved to the United States and was alarmed by the lack of celiacs as compared to in Italy, where he would regularly see celiacs. He claims that the history of celiac disease as a public health problem in the United States didn't really start until 2003.

-Gastroenterologist, Dr. Joseph A. Murray, found that in comparing blood samples from the 1950's to the 1990's, young people today are about five times more likely to have celiac disease for reasons that cannot yet be explained. Celiac disease is not only being diagnosed more now, it has actually become more common and widespread.

Read the rest of the article (it's really good!) here: New York Times.

Healing With Food

2011-11-23T14:15:00.001-08:00

I'm not talking about the kind of "healing with food" that happens when a boy doesn't like you so you go cry in the corner with some Ben & Jerry's. I'm talking about the use of food as a natural remedy to whatever health-related issues you might be having.

People these days seem to be so caught up with prescriptions for this or that- doctors are handing out drugs like candy. Frankly, it's a little scary. Sometimes all a sick person really needs to be ingesting is some food that is not deep fried or smothered in butter.

As most Celiacs can testify, food is a healer in itself. Eating gluten free foods is the only medicine we need at this point. I think this is something that can be carried over to most other common ailments-it might not be able to completely heal certain things, but it certainly won't hurt.

Improving Digestion & Sleep
Black Beans
Avocado
Apples
Brown Rice
Onion
Grapefruit
Celery
Cucumbers
Peppermint
Ginger
Pineapple
Soybeans
Asparagus

Controlling Blood Pressure/Becoming Heart Healthy
Bananas
Dark chocolate
Scallops
Romaine lettuce
Olives
Kiwi
Grapes
Collard Greens

Cancer and Long-Term Illness Prevention
Blueberries
Kale
Cabbage
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Raspberries
Basil
Brussels sprouts
Seaweed

Energy & Brain Foods
Eggplant
Raisins
Lima Beans
Corn
Tuna
Spinach
Chicken
Green beans
Cod
Hummus
Peanut Butter
Kidney Beans
Honey
Walnuts

Eyesight
Strawberries
Carrots
Smoothies
Flaxseeds

Avoiding Colds & Other Common Illnesses
Orange juice
Bell Peppers
Green Tea
Pumpkin Seeds
Summer Squash
Ground Cinnamon
Garlic
Apricots
Cayenne Pepper
Cranberries
Clementines

How to Properly be on a Gluten Free "Diet"

2011-11-09T22:11:00.000-08:00

First off, I'd like to note that the title of this post is directed towards people who have the option

of eating gluten, but choose to go gluten free to lose weight. Celiacs: you guys are already pros at this,

so consider yourself excused from today's lesson. Or you can stick around- I love your company

regardless.

So as I'm sure most of you have noticed by now, gluten-free stuff is everywhere. Today, there

are more choices than ever when it comes to gluten free cookies, cakes, muffins, breads, you name it- it

comes in gluten free somewhere. On one hand, this is great news for those going gluten free. We can

indulge in our chocolate cake cravings, bring a PB&J sandwich to work, and even give in to a maple

glazed donut or two.

On the other hand...

Gluten free "replacements" of foods are really not any better for us.

You see, most of the grains used to make gluten free goods, such as corn and rice, have much less fiber

than their gluten-ey counterparts like whole wheat. No fiber= no bueno.

Think about it... by eating your standard gluten free muffin, you will run into a lot of processed, white,

starchy stuff mixed with sugar whereas with a diet allowing gluten, you can eat a hearty oat bran muffin

with lots of fiber and nutrient rich grains. In other words: don't expect to lose weight on a gluten free

diet if you regularly eat gluten free muffins, cookies, cakes, etc. The fact that they are gluten free does

NOT make them anything other than sugary sweets.

If you want to lose weight on a gluten free diet, the key is going for foods that are naturally gluten

free like vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, organic fish and lean meats, brown rice, quinoa, etc. Go

about it more like a "real food" diet rather than a "gluten free diet" because "gluten free" infers that you

will still be eating processed, sugary, sodium filled foods- none of which will help your waistline go

down a size. Look at your elimination of gluten as being an elimination of cookies, cakes, white breads,

donuts, all those bad guys that sneak into your closet every night and sew your clothes a little tighter.

I'm no nutritionist, but I can tell you that if you follow these steps when getting groceries at

the supermarket, you will be making healthy choices...

Spend 75% of your time shopping around the outside edges of the store. This is where your fresh veggies, fruits, meats, and dairy products will be. Unfortunately, this is also where the bakery usually is too, but just ignore that part. Otherwise, go hog-wild when it comes to getting fresh and wholesome goods that are naturally gluten free. This is the area of the store where you won't have to bothered with analyzing nutrition labels! Hooray!
Think to yourself, "Will this benefit my body's overall health in any way?" If the answer is yes, go for it. If the answer is no (the food is just for taste), sneakily place the food in someone else's cart and run away quickly. This way, you'll be buying/eating those GF triple fudge chocolate chunk brownies vicariously through an innocent bystander, without the added calories! The perfect solution!
If you do find yourself needing some gluten free bread (use sparingly), go for the multigrain type. Udi's makes a really great multigrain bread, and so does Rudi's... (when in doubt, just buy from the company whose name ends in "-udis", and you're golden).
Don't stress. If you try too hard, you're gonna end up with a kitchen filled with uber-healthy foods that taste like sandpaper and look like rabbit turds. I've heard it helps to move from eating gluten to being gluten free slowly, so that your body (and taste buds) have some time to adjust. If you don't suddenly shock your system, you are more likely to stick with the healthier diet for longer.

Happy Gluten Free-ing!

Feeling Contemplative

2011-11-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

I am sitting outside of my favorite coffee shop right now, waiting for inspiration. I haven't been posting much blog content lately and it's been bugging me because I've had the time- I just haven't had ideas.
So
instead of just sitting here, trying to force out a decent (and relevant) blog post, I'm just gonna write about me. After all, it has been about a year since I started this blog, so we're at that point in our relationship where we can get to know one another a little better!

This is me.

I'm nearing the end of my first quarter as a sophomore (second year) in college, as a major in Communications Studies and a double minor in Tourism Studies and Italian. So basically, I'm shaping out to be an Italian tour guide. But what I really want to do is public relations/marketing of some sort for a company along the lines of Google, Apple, or Pixar. (You can tell where my loyalties lie in the tech world). I want to live in a city apartment with a cute travel photographer boyfriend who can cook and sees my food issues as a charming quirk rather than as a nuisance, and I would like to have a cat named Mr. Pingleton or something established like that. Anything with Mr. in the front.

I have the best friends out there. My Seattle friends have been there with me from the beginning, and we pretty much never run out of things to do. Whether we are watching Disney movies surrounded by boxes of takeout Thai food, swing dancing at Century Ballroom, or huddled around a Denny's booth at 3 am on a Tuesday, I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to be sharing my life with these great people. Of course, I haven't known my Denver friends for as long, but they certainly have a very special place in my heart. With the flood of emotions that go through a college student's mind in these stressful yet awesome times, it's hard to not get close to people quickly. You know you have made good friends when they will go see the Justin Bieber movie with you despite the fact that we are nearing our 20's, they will go out to parties with you then just end up going back to the dorms to watch a movie because we just aren't good at partying, and they will cry with you when you are feeling overwhelmed and homesick.

Most of my work background is in floral design, which I just sort of fell into one day and ended up doing it for almost four years of my life, but I also have a background in social media marketing, event management, and of course, blogging. I am also a self proclaimed professional music finder. I'm that person who is constantly saying "I love this song!" when everyone else has never heard the song in their life. I'm not bragging- I just spend a shiz-load of time on the internet, finding new music. I have a playlist on my ITunes of songs that I still need to listen to and sort. This winter, I will be interning at a Seattle based magazine which is an accomplishment that I am really proud of. I will be shadowing the events/marketing manager so my work will mostly involve assisting at various events around the Seattle metropolitan area. Should be fun!

My sister is a senior at a college in Dallas, Texas and is a theater major. But not the obnoxious singing-and-monologuing-everyone-you-go type of theater major- the serious kind. She wants to do stage acting, and with the amount of success she's had in being casted so far, I think she could really go far. My mom is an elementary school music teacher and an author of two- soon to be three books. I have honestly never met a teacher who is more dedicated to her profession or more invested in her students. Watching her teach makes me smile because I can tell that she is doing what she loves, and she truly excels at it. My dad has his own marimba building business- a marimba is an African instrument that is sort of like a giant wooden xylophone. Yes it's random, but that's why he does well (he's the one you go to when you need a marimba). The fact that he took the risk of starting his own business-and found success in it, inspires me everyday. I know that if I don't find the right company to work for, I can always do what I want to do by just creating my own business. Taking matters into my own hands is what keeps me interested.

My darling parents

My sister, the actress

My favorite food is sweet potatoes in any form, I love running now because it's something I couldn't do when I was eating gluten, I hang up Christmas lights before Halloween has even happened, the scene in Juno right after the baby is born and "Sea of Love" plays makes me cry every time, I prefer rain over the sun, I am really bad at partying, I am a cat person, and I scowl anytime I have to use a Windows computer.