Admit it: you've attended a GF support meeting, meal, or other event and when it was all over, you wondered why you just wasted all that time listening to others "whine and dine". You know how it goes- nobody has had it as bad as me: the symptoms, the sensitivity, the doctor, the........... you get it. It's human nature, sure. We all want our story to be heard, especially when we felt like we went through so much alone and then find ourselves in the company of others who "get it".
WHAT IF there was an event where the rule was "no whining"? You show up with a dish to share, potluck-style, and an understanding that we've all been through the rough times and we're just going to deal with today. Every dish (gluten free, of course) is labeled with ingredients so you can check to see if it's safe if you have other sensitivities. If you like it, take a copy of the recipe. If you don't cook, bring your favorite GF packaged stuff. You know, just like for the family reunion- there's the aunt who always makes the awesome rolls AND the aunt who brings pop and chips.
If you're interested, comment here, on the Facebook fan page, or email me at glutenfreefortwayne@yahoo.com. I don't have a huge audience on here just yet, so I'm thinking maybe sometime in 2012. Being opening day at the zoo today, I thought perhaps we could rent the big pavilion there at Franke Park and people can make a day of it if they want- go to the zoo, play at the park, AND eat some GF food. Maybe 5 bucks a person or family or something to cover the cost of the facilities and any extra money is donated somewhere for Celiac research....?? University of Maryland or Chicago or something...? Maybe see if we can get popular GF brands and local businesses to donate samples and/or coupons...?
Let me know your thoughts. Let's get a conversation going- publicly, if possible (here or FB), so people can see there is interest and get involved in the conversation. This is something I just thought up today, so I'm open to hear from others. I don't want to make it too complicated like other big GF events- I don't have time- but how tough could a potluck be if I'm starting more than a year in advance? Famous last words perhaps........ but hey, this is just a conversation at this point. I'm not committed to anything but typing these words. :)
Talk to me!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
NoOodles!
Meijer recently started carrying several new gluten free products. Among them was this curious little bag of precooked noodles floating around in water waiting to be served. I bought one, not knowing what to expect, but expecting very little. For as convenient as it seemed, there was no way that it could be any good. I used the excuse of my blogging duties here to sacrifice and try these things myself.
I missed the part on the package that said it has zero calories.
Today I decided to try these silly little noodles for dinner, fully intending on cooking a backup meal when they ended up a disaster. The package says to rinse them very well. I wasn't very concerned about that until I smelled them. Backup dinner, get ready... I rinsed. I cautiously tasted. I liked. NoOodles are good!
So now what? What do I have in my kitchen to make these into a meal or something? I mixed in some Herb Medley seasoning from Cali Fine Foods. Ooh, wonderful! I opened a can of mixed veggies, threw it in the microwave for a minute, and then mixed in some cheese. It can't be that bad, can it?
It was awesome! I really enjoyed my dinner, my one-year-old had fun with the noodles, we both ate our vegetables, and I didn't feel guilty about stuffing myself with something gluten free...... which of course then required some rewarding with leftover Apple Spice Cake made from a 1-2-3 Gluten Free mix.....
The new challenge is to venture back out and discover how much I paid for this stuff. If it's cheap enough, I just may have another tool to use in losing a few (many) pounds!
I missed the part on the package that said it has zero calories.
Today I decided to try these silly little noodles for dinner, fully intending on cooking a backup meal when they ended up a disaster. The package says to rinse them very well. I wasn't very concerned about that until I smelled them. Backup dinner, get ready... I rinsed. I cautiously tasted. I liked. NoOodles are good!
So now what? What do I have in my kitchen to make these into a meal or something? I mixed in some Herb Medley seasoning from Cali Fine Foods. Ooh, wonderful! I opened a can of mixed veggies, threw it in the microwave for a minute, and then mixed in some cheese. It can't be that bad, can it?
It was awesome! I really enjoyed my dinner, my one-year-old had fun with the noodles, we both ate our vegetables, and I didn't feel guilty about stuffing myself with something gluten free...... which of course then required some rewarding with leftover Apple Spice Cake made from a 1-2-3 Gluten Free mix.....
The new challenge is to venture back out and discover how much I paid for this stuff. If it's cheap enough, I just may have another tool to use in losing a few (many) pounds!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Guten Free Events
April 9 Farmington Hills, MI Gluten Free Food Fair 10:00am - 2pm First Presbyterian Church of Farmington 26165 Farmington Road Farmington Hills, MI 48334 (248) 474 -6170 Join us and 27 great gluten-free vendors.
April 16 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Memorial Hospital, 615 N Michigan, South Bend, IN. Booths with nutritional information, vendors with G-F products, area restaurants. Workshops about baking G-F, living G-F, Celiac Disease and more. Free conference and free parking in garage. Contact person: Jeannie Derrow, RN: 574-220-5040. For more information: jbderrow@aol.com
April 30-May 1 Chicago Gluten & Allergen Free Expo
The Wyndham Hotel, Lisle, IL, 8 am - 5pm. Cooking, baking and nutrition classes offered for $175 per day. Price includes classes, gourmet lunch, gift bag of goodies, and entrance to Vendor Fair. Special kids cooking class offered. Vendor Fair with 70+ vendors offered to public for $15 adults and children under 12 free.
May 21 Grand Rapid Gluten Free Food Fair 10 am - 5pm. A new, larger location this year at Deltaplex, 2500 Turner Ave NW, Downtown, Grand Rapids, MI. Given by the CSA chapter of Grand Rapids. Vendor Fair proving samples and coupons. G-F cooking lessons & conferences. Watch the website for the conference schedule postings early April. You must register for a conference and there is a limit of one conference.
September 25 Goshen Gluten Free and Wellness Show 10 am - 2 pm. I.U. Health
October 7-9 Indianapolis Gluten Free Living Expo 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at The Fountains 502 Carmel Drive Carmel, IN 46032 The expo will have vendors offering all kinds of foods, testing items, and informational sessions. Cooking demonstrations will be offered by a few of the vendors. Featured lecturer: Dr. Alessio Fasano, M.D. Center for Celiac Research. I've seen him speak twice and recommend this to anyone who has never seen him before.
Special Thanks to CSA 110 Michiana and Gluten Free Indy for sharing most of this information.
April 16 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Memorial Hospital, 615 N Michigan, South Bend, IN. Booths with nutritional information, vendors with G-F products, area restaurants. Workshops about baking G-F, living G-F, Celiac Disease and more. Free conference and free parking in garage. Contact person: Jeannie Derrow, RN: 574-220-5040. For more information: jbderrow@aol.com
April 30-May 1 Chicago Gluten & Allergen Free Expo
The Wyndham Hotel, Lisle, IL, 8 am - 5pm. Cooking, baking and nutrition classes offered for $175 per day. Price includes classes, gourmet lunch, gift bag of goodies, and entrance to Vendor Fair. Special kids cooking class offered. Vendor Fair with 70+ vendors offered to public for $15 adults and children under 12 free.
May 21 Grand Rapid Gluten Free Food Fair 10 am - 5pm. A new, larger location this year at Deltaplex, 2500 Turner Ave NW, Downtown, Grand Rapids, MI. Given by the CSA chapter of Grand Rapids. Vendor Fair proving samples and coupons. G-F cooking lessons & conferences. Watch the website for the conference schedule postings early April. You must register for a conference and there is a limit of one conference.
September 25 Goshen Gluten Free and Wellness Show 10 am - 2 pm. I.U. Health
Goshen Hospital, Arbor Room, Goshen, IN. Vendors offering samples and selling their products. First 300 guests registered receive a reusable shopping bag full of goodies. Each registered guest will have their name put into a drawing for a gift basket or gift card from a vendor at the show. Must be present to win. Contact: Tanya Trick 574-825-3366. More information: famileslivingwithcd@email.com
October 7-9 Indianapolis Gluten Free Living Expo 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at The Fountains 502 Carmel Drive Carmel, IN 46032 The expo will have vendors offering all kinds of foods, testing items, and informational sessions. Cooking demonstrations will be offered by a few of the vendors. Featured lecturer: Dr. Alessio Fasano, M.D. Center for Celiac Research. I've seen him speak twice and recommend this to anyone who has never seen him before.
Special Thanks to CSA 110 Michiana and Gluten Free Indy for sharing most of this information.
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