Welcome friends

Welcome to all new and old friends!

The blog formerly known as Sprinkles & Allergies is now the brand spanking new Gluten-free Home. I'm excited to make the debut on blogspot and ready for a fresh start! For those who are new readers, it's nice to meet you! This site is all about everyday living free of gluten and multiple food allergies such as soy, peanuts, and some legumes. I'm a severely food allergic and gluten intolerant girl you see. I'm a freelance magazine writer, student of nutrition, obsessive foodie, (very) amateur wine and zombie enthusiast, and self-proclaimed science nerd. And for old and good friends, I hope you enjoy the new look and feel of the site. 

There's a new URL which is www.gfreehome.blogspot.com, be sure to bookmark it or use the subscribe button on the right panel. The old site at www.sprinklesandallergies.com will be expiring in two short weeks. My new email contact is glutenfreehome1@gmail.com and please feel free to use that liberally! I love hearing from each and every reader or person that has randomly stumbled on me here. So without further ado, goodbye old, hello new.

Best Gluten-free Soups on the Go

I'm a college student, which means time can be hectic.  Traveling to and from campus while having rushed lunches between classes requires some real food planning.  I can't exactly find safe food options easily in the cafeteria since I need to avoid gluten, soy, peanuts, and other foods.  I've learned to love the versatility of ready to serve soups that can be eaten at room temperature or heated. These options offer a good variety of flavors and provide a range of dietary options such as vegan, vegetarian, meat, and dairy-free. They'd be perfect for bringing along on a fun filled road trip (tried and tested method by me)! Here are my top picks for gluten-free and soy-free on-the-go soup options. Lunch tip: Pair these with a prepacked fresh green salad for a healthy boost!

1. Gluten-free Cafe's Chicken Noodle Soup
2. Dr. McDougall's Black Bean Soup (vegetarian, vegan) -- my favorite*
3. Imagine's Creamy Organic Potato Leek Soup (vegetarian, vegan)
4. Pacific's Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Bisque (vegetarian, contains dairy)

Roasted Sunflower Honey Butter

A few years ago, I spent a somewhat awkward year living in Dearborn, Michigan while attending university there. I loved attending classes, seeing the diversity, bustling through the city, and going on impromptu adventures to Detroit. This doesn't sound awkward in the least, but my failing health due to undiagnosed gluten issues complicated everyday activities to the max.

Life in Dearborn became amazing almost overnight after I was finally diagnosed and began my gluten-free journey. One of the first things I learned to love during this time was Sunflower Seed Butter. Granted, I was purchasing it pre-made back then due to being a time starved student. But that didn't remove any of the tasty magical quality of it for me. I remember staring out the kitchen window and childishly dipping my silver spoon time and time again into the sweet seed butter; something I used to do with peanut butter back in my early youth.

Nowadays, I opt for making my own Sunflower Seed buttter for several reasons. I find that many kinds of these butters are produced on shared equipment with soy. After contacting many of these companies, I've been advised that they can't rule out the potential for cross contamination--red flag! Another reason is I love to control how much salt and sugar goes into the butter myself. I am a food purest, and I think most foods contain enough natural taste and sweetness to ward off the addition of processed sugars. While I added honey to my homemade version, it was only a slight drizzle for taste and complemented the warm roasted flavor of the sunflower seeds. To me, food tastes better when I put in the extra effort to make it myself.

Roasted Sunflower Honey Butter

(Naturally free of Gluten, Soy, Peanuts, Dairy, Processed Sugar, & Legumes)

• 2 cups Raw Sunflower Seeds
• 4-5 tablespoons Virgin Coconut Oil (I use Artisana brand)
• 1 tsp Salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp  Vanilla bean paste or Pure Vanilla Extract (McCormick brand is gluten free)
• A drizzle of Raw Local Honey (to taste, more or less)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread raw sunflower seeds evenly over a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Toss them around about halfway through to ensure even roasting.

Place the roasted seeds in a food processor with the salt, vanilla bean paste (scraped from the inside of a vanilla bean) or vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Process the mixture for about a minute, then continue to add the rest of the coconut oil while the processor is running. Adding more or less oil to reach the desired consistency might be needed. Add in the drizzle of honey last. Scrape down the sides of the processor a few times to make sure all the seeds are ground down to a creamy butter.

Enjoy with a childish air, and a silver spoon.

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From a Gluten-Free Nutritional Standpoint...

 

 Snapshot of Snacks at Starbucks (contains gluten and other allergens).

Not all Gluten-free or Allergy friendly processed foods are created equal. I've found that some prepackaged gluten-free products are just as devoid of nutrition and quality ingredients as the traditional and glutenous processed junk that lines grocery store aisles in excess.

I've been meaning to sound off on this for awhile. Now I'm not saying that that all prepackaged gluten-free (or top 8 allergen free) cookies, cakes, breads, or snacks are bad. There are certainly some amazing brands out there that cater to our health and taste buds. And even the so-so brands are great in moderation. Let's face it, it's nice to indulge. But what I see so often in the gluten-free community is the feeling of wanting to replace what's been lost--sugar laden, bad fat filled, white-floury, processed crap! And filling the void until the main source of food consumed is processed, high in sugar, low in nutrients, and unnatural.

Too many food companies are now catering to this dopamine addiction in my opinion. My personal experience with being diagnosed and needing to go gluten free was a journey of needing to heal myself. What my malnourished body was crying out for after all the damage to my stomach and intestines was real solid nutrition--something that isn't always found in processed foods. When you have Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, the last thing that is going to heal your villi is this kind of food.

And so you've become an expert at reading ingredient labels. Now it's time for the easy part; reading nutrition labels in combination with ingredients. Look for processed foods that include wholesome grains instead of more "white flour" like plain rice flour or potato flour. Check out whole grains, natural ingredients, and organic products now and then. Here's a few more detailed things to look for when navigating healthier (but just as tasty!) GF processed foods:

DO: (in moderation)

• Real Food Colorants (one example: beet juice colorings instead of "Red40" or other synthetic colorants)


• Healthy Gluten-free Whole grains (whole grain brown rice, wild rice, brown rice flour, almond flour (if you can tolerate nuts), coconut flour, amaranth, sorghum, quinoa, or buckwheat flour).


• Alternative Sweeteners to White Processed Sugar (some examples: Small amounts of stevia, agave, or raw local honey).


• "Good" fat content--monounsatured fats found often in olive oil, avocado, almonds, etc.


• A SHORT INGREDIENT LIST! -- A good rule to follow here is if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it. Or if it's over 5 or 6 non-organic ingredients, don't eat it.


• Organic, Whole Ingredients (I love some of the Organicville Products. The Pasta sauce is soy free, dairy free, gluten free, nut free, egg free).

[
A Hearty Wild Rice dish is a great alternative to White Rice.

DON'T: (or limit to rarely)

• Baking mixes or processed breads, snacks, etc. that mainly use "white" flour such as white rice flour or potato flour. These really don't do much for you in the nutrition department. Stick to the healthier choices listed above. In my opinion, the healthy ones taste better in baking anyway.


• High Fructose Corn Syrup, Raw Sugar, Evaporated Cane Juice and any other form of highly processed/unnatural sugar in high quantities.


• Artificial ingredients or products that use GMOs. When you're healing and living with a disease or allergies, you really want to limit your intake of these.


• Any Trans fats.

These are just some of the Dos and Don'ts that have helped me heal along the way. Try not to get into the habit of treating your disease or allergies emotionally or mentally with unhealthy foods. Instead, heal your body which will help heal your attitude and emotional damage much more easily. Of course though, the best source of food you can eat will never be processed--it will be straight from the garden or the tree! Food (fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds) in it's natural state can never be fully replaced. You're really not giving up anything when you show your body some much needed love.

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Self Sustaining Spring

This spring, we at Sprinkles and Allergies are challenging ourselves to be more Self Sustaining. Take our challenge for Self Sustainable Spring at Sprinkles & Allergies by planting at least one herb, vegetable, or fruit plant this spring. Join us and share your progress! We'd love to know what you're doing to make a greener spring. Know where your food comes from by growing some of it yourself.

Our indoor garden is preparing for an outdoor move very soon. The usual whispers of spring were anything but quiet this year. Explosions of blossoms, birds, buzzing, and furry creatures started weeks ago here, which is much more than I could have hoped for in previously notorious bitter cold February and March. A mild winter means a wild spring--a time for initiating self sustainable gardens, compost, and overall renewal. Though we live in a small apartment, it's still surprisingly doable, mostly thanks to our large bay windows and balcony. We love breathing in the fresh wisps of spring.

We've been growing Basil and Arugula from the seed for about a week and a half now. I can't believe how much the Arugula has shot up in such a short time. This week, we'll be planting some broccoli and parsley to go along with the other plants since our Kale tree seems to be on the fritz after the winter months.

Above, our arugula is thriving but tending to lean more towards the sun. We'll be moving it outdoors to the balcony soon where it can grow stronger in the full sun. Below, our baby basil are starting to peek through the moist soil.

 

This plant has special meaning to us.

Over a year ago, Yan surprised me with a beautiful flowering plant called a Kalanchoe. The day he got it for me marked the first month of our relationship together. This little tree-like gem has been through a lot, even having been knocked clear off our balcony and ripped out of the pot during a nasty thunderstorm last summer. Today it still grows strong and is beginning to show signs of blossoming again for the spring. I think we'll need a bigger planter for it soon as it's been growing out of control lately! The flower meaning of Kalanchoe is endurance and lasting affection. When asking Yan if he knew this today, he said "Well...uh...of course!! That's the reason I got this one! Yeah!" Nice try Yan ;)

Check out our fall indoor herb garden here.

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