Gluten-Free Book Review: The Everything Guide to Gluten-Free Living

This is another book review I've been meaning to share with you for months! My good friend Jeanine Friesen, creator and author of "The Baking Beauties" a wonderful Canadian gluten-free food blog, has written a brand new book called, "The Everything Guide to Living Gluten-Free."

(...and I know I'm biased, but I'm thrilled this book is published by Adams Media, the publishers I work with as well and who also published my gluten-free slow cooker cookbook!) 

In the very beginning of the book Jeanine states, "...a gluten-free life isn't all about loss and restrictions. It is also about variety and abundance and finding new ways to enjoy your life."  THIS is why I love Jeanine. She believes in being positive and finding the best possible outcome even when you're diagnosed with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity or a wheat allergy. This book will give you an incredibly positive outlook on life gluten-free.

Complete with chapters on why people go gluten-free, an in-depth look at Celiac disease, and what gluten is and ALL the places it can be found. Jeanine's guide will give you tips and hints for every aspect of going gluten-free. There is an entire chapter on starting a gluten-free diet. How to organize and stock your kitchen gluten-free. How to go shopping gluten-free. How to eat out and travel gluten-free. If you want a complete all-in-one guide, Jeanine's book is the best resource for your gluten-free lifestyle!

And then on top of all that, Jeanine also includes 100 incredible recipes for starting a gluten-free diet. Recipes such as:

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
• Cheesiest Macaroni and Cheese
• Baked Chicken Fingers
• Lean Beef Stroganoff
• Waldorf-Inspired Quinoa Salad
• Baked Mexican Rice Casserole
• Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits
• Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Fluffy Raspberry Frosting

So do those sound good? I thought so! Jeanine's new book is NOW available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and probably your favorite online retailer! Please check out her new book, buy a copy, and please please please leave her a review once you've picked one up! 

Seriously, "The Everything Guide To Living Gluten-Free" is one of the best resources to have on hand if you are gluten-free. I hope to donate a few copies of this to my local library very soon! 

What's the most important tip you could give to someone who is newly gluten-free? 

Please share your thoughts in the comments below! 

Take me out to the ballgame...

Just about mid-March the "spring" itch begins.. some people just get itchin' to plant something... to get outside, to dig their fingers in the dirt, and add annuals to their spring beds.

But for me... spring    means    baseball!

Ever since we were dating my husband and I have gone to see the Mudcats battle it out around the pitch at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC.

There's just something comforting and "All American" to make it back to the stadium every spring. To hear the National Anthem being sung by local talent. The 13 year old boy who sang it on Friday night for the opening game had the entire stadium in a quiet hush as he opened his voice and his heart with the age-old tune. Every note bold, beautiful, with perfect pitch.

As you walk into the stadium, the scent of pizza and hotdogs and popcorn and boiled peanuts waft through the air. Your mouth begins to water... the gluten-free options? Well... few and far between, but you could also have popcorn or peanuts... maybe ice-cream if you're cool with dairy.

Instead I pack my own. Friday night's gluten-free baseball food was a fried egg & turkey bacon sandwich on Rudi's new gluten-free whole grain bread. Along with roasted pistachios in the shell and some coconut yogurt. I treat myself to a soda instead of food. I wasn't feelin' it for peanuts or popcorn.

The best mascot in local baseball: Muddy, the Mudcat! A mudcat is an American catfish often found in muddy river waters in the South. We keep our mascots classy around here.

But truly Muddy is the highlight of the game. It's coming back to see a happy old friend every year, with his fish tail swishing on his four wheeler! In between innings Muddy plays games with the kids in the crowd, tosses t-shirts to fans, and loves to make people laugh. Think: a southern catfish version of Santa... okay, maybe not.

Muddy had friends with him at this game, Mini Muddy and the happy Pig from our favorite local grocery store, THE Piggly Wiggly. I never could figure out why the pig was so happy considering his certain fate in the grocery store butcher department (after all Piggly Wiggly is KNOWN for it's awesome pork products!)

After one inning they rode around the baseball field in a gigantic grocery cart. Because where else do people ride around in a gigantic grocery cart?

Baseball games are always happy memories. Even if it's 40 degrees at an April game in rural eastern NC!

I'm proud to say that I am the one who brought a huge love of baseball to our relationship (thanks Dad!)... thankfully Michael quickly followed suit!

I love that baseball games bring out everybody, even a beautiful momma with her three babies next to her. One, super small and bundled snug in a zebra blanket.

Coffee and gloves were needed for this baseball game... it wasn't Starbucks... but it was hot.

Are we having fun yet?

Can you see it?

I'm still waiting for the zoom lens... that will have to wait until Christmas! Did you see it yet? Michael caught these great shots of the ball being pitched.

Last chance!

I told you it was cold! This guy came well prepared!

And a 10 - 1 win for the Mudcats! Bring it boys! We'll be back soon!

Are you going to a baseball game anytime soon? You should! What gluten-free goodies would you pack to take with you?

Gluten-Free Book Review: Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free: A Whole Food Starter Guide & Cookbook

Back in December my friend Hallie Klecker asked me to review her newest e-book. A wonderful collaboration written with Alisa Fleming, author of Go Dairy Free. This book, "Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free: A Whole Food Starter Guide & Cookbook" is exactly that: a perfect place to start when you go gluten-free and dairy-free.

What I love about this amazing little book is that it not only gives you a full description of what gluten-free and dairy-free REALLY means... it also gives you list after list of foods you can eat, foods you should avoid, shopping lists, a menu planner, etc... this book is a one-stop-shop for learning how to fully become both gluten-free and dairy-free.

Hallie and Alisa have also created 75 delicious recipes that will get you started on your gluten-free & dairy-free journey. How do these recipes sound:

• Banana Cream Pie Shake
• Cranberry Walnut Breakfast Biscuits
• Maple Apple Turkey Sausages
• Weeknight Chicken & Vegetable Chili
• Fresh Salmon salad with Lemon Ginger Dressing
• Florentine Flatbread "Pizza" 
• Chicken Curry in a Hurry!
• Chewy Dark Chocolate Brownies
• Maple Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Then, in addition to all of the mouth-watering recipes, you'll also receive meal planning tips and hints which show you how to cut down on prep time and make weeknight gluten-free & dairy-free cooking fast and easy. 

Would you like a copy of this book? (And you absolutely should!)  I'm giving away one electronic kindle copy of this book! Simply leave a comment on this blog post letting me know why you'd like this book and what recipe you would try first! 

*******************

The Giveaway:

• I am giving away one brand new electronic kindle copy of Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free: A Whole Food Starter Guide and Cookbook. 
• This giveaway is open to everyone. 
• One entry per person.
• Enter by leaving a comment below on this post AND please include a way for me to contact you -- your email address preferably.
• The giveaway begins March 27, 2013 and ends on March 31, 2013  at 11:00 pm eastern daylight savings time.
• No purchase is necessary.  Odds of winning are based on the number of entries.  
• The winners will be randomly chosen and will be contacted by email.  The winners will have 24 hours to respond.  If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be randomly chosen.

GLG Disclosure: 

Hallie Klecker provided me with an electronic copy of 'Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free: A Whole Food Starter Guide and Cookbook' for the purpose of sharing an online review, if I chose to do so. I am personally purchasing the new e-book that is being given away. This is not a sponsored post and I did not receive compensation. The opinions in this post are completely my own. 

2 Hour Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Meals: Jambalaya

One thing I learned when I wrote my slow cooker cookbook was that people have very strong opinions about their slow cookers. They can love them or they can hate them. There aren't many 'tweeners.

Well one thing I love about them (especially newer "Crock Pot" slow cooker models) is that they actually cook pretty fast, especially on high heat. And yes, I know that's a contradiction. Why in the WORLD would you want a "slow cooker" to cook FAST?

Because I'm never home. That's why!  I'm out of the house over 10 hours a day during the work week, which unfortunately is not conducive to MOST slow cooker recipes (unless you like really burned, or really over cooked food!). So some evenings when I get home... I throw something in the slow cooker as SOON as I get in the house. Toss it in... I can do a ton of other things (like write other cookbooks) while that's cooking and by the time Michael gets home a few hours later... dinner is done. And it took me all of five minutes to throw together.

And that was tonight's dinner. Zatarain's Jambalaya with gluten-free sausages cooked in the slow cooker. We served it with leftover broccoli from the night before and some canned green beans. We're super gourmet like that.

I don't make boxed mixes every week... but it's so cool you can make them like this in your slow cooker. Nothing burns, it's not overcooked (it actually cooked the rice through in about an hour and forty minutes), and there's very little to clean up. And since there's only two of us... this mix (and we added extra brown rice and water, so it wouldn't be as spicy) will make at least 3 meals for us.

Thanks Zatarain's! I love seeing those two happy words on your box! Now if only you could make it with less sodium and fewer preservatives you'd make a lot of other people happy too! :-)

So try it out! A slow cooker meal in two hours. And there's quite a few recipes you could use in one of my favorite cookbooks!

Cat Shaming #1 - No Leftovers...

Thanks for no lunches tomorrow Whiskey Jack... And from now on, the leftovers will go in the fridge AS SOON as we've plated our food...