Gluten Free baked goods for Sale!!

It's legal to sell baked goods made in a home kitchen! So I am going to give it a whirl.

Here's an article about the new law.

Here's what I will be making this week:

Peanut butter or chocolate chip cookies $.75each
Peach pie (pick up Sunday only) $15
Peach Cobbler $10
Zucchini bread $4
Banana bread $5
Zucchini brownies $5 a pan
whole chocolate cake $15
chocolate cupcakes $.75 each

...

Let me know today if your interested in ordering anything to be picked up either Saturday or Sunday this week. Spread the word to anyone you know who eats gluten free. If it goes well at home, I might work on getting a permanent spot at the market for next season.

Feel free to leave a message here or call me: (616) 318-1825

our fave restaurants

Eating out can be sooooo frustrating when you have a food allergy. (*Please note, I understand that celiac is not an allergy, but I use the term because it's the one that everybody seems to get, and for the benefit of those here who are gluten free for other reasons) Even if the restaurant has something you could eat sometimes it's impossible to find out for sure because the staff is not educated on the issue. I get so upset when we encounter people in the food industry who lack the knowledge needed to answer our questions about the menu. I continually meet people who honestly don't even understand what wheat is! If you don't believe me, here is an example:

One time in a burger place I ordered my youngest daughter a burger without the bun, the waitress looked at me confused so I told her that my daughter couldn't have wheat. She replied, "Oh, we don't have wheat buns, we only have white buns." No joke.

Our worst experiences have taken place while traveling. It's so hard to go someplace your not familiar with. For a very long time after going gluten free, we didn't eat out at all. We still don't eat out as often as we used to, but it is so nice to be able to go out to eat sometimes, especially in social situations and on special occasions.

Here's a list of the places we frequent because they have gluten free options and are knowledgeable about it. Click on the name to visit their website.

Noodles - They really only have one gluten free entree, Pad Thai, but it's Lily's fave dish. I think some of the soups and definitely the salads are gluten free. They have great allergy info both in the store and on their website and when you order you tell them 'gluten allergy aware' and they will flag the order so that it is prepared separately from any gluten ingredients. Get a punch card, every 10th meal is free and be sure to sign up for their email list. They will send you a coupon for FREE noodles from time to time.

Qdoba- They actually have a lot of gluten free options. My kids love the gumbo soup. You can get any of the burritos 'naked' and have chips instead of the flour tortilla. If you go, make sure you get their loyalty card because every 8th entree is FREE! They also send good coupons to your email.

Marie Catrib's- What a great local place! They always have the best gluten free options, including gluten free bread for the sandwiches! They have both rye and white. The first time Rich went there and ordered a sandwich on Rye, he panicked after the first bite because it tasted sooooo good he couldn't believe it was gluten free and assumed they had made a mistake. The waitress reassured him it was gf and he enjoyed every bite! They also make really good hummus!

Brick Road Pizza - has gluten free Pizza! It's good and we love the atmosphere of the place but think it's quite pricey. But can you place a value on pizza night? Our eating habits have changed a lot over the years, and we don't crave pizza very often, but everybody deserves a pizza party from time to time!

Palace of India- Oh, soooo yummy. We have come to love Indian food, especially after discovering that the breading on the vegetable pekora is not wheat flour, but chickpea flour! Mmmmmm, fried califlower! Our favorite dish is the curry chicken.

I just bought a bunch of coupons for Brick Road, Palace of India and a few other local places at restaurant.com. They are having an 80% off sale till tomorrow, so hurry over there to buy yours! It makes eating out a whole lot more affordable! If you miss this sale, become their fan on Facebook to find out when they go on sale again!

One place we don't eat: APPLEBEES! and we learned that the hard way. I don't think I have ever had good service there and they are not very gluten free friendly. The last time we went there (we were traveling and didn't have a lot of options), poor Daisy had to sit sadly coveting me and Rosie's (glutenous) food, waiting for her dinner because they brought her food on a bun even after a lengthy conversation with the waitress about wheat and the fact that she couldn't have it. She obviously had no understanding of what your basic foods are made out of cause while ordering, AFTER I explained, she offered us pasta! Really. I just think if your gonna work in the food industry you should be required to have a basic knowledge of food. Maybe I'm asking too much.

Flour Mix Update

I want to share again how I make my gluten free flour mix that I use for most of my general baking because I have developed a new system that is much cheaper and easier than buying flours at a health food store. These days I shop at ethnic markets.

On this journey of learning to eat gluten free in a culture that seems to think wheat is the only grain that exists we have learned that most other cultures in the world use a lot of other grains. We have always loved ethnic food. These days we eat a lot more of it and we have grown to love our local ethnic grocery stores.

For only about $1 a bag, I buy the flours for the flour mix at either the Wei Wei palace on Division Ave. near 44th St. or at Adong Asian Market also on Division near 36th st.

To make a batch of the flour mix, combine 3 16 oz bags of White Rice Flour

three 12 0z bags of Potato Starch

and 1/2 the bag of tapioca starch

stir the flours together well and store in an airtight container.

I usually mix up a double batch and it fills my BIG yellow tuperware container that I keep in the pantry and a smaller canister that I keep out on the counter.

I also buy sweet rice flour (glutinous, but don't worry, it contains no gluten) to use in cookies. Using 1/4 or maybe even less sweet rice flour of the total required flour amount for a cookie recipes makes them a little chewier. Don't use too much cause then it makes things very sticky.

We have also been shopping at the Indian market and expierimenting with Chic Pea flour. It makes the BEST batter for fried cauliflower by the way!

Hope this helps! Let me know what you bake and how it works for you!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, YUM!

Lily's birthday is this weekend and she wanted to bring some chocolate chip cookies to school today to share with her class so I tried the Better Homes and Garden's chocolate chip recipe because I wasn't too impressed with the gluten free recipes I have made in the past. They turned out amazing and I really don't think most people would even be able to tell that they are gluten free.

Most of my best gluten free baking recipes have come from the

Better Homes and Garden cookbook.

I think it's because they are very standard recipes using basic old fashioned baking techniques.

Here's the recipe:
Essential Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

and here's how I converted it to gluten free flours,
it calls for 2 1/2 cups of wheat flour so instead I used:

1 cup of the flour mix (stay tuned for an update about this)

1 cup chick pea flour (look for Ladu Beasan at the Indian Market)

1/2 cup sweet rice flour

and I added 1 tsp xanthum gum.

The end result was chewy inside and crunchy around the edges. The texture and consistency was just like good old homemade chocolate chip cookies! If you try this recipe yourself, let me know what you thought and what flours you tried!

Making Our New House a Home

We are begining to feel settled in here and the older girls are both in school. We have been working hard to establish our rythyms and routines. We are all very thankful that after the crazy roller coaster ride of not knowing where we were going to live, that we ended up in this house and it works so well for us.

I have been enjoying getting things moved in and set up in our new house and it's starting to feel like home. I have an amazing craft room to work in, which has allowed me to make some things for our house instead of going shopping. Luna needed a new bed and our bed needed a nice blanket both for warmth and to add some color to our room.

The blanket I made from cut up, felted wool sweaters and backed with flannel. It was pretty easy and only took me one evening and part of the next day to finish. I plan to make another one for the couch with red, orange and brown colors in an attempt to tie together our bright red couch and retro orange chair!

Another quick little project I finished this week was this new purse, just in time as my old one was really wearing out. I found the felted bag at The Outlet for only $4.50 and used some wool sweater scraps from the blanket to sew on some pockets.


I really miss being able to grow our own food in the huge garden out at the farm and collecting fresh eggs, but I figured there had to be some way to produce some of our own food still, so I decided to try sprouting.

SPROUTS

The ones on the left are Fenugreek seeds, which I am anxious to try and the ones on the right are chick peas. My first go at sprouting, last week, I tried mung beans. Because of my lack of expierience, I used way to many seeds and had sprouts coming out of everywhere! They were very good, but I had to get creative in trying to use them up which inspired trying this new recipe:

FRESH SPRING ROLLS

I found the recipe in the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites Cookbook and we (Rich and I anyway, the kids weren't big on them cause they were raw and not at all like the egg rolls at the Chinese restaurant that they love.) really liked them. Rich made a sweet garlic dipping sauce to go with them.

We definitely eat well round here! I love having a kitchen that is big enough to work in, a dining room to sit down together in and a dishwasher to help with all the dishes we dirty!

I am still trying to use up all of the zucchini we grew in the garden this summer so the other night I made a double batch of zucchini brownies and zucchini bread. The bread recipe came from my favorite Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and turned out great with part rice flour mix and part sorghum flour and a little xanthum gum. The Zucchini brownies are from the Simply in Season cookbook that I have been using alot for ideas about what to do with the garden's produce.

ZUCCHINI BROWNIES

Simply in Season
by Mary Beth Lind, Cathleen Hockman-Wert
Serves 18-24

• 1 cup / 250 ml flour
• 3/4 cup / 175 ml whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup / 75 ml baking cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine in large bowl.

• 2-3 cups / 500-750 ml zucchini (shredded)
Stir in.

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup / 175 ml sugar
• 3/4 cup / 175 ml brown sugar
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine in separate bowl and beat with fork. Stir into zucchini mixture. Spread evenly into greased 9 x 13-inch / 3.5 L pan.

• 1/2-1 cup / 125-250 ml semisweet or mint chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml nuts (chopped; optional)
Sprinkle on top of batter. Bake in preheated oven at 350F / 180C until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.

Enough room to live, friends nearby, crafts and good food!! It doesn't get any better! In my next post, I'll give you the grand tour of our new house!

Ice Cream!

There is no better treat in the summer! We have been eating lots f ice cream lately.

Thankfully there is such a thing as Gluten free ice cream cones!

We get these at Harvest Health, but I also just noticed that they had them in the Gluten Free section at Meijer. They are very good, all the kids love them.

Farm Life

...is very busy. I have not had time to spend in front of the computer. I have been busy cleaning up things, building fence, cooking meals, and planting the garden. It is very hard work living out here, but today is rainy and since I can't work in the garden like I had planned (I am very grateful today for the rain actually, it is just what the garden needs and it offers me rest) I thought I would share a little bit of our farm experiences so far. Our family is learning so much and really enjoying being out here. I hate to think about how fast summer is going to go by. I am already amazed by how spring has slipped so quickly into summer. Time seems different out here, it moves in a strange slow and yet so fast kind of way, one I have never experienced before.

This tree is the first thing I see when I look out the window from my bed in the morning and every day it has changes. Now it has all it's leaves.

The lilacs are already gone. I am so glad I took some photos. The smell was so sweet and beautiful. There are many large trees out here and many bees buzzed around them. Now that I am growing I appreciate the bees in a new way realizing how necessary they are to the plants. Farmer Brian also keeps bees here on the property.

When the sheep first arrived here the lambs were so small. Now they seem almost as big as their mothers.

We also measure time by the growth of sweet little Solaya. A baby growing happens in the most amazingly fast way. She is 8 weeks now I believe.

We have been working ground that has not been worked in years, and praying that our hard work will bear fruit this season. First we had to pull trees and overgrown bushes out with the tractor, then we used this plow to begin to break up the earth.

It is a strong ancient looking thing and when I look at it I think of how old it is and how amazing it is that it is being used all these years later for the same purpose that is was created. It has been resurrected. I think of how God promises to resurrect all things and I feel a little closer to understanding.

Next we used this disc to break up the soil even more.

In all I think that we plowed the garden twice and went over it with the disc at least 4 times. There are so many roots that after all this we still had to rototill each bed before we could begin planting anything, and there are still big clods of dirt to work around. So far we have planted more than 50 pounds of potatos, oinions, lettuce and spinach, and tomato, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and bean transplants from David's greenhouse. This week we need to plant our pumpkins and hopefully some grains. We are going to expierament with gluten free grains such as quinoa, millet and teff and see if they not only work for food, but also as mulch for next years garden.

This is the outhouse that Rich built. He is really developing the handyman skills out here!

Here is Rich and his new toy... I mean "farm implement". He sold his motorcycle and used some of his profit to buy it. I sure like it better than the motorcycle though! He has been using is to haul dirt and things for the garden, but he sure does enjoy riding it on the trails too.


Amy was out this week helping in the garden and she has put together a great blog post about it. She takes such beautiful photographs, it makes everything look so romantic. She also has some photos of Rich and I hard at work. She also posted about our trip to the farmer's market so take a look at that too.

We are planning to head to the Fulton Street market again this Saturday, so come on out and buy some plants! Amy and I are also baking some gluten free goodies to sell. MMMmmmmm, penut butter cookies!

Quinoa

As promised, here is everything I have learned about Quinoa thanks to Wikipedia and the Gluten Free Girl and a little time spent messing around in the kitchen.

Quinoa (pronounced /ˈkiːnoʊ.ə/ or /kwɨˈnoʊ.ə/, Spanish quinua, fromQuechua kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a psuedocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a grass. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach and tumbleweeds. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited. Unlike wheat or rice, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. (from Wikipedia)

This is what the plant looks like:

and this is what whole grain Quinoa looks like when you cook it. It is cooked similarly to rice, 1 part quinoa to one part water brought to a boil, then covered and simmered for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. It can also be cooked in vegetable or chicken broth for more flavor.

When I cook it, I usually make 2 cups of Quinoa at once. We eat half with one recipe that day and I save the other half in the fridge for a few days later with something else. Lily likes to eat it plain with just some Bragg's Liquid aminos on it. It tastes especially good with corn and goes well with roasted vegetables too.

Quinoa is available in many forms. We buy this Quinoa and corn pasta, which is really good. It's available at Harvest Health and even Meijer I think.

Here is a meal I have made twice now with Quinoa and we have all really liked it. It is basically black beans cooked with oinions, green chiles and lots of fresh cilantro served on top if the Quinoa and topped with cheese and chrunched up tortilla chips. The time I made gluten free corn bread and fried plantains to go with it.


Daisy likes it!

I also discovered that Quinoa is a great stand in for the cracked wheat in traditional middle eastern tabouli, from a great recipe for a Southwest Quinoa tabouli. I ate it on tortilla chips and it was awsome. To make it follow the recipe below adding black beans and corn, omitting the cucumber and replacing the parsley with cilantro. Have fun expiramenting and let me know what you make!

Here is the recipe for the traditional tabouli:

Tabouli

2 cups cooked and cooled Quinoa
1 cucumber, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, (8) sliced
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
2 cups fresh chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

*this is also extra yummy with some Feta cheese mixed in!

Dressing:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Cook the Quinoa by boiling 2 cups water and stirring in 1 cup of rinsed Quinoa. Stir once then cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Cool. Combine the salad ingredients, including Quinoa, in a medium bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together and stir into the salad mixture. Serve chilled.It is best to cover the mixture and let it sit in the fridge for a hour or more so all the flavors can mix together.

Gluten Free Grains

When you are first learning to eat gluten free, it seems as though the whole world is made of wheat. Sometimes when I was in the grocery store I would look at entire aisles in amazement that every item on the shelf was made of wheat. Even for someone who can tolerate it, is a diet so narrow really healthy?

Once we had cut all the wheat in our lives, it suddenly seemed as though all we were consuming was rice. When I took stock of the items we were buying to replace our wheat products, I realized that everything we were buying (and spending way too much on) was made of some form of rice. The pastas, the cookies, the cereals... This couldn't be healthy either.


I am not sure how it came to be that we only consume so few grains in this country and why there are so many other healthier grains grown here and all around the world (something to do with profits I assume). How is it that most Americans have never even heard of them when many of them are grown here? I had never heard of many of them until we had to start eating gluten free, but now I am on a quest to try them all and incorporate them into our diets. You can't buy these things ready made in a box, so I am learning to cook; to really cook, real food. I laugh now because in all the 10 years that we have been married (which is actually all of my adult life) I have never really spent any time being concerned about preparing food. Now I find myself washing out canisters that have been on the shelf as decoration in order to store the large quantities of bulk grains and flours that I have been buying. I have had to blow dust off of the stack of cookbooks on top of the refrigerator in order to find recipes to try with these new foods and I am excited by it all. This Celiac diagnosis my family has been given has in some ways been a blessing. without it, I probably never would have taken the time to learn about new foods and cooking. It feels very good to prepare real, good food for my family that will help them grow and be healthy.

Here is a list and a quick synopsis of the inherently gluten free grains I have recently discovered, purchased and set out to learn how to cook and eat. As I try each of them I will share what I learn and the recipes that we like.

Quinoa has been a staple grain in South America for thousands of years. It is as high in protein as milk and high in calcium, b vitamins, potassium and zinc. It's the only one of these grains I have used very much yet and my next post will be dedicated to how we've been eating it.

Millett First grown in China, it was considered a sacred grain, but for some reason it fell out of favor with the upper classes and today is considered poor man's food in most of the world. In the United States however, we don't even consider it fit for human consumption and mostly only sell it as bird feed even though it is extreemly high in iron and is a complete protein.

Amaranth An ancient grain, first grown thousands of years ago in Mexico. It is high in iron, fiber, and amino acids. It is tiny and round.

Sorghum The United States is actually the largest grower of Sorghum in the world. Imagine that. Ever heard of it? What do we do with it all if no one here eats it? Sorghum flour is great for making gluten free breads. I have a great recipe I have been looking forward to trying. I just got a kitchenaid mixer and I can't wait to put it to good use!

Teff is the staple grain of Ethiopia and I bought some because I am excited to try making traditional Ethiopian injera bread. It is a thin spongey pancake like bread that is kind of sour. It is used to scoop up food in liue of utensils in Ethiopian cuisine. It is extreemly nutritious containing lots of protein, calcium and iron. One cup of teff contains the entire USDA recommended ammount of iron for an adult for one day!

This information came from the book, Gluten Free Girl, which I highly reccomend! The author, Shauna Ahren has a great blog too!

Saturday Morning at Ma's Cafe

Waffles

(from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1962 edition)

Makes about 8 waffles.

1 3/4 cups gluten free flour mix
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 beaten egg yolks
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup oil
2 stiff-beaten egg whites

Stir together dry ingredients. Combine egg yolks and milk; stir into dry ingredients. Stir in oil. Fold in egg whites, leaving some fluff. Bake in waffle maker.

about Celiac disease

In response to Kathy's comment on my last post, here is some information about Celaic:

Celiac Disease (CD) is a lifelong, digestive disorder affecting children and adults. When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed. Even small amounts of gluten (I have read that one crumb the size of the head of a pin is enough to make someone with CD very sick) in foods can affect those with CD and cause health problems. Damage can occur to the small bowel even when there are no symptoms present. It is not an allergy, it is an autoimmune disease with serious long term consequences such as malnutrition and cancer if not taken seriously. It is estimated that 1 in every 100 people has it and 97% of them are currently undiagnosed. I would list the symptoms here but the list is so long it would take up too much space! So here's a blog post dedicated to the symptoms of Celiac disease.


Gluten is the common name for the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to persons with celiac disease. These proteins are found in ALL forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn and faro) and related grains rye, barley and triticale and MUST be eliminated. Oats should be avoided too, and we do. They are naturally gluten free, but it's just that they are so often cross contaminated in the growing, harvesting and processing. Some people eat them and other say they react to them. It is possible to buy gluten free oats. It sounds easy in theory to eliminate these items from your diet, but I am still amazed at the ridiculous places that gluten hides. Especially in processed pre packaged foods, such as otherwise gluten free foods flavored with Barley malt. It is in many candies, used as thickeners in sauces and soups and as an anticaking agent in many foods. It takes extreem vigilance to follow a gluten free diet.

Corn, thankfully is ok. It does NOT contain gluten. making mexican food one of our favorite meals around here. We also eat lots and lots of corn tortilla chips. Locally made El Matador are our favorite and the factory has confirmed that they are gluten free. We have to consult the internet and call numerous companies to verify if a food is gluten free. There is this law about labeling foods with allergy information, but it isn't really that helpful for people with celiac. They are required to label things that contain wheat, but not gluten which is found in many things that don't actually contain wheat.

Celiac disease is hereditary runs very strong on Rich's mother's side of his family. His mother and grandmother and many of his aunts, uncles and cousins have it and many more most likely have it but have not been diagnosed. It is something we should have been looking into sooner considering how prevalent it is in his family, but we just never really thought about it, I think we were in subconscious denial. Lily and Rich have now been gluten free for about a year. Both of them have seen major improvements in thier digestive health as a result, but for both of them the biggest difference is the almost complete releif from the severe anxiety that they both suffered from on a regular basis. Read my previous post to hear about Daisy's journey.

There is much to learn, Here's some resources for more info:

celiac.com

celiac.org

our local celiac kids support group

celiac kids support group on facebook

the many symptoms of celiac

http://www.glutenfreeworks.com/symptomology.php
Gluten Free Works Symptom Guide
How can I tell if I have a problem with gluten?
This is a common question people ask in the face of a bewildering array
of possible symptoms. We have developed a Symptom Guide below to
help you identify possible symptoms and health problems that you can
present to your doctor.
Here is the list of over 300 Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders and
Complications directly or indirectly resulting from celiac disease.
We were the first to present this information in our comprehensive book,
"Recognizing Celiac Disease." This list is now being used by celiac disease
centers, national celiac organizations and health organizations worldwide.

1. BLOOD SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Abnormal levels of blood components and quality of blood cells and
plasma, detected by blood studies ordered by a doctor.
Anemia, Folic acid deficiency
Anemia, Iron deficiency
Anemia, Vitamin B12 deficiency
Anti-endomysium (EMA) antibodies present
Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) present
Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) present
Associated auto-immune antibodies present
Bone alkaline phosphatase, elevated level
Calcium, low
Cholesterol, too low - below 156
Coagulation factors, low
Copper, low
Hemochromatosis
Homocysteine, elevated
Hyperprolactinemia
Hypoprothrombinemia
Hypertransaminasemia
Hypoglycemia
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
Macroamylasemia
Macrocytosis
Macrolipasemia
Magnesium, low
Neutropenia
Phosphorous, low
Plasma proteins, low
Potassium, low
Prolonged prothrombin time
Transient erythroblastopenia
Zinc, low

2. BODY COMPOSITION PROBLEMS
Disorders of the body as a whole.
Anorexia
Appetite, increased
Cachexia
Obesity
Vitality, loss of
Weight gain, unexplained
Weight loss, unexplained

3. CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of the heart and blood vessels.
Angina pectoris
Aortic vasculitis
Atherosclerosis
Cardiomegaly
Cardiomyopathy, idiopathic dilated
Coronary artery disease
Easy bruising (ecchymosis)
Hypertension, reversible
Nosebleeds, unexplained

4. DIGESTIVE SYSTEM PROBLEMS
The following symptoms in this section may be present alone or in any
combination in celiac disease. They result from inflammation, damage,
and interference with normal function caused by gluten exposure in the
digestive tract itself. As you see, problems can develop not only in the
small intestine where inflammation can be intense, but also in other
areas such as mucosal tissues of the mouth, esophagus, stomach and
colon.
Abdominal distention (bloating)
Abdominal pain
Abnormal appetite
Autoimmune cholangitis
Bacterial overgrowth (small intestine)
Bleeding unexplained
Cancer - adenocarcinoma of the small intestine
Cancer - esophagus
Cancer - esophageal small cell
Cancer - pharynx
Cancer - post-cricoid
Candida infections
Canker sores (aphthous ulcers) in mouth
Carbohydrate malabsorption
Cheilosis - (red lips, cracking/ oozing at corners of mouth)
Colitis - collagenous
Colitis - lymphocytic
Colitis - ulcerative
Colonic volvulus - (loop of bowel twists so as to strangulate it)
Constipation
Constipation alternating with diarrhea
Crohn's Disease
Delayed gastric emptying- (early fullness after eating)
Diarrhea, acute
Diarrhea, chronic
Duodenal erosions in the second part of duodenum
Dysphagia - (difficulty swallowing)
Edema of intestines
Esophageal motor abnormalities - (poor propelling of food)
Food allergies, IgE and non-IgE
Gas
Gastric ulcer - (stomach ulcers)
Gastric ulcerations, multiple
Gastritis, collagenous
Gastritis, lymphocytic
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Gastro-intestinal bleeding, occult - (blood not visible)
Gluten sensitive enteritis
Gums, bleeding/ swollen - (purplish in adults/ red in children)
Heartburn
H. Pylori Bacter infection of stomach
Impaired gall bladder motility
Intestinal edema
Irritable bowel syndrome
Jejunitis, chronic
Lactose intolerance - (gas, bloating, loose stools from milk)
Laryngospasm
Leaky gut syndrome
Lymphoma
Malabsorption of nutrients (see below)
Maltose intolerance - (gas, bloating, loose stools from starch)
Milk intolerance, cow - (similar to gluten enteropathy)
Nausea
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Oral mucosal lesions
Pale, smelly, floating stool - (hard to flush or sticks to toilet)
Plummer-Vinson syndrome
Primary biliary cirrhosis - (bile backs up in liver)
Primary sclerosing cholangitis - (scarring of bile ducts in liver)
Small bowel intussusception - (loop of bowel slips into another)
Sucrose intolerance - (gas, bloating, mucous in stool from sugar)
Swallowing - difficulty (dysphagia)
Tongue - beefy, red, smooth, burning
Tongue - fiery red, smooth, swollen, sore
Tongue - magenta, swollen
Tongue - pale, smooth, burning
Tooth defects - yellowing, white spots, missing enamel
Vomiting

5. GLANDULAR SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of the glands.
Addison's Disease - (adrenal gland failure)
Autoimmune hepatitis
Autoimmune thyroiditis - (hypothyroidism)
Diabetes mellitus type I - (pancreatic failure)
Diabetic instability
Gastro-intestinal complications of type 1 diabetes
Grave's Disease - (hyperthyroidism)
Hepatic granulomatous disease
Hyperparathroidism, Primary
Hypoparathyroidism, Idiopathic
Hypoparathyroidism, Secondary
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Pancreatic insufficiency
Parathyroid carcinoma
Steatorrhea

6. IMMUNE SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of antibody production.
Allergic rhinitis
Antiphospholipid syndrome
Asthma
Autoimmune disorders in CD
Autoimmune disorders in dermatitis herpetiformis
Autoimmune polyglandular syndromes
Common variable immunodeficiency
IgA deficiency
Sarcoidosis
Sjogrens syndrome
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Urticaria, chronic - (hives)

7. INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of skin, hair, and nails.
Alopecea areata - (patches of hair loss)
Alopecia, diffuse - (balding)
Cutaneous vasculitis
Cutis laxa, generalized acquired
Dermatitis herpetiformis
Dermatomyositis
Eczema
Edema
Eythema elevatum diutinuum
Erythema nodosum
Follicular hyperkeratosis - (dry rough skin/ plugs on arms)
Ichthyosis, acquired
Itchy skin rash
Hangnail
Koilonychia - (thin nails that flatten then turn up or spoon)
Melanoma
Nails - dry and brittle that chip, peel, crack or break easily
Nails - horizontal and vertical ridges; fragile
Nail - rounded and curved down ends, dark, dry
Nails - white spots
Nails with splinter hemorrhages
Pityriasis rubra pilaris
Prurigo nodularis (Hyde's Prurigo)
Psoriasis
Scleroderma
Seborrhea
Thin hair
Vitiligo

8. LYMPATIC SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of the lymphocytes (white blood cells), lymph nodes
and spleen.
B-cell non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Cryptic intestinal T-cell lymphoma (refractory sprue)
Enteropathy associated T-cell Lymphoma (EATL)
Extraintestinal Lymphomas
Intraepithelial lymphocytosis in small bowel samples
Lymphadenopathy
Mesenteric lymph node cavitation
Hyposplenism - (atrophy of spleen leads to failure)

9. MUSCULAR SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of muscle structure and function.
Hypkalemic rhabdomyolysis - (acute, severe
potassium deficiency)
Muscle pain and tenderness
Muscle spasm and cramps
Muscle wasting
Muscle weakness
Osteomalcic myopathy
Polymyositis
Tetany

10. NERVOUS SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of nerves, brain and spinal cord structure and function.
Anxiety
Apathy
Ataxia, gait disturbance
Ataxia, gluten
Ataxia, progressive myoclonic
Brain atrophy
Cerebral perfusion abnormalities - (poor blood flow)
Chonic fatigue syndrome
Chorea
Cortical calcifying angiomatosis
Dementia
Depression
Epilepsy
Fatigue/ lassitude, chronic
Headache
Inability to concentrate
Insomnia
Irritability
Migraine
Multiple sclerosis
Nervous system disorders
Peripheral neuropathy
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
Schizophrenic spectrum disorders
Tremors
Vasculitis of the central nervous system

11. PULMONARY SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of lung tissue and broncheal tree structure and function.
Bronchiectasis
Bronchoalveolitis, Lymphocytic (bronchial pneumonia)
Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis
Increased pulmonary permeability
Increasee susceptibility to tuberculosis
Lung cavities or abcess
Pneumococcal septicemia
Tuberculosis, non-response to treatment

12. SENSORY SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of sense organ structure and function.
Bitot's spots - (foamy patches on whites of eye)
Blepharitis, unexplained
Bloodshot eyes, chronic
Blurred vision, unexplaines
Cataracts
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca
Keratomalacia
Night blindness
Ocular myopathy
Uveitis, bilateral
Xerophthalmia
Loss of smell
Dysgeusia (loss of taste)

13. SKELETAL SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of bone, joints and teeth.
Bone fracture
Bone pain
Osteitis fibrosa
osteomalacia
Osteonecrosis
Osteoporosis
Arthritis, enteropathic
Arthritis, psoriatic
Arthritis, recurrent monoarthritis

14. URINARY SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of kidneys and urinaty tract structure and function.
Hypocalciuria
IgA nephropathy
Kidney stones
Urinary tract infection

15. REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM PROBLEMS IN FEMALES
Disorders of organ structure and function.
Amenorrhea, secondary
Infertility
Late menache - (start of periods)
Menopause, early
Premenstrual syndrome
Dysmenorrhea (painful periods)
Dyspareunia - (painful intercouse)
Vaginitis

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM PROBLEMS IN MALES
Disorders of organ structure and function.
Hypogonadism, unexplained in adults
Impotence
Infertility
Sperm abnormalities

16. REPRODUCTION: PREGNANCY, LABOR & DELIVERY AND
PUERPERIUM PROBLEMS
Disorders of childbearing.
Severe iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy
Short duration of breast feeding
Miscarriages, spontaneous
Complications during pregnancy, labor and delivery
Complications after child birth

17. ZYGOTE DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS
Disorders of chromosomes.
Down syndrome
Turner's syndrome

18. FETUS DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS
Disorders of that occur before birth of the child.
Congenital anomalies
Intrauterine growth retardation
Cystic fibrosis
Spina bifida

19. CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS
Disorders of children that occur after birth.
Autism and learning disorders
Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD)
Cancer predisposition in children
Chronic bullous dermatosis
Delayed puberty in boys
Delayed pubety in girls
Dermatitis herpetiformis
Developmental delay
Failure to thrive and growth retardation
Fecal occult blood in stool - (hidden)
Glycogenic acanthosis
Hypotonia
Juvenile autoimmune thyroid disease
Juvenile diabetes type 1
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Abnormal blood studies
Latent anemia in enzymopthies of small intestine - (lack
of enzymes that finish digestion of protein/ sugars)
Penicilllin V impaired absorption
Refractory anemia ( does not respond to iron therapy)
Osteopenia
Rickets
Short staure
Stroke in childhood
This ends the listing from "Recognizing Celiac Disease."

__________________________

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Here are some other ways to look at problems:

BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
Aloofness
Hyperactivity
Irritability is an early symptom. It is common in children.
Impatience
Lack of desire to get things done
Lack of feeling
Restlessness
Timid behavior
Violent behavior

NEUROLOGICAL ISSUES
Anxiety
Apathy
Bipolar disorder
Depression
Difficulty making friendships
Easy frustration and anger
Nervousness
Panic attacks
Sense of worthlessness
Overly self-criticism
Hysteria
Hypochondria

THINKING PROBLEMS
Confused/ faulty thinking
Confabulation
Delusional
Dementia
Disorientation
Faulty learning
Hallucination
Inability to concentrate
Inattentiveness
Loss of memory
Loss of immediate memory
Poor memory
Psychiatric disorders
Reduced learning
Slow thinking
Scattered thinking

ASSOCIATED DISORDERS IN CD
Addison's Disease
Allergic Rhinitis
Alopecia Areata
Angina Pectoris
Antiphospholipid Syndrome
Arthritis
Asthma
Ataxia
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndromes
Bitot's Spots (eyes)
Blepheritis (eyelids)
Bloodshot eyes
Bronchiectasis
Cardiomegaly
Chronic Bullous Dermatosis of Childhood
Chronic Hives
Chorea
Common Variable Immunodeficiency
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Cortical Calcifying Angiomatosis
Dermatomyositis
Diabetes
Diabetic instability
Eczema
Erthema Elevatum Diutinum
Erythema Nodosum
Graves's Disease (hyperthyroidism
Hepatic granulomatous disease
Hypertension
Hypogonadism
Hypokalemic Rhabdomyolysis
Icthyosis, acquired
Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy
Idiopathic hypoparathyroidism
Idiopathic thrompbcytopenic purpura
IgA deficiency
IgA Nephropathy
Impotence
Kidney Stones
Loss of vitality
Multiple Sclerosis
Neutropenia
Osteomylacic Myopathy
Peripheral Neuropathy
Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris
Polymyositis
Primary hyperparathyroidism
Psoriasis
Sarcoidosis
Scleroderma
Seborrhea
Sjogren's syndrome
Systemic Lupus Erythomatosus
Tremors
Urinary Tract Infection
Vitiligo

COMPLICATIONS OF CD
Aortic vasculitis
Atherosclerosis
B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Bone Fractures
Bone Pain
Brain Atrophy
Bronchial Pneumonia
Cancer Predisposition in Children
Cataracts
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Congenital Anomalies
Cystic Fibrosis
Dementia
Down Syndrome
Enteropathy associated T-cell Lymphoma (EATL)
Epilepsy
Extraintestinal Lymphomas
Hyposplenism
Infertillity, Female
Infertility, Male

I told you this is a long list! and I am sure there are even more things that could be added!

Better Bannana Bread

I recently posted about our favorite banana bread recipe, but I have been experimenting lately with some different kinds of gluten free flours and I have modified the recipe a little so that it is a little less crumbly by using some sweet rice flour and soy flour in place of 1/2 a cup of the flour mix. Here is the new revised recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup gf flour mix flour

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/4 soy flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 medium)

3/4 cup sugar (or less, 1/4 cup is enough)

1/4 cup cooking oil (e.g. canola oil)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.

In another bowl combine the egg, bananas, sugar and cooking oil. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts.

Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan; cool on rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. (I never do this. It's so good warm out of the oven! and I don't think waiting works well with Gluten Free bread really.) Makes 1 loaf (16 servings).

From Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Banana Bread

We have been making lots of gluten free banana bread lately. For some reason no one eats the bananas I buy lately, so I just mash them up and make a loaf when they turn brown. Gluten Free Baking is always kind of inconsistent it seems, but we usually have very good results with this recipe. It's another one from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and we just substitute the flower with our gluten free flour mix.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 medium)

3/4 cup sugar (or less, 1/4 cup is enough)

1/4 cup cooking oil (e.g. canola oil)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/3 cup cranberries (optional)

1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preparation:

Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.

In another bowl combine the egg, bananas, sugar and cooking oil. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts, cranberries and chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan; cool on rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. Makes 1 loaf (16 servings).

From Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Celiac article in Parents Magazine

A friend just alerted me to an article in this month's issue of Parents Magazine about Celiac disease. It was actually a great article and I was surprised to find it in such mainstream media. It seems as though Celiac is starting to gain some attention.

They have lots of good tips and info on their website in the featured this month section. Here is a link to the article. I am planning on making some gluten free playdough with the kids soon and I am hoping the recipe they gave will be a good one. Playdough has always been a favorite activity for our kids. We have a ton of playdough toys, but no playdough anymore. I'll let you know how it turns out when we get time to try it.

Pumpkin bread recipe

Here is the pumpkin bread recipe, as requested!

It's from my favorite cook book:

     Pumpkin Bread

1cup   gluten free flour mixture
1cup   brown sugar -- packed
1tbsp  baking powder
2tsps  cinnamon
1/2tsp nutmeg
1/4tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp cloves
1cup   pumpkin, canned
1/2cup milk
2      eggs
1/3cup shortening
1 cup  more flour
1/2cup raisins (optional)
1/2cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Preheat oven at 350.  Prepare  a 9 x 5 x 3″ loaf pan with cooking spray and
flour; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking
powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, ginger, and cloves.  In another
mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, skim milk, egg whites, raisins

Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients just until moistened.  Pour
batter into prepared pan. Bake 60 minutes.

                  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : A recipe calling for 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour can be baked in the
following pans: 4 mini loaf pans, 12 muffin pans, 1-9 x 5″ loaf pan, 1-9 x
13″ baking pan, or 2-8 x 8″ baking pans.

Holiday Baking- Gluten Free style

I made a really good pumpkin bread today. It was so great, I will be making more for sure. I didn't get a good picture of it, we ate it too fast. :) A friend of mine emailed me to ask about ideas for gluten free holiday baking, so I thought I would share it here too. I have been meaning to post more recipes, but can't seem to find the time in between all my crafting!

We keep a canister of a gluten free flour mixture (I'll explain below) in the kitchen and just substitute it into our favorite recipes. With very rich flavorful things like brownies and pumpkin bread you really can't tell the difference. We have a hard time getting the texture right with cookies, but we just got a good little cook book at the kids Celiac support group we've been going to and I think the recipes will work better. Here is a loaf of bread from the book. We made it for stuffing on thanksgiving and it was great. I made another loaf today to use for sandwiches.


The gf flour mixture I use is 6 cups white rice flour, 3 cups potato STARCH (NOT flour) and 1 cup of tapioca flour. I just found out that the cheapest place to get these flours is at the Asian market. I should have thought of it, I have been paying way too much at the health food store. It's about $6 for enough flour to fill a big canister with the mix. Also keep cornstarch on hand, that's called for in alot of recipes. If you don't have any also pick up some xanthum gum. It's very helpful to add a teaspoon or so to bread recipes to bind it together better. You can buy a small bag in the bulk section at Harvest Health, rather than the big bag which is like $12 or more! Sometimes adding an extra egg or oil is helpful too.

I am still trying to figure out gluten free apple pie. I have made two attempts already this season and they have not worked out so well. The crust is too crunchy and the inside kind of gritty. I'll let you know when I discover the trick! I am trying to be gluten free now too for Daisy's sake, since she is still nursing, so now the whole house is officially gluten free.


If you eat gluten free too, I'd love to hear from you. Let me know if you try any of them how they turn out.

Pancakes

Ingredients

1	cup all-purpose flour
1	tbsp sugar
2	tsps baking powder
1/4	tsp salt
1	egg, beaten
1	cup milk
2	tbsps cooking oil

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl combine egg, milk, and cooking oil. Stir mixture just till blended but still slightly lumpy.
   
   
2. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet for each standard sized pancake or 1 tablespoon batter for each dollar sized pancake.
   
   
3. Cook till pancakes are golden brown, turning to cook second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and slightly dry edges. Makes 8-10 standard sized or 36 dollar sized pancakes.
   

We have had a very long week and we were all battling despair Saturday morning as the rain poured down. The kids, especially Daisy have been sick and we are pretty broke and don't know what to do about it. All the stress of the week piled up until we were feeling very overwhelmed when the weekend came. I wasn't feeling much like doing anything, but I decided since we were all home together, which doesn't seem to happen very much these days, that I would make pancakes. I had just mixed up some gluten free flour, so I used the pancakes recipe from the Betty Homes and Gardens Cookbook. They turned out wonderfully! I have made them before, but I just don't seem to be ale to do it right on a consitant basis, especially now that I make them gf. They were so good that Rich said he couldn't even tell they were gluten free. That's a very big compliment, and if that wern't enough, he even said they were almost as good as his Grandma's! That's a huge compliment and it's the standard by which all pancakes are judged in our house!

Daisy liked them too!

We all sat together scarfing down pancakes and feeling much better about everything. I realized as I served my family the beautiful pancakes, that I have much to be thankful for inspite of how bad my circumstances may seem.

So thank God for good pancakes, and thank God that the Peace he offers us is bigger than our circumstances. In church on Sunday the words to the song we sang summed it all up perfectly:

"I do not ask to see the way
my feet will have to tread,
but only that my soul may feed
upon the living bread...

I may not know the way to go,
But oh, I know my Guide.

My soul is satisfied to know
His love can never fail."

GF Bread

Thank you Shari for the brown rice baking mix! The girls loved the bread. It was so good straight out of the oven with margarine and honey. So far I have only found it at harvest health, but it is only two dollars and some change and the recipe on the box works great.


We also tried the muffin recipe which was very good with cinnamon. Next time I make them, I will add some fruit, but Lily never enjoys that. Bummer.

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake!

My mother gave me this little recipe book with family recipes in it. The photo on the front is me when I was 4 or 5 and my Grandma Barb with her ribbon winning bread from the fair. My favorite recipe is her baking powder biscuits and we use them for strawberry shortcakes. My mom makes them often (dessert is her specialty!).
Strawberries were on sale (I road my bike to the grocery store to get them, I was really proud of myself, but that is a differant blog post!) so I decided to see if my new flour mixture was going to work by trying it out with this recipe.


They turned out great and everyone seemed to like them, including Daisy!


So if you'd like to try them for yourself, here's the recipe:

Grandma Barb's Baking Powder Bisquits

2 cups Flour (GF if you choose or wheat Flour)
2 Tbs Sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cups margarine

Mix with a fork until crumbly. Add 1/4- 1/2 cup milk until it is JUST moist. Lay out on a floured board and pat to about 3/4 inch thick, or thicker if desired. Use a glass or round cookie cutter. Bake at 400 degrees about 12-14 minutes. Makes 6-9 biscuits.