Two new products, one of which I'm eating now!
First off, my nice and warm Field Mushroom Risotto by Simple Healtheries. I like Healtheries. They do great rice wheels. I haven't really hated any product of theirs. I grabbed this rather dear (~$8) instant meal on a whim the other week simply so I'd have an emergency food in the cupboard.
Result? Not too bad. There's a bit of that instant food aftertaste, possibly from the large amount of salt in it. The mushrooms and vegetable stock make a definate statement as well though that makes my stomach grin. There are a few options for cooking it and I chose microwaving, though learn from my mistake and don't cover it with gladwrap - it melts. Luckily my lunch seemed to be unscathed (I hope!). This is not something I'd eat regularly but would have in the cupboard regularly just in case and not grudginly accept but readily eat.
8/10 +1 for being the only healthy and filling instant meal I've found so far
LEDA Choculence biscuits
These were eaten with friends last night, none of whom are GF. These little biccies were instantly renamed Faux-Tams and munched on. Meltier than tim-tams, I'd recommend keeping them cool to prevent messy fingers, especially in kids. Not exactly like tim tams, being dairy free they are not as chocolatey. The inner cream bit is more creamy than chocolate. The biscuit is a bit crisper and sweeter in that rice floury way. Not bad. Not my cup of tea, but neither were timtams really.
7.5/10
And if you haven't tried LEDA bars yet I suggest you hunt them up! These were my stable handbag emergency meal when I was doing a severely restricted diet with the natropath. Kind of cakey in texture and more filling than the average muesli bar, these things definately come through in a hungry pinch.
8/10
www.ledanutrition.com
http://www.healtheries.co.nz/
October 30, 2007
October 22, 2007
Good intentions and all of that
I never made it to the Gluten Free Food Expo, which is sad. I justified it at the time by saying that it would add hours to my day and most of them would be sleeping hours that I sorely needed this weekend. So I stayed curled up in bed. I only feel bad because I missed samples. It's expensive buying a whole packet of something only to find out you hate it!
On Sunday I went to mother's house for lunch. She had bought a new gluten free book and was making things out of it and was so proud of herself for making it all. We had beef and red wine casserole with green beans and creamy mashed potato. Everyone else had some AWESOME looking pane di casa to mop up the tasty juices. I didn't *sob*
Then there was dark moist flourless chocolate cake with double cream, strawberries and some champagne strawberry sauce. Twitchingly delicious.
On the way home I started to feel the sings. My brain started to go foggy, my vision backed up a few metres (making it hard to read road signs let me tell you!), flatulence, pressure in my ears and head. I'd been glutened. And I couldn't tell mother! She tried so hard! I guess I'll talk to her about it later but not now - not when she's so proud of it all.
Possibilities:
Stock in the stew or potatoes, something in the potatoes as they were creamy with other stuff besides potato, the icing sugar dusted on the cake (though it was checked), crumbs from the bread got onto/into something.
It can't have been much because after a lie down on the couch, a cup of tea and some mental focus I managed to break through the brain fog. My stomach is feeling a little fragile, but nothing major. It's sad what you become used to.
And maybe I am just sick. Maybe it's the flu or something. That's the trouble with gluten! Gluten poisoning or flu or stomach bug?
Definately have to borrow the book though. The food was very tasty and seemed easy to do for guests which is always a plus. Stay tuned for that...
This week I'm paring down the food. Back to basics for my stomach, my weight and my wallet. No going out for food. More fresh foods. Nothing too unfamiliar. But this morning as I settle down at the table for breakfast with my favourite Basco cereal (the apricot one) and my black tea with milk (Soy Milky Lite. gluten free right on the label) I don't feel so bad about that.
On Sunday I went to mother's house for lunch. She had bought a new gluten free book and was making things out of it and was so proud of herself for making it all. We had beef and red wine casserole with green beans and creamy mashed potato. Everyone else had some AWESOME looking pane di casa to mop up the tasty juices. I didn't *sob*
Then there was dark moist flourless chocolate cake with double cream, strawberries and some champagne strawberry sauce. Twitchingly delicious.
On the way home I started to feel the sings. My brain started to go foggy, my vision backed up a few metres (making it hard to read road signs let me tell you!), flatulence, pressure in my ears and head. I'd been glutened. And I couldn't tell mother! She tried so hard! I guess I'll talk to her about it later but not now - not when she's so proud of it all.
Possibilities:
Stock in the stew or potatoes, something in the potatoes as they were creamy with other stuff besides potato, the icing sugar dusted on the cake (though it was checked), crumbs from the bread got onto/into something.
It can't have been much because after a lie down on the couch, a cup of tea and some mental focus I managed to break through the brain fog. My stomach is feeling a little fragile, but nothing major. It's sad what you become used to.
And maybe I am just sick. Maybe it's the flu or something. That's the trouble with gluten! Gluten poisoning or flu or stomach bug?
Definately have to borrow the book though. The food was very tasty and seemed easy to do for guests which is always a plus. Stay tuned for that...
This week I'm paring down the food. Back to basics for my stomach, my weight and my wallet. No going out for food. More fresh foods. Nothing too unfamiliar. But this morning as I settle down at the table for breakfast with my favourite Basco cereal (the apricot one) and my black tea with milk (Soy Milky Lite. gluten free right on the label) I don't feel so bad about that.
October 15, 2007
Gluten free treats
On the weekend I took a trip to the Sunnybrook Healthfood Store in Ormond. I've written about the place before and how great it is to be in a supermarket of gluten free food. I haven't been in a long time because I've been sampling the gluten free options in my local Safeway and Coles.
Patties gluten free pies:
These pies remind me of Victorian England (bear with me). In those days they would make pies out of whatever they had and often would eat less than great meat because it was all they could afford. These pies are not good. Save yourself the money and pain and keep walking. The pastry looks and acts normally. But whatever flavour it may have is masked completely by the grey sludge held within it. Finely ground meat (so finely it is hard to call it meat anymore, more like molecules) flavoured by grey gravy, it reminds me of dog food. While I appreciate the attempt by Patties, perhaps it would have been nicer of them to employ some sort of taster before marketing these. I feel sorry for all you gluten free people who are going to presented with one of these by well meaning friends/family who are so proud that they found something you can eat.
1/10 (marks only given because sometimes you're desperate and they are in many supermarkets)
U8 GingerBread men
10/10!!! These are completely great. Perhaps slightly crisper than I remember mother's gingerbread men, which would be the rice flour I'm thinking, these have every other characteristic of "normal" gingerbread men. U8 make a lot of biscuits and baked goods, which unfortunately cannot be ordered in large masses directly from them (I checked) but they are definately worth looking up! I definately will be eating my way through their selections.
Gluten Free Gourmet lemon/lime custard muffin
Everytime I go to Sunnybrook I get one of these because I'm always starving when I go there. Cakier than a "normal" muffin, these are moreishly good. The tiny dab of custard in the middle helps prevent the dryness that many GF baked goods are plagued by. I don't recommend eating on the go or in the car as crumbs fly when eating these. They're not particularly crumbly but I always have to think about vacuuming my car after I eat one.
8/10
Britt's Bakery Chocolate cupcake/muffin
My Boy tried this one, I only had 2 small samples - one with icing and one without. First off, it looks great. It comes in a little individual plastic cup thing like a chocolate pudding (which is what I thought it was at first) and the icing sticks enticingly to the lid. Nicely dense, with icing this is great. But on it's own, this muffin/cupcake is dry and somehow bland, like a donut after you've eaten the super-sweet icing off of it. A for effort, but needs work.
5/10
Brookfarm Macadamin Gluten Free Muesli
I've had this kicking around my desk drawer at work for awhile. This muesli is the only GF cereal I've found that comes in single serving packs that are great for throwing in a desk drawer for emergencies, or handbag, or overnight bag, whatever. About 2 months after I bought it I finally just sampled it. First bite and I was sad. It was not sweet. Well, duh, it's muesli. By the end of the bowl I was scraping it with the spoon and pouting that I was done. This stuff feels nutritious and my currently tender tummy is loving it. Full of nuts and buckwheat and good things this stuff is in no making me feel deprived. Next time I may add a handful of dried fruit or fresh perhaps, but straight out of the packet with some milk I pinched from work? Wholesomely tasty. Well worth grabbing.
9/10
Expect a large number of reviews soon as this weekend is the Gluten Free Food show in Melbourne! I'm hungry just thinking about it. Hopefully I'll be able to beg/borrow/steal some sort of camera by then to show you what it's like.
Patties gluten free pies:
These pies remind me of Victorian England (bear with me). In those days they would make pies out of whatever they had and often would eat less than great meat because it was all they could afford. These pies are not good. Save yourself the money and pain and keep walking. The pastry looks and acts normally. But whatever flavour it may have is masked completely by the grey sludge held within it. Finely ground meat (so finely it is hard to call it meat anymore, more like molecules) flavoured by grey gravy, it reminds me of dog food. While I appreciate the attempt by Patties, perhaps it would have been nicer of them to employ some sort of taster before marketing these. I feel sorry for all you gluten free people who are going to presented with one of these by well meaning friends/family who are so proud that they found something you can eat.
1/10 (marks only given because sometimes you're desperate and they are in many supermarkets)
U8 GingerBread men
10/10!!! These are completely great. Perhaps slightly crisper than I remember mother's gingerbread men, which would be the rice flour I'm thinking, these have every other characteristic of "normal" gingerbread men. U8 make a lot of biscuits and baked goods, which unfortunately cannot be ordered in large masses directly from them (I checked) but they are definately worth looking up! I definately will be eating my way through their selections.
Gluten Free Gourmet lemon/lime custard muffin
Everytime I go to Sunnybrook I get one of these because I'm always starving when I go there. Cakier than a "normal" muffin, these are moreishly good. The tiny dab of custard in the middle helps prevent the dryness that many GF baked goods are plagued by. I don't recommend eating on the go or in the car as crumbs fly when eating these. They're not particularly crumbly but I always have to think about vacuuming my car after I eat one.
8/10
Britt's Bakery Chocolate cupcake/muffin
My Boy tried this one, I only had 2 small samples - one with icing and one without. First off, it looks great. It comes in a little individual plastic cup thing like a chocolate pudding (which is what I thought it was at first) and the icing sticks enticingly to the lid. Nicely dense, with icing this is great. But on it's own, this muffin/cupcake is dry and somehow bland, like a donut after you've eaten the super-sweet icing off of it. A for effort, but needs work.
5/10
Brookfarm Macadamin Gluten Free Muesli
I've had this kicking around my desk drawer at work for awhile. This muesli is the only GF cereal I've found that comes in single serving packs that are great for throwing in a desk drawer for emergencies, or handbag, or overnight bag, whatever. About 2 months after I bought it I finally just sampled it. First bite and I was sad. It was not sweet. Well, duh, it's muesli. By the end of the bowl I was scraping it with the spoon and pouting that I was done. This stuff feels nutritious and my currently tender tummy is loving it. Full of nuts and buckwheat and good things this stuff is in no making me feel deprived. Next time I may add a handful of dried fruit or fresh perhaps, but straight out of the packet with some milk I pinched from work? Wholesomely tasty. Well worth grabbing.
9/10
Expect a large number of reviews soon as this weekend is the Gluten Free Food show in Melbourne! I'm hungry just thinking about it. Hopefully I'll be able to beg/borrow/steal some sort of camera by then to show you what it's like.
October 4, 2007
Listen to your gut
Instinct doesn't get a lot of credit, generally. There's always a reason why some guy isn't as bad as you think, or that person didn't really mean that. Logic always has an answer, an explanation. I should know, my Boy is doing a PhD in Logic! But logic doesn't explain everything and it's time more people listened to their gut.
In the case of us GF folks, I mean it literally! So many random comments I've read on the internet say that we're faking it, that we won't die so what's the harm in a little bit? Calling us cruel if we don't let our kids eat what the other kids are eating? Scorning us for taking on what has become the newest version of the carb-free-diet. Well, you know what? Screw them! They don't have to live with a stomach that is vocal and unhappy for about a week, or the smell of the most appaling flatulence known to man (TMI but it's the truth), or a red blotchy face, or the mood swings or the or the or the.... there are a thousand variations. My doctor told me that 12 hours of sleep daily was obviously normal for me. My boyfriend thought I wasn't allergic as all that until I did the two month gluten testing. Now? He's more militant about me eating gluten than I am!
And I'm not even coeliac! I'm just 'intolerant.' My childhood doctor gave me the most sensible advice I've gotten about the whole issue once I'd finally travelled home to get a second medical opinion - "If it makes you feel bad, just don't eat it. The blood test either way won't tell you to do anything differently."
Living in Melbourne is great. Gluten free is slowly appearing everywhere. Safeway supermarkets have their own line of allergen free foods at vaguely reasonable prices that aren't bad. Hoyts cinemas advertise gluten free snacks. Many restaurants have allergen information close to hand.
Sure, being gluten free can be depressing when all your friends are eating at the pub and your only choice is a plain steak (not even with salad as it's already dressed) or a packet of plain potato chips. But you can also see it as an oppurtunity and the perfect excuse to get takeaway sushi and eat it in the pub with everyone else. Because special sometimes means better food (thank god!).
Melbourne is known for it's restaurants and while I've been making an effort to not eat out lately, they are fantastic and I highly recommend many of them (like Spiga Bar!). Which is strange, because I read so many blog articles about how sad people are that they can't go out. Maybe things are different in America, but in Melbourne I'm finding it different. Sure, I've had restaurants tell me I can have a glass of water but that place closed down a month later. Why? Well, they laughed at a customer with allergies and obviously didn't care about their food! I go to many places to eat and don't mention my allergy. Possibly stupid of me but when going to a traditional Thai or Indian place one assumes that most of the food won't contain gluten. If it does, it's not all that authentic is it? I'm lucky enough to feel well enough now that I'm willing to be the guinea pig without "making a fuss." But these places, when I've "made a fuss" have mostly just smiled and pointed to the two things on the menu (not counting the breads) that I can't eat and suggesting I call ahead next time and they'll make the naan bread with chickpea flour for me especially.
My point after this long rambling post? Trust your instincts! Love your food and seek restaurants that love it too! Sure eat at home if you want but don't get scared by the wide world! People are often nicer than we give them credit for if we let them be....
In other news:
Don't walk past that little Asian grocery! Sure, you won't be able to get those frozen dumplings or steamed buns like you used to, but the other day I found something better - cheap rice pasta! It's only made of rice which is different to gluten pasta but still tasty and..... cheap! It was $1 a pack! The macaroni was uber fantastic in a spanish style soup (though it did soak up more liquid than a normal pasta) and the spaghetti was tasty with a simple pesto last night. No idea what it's called. Something in Asian. But gluten free is right there on the pack. I bought them at Asian Way, on the corner of Bourke and Waverley Rds, Malvern.
Basco cereal - tasty! 5 stars for their Apricot breakfast cereal. Full of dried fruit and puffed grains this is not too dear and everyday feeling while not being Gorilla Munch! It feels adult and healthy and is definately tasty. Though for some reason it's not on their website? Strange but I bought it twice now so it really does exist, at least in my local Safeway.
In the case of us GF folks, I mean it literally! So many random comments I've read on the internet say that we're faking it, that we won't die so what's the harm in a little bit? Calling us cruel if we don't let our kids eat what the other kids are eating? Scorning us for taking on what has become the newest version of the carb-free-diet. Well, you know what? Screw them! They don't have to live with a stomach that is vocal and unhappy for about a week, or the smell of the most appaling flatulence known to man (TMI but it's the truth), or a red blotchy face, or the mood swings or the or the or the.... there are a thousand variations. My doctor told me that 12 hours of sleep daily was obviously normal for me. My boyfriend thought I wasn't allergic as all that until I did the two month gluten testing. Now? He's more militant about me eating gluten than I am!
And I'm not even coeliac! I'm just 'intolerant.' My childhood doctor gave me the most sensible advice I've gotten about the whole issue once I'd finally travelled home to get a second medical opinion - "If it makes you feel bad, just don't eat it. The blood test either way won't tell you to do anything differently."
Living in Melbourne is great. Gluten free is slowly appearing everywhere. Safeway supermarkets have their own line of allergen free foods at vaguely reasonable prices that aren't bad. Hoyts cinemas advertise gluten free snacks. Many restaurants have allergen information close to hand.
Sure, being gluten free can be depressing when all your friends are eating at the pub and your only choice is a plain steak (not even with salad as it's already dressed) or a packet of plain potato chips. But you can also see it as an oppurtunity and the perfect excuse to get takeaway sushi and eat it in the pub with everyone else. Because special sometimes means better food (thank god!).
Melbourne is known for it's restaurants and while I've been making an effort to not eat out lately, they are fantastic and I highly recommend many of them (like Spiga Bar!). Which is strange, because I read so many blog articles about how sad people are that they can't go out. Maybe things are different in America, but in Melbourne I'm finding it different. Sure, I've had restaurants tell me I can have a glass of water but that place closed down a month later. Why? Well, they laughed at a customer with allergies and obviously didn't care about their food! I go to many places to eat and don't mention my allergy. Possibly stupid of me but when going to a traditional Thai or Indian place one assumes that most of the food won't contain gluten. If it does, it's not all that authentic is it? I'm lucky enough to feel well enough now that I'm willing to be the guinea pig without "making a fuss." But these places, when I've "made a fuss" have mostly just smiled and pointed to the two things on the menu (not counting the breads) that I can't eat and suggesting I call ahead next time and they'll make the naan bread with chickpea flour for me especially.
My point after this long rambling post? Trust your instincts! Love your food and seek restaurants that love it too! Sure eat at home if you want but don't get scared by the wide world! People are often nicer than we give them credit for if we let them be....
In other news:
Don't walk past that little Asian grocery! Sure, you won't be able to get those frozen dumplings or steamed buns like you used to, but the other day I found something better - cheap rice pasta! It's only made of rice which is different to gluten pasta but still tasty and..... cheap! It was $1 a pack! The macaroni was uber fantastic in a spanish style soup (though it did soak up more liquid than a normal pasta) and the spaghetti was tasty with a simple pesto last night. No idea what it's called. Something in Asian. But gluten free is right there on the pack. I bought them at Asian Way, on the corner of Bourke and Waverley Rds, Malvern.
Basco cereal - tasty! 5 stars for their Apricot breakfast cereal. Full of dried fruit and puffed grains this is not too dear and everyday feeling while not being Gorilla Munch! It feels adult and healthy and is definately tasty. Though for some reason it's not on their website? Strange but I bought it twice now so it really does exist, at least in my local Safeway.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
