If you read one of my older posts about an at home test for celiac disease (aka the Biocard Celiac Home Test).  But remember how it wasn’t based in the US?  Well a new test is on the market called “MyCeliacID” and they have made it so all you have to do to test yourself is 1. Order online and 2.  Test your Saliva.  This home test uses your saliva to accurately tell you if you have Celiac Disease or if you have the genetics to possibly in the future get Celiac Disease (if it is in your genes and has not been triggered).

To find out more you can check out their site at MyCeliacID.com – the test runs you $329 and you can purchase online.  It’s great if you do not have insurance and/or you do not want to pay a hefty fee for your doctor to suggest it and then run tests.  Also unlike other Celiac tests – this test will show up positive for Celiac even if you have been on the gluten free diet for some time (other tests will show negative for anyone following a gluten free diet).  I think this is a great discovery for people who may have Celiac Disease!

Ever been to Red Robin?  They don’t just have awesome food – they even have a delicious Chipotle Mayo that is gluten free!  I usually order some on the side so I can have it both on my burger along with fries.  I also went to BJ’s Restaurant for Valentines day and they also had chipotle mayo on their menu, although BJ’s seemed to be a lighter color than Red Robins.  But they are both delicious!  Anyway I decided I would try making some on my own and it turned out great and it’s so easy to make…only 3 ingredients!  Look for Chipotle Chile Pepper and not California Chipotle Chile Pepper…that California version is darker and doesn’t come out quite right.

Chipotle Mayonnaise Recipe

• 1/4 Cup Hellmann’s Mayonnaise

• 1/8 Teaspoon Paprika (ground)

• 1/4 Teaspoon Chipotle Chile Pepper (ground)

Starbucks is trying to cater to the gluten intolerant crowd once again.  They first came out with a “Orange Valencia Cake” that was gluten free but pulled it soon after -Starbucks probably realized gluten free products don’t exactly keep for long periods of time.  But this time they are trying a healthier approach.

KIND Bars from Starbucks

The first addition is “KIND Bars” that are between 170-190 calories each.  They also state that they do not contain wheat, dairy or gluten and come in 4 different flavors: Almond Cashew, Mango Macadamia, Cranberry & Almond and Fruit & Nut Delight.

The next of their gluten free selection is  “Lucy’s Cookies” that are free of any milk, wheat, gluten, eggs, casein, butter, peanuts and tree nuts.  Now here is the thing though with these cookies (which I haven’t tried…I just learned of all this a few minutes ago).  When I was researching this I found a comment by someone who had infact tried them and was horrified to find that they contained oats?  Now those of us in the US do not consider oats to be gluten free… so this would mean they are not actually gluten free.

Lucy's Cookies

But again, I have not tried not looked at the package myself yet – so I cannot say that they 100% contain oats…just read from another Celiac that they did.  Also I’m confused why they would put oats in them for chocolate chip cookies?  I’d be interested to know if anyone else found this to be true as well!

So to wrap this up I’m pretty excited that Starbucks is actually trying to carry gluten free foods for those of us who would love to snack on something while we sip on our lattes.  Next time I go into a Starbucks I will be sure to look for this and try them out!  Unless of course the cookies do in fact contain oats…then I will be skipping them

Just thought I would make one of these for a fun post! 

• You have been told “oh your so lucky to have that disease…that’s how you must stay so thin!”
• You refer to non gluten free foods as “normal people foods”
• You have driven over 30 minutes to buy some gluten free cookies from special health food stores.
• You give the bread isle the evil eye and mumble something under your breath when you walk by.
• You cringe when people rattle off a list of ingredients that they used and say “yeah I think that’s all I used…”
• You have had someone throw away saved gluten free leftover because they thought they were “old and tasted bad”.
• You were upset the rest of the day after the above incident.
• Your dog wouldn’t even eat the first batch of gluten free cookies you attempted to make.
• You have an almost scary reaction time to the word “wheat” or “gluten” printed on anything.
• You drool while watching someone eat a piece of pizza…and you seriously contemplate whether or not to knock them down to take it.
• You dream about foods you once enjoyed.
• You bring your own food to parties.
• You have to constantly explain yourself for why you cannot try someones dish at a dinner party.
• You are suspicious of  the flavored rice.
• You know that Dermatitis Herpetiformis is in fact, not herpes.
• You may have set your eyes in a permanent squinting state after trying your best to read the ingredients on a package of makeup.
• You don’t even attempt to read ingredients for lip gloss anymore.
• You have to write your name on the Mayo jar and have an extra one for guests…because you cannot go through another episode of having family members use the same knife they used to cut their sandwich…then dip into the Mayo jar!
• You have annoyed your family with  “if I could eat gluten again I would eat…”.  On more than one occasion.
• You fear cross contamination to an unhealthy level.
• You get excited for the little things like Heinz having multiple gluten free products.
• You are the clean police… wash your hands after eating that sandwich!
• You pre-wash any dishes that had gluten on them before loading them in the dishwasher…because you just never know where the left over gluten goes in there.
• You have been dared to “just eat a crumb of this bread…so I can see what happens!”
• You have been asked if you will explode if you eat bread.
• You wet your envelops and refuse to lick them.
• You could never play beer pong.
• You have become an expert at reading labels.
• You know that eating gluten free is not a “diet” for loosing weight.
• You get overly excited when you see those wonderful words on the label…”gluten free”.
• You have paid $8 for two serving box of spaghetti.
• You have also paid $6 for a box of crackers.
• You have forgotten what real cookies taste like.
• You forget that when you discover new gluten free foods like Chex cereal… that your husband doesn’t want to eat cereal for breakfast…lunch…and dinner.

For the past week and a half I have had an on and off cold-  The whole runny nose, headaches, stiffness, felt like throwing up and a sore throat.  Finally yesterday I started to feel better from my cold in the morning.  However late last night my lips started to swell and feel waxy (does anyone else ever have that?).  Then I got horrible stomach pain and laid in the bathroom by the toilet, feeling like I could throw up any second whole my stomach kept cramping up.  This morning I woke up to my lips not only swollen and waxy feeling but with blisters

I really have no idea what I could have possibly of eaten…the only thing out of the ordinary was some decaf coffee I got from a 7-11 yesterday.  I used regular sugar and some coffee creamer (one that I know if gluten free) so I am at a loss of what else could of caused these annoying (and painful) blisters.

When I was younger and this would happen I would freak out and believe that I had cold sores or something horrible.  Thankfully today I understand that these painful, itchy blisters are caused by a gluten allergic reaction called Dermatitis Herpetiformis.  Dermatitis Herpetiformis or Duhring Disease is”…characterized by grouped excoriations; erythematous, urticarial plaques; and papules with vesicles.”  according to emedicine.medscape.com.  Most places that are affected are on the buttocks, elbows, knees, shoulders and back.  However mine always appear on my lips (rare, but I have heard of other Celiac sufferers having it appear here as well.)  Also according to “Understanding Dermatitis Herpetiformis or Duhring’s Disease” a treatment called “Dapsone” (an antibiotic) has been known to help people suffering from Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

Personally I have never tried Dapsone, usually mine will clear up on its own in about a week or so.  I have also tried holding a wet caffeinated tea bag between my lips (when they got really bad).  Tea contains Tannin, which has anti-inflammatory effect.  It worked pretty well for me…otherwise I’m pretty much just stuck with blistering lips that itch and burn for a week.  Keeping them moisturized with petroleum jelly seems to help too so I don’t feel they scrap together.

So here goes another week of swollen and blistering lips…fun fun.

Sound too good to be true?  Well maybe, but it is an option now for those who would like to try and see in the comfort of their own homes.  Did I do it this way your wondering?  No I did it the old fashioned way (years of doctors kinda thing).  However I was diagnosed seven years ago, and back then there wasn’t alot of hype about gluten free for those with Celiac Disease let alone home diagnostic products to even test for it.

I recently came across a website that claims to have a “Celiac Disease Home Test“.  What they call a “Biocard Celiac Home Test” where you get a single-one time use test kit.

They are based in Canada and I do not believe they sell directly yet to the US…however they have a phone number you can call to speak with them if you live in the US (so I’m not sure where that leads…if your able to purchase or not).  They have an instructional video you can watch that shows someone taking a Celiac home test.  Seems like a lot of careful work to me, however it is only $50 compared to what a test would cost from a doctor.  Also they go on to say that if you do in fact test positive you should seek out a doctor to see what to do next.  Kinda defeats the no doctor approach…but I could see how this would help those who don’t have health insurance or just don’t have the money at the moment.

Of course you could always start eating gluten free to see if you feel better.  However beware – once you start eating gluten free a test for Celiac Disease will come out negative.  The reasons for this are best explained by uchospitals.edu in their article about Blood Test for Celiac Disease.  Also they further explain why you should go beyond just the blood test and do a endoscopic biopsy (I did this along with the blood test).

So to take the test or not to take the test?

Personally I cannot try it out since I have been gluten free for seven years…but I’d be interested in hearing if anyone else has tried this at home test!  I don’t see why it couldn’t hurt to try if you suspect you show symptoms of  Celiac Disease.

I realized I haven’t made any posts dedicated to Heinz 57 Sauce…and well that’s just wrong.  This sauce is amazing…I always loved things like A1 or BBQ sauces but after going gluten free I am not able to eat any of those.  It is a great spicy sauce if your looking for a little extra kick!

Also inspired by the health benefits of peppers (that I am now addicted too) I decided to try mixing them into a delicious (and healthy) rice dish.  Mixed with some Heinz 57sauce its a great tasting, easy to make meal!

Ingredients:

• Brown Rice
• 1 Bubba Burger (or you could use chicken)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1/2 onion
• Tomato’s
• Green Peppers
• Pinch of Paprika
• 1 Chili Pepper
• Heinz 57 Sauce

Egg and Hashbrown Omelettes

Looking for a great tasting breakfast to start off the day?  These little bite sized “omelettes” should do the trick!

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees
• Place hash browns in oven  (while you make eggs)
  
• Whisk eggs together (use 1 egg for every two – so in this picture I used two eggs)
• Add Cheese
• Add any peppers (I used red/green peppers and some diced tomato)
  
• Take hash browns out of oven and pour some eggs into each portion
• Let bake in oven till eggs look done

*Note:  I used a muffin pan for baking these- made for perfect bite sized omelettes!

I’m sure you can buy gluten free salsa in the grocery store…and I know I have before, however I cannot recall the name.  Just make sure to read all the ingredients since there are some that are not gluten free.  Also Chili Peppers have alot of great health benefits from helping soothe intestinal diseases to fighting cancer and even burn some extra calories.  I did feel in a better mood after eating some…just beware they are pretty spicy…have some milk on hand!

Ingredients for Home Made Salsa (All diced & sliced)

Addicting Home Made Salsa

• Jalapenos
• Onions
• Tomato’s
• Green Peppers
• Red Peppers
• Chili Peppers

The Tomato’s when sliced added a good base for the salsa.  Pictured above is when I hand sliced the peppers.  Soon after I gave in and bought a “Slap Chop” which worked nicely…except after the second time I used it the plastic piece broke…still works but I have to be careful.  It does make it alot quicker to make instead of hand slicing!

Now just get some gluten free corn chips and your ready to eat your salsa!

Gluten Free Pizza (The Miller Special)

Fresh Brothers is another place I just found out who caters to those of us who cannot tolerate wheat, have Celiac Disease or just want something Gluten Free.  Now I love Garlic Jim’s Pizza (gluten free pizza of course) and at first was a little weary of trying another gluten free pizza in fear it might not be as good as Garlic Jim’s (Read my review of them).  However I was pleasantly surprised!

It reminded me of a Chicago style pizza once I saw and tasted how thick the pizza actually was.  They also cut it into smaller pieces  (which I have now found I like-feels like your eating more).  They definitely didn’t skimp on the toppings either.  There is plenty of cheese and sauce on their pizzas!  They only carry medium sized pizzas in their gluten free selection- which Garlic Jim’s come in different sizes- but the pizzas I got from Fresh Brothers turned out to be a big size (very close if not the same as a large from Garlic Jim’s).

Fresh Brothers GF Pizza (Cheese)

Their pizza style is made really thick.

I ended up getting two different pizzas so I could try them both out (and eat them for the next few days since it’s a bit of a drive for me).  I ordered a 1 medium gluten free extra cheese and 1 Miller Special (lots of different toppings, that are also gluten free).

Fresh Brothers’ gluten free pizza’s are incredibly good and taste like they are freshly baked.  They come in pizza boxes just like Garlic Jim’s.  You can also eat inside (however it’s pretty small just 3 tables).  So if you like extra thick crust, lots of toppings, and just a great tasting pizza- you should try out Fresh Bothers!  I also found out after that they carry other gluten free foods, next time I will have to try some now that I know!

Just like Garlic Jim’s, they also deliver.  However you still have to live pretty close to either one to get it since they like to do delivers close by, but I still think it’s awesome they can deliver. As for me, any drive for some great gluten free pizza isn’t any problem to me

Fresh Brothers