Staples

Today I am here to talk about staples (the ones in your pantry not in your office) because you never know when a gluten free gal pal will drop by for an unexpected happy hour, or when that long day of work leads you to a glass of wine or two. I always try and be prepared to entertain last second, so today I share with you a few staples that I keep in my pantry and fridge. You can impress in pressing time with the following:





• Cheese
  Sharp Cheddar
  Gouda
  Marble Jack
  Pepperjack

• Hummus with Raw Veggies
   I like making my own hummus but store bought tastes great too!
  Carrots, celery, or brown rice tortillas to dip
  Pretzels (try Glutino’s)

• Chips and Salsa
  Corn chips (read labels!)
  Any brand of salsa or make your own

• Fruit (all fruit is GF but these I think look great on a plate for happy hour!)
  Grapes
  Apples
  Raspberries (place chocolate chips in their center for an elegant and tasty version!)

• Chocolate
  Dark chocolate or milk chocolate squares are great!

• Gluten Free Crackers
  Marys Gone Crackers
  Nut Thins (I love the hint of sea salt flavor!)

Throw any of these together on a plate and you are good to go!

Some great gluten free brands:

o Udi’s
o Rudi’s
o Glutino
o Marys Gone Crackers
o Nut Thins
o Tinkanyada
o Enjoy Life
o Gluten Free Pantry
o Erewhon

My Current Favorite Gluten Free Beers:

o Redbridge
o Greens
o Bards

Wine is gluten free. Check out these vegan wines:

o Charles Shaw
o Frey Vineyards
o Four Chimneys Organic wines
o Hip Chicks Do Wine
o Mountain Cove
o Orleans Hill Winery
o Red Truck
o Yellowtail

Happy Friday to you readers! Enjoy your weekend!

Busch League

My father is from Chicago so naturally I have been a Cubs fan since the day I was born. My pops and I would sit around on Saturdays, taking in the heat from the afternoon sun that peaked through the blinds and cast a glare on the TV, and yell at the screen together. Very bonding. I would listen to him intensely, emulating baseball banter whenever I could. Hey Pops, “The ducks are on the pond!” right?


Last Saturday I had the opportunity to take our son to his very first Cubs game. Not at Wrigley unfortunately, that will come soon, but at Busch Stadium. Oh yes, we were playing the Cardinals. I do not write those words out of trepidation of the match up mind you (did you watch the last game of the series?) but rather what my son would think of his first Cubbies experience. Yes, he has seen our local minor league team play a million and one times and we have taken him down to Dallas to see the Rangers but this was a whole new ballgame. For me, and for Mitch.

A gluten free gal such as myself doesn’t get to enjoy a cold brew during a baseball game much anymore unless at home. BUT, last Saturday I could! The marvelous miracle about Busch stadium is that they serve gluten free beer! RedBridge, my personal favorite domestic beer right now, is made by Anheuser-Busch. Ah gluten free beer that was free flowing and fresh from the brewery in town. I can’t think of a better way to beat the humidity! We guzzled our beers and stood proud in our Cubbie blue amongst the broken bits of peanut shells littering the ground.

Busch Stadium also has a variety of gluten free food options as well as vegetarian. My husband, the dear that he is, found a blogger that provided a list of where all the gluten free options were as well as vegetarian. Try the Veggie burger with a splash of the hot sauce they have in the condiment section. WOO!

Here is a list below on where to find everything:

• Beef Brisket (no sauce or bun): section 509
• Bratwurst (no bun)
• Grilled Chicken (no bun): sections 139, 161, 446, 264, 266
• Hamburger/Cheeseburger (no bun)
• Hot Dog, Jumbo Dog (no bun)
• Peanuts
• Polish Sausage (no bun): sections 162, 169, 270, 437
• Popcorn
• Pudding - 4 oz. Vanilla and Chocolate: section 136
• Red Bridge Beer: sections B150, B272.
• Turkey legs: sections 152, 432, 509
• Veggie Burger (No Bun): section 132
• Gluten-Free Ham & Swiss Sandwich: section 136
• Yogurt - 6 oz. Strawberry and Peach: section 136

Oh and in case you were wondering, Mitch LOVED his first Cubs game! I think we may have converted his best friend Ben to the Cubs as well. They jumped around aimlessly in their Cubs hats with not a clue what was going on, but a loyalty for the team. The game was clutched for me at the bottom of 8th when I took Mitch to get more snacks. As we walked back to our seats, the sound of cheering in the background, Mitch grabbed my hand, looked up at me, and said, “Mommy? Let’s sing the song!” We sang “Go, Cubs, Go” swinging along our hands back to our seats. Now that is baseball bonding.

Beer Me!

I cut out beer from my diet long before I realized that I was intolerant to gluten. No, it wasn’t to lose weight (although I did) but because I was having such a weird reaction to it. When I drank beer I would swell. And the swelling continued to get worse over the years.

Let’s step back to high school. Yes, I know, shocking that I indulged as a minor but I feel that to really give you the history I need to be honest. My mother would bust me the night after I drank beer because my face would swell up like a balloon. A natural reaction to beer right? I thought so. Then college came around. And yes duh, we drank beer. And my face swelled. And my tummy. I thought that was just typical from drinking beer a lot. Freshman Fifteen anyone? But I ate a healthy diet, worked out 6 days a week, and seemed to be holding a lot of bumbling bloat that I couldn't beat.

About junior year I met my husband and things REALLY took a turn. Not only was I swollen feeling/looking but also my hangovers were horrendous! I would get very sick, even if I just had a couple beers. One morning I woke up and I couldn’t even bend my fingers all the way because they were so swollen. It was time to figure out what the heck was really going on with my body.

After I talked to a friend of ours about my situation he said that I was probably allergic to it. Maybe the hops? Or the histamines? He had many friends with the same problem. His advice was to cut it out for a week or two. See how you feel.

So I did.

And I felt better. I really didn’t miss it all that much either. I could tell my body was thankful because I noticed my health improving as well as my body. I dropped all the swollen weight I had been carrying around. Things were good for a bit. Well, the whole other food side hit soon after but this is the fairy tale beer story so I am going to give you a happy ending.

I had cut out beer for a few years when I found out that I was intolerant. I heard that there was gluten free beer but I didn’t really have an interest at first. I had lost the taste for it. But, like I said, I wanted to be the guinea pig so I gave a few a go. Here are some of the ones I tried and what I thought about them:

• RedBridge- Anheuser-Busch, Inc., the company that produces Budweiser, Michelob, Busch, Bass, Beck’s, Kirin, Stella Artois, Rolling Rock and a ton of other alcoholic drinks, has come out with a full-bodied gluten free beer called Redbridge. It has a very light, clear amber color with a smooth texture and a floral, sweet aroma.
This is my favorite! My husband even said he liked it better than the beer HE was drinking! That’s a huge compliment in my book because this man knows his beer. Some what of a beer snob if you will.

• Bard’s Sorghum Beer- The Original Sorghum Malt Beer, sometimes known as Dragon’s Gold Lager, is an American Lager with low bitterness and a floral aroma, containing sorgum, yeast, hops, and water (no wheat, oats, rye, or barley).

This is actually the first beer I tried and I liked it! It’s a bit heavier in my opinion to the RedBridge but has a good flavor.

• Daura Pilsner Lager- This beer is brewed by the Estrella Damm brewery in Barcelona. Estrella Daura is a 5.4% mainstream pilsner lager with a universal flavor and character. It is fruity and floral on the nose with a hint of sweet spices.

Hmmmm, not my favorite to be honest. I have never been a huge pilsner fan myself though so don’t let my review discourage you to try it!

These are the only three I have tried thus far. Writing about them gives me an idea for a beer tasting though!

Any takers?