Gluten-Free Makeup

For you ladies out there who want to enhance the beauty that is already there (yes you are beautiful without makeup) you might have a bit of a problem if you are in need of Gluten Free products. If your hubby is having problems with his gluten tolerance your lipstick or lip balm my be the culprit. Check the ingredients of all of your makeup and lotions… and I do  mean all because you kiss and hug and hold hands which transfers that wonderfully horrible Gluten onto the one you love. So if they contain any of these:

hyrolyzed malt extract
hydrolyzed wheat protein
hydrolyzed vegetable protein
wheat germ
vitamin e
cyclodextrin
barley extract
fermented grain extract
oat (avena sativa)
stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl  <_<”
samino peptide complex
phytosphingosine extract
triticum vulgare
dextrin
dextrin palmitate
maltodextrin
Secale Cereale
Sodium C8-16 Isoalkylsuccinyl Wheat Protein Sulfonate
yeast extract
anything with wheat in the name

then I suggest you toss them. Fear not there are products that are good quality just as good as MAC but are Gluten Free. (MAC only has 4 Gluten Free products that I know of Lipgelee, Lipglass, Studio Finish Matte Foundation SPF 8 and MAC Strobe Liquid – but does contain ingredients derived from corn and soy). MAC also changes their ingredints from time to time so you would want to call customer service before buying these really expensive junk products. But Smashbox has a wide verity of Gluten Free products along with them being crutly free and as they say earth friendly <_<” don’t know what that means… Their products are pretty good so check out their site for yourself. I should have an update and list of their gluten free makeup in the next day or so.

As for lip balm I have stuck with EOS. Their Lip Balms are neat, delicious and Gluten Free. I stress that their Lip Balms are Gluten Free not their lotions or shaving cream.  As they say on their site their lip balms are:

• Long-lasting moisture
• Shea butter & vitamin E
• Smoothes on clear
• New smooth sphere precisely glides on to lips
• Twist-off top
• Gluten-free
• Paraben-free
• Petrolatum-free
• Phthalate-free

And they are 100% natural. I’ll have more Gluten Free makeup in the next day or so.

To be continued…

Gluten-Free Marshmellows

So its finally summer and I have been dying for a s’more but its a pain in the butt to make marshmallows from scratch. Now it is possible to make your own Gluten-Free marshmallows and here is a link to a video with some way to cheerful girls <_<“. The recipe in this video is not only Gluten-Free but also Dairy-Free and contains Agave instead of refined sugar. But If you don’t have the time (which it takes about a day to set) to make them from scratch you could also go to your local grocery store (I got mine from the institution know as Walmart) and pick up these *points to picture* they are absolutely the best marshmallows I have ever had! I have even thought of adopting them as another child and calling them MALLOW. But due to that fact that they are not a living creature that idea will have to wait. But these babies are big. Compared to a regular marshmallow they are 2 to 3 times the size. They do fit on a stick perfect and you only need 1 or 2 to satisfying your marshmallow craving. They are just as fluffy and cook exactly the same as marshmallows made near or with Gluten. But the best part is that they are Gluten-Free. But alas these lovelies are not sugar-free. And if your on a diet the calories… wait why the heck are you even thinking of marshmallows if your on a diet?… If you are in need of a recipe for Graham Crackers here is a wonderful link to Jules Shepard’s blog. This blog has tons of wonderful recipes for those who are on a Gluten-Free diet so check it out and enjoy. (^_^)/”

Qdoba at UCF

I had a quick stop at University of Central Florida today and had the need to feed. ^_^ Well a friend had recommended eating at Qdoba Mexican Grill. Well I always check out their menu and allergen information before going to a store. Granted they have Mexican food which one would think was Gluten-Free with the possibility of actual corn tortillas, tacos and salads. But I was greatly mistaking on this. They was a lot of cross-contamination and almost everything but their corn chips had gluten in it. I ordered their chicken nachos and was surprised when I saw the gentlemen behind the counter drop a flour tortilla in the salsa and just keep going. Sorry guys and gals don’t eat here if you are really sensitive to gluten.

^_^

Natural Delights :Healthy, Gluten-Free, Baked Goods and Soomthies

I know I have been on a long hiatus but now I’m back and ready for another wonderful jaunt into the gluten-free world. One of my latest discoveries has been a store called Natural Delights off Fairbanks ave in Orlando it’s right across the street from 4Rivers Smoke house.

Front of Natural Delights

Now I have to say I was really excited when I heard that this place was so near my work and had some great food. So I had to stop in and take a look. I did wondered why I hadn’t heard about this place sooner only to find out from the owner that they had only been open for a few months and have been hoping that word of mouth would help generate some business.

Hours of Operation

Muffins and other yummies

Chocolate Cupcakes

To be honest when I arrived it was rather late and they had run out of a few things but I was assured by the owner that they would be getting more items on the menu other then cupcakes, sweets and smoothies. I’m not saying this is all they carry but this is all I found when I arrived. One of the owners said there are going to be sandwiches and fresh bread soon. And to top this off they have vegan options along with it being very reasonably priced.

The food is also very healthy. They doesn’t use processed sugar but relay more on agava nectar and other sweeteners to make their delicious food. I came across their Blueberry muffins, which are by the way scrumptious, along with their Raspberry Thumbprints that I have now become addicted to.  I have included a link to their menu for those who wish to browse before heading out the door. This is a great little place near Winter Park that has some great desserts for those longing for Gluten-Free fresh baked goodies.

Give it a try you might just like it. ^_^

(Excuse the photos I took them with my cell phone, forgot my camera  ^_^)

Jason’s Deli in Altmonte Springs, FL

I have been checking out the website Gluten Free Registry to find some new restaurants in the areas around Orlando. I found one near the Altamonte Mall called Jason’s Deli this is a chain store. Now it is listed that they have Gluten-Free bread that is used for sandwiches along with a soup and a few other things that are Gluten-Free. So in my curiosity (or because I was hungry from shopping a few days before Christmas) I stopped in for a bite. The atmosphere is nice and open though as you walk in you seem lost since the counter to order at is way off to the right around a small corner. But this did not deter my hunger. I asked for a Gluten-Free menu after the 5 min wait. I order a turkey sandwich, with mayo, spinach and provolone cheese. I was surprised when the young women asked me again what kind of bread I wanted. Only after I said Gluten-Free did she brush it off and say “Oh yeah”. This gave me cause for uneasiness. Now I’m one to not let my eyes off my food if possible and this deli was set up so that you can watch your food being made. So I watched as a the young women making my food took it out of a secure bin with all the other Gluten-Free products. I also watched as she put it on a very visibly contaminated surface as she assembled it. I watched as she put the mayo spatula that was just used on regular bread on to my sandwich. And I’m sure she saw me utter a cry of shame as I watched my meal become garage at her hands. I took my sorrows to the management, they were kind and said that they would make it themselves for me. After some quick thinking I realized that everything in that place is contaminated and there was no chance I would get a meal that was Gluten-Free. I informed the management that I would not be taking that chance and was refund the money. The good news from this is that their ice teas are wonderful the bad news is I highly recommend that those with Celiac stay far away from Jason’s Deli.

Gluten-Free Pasta Sauce

One thing I love in this world is pasta! Upon starting this new diet I was told by the doctor that I would have to eat a completely different way and that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy all the food I had before but not to worry it wouldn’t be that hard. Well it really wasn’t that hard at first (since I had no idea what Gluten-Free was). After a quick trip to wallyworld Walmart and Food Lion and realizing there wasn’t much to pick from in the form of Gluten-Free food, I was forced to shop at the more expenisive food stores WholeFoods. <_<” But being the frugal person I am (^_^) I began looking closer at the foods found in different Publixs and Walmarts in the area. I found that the Classico brand has a great selection for a fraction of the price then the sauce found at higher end grocery stores. It is not just this one sauce that is GF but all of Classico’s red and white sauces are. You can check out there website here. Now don’t just think Classico is the only brand of GF sauce that Walmart and Publix carry they both have others listed such as Prego, Newmans and a few others. Publix also has their Green Wise section which contain a lot of GF food. Check out these stores in your area and see what they have to offer.

Hello Gluten-Free People!

Welcome to my blog hope all is well with you. I have never blogged before but there is always a first for everything. This blog is for those of you who suffer from Celiac disease or those who just don’t want to eat wheat anymore. I will cover products that are cheap and easy to find. I will also review restaurants in the Orlando,FL area that cater to Gluten-Free (GF) foods and those that are listed as GF but are far from it. I will include pictures at every chance I can (Sometimes I must be ninja sneaky in some places). If ever you have a question I would be more then willing to help in anyway I can to answer it. So sit back relax and enjoy my blog. ^_^