In honor of Celiac Awareness Day I HAD to share with you this amazing recipe that was shared with me.

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As Celiac's, and others who have to avoid gluten, you understand the excitement when you find a good cookie or cake.  I mean, a GOOD one!  Right?  It's like finding the perfect shoe for your wedding (or prom if you're a little younger).  For guys, umm, it's like watching a good game?  Ha, sorry, I'm not so savvy in that department.

But, anyways, back to the cookie.  When you can't have "normal" cookies, you've had to go through some awkward, if not awful, cookies looking for something yummy.  And, due to that fact, your awesome friends (you know, those who understand) send you recipes when they find something gluten free that they think you might like.

So, this recipe today is for a gluten free AND vegan S'mores cookie!  Doesn't that just sound divine!  My lovely friend, Crystal, sent me the recipe and I can't WAIT to try to make them.  Yes, I have not yet tried these cookies.  But, I did look through the ingredients (and some delectable pictures) and I just couldn't wait to share with you.  Having been quite sick the last few months (more on that later, but we don't have time now...HELLO, I'm about to give you a cookie recipe!) I'm not sure when I'll finally have the energy to whip up a batch of these.

I figured, hey, my readers are good people.  Good people who have, sadly, had to endure some not so good gluten free cookies.  So, if I can get your hands on what I'm betting is a great recipe, why make you wait?  Seriously, I haven't been able to cook in like three months, so it could be a LONG while before I can give my opinion.

In the meantime, check these out.

Gluten Free and Vegan S'mores Cookies...complete with tons of gooey pics!

Hope you enjoy!  If you do make them, PLEASE share your thoughts...I can live vicariously through your baking. :)

Summer may be winding down as kids and teachers have gone back to school, but that doesn't mean the fun of summer has to be over.

Well, maybe a little.  I mean, we can't just continue to stay home because we want to. :) 

BUT, we can definitely still enjoy some of the great flavors as we sit by the pool or BBQ this weekend.  Maybe even a little treat for yourselves tonight?  I say, go for it! 

As I've shared before, I'm loving the joys of Pinterest.  It's completely addicting (at least for me).  Have you been sucked into the world of pinning yet?  If not, let me know and I'd be more than happy to send you an invite. :)  If not, that's ok too.  But, you may find some of these pins I'm about to share just too enticing!

In honor of summer, I wanted to share some refreshing treats with you today. 

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First up we have, peach popsicles.
Gluten free AND refined sugar free!  Yum!

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Next, a fun blueberry, basil lemon water.
This may sound a little different, but check out the the ingredient list.  Simple and delicious!

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Another icy treat.  This time, blackberry frozen yogurt. 
Added bonus for this one is that it only has three ingredients.

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Lastly, I just couldn't resist adding this one for all you margarita lovers.  Watermelon Margarita.
I'm sure this will be a BBQ favorite for many of you!

***NOTE:  As always, double check any ingredients you are using to insure they are gluten free.

Enjoy!  As always, we'd love to hear of you've tried any of these or if you have a different, favorite refreshing treat for the summer.

Summer is winding down and the school year is just around the corner!

The sleeping in for students (and us teachers) is coming to a close. :( It's a bittersweet time as I get excited to meet new students, yet sad to no longer be on my own schedule. While this summer has been different than others (more on that later) I still very much enjoy not having to pack breakfast, lunch and a few snacks.

Which brings me to today's post...

If your child is anything like me, they get really hungry throughout the day. That can prove especially difficult if they have food allergies. From slushies to gummy worms and Gatorade, while the snack selection at your child's school may have these gluten free options, it may not be what you want your child to eat. I can tell you, it's definitely not what your child's teacher wants them to be eating. A classroom full of 40 freshmen hyped up on sugar after lunch is definitely an interesting environment (not speaking from experience or anything). :)

However, healthy snacks are an essential way to keep your child's energy and attention up during the day.




So, here's a quick list of snacks that will hopefully help get you started and keep their tummies satisfied:

-Trail Mix (like the amazing one pictured above, from Trader Joes).
-Fresh fruit and veggies (I find it super helpful to bag these up ahead of time so they can just grab and go in the morning).
-Snack bars (NoGii kids or paleo bars and Larabars have some great, kid-friendly, flavors...I particularly love the pure ingredients of the Larabars).
-String cheese and pretzels (we love Glutino pretzels).
-Yogurt
-Applesauce

It's amazing, but although coming up with kid and school friendly snacks for your child with allergies can initially be a daunting task, once you start you may find that (like the short list above) there are quite a few options that will be similar to other kids.

It's never a quick, or easy, task coming up with foods to feed your child, but hopefully this list will help get the wheels in your head turning.

So, what did I miss? I know I didn't get ALL the good stuff!

One quick side note before I go. I heard a great idea awhile back from a mother whose son has Celiac. To help him feel more "normal" and included, she would talk with his teacher so she could keep track of when there were parties in his class. This way, when the occasion came up, she would make sure he had a cupcake or brownies in his lunch so that he never felt like he was being left out! He didn't have to just smell their dessert (am I the only one that does that?!?!), he could eat his own!

How cool is that?


Rachel aka Gfreegal

Going gluten free doesn't have to mean going without your favorite grilled cheese sandwich or French toast breakfast. You CAN have bread and it CAN taste good!

Gluten free just means a little tweak in your staple bread entrees.




However, depending on which bread you choose, you could find yourself thinking you'll never have a tasty sandwich again. Trust me, we've tried some pretty nasty gluten free breads over the past few years. But, we've also found some yummy options and have compiled a list for you of the top three brands (and no, none of these companies are endorsing this post; we just want you to eat what tastes good).

Top gluten free bread companies:

1. Canyon Bakehouse

Canyon Bakehouse has some of the most moist and squishy gluten free bread out there. We particularly like their cinnamon raisin and 7-grain breads. Perfect for a sandwich!

2. Rudi's Gluten Free

Rudi's is also quite moist for a gluten free bread. Their multigrain and cinnamon raisin breads are great for making toast in the morning. We also really like their plain tortillas

3. Udi's Gluten Free

Udi's bread holds a special place in my heart, just because it was the first gluten free bread I tried that tasted good and when toasted I didn't feel like it was going to break my jaw as I attempted to bite it. I also appreciated that it wasn't crazy crumbly like other breads (none of these three breads mentioned are!). Again, we like their whole grain, as well as their hamburger and hot dog buns. We also REALLY like their blueberry muffins. They're a great thing to pack (with Justin's peanut butter packets) for out of town trips!

Another great thing about Udi's is that Trader Joes is now carrying it!!! I think it's about $1 cheaper there than the health food store I usually buy it at! Score!

Now, granted, you can buy mixes and make your own gluten free bread, but honestly, we don't have time for that. When we're making something with bread (which we don't do every day) it's usually something quick like a sandwich or toast. Having these breads handy makes those quick meals that much tastier! Trust us, we've tried the funky stuff...it's gross! ;-)

One SUPER important note...we keep ALL our gluten free bread in the freezer so that it keeps longer and better. We just take off a slice or two and defrost in for 30 sec in the microwave or toast it in the toaster oven (just make sure you don't burn it!).

Happy bread eating!

Did we miss an amazing gluten free bread on this list? If so, please tell us and we'll see if we can check it out.

Rachel aka Gfreegal

Did you know that if you have Celiac disease you can deduct your extra expenses in your taxes?



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It's true.

Because the treatment for Celiac disease is to follow a gluten free diet, the IRS allows you to deduct those extra food expenses. It's a bit of a tricky process and requires consistency and follow through on your part.

To make this easier for you, here's an easy to follow list from our friends at CeliAct.

Gluten Free Tax Deductions

Good luck and hopefully this helps ease the expenses for you!

Rachel aka Gfreegal