Friday Favorites...Weekly Recipe Finds

I thought it would be a great idea, and help me organize all the great recipes I see online, if I picked my favorite recipes each week. So here are my favorite recipe picks from Pinterest and Twitter for this week! I'll be trying them soon!!

Since I've been obsessed with soup the past few days, let's start there....

Favorite Soup Recipe
Chicken Corn Chowder http://www.qvc.com/ChickenAndCornChowder.content.html

Favorite Breakfast Recipe
Easy GF Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins http://www.imaceliac.com/2014/06/easy-sour-cream-gluten-free-blueberry-muffins.html

Favorite Main Dish Recipe
Beef and Mushroom Stew http://www.delightglutenfree.com/recipes?id=793

Favorite Side Dish Recipe
GF Stovetop Mac and Cheese http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/easy-stovetop-gluten-free-mac-and-cheese/

Favorite Dessert Recipe
The Best Sour Cream Cheesecake http://recreatinghappiness.com/dessert-recipes/the-best-sour-cream-cheesecake/


I also visited AllerMates new website this week!  You'll find great resources and products there for parents of kids with allergies, asthma, etc. http://www.allermates.com

Tips on GF Shopping and more from the Ingles Dietician...

I thought this was a great article from inspiredrd.com featuring a Q&A with Leah McGrath, the Ingles Markets Dietician.  Thought I'd post a link to it here...great information!

http://inspiredrd.com/2012/05/gluten-free-grocery-shopping.html

GF Cookies that are just, well...awesome!

The other day I was headed out for the day and since I knew I'd be gone for a while, I stopped by the store to grab a few GF snacks to have on hand. I noticed that Enjoy Life had a variety of snacks that I had not seen before, so I grabbed a box of their Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are by far the BEST GF packaged cookies I have tried so far. They are just delicious! My kids, who aren't gluten free, LOVE them too :) I was so pleased to see they are nut free as well, so my kids can enjoy them. Here's a link to the Enjoy Life website.

http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/soft-baked-cookies/

SO Delicious is so delicious!

Have you tried SO Delicious? This frozen dessert is delightful! The first flavor I tried was Mocha Fudge....scrumptious! It's gluten free and dairy free. Another great flavor is the Coconut Milk Vanilla Bean. It's gluten free, dairy free, and soy free. Both are yummy. There have other varieties as well, but I always make sure it says GF on the labeling. So if a flavor doesn't plainly say (and even when it does :)) be sure to check the ingredients!

This post is linked to Allergy Free Wednesdays

Friday Favorites...GF Storage

Recently, a few different GF bloggers have shown their pantries neatly organized with labeled storage containers for all their flours and baking products. After seeing this, I realized that the quart size zip bags in which I was storing mine weren't cutting it! And every time I went to use them, flour got everywhere, making a huge mess....uughhh! The gift of organization is one that I do not possess...I'm a self proclaimed clutter-bug! But it was clear, I needed to do something about my flour situation! So I turned to my favorite storage containers....Lock-n-Lock!

This brings up another confession I must make to you... I am a QVC junkie...which is where I first discovered Lock-n-Lock. I love to shop the Q, Shoot, I don't even have to buy anything, I love just watching the Q~which Hubby does not understand at all!

Anyway, back to storage....One year for my birthday, Hubby surprised me with two sets of Lock-n-Lock from QVC. I don't think he had any idea how excited I would get over storage containers....To this day, it ranks as one of his best gifts ever, I was so thrilled to get them...and still use them all the time! So what better containers to use than Lock-n-Lock for my GF storage...and they work great! I actually picked up these three new containers at the grocery store, but here's the link to any Lock-n-Lock you could ever want from QVC :) http://www.qvc.com/

Loving my new gluten free lip gloss from Red Apple Lipstick!

When I went gluten free, I realized I would have to change lipsticks, as mine was not GF. I found some great lip balms...Carmex and Made On lip balm are great...but I missed wearing a color on my lips....It's like that song, "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile..." I felt like something was missing. Then thanks to the Celiac Diva, I discovered Red Apple Lipstick, who makes GF lipsticks and glosses! I recently ordered their newest shade of gloss, Brandy Candy....LOVE IT! Here's a picture of me sporting the new shade....and this was after I'd had it on for a couple of hours! Check out the website here http://www.redapplelipstick.com/ lots of great colors to choose from!

Friday Favorites....King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Mixes

You are probably already familiar with King Arthur Flour's line of gluten free products. If not though, you should give them a try! I love them! The muffin mix is yummy with blueberries added in, and I have even squeezed some fresh orange juice in with the mix before too :). And the brownies....oh the brownies...they are delicious! My family is coming over for dinner this weekend and for dessert I'm planning on serving the brownies with GF vanilla ice cream and GF chocolate syrup...tasty! These King Arthur Flour mixes are certified gluten free and made in a dedicated GF facility :). They also make other mixes too :)

This post is linked to Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love at http://allergyfreecookery.blogspot.com/2012/02/allergy-friendly-lunchbox-love-19.html

Friday Favorites....Made On Skin Care Products

One of my all-time favorite movies is The Sound of Music. The music and story are wonderful...and I've always had a crush on the Captain :) One of the most well-known songs from The Sound of Music is "My Favorite Things"...You know, "when the dog bites, when the bee stings..." Well each Friday at Gluten Free Simply Good, I'll be sharing my "favorite things". And while I'm sure the crisp apple streudel and schnitzel with noodle that Julie Andrews sang about were chock full of gluten, my favorites will be gluten free, and well, some will have nothing to do with gluten at all! :) I'd love for you to share your favorites too!

This week's Friday Favorite....Made On Hard Lotion and Skin Care Products

I had been searching for a GF lip balm and had seen Made On Hard Lotion mentioned in a few different GF blogs, and saw that they offered one. I visited the website and even contacted Renee by email to ask about her products... they are gluten free! I read in the testimonials how the Made On lotion had helped some folks with eczema. All three of my kids had eczema when they were babies, and my 18 month old still has a few patches on her sweet little feet that don't seem to want to heal. The doctor has always prescribed steroid creams and has told us to use moisturizing lotion. But I have never found a lotion that worked and always hate using the steroid creams! So I ordered the Beesilk Jr. to try for my daughter, and of course the lip balm for myself too :). I have been using the lotion on her for a couple of weeks and the patches on her feet are starting to improve, which makes me a happy Mama :) Check out the Made On website. You can read about Renee, the ingredients she uses, and see her products. http://www.hardlotion.com/gifts/

Do have a favorite GF skin care product that you love??

GF Lotions

The Celiac Diva has a great list of GF lotions! Great as Winter is coming! http://www.theceliacdiva.com/gluten-free-lotions/ I just picked up a bottle of California Baby Super Sensitive Everyday Lotion at Babies R Us! Tried it and love it! Free of gluten, soy, oat, dairy and nuts :) It says face and body lotion, but it has already done wonders for my dry hands, yeah!

Letter From ConAgra Foods

Here is a portion of a letter I received on Nov. 2, 2011 from ConAgra, makers of Hunts products as well as other products like Swiss Miss. It lists their products that DO NOT contain gluten.

"Since wheat is a major food allergen, if it is used in the product it would be listed in the contains statement following the ingredients list. The flour used in many of our products is wheat flour and you should avoid these products if you have gluten sensitivities. If any ingredient in the product includes rye or barley, it will be listed in parentheses immediately following the ingredient. Oats do not contain gluten, but they frequently have been exposed to wheat or barley and are not recommended for celiac patients. If Natural Flavors, Artificial Flavors, or Spices listed in the ingredients list contain wheat, rye or barley, these ingredients would be listed in parenthesis immediately following the ingredient. Some fermented or distilled products such as vinegar may be derived from wheat. Most of the vinegar in our products is distilled and through the distilling process protein gluten is removed.

Products That Do Not Contain Gluten*
Category/Brand/Items
-Cocoa: Swiss Miss all varieties
-Hebrew National: all items except Franks in a Blanket
-Wesson oils: all varieties
-Peter Pan Peanut Butter: all varieties
-Popcorn: Act II microwave, Orville Redenbacher jar and microwave excluding Crunch n Munch or Poppycock)
-Pudding: Swiss Miss & Snack Pack, excludes those containing Tapioca
-Spreads: Parkay, Blue Bonnet, Fleischmann's and Move Over Butter
-David Seeds: all varieties
-Tomato Sauces: Hunt's tomato paste and sauces excluding pasta sauces
-Tomatoes: Hunt's all varieties
-Ketchup: Hunt's all varieties
-Reddi-Wip: all varieties
-Egg Beaters: all varieties
*These items have been identified as not containing gluten. They are not currently routinely testing to affirm they contain less than 20ppm gluten for a ‘gluten free' claim.

We always advise consumers who may have sensitivities to recheck the ingredient list on each package. Products are oftentimes reformulated and the ingredients may change. If you have additional questions about your personal dietary needs, please consult your doctor or a registered dietitian. "

Skittles and Starburst!

I was trying to find out today if Skittles are gluten free, and found something online saying that it says "gluten-free" right on the package, so I looked and sure enough, it's right there on the package! So I looked at Starburst bag, and it also had "gluten-free" right on the label! Was so happy to see this...if only every label was this easy to read.... :)

Muffins in the Morning...

This morning I used King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Muffin Mix to make some yummy muffins! I stirred some blueberries into the batter too. The muffins turned out great! My 4 yr old LOVED them and hubby ate two! I will definitely be making these again, and trying different fruit in them...maybe strawberries next time! YUM :)