Santa Brought A Bread Maker!

This Celiac is pretty spoiled!  Remember how I told you all I wasn't supposed to be getting presents because of my shiny new baby that has been tucked away for the winter under her cover in the garage.... well that no present policy didn't last...again... or maybe santa just didn't know about that little detail!

Here she is!

Kenmore Bread Maker With Electronic LCD Display

I got my very own shiny bread maker!!  It may not be exciting for normal gals, but I'm a celiac....so I'm excited! I have been wanting my own for years now, but it was just one of those things that I didn't want to spend the money on.  My parents have one, and they always made me delicious GF bread, so it wasn't a priority for me to have my own.  Now I won't have an excuse to have someone else make it for me!




Mr. Kat did tell me that Santa had a very hard time finding a bread maker....but I think he did a great job.  This one has a gluten free setting... it's number 9 in case you were wondering!  I have yet to test it out becasue I need to get to the store to buy all the ingredients for the recipe that my mama uses... but I will let you know how it works.

But for now I will share with you my favorite bread maker recipe... thanks Bob's Red Mill for this recipe!

Our Favorite White Bread

• 2-1/4 tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 1 tsp Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Canola Oil
• 1-1/2 cups Water
• 2 cups White Rice Flour
• 1/2 cup Potato Starch
• 1/2 cup Tapioca Flour
• 1/3 cup Corn Starch
• 1 Tbsp Xanthan Gum
• 3 Tbsp Sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Egg Replacer, optional
• 2/3 cup Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder (to make it dairy free we substitute almond meal)
• 3 Eggs, large

Combine liquid ingredients and pour carefully into bread machine baking pan. Mix together dry ingredients and add to baking pan. Carefully seat pan in breadmaker. Select normal/white cycle and start machine. After mixing cycle begins, help any unmixed ingredients into the dough with a rubber spatula, keeping to edges and top of batter to prevent interference with the paddle. Remove pan from the machine when bake cycle is complete. Invert pan and shake gently to remove bread. Cool upright on a rack before slicing. Makes 1 1/2 pound loaf (13 slices).

Santa even brought a fancy new dedicated GF toaster for all the bread that I will be making...It  matches my baby sleeping in the garage...shiny red and chrome!






Taco Night!... GF No-Junk Taco Seasoning

I LOVE Mexican food!  It is just plain good and easily GF.... So we do a lot of Mexican Nights at the Red Roof Inn.  Tacos are a quick favorite...and that is just what I needed last night.  Add a pitcher (or 2!) of my famous ritas and you have yourself quite the fiesta!

Have you ever read the ingredients in all those store bought taco seasoning packets??  If you are one of my GF readers I'm sure you have... that's what we do.  So as you know it is hard enough to find one that is GF and when you do find it it is still full of a ton of sodium and processed garbage.  Now I don't know about you, but I don't want to eat all that junk.  So what's a fabulous GF gal do..... well make her own of course.

I sifted through a lot of different recipes and compared them and took what I liked from each one to make my own.  Here you go!

GF No-Junk Taco Seasoning

4 T chili powder

3 T cumin

3 T paprika

1 T onion powder
1 t garlic powder

1/2 t oregano

1/4 t sea salt

1/4  t pepper

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1/4 t red pepper flakes

 

 

Isn't it so cute!?!

Mix everything together.  Easy-peasy.
I usually at least double this... sometimes triple it....
 I told ya we eat A LOT of Mexican Food at the RRI! 

I store mine in an adorable squatty little mason jar.

 

 

 

 Use enough to suit your taste, but if you want a guide, about 2 tablespoons is approximately equivalent to one of those chemical packets.  So use roughly about 2 tablespoons with about 3/4 cup of water per each pound of meat.

 

 

Grab your spices (and maybe some tequila!) and whip yourself up a batch of this for your next taco night!

 



Yum!... Fresh Raspberry Ritas
Of course served in Hard Rock rita glasses!
Definitely mix yourself up some of these to go with your tacos!



Just Pray!

This isn't my typical post, but I just have some words that I need to get out... or they will run around inside my head and drive me crazy!  My husband doesn't let me watch the news and I don't argue... very rarely do they talk about anything positive.  But no matter how hard you try to shelter yourself from the negative.... it doesn't make it go away.... and today makes that loud and clear.

I know how messed up in the head I am after living through a school shooting.  I was 21 when the NIU community and I had to cope with something noone should ever have to cope with.  If as an adult I am still so affected by that one tragic day that is branded into my memory, I can't help but cry worrying about how those poor children are going to grow up in fear....Fear of things that should never be scary!  School should be a happy place filled with lots of laughter, friends, fun, and learning... definitely not bullets and psychopaths on a rampage... 

That fact that this is has beccome a terrible reality makes me sick to my stomach (and is probably the real reason why I don't have children of my own yet).  I don't know what snaps in a persons head that gives them the urge to harm innocent people, but I do know that broadcasting their bad decisions and the lives they have destroyed all over the media giving them the attention they so desire does not help the situation.  It only gives other monsters psychotic ideas and the urge to outdo the previous ones.  I also know that helicopters flying over head and persistent reporters shoving cameras in the faces of survivors and families in an attempt to get the latest story are not what those poor people need at this time.  They need prayers for courage and faith.  They need private time to deal with what they have just experienced and time to attempt to try to continue their lives... or what is left of them.

So today I will continue my tradition of avoiding the news... I will respect the much needed privacy of those families, and I will just pray.  Pray for the children... that they will someday see school as a carefree happy place and not just a dark and scary death trap.  Pray for the teachers and faculty... that they once again have the courage to return to work and the responsibilites that come along with it of caring for the lives of children that are apparently always needlessly in danger.  Pray for the families... that they can find strength in God if they have lost loved ones or courage when it comes time for their surviving children to return to school.   Pray for the policemen and paramedics... that they continue to save lives and don't let such a horrific experience stop them from doing what they are so good at.   And yes... even pray for the monsters responsible for all these ridiculous shootings.... that they might find God and think twice before carrying out such terrible careless actions.  I hope all my followers join me and do the same.  Because until someone finds a better solution to stop all this madness...prayers are all we have... so please just pray.  And when you get done praying.... just pray some more!

Pamper Your Pucker!... Gluten Free Lip Products

Winter is right around the corner and with all that cold, wind, and snow comes dry skin and lips.  This can be hard to combat when you have celiac.  You wear lip products on your mouth so whether you believe topical gluten is an issue or not I can't stress how important it is to make sure that your lip products are gluten free.  Do you have a certain flavor or lip balm that you just love?  Well if you can taste it you are ingesting it!  So stop unintentionally ingesting gluten and switch to one of these great lip products!

1. Vaseline Lip Therapy: I adore this stuff!  It's so cute and it works!  It makes my lips so soft, and they stay that way for a long long time.  My favorite is the cocoa butter one because it smells so yummy.  Their website states that the lip therapy is gluten free... check it out here.

 

The Alice In Wonderland eos Collection... yummy!

2. eos Lip Balm:  I so want to love these... they are adorable little easter eggs like spheres that come in pretty colors, smells, and flavors. They also proudly state their gluten freeness prominently on the packaging!  But these lip balms are just ok for me...sometimes I feel that they make my lips drier instead of softer.  But I know they work well for a lot of people so I thought I would let you try them out for yourselves and make your own opinion.  You can find more info here or pick them up at Target or CVS.  I can't promise they will work well for you, but I can promise they are GF.

 

3. Juice Beauty:  All of their products are gluten free!  Check out their lip choices here.  I got the Reflecting Gloss in Fig free with my last order and I love it!  The scent takes a bit of getting used to, but it is really pretty and all organic and GF.

4. e.l.f. Cosmetics:  I did a previous post on this line... they are entirely GF, and also tested for G.  They have A LOT of choices for lips... check it out here.... but these are some that I have tried and liked...

• e.l.f. Studio Conditioning Lip Balm SPF 15
• e.l.f. Studio Lip Primer & Plumper
• e.l.f. Studio Lip Stain
• e.l.f. Essential Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick

5. Softlips: Their website says that all of their products are GF.... check it out here! They are also all vegan and completely cruelty free.  These are very affordable and can be easily found just about anywhere. There are lots on options... regular, tinted, gloss... And lots of flavors and scents. I am a big fan of the PURE 100% Natural products! 




6. Carmex: One of their FAQs on their website is "Does Carmex contain gluten?" And their response... "Nope, not even a speck"... Now that makes me smile!

*7. Blistex Simple and Sensitive:  This is an affordable basic lip balm with six simple ingredients.  It doesn't smell or taste like anything, but it works really well.  I have talked to the customer service people at Blistex and they keep telling me that all their lip products are GF... but (and it's a BIG but!)  I was browsing through their products one day at walmart to see if there were any other ones I might like and I scanned the ingredients of the Five Star Lip Protection... and lo and behold... it lists wheat germ oil plane as day as an ingredient!  I was completely disgusted!  I have spoke to the company multiple times about this and they assure me that it is still gluten free because the gluten has been removed from this ingredient... hmmmm??  I'm not sure I'm convinced.... but there are only six simple ingredients in the simple and sensitive formula so there is no confusion for me there with whether or not it is formulated to be GF... but then you have cross contamination as an issue.  I have discontinued using this product just to be safe because I no longer have confidence in this company....so proceed at your own risk with this one...

Stay perfectly kissable and GF this winter with these great products!  And as always, if you have any great favorites please share!  I'm hoping that Santa finds this post and fills my stocking with some of these great products!

Gluten Free Nail Polish...My Favorites!

Pontiac Liquid Red!  Hello Gorgeous!

Such a perfect match that I could
 practically use it as touch up paint!

OPI The Thrill of Brazil

Does anyone else feel that it is just plain therapeutic to give yourself a good ole' manicure? I've come to terms with the fact that my car detailing hands end up looking more like my mechanic husband's hands than anything remotely girly or pretty! Sometimes I scrub and scrub but there is nothing left to do but plaster my fingers with nail polish in attempt to hide the fact that I'm not quite as girly as I seem! What can I say? I love cars! Especially shiny fast ones!! However, I don't like to show up at my other jobs looking like a mechanic! So I am constantly painting my nails.  I also have a terrible nervous habit of biting my nails. Spending time polishing them to perfection helps this... For goodness sakes...I just spent a good half hour painting them the perfect shade of red (OPI The Thrill of Brazil) to match Charolette (my G8) so why would I want to ruin them by chewing on them! Nevertheless, it's a hard habit to break... Which makes it all the more important to make sure my polish is gluten free... after all it is ending up in my mouth!

When I rid my entire life of gluten my friends had a hay day going through all my old polishes.  I had A LOT.... I seriously maybe should have gone to nail polish rehab..is it really necessary to have 10 different shades of each color?!  My collection is significantly smaller now, because believe it or not gluten is in a lot of nail products.  But don't fret... there are a lot of good options out there for us Celiacs! 

I have done my research and talked to different companies and I am going to share with you what polish brands I'm restocking my collection with.  I promise that as of right now all of these polishes are gluten free and also free of DBP, Toluene, and Formaldehyde... which are all yucky chemicals you don't want on your fingertips!




First of all for any good mani/pedi  you need some essentials... my favorites... OPI Natural Nail Base Coat & OPI Rapid Dry Topcoat...  and now we can get down to business...pretty colors!






1. OPI: This has always been one of my favorite brands (I didn't have many in my collection because of the price... but now I have a damn good reason to buy expensive polish!)  This is THE only polish I have ever used that will survive a full car detail intact... now that's impressive staying power!  There is a huge collection of colors and they all have such fun names (I admit I have bought many a OPI bottle simply for the name)!   OPI is easy to use and has a nice brush.  It doesn't dry all that fast sometimes, but that is what quick drying topcoat is for.  The polish keeps well without getting chunky.  The only disadvantage is that because it stays on so well sometimes it is hard to remove, and it will stain your nails if you forget to use a basecoat.  I don't find these issues to be a deal breaker.... OPI has too much to love and it's still my favorite!
The best place to purchase OPI is JC Penney... normally it is $8.50 per bottle... but if you buy 2 or more they are only $6.00 per bottle! 
*Warning: Not all OPI products are gluten free!  I have contacted OPI and their CSR's were very helpful and emailed me a list of their few products that do contain gluten.  Basically stick to the colors and avoid the nail envy treatments and the Feet line.  Let me know if you have any other questions about this... but know that you can depend on any of their Nail Lacquer colors.


2. Nicole by OPI:  The same rules apply to Nicole as do OPI.  I just found a ton of Nicole colors at my local Marshalls for only $2.99! 

3. Sephora by OPI:  Again same rules apply.  I don't have a Sephora near me so I admit I have never used a Sephora by OPI polish, but I have confidence that they will work just as well as the previous two.

Wow... I could go on and on and on about OPI... I think you get it.. I LOVE OPI!... moving on...

4. Essie:  This is my next go to brand.  Love, love, love the colors and names.... huge selection!  I find this polish very easy to use (usually you can even get away with one coat) and it dries very fast.  But... I find that it doesn't have nearly the staying power of OPI.  Luckily the selection and ease of use almost make you not care about that issue....as you will find yourself wanting to try out one of their other colors soon enough anyway!   Essie is a bit pricy too, typically around $8.00 per bottle and you very rarely find it on sale, so that is another disadvantage.  But it is available at Target, which is very conveinent.

5. Zoya:  I have never used a Zoya polish because sadly I can't find it anywhere near me... and I don't like to buy polish online without seeing the color in person.  All I can say is that I hear it works really well, I've seen the selection online and they look pretty, and it is GF... confirmed by one of their awesome CSRs!  So if you can find Zoya somewhere near you give it a try and let me know what you think.

6.  Wet N Wild:  If you are looking for something much more affordable and easily available at drug stores and Wal Mart this is a great choice.  Their websites claims all their polish is gluten free, but I stick to the Mega Last and Wild Shine lines because they state that these lines are formulated with out those other three nasty chemicals too.  They also state that these two lines are vegan if that is something you are concered about.  These polishes are just ok for me... I can say that MegaLast doesn't live up to its name, but for the price I wouldn't expect it to. 

7. e.l.f. Cosmetics Essential Nail Polish: This is a very affordable brand of polish that you can usually find at target. They have holiday collections that come in a big box... 15 polishes for 15 dollars!! Now that's a steal! They have a wide variety of colors, but they aren't that durable. But for that price... Who really cares?!


There are some brand of nail polish available online that advertise their gluten-freeness.   I have not tried any of them becasue like I said I don't like to order polish online.  But if you are interested they are Piggy Paint (hypoallergenic & non-toxic), Keeki (vegan & paraben free), Peace Keeper Cause-Metics (vegan, and made in a dedicated GF facility).



If you want like THE Corvette of manicures OPI has a Avoplex line that is very celiac friendly.. you are safe with any of the following products...

Avoplex Nail & Cuticle Replenishing Oil
Avoplex Exfoliating Cuticle Treatment
Avoplex Liquid Soap
Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go
Avoplex High Intensity Hand & Nail CreamAvoplex Moisture Replenishing Lotion
Avoplex Replenishing Scrub
Avoplex Revitalizing Hand and Body Scrub

Other GF OPI necessities....
Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops
Rapidry Spray Nail Polish Dryer
Acetone Free Polish Remover
ChipSkip
Top Coat
Ridge Filler
Corrector Pen
Nail Lacquer Thinner

I very rarely go get a real manicure or pedicure... only for very special occasions, or if papa is treating mama and I (Thanks Papa)!!  But when I do, I have a fabulous salon that we go to and the lady who does my mani pedi is actually a celiac too... and she uses all OPI and Avoplex products on me... and it always turns out perfect!

I hope this helps you all have pretty fingertips without the worry... just in time for all those holiday parties coming up! :)  Do you have any favorite GF nail products??  Whats on your fingertips now??  I've been OBSESSED with the OPI Skyfall Collection.... I'm sporting The Spy Who Loved Me on my fingers and Casino Royale on my toes!

Hello pretty colors, Hello Daniel Craig, and Hello 1965 Aston Martin DB5!