Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Rudi's Gluten Free Review & Giveaway

I was recently surprised with a very kind package from Rudi's Gluten Free Bakery. It contained a loaf of their original gluten free bread, a bag of their multigrain hot dog rolls & a bag of their multigrain hamburger buns. Right on time for Labor Day Weekend cook outs! Read on for my review of the products and for your chance to win a FREE loaf coupon accompanied by a really handy sandwich box !

Friday, August 26, 2011

Restaurant Fridays - Woodman's Essex

Welcome to Restaurant Fridays - My weekly review of the gluten free restaurant options in Boston and the surrounding areas.

Woodman's Essex

I had heard a rumor on yelp.com that Woodman's in Essex offered gluten free fried seafood. I had been there five years back after a lovely day at Crane Beach and remembered the food being delicious and plentiful. This was of course in my pre-celiac days. When I heard that they had gluten free options, I was ecstatic. Fried clams are my guilty pleasure. I confirmed with their website that they did in fact have gluten free options and we were on our way.

Woodman's Sign (Image from wikipedia.com)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Fast & Healthy Gluten Free Breakfast Sandwiches

Every Sunday I make some variation of my favorite weekend breakfast sandwich. I change it up based on my mood and the availability of ingredients I have on hand. It takes only about 10 minutes and 4 ingredients to make this simple and satisfying sandwich. 

Breakfast Sandwich with Mango Slice

Friday, August 19, 2011

Resteraunt Fridays - Amhreins Sunday Brunch

Welcome to Restaurant Fridays - my weekly review of the gluten free restaurant options in Boston and the surrounding areas.

Amrheins Restaurant


Amrheins has one of the best Sunday Brunches in Boston and was my last taste of gluten before being fully diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I had always thought I couldn't go back there because there wouldn't be any menu options for me, but it turned out I was wrong.


Spinach, Ham and Tomato Omelet

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

What's in Your Gluten Free Bread?

This morning I was prepping for my Tuesday article on healthy gluten free breakfast sandwiches. I make multiple variations of the same egg white breakfast sandwich almost every weekend and had decided to write about it. While I was writing down the nutritional information for the different components of the sandwich, I noticed one really glaring thing... The healthiest gluten free breads I've found so far still have a lot more fat and calories than the bread I used to eat pre-celiac. I decided to post-pone my breakfast sandwich article for one about the nutritional differences in my favorite gluten free breads. Which one do you think will come out on top?


My favorite gluten free breads in alphabetical order:


Canyon Bakehouse - San Juan Seven Grain
{Buy it on Amazon.com}


Serving: 2 Slices
Calories: 180
Fat: 2 g
Sodium: 200 mg
Carbs: 36 g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 4g
Comments:
I love this bread, it is my current favorite. It's hearty like a whole grain bread should be and has great texture and flavor. Also, it holds its own when packed as a sandwich for a road trip or a day hike. Nutritionally, it's not too shabby and it can be eaten without having to be toasted!






Rudi's  - Multigrain


Serving: 2 Slices
Calories: 180
Fat: 4 g
Sodium: 270 mg 
Carbs: 34 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 2 g
Comments:
This bread is my favorite weekend treat. It has a rich taste to it without having much more fat and it holds up pretty well once toasted or slightly microwaved. It can be found in specialty/ health food stores like Wholefoods as well as conventional stores like Market Basket in Oxford, Mass. It sells for around $5/ loaf. Check their website for a $1 coupon.









Udi's - Whole Grain
{Buy it on Amazon.com}



Serving: 2 Slices
Calories: 180
Fat: 4.5 g
Sodium: 300 mg 
Carbs: 27 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 4 g
Comments:
This is one of my everyday sandwich bread & toast breads. It's light and airy without being too crumbly and can hold its own as a sandwich. It has good flavor and texture for a gluten free bread and can be found in both conventional and specialty stores for around $5/ loaf. Check their website for a $1 coupon.








The winner is.... Canyon Bakehouse - San Juan Seven Grain. Each bread serving is 180 calories, putting them on equal footing. However, San Juan Seven grain slides into first place with a significantly lower sodium content, half the fat of both Rudi's & Udi's as well as the highest protein to fiber ratio. 



Other Comparisons:


Kinnikinnick - Many Wonder Multigrain Rice Bread





Serving: 2 Slices
Calories: 180
Fat: 9 g
Sodium: 560 mg 
Carbs: 32 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 4 g
Comments:
Kinnikinnick used to be my preferred gluten free bread a few years ago until I realized the fat content was through the roof. The texture leaves a lot to be desired and the nutritional values can't compete with the other breads. Even if it does have the most fiber, the 9 g of fat and super high sodium content knock it out of the running.






Glutino - Genius by Glutino Multigrain Sandwich Bread


Serving: 2 Slices
Calories: 160
Fat: 7 g
Sodium: 220 mg 
Carbs: 20 g
Fiber: less than 1 g
Protein: 4 g
Comments:
I have never tried this particular version of Glutino Bread. I have, however, tried their sandwich bread that is made with corn flour and was wholely unimpressed. Reasons why I would want to try this product - it's lower calorie and lower in carbs while still maintaining 4g of protein. Reasons why I wouldn't want to try this product - a whopping 7 grams of fat and next to no fiber. It's up to you what's important, but I need fiber in my diet... sorry Glutino.












What's your favorite gluten free multigrain bread?



Friday, August 12, 2011

Restaurant Fridays - 111 Chop House

Welcome to Restaurant Fridays - my weekly review of the gluten free restaurant options in Boston and the surrounding areas.

111 Chop House



This past Friday was my friend Dave's birthday so we all went out for dinner. Dave's birthday usually coincides with Worcester's Restaurant Week, (this year it is August 1st - 14th). He chose the Chophouse because he loves steak and restaurant week makes eating it affordable. Only $23.11 for a three course dinner!


I had heard that the Chophouse was good with food allergies and even had a gluten free menu, but I didn't realize they were going to be as great as they were.


Image from http://www.111chophouse.com/

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Gluten Free and Getting Married: The Tasting!

Recently, we had the tasting for our wedding menu at Willowdale Estate in Topsfield, Ma. Mike was excited about his "favorite part of wedding planning", but I was kind of nervous because of the need for gluten food. So many places have told me that they "do gluten free all the time" only to be completely underwhelmed and sometimes glutened. In my first Gluten Free and Getting Married article I mentioned that Willowdale Estate offered multiple methods to achieve a suitable gluten free wedding for me. I chose to have all of my passed hors d'oeuvres, entree options, sides and deserts made gluten free & tree nut free. On top of passed hors d'oeuvres we also have a cheese, cracker etc. station during cocktail hour. This will have fresh regular bread, regular crackers and possibly some kind of pasta salad. Basically, anything that isn't obviously gluten free like bread and crackers is being made gluten free. This saves me a lot of worrying and makes it easier for the kitchen and waitstaff when it comes to cross contamination. 

After our tasting, I have no more worries about the food or the menu.


Willowdale Estate

Friday, August 5, 2011

Restaurant Fridays - PF Chang's Take Out

Welcome to Restaurant Fridays - my weekly review of the gluten free restaurant options in Boston and the surrounding areas.



PF Chang's China Bistro


Mike and I had just taken the dog hiking in Dover and decided to grab dinner on the way home. It was pretty warm out and we were all grubby so we decided to grab take out. I typed "gluten free" into the yelp app on my phone and up came PF Chang's in the new Legacy Place outdoor mall in Dedham, MA. 


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Upgrade!!

Glutenfreebostonandbeyond.blogspot.com has become glutenfreeboston.com thanks to the very generous donation of Max Librach & Zach Rachins! 


They are the co-founders of Eagle Therapeutics, which produces Celiact, a supplement made to suit the needs of Celiac patients. My GI doctor has directed me to take supplements ranging from Vitamin B to probiotics. Celiact has this all in one pill! Not only will it save you time, it saves money and space in your cabinets!


Another company they've been working on is called Gluten Free Saver. If you haven't already noticed, gluten free replacement foods are insanely expensive. Over the course of a year, you wind up wracking up quite the bill. Gluten Free Saver addresses this by sending deals directly to your e-mail inbox. 


Thanks again Max and Zach for making this possible!