The End of the Road

by admin, October 2, 2009 | Permalink

Tomorrow is the day!  Everything kicks off at 11am.  Tom Flynn from Atlanta Metro Celiacs will give a talk in our café followed by a store tour.  We’ll have lots of vendors throughout the day.  I hope to see you all here.

I finally made the gluten free Chicken Marsala that I’ve been talking about making since before I even started my GF month.  My sub-par cooking skills did not do the recipe justice but it turned out well anyway.  It was not my most successful GF cooking venture but still one of the tastier ones.

Over the past month, I have had the chance to explore the surface of living a gluten free life.  It was both easier and more difficult than I had expected.  Because I work at Whole Foods, I had access to a great number of gluten free products.  However, in the rest of the world, mentioning gluten often draws blank stares.  Throughout the month I felt better overall and though I will start consuming foods with gluten again, I will not gorge myself on them like I used to.  I enjoyed being conscious of what I ate and I find that I am better off for it.  This past month has also brought me to the realization that I’m not the best writer. 

I would like to thank all of you that followed me on this journey.  I hope you got something good out of it and I hope you check back to see what I get myself into next.

Dan

Nobody’s Perfect

by admin, September 29, 2009 | Permalink

It happened a few times during the first week.  I unthinkingly ate a cookie; I ate a bite of fried fish; I even had a breaded shrimp.  I thought that I had gotten past it but on Sunday, I accidentally ingested gluten.  My fiancée made Morning Star Farm Breakfast Patties.  As I was taking the last bite of my second soysage, I thought to myself “how do these get such a good consistency?”  I walked over to the freezer, and sure enough “Contains Wheat” was right there under the ingredient list.  I guess that the learning curve was a little longer than I thought.

One product that I never realized was gluten free is hard apple cider.  I poured J.K. Scrumpy’s Hard Cider this past Saturday to celebrate Applefest here at the store.  I had always assumed that, because it is similar to beer, that it contained wheat and barley.  We are going to try and pour some GF beer on Saturday and perhaps some hard cider as well.

Also, I’ve added Amazing Grass to the list of vendors that will be sampling product on our GF Day.  They will be here from 5pm-8pm and will be sampling out their regular greens formula as well as a new kids version. 

Look for one more post from me before the big event on Saturday.  I’ll let you know how the GF Chicken Marsala recipe turned out.

Gluten Free Italian and the Schedule for October 3rd

by admin, September 25, 2009 | Permalink

I’ve spent most of this week confirming vendors for our Gluten Free Day next week.  I did have one vendor drop out but I was able to pull another in. 

I was looking at the latest issue of Gluten Free Living today and I read an article on GF Italian foods.  That got me thinking, did Whole Foods have any GF Italian recipes on their website?  As it turns out, there are roughly 50 gluten free Italian recipes on our website.  I was a little disappointed to not find a Chicken Marsala recipe so I dug a little further.  We do have a recipe for Chicken Marsala but it includes a side dish of pasta so the recipe search won’t pick it up as gluten free.  The link is http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/budgetrecipechallenge/recipe6.php if you’re interested.  I would highly suggest trying it with a nice bottle of Chianti.  I’m going to try and make it for my fiancée and some friends this week.  I’ll include the Brussels sprouts from the recipe but I’ll use De Boles Multigrain GF Penne instead of the Capellini.

As promised, here is the schedule for GF Day on October 3^rd.

11am-12pm: Tom Flynn from Atlanta Metro Celiacs will give a talk in our café

12pm-12:30pm: Take a tour of the gluten free friendly areas of our store

11am-2pm: Sample products from Sweet Oven Cheese Rolls, Coconut Bliss, Kinnikinnick, Organicville, Mr. Krispers, Tinkyada, Eden, and Cabot Cheese

2pm-5pm: Sample products from Cecilia’s Bake Shop, Ashiki’s Ice Supreme, and Lärabar

5pm-8pm: Sample products from American Gra-Frutti, Nature’s Path, and Lundberg

In addition, you can also register to win a Better Bag full of gluten free items. I don’t have a time for when the drawing will be but I will update you as soon as I know.

Has it stopped raining yet?

by admin, September 22, 2009 | Permalink

Hey folks.  It’s been a while since I’ve been in contact.  I’ve been trying out GF products so that I can report to you.  First off, I have rediscovered my love of rice.  I used to make rice with stir-fried chicken and veggies all of the time.  I don’t quite know why I ever stopped. 

I’ve also used my GF for a Month project as an excuse to try more wines.  I am not able to drink beer at restaurants so wine has been a great substitute. The GF beers that I have tried have been quite good.  As I previously mentioned, Bard’s Dragon’s Tale Ale is a great beer for watching a football game or just hanging out with friends.  I also took a liking to Green’s Amber Ale.  It went well at a songwriting session with some friends.

For breakfast at home, I’ve been enjoying Erewhorn’s Rice Twice Cereal.  Sometimes I even put chocolate milk on it to make myself feel like a kid again.  If I have to dash out the door to get to work, I usually have a four pack of WFM Gluten Free Bakehouse Blueberry Muffins in the fridge here at the store.  One muffin and a cup of coffee can keep me going for a while.

For snacks, I’ve enjoyed Ginger Mini Snapz by Pamela’s Products, Vanilla Wafer cookies from Glutino, and Lärabars galore.  Plus, more fruits and vegetables have made it into my diet than normal.  That can’t be bad.

I’m in the process of confirming everything for our GF Day on October 3^rd.  I hope to have the full schedule posted on Friday.  I’ll post it as a blog but it will also end up on our website and on in-store signage.  Stay tuned.

Homemade Pesto and GF Day Info

by admin, September 17, 2009 | Permalink

The other night, my fiancée and I made pesto chicken for dinner.  As it turns out, my knack for cooking pasta doesn’t translate to gluten free rice pasta.  We had to put it back over heat to make it less crunchy.  The pesto, however, turned out very well.  We used some leftover arugula and Thai basil from our garden.  Since we did not have any white wine chilled, I opted for a Bard’s Dragon’s Tale Ale.  Bard’s is an excellent beer that is easily enjoyed with a meal or while watching a football game. 

On Tuesday, I had the day off and had forgotten to pick up anything for breakfast.  Luckily, I had some Lärabars around.  Lärabars are gluten free and some of their new flavors are delicious.  Two of my favorites are the Peanut Butter and Jelly Bar and the Tropical Fruit Tart Bar.  Lärabar will be sampling out bars here at the store for our Gluten Free Day on October 3^rd.  I believe that they will be in around 2pm that day.  We plan to kick things off at 11am with a presentation by Tom Flynn and Jennifer Harris from Atlanta Metro Celiacs.  Check back because I’ll post the schedule a few days before the event. 

Have a great weekend and I’ll be back on Sunday.

“What do you mean, I haven’t eaten?”

by admin, September 14, 2009 | Permalink

My first foray into gluten free cooking came the other night.  I was watching television when I realized that my stomach felt surprisingly empty.  My fiancée suggested some French onion dip with pita chips.  That sounded delicious until I realized…  I began searching the kitchen for an acceptable substitute.  After only a minute, I spotted some quick cook rice.  I boiled the water and threw the rice in.  Instead of mixing the dip with sour cream, I simply added the French onion mix to the rice.  After tasting it, I added a few more spices to liven it up (for me, that means making it way too spicy). 

I don’t follow recipes well.  I do manage to throw food together pretty well.  However, I tend to over season almost everything I cook.  I don’t mind, because almost everything tastes good to me.  Other folks give me funny looks.  Throwing meals together is something that I’ve become accustomed to and I’m glad that I can still do that and remain gluten free.

Also, my fiancée and I had brunch at Shaun’s on Sunday.  You may be familiar with Shaun’s already.  They are over on Edgewood near the MARTA station.  They have a gluten free dinner menu and the food is always fantastic.  They only have a single brunch menu, but the wait staff was helpful in steering me clear of gluten. 

‘Til then…

One Week in and Feeling Good

by admin, September 10, 2009 | Permalink

Last night here at the store, I was sampling out Bacon Cheddar Cheese.  While the cheese was delicious and gluten free, the 365 Snappy Sourdough bread rounding out the grilled cheese, was not.  For the first week, I kept my diet fairly simple:  fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, and products labeled “Gluten Free.”  I think that in the upcoming week I will have to try my hand at cooking, starting with a gluten free Bacon Cheddar Grilled Cheese. 

So far, my favorite aspect of avoiding gluten is that it steers me away from highly processed foods.  This is due in part to wheat being an ingredient in many premade meals.  However, I’ve also made it a practice to avoid products with long ingredient lists.  This serves to prevent gluten sneaking through unnoticed.  I also pay much more attention to my intake of food.  I no longer snack mindlessly at home (Lärabars have come in handy though).  My tastes have expanded as I have had to replace the fried foods and bread that used to make up almost half of my meal.  I can’t help but feel that this will have a positive impact on my health.

As a follow up to my previous blog, I tried the New Grist Beer with a little lemon juice (actual lemons were nowhere to be found in my house).  The lemon helps to balance the sweetness of the rice extract.  I think I’ll pick up a real lemon today and enjoy another when I get home.

Have a great day.

Labor Day, Beer, and Saying Goodbye to Free Meals

by admin, September 8, 2009 | Permalink

Since I had Labor Day off, I was able to try out some gluten free beer.  Redbridge Lager (I actually tried this one on Thursday) was quite good.  It initially takes some getting used to but after the first, it settles down into a pretty good beer.  I would have had more than two but my dad and brother got to it before I had a chance.  To prevent future incidents like this, I’m keeping some Sweetwater 420 in the house from now on.

Yesterday, I had Lakefront Brewery’s New Grist Beer while I was grilling.  I warmed up to this product right away.  The rice extract in the beer makes it a little sweet but I’m going to try one today with a lemon.  I’ll let you know how that goes. 

We went to The Shed in Glenwood Park on Sunday evening for a lovely dinner.  I had some excellent gluten free items (Caprese salad, sautéed sunchokes).  Our waiter was accommodating and steered me away from any items containing gluten.  The desert was the best part: Greek yogurt, dates, candied pecans, and honey.  This was the last meal with my parents before they went home to South Carolina.  I would like to thank them for coming to visit, helping fix things around the house, and, of course, buying dinner all weekend… even if they can’t grasp the concept of being gluten free.

Until next time…

Hot Dogs and Hamburgers…Hold the Bun

by admin, September 6, 2009 | Permalink

Hello everyone.  Sorry that I’ve been gone for a few days. 

So, it’s Labor Day and we’ve been a bit busy here at Whole Foods.  I’m adjusting to being gluten free pretty well.  However, my family came into town and they haven’t quite grasped the concept yet.  My parents got into town on Friday night and we had dinner at Vickery’s in Glenwood Park.  Though they do not have a gluten free menu, my server understood and informed me that he would talk with the chef.  The food was great though I had to skip dessert.  Last night, New York Pizza Exchange in Vinings seemed less knowledgeable, however, they were accommodating once I explained what gluten free meant.  The funniest (and most frustrating) thing about the evening was the number of times I had to turn down Bruschetta and cheese sticks as my family repeatedly offered them. 

Have a happy and safe Labor Day and I’ll return on Tuesday.

Gluten Free for a Month!

by admin, September 3, 2009 | Permalink

Hey!  I’m Dan Edwards, the Demonstration Specialist at Whole Foods Market on Ponce de Leon.  I started this blog to chronicle my attempt to go Gluten Free for a Month.  This month will culminate with a Gluten Free Day at our store on October 3, 2009.  I plan to post every day or two to keep you updated on my progress.  In these posts, I will review gluten free products and restaurant menus.  You will get to share in my cooking successes and failures as I endeavor to learn gluten free cooking.  I will pass along information as I educate myself about Celiac Sprue and a gluten free diet.  I hope that our Gluten Free Day in October will help educate our customers in regards to these topics.  Though I am quite handy with a first aid kit, I am not a doctor and my posts should not be taken as medical advice.  Because I do not have Celiac Sprue, I will probably not be able to tell if I get any incidental gluten.  Therefore, before you decide to go gluten free, consult a healthcare professional.

Today is Day 1 on my Gluten Free journey.  For breakfast, I ate a Gluten Free Blueberry Muffin from our Gluten Free Bakehouse.  It was quite tasty.  The plan is to eat one with my morning coffee for at least the next few days.  For lunch I also played it safe with only an apple and some almonds.  I also had a cup of Greek yogurt for its pro-biotics (and it’s delicious).  Stay tuned for further updates as the weeks go on.

Dan