The Celiathlete

August 20, 2012

A little taste of France at Chez Fonfon in Birmingham, Alabama

Restaurant: Chez Fonfon, Birmingham, Alabama

Okay…I admit it. When I go home to visit my parents, a beautiful French restaurant is not the first place we’d normally go for dinner. Honestly. French cuisine, while amazing and what most chef’s will be classically trained to prepare and cook, is not something I am overly familiar with. I’ve eaten at one other French restaurant that I can recall, and that was Bouchon in Las Vegas.

But there is a story as to how I ended up sitting at a small round table with my roommate, my parents, and a nice couple my parents know through their work. And it all started with James Beard.

Now…there are words I never thought I would be typing…but this is the pure and simple truth. I was glancing through the 2012 James Beard Award nominations and ran across a restaurant that my dad had mentioned having lunch at a couple times with a rep he works with at his office. Interesting. So, I mentioned on Facebook that I was incredibly jealous that he was getting to eat at Highlands Bar and Grill, as it was up for a James Beard Award under the amazing skills of Executive Chef, Frank Stitt, who has received many accolades over the years for his restaurants and food.

This…is how it started. My dad mentioned to the rep, Mr. Davis, that I had actually heard of the restaurant and the chef and had been singing the praises of both. Before I knew it, a couple months of planning, and I was set to be in town and have dinner at Chez Fonfon, a sister restaurant to Highlands Bar and Grill, which was opened in 2000 by Chris Mancill, Frank Stitt and Pardis Stitt. This restaurant has more of a cozy, casual French bistro flare to it and serves up classic, hearty French fare to match the beautiful decor. Yes…Chez Fonfon boasts authentic French with its French Belle Epoque café tables 100 year old etched glass door from Lyons. It really feels like you’re in the heart of Paris, Lyons or Nice, settling in to enjoy a little atmosphere and some great food.

So, that’s how I ended up here. And now that I was here…I was ready to see what Frank Stitt and his kitchen staff could do for me – a gluten-free vegetarian.

I can tell you one thing…they handle food allergies quite well. Upon settling in to eat, the waitress was informed by myself of my dietary restrictions. She immediately had some suggestions as to what I could eat for an entree. I already felt comfortable there. So, the table ordered an appetizer of Escargots with Parsley and Shallot Butter ($8.75) and I set myself to deciding between having the chef create a delicious veggie tray or whether to try the dish on the menu that is both gluten-free and vegetarian. Decisions…decisions.

In the end, I kept to the menu. We actually had quite a variety going on with the orders from the menu. Mr. and Mrs. Davis both ordered one of the fish dishes that was a special that night. My mom decided on the Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Sauce Rémoulade ($14.75). My roommate and my dad both got the Trout with Brown Butter, Capers and Brabant Potatoes ($18.75). And, like I said…I kept to the menu and ordered the Omelette with Zucchini, Tomato, Basil and Comté ($13.50).

I love omelettes. I eat them a lot. I wish I were better at making them at home, because I would do it more often. But mine turn into a egg scramble mostly…so getting a delicious omelette when I eat out is always awesome.

With the food prepared, the waitress began to bring out the plates. All of them were fine-tuned and beautifully plated. There was a place for everything.

My omelette came complete with a salad of greens and pommes frites on the side. It was a large plate of food, but I was hungry and ready to dig in and see what Frank Stitt and the kitchen crew were made of. After all, it’s not every day that I get to taste food prepared by such a highly regarded and chef.

The Omelette with Zucchini, Tomato, Basil and Comté was, in a word, delicious. The eggs were prepared to the perfect airy fluffiness and stuffed to the max with the delicious cheese and vegetables. It was silky rich and just…amazing with every bite. There was no skimping on the filling in this omelette. Each bite was full of every vegetable inside and it was seasoned to perfection. Nothing bland about this egg dish. Not at all. The salad was lightly dressed and delicious. It paired really well with the omelette. I often found myself scooping up some of the greens onto the fork with a small bite of the omelette. They paired very well. And the pommes frites…just what I would expect from a French bistro. Crispy, salty, and perfect. But between the omelette and the salad, I was well full, so I only sampled from the pommes frites on my plate.

Everyone else was very content and quite pleased with their decision for dinner. Every plate was cleaned. The rest of the table enjoyed desserts, but there were no gluten-free options for me to have, so I passed. It’s okay though, because my mom had baked me up a gluten-free brownie at home, so when I got back to their house, I dug into that and washed it down with some vanilla almond milk. Not very French…but heavenly to me. It was a perfect way to end a perfect dining experience.

So, was Chez Fonfon everything I hoped it would be and more? You bet it was. The service was fantastic. Our waitress walked me through what would be safe to eat. The food was fresh, warm, delicious. The atmosphere was buzzing. The place was crowded with a line waiting when we left. That speaks very highly of this restaurant, which I was told turns tables quite steadily throughout the night. I can see why. And my company at that French bistro in Birmingham, Alabama…was the icing on the cake. A perfect meal in a perfect setting.

And all because of James Beard.

And my dad…for arranging to make it all happen.

Chez Fonfon…you deserve every accolade written about you, your chef, your food, and your sister restaurants. Because of the meal I had was any indication of what else is offered at the other establishments…then you’re really at the top of your game. Birmingham, Alabama is lucky to have you.

French food in the heart of the South. Yeah…that’s the life. And it is très délicieux!

Chez Fonfon's Omelette with Zucchini, Tomato, Basil and Comté (with a salad of greens and pommes frites) — Chez Fonfon’s Omelette with Zucchini, Tomato, Basil and Comté (with a salad of greens and pommes frites)

August 19, 2012

Recipe: Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries

Don’t mock it until you’ve tried it.

I made that mistake when I first tried this flavor at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio. And I was pleasantly surprised. What I expected to be a train wreck of a flavor actually turned out to be a party on the palate. Especially if you love cheesecake. In fact…it tastes like cheesecake…only better. Yes. Better.

This recipe is from Jeni herself. It is included in her cookbook Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Thank God for her sharing these recipes with those of us who have tasted her amazing flavors and can’t get to a shop as there isn’t one near us. Even if you are unfamiliar with Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams…this is worth the time to make.

The better quality goat cheese you find, the better flavor you will have. Goat cheese actually pairs with many fruits, but roasted cherries really work here.

Go ahead. Wrinkle up your nose and tell me that this won’t work. That ice cream and goat cheese should never be used together in the same phrase. Then…try it. And find out why the combination is pure cheesecake-y magic.

Recipe: Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries

Servings: 6 – 8
Time: Prep 30 minutes; Cook/Chill 5 hours

Ingredients for Roasted Cherries:

2 cups pitted fresh or frozen (not thawed) red or black cherries
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Ingredients for Ice Cream:

2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch or tapioca starch
1/2 cup (4 ounces) fresh goat cheese
1-1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened (Microwave for 15 seconds.)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup or tapioca syrup
Roasted Cherries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the cherries, sugar and cornstarch in a 9-inch square baking dish, tossing to mix. (You can use any baking dish, as long as it’s big enough to hold the cherries and is several inches deep, since the cherry mixture bubbles up in the oven.)

Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until the juices are thickened and bubbly, stirring every 15 minutes.

Let the cherry mixture cool completely, and then chill it in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch to make a slurry. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk the goat cheese, cream cheese and salt until smooth. Set aside.

Make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water. Set aside.

Using a 4-quart saucepan, combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and boil for exactly 4 minutes. (The mixture will rise as it boils, so keep an eye on it!) Remove from the heat.

Make sure your cornstarch slurry is still well mixed. Slowly drizzle the slurry into your hot milk mixture while whisking vigorously. (Otherwise, the slurry will form a film on the bottom of the pan.)

Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring vigorously, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese mixture until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag, and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

Goat Cheese with Roasted Cherries Ice Cream layered and ready for freezing

Pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker, and process according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Transfer the ice cream into a storage container, alternating it with layers of the Roasted Cherries and ending with a spoonful of cherries. DO NOT MIX.

Press a sheet of parchment paper directly on the surface of the ice cream, and cover with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

~*~*~

Lessons learned while making this: Place a pan underneath the cherries as you roast them in the oven. As noted above, they do tend to bubble up. If you don’t have something under them, oven cleaning commences. And I can promise you that cleaning up cherry juice that has cooked onto the bottom of the oven is not fun.

That being said, my roommate loves this flavor and gets it every time we go to Jeni’s in Ohio. So when I had her sample it straight from the ice cream maker, she said it tasted just like Jeni’s. And it should as it is from her cookbook.

So, if you are looking at expanding on your taste for ice cream and, like me, don’t live anywhere near a Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams…get her cookbook and try some of her recipes like I did. They are perfection to the very end. And this flavor…honestly…tastes like cheesecake. Really delicious, ice creamy cheesecake.

August 18, 2012

RiceWorks Parmesan & Sundried Tomato Gourmet Brown Rice Crisps didn’t quite work

Product: RiceWorks Parmesan & Sundried Tomato Brown Rice Crisps – $3.29+

Every afternoon while at work, I usually treat myself to a nice salty-sort of snack. Normally it’s snack crackers, a granola bar, or some gluten-free chips. This past week, I was up to a new product that I pulled from my pantry of assorted gluten-free goodies that I bought while they were on sale. And the next up was one that I was eager to try since I picked them up at the store.

RiceWorks Gourmet Brown Rice Crisps. These chips are all 100% gluten-free. They have even been tested by the company, who insists they ue good manufacturing practices in their plant and with their suppliers. While the plants are not dedicated gluten-free, the lines that are used to manufacture these chips are.

With that sort of an endorsement by the company itself, I was definitely willing to give these chips a fair shake. After all…I love the flavors in the package I found at the store.

I mean…Parmesan & Sundried Tomato. Yeah. Delicious, right? I love both of those things…so combine them and it’s sure to be a gluten-free gourmet chip party in my mouth, yes?

Well…that’s what I thought.

Under the impression that this flavor would sweep me away to the Mediterranean with its flavor combination and excite my palate in ways the Mediterranean probably only could…I was eagerly waiting for 3:00 p.m. to strike so I could break into my snack at the office. When it came around, I snagged my container, which contained a full portion (28 grams – or about 10 chips) and popped it open.

One bite.

And disappointment. While I didn’t actually believe my taste buds would go on a Mediterranean journey, what I did expect was a flavor-packed chip, full of flavor and crunch and…yumminess.

But what I got…reminded me more of stale Doritos.

Sad, but true.

When I go to bite into a “brown rice crisp,” I expect there to be mega crunch. Like gobbling down Doritos. They should have this crunch and then the wow-factor of flavor. While I do taste the Parmesan flavor, it isn’t as prominent as I would have thought. Especially as it is billed in the largest letters on the bag. I was underwhelmed with them. And when I have a snack at the office, I totally don’t want to be underwhelmed.

The plus side is, the serving (about 10 chips) is only 140 calories and pack only 6 grams of fat. That being said, most other gluten-free chips on the market provide a bigger serving with the same nutritional value. So…I don’t know if this is really of any benefit.

So, unfortunately, I’m not thinking RiceWorks will find their way back into my pantry any time soon. But, there was only one way to find out. And while I started off excited, my tasting experience only lead to disappointment.

It’s too bad. They had such promise for a healthier gluten-free option for chips.

August 17, 2012

Livin’ La Vida Lemon with Enjoy Life’s Lively Lemon Cookies

Product: Enjoy Life Foods Soft-Baked Lively Lemon Cookies – $4.19+

Enjoy Life is a company that should be praised. While their products can be hit or miss, I will hand it to them for doing something that is so rare in the food industry these days. What is it?

They really put food allergies at the forefront of their products. It’s true. All of their products are free of the top 8 food allergens, which mean they contain absolutely no wheat/gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish or shellfish – the allergens that account for 90% of all food allergic reactions in the United States. If that wasn’t already enough, Enjoy Life took it up another level and made sure that there products were also made without casein, potato, sesame and sulfites.

Yes…I do need to hand it to Enjoy Life. I eat their products a lot…because I know I can trust them.

That being said…one such product eluded me from the moment I heard of them. Apparently…Enjoy Life had, what they were calling, Lively Lemon Cookies (from their Soft-Baked varieties). Now…you know me and lemon flavored things. I can eat them up because I just adore what lemon does for food…especially baked goods. So, here was the promise of a gluten-free cookie…with lemon zing to it. I was sold. Or would have been had I been able to find it in my area. I went to every grocery store, natural foods store, and specialty store…and struck out. While they all had a variety of Enjoy Life cookies…no one had the lemon ones. Dejected…I let it go…for the time being.

Then…while in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a race, I came across the Gluten-Free Trading Company. It was a completely gluten-free grocery store. For real. Also known as my heaven…my nirvana…my happy place. One of the first items I spotted upon entering this little oasis of gluten-free wonder was…the Enjoy Life cookies. And there…on the top shelf…like a beacon of heavenly light…the Soft-Baked Lively Lemon Cookies smiled down at me. And without any hesitation at all…into my shopping basket they went.

And as the dessert rotation continues in my apartment, yesterday…it came their time to be eaten. I pulled the box from the pantry and opened it up. Immediately, you smell lemon. This was a very good sign. Inside are 12 small, soft cookies, speckled with lemon zest. No wonder they smelled so amazing! The serving size is two of these itty-bitty cookies, which will set you back 130 calories. I know…hard to believe something so small could be so…unhealthy. But it’s dessert, a treat. They are to be treated as such.

I settled in with them and took a bite. Soft and chewy, these cookies have amazing texture. The lemon zest doesn’t take away from the soft nature of the cookies. And the lemon flavor…is almost perfect. I could stand a little more…but I love lemon. They played it safe and kept it a bit mild, but it is easy to overdo lemon. So, I can’t blame them for that. However, that being said, the lemon flavor is there and is prominent in each nibble of these cookies. I was very impressed.

And…so was my roomie, who doesn’t have to eat anything gluten-free…but loves to because of me. She’s a good judge of a product as she can have regular food. And she was a huge fan of these. So…that’s a win from each of us.

Every ingredient listed on the box is something that I can pronounce and recognize. In fact, I could find most of it in the aisles of my local grocery store. Much respect to Enjoy Life for keeping chemicals out of their food.

When it comes to cookies…I love them soft. And these not only play up to that, but hit that love of lemon as well. Would I buy these again should I run across them at the store…yes. Oh, yes!! Eating freely is what Enjoy Life products are all about. And if you have food allergies or are just looking for something different, I encourage you to try these cookies. They are fantastic and lemony fresh.

August 16, 2012

Kildare’s serves up full Irish experience with mediocre food

Restaurant: Kildare’s Irish Pub, Columbus, Ohio

It was one of those risks you take when you try out a new restaurant. You either get what you expect…or more…or it just falls short of everything you hoped it would be.

Being the Columbus, Ohio traveling fools we are (because…an awesome friend lives there…so travel has to happen), my roomie and I have pretty much pillaged every pub up that way. Including ones just outside of Columbus or in neighboring areas. But, it took a trip to the Dublin Irish Festival in Dublin, Ohio to discover Kildare’s Irish Pub, located in Columbus, Ohio. How we overlooked this one I’ll never know…but it was an oversight we sought to correct.

To be honest, the original plan was to drive up to Medina, Ohio to dine at Sully’s (only the best Irish pub this side of the pond!), but after a late night at the Irish Festival the night before…none of us were really feeling energetic or spry enough for the drive there and back. So, to keep the Irish theme alive, we decided to head to Kildare’s Irish Pub instead. This way my roomie still got her fish and chips…I could figure out what I could have…and Jenn…well, I never know what Jenn will order. She’s a sneaky one.

Anyway…finding Kildare’s wasn’t easy. In fact…we drove past it, despite having directions. The image on the internet showed a big red pub, reminiscent of Dublin Ireland’s very own Temple Bar. What we didn’t realize was that the side of the pub was painted red and the wall facing the road…was blue. But, we got there eventually, parked the car, and headed in.

In true pub fashion, you seat yourself. We opted for a table near the back, where we could get a good look at everything. Soon after settling in, the waitress came over to greet us, tell us a little about the pub, and see what we would like to drink. Of important note with Kildare’s…98% of the decor is from Ireland. Seriously. We played a game where we tried to decide what 2% wasn’t. Hey…you do these things while waiting on food. When the waitress returned with drinks (water for me and Magners for my friends), she asked if we had any questions. I told her I was a tricky one in that I was a gluten-free vegetarian…so I might need some menu guidance.

She told me that Kildare’s does fantastic with vegetarian…but not so much with gluten-free. Hey…she was honest! Anyway…with that in mind, she directed me toward the salad section. She even suggested the Kildare’s Salad, which would be safe…as long as I got it without croutons/flatbread. So…that’s what I got. The Kildare’s Salad with a safe balsamic vinaigrette ($5.99). My roommate, of course, ordered the fish and chips ($14.99) and Jenn went completely outside the box(ty)…and got the Philly Cheesesteak Boxty ($11.99). As everything is made fresh at Kildare’s…we settled in to watch some Olympics on the televisions and chat about anything and everything…as we often do.

When food arrived…I was actually surprised at the serving sizes. As my salad was only $5.99, I got a huge containing chopped Iceberg & Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and julienne carrots. The dressing was kept to the side so I could add it myself (thank you!). It was a lot bigger than I imagined…but it looked fresh and delicious. And it was…but there was nothing that really set this salad apart from one that I could make at home. In fact…those are the usual suspects in a salad I make at home (minus the lettuce…as I’m a spinach girl). So…yeah…not so hugely impressed with the salad, but it was fresh, crisp, and edible. Nothing wrong with it…but…nothing that set it apart either.

My roommate got one plank of fish, which was slightly overdone on the tips. With it…a good serving of fries. Now, I’ve seen platters of fish and chips much larger than this one for the same price, but…it was actually in human portion sizes, so who is to complain about that, right? And as for Jenn’s Philly Cheesesteak Boxty (thin sliced roast beef, American cheese, and onions rolled in an Irish Potato Pancake then drizzled with Cheese Whiz)…well, my roommate tried a bite and said she liked it better than the fish and chips. So…there you have it. But this gluten-free vegetarian was pretty much…limited to salad.

But I’m used to that.

Overall, we decided that the food wasn’t bad…it just didn’t really blow us away. I love that in theory they try to keep things authentically Irish, giving a few meals an American twist (for those people who can’t step outside their food comfort zones). However, none of us walked out of there raving about what to have the next time we happened to be in town. In fact, we had already come up with the restaurant we want to eat at next time.

Good or bad…the staff is friendly, the atmosphere is straight out of Ireland, but the food…well…it was a bit of a letdown.

Kildare's House Salad (no croutons/flatbread) with Balsamic Vinaigrette — Kildare’s House Salad (no croutons/flatbread) with Balsamic Vinaigrette

August 15, 2012

So Delicious introduces Unsweetened Almond Plus – an almond milk with a boost in protein

Product: So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Almond Plus Almond Milk – $3.37+

Almond milk is my favorite beverage out on the market. Since I became lactose intolerant, it has been my non-dairy beverage of choice. While So Delicious is normally equated to the coconut milk products that have been out on the market for years, this time…they are focusing on those of us who are enamored with almond milk. But, unlike the other almond milk out on the market, So Delicious has given their product an amazing boost in protein.

Where most almond milk has 1 gram of milk (despite being made from protein-rich almonds), So Delicious Almond Plus brings an astounding 5 grams of protein to each serving.

For me, as a gluten-free vegetarian, the chance to boost my protein intake is something I have been striving to work on. With the added boost in protein without overloading with sugars, So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Almond Plus finally made it into my fridge.

I say finally because it took some time to get it into stores here. In fact, I have only seen it at Wal-Mart, where I normally don’t shop, but I had to go in there for some race clothes one day. While there, I scoped out some products I normally buy elsewhere to compare prices. And what did I find? Yep…the elusive Unsweetened Almond Plus from So Delicious. Needless to say…it came home with me.

And so, my Apple Cinnamon Chex are being dressed, each and every morning, with a healthy serving of Unsweetened Almond Plus. This delicious take on almond milk is 100% free of soy and dairy. It also has 9 essential amino acids that the body needs. As it is unsweetened, this has no sugar added to it. And each serving (1 cup) is only 40 calories. Combine that with the extra boost of calcium that almond milk provides in each glass, and I’m sitting pretty each morning.

This almond milk in no way lacks flavor. It has a great texture and isn’t too thick like some can be. I found the taste to be “so delicious”…honestly. I fell in love with it from first sip. And, I shouldn’t be surprised…So Delicious also provides my gluten-free life with amazing coconut milk and dairy-free/soy-free ice cream goodies.

They have become a go-to brand…and this only solidifies their standing. I’m once again falling in love…with a beverage.

A healthy…does your body good…kind of beverage.

August 14, 2012August 14, 2012

GIVEAWAYS GALORE FROM RUDI’S GLUTEN-FREE BAKERY

My friends, the talented people at Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery, are at it again. That’s right…they are releasing some new products onto the market and they want you, my readers, to take part in a fantastic giveaway that is currently going on…NOW!

Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery just began their What’s Under Wraps Facebook Campaign this week! For the next three weeks, starting August 13 (yesterday!), Facebook fans for Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery get the opportunity to guess which kitchen gizmos are wrapped in the NEW Rudi’s Gluten-Free Tortillas and immediately get entered to win what’s underneath. Additionally, once fans “like” Rudi’s Gluten-Free on Facebook, they also receive a coupon for $2.00 off so they can rush out to the store and try the three flavors of Gluten-Free Tortillas.

Yes…three flavors. Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery has created Plain, Spinach, and Fiesta tortillas. Go ahead…dance a jig of happiness. You know I did. Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery is founded on the idea that when you go gluten-free, you shouldn’t have to give up anything. And thanks to them, this new line of three different tortilla flavors means you can still have your wraps like everyone else.

Even better yet…you don’t even have to guess correctly to receive the prize that is wrapped up beneath the tortilla. Prizes include a Cuisinart Stainless-Steel Ice Cream Maker, Bella Quesadilla Maker, Tiago Tortilla Warmer, and a Le Creuset Dutch Oven, and the new Rudi’s Gluten-Free Tortillas. Each daily winner is chosen at random and announced on Facebook the following day. So…be watchful because it could be you!

Keep in mind that Rudi’s Gluten-Free products are free of all artificial ingredients, preservatives and genetically modified organisms – including the new tortillas. This means when you look at the ingredients on the package…you will recognize them all. No guesswork here. And that is part of the magic of Rudi’s Gluten-Free. The tortillas are all made with whole grain flours and have a soft, pliable texture, ready to be rolled into a burrito or sandwich wrap. And with the three varieties, there is something that will satisfy everyone’s tastes.

To help inspire that kitchen creativity, the Facebook application also includes a daily recipe featuring food that is created with different flavors of Rudi’s Gluten-Free Tortillas, such as Dessert Nachos, Mini-Mexican Pizzas and Picnic Tortilla Roll-Ups. These recipes were all created by Rudi’s Gluten-Free experts to help maximize the taste and texture of the tortillas.

BUT WAIT…THERE IS MORE!!

One lucky reader of this blog will also get the opportunity to win another prize from Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery.

That’s right.

My friends at Rudi’s Gluten-Free have presented me with a phenomenal gift basket in honor of their Gluten-Free Spinach Tortillas. This amazing prize pack is pictured here:

This includes a picnic basket with service for four people, including flatware, plates, glasses, a wine opener, and napkins. In addition, there is also a picnic blanket included.

And who doesn’t like a good picnic, right?

All you have to do is comment below with your answer to this question:

What is your absolute favorite food to take on a picnic?

One winner will be chosen at random to receive this beautiful gift basket, compliments of Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery.

So…make sure you join in the fun with the What’s Under Wraps Facebook Campaign and then be sure to leave a comment here to be entered to win the prize pack shown above.

Go leave your best guess…then hurry back and tell me your favorite picnic food and some amazing gifts could be headed your way.

Eating gluten-free just got a lot more tasty and fun!

August 14, 2012

Holy gluten-free donuts! Katz introduces amazing Chocolate Frosted Donuts!

Product: Katz Gluten-Free Chocolate Frosted Donuts – $6.99

Katz Gluten-Free has done it again. This company has been winning my gluten-free heart and taste buds over with the fantastic products provided via their Web site. No joke. Whenever I see a special being offered regarding their products, I leap on the chance to use it. So, despite having two coupons for half off an order, the other day, Katz put up a special – order $30 worth of product and get donuts…free. One pack of donuts…of your choosing…free.

Well, I just happened to be heading out of town, and Katz donuts are one of my favorite things on the gluten-free market. They are amazing. No…seriously. You wouldn’t even suspect they were gluten-free if you didn’t know. In fact, you might even assume it came from a local bakery, homemade, soft, amazing.

I was absolutely stoked when Katz announced they had a new product – chocolate frosted donuts. I had been asking for chocolate donuts…and here was the closest thing I was getting to it (so far). I was thrilled with this announcement and was making plans to buy some using some of my coupons at home…until the donut deal came over my e-mail. As I was heading out of town to visit my friend Jenn, I figured I could order a few products, tack on some donuts, and take them up to Ohio with me to enjoy for breakfast with Jenn one morning of my visit.

And that’s what I did.

The donuts arrived…and I went to put them in the freezer for the time being. They were transported to Ohio via a cooler and made the journey very well. The night before the morning we decided to indulge in some donuts, we left them out on the counter to thaw. The following morning…it was time to make the donuts.

Nothing could be easier. As I like my donuts to be warm (like they were fresh baked), I gave it a quick heat in the microwave (about 10 seconds), which got the icing all gooey, delicious and warm. The donut was soft, like a yeast donut (think Krispy Kreme). The sprinkles melted in the thawing and warming process, but that was okay. They just add a little color.

The chocolate was sweet, and the perfect compliment to the light donut that it coated. Each bite was a sweet treat. But, unlike Krispy Kreme (not gluten-free!), Katz is making donuts a little easier to stomach. A chocolate frosted yeast donut (with sprinkles) at Krispy Kreme would set you back 260 calories, 12 grams of fat, and load you up with 23 grams of sugar. Compare that donut to Katz gluten-free’s nutritional stats and one donut is only 170 calories, 8 grams of fat, and only 7 grams of sugar. You can’t argue with those statistics. Katz gluten-free managed to make a healthier donut. And they don’t lack anything in texture or taste. They are…simply amazing.

Jenn, my roomie, and I happily noshed on our gluten-free chocolate frosted donuts that morning, enjoy every last bite of them. And, we were quite satisfied at the end of our breakfast. Full, even. And that’s saying something with only 2 donuts each. It was a nice way to start off the day with a morning treat.

Katz makes fantastic products…and these donuts are just another fine example of the quality of their products. I am once again impressed. I brag about this company as much as possible, because they continue to churn out the best gluten-free foods out on the market. I have yet to be let down.

Thank you, Katz…for a healthier indulgence for this donut lover. Now my sweet tooth and my chocolate cravings are satisfied all at once.

Yum.

Katz Gluten-Free Chocolate Frosted Donut

August 2, 2012

Color me blue…bandaged…and bummed

Taped up foot to help with torn plantar fascia

Remember my letter to my left foot? Epic fail. Instead of doing me a favor and getting better…it decided it was going to ignore my pleas all together and so something of its own accord. It decided to get painful.

After my 4 mile run over a week ago, where I carefully taped up my foot and got through the race with no issues…my foot decided to fight back. So, after cooling down and standing around and chatting with my friend Keith afterwards, I stepped off the curb to start toward my car and found myself literally paralyzed with white-hot pain coursing through my foot. Not good. And from there…it got worse. To the point that after fighting all day to move, when I got home that Saturday late afternoon, my foot had enough. And I could no longer put any weight on it.

It was like that on Sunday too. So, Monday morning I made a phone call to my doctor to see about getting an appointment. I figured something had to be wrong because any pressure I put on my foot led to lots of pain and tears. She was booked up until 3:30 p.m. on Monday, so I ended up taking time off from work and finally getting in to see the doctor. This meant I needed some help from Cathy (the roomie) because I couldn’t walk anywhere. She got me up to the office, back to the scale, and then to the exam room.

My doctor came in and asked me some questions. At that point, my ankle was still a little swollen, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been. I had been icing it religiously and taking Ibuprofen though. Well, she decided it was Plantar Fasciitis, which is inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot. This tissue is the plantar fascia and it connects the heel bone to the toes and creates the arch of the foot. She said she would schedule me with a podiatrist, but until then I was given some exercises to help with my foot. She offered to write me a prescription for crutches, but someone at the office had already volunteered to bring some in for me.

Every day, I would say a little prayer that when I woke up, I would be able to stand on my foot. But it didn’t happen. The pain didn’t lessen either. To bear any sort of weight on my left foot was excruciating. I’d try…oh, I would try, but it hurt like hell. The crutches were a Godsend, except they hurt my arms. That following day after I saw my doctor, I got a call from her office saying my appointment with my podiatrist would be the following Monday. A whole week away. I was more than a little frustrated. And I still hoped that I would be better by the weekend and could cancel my appointment with the podiatrist and get back to my active lifestyle and daily runs.

It didn’t play out like that. And one reason I had hoped to be better by that weekend was I was registered (for a whopping $55) to be a runner at The Color Run in Louisville. What is so great about The Color Run? Well, they throw paint powder on you as you run the 5K. A few ladies in my office were doing it. Every time they brought it up, I started to cry. Because I knew…I couldn’t do it. Not even walk it. Not with crutches. Could you imagine going 3.1 miles on crutches. My arms hate me for even thinking about it. It sucked. But I consoled myself with the fact that I was out of luck…and out of my entry fee on this 5K.

I thought I was dealing with that well, until I went to packet pick-up (after all, I paid $55, I should at last go get my number and swag bag…with t-shirt and all). I got my race number, my packet, my t-shirt and hobbled back to the car. And started to cry. I had really wanted to be a part of that race. And my foot had other ideas. No amount of consoling from my roommate helped either, but she tried. She really did. As the day went on, I endured pictures of the race going up on Facebook by not just my co-workers, but friends of mine who were able to be a part of the fun event. I had to stop going to Facebook, because it only made me cry again.

The very next day was my appointment with my podiatrist. That morning, I hobbled into the office and turned in my paperwork. They soon took me back to an exam room, got me prepped for some X-rays. Let me tell you, when you can’t put any weight on your foot, stepping up to a platform to get X-rays of your foot sucks. It sucks scissors.

But with the help of the X-ray technician, we got me up there and positioned for a few different X-rays…of both feet, the left foot, and the right foot. And then, with my crutches, I was back to the exam room and waiting on the podiatrist. He arrived…and introduced himself. He seemed very nice. He asked me to give some background as to what happened, so I told him the story about the race and everything. So…he was quite aware that I am a runner. Oh…and then I broke some more news to him…I am signed up for a half marathon on September 1, 2012…exactly a month away.

He hung his head, “Oh crap.” When he inquired as to my training schedule, I whipped out my iPhone and pulled up my app for that (Yes…I do have an app for that). He looked at it and then handed the phone back to me. And the said that it looked like I had tiny tears in my plantar fascia. He pulled up the X-rays and began to show me the evidence of this. And when he was done with that, he said that normally he would give patients a Cortisone shot in the foot, but as I am a runner, he wouldn’t do that. He believes giving runners a Cortisone shot is sending them on a suicide mission. So, he instead taped up my feet (yes…both of them) and got down to the nitty-gritty.

He gave me 6 exercises for my foot/ankle/calf muscles to do three times a day. I could still run. But I really had to dial it back. No more than 2 miles. Slow. Easy. And then…for the rest of my training, I was to move to the pool or the bike or the elliptical (as long as my heel doesn’t come up off the machine). Two miles of running. When I’m training for 13.1? Yep. But…I want to get better, yes? He then said, that if the pain didn’t let up…then we would have to nix the half marathon in 4 weeks. I almost cried. Almost. The only reason I didn’t was because it was still green lighted for now. FOR NOW.

Then he told me he wanted me back in the office on Thursday to get fitted for some orthotics for my shoes. Okay…I was supposed to go out of town to Columbus after work on Wednesday…but getting my foot back in working order did have to take precedence. So…I agreed and scheduled the appointment. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be until later in the afternoon. GAH!

Two reasons this frustrated me. For one…I was entered in a 5K (which I knew I couldn’t do…so now I was out another $30 I was out), and had to postpone my journey out of town to visit with a friend. But…it was for the best and in the best interest of my foot. It just sucked. Oh…and he told me I was not to use the crutches unless I was in a lot of pain. So, I sucked it up…and walked my way out of the office. Wouldn’t you know it…having my feet taped up helped!

So…here I sit…$85 poorer from races I don’t get to run. Plus out my co-pay at the doctor’s office…plus the co-pay I have to pay tomorrow when I go back. Let’s not forget the cost of my inserts for my shoes…

Yeah…it’s not pretty, friends. Not at all.

But, there is a silver lining to this cloud. Tonight I was able to stand on my left foot as I was changing into my pajamas. It didn’t hurt enough to make me think that I should sit down to do it. So, I see that as a good thing and as an improvement. I’ve been good about taking the anti-inflammatory he prescribed me. And I’ve been doing my exercises three times a day. I haven’t gone back to the gym yet…and I haven’t tried running…yet. I’m scared to. I don’t want it to hurt and I don’t want to do further damage.

But not running is killing me more, I think. I’m irritable, I’m cranky, and I’m missing it. Even if I can go for just two, slow miles…then…I’ll take it. So, I think on Monday…I might give it a shot. Even if I last for a few steps. I’m at least trying. I’ll get back to it. I hope. I was just reaching the peak of my running. I was better than I ever had been. And then I was sidelined. So…here’s to thinking positively and hoping for continued improvement. I’d really like to run in that half marathon. It’s women only race…which I love. I ran the 5K last year and said that this year it would be the half. I hope to still be able to do it. But that’s up to my doctor in the end. I trust him. After all, he called me the day after my visit to see how I was progressing, if the prescription was working, and if I was staying off the crutches.

As for the tape…it’s been a huge help. I’ve been walking on my own since he taped me up…and that was leaps and bounds ahead of where I was prior to going into his office to see him.

So, I’m bummed to sit out of yet another race I paid for…but I hope this will mean I can come back to the 13.1 miles I want to run in the beginning of September. Keep your fingers crossed. And here’s hoping my foot continues to heal properly, perfectly, and remains strong so that I can get back to pounding the pavement and building my speed and endurance back up.

Yeah…I miss running.

A whole hell of a lot.

August 1, 2012

Adding variety to their already varied line, General Mills launches Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Chex

Product: General Mills Apple Cinnamon Chex – $3.39+

You know what I love? Cinnamon. Really. I mean, obviously. My favorite kind of cookie is a Snickerdoodle…and I just love the sweet-spice flavor that cinnamon adds to certain things.

Already a fan of Cinnamon Chex, I was elated to hear that General Mills was expanding on their gluten-free line of Chex cereals. The new flavor – Apple Cinnamon.

Yep. Apple Cinnamon Chex. I figured I’d have to wait as long as I did for Gluten-Free Rice Krispies around here…but it wasn’t long after the launch that these were on the shelf of my local grocery store. And you better believe they came home with me.

Now, I grew up in the age of the changing flavors of Cheerios. Now, normally, unless they were Honey Nut, I didn’t care for the different varieties. However, that changed with the introduction of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. For some reason…those…I liked. I was hoping that’s what this cereal would remind me of. Then again, it has been forever since I had Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, I’m not sure I actually remember what they tasted like.

Well, I had just polished off the brand of cereal I had open, so this morning, I cracked open the box of Apple Cinnamon Chex. They smelled fantastic. Like baked apples. For real. Who wouldn’t like that? So if the initial aroma had anything to say about the flavor, I was already anticipating my first bite.

I poured myself a serving (3/4 cup) of the cereal, noting that there were plain Rice Chex mixed with those dusted with the apple powder and cinnamon. I tried a couple just dry. The plain ones, like in the other varieties…are flavorless. However, grabbing one of the ones dusted with the apple-cinnamon flavor and yeah…that’s good.

That’s beyond good. What was even better was when I poured my unsweetened almond milk over it. Once those flavors got mingled in with the milk…the cereal was breakfast heaven. Honestly. I was just spooning that stuff up like it was going out of style. Another great flavor in the gluten-free cereals I can trust to taste good. Thank you, General Mills, for expanding on one of your gluten-free varieties and mixing up a delicious blend of apple-cinnamon flavor. And, each serving is only 130 calories with 2 grams of fat. So it’s not going to break your diet either. So, a gluten-free breakfast cereal that is nutritious and tastes like apple-cinnamon does exist…thanks to General Mills. And trust me, this lover of apples and cinnamon thanks them for it.

And so does my tummy…at breakfast every morning this week.