TrickyMama

I have Elana's Almond Flour Cookbook. I made the pancakes this morning for the second time. (I use Honeyville Blanched Almond Four, NOT meal.) The first time, they were super runny and they got super dark. This time I added 1/4 c. extra almond flour, which helped a little. Still, they came out really dark. They don't taste burned but they look burned. Is that the grapeseed oil? Anyone had this happen and figured out how to fix the problem? Your help would be appreciated. I think these are the most nutritious (and second best tasting) gluten-free pancakes I've learned to make and my kids LOVE them, so I'd like to figure out how to perfect making them. Thanks in advance.

Thanks everybody! I appreciate the help. I'll check the gluten-free Registry and try out these places and I'll check back to see if anyone thinks of anything else.

My brother in law has CP and pancreatic cancer right now. I don't know if you can get access to an oncologist. CP sometimes leads to P Cancer. Not to scare you, but that is one cancer you do NOT want to miss. I don't know much about the interplay of celiac and CP but I've wondered. My brother in law is my celiac son's blood related uncle so the CP is something I watch out for anyway. With so many undiagnosed celiacs, I'm wondering if my brother in law has been tested for that, not to make this all about me and mine. I hope you can get good care. I know this is rhetorical but why do so many Americans want a health care system like yours, where you have to fight like this for fairly mainstream testing??? My heart goes out to you and I wish you and your husband answers and improved health.

Anyone live in Las Vegas, NV? My son is the resident celiac in our house and we are all gluten-free to avoid cc and in solidarity AND I have IBS and so the gluten-free diet helps me, yada, yada, yada. The only place we've eaten out is In'n'Out, which went well. I'm terrified that despite gluten-free menus there will be cc because people just don't understand. Any advice on some reliable places in Las Vegas?

The Eco Planet oatmeal proclaims to be gluten-free but I'm getting cold feet about it because I don't think it is made with Irish oats. I have been told all American grown oats are contaminated by wheat and the crops are grown side by side and if that contamination weren't enough, that it then gets contaminated by being processed on the same shared equipment. Can anyone let me know if you have done okay on this oatmeal or if you know the scoop on this issue? Thanks so much.

The Trader Joes on the west coast only have Food For Life bread and it feels like a brick. I know. I checked yesterday. Their gluten-free list online sYs they have more, including gluten-free bagels on the east coast. So there you go. Apparently we west coasters don't like bagels??? Grrr...oh well, they do have the best olive hummus around and so I guess I will work on forgiveness for the little bagel issue.

What the heck is chebe???

I'm walking my first half marathon in a few months. I'm in good shape - I can currently walk 6 miles in 90 minutes and I crosstrain - zumba, bodypump and yoga. I was just wondering if anyone has experience with this and has any advice on supplements, training or anything else I might not think of? I'm 38, I have a small frame and I'm not trying to gain or lose weight. Well, a couple of pounds wouldn't hurt anything.... The climate will be starting the race in the 40s, ending around 60 degrees. There is a 4-hour time limit.

You could also try to see an IBD specialist. Blood in the stool often indicates the possibility of IBD...and the likelihood of having both is not as small as you would think.

I don't have it in front of me but Peter Bronski, I believe. And, by the way, the cookies are absolutely incredible.

As long as I have the ear of someone who sounds seriously knowledgeable on the subject of the glycemic index and sweeteners, what do you mean that honey could be lower GI than agave? I thought the whole major advantage to agave was that it was lower GI. Are there different kinds of agave that are different on the GI? And what kind of honey could be even lower? Please share. I'm not formally educated on this stuff but I try to stay up to date and this is news to me. I'm listening. I'll check back in the morning.

Hi guys. I made these again this morning and panicked after I poured the batter onto the griddle because I had forgotten to add the melted butter! I held my breath as I fed them to my kids and ate one myself. Would you believe they were still great??? I'd say they were missing a little depth of flavor but I think the texture was even better (less dense, more fluffy) without the butter. I might try half of what the recipe calls for next time. I do put down some Earth Balance (Trader Joe's version of Smart Balance, which, by the way, tastes even better than Smart Balance) on the griddle and let them sizzle a little in that, so that could have made up a little for the left-out butter. I am making the chocolate chip cookie recipe from this cookbook today, using the same artisinal flour mix so I will come back and post . . . in case anyone cares how it is!

Hmmmmm . . . I really despise even the idea of corn syrup but your recipe looks amazing. Think I could use something else? Agave? Is there a way to thicken agave so it has the consistency of corn syrup? Something else I might not know of? Maybe something else lower on the glycemic index? Again, your recipe is gorgeous and I'm sure I'm the extreme minority but I'm really affected by corn syrup - instant headache and nausea - I am pretty sure it is just the sugar because I do fine with plain frozen/fresh corn - so I would love to try to make it with something lower on the GI.

Sounds awesome! What is golden syrup?

I'm kind of mortified. I was repulsed earlier today when I had one tonight of these fresh from the oven. My daughter (4) insisted they were good so my hubby had one tonight and said they were fine. So I had another bite and I admit they weren't nearly as bad as I had remembered. I still wouldn't call them good. But earlier today I swear they tasted like veggies. That taste was gone. Is it possible that was because I didn't cool them long enough or something? Anyway, I'm really kind of embarrassed because I slammed them so hard and they aren't THAT bad. So someone else should make them and opine. 

Well maybe you should do it so people get more than one opinion. Or...you could get your money back. 

This post will be worth it if I save one person from the waste of $4. I just made the Trader Joe's Brownie Mix. It is disgusting and tastes like vegetables. Ew. I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that I need to use my flour mix and bake myself. I'm swearing off mixes. Too many bad experiences. In their defense, my daughter thinks they are good but it may only be because she is methodically digging out the Nestle chocolate chips I added. Bleh!!!

Sounds a lot like my son at that age and while I don't want to scare you, the purpose of being here is to share info, right? In addition to gluten issues, my son also has crohn's. You need to find a GOOD pediatric GI. We travel five hours to see ours. I know how hard this is and I hope it was just fluke and not something more serious.

Shan...I really believe that to get the maximum physical and mental benefit from exercise, you must figure out what form of exercise you love. If you dread it, you won't do it. I wish you all the best and good health and relief from your carb cravings. Hugs!

They were thick and fluffy!!! 

The minis are on Fresh and Easy's gluten-free list.

I kind of think in terms of "naked sandwich," "naked burrito." I also send Annie's gluten-free mac'n'cheese in a thermos. It sits in my son's thermos for about three hours and we've never had a problem. The naked sandwich works well with cheese rolled up in a thick slice of turkey or chicken, like Columbus. The naked burrito can be brown rice, beans, avocado, tomato, leftover chicken, even a drizzle of ranch. My son used to love lunchables (gross, I know) - the original Glutino crackers are remarkably like a cross of Ritz/saltine and he loves them, so I'm planning to make a "lunchable" - crackers, gluten-free chicken lunchmeat, havarti. Good sides are edamame, grapes, strawberries, and I will probably include a treat so his lunch seems "normal" - he loves the chocolate Glutino wafers and also the lemon ones or a Stretch Island Fruit strip (Costco) or a Fruit Twist (Clif). One last idea - the High Plains Bison (www.highplainsbison.com) hot dogs are the tastiest thing on earth and they are gluten-free, no nitrates, no fillers. You could heat one of those, slice it, and send it in a thermos or tupperware. I realize I sent hot stuff that sits for awhile . . . I've never had a problem and I packed my own lunches for years this way before I even had kids.

I do not know what you look like, how tall you are or your frame but is it possible you were severely underweight and are actually normalizing due to improved health? Not too many adults can be healthy and weigh only 100 pounds.

We LOVE the DeBoles in the green box - Gluten Free Multi Grain (Brown Rice/Quinoa/Amaranth). There is NOTHING bad about that! I don't really like the rice ones, particularly the Great Value brand. It always turns out gummy for me. We like the green ones so much that I'm having a family member bring me back a dozen boxes from CA ($2.79/box at Henry's - anyone know where to order on line close to that price?). Where I live, we don't have as many choices of places to find that. Whole Foods is it and whole paycheck is more like it.

I believe I have read and I certainly believe based on personal experience that the more processed carbs you eat, the more you crave, the more you eat, the more you crave. Science has definitely proven that this is true of high fructose corn syrup, which may be in the gluten-free processed prepared carbs you are eating. If I remember correctly, it interferes with the production of leptin, preventing you from ever feeling full. So you eat a muffin with HFCS, you don't feel full because your body is not producing leptin correctly to signal your brain that you are full, so you eat more, take in more HFCS, still don't feel full . . . it becomes a vicious cycle. I now make (or am planning to learn to make!) gluten-free bread so my son can take sandwiches to school, I make gluten-free pancakes maybe once a week, and the crackers and cookies are only treats for the kids. For treats, I, personally, have a scoop of So Delicious coconut milk ice cream or a bowl of watermelon, but I think you have to feel good to get to the point where you can make the switch. You need some incentive and not really in the way of a reward. The way I do that is with exercise. If you hate exercise, I think you haven't found the exercise that floats your boat. Take a dance class, walk on the treadmill with your ipod, row a boat (or a machine), play recreational soccer . . . whatever makes you feel alive. And if none sounds good, just pick one and get started. If you don't like it, try something else. When you exercise and have fun and release those good chemicals in your brain, you will likely stop wanting the foods you are wanting to eliminate. I'm neither a nutritionist nor an exercise physiologist, but I try to stay educated on these kinds of things, so hopefully, it is meaningful to you. If there is a nutritionist out there who wants to correct me, feel free! Best of luck to you, my friend. I hope you find your groove.