Ian's Wheat Free / Gluten Free Pizza Kit

FYI: When looking for this product in stores remember that they do make a pizza kit that DOES contain gluten. Be sure to get the one that says "Wheat Free / Gluten Free"

Yay! I'm finally blogging again. I'm changing my format up a bit though so it hopefully will not be as much of a time consuming project. Oh and I finally figured out to kind of add some photos...

Product Name: Ian's Wheat Free/Gluten Free Pizza Kit
Found at: The only place I've seen it so far was at a Whole Foods in San Antonio.
Other Allergen Info: No gluten, casein, soy, eggs, or nuts - Is manufactured in a facility that contains these products BUT they are not run on the same machinery (they are kind enough to tell you on the box).

What is it? - So, it calls itself a kit, I call it a genius marketing strategy. Inside the nifty paperboard canister you are given a yeast packet, a sauce packet, and a flour pizza dough mix. This allows you to add the toppings of your choice depending on your extra allergies and the container is quite fascinating (more on this later).
Difficulty: I was skeptical at first, but this was actually really easy to make. The dough does take a little while to rise, but the mixing process is done with a fork and it would be very easy for a child to help with. The table top mixer is the preferred method written on here, but I used a fork and did not have too much of a problem.
Quality of Final Product: This was pretty tasty pizza blend. The crust was nice and thick, it does not brown though. If anything it reminded me of Chebe pizza, but unlike Chebe this pizza was HUGE. There was enough dough to fill an entire cookie sheet. This would be a great option for a larger family with multiple kids because you can buy one kit and be able to feed a four person family pretty easily.
Why Myself and my Colleagues think this Product is Nifty: So yeah, this product has been the topic of discussion during several meetings of my packaging class this semester. The people that did the marketing for this were pure genius. It comes in a round paperboard canister that can be reused in traditional Ian's colors. It has the happy cartoons on the front, it has a photo of a great looking pizza, and it is clearly labeled Wheat free Gluten free. The fact that it is in the canister just makes it stand out on the shelf when compared to other products on the market. This is a product that you'll see on the shelf and even if you're not a kid the fact that it hits home with the comfort food aspect compells you to want to buy it.
Nutritional Value: Virtually none, but this is a comfort food, pizza is supposed to be one of those things in life that you do not expect to be healthy. Depending on your toppings you can add in extra veggies or fruits and change the flavor and nutritional value up so it's really up to the customer.

Should BNF Carry it? - My vote goes for yes, this is a great bang for your buck product and it is targeted for both kids and adults.

I promise I'm still alive

So yeah...

Life got kind of busy this summer so I really wasn't able to post and do changes like I was hoping to. I've decided it is time for me to be proactive with this project and this time I promise real changes will take place. 

Instead of attempting weekly blogs on new food products I'm going to try to slow down to do 1-2 a month along with a monthly book review. This book review will vary depending on my mood and the season but they will all relate to the gluten-free diet and lifestyle in some form or fashion. 

Once again - sorry about my absence in the past months they've been pretty wild. 

Why I have not posted lately...

Yay for viral infections and not being able to even taste food for two weeks! I'm finally starting to feel better, but of course I'm in the middle of finals. I'll update more once I'm done with all of the chaos. I'll also provide my opinion on the current food supply issues that have FINALLY hit the mainstream news.

Oh random FYI since I heard this rumor recently and it really bugged me: MSG is gluten free if you don't believe me check out the University of Chicago's list of Gluten Free ingredients seen here: http://www.celiacdisease.net/gluten-free-diet

Kinnikinnick now has a Blog!

Much to my amateur blogging surprise this morning, I found out that the guys from Kinnikinnick posted a reply to one of my blogs. I really appreciated their feedback and willingness to come out and explain their reasoning behind the reformulation of their Donut line. 

I do admit I was quite harsh in my initial review of the Sugar Donuts, but now that I have had more time to get over the initial shock I have gone back and amended my initial statements. I am still somewhat disappointed in the Sugar Donut line, but I must say that the new Chocolate Dipped Donut is absolutely fantastic. I promise I'll be writing a review on this product soon (including instructions on what microwaving techniques have worked best for me). 

The most exciting news I found out this morning is that Kinnikinnick now has a blog. This will allow them to be able to get more feedback from customers, answer questions about ingredients, and really get in touch with their target market. Needless to say, I think this is a great move on their part and I will be checking in to read what they have to say on a regular basis. 

Here is the link to their blog:

http://kinnikinnickfoods.blogspot.com/

I highly suggest that you go check it out and feel free to ask any questions of them, these guys really seem like they want to answer your questions and get feedback on products.

One last note, I was very sad to see that the awful rumor going around about the Donuts was not just a local rumor. I had heard it about a week ago and initially laughed it off because I didn't think that anyone in their right mind would ever believe it. I am EXTREMELY sensitive to gluten and I had had no form or manner of a reaction when I ate any of the donuts. Kinnikinnick is one of the few brands that I have always trusted when it comes to producing a gluten free product and I always will. I hope that anyone that reads this will go and check out their blog for more details and to get some insight into the company. Plus it's just really fun that they have a blog. 

If you guys from Kinnikinnick are reading this thanks for all the input I really appreciate it. Once they get the Chocolate Dipped Donuts back in stock here in town I plan on writing a review on them. If only we had the Maple dipped donuts locally... (If you ever get a chance to try one do it. The old formulation was good and if they did the same magic they did with the Chocolate dipped donut I can only imagine how fantastic it will taste now). 

The Current Situation with Texas A&M Dining Services

Since they won't bother to tell you what is going on I will...

For those of you just tuning in to the situation at Texas A&M drop me a note and I will fill you in on the long ugly backstory of celiac students experiences here. It is currently my mission to make sure that celiac students in the future are fed safe and nutritionally adequate food here on campus rather than being lied to and insulted by the staff...

Trying to figure out where the food is located on campus is very difficult right now because they never seem to give you the same answer when you call. There are supposed to be gluten free options at SBISA, but I have found that this semester that the food has not been labeled when I usually go. The majority of the students with celiac disease that I know refuse to eat there after we were lied to and made so sick last semester. I chose to continue to support the program and observe if the program was going to continue to decline. I became violently ill after eating food that was labeled gluten free on three separate occasions. I guess this is what I get for trying to support change. Thanks guys...

So I called up last week to see if they had made any changes, Ed Cook the manager spoke with me and said they were working on labeling and providing more options. I went this morning and the bread was not even labeled. They then proceeded to look at me like I was an idiot when I questioned why it was not labeled. There were only three other options that were gluten free, none of which contained protein. Two were squash, zucchini, and cauliflower dishes and one was a mushroom dish. Unless you went and got boiled eggs from another line there was no protein in the form of meat, lentils, or even cereal products like corn or soy. 

I am greatly concerned that they continue to ignore the fact that some sort of protein, vegetarian or not is needed for the celiac students. When I voiced this opinion to Ed Cook today I was given the phone number and name of who to contact if you are interested in having meat prepared for you at SBISA that day. They said to call in the morning 2-3 hours before you come in so they can prepare something for you. They said to call 979-845-2061 and ask for Jesse Burnett to request meat. I highly suggest that other students or faculty do this that way they can actually see that there are people that want and deserve to be fed a safe gluten free meal. I am planning on calling later this week and we will see if they actually accommodate me.

The other option that is now provided but has not been publicized at all is Amy's Meals. I had heard rumors of Amy's Meals for months before this and was constantly looking for them around campus. I saw them one day in the Ag Cafe and then they disappeared and I have not seen them at that location since then. I also saw the receipt that they had ordered the Amy's Meals. What really made me angry about this was that they had gluten containing Amy's Meals labeled as gluten free on the receipt. It was like adding insult to injury, but I finally found them at the Tomato Bar. My biggest concern is that they will not always have gluten free ones stocked. We went twice last week and by the second time we went they were running very low on gluten free meals. In my conversation with Ed Cook he also informed me that the store in the Underground will be selling Amy's Meals. I was personally annoyed that it took months, multiple calls, and roaming randomly around campus to figure this out. 

Ed Cook also informed me that there is a celiac student on their student advisory committee and that his opinion is being taken into account. My question is why has this student not come to our local GIG meetings or even attempted to be involved in our local celiac community? There is a large and ever growing presence here in Bryan and College Station and if you google celiac and College Station, a link to our local GIG or a link to get in contact with our local GIG will show up. That's how I found the group well over a year ago when I decided it was time to take an active role in the celiac lifestyle. My other question to this student is where are you and why on earth have you not bothered to come out and promote the acceptance and tolerance of this disease openly on campus? I understand that you are newly diagnosed but those of us who have been around for many years are concerned that your opinion is supposed to account for the entire community when you haven't even come to a single meeting to try and meet those of us who have dealt with this a lot longer than you have. If you're reading this right now our website is http://www.bvgig.com I expect to see you at our  next meeting. There are a lot more of us out there than Dining Services admits...

That in a nutshell is the current food situation here on campus. I am currently pushing for an open forum with the heads of Dining Services and students with all types of special diets, not just celiac disease. They need to determine where the options should be located on campus to produce the greatest profit and they need to learn how to actually listen to their students and customers, especially those of us that have years of experience and degrees in related areas. 

I hope this is helpful for those of you who are as lost and confused about eating on campus as I used to be, if you have any other questions please leave comments and I will answer them as soon as I can.

Also if you want to check out Dining Services website to see the lack of information listed and numbers to call to ask questions please click here: http://diningservices.tamu.edu/index.html

An Ode to how I love Gluten Free Pantry's Pasta Fagioli

I might as well review this since it's a fairly new product and unheard of product and I eat it all the time. 

Product Name: Gluten Free Pantry's Pasta Fagioli

Website: http://www.glutenfree.com/Gluten-Free-Pantry-Skillet-Meal-Pasta-Fagioli/Item124001

Cost: $3.14 per unit according to their website, I found it at Amazon in six packs but they are currently sold out

Found at: Amazon, I am fairly certain they will be the death of me...

Initial thoughts: What on earth is Pasta Fagioli? I honestly think the name throws a lot of people off because they have no clue what it is. Also, it's a pain to find in person. I have not found a store in the state that carries it currently.

Cooking Issues and Taste: First off, they tell you to add one cup of cooked protein, I personally just add a pound of cooked ground beef. It's larger than what's called for but I'm currently trying to gain weight and the more protein the better. Secondly, the flavor packet has a BIG kick to it. If you are serving this to kids, I would only use about half of the seasoning they give you. I personally use about 3/4 of the packet and the final product still has a big bite of Italian spices. We're fans of lots of flavor at my house and this product does not fail to deliver. The seasoning is a very strong Italian herb blend. After you have used it once or twice you will be able to figure out how much seasoning you would like to add. Some might see this as a major flaw, I just see it as Gluten Free Pantry giving us the option to have some "real" spice added to our meals. 

Overall: So what is Fagioli? It's actually a combination of meat, beans, and pasta with Italian spices. This is my favorite skillet meal by far and away. Mrs Leepers is easy to find, but it gets boring very quickly. There are also a ton of Asian flavored skillet meals roaming around out there these days, so it is nice to have a refreshing pasta dish that is not coated in cheese. This is also a very healthy meal. You have your protein source (any cooked meat you choose), simple carbohydrates to digest quickly (pasta), and lots of fiber (that is usually lacking from the gluten-free diet) in the beans. Pair it with some fresh blackberries or nectarines for dessert and you've got a great healthy meal. 

Should it be Requested at BNF? Of course! I would love it if they carried this. My one worry though is that the name will throw people off.

Next Time: Update on Texas A&M's current food situation...

Behold - A Healthier Alternative to Amy's Enchiladas

Product Name: CedarLane Three Layer Enchilada Pie

Link: http://www.cedarlanefoods.com/p0084.htm

Found At: Brazos Natural Foods

Cost: $3.19 

Initial Thoughts: Odd that they don't put gluten-free on the box but if you go to their website they state that the just reformulated to make it gluten-free. As long as it says wheat-free tamari, you're good to go. Also, yay for Mexican food!

Thoughts after Microwaving: It's not as pretty as it is on the box, but it smells good so I don't care. 

Taste:  Pretty good, it is not NEARLY as greasy as Amy's frozen enchiladas. There's a layer of black beans and then some cheese and lots of tortillas. Great flavor, I'm currently eating it with some corn chips (I'm a big fan of crispiness so I eat them with my microwaved Mexican food) and the combination tastes great. Not very spicy, but it still does have quite a bit of actual "flavor". 

Overall: I really like this product and I will definitely purchase it again for myself and my boyfriend. It is not loaded with fat and grease like Amy's and you get more "product" in your purchase. Usually Amy's enchiladas are just two small rolled up enchiladas with a plate full of grease. The enchilada pie gives you a decent sized (for a college female) plate of food that fills you up without too much excess nastiness that you did not need to begin with. This incorporates whole beans into the equation which increases the fiber intake as well. 

Should they keep this at BNF? Of course, and I will probably buy it on a regular basis.

Next time: Who knows, I never end up writing about what I plan... Probably the new Ian's GF Microwavable kids meal but we'll have to wait and see!