Trader Joes Pancakes

Great Tasting Gluten Free Pancakes

Finding a good Gluten Free that an Eighth Year Old will eat is tricky. You can just pick out any cereal on the shelf.

Trader Joe???s has a great frozen pancakes that my daughter loves. Which is great because over the years we have tried various frozen pancakes and waffles. They are certainly worth the try if you have tried some of the popular Gluten Free brands.

Five Things We Learned about the HomeStyle Pancakes

1. Available at Trader Joe???s. They are located with the regular frozen pancakes. Trader Joe???s doesn???t have a separate freezer for Gluten Free goods.
2. The pancakes comes individually wrapped in a pack of three. There are four packs. We have to buy 2 boxes for the week.
3. Takes about 1:25 seconds to cook. I usually split the pancakes and spread them on a plate.
4. Great with chocolate drizzle, cut up strawberries and whip cream topping. (Part of a complete breakfast)
5. Pancakes are small dollar size - perfect for kids.

Gluten Free Cakes

Great Cakes from Gerardos European Bakery

Back in 2007, my wife got me this birthday cake fromThe Icing on the Cake in Newton, Massachusetts.

This cake was long before we found that our daughter needed to eat Gluten Free. While The Icing on The Cake doesn't make any Gluten-Free cakes, we did find a bakery that makes some of the best gluten-free cakes in New England:

Gerardo's European Bakery in Westborough, MA makes amazing Gluten Free cakes. We have had nothing but success with all types of Gluten-Free cakes. They have a great flavor selection and they help out to make sure that you get the best looking cake as possible.

Google Search of Gluten Free

Weird search results of gluten free

Earlier this week, I was searching to see if there were any Gluten Free options at any of the Cafes at the Boston Public Library. IIt'sa fun place to go on a warm day since they have a nice courtyard to eat at.

When I put in my search for "Gluten Free Boston Public Library" in Google, I got back an interesting response:

Did you see it?

On the bottom of the first search is a filter - "Must include: gluten." Which obviously means the search query should include Gluten.

Funny thing is that I don't want it to include gluten.

Unfortunately there's no online information on the Boston Public Library on if any of their eating places have Gluten Free options. I'll have to inquire on another visit. We ended up going to Dirty Water Dough. It was very good pizza.

American Girl Birthday Party

American Girl is an option for a gluten free birthday party.

This weekend we celebrated my daughter's 8th birthday party at American Girl in Natick, Massachusetts. This is her first party that we had at American Girl.

In previous years, we celebrated her birthday with her grandparents on her actual birthday in the restaurant. This year we invited a few friends to celebrate at a private dining room using the deluxe package.

Nine Things We Learned about the Deluxe Party at American Girl

1. We brought our own cake from Gerardo's European Bakery in Westborough. In the past, my daughter didn't like the gluten-free cake that we had at American Girl. American Girl was fine that we brought in an outside cake. We served the guest the cake that comes with the deluxe package. Only the adults and my daughter got the gluten-free cake.
2. The gluten-free cake is what was she used to blow out the candles.
3. The deluxe package includes a table activity and a craft. We only had time for a craft. My daughter got everyone involved by doing a sing-a-long to some of her favorite songs.
4. The craft was creating a bracelet out of string. The hostess did a good job explaining the task and help people set up their craft. The activity did involve a fair amount of work, and only one person was able to complete it in time.
5. The deluxe package is 90 minutes - but the hostess said that it didn't seem like a long enough time for 9 girls.
6. There was another party in the room next door. We kept going back and forth with who could sing happy birthday the loudest. I think the other room won simply because there were more people in the room.
7. Basically this felt more of a lunch party than a typical birthday party that we have gone to in the past. Usually, birthday parties involve activities away from the table for a while and the party concludes with some food. This party felt more of her inviting her friends to a private lunch.
8. Everyone had a good time and enjoyed their meals. Which is the most important thing!
9. We were happy that the package included a goody bag, as it was one less thing to worry about.

Google Trends

Where in the world are people searching for Gluten free?

Google Trends is a great way to find out popular searches around the world. I thought it would be interesting to see the most popular countries that search for Gluten Free. Obviously, it would be more popular in English speaking countries. Some translation examples:

• German: Gluten-frei
• Spanish: sin gluten
• Portuguese: livre de glúten
• Russian: не содержит глютен
• Chinese (Simplified): 不含麸质

Australia and New Zealand are the countries with the highest interest in searching for gluten-free. The Tasmania region is the strongest region in New Zealand that put it ahead of all other countries.

Boston ranks 15th in 58 cities in the Google Trends report. Just short of Melbourne, Australia.

Nexvax2 now in Stage 2 Trials

Nexvax2 has been fast track to help people with Gluten Free

Good news for Celiacs! On January 2nd, ImmusanT secured a fast-track for it's Nexvax2 as a vaccine for people with celiac disease. It's currently in Phase 2 of testing.

The FDA only grants fast track status to certain drugs when there is an unmet need for medicine with serious or life-threatening conditions.

"Nexvax2 will improve quality of life and prevent the serious complications of chronic gluten exposure in celiac disease patients. The development of Nexvax2 aligns with our strategic vision of transforming how patients with autoimmune diseases are treated.??? - Leslie Williams CEO of ImmusanT in a recent press release

Fast Track to stage two testing does not increase the chances the drug will be approved, it's just a way that the FDA to move the drug along the process quicker.

About the Phase 2 of the Trial

A phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study of Nexvax2. This study will evaluate efficacy of Nexvax2 administered subcutaneously. The study plan consists of 3 periods: a screening period of 6 weeks, an approximately 16 week treatment period, and a 4-week post-treatment observational follow-up.

Be Part of the Trial

To be considered for the trial you must be:

• Someone who has been diagnosed celiac disease,
• Must be over 18 and under 70.
• Must be gluten free for at least one year.
• HLA DQ 2.5 Positive
• Participants must be willing to consume some gluten.

Unfortunately my 8-year-old daughter is not eligible for the study. If the trial is successful, hopefully, they come up with a children's version.

If you meet the simple criteria, why not be part of the study? On the Clinical Trial page is the locations where the trials are occurring. Simply contact the person nearest to you.

Oddly enough there is no trial in Massachusetts, which is the location of ImmusanT.

Estimated Completion Date

The trial will end on September 2019.

Gluten Free Labels

Labels are great for identifying which items are gluten free

We like to label boxes and Tupperware that the contents are gluten-free. This helps at school so they know the contents are safe for my daughter. It's also good at parties so that people can see that gluten-free foods look good.

We use the labels from Gluten Free Stickers because they are simple and stand out on anything that we put them on. They also last through many Tupperware washing - in some cases, longer than the Tupperware!

We don't place the stickers on every single ziplock bag. For school, it's usually placed on food containers that are for food events such as snacks for Extended Day or when she brings in cookies for treats.

These labels are very helpful and the quality is great! You're not getting cheap paper labels!

Check out Gluten Free Stickers. We recommend getting the Gluten Free Label roll so that you'll never run out of stickers when you need it.

Gluten Free Freezer

Check twice for products in the freezer.

Happy New Year 2019!

Finding Gluten Free in the Supermarket

Most supermarkets keep all the gluten-free alternative items together. This makes it easy to find all the bagels/breakfast goods available.

In Market Basket, you can find all the gluten free bread and pastries in the back freezer, near the Produce and Meat departments.

Wait a minute

Just make sure to double check the items, recently I spotted the following:

I was excited to see that there was a new item in the case. However, this isn’t gluten free - there is no Cinnabon Product that is gluten-free. Katz does make a gluten free cinnamon roll, which is probably the product that should be displayed in the case.

Some people may not really pay attention and just assume that it is since it’s with all the gluten free breakfast goods.

Just a simple reminder to always check the packaging - especially if it’s a new product.

Looking forward to finding all sorts of new products in 2019.

Top 8 Gluten Free Post of 2018

Lots of great posts this year.

I didn’t post much gluten-free this year, basically didn’t post much between February and September.

Here are the top posts of 2018.

1. AMC Theater Popcorn is not Gluten Free - Surprise of the year, it’s not safe to eat popcorn at AMC.
2. Just Crack an Egg - My daughter’s favorite breakfast treat. She has one practically every morning.
3. Fire & Grain - Great restaurant in Hershey, PA. We ate a lot of meals here and they were very knowledgable on gluten free eating.
4. Cauliflower crust at California Pizza Kitchen - Definitely the go to choice when it comes to eating pizza.
5. Ice Cream Cafe - We found a great ice cream shop on Cape Cod that offers different gluten free cones.
6. The Lazy Turtle (Aruba) - The only place in Aruba where we found that offers gluten free pasta.
7. Best Super Crispy Fries at Home - We used the frier a lot this year and enjoyed extra crispy french fries.
8. Benevento - After being away from the North End for a while, we decide to go back and found a good gluten free restaurant.

Gluten Intolerance Group

GFCO puts out a list of the organizations that go beyond the call of duty for gluten free

In 2016, Kent State became the first school in the United States to offer a complete dining hall that only serves gluten-free foods. Since then other colleges and universities have followed by with changes to the various dining area.

Kent State received certification from the Gluten Intolerance Group's Gluten-Free Food Service Accreditation Program. The certification shows that Kent State is committed to serving great food for celiacs.

Two years later the Prentice Caf?? is still serving gluten-free options. They promote all the various gluten-free options on the Prentice Hall website. According to various social media reports - the Prentice Cafe is just as popular as another campus cafe.

Gluten Intolerance Group

The Gluten Intolerance Group (GFCO) is one of the leading gluten-free certification programs in the world. They give out certifications to organizations that demonstrate the commitment to having gluten free options.

About the GFCO

Boston University

Boston University is the only Boston-area organization to make the GFCO certification list. They have 3-Certified Dining locations on campus:
The Fresh Food Company at Marciano Commons, The Fresh Food Company at Warren Towers and The Fresh Food Company at West Campus.

They are the only local type organization in New England to receive the GFCO certification.

National Chains

Other National Chains, which are based in New England has gotten certifications:

• California Pizza Kitchen - Located in the Natick Mall, Cambridgeside Gallerie, Prudential Center Mall
• The Melting Pot - Framingham
• Pizza Hut - Various locations including Framingham.
• The Village Tavern - Salem, Massachusetts