Iced Coffee

I absolutely love coffee. Especially iced coffee in the summer. It's the perfect drink to cool you down and has just the right amount of caffeine for a pick-me-up! If I were to go to one of those chain coffee shops everyday, I'd be even more broke than I already am. Luckily I've found a way to make delicious iced coffee right at home.

Whenever my dad is done with the pot of coffee in the morning I take the extra and pour it into a pitcher. I set the pitcher in the refrigerator and the next day I have chilled black coffee. To add the "flavor" that most chain coffee shops have I simply bought some Coffee Mate Creamer. All of their creamers are gluten free. Hazelnut and Italian Sweet Cream are definitely my favorites! The next morning after the coffee has chilled in the fridge I just scoop some ice into a tall glass (about half way). Then I add a couple tablespoons of creamer. I stir with a spoon until it's blended well. Delicious! Coffee is even tastier when it doesn't cost three bucks a cup.

Chobani Greek Yogurt... more than just yummy!

I'm sure most of you have seen or heard of Chobani Greek Yogurt. They come in a six ounce white container (much larger than other yogurt brands) and have the flavor printed on the front. Today for breakfast I had "Black Cherry" and it was delicious! Not only is Chobani Greek Yogurt yummy, most of their flavors are also non-fat too. The "Black Cherry" flavor that I had for breakfast this morning was non-fat.

All of Chobani Greek Yogurts are gluten free and use all natural ingredients. I was so happy when I found out about Chobani about a year ago because I was tried of looking through other yogurts on the grocery shelves to see if their flavors were gluten free or not. In addition to being gluten free, Chobani Greek Yogurt is free of growth hormones. This means they don't use milk from cows treated with rBST. Studies have shown that growth hormones are not safe for human consumption and can increase the risk of cancer (specifically breast and prostate). Of course the FDA has not regulated it... yet. Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan have already banned rBST, but we're behind!

I'm glad that there is a yogurt out there that I can count on for being gluten free, all natural, and delicious!

Click through to check out their website :) Chobani

Sausage Breakfast Bites

As mentioned in my previous posts, eating gluten free can definitely be tough, especially for breakfast. If I ever go out for breakfast it seems like all I see are pastries, donuts, and bread products I unfortunately can't have.

My mom also has to eat gluten free and in 2007 we both came across a new product in the grocery store. It's called Pamela's Baking and Pancake mix. It also serves as a gluten free all purpose flour. My mom and I were so excited! We started experimenting in the kitchen and one day we came up with a simple and easy recipe for breakfast. We decided to call our product Sausage Breakfast Bites. They are delicious bite size treats that pack in all of the traditional breakfast flavors (cheese, sausage, and an array of spices). We entered the 2007 Pamela's Baking Contest and were runners up for first place!

If you want to try this yummy and easy recipe just look below or click on the link. It will take you to the Pamela's Products website. You can view our recipe and also a picture of our product!

Rouse's Recipe

3 cups of Pamela's Baking Mix
1 package of Johnsonville reduced fat sausage (I prefer spicy)
1 jar of Tostitos cheese dip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 12 minutes until golden brown. Makes about 35 - 40 bites.

Gluten Free Yellow Cake... For Dad!

Last night after dinner my Dad got a craving for something sweet. This usually isn't an issue for a "normal" person, but my Dad is on cholesterol medication so I try to help him watch what he eats. The "something sweet" that he was craving usually packs a punch of cholesterol and fat. Two things that he definitely does not need. However, I felt bad because I know what he goes through since I have to eat gluten free.

I started shuffling things around in the pantry and found a Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix. I looked at what the recipe called for on the back of the box (eggs, butter, and water). Everything looked fine for him except the butter. I decided to substitute the butter with applesauce. Yes, applesauce! It cuts out the fat and cholesterol and helps keep the cake moist.

I quickly whipped up the cake in a Kitchen Aid mixer and let it bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. It turned out great! Some fresh strawberries and low fat whipped cream is a great alternative to the traditional heavy icing.

Happy cooking!

Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Bisquick Mix

First of all, I'll give everyone a quick crash course in what Celiac Disease is. People who have Celiac Disease can't have gluten (wheat, rye, malt, or barley) in their diets because our bodies are unable to process it. If we do consume gluten our blood will produce antibodies and will lead to a plethora of complications, some even fatal such as cancer.

Ever since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when I was fifteen years old, I automatically assumed that all breads, pastries, and basically anything delicious could no longer be part of my diet. I was used to eating coffee crumb cake, cereal, and pancakes for breakfast and sadly I had to switch to yogurt and fruit because of my new diagnosis. I had pretty much given up on ever having fluffy pancakes for breakfast again until Betty Crocker came out with a new Gluten Free Bisquick mix last year! 

This morning I followed the recipe for pancakes on the back of the box, but tweaked it a little bit to remind me of pancakes I ate during my childhood. I sprinkled semi-sweet chocolate chips on the top of the pancakes while they were cooking. I also sliced up a banana, very thin, and added a couple of slices to each pancake. They were so good and I can't wait to put my spin on more Betty Crocker recipe's!

Here is the pancake recipe that was on the back of the Bisquick box:

1 cup Bisquick Gluten Free mix

1 cup milk (I prefer 1%)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 egg

STIR ingredients until blended

POUR slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot greased griddle

COOK until edges are dry. Turn; cook until golden.

Makes approximately 10 pancakes

Happy Cooking!