MSG - the hidden gut tormentor!

This is the worst possible ingredient for me. MSG is by far a more violent reaction for me than gluten. Gluten gives me a stomach ache and all kinds of lingering affects, but MSG literally tears me up. It kills my stomach and makes an immediate and violent reappearance 10 minutes after ingesting (sorry TMI). It is awful. I try to avoid it like the plague. It's so difficult this time of year...its in EVERYTHING.

Pretty much anything that is packaged has to be checked for MSG. It angers me to no end! The most frustrating for me lately is packaged meat, like sausages (polish, smoked, or brats). When will the high end brands get on board and stop putting that and gluten into meat. It is not needed. Farmland and HyVee are both well aware of this nifty fact. Meat tastes just fabulous WITHOUT the added MSG. Now how in the world do I get companies like Johnsonville, Jimmy Dean and Eckert on board.

I have already accepted that things like that are prepackaged like Hamburger Helper (even gf) and gravies/prepackaged seasonsings are going to have it, but applaud those companies like McCormick's that go the extra step (or skip that extra step) to ensure there is no MSG added.

Know this holiday seasoning its lurking everywhere. Watch for it,I know I will be.

Tis the Season...

Crackers are everywhere, but the gluten free ones are not the ones we want. I love crackers of all kinds...Ritz, Club, Saltines...I'm really not picky, so being GF really puts a kink in my cracker love.  I finally found a cracker I can use in place of Saltines...Glutino's Table Crackers are fantastic. They are not salted, but they still taste very similar to a saltine minus the salty. My other favorite crackers this time of year are the Nut Crackers - lightly salted. I also occasionally enjoy Crunch Master's Multi Grain GF cracker. I'm certain with all these brands to try you won't be disappointed.

Teri's Gluten Free mixes

I had the fortunate luck to try a mix by Teri's Gluten Free Mixes that fit perfectly into my daily dose of pumpkin this time of year. Pumpkin brownies. It was simple to make and only used a couple eggs and water I think to add to the complete mix. Everything else was already in the mix. They have a booth at the West Kimberly Mall and can be ordered online.

Look for future updates as I have a few more things to test out in the coming weeks. So far I like the mixes and they don't have too many add ins to make them great value.

Honey Grahams

Oh Schar...I love you!! This is one of the best gluten free companies. I love everything of theirs I have tried. I just tried their honey grahams. They are great. There are several small packages in the larger box. They are great by themselves as well as dipped in the new Chocolate Silk by Jif. YUM! Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

Snapz

These aren't bad. They aren't great. They have a "bagged" taste. They don't have any weird taste. If I am buying dried fruit, I'd rather have it normally right out of a plastic bag, not a "chip bag. I wouldn't buy these, however my coworker did like them. He said he would eat them.

Everything Parmesan Crisps

These are weird. They leave a terrible taste in your mouth.  I tried to eat them with my lunch like the cracker portion of my meal, it was disgusting. I would not buy these. They are very crumbly. I do not like them. They are very strong tasting much like eating parmesan straight would be, but more concentrated. I also gave these to my coworkers to try, again they all agreed with my opinion.

Emmy's Choco Orange Macaroons

These are not appetizing. They look like dog treats. They have a horrible after taste. I am not a fan of chocolate and orange together, but was open to trying it. I would not buy them. Even my gluten eating coworkers did not like these.