gluten free guidance - a copebook for beginners

I just posted Living Well With Celiac Disease: Abundance Beyond Wheat & Gluten on my Etsy site. Click HERE to go to the claudinescalling page where you can order it directly from me. As always, it is also available on Amazon. Simply click on "the book" link at the side to of this post. Reviews for the book can be found on my "contact" & "guidance" pages.

gluten free workplace heaven

Warning: this post could make you wish that you worked somewhere else.

I'll begin by stating that my job comes complete with all of the ups and downs that any office workplace does - including internal meetings that drag on, umpteen spreadsheets to study, crazy deadlines, and the like.... What makes the difference, is that the people I work with are often exceedingly kind to me. 

This past month in particular, I've had a couple of "gluten free gift" moments. By this I mean situations where someone has been particularly thoughtful and shown me kindness through food. 

First, there was the dreaded fundraiser bake sale at the office. Lori showed up with a batch of gluten free brownies for me and a fellow gluten-intolerant colleague to share. 

She even brought in the bag from the mix she used to calm any anxiety we might have about ingredients. Lori's husband is a 'lifer' celiac like me (diagnosed as a child)... she gets it.

Second, the dreaded lunch n' learn training session... with, you guessed it - take out pizza. 

I couldn't wait! Why? Because Denise had heard that Pizza Nova delivered gluten free and opted to choose this chain for our order so that I could partake. She even sent me a link to the site to validate that I was comfortable with this choice. It brought tears to my eyes. 

You should have seen my face when I lifted the lid of this box... pizza with my peers. A very rare occasion indeed.

Hey, I don't live in a dream world. I have bad days... and sometimes I still sulk a little and feel left out. I'm one of many here, and I certainly can't expect to be considered every time there is food. We're human. We're busy. But man... when someone goes out of their way to consider my gluten free needs... I can hear violins. Thank you to my team mates.

I believe that the onus is on me to return the favour for others. Would be great to hear your "gluten free gift" stories and ideas on how we might "be the change" and spread the reciprocal love. 

best gluten free baking blogs - the top 5

don't worry - this cake is not gluten free!

I've said it before - this is not a blog for people who want to bake gluten-free sticky buns. There are a few reasons that I am not focusing on baking on this blog. 

1) I can bake, but I'm no pastry chef 

2) I try not to bake often, because a lack of willpower has me eating entire cakes in one sitting.

3) There are AMAZING blogs that can deliver really great baking tips and recipes.

I'd like to introduce you to the gluten free gift top 5 blogs for baking & inspiration in the kitchen. They are not in a particular order - I've chosen them to share with you as each delivers something unique in way of recipes, voice and aesthetic. 

Karina at glutenfreegoddess is a writer, poet and artist. An awesome read, visual feast and great looking recipes.

Shauna (and Danny, her husband the chef) at glutenfreegirl
will take you on an uplifting culinary voyage... every day at their house is a celebration. 

Jeanine of thebakingbeauties has an extensive list of recipes that include ambitious goodies like scones and cinnamon buns.

Elana at elanaspantry uses unique ingredients.. and thanks to the efforts of my friend Angela, I've tested the outcome of her recipes first hand.

Meg... ooh la la... glutenfreeboulangerie is a seriously gorgeous blog.

I like to drool over these blogs... and on occasion I'll pull out the mixer and give a recipe a whirl... but more often than not, I'll run out and buy a good bar of chocolate and use the time saved to play in my art studio. 

For those who like to bake (or want to send a link to a friend who might bake something for them!) I'd bookmark these great blogs. If I've missed another winner - please feel free to share it here!

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