GlutenFree Me: 'Gluten Free' filter for product searches at Ulta.com

I started this gluten free segment, GlutenFree Me, to encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their lives. Look for pictures of gluten free meals, reviews of gluten free recipes and products and gluten free tips and tricks.

I am on the hunt for gluten free everything. I don't really care that it's not supposed to cause a reaction unless it is ingested. But for arguments sake, any product you use can end up in your mouth, shampoo, face wash, lipstick, powder, lotion, soap. So I want as many products as possible to be gluten free.

It's stressful to make sure you're getting gluten free products sometimes. It's not always clearly stated on the bottle. When I'm standing in the aisle, googling a product to see if it has gluten, I usually find blog posts from other gluten free people before I find the manufacturer's website, and sometimes gluten information isn't not on the manufacturer's website.

And another thing, that I could totally vent about for a very long time, is that people feel like it's okay to question why I don't want gluten in products that I buy. Sales people, and even people I meet in social settings, ask questions like, "Why don't you eat gluten? Are you really allergic? Like, have you been tested?" First, I don't even need a reason, it could just be a personal preference and that would be okay. Second, you're asking me about my medical history. Would it be okay for me to ask you if you really have lactose intolerance or, say, diabetes? Like, have you been tested for that? If I tell you that, yes, I really have it, why do you need to ask if I've been tested? Do you think I'm lying to you? Third, do you really want to have this conversation in the first place? Because when you ask me about my gluten intolerance, it's not a yes or no answer, it's going to be a really long educational moment for you. Probably you don't want to sit through that.

ANYWAY...

ulta.com has a filter tool that includes gluten free as an option! So you can filter out all the products that contain gluten and just shop away. It's so easy. I'm in love with ulta.com now. I actually found this tool while googling products in the aisles at Sephora.

You have to narrow your search before you see the gluten free option. Example: Select HAIR, then select SHAMPOO and you will see an option to filter at the top of the product listing. The gluten free option is included in 'filter by ingredient.'

I selected LIVING PROOF no frizz shampoo, conditioner and nourishing styling cream. I really like it, I can tell the conditioner is amazing but I might need a styling product that is specifically for curly hair. I had the Moroccan curling perfection defining cream (which I had not been using because I wasn't sure  it was gluten free until I found the Ulta.com tool - IT IS!) and it does the trick. So this filter is awesome no matter what your price range is.

I wish I knew about this when I first started searching for gluten free non food products!

GlutenFree Me Product Review: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats

I started this gluten free food segment, GlutenFree Me, to encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their diets. Look for pictures of gluten free meals, reviews of gluten free recipes and products and gluten free tips and tricks. 

There are some microwavable gluten free oatmeals out there. They are good, but they are flavored. If you're looking for a plain oatmeal, Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats is awesome. WHY?

1. You can MICROWAVE it! 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water, 1 minute 30 seconds in the microwave. Maybe this isn't news to you, but I've never microwaved oatmeal that wasn't in an individual serving package. I've bought the large quaker oats before, and prepared it on the stove and made oatmeal cookies, but I never thought to microwave it.

2. It's kid approved. Charlie loves it. He eats the whole serving EVERY TIME. This morning, he even ate some of mine.

3. Because it comes in a big bag, you can use these gluten free oats to fill up those canisters on your counter that used to hold flour. So pretty.

4. These oats are kind of sweet, so I don't have to add much sweetener to them, maybe a small drizzle of agave nectar. I used to load oatmeal up with butter and brown sugar.

5. I've got two easy, kid approved GLUTEN FREE ways to fix up this oatmeal for you: Add canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice! Or for homemade apple cinnamon oatmeal, chop an apple, put it at the bottom of the bowl. Add oats, water/milk and apple pie spice and then microwave. Yum!

Now if I can just find the perfect gluten free pancake mix...

GlutenFree Me Lunch Box: Peanut Butter dip

I started this gluten free food segment, GlutenFree Me, to encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their diets. Look for pictures of gluten free meals, reviews of gluten free recipes and products and gluten free tips and tricks. 

My mother in law introduced me to this dip. It's just peanut butter and yogurt. That's it. I'm not even a big peanut butter fan and I like this dip. 

I use one plain Oikos single serve 5.3 oz container and about 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (I use JIF natural). Because I use plain yogurt, I sometimes sweeten it with agave nectar, but if you use vanilla or honey flavored yogurt, you wouldn't need anything else. You get super protein from the greek yogurt and super protein from the peanut butter and BAM, you're full.

Before I went off gluten, I would eat all of this dip with a big apple and be really full. So that would be a big apple, 5.3 oz yogurt and 2 tbsp. peanut butter. NOW, being off gluten, I eat half the dip and one or two small apples and... FULL. So this dip makes TWO servings.

Charlie (almost 18 months) LOVES this dip made with full fat greek yogurt and with cut up bananas. He really just tries to eat the dip with his spoon. It's great for spoon feeding because the dip sticks to the spoon so well.

GlutenFree Me Lunch Box: TOAST

I started this gluten free food segment, GlutenFree Me, to encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their diets. Look for pictures of gluten free meals, reviews of gluten free recipes and products and gluten free tips and tricks. 

Two slices gluten free bread, whipped cream cheese and apple butter with a banana.

GlutenFree Me Lunch Box: Yogurt with cheese and fruit

I started this gluten free food segment, GlutenFree Me, to encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their diets. Look for pictures of gluten free meals, reviews of gluten free recipes and products and gluten free tips and tricks. 

Gluten free yogurt, KIND granola, Kraft cheddar cracker cuts and grapes.

Are you thinking, "That's just not enough for lunch!" ??? That's because Gluten is an appetite stimulant. If you stop eating gluten, this could be a filling lunch. You can also add an apple or a slice of gluten free rotisserie chicken (check out Sam's rotisserie chickens).

A bonus GlutenFree Me: Lunch Box idea – sauteed okra (lightly oil, salt and pepper, saute until tender), these gluten free pumpkin muffins in mini muffin size and apple sauce. That was my son's lunch for school today!

GlutenFree Me Starter Kit: Crackers

I started this gluten free food segment, GlutenFree Me, to encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their diets. Look for pictures of gluten free meals, reviews of gluten free recipes and products and gluten free tips and tricks. 

Starting a gluten free diet is daunting. It doesn't seem fair. But if you get through that first week or two (or three or four), it gets easier. Not just because it takes that long to change a habit, but because you are healing your body. But getting through that first week is hard. You probably have a headache. You might feel like you just can't get full. You WILL snack — a lot. BUT then this magical thing happens: That craving to eat all of the cake/waffles/buttered bread/fried chicken/candy/chocolate/ice cream?

IT GOES AWAY.

I've prepared a virtual starter kit to help get you through that time. I can find all of these foods at Kroger and Walmart in a small town, so you can find them, too.

If you want crackers: Nut Thins or Celery

These crackers really got me through that first week. The almond Nut-Thins have a neutral flavor, so you can eat them with flavorful gluten free dips, like hummus. The pecan Nut-Thins are good too, they have a stronger, nutty flavor, so eat them with bland dips, like whipped cream cheese. 

Celery has that crispy crunch that reminds me of a cracker. I know, it's not the same, but if you are looking for a healthy option, celery is there for you. I cut mine into small, skinny sticks.

GlutenFree Me Product Review: Pillsbury gluten free cookie dough

I started this gluten free food segment, GlutenFree Me, to encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their diets. Look for pictures of gluten free meals, reviews of gluten free recipes and products and gluten free tips and tricks. 

When you want cookies, but you don't want to go out and buy three different types of flour and xanthan gum (I still don't know what that is) to make a gluten free flour mix that will make cookie dough that will make cookies that might be good, you can save yourself some trouble and buy Pillsbury gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough.

I like how on cookie dough packages, it says "Please do not eat raw cookie dough." It's the Please that does it. It sounds like a grown up, talking to a child that's old enough to know better. I think that's why I feel comfortable eating the raw dough. Because if it was really bad, there wouldn't be a please. It would be a red warning label, with a siren.

That's why I bought two packages of this cookie dough before I actually baked the cookies.

Overshare?

I'll just call it Please Dough so it doesn't sound as bad.

Well, so while I was eating the Please Dough, I thought it tasted ok, but definitely not like regular Please Dough. Once I went to the "trouble" to bake them, I realized I had been missing out on something good.

THESE ARE SOME GOOD COOKIES.

They're not gourmet cookies from a delicate bakery. They're not gluten free chocolate cookies that taste faintly of corn. To me, they taste just like they are supposed to taste - like SANTA COOKIES!!!

Five hundred bajillion gold stars. Go buy some. 

Gluten Free Since – Well, just a few months, now.

Here's the story: Girl loves food. Girl eats whatever food she wants and is happy. One day, Girl gets sick. Girl gets tummy aches. Girl gets hives. Girl has asthma attacks. Girl bloats up like a balloon. Turns out, Girl has food allergies. To everything. Girl cries. 

Girl starts a rotation diet. Girls says "rotation diets are hard!" but Girl's friends only hear, "blah blah blah I'm high maintenance." But it works, and Girl goes back to normal – kind of. 

Then, Girl gets pregnant. Her allergy attacks go away. This is one of the magical things that happens during pregnancy, besides growing babies. Girls eats EVERYTHING! But mostly peanut butter sandwiches on white bread. Girl has baby, cute perfect baby. 

But slowly, Girl begins to see allergy symptoms again. BUT only allergy symptoms related to a gluten allergy. Girl cuts out gluten and NO ALLERGY SYMPTOMS! In YOUR FACE body! That's what you get for not telling me, I mean Girl, upfront about this allergy stuff.

So now that you are caught up:

The UP SIDE here is that a gluten free diet is nothing compared to a diet where you can only eat one type of food once every four days, and you have to choose from meat, fruit, some vegetables and some nuts. So, yeah, gluten free? It's discouraging. It's a little hard, but I can totally do that! Also, it's publicized. Even if a server doesn't know what gluten is, they know about gluten allergy. 

So to CELEBRATE the fact that I'm not allergic to everything, only GLUTEN, I'm starting a gluten free food segment, GlutenFree Me, that my five blog readers may enjoy. So far, all I've done is find some recipes online, made a few things and checked out labels of my favorite condiments and spices. And I've baked – YEAH. 

I plan to post pictures of gluten free meals, with recipes if they are needed, review gluten free recipes and products, provide gluten free tips and tricks when I find out what they are and hopefully encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their diets. 

You can look forward to one GlutenFree Me post a week. And as always, pictures of Charlie. And mommy rants. And just plain rants.