Ah,...what would we do without Whole Foods?

86th St. Store: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/eightysixthst/storecalendar.phpSunday, Tuesday, March 17th
Gluten Free Store Tour
6-7:30pm FREE
Are you living the gluten free (GF) lifestyle and not sure what to eat? Join Sarah Smith to learn about all of the great GF products available in each department, learn how to label read, find out what resources are available & enjoy samples too! RSVP to reserve your space at Eighty-Sixth St: 706.0900. Leave message for Sarah Smith.


Sunday, March 29th
Gluten Free Sampling
1-3pm FREE
Sandy Haney, gluten free food enthusiast, samples gluten free foods while you shop! Stop by and get product recommendations & tips from someone who lives the lifestyle. This month enjoy samples of Pesto Pasta Salad, 365 Gluten Free Chocolate Cake & Gluten Free Non-Dairy Ice Cream with a Berry Sauce. (Drop in sampling event. No RSVP needed.)


Carmel Store:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/carmel/storecalendar.php
Wednesday, March 18th
Gluten Free Store Tour
6-7:30pm FREE
Are you living the gluten free (GF) lifestyle and not sure what to eat? Join Sarah Smith to learn about all of the great GF products available in each department, learn how to label read, find out what resources are available & enjoy samples too! RSVP to reserve your space at Carmel: 569.1517. Leave message for Sarah Smith.

Thursday, March 19th
Superfoods: Easy Recipes
6-7:30pm FREE
Superfoods are nutrient-dense and help to fight disease. Join Kathie Gullick for this presentation to learn about various superfoods and enjoy samples of Avocado Salad, a Fresh Veggie Juice, a Blended Soup and a Hemp Protein Shake. Please RSVP at 569.1517. Leave message for Sarah Smith.

Sunday, March 22nd
Gluten Free Cooking
1-2:30pm FREE
Get gluten free cooking tips each month from someone who lives the lifestyle & loves to cook! This month Sandy Haney comforts and warms you with Spicy Bean Soup, Homemade Teff Foccacia and 365 Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Berry Sauce. Please RSVP at 569.1517. Leave message for Sarah Smith.

Wednesday, March 25th
Shopping on a Budget
6-7:30pm FREE
Eating great food doesn't have to break your budget. If you think higher quality always means higher price, think again! We offer real food, free of artificial ingredients and hydrogenated fats, at the best possible prices. Take our store tour for an overview of the great values we offer everyday as well as some valuable tips on stretching your dollar. Enjoy samples too! Meet at the front of the store. RSVP to reserve your space at Carmel: 569.1517. Leave message for Sarah Smith.

Whole Foods takes over Wild Oats

Wild Oats and Whole Foods made their mark in society by bringing the words 'organic' and 'natural' to mainstream America. It is safe to say that no matter what your food allergy or intolerance may be - these stores carried something you could eat. When I heard that Whole Foods was buying out Wild Oats I had mixed emotions. Although Indianapolis has various small health food stores (two thumbs up to Georgetown Market), we normally shopped for most of our GF products at Wild Oats or Trader Joes. Our only experiences with Whole Woods consisted of our two trips to Chicago to see family and even though they were good experiences, we had become partial to Wild Oats. We knew the staff of Wild Oats, they were tireless in their effort to help us find GF products. Was that all going to go away when Whole Foods came strolling into town?

The answer? I'm happy to say that Whole Foods may have even improved on the foundation that Wild Oats built here. The private label products: 365 are fantastic and, this is the kicker, cheaper then more of their GF counterparts!!! My husband and I recently tried the 365 GF Pancake mix and it was even better then the Kinnikinnick mix. The mix cost about $3.65 (I wonder if if that is a coincidence) and easy to prepare. So next time you're hankering for a big plate of pancakes, head on over to Wild Oats,.. I mean Whole Foods and pick you up a bag of mix.

GF Product of the Month

Gillian's GF Frozen Pizza Dough

"What am I going to do about pizza?" This is often the first thought by many who are diagnosed with CD. Well, after years of trying numerous brands and homemade concoctions - we have found a really great pizza crust! Gillian's Foods makes a great GF frozen pizza dough and it can be found in pretty much every state (granted you may have to drive a ways to get it) and you can even order it online!

Simply leave in the fridge the night before you want to use it and roll it out like a regular pizza dough. Have some flour ready because like normal dough, it will get sticky once it starts to heat up to room temperature. Place on a baking dish, add your favorite sauce and toppings - and voila!...about 13 minutes later you have a pizza that you would swear could be full of gluten it tastes so good. Don't worry about writing all of this down - the directions are on the back of the bag.

Now if most of you are like my husband, you miss stuffed crust pizza. Not to worry - this frozen pizza dough works great for that as well. Just buy some mozzi sticks and cut them lengthwise roll the crust over the cheese and there you go - you now have stuffed crust pizza. Of course you would want to complete this step before you add the sauce and toppings - unless you like to be messy and then hey - have it your way.

As far as price - it is actually pretty good. One roll of dough will run you about $4.80 (this is a Midwest price) and the dough has a freezer life of about six months. This is the only GF freezer dough I have found and it is much better then actual pre-made GF crusts and much cheaper.

More information about this product and others made by Gillians can be found at their website:
http://www.gilliansfoods.com/