Gluten-Free Blog | Gluten-Free Events

Flying with Dietary Restrictions – What You Can Do to Make this Easier

Flying is stressful for many. Add in traveling with food or medical conditions, especially life-threatening ones, and flying can seem near impossible.

IT ISN’T. Here’s my advice.

Get Educated. Be Prepared. Be Pro-Active. Have a GREAT TIME!

GET EDUCATED

Go to the airline webpage and find out their policy in dealing with ‘special concerns’. This usually includes topics such as: special meals, dietary restrictions, medical issues and peanut allergies.
CALL every airline, if you want, and decide which airline’s policy will work best for your needs.
Read this great Airline Synopsis from Can I Eat Here – Flying with Food Allergies, posted April 6, 2013. You will see that NOT ONE airline mentioned can guarantee ‘PEANUT-FREE ‘ flights, citing a variety of reasons.
Most airlines provide ‘GLUTEN-FREE’ or ‘GLUTEN-INTOLERANT’ meals on flights providing in-service meals. This doesn’t include flights where the flight time is too short to serve meals and ONLY snacks are served.
Carry, Bookmark, Favorite the airline policy – Whatever airline you choose to fly on, DON’T be embarrassed to show it whenever necessary.
Book your flight. Be confident knowing YOU KNOW the correct information. As much as we wish every employee knew their policies, we ALL know this isn’t ALWAYS possible.

Stop Reading the Media Hype about the DANGERS of FLYING with FOOD ALLERGIES. READ about the FACTS. Here are two good reads:

BE PREPARED

Bring a Doctor’s note, if needed. Lufthansa Air wants you or your doctor to call ahead if you have a severe life-threatening allergy to peanuts or other allergens and possibly carry emergency medication with you.
Bring your own snacks. Yes, it would be nice if all airlines offered gluten-free food options. Milk-free, egg-free, peanut-free fliers feel the same way.
Bring your own medicine (benadryl, epinephrine), blankets, traytable covers, wipes – whatever you need to make your environment feel more safe. Wear a mask if you’re worried about dust.

Be prepared to offer ‘kindly reminders’ to flight attendants if they don’t make announcements or follow airline protocol, ie, announcing peanut-free flights or zones. Remember, this may be their 5th flight of the day, taking care of hundreds of people. It could slip their mind.

BE PRO-ACTIVE

Managing a life-threatening allergy or medical condition? BE PRO-ACTIVE and remind the gate agents and flight attendants of your concerns. Don’t assume the information you shared with the reservationist made it to your record. Yes, it SHOULD have.. but MAYBE it didn’t.
Share your policy copy, if employees don’t seem to be aware of them.
Board Early – Explain your situation and ask if this is a possibility, especially with with peanut-allergies. Wipe down tray-tables and armrests. Use blanket to cover the seat.
DON’T HESITATE to ask for a manager, if you’re having any difficulties.

Hopefully, knowing you have prepared yourself and your loved ones to have a wonderful journey. Throw in an extra loaf of your favorite Rudi’s Gluten-Free or Rudi’s Organic Bakery bread, some extra snacks and treats and you’ll be set to go for hours!

Daniella Knell, is the owner of Smart Allergy~Friendly Education. Her first job as a mom raising 2 healthy children with 6 of the top 8 allergens, anaphylaxis to nuts included, has driven her passion as an allergy awareness educator and consultant. Her second job as a flight attendant for 20+ years with a major airline, has allowed her children to enjoy the adventure of travel and flying since they were both 3 months of age. Through classes for children, adults and one-on-one consulting, her goal is arming and empowering others with resources available to help them navigate the twists and turns of their personal food allergy journey. Follow her at: www.smartallergyfriendlyeducation.com, Facebook, Linked In or Twitter

Chef Janet’s Gluten-Free Chocolate & PBJ Bites Made with Rudi’s Gluten-Free Tortillas!

Everyone can make a burrito or a taco with a tortilla. But I like to find new and different ways to use them. I make mini tarts using crepes in a mini muffin tin, but Rudi’s Gluten-Free Tortillas let me skip the step of making the crepe so I can go straight to putting the bites together. You can fill these with anything you like, savory or sweet, be creative. These are a great little sweet snack or a fun dessert for a party. Top with a marshmallow for kids or a little dollop of whipped cream for the grown-ups.

Makes 16 bites

Ingredients

2 Rudi’s gluten-free plain tortillas
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or chunks
2-3 tablespoons natural peanut butter or almond butter (my preference), room temperature
2-3 tablespoons jam, any flavor
4-5 strawberries cut into small chunks
16 mini marshmallows

Preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 350°
Use a 2 1/2″ round cookie cutter to cut the tortillas into circles. I was able to get 8 from each tortilla.
Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Gently push one of the rounds into the muffin tin and immediately put in a few chocolate chips to weigh it down. Repeat with all the rounds. Add about 1/2 tsp of peanut or almond butter and 1/2 tsp jam to each one.
Bake for about 8 minutes until the edges of the shells turn golden brown. Use a butter knife to help get them out of the tin.
Top with fresh strawberries and a mini marshmallow. I like to light my marshmallows on fire.

About Chef Janet:

When food allergies led me to become gluten-free more than 10 years ago, I was faced with limited and sometimes unappetizing gluten-free options. More recently, the number of gluten-free products has expanded to the point of confusion! If you live gluten-free, you have probably experienced the same reality. I was inspired to become a chef, and studied Culinary Arts at Le Cordon Bleu College. I apply my culinary knowledge to creating gluten-free dishes that rival your all your favorites and will satisfy even the fussiest eaters.

I’m a Certified Culinarian with the American Culinary Federation and am ServSafe® Certified with the National Restaurant Association. I have a Master’s Degree in Education from UCLA and more than 20 years as a teacher and trainer. I combine my skills as a teacher and chef to design customized gluten-free recipes and menus and then teach you to prepare them for your family and friends.

Visit Chef Janet’s Facebook page and website!

We are Following 10 Wonderful Gluten-Free Summer Camp Experiences!

Just under three weeks ago, Rudi’s Gluten-Free announced ten winners for it’s Happy Camper contest. The Rudi’s team developed Happy Camper to allow our fans to enter their children’s 200-word essays explaining what a Gluten-Free summer camp experience would mean to them. As we all know, finding safe, gluten-free establishments still brings many troublesome obstacles to our daily lives. For kids especially, being gluten-free can strongly affect their social lives. Many GF children do not have the privilege to participate in the staple summer activity, “Going to Camp,” which is why we introduced our Happy Camper contest. We received excellent participation for Happy Camper, however, we truly did not expect the level of appreciation and kindness from our contestants. The Rudi’s team was left in tears at times after reviewing some incredibly heartwarming essays.

We are very excited to follow our 10 Happy Campers as they share their summer camp experiences with us. Please stay tuned for updates!

Tips for Gluten-Free Birthday Parties

By Eve Becker

Birthdays are a big deal in our house. Starting weeks beforehand, my kids carefully plan all the food and activities they want to have at their birthday parties. When your child is gluten-free, the planning intensifies. How do you keep the birthday girl safe while entertaining all her friends?

My youngest daughter, who has celiac disease, just turned 9. Over the past seven years, we’ve hosted many fun birthday parties for her, filled with games, crafts and amazing gluten-free birthday cakes.

Here are some of our tips for making gluten-free birthday parties a success:

— Make an awesome gluten-free cake. Let’s face it, the cake is usually the centerpiece for the birthday (though I am amazed that my kids have friends who “don’t like cake” — heresy!). Bake a trial cake beforehand to make sure the recipe tastes great. I love King Arthur’s gluten-free chocolate cake mix. The rich, fudgy cake is delicious, and kids always ask for seconds (and sometimes for thirds). For frosting, I use the “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting recipe on the side of the Hershey’s cocoa box.

—If you don’t feel comfortable baking a gluten-free cake or cupcakes, try making an ice cream cake or offer a make-your-own ice cream sundae bar and have a multitude of toppings including sprinkles, chocolate chips, M&Ms, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

— If you make a gluten-free cake or dessert, whatever you do, don’t advertise the treats as gluten-free. For some reason, if people (especially adults) hear the word “gluten-free,” they tend to avoid it like the plague. Teach your kid to be proud of being GF, but if you want people to eat your treats, don’t advertise them as such. (Or as I like to say, “I spent an hour baking that dessert, they better darn well eat it.”)

— Take a cake decorating class before the big birthday bash. A kid’s birthday cake must look good as well as taste good. If you can’t take a cake decorating class, toss on some colorful sprinkles and buy a couple of cute cake toppers (or even small plastic figurines) to put on top of the cake. For cupcakes, experiment to learn how to pipe frosting with a pastry bag.

— Plan the birthday party at a time that does not involve lunch, like from 10 am to noon, or 3 to 5 pm. Kids do not need pizza at every birthday party. Not only will this save you money, but you won’t have to decide whether to serve gluten-free pizza to everyone (if so, it better taste good), or to have both GF and non-GF pizza and then worry about kids running around with greasy-pizza-gluten hands.

— For gluten-free snacks, think about Pirate’s Booty, popcorn, Pop Chips and grapes. For healthy options, try make-your-own fruit kebabs or a make-your-own smoothie bar.

— Advocate for your school to adopt a policy of no edible birthday treats. Honestly, most kids do not need another cupcake. Instead, kids can bring in a non-edible treat to share with their classmates (pencils, erasers, party favors). Other ideas: Schools can announce the names of the birthday kids over the school’s P.A. system, or schools can invite birthday kids to pick out a special book from a stash purchased by the PTA. This avoids allergens in the classroom and helps to combat excessive sweets and childhood obesity. If your school makes it a rule (not just an optional choice), you’ll be surprised at how quickly it will become an accepted part of school culture.

— If your son or daughter is going to a friend’s birthday party, ask the host in advance what food they will be serving. Send your kid with a cupcake (in a cupcake carrier that will keep it from getting smushed), an individual-sized gluten-free pizza (or the GF equivalent of whatever food they are serving), appropriate safe snacks and hand wipes. Stay at the party to serve your kid her special food, or ask a non-busy adult to make sure your child gets her food on a clean plate, served with clean hands.

Eve Becker shares recipes and tips for gluten-free families on her blog, www.glutenfreenosh.com. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters, the youngest of whom has celiac disease. Visit Gluten-Free Nosh on Facebook (facebook.com/GlutenFreeNosh) or Twitter (@GlutenFreeNosh). Eve also writes about food allergies and food sensitivities for Living Without magazine (www.livingwithout.com).

Quick Tips: The Best Methods to Buy, Store, and Handle Rudi’s Gluten-Free Products!

Here at Rudi’s, we strive to create the most naturally sourced gluten-free bakery products on the market at the best value. We take pride in the fact that our products are competitively priced while every single ingredient across our entire line of products is GMO-Free.

This all being said, we acknowledge that gluten-free products are more expensive than there gluten counterparts. The last thing we want is for our products to go bad before they are entirely consumed. Since our products are made without GMO’s, they can be subject to accelerated deterioration if not handled properly.

Here are some valuable tips on how properly purchase and store Rudi’s Gluten-Free products to ensure the highest levels of taste, texture and freshness:

For Rudi’s Gluten-Free Breads, Buns and Rolls

Avoid buying any Rudi’s Gluten-Free Breads that are sold outside of a freezer. Please notify both your grocery store manager and Rudi’s if you find this to be the case during your shopping experience.
If stored outside the freezer, Rudi’s GF Breads have a shelf life of 5 Days.
If you and your family/friends do not typically consume a loaf of bread within 5 days, always store your bread in the freezer. The best thawing method is to separate a portion of the loaf you need for a 3-5 day period and refreeze the remaining part of the loaf.
Slices can be hard to separate if they have not been thawed long enough. Our gluten-free bread is most likely to thaw by the time you get home from the grocery store. To guarantee easy separation of slices, insert wax paper between slices before you refreeze the bread. This way you can separate the slices when they are frozen and then accelerate the thawing time by putting them in the toaster.
Rudi’s Gluten-Free bread will last 6 months when stored frozen.
Do not store gluten-free bread in the refrigerator because it will accelerate dryness in the bread.

For Rudi’s Gluten-Free Tortillas

Rudi’s GF Tortillas can survive 10-14 days at room temperature and 30 days in the refrigerator.
Therefore, unlike our breads, buns and rolls, Rudi’s GF Tortillas can be sold outside the freezer in stores that have high product turnover.
That being said, our tortillas will always last longer if you store them in the freezer once you get home (Tortillas thaw very quickly)
Rudi’s Gluten-Free tortillas will last 6 months when stored frozen.

Celebrate National BBQ Month with a Soy-Free, Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free Veggie Burger!

National BBQ Month has typically been a nightmare for Celiacs and vegetarians. For Celiacs, BBQ’s have been especially impossible to eat at because most veggie burgers are made with gluten.

That being said, thanks to Rudi’s Soft and Yummy Hamburger Buns and Amy’s Gluten-Free Sonoma Veggie Burger everyone can take part in your next family BBQ! The Amy’s veggie patties come frozen, but fully cooked. Therefore, you want to be careful not to overcook them. For our gluten-free buns, keep them stored in the freezer and when it’s time to use them, separate with a serrated knife and throw on the grill for some light toasting! Note: Our gluten-free buns will toast faster than normal buns so be sure to keep an attentive eye on them.

Personally, I like adding fresh sautéed veggies to my burger too! Mushrooms, Onions and Peppers are my staple veggie toppers.

Of course, if your are not dairy-free, I would throw some smoked cheddar cheese on the patties during their final stage of cooking.

Most BBQ sauces are gluten free, but be sure to read the ingredient labels and try to buy sauces that are sweetened with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup.

Happy Grilling!

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