Monday 29 February 2016

Kids Glutenzone Gluten Free Buns - Warning we are giving Rachel Allen a run for her money!!

There is no better way to teach our kids how to be awesome little chefs than let them lose in the kitchen making buns!! The presentation may not be perfect but they tasted awesome.


So what did she do? Well she:
- Sieved 100g Gluten Free self raising flour into a bowl
- Added 100g castor sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 100g olive oil butter (melted)
- Teaspoon of vanilla essence

Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon.

Place into cake cases (we only have a small family so this made six buns which was loads for us.

Bake in oven at 180 degrees until brown on top (about 20 minutes)

We added left over Nutella as an easy topping once the buns were cooled. (I placed the Nutella in the microwave for a few seconds to soften).

And voila, awesome gluten free buns made by my mini me - well done Gracie!!





Wednesday 24 February 2016

Do You Want Your Social Media Campaign Run by Gluten Free Experts?

Let The Experts Manage Your Gluten Free Business Online!
So many business owners don’t have the time or resources to keep their business up to date on social media. So why not let the Glutenzone team do it for you?! We are dealing with thousands of gluten free people every single day and we can direct them to your business.
Your Social Media Manager will add daily posts on:
Twitter – Joining Irelands online conversation
Facebook – everyone is on Facebook these days, your business needs to be too
Google Plus – Get found with a stronger key word search, be ahead of your competitors
Pinterest pin board on Glutenzone to reach wider traffic – The fastest growing image platform
Paid Facebook advertising included in this promotion to increase customer reach
Weekly promotion on Glutenzone’s social media pages (reaching over 500,000 each week)
Monthly Analytic Report
Only €125 per week
No set contract
Call us today to discuss social media marketing opportunities with us

Email glutenzone@gmail.com or call Heidi on 085 7330038

Monday 22 February 2016

Top Tips on Dining Out Gluten Free

I love eating out, heck who am I kidding I love eating period!

So eating out is a super treat – no cooking for me hurrah.

I’m very lucky where I live in Killarney, County Kerry because we are blessed with some awesome places to eat who happily accommodate us gluten free/coeliac peeps. The Oak hotel on Muckross road have delish gluten free options including burgers and a huge array of gluten free desserts.
However as I travel around the country with my business consultancy, there have been some struggles I have come up against.



So here are some tips that just may help you out on your gluten free journey:

Call then ahead of time
Sometimes, especially in off peak times (coming from a tourism town) restaurants and eateries may not stock such a large variety of foods, so there is no harm giving them a call ahead of arriving to see if they can cater for your diet.

Tell your waitress/waiter
I used to get a few rolling eyes from chums when I would announce to the server that I am gluten free. But now I tend to be the envy of the group when dining out, as often there are additional yummy gluten free options not listed on the menu but available on request. For example the Brehon Hotel have a divine crème brulee for us Coeliacs and if I have business meetings there I order a coffee and ask for gluten free bikkies and they nearly always have them! If you don’t ask you don’t get.

Soups and Salad starters
I often find the starters have the least amount of options for gluten free. But a soup or salad is usually a safe option as long as the salad doesn’t have any croutons or gluten based salad dressings.

Chips galore
It’s an Irish thing we need loads of potatoes with our dinner and always a few cheeky chips on the side. However some restaurants don’t have the facility to offer gluten free chips (i.e. chips that haven’t been cooked in the same oil as battered foods). So it’s time to bulk up on veggies if so or ask for what other options they have.

Don’t hide away with your gluten free diet, but you have to be prepared.

There’s never a day when I switch off, I constantly have to check food labels, ask people what is in their food and if I am not organised enough I often prefer to just have some fruit rather than suffer the pain of eating gluten just because I wasn’t organised enough.

Let us know your favourite gluten free eateries so we can spread the word with others.

Have an awesome gluten free day

Heidi and the Glutenzone Team x

Tuesday 16 February 2016

Gluten Free Cooking This Weekend

I'm on the hunt for new, yummy recipes and this weekend thanks to my Tesco newsletter with plenty of tips and ideas I am going to try their recipe for:

BAKED COD & TANGY TOPPING

Ingredients:
4 x 150g cod fillets
1 tsp smoked paprika
8 olives, chopped
1 tbsp red pesto
4 peels plum tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 large yellow pepper
1 tsp olive oil



Fry pepper over medium hear for 10 minutes until slightly golden.

Add garlic, tomatoes, (no juice), pesto and paprika - stir for 2 minutes.

Add olive slices, cook for further 2 minutes.

Spoon mixture onto fish and cook for 12 minute or until bubbling on top.

Let us know how you got on, send us a picture of your dish!! We will do the same.


www.glutenzone.ie - add your business listing here today

Thursday 11 February 2016

Glutenzone Team Out & About

So what did our team find today out shopping in Ireland?

Supervalu have some yummy bars and only €1! WOW


And as we have more Rugby this weekend, we definitely need crisps as part of the snack attack during the match. So thanks to Aldi we have that covered!



Do you want to feature your business on our directory or guest feature on our social media pages?

 Contact the digital marketing team to discuss how you can reach over 500,000 Irish followers of http://glutenzone.ie each week

Tuesday 9 February 2016

More Yummy Pancakes

The Glutenzone team are hard at work this morning cooking up a storm!!!

Check out Mary's gluten free pancake - awesome.



Recipe
1 banana. 1 egg. Sprinkled with blueberries. Avacado and kiwi. Drizzle of agave.

Happy Pancake Tuesday


Happy Pancake Tuesday!

A simple recipe in my house, share your images and recipes with us too.

Enjoy

Recipe:
50g gluten free plain flour
50ml rice milk
1 egg
Maple syrup to top

Monday 8 February 2016

Old Wives Tale? Witches Brew? Current Crazy Trend?

It seems there is some truth to the Old Wives Tale, The Witches Cleansing Brew and The Current Hollywood Trend.



“Warm Lemon Water in the Morning”

Citrus limon is a species of small evergreen tree native to Asia and produces the fruit know in English as lemon, derived from the Arabic word al-limun (lemon)

With the supply of citrus squeezers racing out the door it was time to take a good hard look at the benefits that Queen Bee, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston swear by if they’re doing it got to be true right!

In regards to Lemon Water, the celebrities got it right.

RECIPE
250ml or 8oz cup/glass of warm water
Squeeze in half a small lemon into the water

And Enjoy

Starting the day off with warm lemon provides a range of benefits. But the prove is in the pudding, so try it for a week and see it helps you feel better.

“Let us know how you felt at the end of the week.”

10 Benefits to Drinking Warm Lemon Water Every Morning

1) Aids Digestion. Lemon juice flushes out unwanted materials and toxins from the body. Its atomic composition is similar to saliva and the hydrochloric acid of digestive juices. It encourages the liver to produce bile which is an acid that is required for digestion. Lemons are also high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen ama, or toxins, in the digestive tract. The digestive qualities of lemon juice help to relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, belching and bloating.

2) Cleanses Your System / is a Diuretic. Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials in part because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Therefore, toxins are released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy. The citric acid in lemons helps maximize enzyme function, which stimulates the liver and aids in detoxification.

3) Boosts Your Immune System. Lemons are high in vitamin C, which is great for fighting colds.  They’re high in potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function. Potassium also helps control blood pressure. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) found in lemons demonstrates anti-inflammatory effects, and is used as complementary support for asthma and other respiratory symptoms plus it enhances iron absorption in the body; iron plays an important role in immune function. Lemons also contain saponins, which show antimicrobial properties that may help keep cold and flu at bay. Lemons also reduce the amount of phlegm produced by the body.

4) Balances pH Levels. Lemons are one of the most alkalizing foods for the body. Sure, they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies, they’re alkaline (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized). Lemons contain both citric and ascorbic acid, weak acids easily metabolized from the body allowing the mineral content of lemons to help alkalize the blood. Disease states only occur when the body pH is acidic. Drinking lemon water regularly can help to remove overall acidity in the body, including uric acid in the joints, which is one of the primary causes of pain and inflammation.

5) Clears Skin. The vitamin C component, as well as other antioxidants, helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes and it helps to combat free radical damage. Vitamin C is vital for healthy glowing skin while its alkaline nature kills some types of bacteria known to cause acne. It can actually be applied directly to scars or age spots to help reduce their appearance. Since lemon water purges toxins from your blood, it would also be helping to keep your skin clear of blemishes from the inside out. The vitamin C contained in the lemon rejuvenates the skin from within your body.

6) Energizes You and Enhances Your Mood. The energy a human receives from food comes from the atoms and molecules in your food. A reaction occurs when the positively charged ions from food enter the digestive tract and interact with the negatively charged enzymes. Lemon is one of the few foods that contain more negative charged ions, providing your body with more energy when it enters the digestive tract. The scent of lemon also has mood enhancing and energizing properties. The smell of lemon juice can brighten your mood and help clear your mind. Lemon can also help reduce anxiety and depression.

7) Promotes Healing. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), found in abundance in lemons, promotes wound healing and is an essential nutrient in the maintenance of healthy bones, connective tissue, and cartilage. As noted previously, vitamin C also displays anti-inflammatory properties. Combined, vitamin C is an essential nutrient in the maintenance of good health and recovery from stress and injury.

8) Freshens Breath. Besides fresher breath, lemons have been known to help relieve tooth pain and gingivitis. Be aware that citric acid can erode tooth enamel, so you should be mindful of this. No not brush your teeth just after drinking your lemon water. It is best to brush your teeth first, then drink your lemon water, or wait a significant amount of time after to brush your teeth. Additionally, you can rinse your mouth with purified water after you finish your lemon water.

9) Hydrates Your Lymph System. Warm water and lemon juice support the immune system by hydrating and replacing fluids lost by your body. When your body is deprived of water, you can definitely feel the side effects, which include: feeling tired, sluggish, decreased immune function, constipation, lack of energy, low/high blood pressure, lack of sleep, lack of mental clarity and feeling stressed, just to name a few.

10) Aids in Weight Loss. Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. Studies have shown people who maintain a more alkaline diet, do in fact lose weight faster. I personally find myself making better choices throughout the day, if I start my day off right, by making a health conscious choice to drink warm lemon water first thing every morning.


Tuesday 2 February 2016

Shocking Foods That Contain Gluten - Behold!

As I trundle along my lonely path of gluten free I often find red herrings along the way.

Well actually I’m a total drama queen because being gluten free (or Coeliac as I am) is not so lonely any more – it’s a rather fab community of cool people!!

Anyhoo I digress…..

Just when I think I have conquered the gluten free world of what is and what isn’t gluten free, another slap in the face comes my way.

So I thought I’d share some of these with you just in case you didn’t know either!

Sushi

Mmmmmm one of my favourite foods. So let’s check what they have in it:
-         
      Rice – gluten free – check!
-          Veg – gluten free – check!
-          Fish – gluten free – check!

But what they don’t tell us is there is often soy sauce mixed into the ingredients L
So even though it should be gluten free often Sushi is not.

Best thing to do – flip over the container and check the ingredients before buying.

When I do find Sushi packs that are gluten free I obviously never have the little bottle of soy sauce packed in there as that is never gluten free.

Crisps
Or Taytos as crisps are fondly referred to in Ireland by some!

They are potatoes right so they must be gluten free?! Wrong!! So many crisps are not gluten free.

Like for example the Hunky Dory crisps – the salt and vinegar ones contain gluten but the Buffalo flavour does not!! However there will be cross contamination at the plant so for a Coeliac this is a no no for someone just choosing to exclude gluten this may be an option.

But all is not lost there are some yummy ones out there so if you are unsure, simply choose the ones who openly advertise they are gluten free like the Tayto Bistro range. Guess who hogs all of these on movie night?!


Salad dressings
Healthy right? Can’t have gluten? Wrong!!

Many salad dressings contain thickeners. I almost always go for a vinegar based dressing (not malt that has gluten) but my favs are balsamic vinegar, apple cider or the wine vinegars – because they are almost always gluten free unless something really funky has gone on!

So just a few examples of what to look out for in the world of gluten free.

My advice, regardless always check the labels.

I can pick up a bar of chocolate or ice cream and behold gluten is in there! Damn you gluten and your crazy hiding places in my yummy treats!!!

But we are lucky we have plenty of delicious alternatives these days and it’s only going to get better and more cost effective.

Check out my latest ‘on the go’ find in Aldi – I have never been a bread lover gluten free or not so a sandwich on the go just doesn’t do it for me. But this yummy find I am delighted with.


If I am home I roast some sweet potatoes to bulk it up – hey presto Heidi is a happy camper.

So that’s all for now gluten free campers.

We would love to hear your stories and your gluten free finds.

Don’t forget if you are a business who offers gluten free options make sure you add your business to our directory! You can’t win it if you are not in it! http://glutenzone.ie/join

Have an awesome gluten free day.
Heidi

Xx