UPCOMING EVENTS

AND MEETINGS

Saturday, June 18, 11:00 a.m. Annual Picnic, Middle Park Lagoon Shelter, Bettendorf Monday, July 18, 6:00 p.m., Restaurant Outing Monday, August 15, 6:30 p.m., Meeting Monday, September 19, 6:00 p.m.,

Restaurant Outing Saturday, October 15, 10:00 a.m., Meeting Monday, November 21, 6:00 p.m., Thanksgiving Potluck Saturday, December 10, 10:00 a.m., Cookie

Exchange

*Genesis West is located at 1351 W Central Park Avenue, Davenport. Enter at the North Entrance. Pavilion 2 is marked on the outside of building. Enter Pavilion 2, turn left, go past elevators and turn right to conference center. Meeting times/dates can be verified by contacting Tom Huff, qccsa79@gmail.comHf, Newsletter edited by Betsy Romano, qccsa79newsletter@gmail.com QC Celiac Group webpage: www.qcceliacs.org

See You There!

May is

Celiac Awareness Month!

Quad City Celiacs

Published by the Quad City Celiac Group, www.qcceliacs.org

CSA/USA Chapter #79 http://www.csaceliacs.org Tom Huff, qccsa79@gmail.com

May 2016

Learning about Living

GF on a Budget

at the April Meeting

Our members shared information on cutting the high cost of living

gluten free at the April meeting. We have included many of those

tips in this month’s newsletter and hope you find them helpful. We

also enjoyed our favorite breakfast recipes and you will find those

included as well.

Please feel free to let us know what topics you would like covered at

future meetings! Send your ideas to qccsa79newsletter@gmail.com

JUNE MEETING/PICNIC HIGHLIGHTS

Please join us on Saturday, June 18 for our annual picnic at Middle Park Lagoon Shelter (Parkway Dr. and 18th St. Bettendorf, IA). Set-up and social time begins at 10 a.m., with serving beginning at 11 a.m. *Please bring a gluten-free dish to pass, along with a personal beverage and place setting.

Friends and Family are always welcome!

QC Celiac Group Board:

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

We are happy to help out in any way we can!

Tom Huff, Leader, qccsa79@gmail.com

Vickie Buzzell, Outreach, qccsa79outreach@gmail.com

Delphia Skinner, Membership, qccsa79membership@gmail.com

Mike Averweg, Social Media, qccsa79socialmedia@gmail.com

Donna Renneke, Web Page, qccsa79web@gmail.com

Betsy Romano, Newsletter, qccsa79newsletter@gmail.com

Book Corner Stephanie O’Dea has two cookbooks that I like a lot – 365

Slow Cooker Suppers and 5 Ingredient or Less Slow Cooker

Cookbook. These books have the best selection of slow cooker

recipes I have seen, including vegetarian and dessert recipes,

and they are easy and delicious. Stephanie’s daughter is a

celiac, so all of her recipes are either gluten-free or instructions

are given on how to make the recipes gluten free. In keeping

with the “living GF on a budget,” these books are available at

your local library.

Gluten-Free Products

Target carries many frozen ready-to-eat meals

including Udi’s Chicken Puttanesca, which is

microwaveable and delicious.

Nature’s Path Organic Pumpkins Spice Waffles come highly recommended and can be found at

Super Target.

Vitabella Organic and Gluten Free cereals are now

at Schnucks. They come in the following flavors:

Cornflakes, Multigrain Flakes, Chocolate Hazelnut

Pillows Snack and Strawberry Pillows. They are

$3.99 for a 10.6 oz box.

Antonina’s Double Chocolate Cookie, found at

Hy-Vee, are very good.

Archway is now producing two new GF cookie

chips - sugar cookie and chocolate chip.

If you have new products to share, email Betsy at qccsa79newsletter@gmail.com.

The QC Celiac Group enjoyed pork carnitas prepared by

Chef Craig at the Mexican Potluck in March. We enjoyed

a wide variety of delicious gluten-free “south of the

border” main dishes, salads and desserts!

Comparison Shopping

The best way to live gluten free on a budget is to comparison shop. Quinoa, for example, costs $8.98 for 32 oz at

Sam’s Club and anywhere from $3.99 to $8.39 for 16 oz at local stores. It adds up! Below is a chart of similar

items from local stores.

Aldi Fareway Schnucks Wal-Mart Hy-Vee*

Granola Bars $2.49 N/A $3.85 $2.48 $4.99 Bread – 12 oz $3.99 $5.29 $4.89-$5.49 $4.48 $6.27 GF Wraps – 11 oz $3.99 N/A N/A N/A $5.27 Soft Baked Cookies $2.29 N/A $3.99 $3.78 $4.48 Waffles N/A $3.49 $3.19 $2.97 $3.75 Quinoa – 16 oz $3.99 $8.39 $7.99 $3.92 $7.49 Brown rice spaghetti $1.89 $2.99 $3.97 $3.14 $3.99 Pretzels $1.89 N/A $4.59 $3.67 $7.99 Chicken nuggets $4.95 – 16 oz N/A N/A $6.98 – 24 oz $6.99 – 11 oz

In most Hy-Vee stores, you can save 10% on all Health Market items on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month. *Prices taken from various QC Hy-Vee stores.

QC Celiac

Group’s

First Mexican

Potluck!

Breakfast Parfait Contributed by Connie Meyer

Combine Yoplait light yogurt and Envirokids Koala

Crisp Cereal for a delicious breakfast treat!

Connie’s Restaurant Review by Connie Meyer

Family Restaurant, 902 W Kimberly Rd., Davenport, IA (Village Shopping Center). My favorite Greek dish is often not on the menu – ask for it and they usually are happy to serve you. It consists of two chicken breasts covered with tomatoes, onions, green peppers over a seasoned bed of rice and add a skewer of shrimp. Quad Cities US Family Restaurant, 4910 22nd Ave, Moline, IL (near 53rd Ave & Ave of the Cities). On Sundays, they feature roasted or stewed chicken Kapama. The chicken is so tender, it falls off the bone. The sauce consists of onion, garlic, red wine, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, brandy (optional), honey, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, salt, pepper and grated parmesan cheese. They serve it over spaghetti, but I request it over rice instead to keep it GF. You can get a full dinner portion (1/2 chicken) or a smaller senior portion. It’s so-o-o good! Two Sisters Restaurant, 522 1st St, Milan, IL (Rt. 67). They recently celebrated their second year anniversary and are gaining in popularity. The owners are from Albania and their cooking reflects this homemade quality. They have daily specials. My favorites include stuffed green peppers on Tuesday, stuffed cabbage rolls on Wednesday, broiled cod, prime rib and roast chicken on Sunday. Avoid gravy, but the homemade mashed potatoes are delicious. On Easter, they featured baked ham with pineapple rings and sweet potatoes with a delicious sweet sauce. Taco salad can be served minus the shell. Pork chop dinners and liver and onions are very good. They are open at 5:30 a.m. serving breakfast until the evening hours.

BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES (Serves 4)

(Buckwheat flour has 6g fiber per ¼ C serving)

Contributed by Tom Huff

1 C buckwheat flour (Arrowhead Mills is certified GF

and available @ Hy-Vee W. Kimberly)

1 tsp baking powder

2 T sugar

½ tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

1 C milk

2 T oil

Preheat griddle or large skillet (if electric) to 375º F.

Grease lightly with oil. Griddle is ready when small

drops of water sizzle and disappear almost

immediately. Mix dry ingredients together; add egg,

milk and oil, then beat well. Pour ¼ C batter for each

pancake onto the hot griddle. Cook 1 to 1 ½ minutes,

turning when edges look cooked and bubbles begin to

break on surface. Continue to cook 1 to 1 ½ minutes

or until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup or

apple cider syrup.

APPLE CIDER SYRUP (Makes 1 ¼ C)

Contributed by Tom Huff

1/3 C sugar

1 T cornstarch

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 C apple cider

1 T lemon juice

In large clear microwaveable bowl, mix sugar,

cornstarch and cinnamon. Stir in apple cider and

lemon juice. Cook, stirring every minute until mixture

thickens and starts to boil. Serve warm over pancakes.

(Refrigerate any left over; also great over cooked

oatmeal.)

Cakes by Kay Looking for a gluten-free cake or cupcake for a wedding, graduation or other special event? Try Cakes by Kay, who can also make your cake sugar free or vegan. Gluten-Free cakes are made first thing in the morning to avoid any cross contamination. A 10” cake costs $40. Gluten free products are only available by request by calling ahead at 563-323-1855.

Make your own GF Pizza

Tom Huff shared his tips on making your own GF pizza at the April meeting. He likes the Aldi mix, which sells for $2.99 and makes two 12” pizza crusts. He prefers this to store bought pizzas that cost $6-$9 per small pizza and $11-$12 for one 9” pie at a pizzeria. You can control fat, calories and nutrients and avoid cross contamination as well. Tom said that you don’t need a stand mixer and it is not hard to do! The dough is very wet and easy to manage and the directions are clearly marked on the package. Tom added that parchment paper works well and can be re-used for your next homemade pizza! The pizza crust is delicious and freezes well.

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN (Contributed by Greatest Grains)

INGREDIENTS ½ C GF flour 2 eggs (½ C egg substitute) 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 oz each) ¼ C Parmesan cheese, grated ¼ C GF bread crumbs 1 T butter, melted 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 T olive oil ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 375⁰F. 2. Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper. 3. Place flour and egg in separate shallow bowls. 4. Dip chicken in flour, then egg, and set in 9x12” baking dish. 5. Combine the cheese, bread crumbs and melted butter. Lightly press mixture onto chicken. 6. Loosely cover dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes covered. Uncover and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until cooked through.

Online Shopping

One way to save money is shopping online. Here is a

sample of the many online gluten free retailers.

glutenfreemall.com. Huge selection of GF items,

tend to carry newer items not yet in stores. Dry

goods ship free – frozen items incur a $10 per

cooler fee, which is 10 items per box.

amazon.com. Lots of GF items here. For $99 you

can join Amazon Prime and get free two-day

shipping. Subscribe & Save feature can be used on

items you order frequently to save 15% and you

can cancel at any time.

theglutenfreeshoppe.com. Wide variety of GF

items not seen elsewhere, from jelly donuts to

shelf-stable meals on the go. Prices similar to local

stores. $7.99 flat rate shipping for orders of $65

and more; free shipping on orders over $100.

Vitacost.com. Many GF vitamins and foods. Easy

to search for GF personal products. Free shipping

on orders above $49.

glutenfreepalace.com. Great gift ideas here such

as GF play dough called Wonder Dough and

holiday gift boxes with cookies decorated for all

the major holidays. On the expensive side.

glutenfreedelivers.com. Good variety of products

and easy to navigate. Free shipping above $99.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Streusel

Coffee Cake (Submitted by Mike Averweg)

CAKE 1 (15 oz) box gluten free yellow cake mix (I

used Betty Crocker)

0.5 (3 ½ oz) boxes instant vanilla pudding

½ C butter, softened

2/3 C water

3 eggs

STREUSEL ½ C rice flour

½ C brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 T melted butter

GLAZE ¾ C powdered sugar

1 T milk

DIRECTIONS 1. Mix together cake mix and pudding with

whisk to blend well. Add in butter, water, and

eggs and mix until well blended. Grease 9x9

pan and spread half of the cake mixture on the

bottom. Mix streusel ingredients together until

moist. Spread 2/3 cup of mixture over the top

of cake batter. Repeat layer once more. Bake

per cake box's directions. When cooled

combine glaze ingredient and drizzle over the

top.

Supercook.com is a website where you

plug in what’s in your refrigerator and/or

pantry and they give you recipe options to

make. What a great way to use what you

have and cut down on waste! You can

create an account, but you don’t have to.

There are also several other websites that

do the same thing.

Goodrx.com

If you have an ongoing prescription, especially if it’s expensive, check out goodrx.com. You simply type in the name of your prescription and it compares prices for you, both at local stores and online pharmacies. For example, Synthroid, 100 mcg costs $36.56 at Wal-Mart, $40.04 at Walgreens and $42.62 at Target for a 30-day supply.

Online Coupons If you’re looking for ways to save on your

favorite GF products, one of the best ways to

get coupons is to log onto their website!

schar.com requires you to sign up. They have

recipes, giveaways and coupons.

BobsRedMill.com has monthly coupons,

usually $1 off their products.

KingArthurFlour.com has regular sales and

discounted shipping. They sell a hamburger

bread pan and a “tall” bread pan that are ideal

for gluten free baking.

Using a Scale for GF Baking by Donna Renneke

Rather than purchase gluten free flour mixes, I mix my own

flours as I need them. This allows me to vary the mix

according to the type of product I am baking. Because a cup

of the different GF flours weigh different amounts, using a

digital kitchen scale gives more accurate results. Scales

typically cost $10-25. The scale should measure in both

ounces and grams. It is convenient if the button for switching

between ounces and grams is on the top of the scale rather

than the bottom. Often this feature is not obvious before you

purchase it. (Another option is to get two scales, set one for

ounces, the other for grams.). Measuring in grams is easier

because you work with whole numbers. By using this

method, you don’t need measuring cups – just reset the scale

between additions and add the next item directly into the

mixing bowl. It is a great way to measure sticky items such

as honey or shortening as you can skip the messy measuring

cup! Another use for the scale is to equally divide dough in

pans when baking. You set the pan on the scale, push the

recalibration button and add the dough. This produces

cupcakes/breads/muffins, etc. that are exactly the same

size. It is particularly useful in yeast breads as the batter is

rising as you divide it.

My GF mix is based upon the one Betty Hagman developed

and is similar to many other GF flour mixes. The chart

enables you to create the amount of flour called for in a single

recipe. It can be modified to substitute other flours of similar

value of whole grain or starch. You can download the chart

here -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1x4zlnz4d1yqdrc/gf%20flour%2

0chartB-W%20.pdf?dl=0

Nima Sensor Device

QC Celiac Board Member Mike Averweg was

chosen to be a beta tester for the Nima Sensor,

a portable device that tests for the presence of

gluten. You put a small piece of the food you

want to test into a one-time use capsule and in

less than two minutes, you know if your food

is safe or not. Mike took the Nima to Exotic

Thai and is happy to report his meal was

gluten free as promised. This device also

comes with an app so you can see the

restaurant or product results from other users.

6SensorLabs, which produces Nima, is now

taking pre-orders. It costs $199 for the Nima

starter kit and $247 for the Nima starter kit

with 12 one-time use capsules. The capsules

cost about $4 - $5 each. For more

information, go to www.6sensorlabs.com.

Does Sam’s Carry GF Foods?

Sam’s has a nice selection of gluten free items besides the meat (the rotisserie chicken is gluten free and delicious), fruits and vegetables you would expect. They sell quinoa, canned vegetables, canned beans and rice. Sam’s carries Food Should Taste Good and Crunchmaster Gluten-Free Crackers and occasionally carries the Krusteaz brownies. They have a new product called Good Thins Veggie Blend Crackers that sound good. These items come in a big box, but there are two or three smaller bags inside so they won’t go stale on you. They also have quinoa ($8.98 for 32 oz) and coconut flour ($16.98 for 5 lb). I buy a lot of my granola bars at Sam’s – Pure Organic, KIND, Smart Bars and Pure Protein all range around $1 a bar, which is a price that’s hard to beat anywhere else. Sam’s has gluten free Beef Franks ($19.98 for 80 ct.) and Daily Chef Beef meatballs (6# for $14.96). Sam’s also carries gluten free vitamins. If you have room in your freezer, you can find great savings at Sam’s.

Soap Nuts Have you tried soap nuts as an alternative to clothes detergent? They are the fruit of a tree that grows in India and Nepal and you buy them either de-seeded or with the seeds still inside. Soap nuts contain naturally-occurring saponins that, when mixed with water, have the power to lift stains and grime. To do your laundry, you just toss a few nuts into a little cloth bag and then throw that into your wash, which you can use a number of times before you compost the nuts. Soap nuts (econutssoap.com) – is sustainable and non-toxic and they actually remove stains without leaving an odor or residue. You can find them online, including Amazon - ½ pound for $11.99. If you compared that to the $5 - $9 bottle of detergent you use every month, you’ll have a yearly savings of well over $100.

Breakfast Frittata 365 Slow Cooker Recipes by Stephanie O’Dea

(Contributed by Betsy Romano)

1 pkg turkey breakfast sausage crumbles

8 large eggs

3 C fresh baby spinach leaves, choppped

2 C shredded extra sharp cheddar

3 T gluten free baking mix

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

Use a 4-qt slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray. In a large

mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, spinach, cheese, baking

mix, salt and pepper. Add the sausage and stir to combine.

Pour everything into the prepared insert. Cover and cook on

Low for 6 hours or High for about 3 hours. The frittata is

finished cooking when the eggs have fully set, the top has

begun to brown and it has pulled away slightly from the sides.

Celiac Gene Found in “Junk” DNA

Scientists have discovered a gene in what they

are referring to as “junk” DNA. They believe

that this gene is what influences the 40% of

pre-disposed people to actually develop celiac

disease, which is about 1% of the population.

For more information on the research, go to

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/0

4/160408102405.htm.

List of 10 Bad Foods

Dr. Joel Wallach, a naturopath and veterinarian, has

listed the best and worst foods for us. Topping the

list of worst foods came as no surprise to us! They

are wheat, barley, rye, oats, fried foods, oils, well-

done red meat, added nitrates, carbonated drinks

and potato skins (unless boiled). He recommends

eating whole, non-processed foods.

To read more about this topic, go to

http://criticalhealthnews.com/health-news/216-dr-

wallach-s-ten-bad-foods-and-good-foods.

Rhubarb Custard “Pie” From Food.com

Contributed by Donna Renneke

Ingredients:

4 eggs

½ C melted butter

½ C gluten free flour

1 ¾ C milk

1 C sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2-½ C rhubarb

Directions

1. Grease or spray 2 large pie plates or use 9 x 13

glass pan

2. Cut rhubarb in 1 inch chunks

3. Scatter rhubarb in pie plate

4. Melt butter

5. In large bowl, put the eggs, butter, flour, milk,

sugar and vanilla

6. Mix with a mixer or blender till mixed

7. Pour over rhubarb

8. When it’s baked, the crust will be on the bottom,

custard in the middle and rhubarb on top

9. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes at 350º F

Enjoy!

Homemade Cleaning Products

Making your own cleaning products saves you a lot of

money and is gentle on the environment and your health.

Below is a list of tried-and-true products, collected and

tweaked, for you to try.

o Glass Cleaner – 2 C water + ¼ C vinegar + ½ tsp

Dawn dishwashing liquid. Store in spray bottle

and mix well before using.

o Floor cleaner (safe for hardwood, linoleum, tile,

etc.) – Mix ½ C white vinegar +1 gallon hot water.

o Oven cleaner – Mix 1 T baking soda and 1 T salt

with ½ C water, wipe on, then scrub. (Baking

soda dissolves grease.)

o Shower cleaner - ½ C baking soda + ½ C Dawn.

Mix well. Put on sponge, then wipe down shower.

o Laundry detergent - Shred 1 bar Ivory soap in food

processor. Add in 1 C borax + 1 C washing soda

(found with detergents in most stores). Mix until

powdery. Per load: Dissolve 1 – 2 T in water,

then add to a load of laundry.

o To whiten clothes, use ¼ C washing soda

o For dark clothes, add ¼ C vinegar and ¼ C salt to

wash cycle

o I use vinegar (which I buy at Sam’s, $3.98 for two

1 gallon jugs – that’s 3¢ an ounce) with just a

small splash of fabric softener in my rinse cycle.

That’s all you need for soft clothes without the

static cling.