Wilson GF Support Group Fall Meeting & Coffee Break Dates

Wilson GF Support Group MONTHLY MEETINGS all on Saturdays:

• September 17th (moved from the 10th) -- 3-5pm Winstead UMC -- SEPT. MEETING CANCELLED!
• October 15th 3-5pm Winstead UMC -- GF program especially for celiac kids!
• November 12th 3-5pm Winstead UMC --Annual Holiday Potluck at Winstead UMC 
• NO December Meeting
• January 14th 2012,  3-5pm Winstead UMC

Wilson GF Coffee Breaks all on Tuesdays from 7-8pm:

• September 13th - Wilson Target Starbucks
• September 27th - Chick Fil A
• October 11th - Wilson Target Starbucks
• October 25th - Chick Fil A
• November 8th - Wilson Target Starbucks
• November 22nd - Chick Fil A
• NO December Coffee Breaks
• January 24th 2012 - Wilson Target Starbucks

Wilson GF July Updates

• Mellow Mushroom (which serves gluten free pizza) has a restaurant scheduled opening in Fall 2011 in Greenville NC! YAY! :-)  Thanks for the tip Heather!

• Another great restaurant I enjoy in Greenville is Five Guys Burgers & Fries. The fries are made in a dedicated fryer & the burgers are gluten free (sans the bun of course).  They do have peanuts available throughout the store for everyone to enjoy, so if you have a peanut allergy this is not the place for you to go! 

• Margaret Highsmith, a Greenville resident has opened a gluten free cake bakery out of her home in Greenville and she will deliver to Wilson. Her specialty is gluten free special occasion cakes and the bakery is called Gluten Free Dream Cakes (www.glutenfreedreamcakes.com) You can contact her by email: glutenfreedreamcakes@gmail.com or phone: 252-917-2966. 

• Hibachi 101, located in Heritage Crossing in Wilson across from Harris Teeter is a quick Japanese grill and I have been able to eat there safely several times. I order the hibachi chicken or steak, I make it clear when ordering that the staff needs to clean the grill and that they do not use ANY sauces on my meat or vegetables. I order this with white rice and I haven't gotten sick. If you miss Japanese, this might be a good option to try! :-) 

Upcoming Gluten Free Coffee Breaks: 

• Tuesday July 19th, 7-8pm Wilson Target Starbucks
• Tuesday August 2nd, 7-8pm Wilson CHICK FIL A 
• Tuesday August 16th - CANCELLED
• Tuesday August 30th - 7-8pm Wilson Target Starbucks

Upcoming Gluten Free Monthly Meetings: 

• Saturday August 13th -- location & time pending -- I'm hoping to plan this at a local Wilson restaurant that can meet our gluten free dietary needs. If you have a suggestion, please let me know!
• Saturday September 27th - Winstead UMC 3-5pm

Why Gluten Free Coffee Breaks?

Every other Tuesday our Wilson Gluten Free Support Group meets up to have a Gluten Free Coffee Break. The purpose of these meetings is simple: we need to share our experiences. Being gluten free in a gluten filled society can be tough. Food is important in so many aspects of our lives... and when you are gluten free it effects every part of your life. 

Our Tuesday night coffee breaks are simply a safe place for you to share your experiences, have a safe gluten free cupcake or brownie, and just have the opportunity to talk with people who get it. Whether you're gluten free due to celiac disease, autoimmune disorders, autism spectrum disorders, or simply for health reasons, we're here to help you. 

Our next GF Coffee Break will be held on Tuesday June 21st from 7-8pm at the Wilson Chick-Fil-A on Forest Hills Rd. If you have any questions about our coffee break or about our support group, please email Carrie (gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com). 

I look forward to meeting you! :-) 

Wilson Gluten Free Support Group - Dates for June 2011

June Monthly Support Group Meeting:

• Saturday June 11th, 4-6pm at Nancy Clayton's home. Email Carrie (gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com) for directions!) 

June Gluten Free Coffee Breaks: 

• Tuesday June 21st, 7-8pm at the Wilson Chick-Fil-A

A Gluten Free Holiday Potluck - Saturday November 20th

Our November Meetup Group meeting will be a Gluten Free Holiday Potluck!! 

Now is the time to start signing up for the item you would like to bring! 

WHAT: 

Wilson Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group Holiday Potluck

WHEN: 

Saturday November 20th from 3-5pm

WHERE: 

Winstead United Methodist Church (Fellowship Hall), Wilson NC

CONTACT: 

Carrie Forbes (gingerlemongirl (at) gmail (dot) com for more information to sign up for the potluck -or- to learn more about our Wilson NC Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group

Gluten Free Flours and how to use them

photo courtesy of goodygirlred

Here are a few great resources on gluten free flours and how to use them. I think you'll find that everybody has their own opinion on what works best for them and what flours are their favorites.

We'll definitely have a program in the future on what flours to use in your gluten free baking, but for a really quick intro... here's a basic, easy mix that I love:

1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup sorghum or millet flour (either is fine)
1/3 cup arrowroot starch
+ 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

I use this basic mix for just about everything I bake. It just works well.

You need the xanthan gum in most flour mixes because it helps create the texture that you're used to with gluten-based breads, cakes, muffins, etc... It's a bit expensive... but a little goes a very long way.

I buy all of my flours (except almond flour), xanthan gum, and active dry yeast from Bob's Red Mill online. I've found they have some of the best shipping available and I trust that their flours are gluten free. (You really have to be careful with some companies!) This works for me because I usually buy in bulk once or twice a year and I'm done. However, if you're not a bulk buyer or don't want to buy online:

• Wilson: Harris Teeter carries brown rice flour, tapioca starch & cornstarch (which you can use in place of the arrowroot). Walmart may also carry some of these ingredients, but I'm not super familiar with their small selection near the spices.
• Raleigh: Harmony Farms & Whole Foods carries all of these ingredients and tons more. EarthFare also carries a wide variety of gluten free items.
• Greenville: Kroger's, Lowe's Foods, The Fresh Market, and Harris Teeter are all good sources, and I think you could get everything you need from them. There is a health food store called Oakmont Health Food... the customer service is awful and honestly I don't shop there, but they do carry Udi's bread in stock if you're not up to driving to Raleigh.
• Goldsboro: HealthHabit on Spence Avenue has a great selection of gluten free pantry items (you could probably buy all of your baking supplies there), and they also carry Rudi's gluten free bread in their freezer section. Carlie C's IGA on Wayne Memorial Drive has a LOT of gluten free items, both baking items and other things like gluten free pasta. This is the first place I found gluten free bisquick. The items are not in a separate section, you just have to look for them in every "normal" section of the grocery store.

Here are several posts that explain the differences in flours and why each is important:

Gluten Free Flours 101 (I focus on low glycemic baking):
http://gingerlemongirl.blogspot.com/2010/07/gf-baking-101-gluten-free-flours.html

Simply Sugar & Gluten Free's Series on Gluten Free Flours:
Part 1: http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com/understanding-choosing-gluten-free-flours-part-1-density/
Part 2: http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com/understanding-choosing-gluten-free-flours-part-2-mixing-flours/
Part 3: http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com/understanding-choosing-gluten-free-flours-part-3-the-flavors/
Part 4: http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com/understanding-choosing-gluten-free-flours-part-4/

Gluten Free Mommy's GF Flours Introduction (One of my favorite overviews of gf flours):
http://glutenfreemommy.com/gluten-free-grains-101-the-best-flour-blend/

I hope this info is helpful to people who are new to the diet! :-)

October 2010 - Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group Meetup

Click here to RSVP to our next Wilson Gluten Free Support Group Meeting!!

Our next Wilson Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group meeting 

THIS SATURDAY

October 16th from 3-5pm

Please note that the LOCATION for this meeting has changed to:

Winstead United Methodist Church, located at:

1407 Tarboro St SW

Wilson, NC 27893-3557

This is just a temporary change from our regular meeting place of Wilson County Public Library. If you need assistance finding the location for this meeting please email me (gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com) for help!

ALSO NOTE: THIS TUESDAY night (Oct.12) at 7:30pm is the Dr. Talks series at the Wilson Medical Center Auditorium. 

Dr. Lakshman from Carolina Gastroenterology Specialists here in Wilson will be discussing Celiac Disease and the gluten free diet. If you would like to attend, PLEASE email me and let me know ASAP! I'm going to call later today and pre-register those of us from the Wilson Gluten Free Support Group who are attending!

October 16th Meeting Agenda: 

Our guest speaker for our meeting this Saturday is Mrs. Sarah Overholt, a Registered Dietician and she will be talking about the gluten free diet and proper nutrition. If you have ANY questions that you would like me to send to Mrs. Overholt, please email me ASAP so I can get them to her!

A big thanks to Jeni Lowrance will be providing gluten free refreshments for this meeting!