I am coining a new phrase "The click and collect affect".

I love click and collect.  It has saved me about an hour a week when we use it.  I have young kids, so those minutes saves are so valuable.  And not so I can just rush my kids off to the next activity, but so Amanda and I can have some extra time for our selves.

We certainly love the Superstore click and collect and use it about three times a month.  There service has been getting better and better.

So what is the click and collect affect?

Well... it is this...

The system has been so smart at knowing what we usually buy, we don't see new items put in front of us. Which is what makes the shopping experience so fast.

So that means we miss all the new items being put on the shelves.  Which, is not that bad of a thing, but when you are shopping for gluten free items, and you want to know what is new.  That is a huge thing.

We recently did a rare in person shopping because both of our children had sleepovers.  So we thought, why not shop together in store, without kids.

Jackpot!  We found so many new items gluten free items on their shelves. Here is just a couple!







So one thing you can try to do to avoid the click and collect affect is search gluten free in the Superstore online store.  It will turn up most items.  Or you can go into the store too!  Because often, they do not make everything available for click and collect. 

Canada's most recent Food Guide was released at the end of January 2019.

The guide has a focus on balance.  A balance of not only with what you eat, but the balance between eating nutritious food and activity.   It looks like portion control is less of a focus, rather than the balance of what you are eating between fruits & vegetables, protein foods, and whole grains.

Health Canada now divides your plate of food as 50% fruits & vegetables, 25% protein foods (not limited to just meat), and 25% whole grains (not limited to just wheat).  The guide talks about preparing foods on your own more and buying less processed foods. 

Eating less processed foods might already be a common practice by many of you.  As common practice you may have already been making more foods from scratch and not eating out as much as a necessity!  So in some sense, some people living with Celiac Disease might be ahead of the curve with eating less processed foods.

With that being said, the guide does not have that much information if you are on any special diets, such as the gluten free diet.  The Canadian Celiac Association consulted dietitians to see what this balanced diet means to people with Celiac Disease and require a gluten free diet.

Check out the full article!

I asked the Gluten Free Edmonton Facebook Support Group about some of their favourite downtown lunch spots to eat gluten free at.

It did not take long to compile a decent list of everyone's favourite gluten free lunch spots downtown in Edmonton!

In no particular order!

• Louisiana Purchase
• Allegro Italian Kitchen
• Chopped Leaf
• Freshii
• Oodle Noodle - Menu items listed with a G can be made gluten free
• Nook Cafe - It was recommended to have their gf grilled cheese
• Tres Carneles
• Kelly's Pub - It was recommended to have their gluten free hamburger!
• Remedy Cafe - Amazing gluten free butter chicken wraps
• DeDutch - Check out their gluten free menu online!
• CRAFT Beer Market

This is an amazing gluten free Sloppy Joe recipe you can make from scratch that we adapted from a a freezer to table recipe we found.

The recipe is delicious and an absolute hit with the kids.  Goes great with Udi's buns from Ben's Meats or dinner rolls from the Kinnikinnick Fresh store!

Ingredients

3 tsp olive oil
1 lbs beef
2 tsp of steak seasoning (check ingredients - we use Club House.  The package we have does not contain gluten ingredients)
2 tbsp maple syrup (you'll need 2x 1tbsp)
1/2 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tbsp apple or white vinegar (we use apple)
1 tbsp Worcestershire (We use French's.  It does not contain gluten ingredients)
Approx 16 oz of Tomato Sauce (depends on how sloppy you want it!)
2 tbsp tomato paste


Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil with ground beef.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Add steak seasoning and 1 tbsp of maple syrup.  Cook until beef is no longer pink.  Remove from pan and strain fat

2. Wipe skillet clean and heat 2 tbsp of olive oil.  Add carrots, onion, garlic, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook until tender.


 3. Add cooked meat, tomato sauce, and tomato paste plus the left over tbsp of maple syrup.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes depending on how sloppy you want your sauce!


Serve on your favourite toasted gluten free bun!  Open faced or sloppy sandwich.

Let's start 2019 off right!

If you haven't heard yet, there is a new gluten free diner in Edmonton! Nan's Gluten Free Diner is located in Edmonton's North end.

Yup that is right, a fully dedicated diner to gluten free dining!  From the reviews I hear from others, most people don't even know it is a gluten free diner!

The owner Evelyn emailed me over the winter break with some photos of some of their dishes.







Some of the customer favorites are the hot beef, the hot cakes, artichoke dip, the pies, and always the bread!   Evelyn is selling her bread by the loaf, as long as they have extras.  Psst, you can probably just call ahead and order some!