Gluten Free Holiday Tip #1

Be careful when purchasing turkeys.. 
Not all turkeys are gluten free!! (Many turkeys are soaked in a solution that has gluten in it)

1.  Purchase only FRESH TURKEYS from one of these companies!

1. Foster Farms FRESH Turkey  http://www.fosterfarms.com/faq/quality.asp
2. Butterball FRESH Turkey http://www.butterball.com/search/d9cb55ee2db277fd04ddd41a13781536/
3. Honeysuckle White FRESH Whole Turkey http://www.honeysucklewhite.com/FaqNutrition.aspx#nutrition1
4. Norbest http://www.norbest.com/consumer-corner/how-to-tips/other-faqs/
5. Shelton's http://www.sheltons.com/cgi-bin/sheltons/gluten_free.html?id=KLiyV5Rs

 

2. Not all hams are gluten free! Below is a list of companies that have gluten free hams and why you need to be careful when buying a ham. Always check the ingredient list to make sure nothing has changed. This is very important for any ham that says it is preglazed.  Also, avoid the glazed packets that come with the ham. It is full of gluten.

A quote from About.com.

"Ham is a holiday tradition in many homes. Hams, like turkey may be injected with a solution during processing that contains gluten. According to the following manufacturers, listed products are gluten-free. Always read labels carefully because not all products by these manufacturers are gluten-free."

• Hormel Canned Hams
  

  • Black Label® Canned Hams, Cure 81® Ham: Bone-in, Boneless, Old Fashioned Spiral Ham
• Safeway Butcher Cut Spiral Sliced Ham (glaze packet is not gluten free)
• Safeway Butcher Cut Cooked Ham (95% Fat Free)
•  Honeybaked Hams
• Costco - Kirkland Spiral Glazed Ham

 The hams should say gluten free on the packaging. 

3. Below is a list of companies that have gluten free products to help you with your holiday shopping. (This is by no way a complete list. But I had to start somewhere)

1. Wilderness pie fillings
2. CoolWhip whipped topping
3. McCormick single spices including liquid flavorings like vanilla & almond
4. Libby's pumpkin pie filling
5. Carnation evaporated milk
6. Jello brand pudding- Single flavors like chocolate, vanilla. Avoid ones like Oreo cookies n' cream
7. Oceanspray jellied &  berry cranberry sauce

Honey/Cinnamon Cure For Colds

Be careful when purchasing gluten free candy!

 

The below information I got from the Be Free For Me Blog. Shelly Case always has some great advise. The link is below if you would like to read more.
http://www.befreeforme.com/blog/?p=7624

Question: Do you have any suggestions on celebrating a safe gluten-free Halloween? How about a gluten-free candy list?
Answer: It’s that time of year again – Time for witches, ghosts, goblins and other scary stuff. And for those that are on a gluten-free diet, many favorite Halloween candies can be added to the list of frightening thing. That is why it is so important that due-diligence and extra caution is given when it comes to deciphering what Halloween candy is a “treat” vs. a “trick”.
Following are a few tips and pointers to make you and your family’s Halloween a goblin’ good time!
-    Hidden Gluten Is Scary! When people think of foods that could possibly contain gluten, candy is normally not on the list. That is why so many people are surprised to learn that many candies, such as licorice and caramels, can be packed with wheat. My rule of thumb? Never assume that candy doesn’t contain gluten. Treat all candy like “normal food” and read every single label before eating!
-    Fun-Sized Candies May Not Be Fun! Many food manufacturers use different formulations for different sizes of the same candy. So that jumbo sized candy bar you eat during the year may contain gluten in the fun-sized portion. Again, read every single label before eating!
-    Watch Out Smartie-(Pants)! Depending on what country you live in different candies can be called the same thing. One may contain gluten and the other may not. An example of this is Smarties. In the USA, Smarties are tiny, tart pastel colored candies that are free of gluten, while Smarties in Canada are small candy coated chocolates – that contain gluten. This is why it is so important that when you review a gluten-free candy list you are sure that the list is specific to the country where you live. I love the gluten-free Halloween Candy List that is published, each year, by MyGlutenFacts.com. They have two lists – one candy list for Canada and the other candy list for the USA.
-    Don’t Eat Candy With No Label: Many people like to put candy corn and other small Halloween candies in little, cute bags for party favors or to hand out to Trick or Treaters. This means that there is no ingredient label on the candy. If this happens follow this mantra: No label = Not Able.

Gluten Free Holiday Tips and Recipes

   1. Not all turkeys are gluten free 

• Many turkeys are soaked  in a solution that has gluten in it or possibly injected with a solution that contains gluten.

 Purchase only FRESH TURKEYS!

• 
  
  1. Foster Farms FRESH Turkey
  2. Butterball FRESH Turkey
  3. Honeysuckle White FRESH Whole Turkey 
  4. Norbest
  5. Shelton
  6. Perdue
   
  
   2.  Not all hams are gluten free
   Below is a list of companies that have gluten free hams and why you need to be careful when buying a ham. Always check the ingredient list to make sure nothing has changed. This is very important for any ham that says it is preglazed.
  

  
  The quote below if from About.com. 

  "Ham is a holiday tradition in many homes. Hams, like turkey may be injected with a solution during processing that contains gluten. According to the following manufacturers, listed products are gluten-free. Always read labels carefully because not all products by these manufacturers are gluten-free."
  
  

  • Hormel Canned Hams (Hormel has a gluten free list on their website - http://www.hormelfoods.com/brands/glutenfree/default.aspx)
    Black Label® Canned Hams, Cure 81® Ham: Bone-in, Boneless, Old Fashioned Spiral Ham
  • Safeway Butcher Cut Spiral Sliced Ham (glaze packet is not gluten free)
  • Safeway Butcher Cut Cooked Ham (95% Fat Free)
  •   Honeybaked Hams 
  • Farmland http://www.farmlandfoodservice.com/food/gluten-free-products/
  •  Farmer John - Made by Hormel
  • Mary's Free Range - http://www.marysturkeys.com/  
  • Kirkland Signature Spiral Ham 
  • Beeler's Spiral Slice Ham - Nitrate Free also- Can be purchased at Roth's IGA
  
  
  Below is a list of companies that have gluten free products to help you with your holiday shopping. (This is by no way a complete list. But I had to start somewhere) If you have a product you are questioning- go to links page and click on glutenfreeinsd.com. Then to manufacturers. If you still cannot find the answers you need please contact me.
  1. Wilderness pie fillings
  2. Cool Whip whipped topping
  3. McCormick single spices including liquid flavorings like vanilla & almond
  4. Libby's pumpkin pie filling
  5. Carnation evaporated milk
  6. Jello brand pudding
  7. Oceanspray jellied cranberry sauce
  8. Oceanspray berry cranberry sauce
  
  
  Below are recipes that I make for the holidays.

Wonderful Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

  

 http://glutenfreetraining.blogspot.com/2010/04/wonderful-gluten-free-sandwich-bread.html

Snickers Pie

 

http://glutenfreetraining.blogspot.com/2010/04/gluten-free-snickers-pie.html