Crunchy. Really? Is that what they call people who do things like bake their own bread, grow their own veggies, and use cloth diapers on their baby’s behinds? If that’s the case, the generations before us must have been one crunchy bunch, because that is just the way life was then, out of necessity. They didn’t run to the store for everything, they had to grow what you could and barter for the rest. They preserved your bounty. They sewed clothing, altering and mending as necessary. They knew their neighbors. They knew where their food came from. And most importantly, they knew what was in their food. After all, theyd just spent months growing it, harvesting it, and then preparing it. Today, knowing where your food comes from is more difficult. It is possible though. Growing your own garden is a huge step in that direction. Shopping local farmer’s markets is another. But preparing your own food at home is the easiest way to connect with your food. This is the concept behind Food Revolution Day.

Food Revolution Day was started by Jamie Oliver, who is a ‘back-to-basics’ chef from the UK. Jamie believes that good food can be simple – his recipes are basic, using fresh, in-season ingredients that are packed with flavour. Cooking food from scratch will benefit your family. Even if you don’t have the time to cook from scratch every night, doing it when you can will not only provide your family with a healthier meal, it will also teach your kids where food comes from. Eating gluten-free, we have a benefit in this area, I think. Due to high prices and low availability of processed foods, we already do a lot of cooking and baking from scratch. Because of that, our families eat healthier, home-cooked meals. Our kids know what raw ingredients look like, and hopefully where they come from.

Instead of buying pre-made granola, where the sugar & fat levels are unknown, I have decided to make my own Homemade Gluten Free Granola. Not only because it is healthier and delicious, but because I can also customize it to suit my tastes. This recipe is based on one that was given to me by my friend Jackie, who, together with her husband Jim, runs Fern Glen Inn,  a beautiful bed & breakfast in Ontario’s naturally beautiful Almaguin Highlands. Beyond having beautiful accommodations in a picture perfect setting, Jackie serves the most amazing breakfasts. Along with fresh fruit, home baked goods, and a hot entrée, Jackie often has homemade granola on hand for the guests to indulge in. Served with cold or warm milk, or sprinkled on top of some tangy yogurt, I know her guests have enjoyed the granola she has prepared for them. As a side note – if you are ever in Jackie’s neck of the woods, she also caters to those with special dietary needs, so a gluten-free breakfast is not an issue for her. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe with me, Jackie. I’ve altered it a bit to suit our tastes, and to make it gluten-free, of course.

Homemade Granola can be eaten as is, served with cold, or warm, milk, sprinkled on top of yogurt, or baked into muffins. What is your favorite way to eat granola?

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“Sufferer” – I wouldn’t really say I’m suffering, would you?

May is Celiac Awareness Month and to help put emphasis on this, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Alison Gillmor of The Winnipeg Free Press, which is on new stands today (May 15, 2013). We talked about being diagnosed, what it was like to transition to a gluten-free life, and of course, food. I love the title she chose for the article, “Diagnosis: Delicious”, now only is it catchy, it’s true. When diagnosed with celiac disease, and autoimmune disease, eating gluten-free is our prescription, our way of treating celiac disease. And it can be a gratifying one too – it’s not all about dry, flavourless (and expensive) food. I’ve managed to live a pretty tasty life the last five years, and you can too!

If you have a chance, take a few minutes to read the article, I really appreciate how she put it together. You can find the article online, or in Section C of The Winnipeg Free Press. If you are new on this journey, you may appreciate the book referenced in the article, The Everything Guide to Living Gluten-free. The first 10 chapters of the book are directed at helping you transition to living gluten-free, how to remove all the gluten from your diet (and kitchen), and how to move forward from there. It contains all the things I learned through trial and error on my journey to living gluten-free. The second half of the book contains over 120 easy-to-follow recipes that will help you to begin that gratifying journey.

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There I was, in a room full of people I didn’t know, save for my benefactors – the two gals from the Manitoba Canola Growers – with whom I had been traveling. I was sure no one knew me as I sat picking out a few familiar faces from the people seated at other tables. They were only familiar because of social media. Either I’d seen their profile pictures on-line, I had read their work, or I may have even had a Twitter conversation with them. But, that was the extent of it. I looked a few tables over and saw Heather Travis, the friendly voice behind Canadian Beef. I knew her, but would she know who I was? The internet is a huge place, and it’s easy to be overlooked.

Later, when I approached Heather to introduce myself I expected a polite handshake and some awkward small-talk, followed by an uncomfortable silence at which time I would quietly excuse myself and return to my own table.

Since she was seated at a table with other sponsors and some of the conference speakers, I was a bit intimidated as I approached her.

“Excuse me, Heather?” I said, tapping on her shoulder.

She turned to face me. “Yes?”

“Hi, I’m Jeanine Friesen, of The Baking Beauties” I said, offering my hand.

“Jeanine!” she said, jumping up and giving me a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

And that’s when I knew that everything was going to be alright that weekend.

For those of you that have been following me for a while, you may remember me mentioning a “My Cookies are the Best” contest, hosted by Manitoba Canola Growers. The contest was open to all members of Food Bloggers of Canada (FBC). The challenge was to create a cookie recipe that uses canola oil. There were going to be two winners, one from Manitoba, and one from elsewhere in Canada. The prize? An all expense paid trip to Hockley Valley to the first ever Food Bloggers of Canada Conference.

I really wanted to attend this convention. When you’re a single-income family, with two kids, blogging conventions just aren’t a part of the budget. But after winning a trip to Toronto last year through Redpath Sugar, I knew the possibility of winning existed, slight as it might seem. So I entered four recipes to increase my chances.

Crisp Gluten-Free Gingersnap Cookies

Gluten-free Turtle Cookies

Gluten-free Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Chewy Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

The contest closed November 28, 2012 and I had put it in the back of my mind until the morning of December 3rd, 2012 when, without a cup of coffee to yet touch my lips, I read the following email:

Hi Jeanine and CONGRATULATIONS!! You won a trip to FBC2013 with your Gluten-free sugar cookie recipe!

I had to read it two or three times before it finally sank in – I wasn’t dreaming – I was actually going to have an opportunity to attend the FBC 2013 Conference.

I’ve never been to a conference before and I wasn’t sure what to expect. So I read about the line up of speakers, scoped out who all the sponsors were, and checked out my fellow winner’s blog, Maya’s Kitchen. As the two Canola Grower winners, Maya & I were going to be sharing a room at the conference. After determining that there would be plenty to learn, that the swag would be sweet, and that my roommate was indeed not a psycho (don’t judge, you’d do the same thing), I was set.

Be authentic. Voice your personality. Share your story. – David Leite

FBC2013 was the first held by the Food Bloggers of Canada. Similar conventions have been an annual event in the US for the past number years and by what I’ve heard, they are much bigger events. Not that bigger is necessarily better though. One of the great things about this conference was its small size. There were only about 100 people attending, which made it a very comfortable, intimate setting.

The speakers were all down-to-earth and approachable. They didn’t just stick around for their 45 minute session and then leave. They spent the entire weekend eating, chatting, laughing and learning along with us attendees. They were available all weekend. Now, I haven’t been to a conference before, but I don’t think that is the “norm” for conferences. At times I was literally surrounded by the conference speakers. During David Leite’s session, David was five feet in front of  me, Dianne Jacob five feet to the right, and Dana McCauley five feet behind me. I was in the center of all this knowledge and food journalism experience. Amazing.

There were so many great topics covered – photography, bookkeeping, working with brands, making money with blogging – and in such an interesting way, that it’s difficult to say which was the most informative. Sessions were directed at the writing aspect of food blogging, as well as the technical aspects of running a website business. One of my favourite sessions was Recipe Development with Mairlyn Smith, Stephanie Eddy, and Adell Shneer. Mairlyn Smith, with her wit & humour, brought a lot of energy to the Sunday morning session – something we all needed after a few late nights.

It’s just so neat to see how others create their recipes. How they tweak, test, and re-test until they are satisfied. I really appreciated each panel members openness when sharing their process with us. It was great to see how similar my own method is to these professionals. However, they’ve given me a few new ideas that I know will help me with the recipes that I develop in the future.

The food was fabulous. Hockley Valley did a magnificent job catering the event and, for me, there were also plenty of gluten-free items available. They even had gluten-free muffins available during the coffee breaks.

Many of the sponsors provided us with succulent dishes and plenty of Ontario wine to go with it. I don’t usually drink wine, but figured, where else am I going to have the opportunity to taste such a variety of wines at once? So, I started to accept ‘just a sip’ when the wait-staff came around. Apparently I have been drinking very  harsh wines until now, because many of the ones I tasted were actually pretty good.

Most of what I learned was behind-the-scene-knowledge about blogging. But I hope that some things will make their way to the front page. I also hope that, even though I was gifted this great opportunity, it will be you, my readers, who benefit the most from what I’ve learned.

L-R: Our driver, Jenn, Me, Ellen, and Maya

I am extremely thankful for the opportunity provided by the Manitoba Canola Growers. Not only for the Food Bloggers of Canada convention, but the extras they have done to promote me and my blog. Since winning the “My Cookies are the Best” contest, I have had the opportunity to be on CTV Morning Live, got to share my story with the Be Well readers, was interviewed by the Manitoba Co-operator, and most recently received a letter of congratulations from my local Member of Parliament.

The Manitoba Canola Growers have given me some fantastic opportunities to talk to people about a living gluten-free life and to help them realize that it can be a very delicious life. Thank you Ellen and Jenn for making FBC2013 a fabulous weekend.

I tip my hat to Mardi, Melissa, and Ethan, the founders of Food Bloggers of Canada, at doing such a fabulous job organizing this inaugural event for Canadian food bloggers. Thank you!

Disclosure: My travel, conference fees, and other expenses were all paid for by Manitoba Canola Growers. The opinions expressed are completely my own.

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I think that’s a nice little boost during Celiac Awareness Month. Now if only we could get a law passed that would require all chefs and wait-staff to be educated on the seriousness of what “gluten-free” means to those of us that require a gluten-free diet, possibly by making it a larger part of the Food Handlers Certificate courses that are taught by the government. Unfortunately, “Minister of Public Safety” doesn’t cover what the public eats.

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Photo Courtesy http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbjtm1KeoQ1rnd7b3o1_1280.jpg

Today is May 1st, and the month of May is designated as “Celiac Awareness Month“. To kick off the month, I thought I would share with you a nice little infographic courtesy of Gluten Dude. There are over 300 symptoms related to celiac disease, and a person can experience  one or many of the symptoms, making it extremely difficult for a doctor to make the diagnosis. For myself, I was extremely anemic, and had been struggling with that for at least 15 years before being diagnosed. I had horrible joint pain, I thought I had arthritis by the time I was 30. Although everyone thinks that celiac disease just means ‘digestive issues’, it’s really much, much more than that.

Celiac Disease Symptoms – Courtesy of Gluten Dude

How many of the above mentioned symptoms did you experience before going gluten-free?

Me? 15 that I can think of off the top of my head. Thank goodness for a celiac  disease diagnosis!

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