Never Living Without

Archive for the ‘Tid Bits’ Category

Thank you for returning to Never Living Without. I hope my information has given you some inspiration to go out and try some new Gluten Free cooking experiments. That is how some of my best recipes were developed!

I recently purchased a can of Progresso Creamy Mushroom soup. I read the ingredient list and did not see any hints of gluten except the MSG. I called Progresso which happens to also be General Mills and I wanted to confirm that this soup is ideed GF. I was told at this time they do not publish a GF list because of constant formula changes but if the soup contains any gluten not just wheat that it would be listed. Such as, if the MSG was made from any gluten source it would list the gluten after it. I was also told the only reason they do not write gluten free on the label is because they don’t test the final product.

Some might think this would warrant them not to use this product.

I will not hesitate to eat this soup! Before the laws were changed we were all forced to read labels. In order for a company to label their food GF it must either be naturally GF (such as eggs, they would all be GF) or they must test the end product. I have a feeling many companies cannot afford to switch to testing all of it’s products so we must still rely on reading labels and calling the company. Progresso will be sending me some recipes to use and they also asked if they come out with new GF lists (or other relevant such items) if they could send me new information. Unfortunately, they can only send via snail mail but at least they are willing to send something.

The woman I spoke to also started to tell me about the Betty Crocker GF mixes that they carry. I absolutely love the convenience of buying them in a regular store. She is sending me some recipes specifically for their GF mixes.  They don’t offer any coupons that they can send in the mail but they do offer a newsletter where you can print coupons. Give it a try! If you click the link on the left side of that page it will bring you to a sample newsletter. I personally love all of the recipes and coupons!

I almost forgot. I was told that all of their soups are going to be reformulated without MSG. The process will take some time but they are starting to recreate their soups without it. That is a bonus because so many people are sensitive to MSG (myself included).

So in the end I would recommend calling General Mills for any of your GF questions!

photo credit: Special*Dark

My sister and her two year old daughter have just been diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease. I have been pushing my entire family to get tested because they all have stomach problems. My sister was told she could not be tested while she was pregnant so when one of her daughters started to show signs they both went in. She does have three other children that will also need to be tested.

She is starting to feel the overwhelming  stress that many of us feel when we were first diagnosed.

I want this transition to be as easy as possible. While researching local stores for her we remembered that when I visited two years ago we went shopping at a Harris Teeter store. Just out of curiosity I went to their website. To my delight, I found they have a system where you can enter your desired items online into a list and pick them up at your local store. I searched through their groceries and found many GF items. This was a long process but once you have the list made it couldn’t be easier. I created a username and password for her and now she has access to an entire list of GF products at a store she can go to at her convenience. I don’t have a Harris Teeter anywhere near me but this is a great resource for her living in North Carolina.