A Blogger A Day: gfe – gluten free easily
May 26, 2011 at 8:51 am Cheryl 10 comments
Name: Shirley Braden
Lives in: King George, VA
Blogs at: www.glutenfreeeasily.com
Tweets at: www.twitter.com/Shirleygfe
Like her at: www.facebook.com/gfeglutenfreeeasily
Why we’re fans: Shirley is like the mama hen of gluten-free – incredibly supportive, willing to guide, and welcoming to every member of the brood. Just check out how many comments she’s left on our Blogger A Day posts. Shirley’s blog is full of delicious recipes, sage advice and stories about the people she meets along the way. I’m also a big fan of the gfe tip sheets posted in the righthand sidebar of her blog; “The gfe Pantry,” for example, makes that 1st, 2nd or 17th trip to the grocery store that much less intimidating.
Shirley Braden
Shirley’s Story: After a lifetime of medical issues/symptoms, I was diagnosed as gluten sensitive in 2003. No celiac testing was done at that time. I took the MyCeliacID test in June 2010, which showed I have celiac genes and would be 16 times more likely to develop celiac if I continued eating gluten. I took the later test as a validation of sorts, mainly out of curiosity. My son also is gluten sensitive at a minimum. He has dermatitis herpetiformis, but the biopsy was done incorrectly.
I started my blog to help my support group members and everyone else follow my gluten free easily (gfe) approach. The diet is portrayed as so difficult, so expensive, etc. Really, one just has to take a different approach — mostly real food, some mainstream processed food, and very few gluten-free specialty items — and things fall in place to make it easy for you.
According to Shirley: The most unexpected part of going gluten-free, in addition to learning to love so many new and wonderful foods and recipes, has been the world that’s opened up for me via the support group I lead and my blog. Members, readers, and fellow bloggers are cherished and provide an amazing network to rely on.
A taste of gfe – gluten free easily:
- Dark Chocolate Walnut Bliss Bars (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free)
- Best Pumpkin Pie Ever (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
- My Trip to General Mills aka Betty Crocker Central
For more of NFCA’s Celiac Awareness Month celebration, visit www.CeliacCentral.org/awarenessmonth.
Entry filed under: Cheryl. Tags: A Blogger A Day, baking, Celiac Awareness Month, cooking, education, gluten-free, health, personal stories, recipe, recipes, social media, spreading awareness.
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Celiac Central: Bits and Bites 
1. Gluten Free Steve | May 26, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Love, love, love Shirley for what she does and brings to the gluten free community.
2. mamamegf | May 26, 2011 at 2:31 pm
She’s a great resource! Thank you, Shirley! 🙂
3. Jean Layton | May 26, 2011 at 2:36 pm
You could not have found a better blogger to highlight than Shirley. She gives so much to everyone she meets, of her time, of her happiness at having found the solution to her health woes. She is truly a guiding light to health.
4. Kay Guest | May 26, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Shirley is not only a great support to the gluten free community but she has such wonderful recipes! Let me just say…garlic cheese biscuits, poundcake, muffins, popovers, cookies…I have made all these from Shirley’s recipes and they are the BEST. Not only will she show you how to bake gluten free but also what foods are just NATURALLY gluten free. What a blessing she is to me and to so many others!
5. Ricki | May 26, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Can I reiterate what Steve said? I think we all love Shirley. When I first started blogging gluten free, she was one of the first to comment on my blog and welcome me into the GF community. She’s definitely one of the people I look up to for GF advice and info, and just as a blog pal in general. 🙂
6. Linda | May 26, 2011 at 3:31 pm
I love that description of Shirley as a mama hen. It’s perfect! Shirley has been a great advocate for and friend of the gluten free community. Since I met her in November, I’ve been happy to call her a personal friend.
7. Katie Chalmers | May 26, 2011 at 3:46 pm
I agree! Shirley is probably my favorite blogger. I’ve never met her in person but feel like I already have….She is so supportive and encouraging, leaving comments all over the GF cyber-world, brightening moods right and left. I love her food philosophy of “gluten free easily” and how she uses so many naturally GF, unprocessed, whole/real foods in her recipes. She has certainly gotten me following her healthy eating philosophy and I am thankful for the amazing person she is. She is an inspiration to so many….
8. Shirley @ gfe | May 27, 2011 at 10:10 am
Thank you all so very, very much for your comments and many thanks, too, to Alice, Cheryl, and others at the NFCA for this post and all they do! All of you are exactly who I was talking about when I made this statement above: “Members, readers, and fellow bloggers are cherished and provide an amazing network to rely on.” Key emphases on “cherished” and “amazing”!
xo to all,
Shirley
9. Kim(Cook It Allergy Free) | May 27, 2011 at 8:23 pm
I think that all of the comments here just showcase exactly how amazing Shirley is in our gluten-free community! She is an awesome mentor and friend, and I cannot tell you enough how much having her in my life means! Thank you for featuring her in your series! It is truly more than well-deserved! 😉
10. Carol, Simply...Gluten-free | May 27, 2011 at 10:28 pm
You could not have picked a better blogger to highlisght here, she really is the mother hen, and in the nicest way! We all just love Shirley!