Posts filed under ‘Whitney’
My Budding Interest In Celiac Disease & The Prison System
Here at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), I am frequently the recipient of letters and information requests from individuals in prison. Many of these individuals have been diagnosed with the disease while serving time, and have almost zero access to resources on celiac disease and the gluten-free diet.
This week, I received a desperate plea from a man incarcerated in California. Diagnosed just weeks ago, he expressed a need for materials that would help both him, along with the prison medical and foodservice staff, become better educated on the condition and diet. As our organization’s mission is to empower and educate ALL individuals about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet by providing free, comprehensive resources for patients – I was more than happy to send a him an information packet.
One of the many letters from prisoners with celiac.
I frequently take great care when putting together these packets for inmates. While I don’t excuse whatever circumstances led them prison (and believe me, I’ve Googled them), I am sympathetic to what I consider to be an incredibly vulnerable population. It’s challenging enough to receive a diagnosis and manage a gluten-free diet in our society, I cannot imagine being able to accomplish this in an environment where you truly have ZERO control over your health and diet. I am touched and saddened by each personal story I read, and even more touched by the DOZENS of thank you notes I’ve received from prisoners after NFCA’s resources arrive at their cells.
In light of my interest and budding passion for this specific celiac population, I am inspired to further investigate what life is like for prison patients. I look forward to sharing my findings with you in an upcoming newsletter article. I hope you’ll also look forward to reading what I think will be an incredibly enlightening and interesting piece, so stay tuned!
– Whitney
Home Cookin’ For The Holidays
I don’t cook a lot, but when I do, I normally try to make stuff that takes minimal time, effort, ingredients and dishes. My other prerequisite for cooking is that whatever I make, it has to taste great as leftovers. I’m always making enough food to eat for multiple meals throughout the week.
Even with ALL those constraints, there are still plenty of delicious options!
With the holiday season upon us, I’m really into making warm, hearty, comfort foods. Last night I made these really yummy, naturally gluten-free, roasted potatoes with onion and rosemary. They would make a wonderful side dish for your big family turkey day dinner, but can also easily be made as breakfast or brunch option too!
Rosemary is actually one of the wonderful seasonal scents highlighted in our Fall Flavors Cooking and Entertaining Guide from NFCA and Thai Kitchen. This recipe will certainly make your entire kitchen smell just fantastic.
Whitney’s Rosemary Roasted Potatoes with Onion
Ingredients:
- Red potatoes
- Onion *any kind will do, but I really love the sweet varieties, particularly vidalia
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Rosemary Leaves, fresh or dried
- Garlic Salt
- Black Pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Wash and chop potatoes and onion, place into large mixing bowl
- Drizzle olive oil over potato and onion mix and gradually add rosemary, garlic salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything until evenly coated.
- Spread potato mixture onto a baking tray, cook until tender. Usually takes about 45mins or so depending on the amount you’re cooking.
- Stir/flip them occasionally to allow potatoes to cook more evenly and prevent them from sticking to the tray.
A shot of the batch I made last night, just before they went into the oven!
If I’m making these potatoes for breakfast or brunch, I usually like to cook them a little longer so they’re slightly burnt/crispy. But if you decide to make this as a dinner side dish, you can certainly add different vegetables like celery or carrots into the mix.
So from my tiny apartment kitchen to yours, have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. I can’t wait to read about all the fantastic gluten-free feasts everyone is undoubtedly already busy preparing!
– Whitney
Adventures In Gluten-Free Cooking
Whitney Conquers The Kitchen Thanks To Zatarain’s Gluten-Free Rice Mixes
When I volunteered to create my very own original gluten-free recipe using one of Zatarain’s fabulous gluten-free rice mixes, there were a few raised eyebrows among the NFCA staff.
For one thing, I don’t eat gluten-free – at least not at home (the office is a different story). Secondly, I am not a cook. A great eater? For sure. But completely inept when it comes to anything related to the kitchen!
While I only recently learned that many of their products were gluten-free, I have been using Zatarain’s products for years. So with experience in my back pocket, I confidently accepted the challenge!
Ingredients gathered. I'm ready to cook!
What I’ve always loved about Zatarain’s is that their products are incredibly versatile, and fit seamlessly into a variety of cuisines and dishes. For my foree into gluten-free cooking, I chose to stick to a New Orleans theme because I love spicy food – specifically Cajun chicken.
What’s also great about Zatarain’s is that you can get creative with their products. For instance, I chose Zatarain’s Gluten-Free Dirty Rice Mix, which calls for beef in the preparation instructions. But instead of beef, I added black beans – it worked like a charm and was just as delicious!
Whitney’s Cajun Chicken Tenders with Zatarain’s Dirty Rice
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenders (12 tenders in a pack)
- 1 box Zatarain’s Gluten-Free Dirty Rice Mix
- Black Beans (1 can, strained)
- Onion (2, chopped)
- Green Pepper (2, chopped)
- Gluten-free Cajun or Creole Seasoning Mix
- Olive Oil
Directions:
To make chicken:
1. Empty Gluten-Free Cajun/Creole Seasoning Mix onto a small plate.
2. Brush tenders (both sides) lightly with olive oil, then coat in seasoning mix and place onto non stick or sprayed sauté pan.
3. Cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked all the way through and seasoning appears charred or blackened.
4. Place a paper towel onto a separate ‘finished’ place. Once tenders are cooked, place them onto the ‘finished’ plate and set aside.
Gluten-free Cajun chicken
To make rice:
1. Follow Zatarain’s Gluten-Free Dirty Rice Mix instructions for preparation, located on the back of the box. However, neglect instructions that call for ground meat – prepare without.
2. When rice is completely reduced and prepared, add beans.
Black beans - an inexpensive way to jazz up gluten-free Dirty Rice.
Bringing it all together:
1. After chicken tenders are removed/set aside, add olive oil to the pan and sauté peppers and onions until tender (you can also use a separate, clean pan for this step).
2. Plate rice, chicken and veggies and voila – a healthy, spicy, New Orleans inspired dinner in under 45 minutes!
The money shot!
-Whitney
*Ready to try your hand at a New Orleans-style meal? Enter NFCA’s “Jazz Up Your Day Gluten-Free Giveaway” by answering the daily question on NFCA’s Facebook page. Each day, a winner will be selected to receive a prize pack of Zatarain’s gluten-free rice mixes. Runs through Friday, July 15.
Taste of Asheville: Part 1
When NFCA first hired me back in 2008, my work revolved around the su
pport and development of 3 major activities:
Now, for someone who had zero experience in the restaurant and foodservice industry, being responsible for the administration and national launch of this major NFCA program was an overwhelming prospect.
Fortunately, as a key member of the GREAT Kitchens team, I had the opportunity to represent NFCA at so many key industry conferences, presentations and events. Listening and networking with chefs, restaurateurs, and foodservice professionals across the country helped me overcome my steep learning curve and gain valuable insight into the industry. I learned so much in those first 2 years that eventually I became an instructor, and was able to conduct GREAT training presentations all on my own, something I found to be surprisingly fun and gratifying!
These days, while my work with GREAT mainly centers around PR, communications, and industry conference/presentation preparation – every now and then I get the opportunity to ‘pinch hit’ for Beckee as a guest instructor on the educational side.
Asheville, NC- Picturesque, isn't it?
So, it was a delightful surprise when, earlier this month, Beckee asked me to fill in for her in Asheville, NC, where the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association (AIR) had recruited 25 members to undergo GREAT Training!
While I had never been before, I was already aware of Asheville’s incredible reputation, particularly as a vacation destination. And boy, the city did not disappoint!
From the breathtaking scenery, fantastic food (which I’ll cover in a later post) and friendly people – I can’t say enough about my WONDERFUL visit. I can’t WAIT to go back. My only regret was not being able to stay for the Asheville gluten-free fair hosted by Ingles and their passionate dietitian, Leah McGrath.
Asheville, NC definitely has my vote for next year’s top Celiac Aware Cities, that’s for sure!
I don’t need to go into too much detail about how necessary proper training is within the foodservice industry, and the importance of GREAT Kitchens in educating and raising awareness. Most of you already know!
My Hotel: The Grove Park Inn
I was particularly moved by Savvy Celiac’s recent feature on GREAT, and touched by author Amy Leger’s encouraging words about the program and its mission. Click here to read her review of GREAT and why restaurant education is so critical for our community.
With that said, AIR and its members are committed to providing celiacs with safe and delicious cuisine and making Asheville a gluten-free destination for celiacs across the country. And now, with 25 GREAT Trained kitchens, I encourage EVERYONE to visit Asheville and support this wonderful, caring and unbelievably TASTY group of establishments.
To check out the FULL List of GREAT Trained Restaurants I trained in Asheville, NC – Visit Did You Hear? on CeliacCentral.org.
You can also go to AshevilleNow.com to learn more about my new favorite city.
Stay tuned for my next post on the fabulous gluten-free cuisine I experienced on my trip!
Whitney & Kristin’s Week Long ‘Opening Day’ Celebration
Phandemonium at the Phillies Game
While my baseball fandom (particularly when it comes to the Philadelphia Phillies) has already been well chronicled on the staff blog, last week marked the beginning of what is sure to be four months of rabid insanity and delusion…MLB Opening Day!
Kristin and I chose to celebrate the entire week in style by attending not one, but two Phillies games – a Tuesday, March 29th pre-season game verses the Pittsburgh Pirates, and on Saturday, April 1st, to watch the Fightin’ Phils face off against the Houston Astros.
For Phillies fans, the 2011 World Series campaign is already off to a great start, our home team swept the Astros and will start the season at 3-0 for the first time since 1970.
Needless to say, we’ve got some rather ‘High Hopes’ for our team at the moment.
Opening Day Phillies Fever
On a related note, it seems that more and more MLB teams are welcoming gluten-free baseball fans this season by ramping up their stadium food options. Here’s just a smattering of teams that have already made headlines this year:
- http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/03/prweb5199874.htm
- http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/dining/restaurants/article_6974dc2d-fecb-536b-94bc-29004671dce3.html
Florida (Tampa Bay Rays)
- http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/455301/mark-basch/2011-03-28/tropicana-field-offering-gluten-free-food
- http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/rays/tampa-bay-rays-roll-out-new-food-offerings-and-one-is-a-home-run/1160663
Chicago (Cubs)
- http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/gladly-gluten-free/2011/04/cubs-hit-a-home-run-with-gluten-free-concessions.html
- http://www.examiner.com/family-health-in-chicago/friendly-confines-partners-with-local-business-to-provide-allergy-friendly-foods
San Francisco (Giants)
And of course, the entire NFCA office is looking forward to hosting TWO Celiac Disease Awareness Nights with MLB Teams this season – Friday, May 27th with the New York Mets, and Friday, July 8th with the Philadelphia Phillies.
- Mets: http://www.meetup.com/Celiac/events/17175537/
- Phillies: http://www.celiaccentral.org/Events/Upcoming-Events/78/
So much gluten-free fun to come this summer!
-Whitney
A Gluten-free Birthday Celebration at NFCA Headquarters
Birthday Girl Opening Gifts - does she look excited or what?
Today the NFCA office gathered together for one of our special birthday lunches. The guest of honor? Our very own Healthcare Communications Manager Kristin Voorhees!
I so love these rare occasions when we all sit down together for a half hour or so to eat, open presents, and enjoy each other’s company. Today’s lunch celebrating Kristin’s 26th was particularly special for me, because we have become such close friends both inside and out of the NFCA office.
Over today’s lunch of sushi and avocado salad, Kristin opened some fantastic birthday gifts from the gang, including a drop dead gorgeous cookbook from Beckee, cleverly named “Food Porn Daily”.
(Having recently released our Sex and the Celiac video, the group got a chuckle out of the funny…and timely…title!)
Beckee's Fantastic, Funny, Thoughtful Gift.
Celebrating a birthday with a celiac can sometimes be a challenge, especially when it comes to the cake! I took on the role of finding one of Kristin’s all time favorites, and sadly, something she hasn’t had since being diagnosed with celiac disease: gluten-free carrot cake.
Gluten-free carrot cake, the birthday girl's favorite.
Fortunately for me, the wonderful folks at Sweet Freedom Bakery were able to make Kristin’s birthday wish come true, and we all enjoyed a decadent 2 layers of carrot, coconut, frosted, gluten-free goodness.
Special thanks go out to Heather Esposito and the Sweet Freedom Bakery team for making my friend’s birthday celebration a gluten-free success.
If only I could have them come to my kitchen to help with the dinner party I’m throwing for Kristin on Friday night – I am very nervous about cooking my first gluten-free lasagna!
a gluten-free celebration courtesy of Sweet Freedom Bakery
A Merry CliffMas in Philadelphia
While our work as a national organization is spent communicating with the general public, healthcare professionals and food industry experts across all 50 states, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) has always had a special focus on the Philadelphia region given our headquarters location.
Anyone who is remotely familiar with major league sports knows that Philadelphia fans are special. We’re passionate, dedicated and fiercely loyal. (In fact, Whitney openly admits that one of her top daily Google searches is Cliff Lee, despite the trade to the Seattle Mariners in 2009. And Kristin? Her computer’s background is frequently home to a certain Phillies second base player).
Whitney's Desk on Cliffmas Day!
So you can imagine our feelings when late Monday night the news broke that the Philadelphia Phillies made an offer to pitcher Cliff Lee. Our anxiety and excitement over the potential of Cliff Lee returning to Philadelphia was at an all time high. Rather than hitting the sack in preparation for a hard day’s work, we continued to email, text and phone one another into the wee hours of the morning. The possibility of the All-Star lefty returning to our hometown was just too much to bear. At the time, we compared it to waiting up for Santa in anticipation of our Christmas gifts.
Little did we know that in fact this night would become Christmas Eve for the Philadelphia region. Just after midnight it was announced that the Phillies had signed Lee for a five year deal. And for those fans that managed to get to bed on time, missing out on any Cliff Lee news, Christmas truly arrived 11 days early.
Now we REALLY can’t wait till July 8th – when NFCA hosts Celiac Awareness Night with the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Hopefully we will get to see Cliff Lee in action, mark your calendars and get ready to join us!
Merry Cliffmas.
-Whitney & Kristin
Touchdown Sunday
Every Sunday (and Monday and Thursday nights for that matter) you’ll most likely find me permanently attached to my couch watching football. I am borderline psychotic about the NFL: watching it, reading about it, playing fantasy football online – the whole shebang!
My love of football is so insane that, as a single young female, I often fascinate and frighten most eligible young men I meet. I think it’s probably my tendency to scream loudly at the television……
Ravens vs. Steelers Live - Sure Beats The Couch!
My appetite for the sport comes from my mom and dad who, despite having three daughters, still felt the need to impart their own intense passion for the game onto me – I’m like the son they never had!
I’ve even had an opportunity to actually WORK in the industry, spending time on the sidelines of many incredible games (and Super Bowls!) with CBS Sports and the NFL Network.
So when my oldest and dearest friend Lauren received free tickets to Sunday’s Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game I was elated to say the least!
Tailgating in 20 Degrees
Here are a few shots of my Sunday adventure. Needless to say, it was COLD! But for stadium seats to watch one of the biggest and best rivalries in the NFL, donning 3 pairs of pants was a small sacrifice.
Tailgating in a heated hospitality tent also helped 😉
And while enjoying my weekend of rabid fandom, NFCA wasn’t far from my mind. I was sure to check the gluten-free offerings at M & T Bank Stadium before leaving for Baltimore. Although I don’t need to eat gluten-free, I am always checking GF menus online out of sheer habit. I was thrilled to discover Raven’s Stadium does in fact serve a handful of celiac friendly items such as Redbridge beer and pretzels.
Now next time we go, Lauren and I can bring Kristin (a fellow NFL fan) along too!
-Whitney
Thanksgiving Leftovers: Everybody Knows Somebody!
I am convinced that everybody knows somebody with celiac disease.
When I tell people where I work and what I do, more often than not the response I get is, “Celiac? Oh yeah, my sister in law/cousin/boss’s son/mailman/insert someone here has that.”
It never ceases to amaze me.
On that note, here is a lovely photo of a gluten-free pizza made by my culinary savvy roommate, whose grandfather happens to have…you guessed it…celiac disease!
Using some Chebe pizza dough mix she picked up while attending our Appetite for Awareness event, she was able to make this delicious looking creation for her entire family as they came together to celebrate the holiday weekend.
It warms my heart to know that my job enabled me to help make this thanksgiving a special and delicious experience for her relatives, the gluten-free and non gluten-free eaters alike!
I now plan on scouring the office for extra pizza dough samples.
If I bring a few more home – maybe she’ll make a pizza for ME!
-Whitney
Welcome to the Roundtable
Every Monday, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness staff gathers at a large roundtable for our weekly conference call. With a few telecommuters and plenty of travel engagements, there’s usually someone on the road, so a call-in works best.
We chat about accomplishments, what we’re working on and how we can help each other reach our goals. It’s where we take the pulse of the organization, and also where we get to know each other. There are moments to share – “I just got the best witch’s hat for Halloween!” and the inevitable mishaps – “Tripped over the cable wire, again!” – but it’s part of the fun of working with this group.
Now, we’re starting a roundtable with you. Celiac Central: Bits and Bites will serve up the latest experiences, encounters and everyday observations from NFCA staff. We pull long hours (and the occasional fistful of hair) to improve diagnosis of celiac disease and make the gluten-free lifestyle easy to maintain.
As you’ll quickly find, we share a lot of the same concerns as you. (Stomach trouble at a party, anyone?) That’s part of what makes us so passionate.
We hope you enjoy this look behind-the-scenes of NFCA, and we encourage you to add your thoughts!
-Cheryl (on behalf of the whole team!)
Celiac Central: Bits and Bites 