Girl Scouts testing gluten-free cookie

After two years of clamoring from celiacs, the Girl Scouts are test marketing a gluten-free cookie for the 2013-2014 cookie season.

ABC Bakers, one of two companies that produce Girl Scout cookies, is conducting a limited pilot of the Girl Scout Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie with 20 Girl Scout councils.

The cookies are available in a 5-ounce resealable foil pouch with 12 pouches per case and will be sold only at booths in the test markets, rather than featured on the cookie order card.

The only Florida council offering the gluten-free cookie is the Girl Scouts of Citrus, which serves six Central Florida counties. So you won't be able to find them in Jacksonville, but you might find them on visits to Disney or Daytona Beach.

ABC Bakers said it will conduct market research and could roll out the gluten-free cookies nationally in the future.

I'm sure they're completely overpriced but if I encounter these cookies, I'll be sure to try them.

Happy Anniversary to me

It was three years ago today that I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Before that day, I had never heard of celiac and had no inkling that this was coming. And getting the diagnosis two days before Christmas sent me into a complete panic mode.

I realized I had to cancel my Christmas plans for Chinese food, because most of the stuff served in Chinese restaurants has gluten. Unfortunately, P.F. Chang's, which has a great gluten-free program, is never open on Christmas.

So I had to scramble on the 24th to find whatever gluten-free food was available in the stores to make sure I had something to eat on Christmas.

That was a long time ago. I still find the gluten-free diet challenging, but at least I don't panic like I did three years ago. I'll survive the holidays just fine.

Holiday poem from Glutino

A little celiac holiday cheer from Glutino:

Udi's bread now at Costco

Costco seems to be slowly increasing its selection of gluten-free products. The latest is Udi's bread.

I bought a 30-ounce loaf of Udi's whole grain bread today for $6.79. That's a pretty good price, since the normal supermarket loaf is 12 ounces and goes for something like $4.

I found out about it in an e-mail from Udi's a couple a days ago, but a Costco employee told me they've been stocking the bread for about a month.

Besides the bigger package, another difference is that Costco is selling it off the shelf, as opposed to in the freezer cases. In fact, I almost didn't find it because I was looking for it in the freezers.

Another interesting product I found recently at Costco was a large package of gluten-free chicken nuggets from a company called Golden Platter.

I actually got the nuggets a couple of months ago and found them to be, frankly, mediocre, so I haven't written about them before. When it comes to gluten-free chicken nuggets, I really prefer Applegate Farms, which are available in Publix and other stores.

However, I've had a lot of meals out of the 64-ounce package from Golden Platter and it's still going. It is kind of convenient for a quick small meal, and I bet it would a great thing to have around for kids who are gluten free.

Yes, you can find gluten-free deals at Costco.

Enter to win free goodies basket from Glutino

How would you like to win a free basket of gluten-free goodies from Glutino?

As most of you likely know, Glutino makes a wide variety of gluten-free products (and has been kind enough to send samples along for myself and others to try).

To celebrate the holidays, Glutino wants to send one of my readers a gift basket of some of the products I've been lucky enough to sample. The basket contains:

Breakfast: Instant pancake mix, Strawberry and Apple Cinnamon toaster pastries
Snacks: Pretzel Chips, Bagel Chips, Lemon Wafers, Rosemary & Olive Oil Crackers and Cheddar Crackers
Baking Mixes: Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, Brownie Mix, All Purpose Flour Mix

To enter to win, you can post a comment below. Or, you can post a comment on my latest Gluten-Free Glutton column on Jacksonville.com, printed today, which tells the story of how I was glutened by the Jaguars. Just let us know that you're gluten free.

One winner will be chosen at random on December 18

Celiac Disease Foundation offers physician directory

Most people who read this blog have probably already been diagnosed with celiac disease or another type of gluten intolerance. However, for those of you still in need of medical help, the Celiac Disease Foundation has created an online directory to help you find physicians in your area who specialize in celiac-related issues.

You can use the online directory to search by zip code for health providers in all 50 states. The directory can be found at celiac.org/celiac-disease/provider-directory.

“The CDF Healthcare Practitioner Directory provides an invaluable and critically needed service for patients with celiac disease and their caregivers, as well as those yet to be diagnosed,” said Marilyn G. Geller, Chief Executive Officer at Celiac Disease Foundation, in a press release.

“With less than 20% of patients with celiac disease diagnosed, finding practitioners who recognize the signs of celiac disease and treat patients appropriately is a challenge. The Directory serves as a local resource for those seeking specialized care," she said.

The Celiac Disease Foundation is one of several organizations that help people with celiac. In addition to its provider directory, you can also find other information on celiac disease on its website at celiac.org.

Peppermint Yogurt Pretzels? They're pretty good

If I went into a store and saw peppermint yogurt pretzels, I don't think I would spend a second thinking of buying them. But Glutino was kind enough to send me a bag to sample, so of course I started eating them.

They're actually pretty good. I'm still probably not going to buy any but if peppermint yogurt pretzels sound appealing to you, I highly recommend them.

The pretzels were one of two limited edition holiday treats Glutino sent me. The other was a sugar cookie mix. Since I'm not in the habit of baking, I haven't tried these yet (I'll probably give them to somebody else to try).

Glutino said these products will be available at Whole Foods stores until January.