Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Gluten Free At Starbucks

I must admit, I do like the occasional cafe from Starbucks. Yup, the prices are high, but the ambience, not to mention the unlimited wifi, are great perks. We have a couple of Starbucks that have been built in my city over the past couple years and I couldn't be happier.

So, back to gluten free items at Starbucks. So far, I have discovered two items which are usually in stock at Starbucks which are gluten free: Peanut butter cups and Kind Bars. Make sure to verify that these are the 100% gluten free ones. I do so enjoy the really dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Rich and delish!

I also just discovered today that Starbucks is rolling out a new gluten free breakfast sandwich, which I don't know if they are rolling it out to all their locations, but I certainly hope so!
Here's a description of it's unveiling :Starbucks new Gluten Free Breakfast Sandwich

Bon Appetito, my gluten free friends!

Carla

Ps, If you want to contact Starbucks directly to verify which gluten free items are available in your area....here is their  Canadian website:  Starbucks Canada

On their USA website there is a toll free customer service number
displayed on the right hand side of their website: Starbucks USA

Peace,

Carla

RELATED: Gluten Free at the Mandarin

Buy my new book Life in the Gluten Free Zone on Amazon today!



Disclaimer: This blog post is intended for conversational purposes only. The blog's author and publisher does not accept any liability for any of the ideas discussed in this post or any other post on this blog. Always obtain medical advice from a licensed medical practitioner.

Gluten Free at Swiss Chalet

Just discovered that Swiss Chalet has a great way to help folks figure out if they can eat at Swiss Chalet if they have food allergies or food sensitivities.  Check out their website and you will see how fun the functionality is. You get to put check marks on the allergies you have and the website will detail which foods you can still eat.

Note, as a word of caution, please do read the fine print on their website. Restaurants usually have a high risk of cross contamination of gluten free foods with gluten containing foods. Do you due diligence and always obtain medical advice from a licensed medical practitioner. Also, note that restaurants often post changed to their menu ingredients, so make sure you obtain up to date information from their website or by contacting their head office directly at here...

Thank you Swiss Chalet, for your very user-friendly website to help us eat better !

Peace,
Carla

RELATEDGluten Free at McDonalds

Buy my new book Life in the Gluten Free Zone on Amazon today!



Disclaimer: This blog post is intended for conversational purposes only. The blog's author and publisher does not accept any liability for any of the ideas discussed in this post or any other post on this blog. Always obtain medical advice from a licensed medical practitioner.

Friday, March 9, 2018

Gluten Free At McDonald's 2018

So, I've been checking again, to see if there have been any changes to the listings of gluten free items on the McDonald's menu.

Phew, big relief.....their fries are still listed as gluten free in Canada.
Check for yourself here on McDonalds Canada  .


However, there are some websites for the USA McDonalds that state that their fries have a beef flavoring which contains gluten. So when I try to go direct to the source and go visit           McDonalds USA   on their website, it does state that their fries contain a beef flavoring that contains gluten.


So that is quite an interesting conundrum, because it is unexpected to discover different statements for Canadian McDonalds fries versus USA McDonalds' fries.

I would therefore, as usual, encourage you to practice caution and do your own research. Always be sure to get licensed medical advice if you have a gluten allergy.

You can call the McDonalds head offices too to get the information "straight from the horse's mouth"

Canada's toll free McDonalds Canada . If you scroll down to the bottom of their "contact us" page, you will find their toll free number listed on the left side.

USA McDonald's can be contacted at their Illinois office by looking at their contact info Here .
If you scroll to the bottom of the web page and in the right hand corner you will see the words "Get in touch with us" under the Customer Service Tab and if you click on the "Get in touch with us" words, it will display their toll free number which states that it is available 7 days per week.

Always be aware that restaurants and their suppliers can change their food ingredients whenever they wish, so always use caution if you have a food allergy. You can call or write for up to date information by contacting these restaurants directly.


Wishing you wellness and happy trails.
Carla.

RELATED: Gluten Free At Subway

Buy my new book Life in the Gluten Free Zone on Amazon today!

Disclaimer: This blog post is intended for conversational purposes only. The blog's author and publisher does not accept any liability for any of the ideas discussed in this post or any other post on this blog. Always obtain medical advice from a licensed medical practitioner.






Saturday, March 3, 2018

One Click Book Publishing

 One Click book publishing ....."business at the speed of thought' a la Bill Gates?
With machine learning, I won't have to worry about formatting my books anymore.....I will simply upload a VERY rough draft, and poof, the software, as cunning as it has become, will correct my grammar, spelling, format my scribbles into  a "bookish" looking type of style, add a trendy and attractive cover page and bam boom! I have suddenly published a brand new book that is ready for sale online worldwide within one hour.

Someone could foresee being able to write a book a day, if this were real. But it really is feasible and possibly already occurring....it's just that I don't have that miracle software in my little hands yet.

But it is coming...I feel it. I see it. Some folks on Kindle or other self publishing sites are already cranking out at least one new book per week. And yes yes, these books are admittedly NOT literary masterpieces, but at least these writers just might be earning a "legit" income instead of suffering in poverty and creative inertia..

Who said it had to be really hard to survive as a writer? It is possible to make a decent living writing online. Being a "starving artist" is really quite overrated don't ya think?

But tell me honestly now, is it "selling out" to give in to the temptation to produce books in volume instead of following your heart? Or is it just a matter of supply and demand, producing what the market demands...so that you will be supplied.

I suppose sometimes it's also about the practical versus the dreamy. Perhaps one can do both. One can keep writing the great American novel and yes, have the courage to submit it to publishers. But at the same time, one must do what one must do to keep bread on the table, and if that includes writing the obituary column for your local newspaper....then so be it.





The Oil Rally Ain't Over Yet Baby

Yes, yes, I know folks will be poo pooing any oil and gas investments for the next 50 years....but it ain't over yet!

It is a myth that electric vehicles DON'T run on oil and gas. They still use oil and gas BECAUSE Canada's electricity grid is still being fueled by OIL AND GAS to the extent of 8.7% of total Ontario energy!

Using intel from 2014, Ontario was feeding it's energy grid with 8.7% provided by oil and gas! Don't believe me? Check out this factual report Ontario Energy Board:
https://www.oeb.ca/oeb/_Documents/Regulatory/2014_Supply_Mix_Data.pdf


So many many folks simply refuse to comprehend this concept. They believe as soon as they spin off in their brand new Tesla, that all their fuel is simply floating down from windfarms and solar panels...

Now, for the record, I am not against buying electric vehicles. However, I want peeps to realize that you are simply transitioning your "power of choice" over to the managers of our energy grid.
And using the report I wrote about above, you can clearly see that Ontario's energy grid is provided by in large part nuclear, then comes water power, and then oil and gas, and then "alternative"sources, and finally comes coal.

If we really want to go whole hog on "clean" energies, other than nuclear ( btw.... I'm not entirely convinced yet that it is fair to leave an inheritance of high maintenance nuclear waste to my children's children) perhaps we need to be focusing less on the "end users" like Teslas or Toyota Prius's...

Perhaps we need to refocus our hard working clever Canadian heads and hands to rejigg this Ontario's energy mix, until the Alternative Power Sources become the Majority of the energy mix instead of  a mere 7.1% . Do you agree?

Peace,

Carla.



Sunday, February 25, 2018

Loaning $ to Others

Hetty Green, has long been passed, but her legend lives on. She was one of the first kick a$$ women to rock it in the male dominated world of investing and business. She was ruthlessly frugal, scouring the places she stayed for the absolute rock bottom places to buy breakfast or a bowl of soup.

She didn't see the need to spend recklessly....on anything. What was the result of her frugality and steel will? She had funds available to lend out at a modest profit to friends or others in the business or political community who found themselves strapped for cash.

One of Hetty Green's investment strategies was stunningly simple:
"conservative buying backed by substantial cash reserves" and her children carried on her strategy after her passing.

My question today is this. If you are lending money to people or businesses, what interest are your charging them? Hetty could well have charged exorbitant interest rates, but she resisted the temptation. She stated that she never charged people more than 6% in interest on loans.

I am quite impressed with that figure. 6% is quite modest and reasonable, especially when she was dealing with those who could well have afforded to pay higher interest rates. But Hetty Green did not believe in usury, and although folks made fun of her extreme frugality, they stopped laughing when they found themselves knocking at her door looking for a loan. I think she set a wonderful example.

Thank you Hetty for being a leader and using your skills to succeed and provide for others in a jam.
May God bless your legend forever.

In peaceful productivity,
Carla.



Saturday, February 24, 2018

Self Care Starts in a Simple Place

Don't roll your eyes just yet.... I know I know...some of us cringe to hear the term "self care"...but I think I am starting to clue in on the concept.

I have a little habit that I would label "self care" in the middle of a busy hectic day. I stop whatever busy work I am doing, and even if I am around other folks, I  grab a tube of hand cream and with a dab I massage my hands and nails with the thick fragrant hand cream until my hands glow. I massage the nail beds, and even in between my fingers. I make sure I massage the cream into the back of my hands where some freckles grow.

After two minutes of calmly applying cream to my own hands, taking the time and peaceful state to nourish the skin I use so ambitiously to accomplish my goals, I smile and realize I am happy. I am happy because I took the time to take a short break and take care of myself. I took the time required to value the skin I live in,  to love myself in some small and tangible way...in the same gracious spirit that God loves me.

                                                      Photo by AsliKaplan at Morguefile.com

You may roll your eyes now, or perhaps you just may dare to do the same one day.....in the middle of a really busy frazzled frizzy haired ambitious day. You rummage in your purse and find your favorite hand cream and begin your calming hand massage from thumb to pinky and don't forget the tops of your hands and between the fingers too. Are your hands glowing now?                                            And don't you just feel special ?

Peace,
Carla.