tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89007434701566285402024-02-18T19:21:50.519-08:00Gluten Free Glory BeHoping to understand the new world of Gluten Free living,
trusting in His Glory to provide!Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-2610047582588940932011-03-02T15:40:00.000-08:002011-03-02T16:07:15.220-08:00Still hereYes, I am still here. It's been 2 months of boring, gluten free eating. Not really, but it has become almost second nature to our family. There was the time when we ordered pizza and didn't even consider that S couldn't eat it until we excitedly told the kids and S started in with tears. There was also the time that we went to a restaurant with a gluten free menu and she turned the tears on as the rest of us devoured garlic cheddar biscuits. Yes, we can be insensitive at times, but it is a part of life she will have to get used to, and we shelter her from it 95% of the time. Other than those sad times, we've gotten quite used to removing glutens from our S's diet, making sure she has great choices when we eat them, and trying to be prepared for most circumstances. Is it easy? No, but it is doable, which is more than I thought possible a few months ago.<br /><br />I decided today to make a better effort at getting my 3 year old on the GF diet. She's been having some tummy issues and she is so hyper, I am hoping this might help. I have completely slacked with her on previous attempts, because honestly, it's hard to constantly watch what she eats. The girl loves getting treats, and people love to feed her. She is tiny, and has these big eyes that you can't resist. I may have to hang a sign around her sweet neck saying "don't feed the child". Seriously, it's much easier to tell an 11 year old she can't eat something and trust her. We just got back on the wagon today, and she already ate regular pizza. Oh well, tomorrow is a new day and we'll try to do better. All the kids are on board, so it should be a little easier, right?!Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-24889782494320341642011-01-02T14:39:00.000-08:002011-01-02T14:54:53.874-08:00New Year's Resolutions?I am not one of those people that typically makes New Year's resolutions. I am quite simply horrible at goal setting. Actually, that's not quite true, it's not the goal setting that I necessarily have trouble with, it's the follow up involved later on to see if I've accomplished those goals. I've learn to accept my limitations and just don't set them, it's easier that way. But, this year - I set goals! They aren't goals that I need to chart and track my progress, but rather small changes that I hope to make in my life. One of those is to eat more healthy foods. I am doing it for my husband's benefit as well. He's been practically begging me to cook more healthy foods for a long time, and honestly, I just fall back to lazy things again. I have a particular fondness for fried vegetables. :) Anyway, in pursuit of that goal, I've been researching raw food and whole food recipes. Do you know the most amazing thing in all this? The recipes for these amazing foods are gluten free naturally. No substituting rice flours to make them seem like the real thing. We also gave in and purchased a dehydrator. I cannot wait to try it! I will be making a ton of snacks for my gluten girl - and affordable, ridiculously healthy ones at that!Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-45225682301746765642010-12-24T04:53:00.000-08:002010-12-24T04:59:26.864-08:00A Christmas GIftWe celebrated Christmas with some of our sweet friends last night. I still can't believe today is Christmas eve. What an amazing time we've had this year! Anyway, we were blessed with perhaps the best present a gluten intolerant girl can receive - food! Lots and lots of sweet snacks and even fluffy, delicious bread! Can you imagine the time spent for someone that has no food allergies to go through recipes and ingredients to make these goodies? We are truly blessed. I can't say that the fudge lasted more than a couple of hours, my kids literally inhaled the sweet stuff. If you have someone in your life that has recently been diagnosed, might I suggest giving them a batch of goodies? I think the joy will be immeasurable - especially at a time of year where food tends to be everywhere. <br /><br />Merry Christmas to all!Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-64286893529050681882010-12-22T06:31:00.000-08:002010-12-22T10:00:32.802-08:00Oatmeal!<div style="text-align: justify;">We've recently discovered, quite by accident, that my girl can eat oats! I made some chocolate drop cookies for a bible study and she couldn't resist trying one. Then two, and a ton more. We waited and waited for her tell tale belly ache but it never appeared. Since then we've eaten tons more with no issues. Thank you, Lord! This has opened up a new world of food for her, and made my life much easier. We are now eating oatmeal for breakfast most mornings instead of the same boring cereal day after day. I also made some granola to have as an alternative. Box cereals contain so much sugar and other ingredients that I am at a loss about, so this makes me a happy mommy to be feeding them all something healthy that happens to be gluten free. <br /></div>Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-34607079731100243482010-12-21T05:44:00.000-08:002010-12-21T05:49:04.058-08:00There's an app for that!I don't have an iphone. I really don't even want one. I do, however, really, really, really want an itouch. Now, I want one even more. A friend of mine has the iphone and showed me the most amazing app. It's called "<a href="http://redlaser.com/">red laser</a>". All you have to do "scan" the bar code of any food by taking a picture with the camera and it will pull up tons of information on the product, including any allergens. Can you imagine how much easier this would make my grocery shopping? If there was a food in question I could just scan and know if it was safe for my girl to eat. Simply amazing.Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-6378684377841630792010-12-16T17:21:00.000-08:002010-12-16T18:46:17.947-08:00Christmas baking partyMy gluten girl asked me to have a Christmas party for her friends. We are doing a bunch of fun activities, but she wanted some time just for them. I was not so keen on the idea. I could only think of the work that would go into it, as well as the huge issue of food and what to make. She loves to cook, so we knew we wanted to make it a baking day. The question was, what on earth can we bake that is gluten free and easy enough for all the kids? I finally agreed and told the kids they could each invite 2 friends. That may not seem like much, but when you consider I have 5 daughters the numbers really start adding up!<br /><br />I frantically searched for a couple of days, and finally decided on Peppermint Meringue cookies. We made them a couple of years ago as gifts and they were delicious. I also found some easy ornaments they could all make together with very little help from me.<br /><br />The big day arrived with the girls eagerly anticipating their friends' arrival. I had a friend coming over as well so we could work on some of our Christmas craft gifts. Wouldn't you know that after all my careful planning the girls wanted nothing to do with baking or crafting? I ended up making tons of caramel popcorn and Peppermint cookies, all devoured by the girls who didn't lift a finger to help! At least they were all safe gluten free goodies! Our guests didn't even think about the foods being GF, which was one of the best parts for me! I want my girl to enjoy all the fun things she did before, without worry of them being an alternative.Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-9528472445281071472010-12-15T04:56:00.001-08:002010-12-15T05:04:26.605-08:00Dining outWe recently went out for a family Christmas shopping day and decided to brave the waters of a restaurant that claims to have a gluten free menu. It's only the second time we've done this so it was a bit intimidating and we weren't sure what to expect. We were all tired and didn't really want to take a chance on getting sick, so we were thankful for this option. I requested their menu upon arriving and they had a copy ready for my girl to browse. We all placed our orders, and I requested that her salad be delivered during appetizers so she wouldn't feel left out of the feeding frenzy her sisters were involved in with the bowl of chips and salsa. It took 20 minutes for the salad to be brought to our table. It was delivered with big crunchy croutons on top. I know, this may not seem like a big deal to some, but to a little girl that's been anxiously awaiting her salad it was almost enough to bring her to tears. We sent it back and the salad was replaced very quickly. The rest of the meal went without incident, and we all enjoyed the delicious food - even more so knowing it was a healthy option. The moral of this story? Even when a restaurant claims gluten free foods, you can't trust the servers to understand the intolerance and have to ensure your desires are followed. It can still be a pleasant experience, and even better, we didn't have to do the dishes after our 5 little piggies!Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-57883424337906642342010-12-06T08:29:00.001-08:002010-12-06T08:35:41.286-08:00E MealzI used to be completely in love with a meal planning website prior to going to gluten free. I had a weekly menu as well as a grocery list to drastically reduce the time spent on my menu planning. An added bonus? The meals were delicious! They were based on the sales at our local grocer, which made it even better. Then, we had to change our diet and I sadly canceled our account. Imagine my joy when a friend called me recently to say she had heard of a meal planning site that offered a gluten free menu! I was even more joyful when she shared with me that it was e-mealz! I immediately signed back up and have been happily using their menu plan. I admit, some of the meals don't suit our family, but the majority do, and the benefits of having a complete, healthy meal laid out for me are beyond expression. No more menu planning for me! <br /><br />I posted a link up button on my side bar if you'd like to give them a try :)Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-59764066502136144442010-12-06T08:07:00.000-08:002010-12-06T08:24:42.698-08:00ThanksgivingOur Thanksgiving went wonderfully. My daughter was able to enjoy her favorite foods with no fear of a tummy ache. We had dinner with my in-laws on Friday and it wasn't as successful. We tried to avoid obvious offenders, but something snuck in (or wasn't shared when prompted), and she was sick. Although, I think she would say it was worth it for the wonderful time of fellowship with our family. The hardest part is that when you explain the factors of being completely gluten free most people think you are taking it to the extreme or overreacting. "You can't share mayonnaise?". Ha! "A bread crumb can't possibly make you sick!". So, recipes that would be gluten free in our home aren't coming from a gluten <span style="font-style: italic;">filled</span> kitchen. <br /><br />We have moved into our Christmas decorating and baking season. I haven't started baking yet, but my first goodie will be peppermint meringue cookies. They are completely gluten free, and a regular treat in our home, which is what we like - things to be <span style="font-style: italic;">normal.</span> I'll share recipes and pictures once we get started. Hopefully, you'll enjoy them as much as we do!Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-90815088789315915042010-11-22T15:02:00.000-08:002010-11-21T15:24:44.779-08:00Trials and errorsI love to cook. I once dreamed of opening a bakery with all my delicious desserts to tempt customers. That was back in the days of only 2 children. In God's infinite wisdom we were blessed with more daughters, and my dreams of baking were put on the back burner in place of necessity. You know, things like boxed mac and cheese and frozen pizzas since that was all I could manage most days. When we learned of the diagnoses of gluten intolerance I was very overwhelmed at the prospect of having to cook <span style="font-style: italic;">everything</span>. I think overwhelmed might be an understatement. I was completely devastated. After about a week of letting it all sink in, I started to get seriously excited about cooking, awakening a desire that had long since been extinguished. I have actually come to enjoy creating many of our dishes, and now, I don't even consider the time invested - it's obviously worth every effort to keep my girl healthy. We've also switched to a more whole foods diet, without even knowing!<br /><br />All that being said, there are still some nights that I just. don't. want. to. do. anything. Especially come up with a meal from scratch that is gluten free. It's those nights that the wonderful frozen food section has come to my rescue. We've only experimented with a couple of things, due to the cost, but they are still life savers. To that end, I thought I would share my finds with you, in the hopes of saving you some money (and perhaps time on one of <span style="font-style: italic;">those</span> nights). Our favorite so far has been a frozen pizza by Glutino. Unfortunately, our local grocer has already stopped carrying the variety we enjoy, so we tried another, Amy's. It was not nearly as good, and not worth the price. We've also tried the frozen rice bread. We tried it plain, we tried it toasted, we tried it covered in peanut butter - it was still un-edible. Hubby and I had a date night the other evening and I was in a hurry, so in desperation I grabbed a box of french toast sticks, made by Glutino. They were fabulous! My girl ate to her hearts content and loved every bite. My husband even snagged a couple and said they were delicious.<br /><br />That's our recent trials and errors, hope they can bless you!Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-62675528877342139872010-11-20T09:27:00.000-08:002010-11-20T09:43:41.849-08:00Another Cookbook<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071627472/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lHl%2BoSl6L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I was recently blessed by a friend at church loaning me a gluten free cookbook that her family has been using. It had many pages turned down which made my idea search a bit easier :) This book is a much simpler, kid friendly cookbook with a ton more recipes than the first one I purchased. Many of the recipes are simply conversions of our everyday favorites. I also like the fact that the ingredients called for are fairly typical, not exotic things that I rarely purchase (or want to spend money on). I like it so much that I have it saved in my cart on amazon.com to purchase very soon! All of the recipes are aimed at children, advising them to ask for an adults help in preparing certain items. That being said, I thought it was perfect for me! I do think I could simply tell my older girls what we were having for dinner and they'd be fine preparing it without my help. So, if you are looking for another option in Gluten Free recipes, definitely take a look!<br /><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lHl%2BoSl6L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg"></a><br />Just so you know, this is not a paid endorsement, I simply wanted to share this resource in hopes that you find something to make your journey a little easier. If you click on the cookbook image above you'll be taken directly to Amazon.com .Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-72855825334747102092010-11-18T04:57:00.001-08:002010-11-18T05:05:41.389-08:00Holiday Baking E-BookYes, I fell off the face of the blogging earth. I just haven't had much to say lately! Today, I found something well worth blogging about! I just came across this Holiday Recipes ebook and had to share - the recipes look simply delectable and simple enough for the girls to help. Those are two requirements for most holiday baking around here! Anyway, here is the link -<br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/THESUL%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-4.png" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLD_X2UAQmdJqZbPn5Y3gpDnu9xZBZ_3K2dmtcJYndjKDFQOF5YfCVUW5AaORbxqxotk-RURjG3AZ3wWOzEyudXoUrIWef6PXOYCHXlXGaslfdYtJ-yCNg0-FD0rUksluTbRYlJvMCX9iT/s320/smallbutton.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLD_X2UAQmdJqZbPn5Y3gpDnu9xZBZ_3K2dmtcJYndjKDFQOF5YfCVUW5AaORbxqxotk-RURjG3AZ3wWOzEyudXoUrIWef6PXOYCHXlXGaslfdYtJ-yCNg0-FD0rUksluTbRYlJvMCX9iT/s320/smallbutton.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I showed my daughter and she was thrilled at the prospect of baking, a truly cherished tradition for us. Thank you, <a href="http://www.thebakingbeauties.com/">The Baking Beauties</a>, for making this free for all of us!Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-12698098323769677912010-11-01T05:52:00.001-07:002010-11-01T06:12:48.010-07:00Menu Plan MondayI'm back to a Monday Menu Plan! It seems that Friday's are turning into super busy days around here, and Monday's are my computer and catch up days. We survived the fall festival at church by not eating the buns. We've even managed to sort the candy and find many gluten free options. Unfortunately, we did get a belly ache the next day which I am assuming is from the candy that my oldest assumed was fine and ate a bunch before realizing. Thankfully, her attitude about it was wonderful. <br /><br />I made the decision to remove #1 (my oldest) from her cooking class. They are making quite a few dishes that contain gluten, and it is not fun for her to participate and not eat the creations. On top of that, the other kids all take part so she feels somewhat left out. I thought this might be an issue and I'm surprised it took 3 more classes before she became upset enough to change. It's a fairly big decision since she will be moving from the group with 6th & 7th graders to 4th & 5th graders. We prayed about it and all of us feel it is the right choice. Thankfully, we have some wonderful people leading our co-op and they were completely supportive of our decision. <br /><br />I am in the process of starting to plan our Thanksgiving dinner. I normally plan it fairly far in advance simply to catch the sales on foods, but this year I have to plan early because it is so much more in depth. My oldest wants pumpkin pie, so I am going to make one for her, but I have to find a good crust recipe to go with it. <br /><br />Here is our menu plan -<br /><br />Dinner menu<br /><br />Monday - Tostadas<br />Tuesday - Beef Stew<br />Wednesday - Baked Ziti<br />Thursday - Baked Chicken w/ rice pilaf<br />Friday - Dinner party<br />Saturday - Baked omelet w/ bacon<br />Sunday - RoastJonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-70235139641536306412010-10-25T05:15:00.000-07:002010-10-25T05:26:55.585-07:00Menu plan Monday!I'm sorry I haven't posted in a bit - we've all been fighting off colds. <br /><br />My daughter had her first sleepover since becoming Gluten Free and I think it went exceptionally well (at least as far as the food!). She brought her own pizza, cookies, and cereal. She said she didn't feel uncomfortable at all eating her special foods. I was so proud of her! Again, preparation is key. <br /><br />This is our menu plan for this week. You can probably tell I wasn't feeling so hot when I made this plan, hence the many easy meals. I'm thinking a few will change once I get more energy. I'm only posting dinner. Everything else is "fly by night" until we are well. :)<br /> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dinner menu</span><br />Sunday - black beans and yellow rice with cornbread<br />Monday - hot dogs and baked beans<br />Tuesday - shrimp fritters<br />Wednesday - beef stew<br />Thursday - cornbread sandwiches and soup<br />Friday - steak and potatoes<br />Saturday - Church fall festival, eating there!<br /><br />I've checked out a couple of more cookbooks from the library and I haven't been as excited about them as with my first one. I'll let you know if I find anything wonderful. The thing that bothers me about all these GF cookbooks is that their recipes depend on the book's specific flour recipe, which costs additional money to make when I already have mine. I would like them to be more generic so I could use my own mix. <br /><br />Hope everyone has a blessed week!Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-46729792366346484132010-10-21T04:41:00.000-07:002010-10-21T04:54:21.316-07:00Some daysThere are days when I am so blessed to know I did all the right things to keep my precious girls healthy. Other days I forget to check a label and don't realize it until a stomach ache appears and we pinpoint a specific item. Then there are days like yesterday when my oldest has a belly ache and headache and we can't figure out anything she's eaten to cause it. Those are the times that frustrate me. The only possible culprit we can figure is that she had touched a cracker before eating her own snack - is her belly really that sensitive? Evidently, yes. She skipped her Wednesday night AWANA because she was feeling so bad. It just breaks my heart on days like that.Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-11250092076010506512010-10-18T18:00:00.000-07:002010-10-18T18:07:52.761-07:00Still progressingThe menu planning has been an enormous blessing. My daughter doesn't get anxious at meal times anymore trying to figure out <span style="font-style: italic;">something</span> safe to eat. I have it hanging in our kitchen and there are no surprises! We had a last minute dinner party this past weekend and the GF kids managed to avoid glutens - hallelujah! It is possible! <br /><br />I made my first GF flour mix from a recipe in the new cookbook. I am completely blown away at how much better it tastes than the ready made brand. It was outrageously expensive to buy all the ingredients for it, but I'm thinking it will eventually be much more cost effective. I think it ended up being $24 for everything, but I should be able to make many more batches. It was definitely more moist than the store bought. I've made a bunch of ziploc baggies of it and have it stored in the freezer - evidently it has to kept that way or it will go bad very quickly. <br /><br />I haven't attempted any more bread. I'm rather afraid of wasting such expensive flour on another catastrophe.Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-81851752091796303642010-10-15T06:37:00.001-07:002010-10-15T06:47:15.259-07:00Menu Plan 10/17-23I have been posting my menu plans at the beginning of the week, but since I am trying to use coupons I am going to be doing my menu plans and shopping at the end of the week (today or Saturday), so this is when I'm going to post it. My menus are based on the sales at our local Publix - my favorite store. I may even try to keep a record of my grocery bill here - perhaps it will keep me accountable. Also, you will notice I'll not typically post breakfast and lunches on weekends. My husband is home those days and our schedule is so crazy that I can't plan anything - so it's fly by night on those days. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Breakfast menu</span><br />Sunday -<br />Monday - pumpkin muffins<br />Tuesday - cereal<br />Wednesday - berry corn muffins<br />Thursday - cereal<br />Friday - toast<br />Saturday -<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lunch menu</span><br />Sunday -<br />Monday - GF macaroni and cheese<br />Tuesday - pancakes<br />Wednesday - Bob's red mill biscuits & eggs<br />Thursday - rice cake sandwiches (normally peanut butter & honey)<br />Friday - pizza<br />Saturday -<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dinner menu</span><br />Sunday - black bean pork chops (slow cooker)<br />Monday - tostadas<br />Tuesday - chicken waffles (never made them last week)<br />Wednesday - potato bacon egg pie (never made it either!)<br />Thursday - pasta<br />Friday - slow cooker bbq<br />Saturday - chicken tenders with fritos for crustJonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-54776798969709906772010-10-14T05:03:00.000-07:002010-10-14T05:14:20.720-07:00Another dayI took the kids to a park yesterday for a playdate with a couple of other families. I had to run in the store to get drinks and a snack for everyone. I glanced over the labels and grabbed 2 bags of chips that I thought were great choices. You know where this is going, right? We were thoroughly enjoying them until I say in BOLD print that they contained wheat ingredients. How on earth did I miss that? Thankfully, only myself and the little munchkin had eaten them. Un-thankfully, her attitude reflected that for the rest of the day. Sigh. <br /><br />I made rice and bean corn enchiladas last night and all the kids devoured them and asked for more. I love when that happens! I'm looking forward to lunch when I get to eat the leftovers! The older kids had AWANA, so I made a box of Betty Crocker Gluten Free chocolate chip cookies while they were gone. They are delicious! A bit crumbly, but still good enough for me to eat 4... It was very nice to just crack open a box and cook for a quick snack. It made 2 dozen, so it was more than enough for our entire family.Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-61776432914524391152010-10-12T17:26:00.001-07:002010-10-12T17:47:41.803-07:00YumMy three year old, Kyndall, doesn't have any idea what she is supposed to eat. If someone hands her a snack, she eats it - without question. Today at co-op (we homeschool), I brought her a snack of gummies, but due to a mis-communication she was given cheerio-s. Complete accident, but it made me aware of what to do for our next class. She has been so sweet since switching her to the gluten free diet. It's been 3 full days and I've seen a dramatic change. Within a couple of hours of eating gluten she gets very cranky. We went to the ball park tonight to watch hubby play softball and someone gave her a bag of crackers, which she devoured before I could stop her. She crashed about 15 minutes later with a tummy ache. I think we are definitely on the right path - for her attitude and health, but we shall see.<br /><br />We did great again today - the baked ziti was a hit (it was actually penne pasta, but close enough). I have to make 2 pans since there isn't as much pasta in the GF box. I make one gluten full, and one free for the 3 of us. I make it first so there isn't any "contamination", and I use my beautiful new red strainer just for GF foods. I have stuck exactly to our menu plan, and yesterday was food heaven around here. The hash brown waffles were unbelievable - I ate so many I lost count. Seriously. That. Good. On to dinner - the shrimp fritters will become a staple in our house, as well as the cornbread salad sandwiches. The sandwiches probably don't sound appealing, but my carnivorous husband requested them as a meal in themselves. Oh, and the berry muffins for breakfast - so good. I was in the kitchen most of the day, and it was really nice. I enjoyed every minute of it. To top it all off, Shayla told me that eating gluten free isn't bad at all. How's that for a compliment from an 11 year old picky eater? Yup, I was a rock star yesterday - all by the grace of God! I prayed every time I tried to cook worried that the $8 bag of flour was going to flop in a recipe. It's too expensive to experiment with, but what choice do I have?Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-13656115980524945892010-10-11T04:44:00.000-07:002010-10-11T05:34:26.354-07:00GF Menu Plan Monday 10/11-10/17I haven't posted in a while. I've had nothing worthy to say since every day was full of gluten joy. We were home only one night, the rest of the week Shayla chose to have all kinds of foods that are absolute no-no's. We also had a yard sale 2 of those days and I have no idea what she consumed while I was busy. She was paying for it dearly by this weekend - lethargic, moody, continual belly ache. She felt so good for the first couple of weeks being gluten free that she forgot how bad she felt before. It seems to get progressively worse the more she eats, so that first donut might have been worth the pain, but by Friday night when she chose pizza after her salad she was almost unable to stand the sickness. So, back to square one. I compiled a wonderful menu based on the cookbook I purchased and we will be enjoying it's amazing recipes starting tonight. I am not listing the recipes today, but if you would like one please email me, I'd love to share! Our menu plan always changes throughout the week based on my level of exhaustion, but this gives me an idea of what I have on hand so I can cook without calling my neighbor and asking for yet another missing ingredient.<br /><br />Kyndall (our 3 year old), and I are also strictly on the GF diet. I've been very good with making wise choices on her foods, but at church yesterday she walked out holding a cup of cheerios. Once again, it comes down to being prepared. Next time I will be bringing a bag of snacks for her that she will like enough to eat instead of throwing a fit for the helpful, innocent volunteers.<br /><br />Ok, here are the menus.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Dinner menu</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Monday</span> - Shrimp fritters with cornbread greens stack (basically a cornbread sandwich with salad as the filling<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tuesday</span> - Baked ziti, salad<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wednesday</span> - Black bean and rice enchiladas, shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thursday</span> - pizza made with Bobs Red Mill dough, salad or green veggie<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Friday </span>- ham and tomato cornbread sandwiches with jalapeno mayo and fries<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Saturday </span>- Steak on the grill, mashed potatoes, salad<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunday</span> - chicken and waffles with maple bacon gravy<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Breakfast menu</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Monday</span> - Berry corn muffins<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tuesday </span>- cereal<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wednesday</span> - eggs<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thursday </span>- banana crepes<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Friday </span>- cereal<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Saturday</span> - ham & chive crepes<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunday</span> - cereal<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Lunch menu</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Monday </span>- hash brown waffles with eggs<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tuesday</span> - rice cake sandwiches (normally peanut butter & honey)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wednesday</span> - frozen pizza (we found a great gf one)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thursday</span> - toasted ham sandwiches<br />Friday - rice cake sandwiches<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Saturday</span> - sloppy joe filled potatoes<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunday</span> - potato bacon egg pieJonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-53114769543002698692010-10-06T08:52:00.001-07:002010-10-06T08:56:24.159-07:00Looking backI am looking over my recent posts and it looks as if I am doing pretty bad with this "diet". I suppose that would be correct since the last 5 days we've had at least one mess up each day, mostly intentional because of our lack of willpower. I can't get down about it, I'm called to "consider it pure joy when I face trials of many kinds", and this is definitely a trial. I am joyful, because I know that I can try again and do better - for myself and my children. This is not going to be an easy road, nor will it be without many more trials. But, I am confident in this - that we will make it and find many joys in each success and learn from each mistake.Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-2239443840181038022010-10-06T08:46:00.000-07:002010-10-06T08:51:56.163-07:00Oops...I had a meal planned for tonight - beef stew, but as I was putting the ingredients in the crockpot I was told about another recipe for beef stroganoff (one of my favorites). I already had the meat in the crock, so I added my cream of potato soup and the rest of the ingredients, so excited about dinner. I suddenly realized I hadn't checked the label on the cream of potato - there it was "wheat flour". Sigh. I feel terrible. My daughter said she is going to eat it anyway because it smells so good, but I am just sick that I made a meal without being more thorough. It's my responsibility to feed her and keep her healthy and I failed. On top of that, tonight is AWANA so she'll go to church with a belly ache. I suppose she's done it for months, what's another night? Lesson learned - go with the original, well thought out plan. If I'm going to improvise I will have to actually put thought into it (and I'm not so good at that!).Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-27799968239556337362010-10-04T05:34:00.000-07:002010-10-04T05:40:58.840-07:00Caved again...We had an unexpected visit with a sweet relative from out of town last night and she treated us to dinner at CiCi's pizza. Shayla and I discussed it and came to a joint decision to enjoy the meal and make it our last splurge. Preparation is the key, and I did not go there prepared. We went hungry and tired, and it was lovely to spend a meal not thinking of what we were eating. We filled our plates to overflowing with greasy, poisonous (ie gluten filled) pizza heaven and finished it off with cinnamon rolls. Shayla paid for it with a terrible tummy ache the entire way home and went straight to bed. I think it was a good way to end our gluten life.Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-49023638512491842462010-10-03T13:15:00.000-07:002010-10-04T05:31:10.236-07:00Baking GF Bread for beginnersA few things to keep in mind when first attempting to bake gluten free bread. (This is my try at Bob's Red Mill <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">GF</span> bread mix).<br /><br />1. Baking gluten free bread is NOTHING like baking regular bread.<br />2.It is like using that paste from elementary school (you know, the stuff that smelled so sweet and yummy?), and trying to form it into a loaf of bread.<br />3.It is NOT meant to mixed by hand and tried to mold into that aforementioned loaf. It shouldn't even be touched by human hands -only a spatula or beaters.<br />4.It smells terrible.<br />5.It will stick all over you, your kitchen, and anything else you dare to touch.<br />6.If you try to use your beautiful new stand mixer it will creep straight up the beaters to the top and stick in places you'll never get out.<br />7.Your beautiful new stand mixer will not be beautiful anymore.<br />8. It will look fairly close to normal bread when finished.<br />9. The first time you toast it in your brand new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">GF</span> toaster your 3 year old will say someone went "stinky". It smells that bad.<br />10. It tastes about that bad, too.<br /><br />Next? I am going to make my own flour mix and try that. The bean flavor as the first ingredient in this mix is too strong to make it edible for regular toast and sandwiches. It needs a lot of <span style="font-style: italic;">something</span> to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">camouflage</span> the taste.Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8900743470156628540.post-20125701168211676082010-10-03T12:22:00.000-07:002010-10-03T12:31:00.661-07:00Flop, Menu Plan 10/3-10/9Yesterday I caved. My husband and I were blessed with a couple of hours to ourselves and we went to a local restaurant. I made my kids some delicious GF spaghetti, but I gorged myself on crispy onion rings and boneless buffalo wings. Yup, I chose badly. I was unprepared and glutton for fried food. Today Shayla flopped - she had a doughnut at church. She came up to me with her sweet little friends and asked if she could have a stomach ache, how could I say no to that? Tomorrow is another day... Yes, that is one of my favorite movies of ALL time. <br /><br />I am doing a week of getting by with what's in our pantry for now, but next week I'll be trying a ton of new recipes and hope to start sharing those with you. I am heading in the kitchen now to try to make a loaf of bread, I'll let you know how that turns out. <br /><br />This is my menu plan for dinners:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunday</span> - black bean veggie burgers with corn and rice<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Monday </span>- pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes and green beans<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tuesday</span> - Crockpot Beef Stew<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wednesday </span>- Baked Ziti<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thursday - </span>Breakfast dinner (eggs, biscuits, pancakes)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Friday</span> - Chicken and yellow rice with peas<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Saturday </span>- tacos (with lentils for the "meat")Jonathahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12681088237984867302noreply@blogger.com0