Since Lydia's diagnosis of Celiac Disease I have been reading every single food label. This has been extremely eye opening! The "fake" ingredients that are added to foods is ridiculous. I have a new attitude about what our family is consuming. I have started buying local meats and even started buying some organic produce. I would love to grow our own organic garden this year, but we are attempting to sell our house so our efforts may not be able to be enjoyed. For this reason, I decided to join a local CSA. I chose Shoestring Acres which is located in Clearville. I picked this CSA because they allow you to choose your produce. I was excited to also spend some time this week learning about freezer-to-crock pot cooking. My goal is to use some of this fresh organic vegetables to make lots of freezer meals for the winter.
On a different note, Lydia got sick yesterday. :( Because she is so young it is difficult to determine if she is actually sick or if she ingested something containing gluten. She ran a fever Friday night but then seemed fine over the weekend. While I was at work Monday I got a call that she was complaining that her stomach hurt and then she vomited. My husband picked her up and she slept for several hours in the afternoon, but then she was fine. She continues to have diarrhea and occasional stomach pains but she spent the day keeping up with her older sister. This is the second time she has had an episode like this. I obviously take every precaution possible to avoid gluten so this is very frustrating. I think about how much school she may miss someday from not feeling well. I hope that it gets easier as she gets older and she can help tell us how she feels.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Easter
Easter will be our first major holiday since Lydia was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Besides the religious aspect of Easter, it also means spending time with family and eating lots of delicious foods. My family offered to send me recipes so that I could make suggestions about making our family favorites gluten free. Because this diagnosis is still so new, I found it very difficult to trust others making Lydia's food. (I hope that as Lydia gets older that I am able to deal with this better). So, I decided that I would take Lydia her own food. Today I did a crockpot of ham, green beans, and potatos and plan to take this to my Grandma's for Sunday dinner. I also have some brownies frozen that I will probably take. I will be keeping a close eye on her this weekend lots of Easter candy. I have printed a list of GF Candy and hope that it helps. Luckily, Lydia is adjusting very well and always asks before she eats anything. I'm hoping that we can make it through this weekend without her getting sick.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Vacationing with Celiac Disease
Sorry it has been a while since my last blog. My family went to Disney World last week and had an amazing time! We were very concerned about vacationing after Lydia's recent diagnoses of Celiac Disease. We were pleasantly surprised that Lydia did not get sick! I will admit that Steve and I spent at least 2-3 hours planning our food menu and calling and asking questions to markets and restaurants to ensure that we were taking every precaution necessary.
I had packed lots of gluten free snacks for on the plane and made it through security with no issues. In the airport we found a stand that sold Oscar Meyer hotdogs. Lydia was able to have one of these and a bag of Lay's potato chips. On the way to our hotel we stopped at a Whole Food Market and bought Lydia some bread, frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, and pretzels because I wasn't sure what the grocery store at our resort would offer. The restaurants in the Orlando area were extremely accomadating! We ate at Outback, Lonestar Steak House, Bahama Breeze, and Carraba's. All of these restaurants knew about Celiac Disease. The chef at Bahama Breeze even came out to our table to help us decide what would be best for Lydia to eat. We also ate 3 meals at Disney which was incredible. Each time, the chef came to the table and discussed options for Lydia. They personally prepared her food and then THEY delivered it to our table. This momma was actually at ease watching her baby eat. :) Planning for this vacation took much more time because we had to consider Lydia's condition when considering our food options. My advice to anyone traveling is to plan ahead. Take as much as you can from home and call ahead to grocery stores or restaurants in the area and ask lots of questions. I'm not a very assertive person, but someone told me that I have to think of myself as Lydia's advocate. It is my responsibility to ask questions and inform individuals of Celiac disease and not expect others to know what it is.
I had packed lots of gluten free snacks for on the plane and made it through security with no issues. In the airport we found a stand that sold Oscar Meyer hotdogs. Lydia was able to have one of these and a bag of Lay's potato chips. On the way to our hotel we stopped at a Whole Food Market and bought Lydia some bread, frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, and pretzels because I wasn't sure what the grocery store at our resort would offer. The restaurants in the Orlando area were extremely accomadating! We ate at Outback, Lonestar Steak House, Bahama Breeze, and Carraba's. All of these restaurants knew about Celiac Disease. The chef at Bahama Breeze even came out to our table to help us decide what would be best for Lydia to eat. We also ate 3 meals at Disney which was incredible. Each time, the chef came to the table and discussed options for Lydia. They personally prepared her food and then THEY delivered it to our table. This momma was actually at ease watching her baby eat. :) Planning for this vacation took much more time because we had to consider Lydia's condition when considering our food options. My advice to anyone traveling is to plan ahead. Take as much as you can from home and call ahead to grocery stores or restaurants in the area and ask lots of questions. I'm not a very assertive person, but someone told me that I have to think of myself as Lydia's advocate. It is my responsibility to ask questions and inform individuals of Celiac disease and not expect others to know what it is.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Wonderful GF Bakery in Squirrel Hill
I have to share one my favorite places for GF treats - GLUUTENY! Gluuteny is a small bakery located in Squirrel Hill, PA (just outside of Pittsburgh). They offer GF, casein free baked goods and they taste AMAZING!!! Their brownies taste better than regular brownies! The best part is even if you don't travel to pittsburgh often, you can still enjoy their products. They are now accepting online orders and will ship products to you. I bought a brownie mix the last time I was out there and will be making them this week. I'll be sure to let you know how they compare to the ones in the bakery. Check out their site, you won't regret it!
Week of March 12 GF Menu
Rather than buying all new ingredients I looked at what was available in our freezer, refrigerator, and cupboard to come up with this week's menu.
Monday: Grilled Cheese and peas (My husband works late so it will just be my girls and me for dinner).
Tuesday: Pork and Sauerkraut (that we didn't have last week) with homemade mashed potatoes
Wednesday: Vension steak, baked potato, and broccoli
Thursday: TACOs with homemade refried beans
Friday: Chicken in the crockpot with a jar of homemade salsa and corn over rice
Saturday: Leftovers because we leave Sunday morning on vacation
Monday: Grilled Cheese and peas (My husband works late so it will just be my girls and me for dinner).
Tuesday: Pork and Sauerkraut (that we didn't have last week) with homemade mashed potatoes
Wednesday: Vension steak, baked potato, and broccoli
Thursday: TACOs with homemade refried beans
Friday: Chicken in the crockpot with a jar of homemade salsa and corn over rice
Saturday: Leftovers because we leave Sunday morning on vacation
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Review of Last Week's Menu
What a week! Our food menu didn't go quite according to plan because of time constraints but here is what we were able to eat.
Monday I was able to make Elisabeth Hasselbeck's chicken tenders and they were quite good. Because of where we live we were unable to get the bread crumbs that were called for in this recipe. We modified and used a package of GF bread crumbs, which tasted just fine.
Tuesday my husband and I went out to Wexford (north of Pittsburgh) to meet with a pediatric nutritionist. Most of the information that she discussed were things that we were already aware of, but it was nice to hear it from a person rather than reading it online. Some things that she suggested were to put Lydia on soy milk instead of almond because it has more protein and fat. She also recommended that we print out nutritional menus from restaurants that Lydia is able to eat at and keep them in a binder in our car. By doing that, we can give Lydia her food options before we even go into the restaurant. She stated when eating out, we should tell our server that Lydia has a severe wheat allergy rather than she has Celiac disease because most people are not familiar with this. She was able to clarify several ingredients that I have found conflicting information on including: maltodextrin, modified food starch, and caramel coloring. At the end of our session, she told us about a family run business not far from the Wexford clinic that sold gluten-free and allergy free foods called Naturally Soergel's. We stopped in and were able to get Lydia GF chicken nuggets, GF and DF pizza, Udi's bread, and GF/DF cream of mushroom soup. This store was great! If you are in the area I highly recommend stopping in. Living in a rural area definately makes eating GF a bit more challenging. :( Tuesday evening we stopped at a restaurant on the way home and my girls ate some corn spaghetti with meatballs at their Grandma's.
Wednesday my husband had to work late so I made tuna noodle casserole, which is one of my girls' favorites! I was able to use the GF/DF cream of mushroom soup that I purchased the day before. It was ok. I think next time I will try to make the homemade version instead. The girls loved it regardless and ate the leftovers on Friday for lunch. :)
Thursday is taco night at our house. My oldest daughter has dance from 5-6 so Tacos are something simple that our whole family enjoys. Our girls look forward to our Taco Thursdays. We still had a can of refried beans in our cupboard, so we used this instead. I am in the process of making the homemade refried beans now, so I'll be sure to post how they turned out.
Friday was movie night at my oldest daughters preschool so we ate meatloaf muffins that were in our freezer. I made homemade DF mashed potatoes, which were quite good. My favorite part of Friday's nights meal was the cooked carrots. I boiled the carrots and poured a melted mixture of DF butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. They were delicious!
Tonight we ate my Mom's sweet chili which is a family favorite. I also made a 9x9 pan of Bob's Red Mill cornbread for the first time. We all enjoyed it. The next time I make it I think I would add some sugar before I bake it because the sweeter the better! I was able to freeze half of the bread and half of the chili so now some night dinner will be extra easy.
Tomorrow we will have leftovers. If you would like any of the above mentioned recipes please message me on my facebook page Loving Gluten Free Mom.
Monday I was able to make Elisabeth Hasselbeck's chicken tenders and they were quite good. Because of where we live we were unable to get the bread crumbs that were called for in this recipe. We modified and used a package of GF bread crumbs, which tasted just fine.
Tuesday my husband and I went out to Wexford (north of Pittsburgh) to meet with a pediatric nutritionist. Most of the information that she discussed were things that we were already aware of, but it was nice to hear it from a person rather than reading it online. Some things that she suggested were to put Lydia on soy milk instead of almond because it has more protein and fat. She also recommended that we print out nutritional menus from restaurants that Lydia is able to eat at and keep them in a binder in our car. By doing that, we can give Lydia her food options before we even go into the restaurant. She stated when eating out, we should tell our server that Lydia has a severe wheat allergy rather than she has Celiac disease because most people are not familiar with this. She was able to clarify several ingredients that I have found conflicting information on including: maltodextrin, modified food starch, and caramel coloring. At the end of our session, she told us about a family run business not far from the Wexford clinic that sold gluten-free and allergy free foods called Naturally Soergel's. We stopped in and were able to get Lydia GF chicken nuggets, GF and DF pizza, Udi's bread, and GF/DF cream of mushroom soup. This store was great! If you are in the area I highly recommend stopping in. Living in a rural area definately makes eating GF a bit more challenging. :( Tuesday evening we stopped at a restaurant on the way home and my girls ate some corn spaghetti with meatballs at their Grandma's.
Wednesday my husband had to work late so I made tuna noodle casserole, which is one of my girls' favorites! I was able to use the GF/DF cream of mushroom soup that I purchased the day before. It was ok. I think next time I will try to make the homemade version instead. The girls loved it regardless and ate the leftovers on Friday for lunch. :)
Thursday is taco night at our house. My oldest daughter has dance from 5-6 so Tacos are something simple that our whole family enjoys. Our girls look forward to our Taco Thursdays. We still had a can of refried beans in our cupboard, so we used this instead. I am in the process of making the homemade refried beans now, so I'll be sure to post how they turned out.
Friday was movie night at my oldest daughters preschool so we ate meatloaf muffins that were in our freezer. I made homemade DF mashed potatoes, which were quite good. My favorite part of Friday's nights meal was the cooked carrots. I boiled the carrots and poured a melted mixture of DF butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. They were delicious!
Tonight we ate my Mom's sweet chili which is a family favorite. I also made a 9x9 pan of Bob's Red Mill cornbread for the first time. We all enjoyed it. The next time I make it I think I would add some sugar before I bake it because the sweeter the better! I was able to freeze half of the bread and half of the chili so now some night dinner will be extra easy.
Tomorrow we will have leftovers. If you would like any of the above mentioned recipes please message me on my facebook page Loving Gluten Free Mom.
Monday, March 5, 2012
$10 off Gluten Free Food
Have you heard about Vitacost.com?
They have over 30,000 health and wellness products, including vitamins, supplements, herbs, personal care products, organic foods and more; and it's all way cheaper than the health food store!
If you decide to check it out, please register through my link so we can both get a $10 off coupon!
They have over 30,000 health and wellness products, including vitamins, supplements, herbs, personal care products, organic foods and more; and it's all way cheaper than the health food store!
If you decide to check it out, please register through my link so we can both get a $10 off coupon!
$10 coupon for first time registers
Glutino Pretzels are marked down 51%, so that means you can order 3 bags for less than $7 including shipping!!!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
This week’s menu:
Monday: Pork and Sauerkraut with dairy free mashed potatoes
Tuesday: Meatloaf Muffins, baked potatoes, and cooked
carrots with a cinnamon brown sugar glaze
Wednesday: Elisabeth Hasselback’s Kid-Friendly Chicken
Fingers with baked sweet potato fries and broccoli
Thursday: Tacos (with gluten free taco seasoning) with homemade refried beans
Friday: Tuna Noodle Casserole (using gluten free noodles and
homemade dairy free cream of mushroom soup)
Saturday: Grandma Paula’s Sweet Chili with Cornbread
Living Well Gluten Free Session
Today was such a blessing! I went to the session held at ACM Bedford County Campus on Living Well Gluten Free with Leah Pepple. It was also nice that my mom decided to go with me. From the session, I was hoping to learn more about local gluten free products especially to find gluten free bread that was actually edible and I did!! :) It is from Udi's. I'm was also excited to learn that they will be carrying this (along with lots of other gluten free products) at The Everett Foodliner very soon. From the talk I also learned about the Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Guide by Matison and Matison. This book is published every 2 years and lists all gluten free foods.
This book is a must for someone shopping gluten free.The book is $24.95 + shipping.
Some other useful websites from today are:
www.gluten.net
www.celiac.com
www.glutenfreegirl.com
www.celiac.org
www.glutenfreeliving.com
www.glutenfreemommy.com
It was so nice to learn about other individuals that are going through the same life experiences. Thank you Leah and ACM for hosting a wonderful event!
This book is a must for someone shopping gluten free.The book is $24.95 + shipping.
Some other useful websites from today are:
www.gluten.net
www.celiac.com
www.glutenfreegirl.com
www.celiac.org
www.glutenfreeliving.com
www.glutenfreemommy.com
It was so nice to learn about other individuals that are going through the same life experiences. Thank you Leah and ACM for hosting a wonderful event!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Free Book
Gluten Free Recipes for Celiacs is offering "Secrets to Finding Hidden Gluten" for free for the next 24 hours. Just enter your email address into weareglutenfree.com and it will be delivered to your email address.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The Revolution
In case you missed it, Elisabeth Hasselback was on ABC's The Revolution this afternoon promoting her new cookbook. I am hoping to make the Kid-Pleasing Chicken Fingers next week. I'll be sure to let you know if they pass the taste test in our house. Check out the link below for clips from today's episode.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The Revolution
Elisabeth Hasselbeck's Kid-Pleasing Chicken Fingers
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound chicken tenders
1/2 cup gluten-free rice crumbs
1/2 cup gluten-free corn crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of the salt over the chicken tenders.
Place the rice crumbs, corn crumbs, Parmesan, paprika, black pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a shallow bowl; mix with your fingertips until well combined. Place the eggs in a shallow bowl and whisk thoroughly. Dip the chicken tenders, one at a time, into the eggs to coat them, and then press them into the crumb mixture.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat, and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, carefully add the chicken fingers. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning them over once, until both sides are golden, about 4 minutes. Then slide the skillet into the oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Let the chicken fingers cool for 2 minutes before serving.
Serves: 4
Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The Revolution
Elisabeth Hasselbeck's Kid-Pleasing Chicken Fingers
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound chicken tenders
1/2 cup gluten-free rice crumbs
1/2 cup gluten-free corn crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of the salt over the chicken tenders.
Place the rice crumbs, corn crumbs, Parmesan, paprika, black pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a shallow bowl; mix with your fingertips until well combined. Place the eggs in a shallow bowl and whisk thoroughly. Dip the chicken tenders, one at a time, into the eggs to coat them, and then press them into the crumb mixture.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat, and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, carefully add the chicken fingers. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning them over once, until both sides are golden, about 4 minutes. Then slide the skillet into the oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Let the chicken fingers cool for 2 minutes before serving.
Serves: 4
Crafty, Couponing Momma's: Gluten Free Product Coupons Week of 3/2
Crafty, Couponing Momma's: Gluten Free Product Coupons Week of 3/2
Lots of gluten free coupons for some of your favorite food products!
Lots of gluten free coupons for some of your favorite food products!
Free Cookbook through Amazon
Freebie available on Amazon. Usually only lasts 24 hours so download today!!
Free Gluten Free Cookbook
Free Gluten Free Cookbook
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Eating Gluten Free Session
Attention all individuals who will be in Bedford County this weekend: ACM Bedford County Campus is hosting Spring into Health Weekend. On Saturday, Leah Pepple will be hosting a session from 1-1:50 titled Living Well Gluten Free. Hope to see some of you there.
http://services.allegany.edu/news/ACM-SpringIntoHealthSetMarch3atBedfordCountyCampus-02132012.pdf
http://services.allegany.edu/news/ACM-SpringIntoHealthSetMarch3atBedfordCountyCampus-02132012.pdf
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Dinner Time
One of the biggest issues with dealing with preparing gluten free meals is making something that everyone will eat. Dinner time is family time so I need to make one dish that everyone will enjoy. My husband and 4-year-old daughter seem to be adjusting just fine to eating gluten-free dinners. Careful planning seems to help ensure a successful meal time. Each weekend I plan out our weekly dinner menu and try to purchase all groceries for the week in one stop. Here is our sample menu for this week:
Sunday - Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (Rice pasta and Swanson Chicken Broth)
Monday - Gluten free waffles, bacon, and baked apples
Tuesday - Chicken Stir-fry with fresh vegetables (Normal soy sauce is not gluten free!)
Wednesday - Crockpot BBQ Pork Roast sandwiches with baked french fries and homemade coleslaw
Thursday - Taco Night (Normal Taco Seasoning is not gluten free!)
Friday - Spaghetti with Meatballs (To ensure this meal is gluten free I will use Rice Pasta, Prego Sauce, and gluten free bread crumbs or puffed rice cereal to make the meatballs).
Feel free to get in touch for more detailed recipes/ingredients.
Sunday - Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (Rice pasta and Swanson Chicken Broth)
Monday - Gluten free waffles, bacon, and baked apples
Tuesday - Chicken Stir-fry with fresh vegetables (Normal soy sauce is not gluten free!)
Wednesday - Crockpot BBQ Pork Roast sandwiches with baked french fries and homemade coleslaw
Thursday - Taco Night (Normal Taco Seasoning is not gluten free!)
Friday - Spaghetti with Meatballs (To ensure this meal is gluten free I will use Rice Pasta, Prego Sauce, and gluten free bread crumbs or puffed rice cereal to make the meatballs).
Feel free to get in touch for more detailed recipes/ingredients.
Blog Purpose
This year has been full of surprises. After my youngest daugther Lydia (age 2) had been suffering for over 2 months with gastrointestinal issues, she was finally diagnosed with Celiac Disease. For those of you who aren't familiar with Celiac Disease, there is no cure. Forunately, it can be managed with a gluten-free diet. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder, meaning when Lydia ingests gluten (a substance in wheat, rye, barley, and oat) her body starts attacking her small intestine. The villa (tiny hairs) become flattened and are unable to properly absorb nutrients. In addition to eating gluten free, Lydia is also unable to tolerate any dairy products at this time.
Our family and friends have been very supportive of Lydia's diagnosis. We are also extremely blessed to have a babysitter who has educated herself about Celiac Disease to help keep Lydia healthy. Most of our knowledge so far has come from the Internet. It has helped us to learn more about the disease and find other individuals who have been diagnosed or who suffer from a gluten intolerance.
The goal of this blog is to help other busy mothers who need to prepare gluten-free meals. While living gluten free is my main focus, I also hope that I can provide some helpful hints to other moms struggling with successfully managing a family, home, and business.
www.celiac.org
Our family and friends have been very supportive of Lydia's diagnosis. We are also extremely blessed to have a babysitter who has educated herself about Celiac Disease to help keep Lydia healthy. Most of our knowledge so far has come from the Internet. It has helped us to learn more about the disease and find other individuals who have been diagnosed or who suffer from a gluten intolerance.
The goal of this blog is to help other busy mothers who need to prepare gluten-free meals. While living gluten free is my main focus, I also hope that I can provide some helpful hints to other moms struggling with successfully managing a family, home, and business.
www.celiac.org
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