[heatherjane]

Hi all,
I'll be visiting my out-of-state family in April for the first time since I was diagnosed a couple of months ago. My mom wants to do her best to ensure that my health is not in jeopardy when I visit, but she needs a little coaching. She is planning to make sure that anything that I eat is cooked separately, on new or undamaged cookware, and she's going to use a rubbermaid tub to store all my stuff... but after that point, she's not sure what else to do. My family is not very exotic in their eating habits... meatloaf, spaghetti, grilled food, chilli/soups, etc., so I don't want to overburden or overwhelm them. But, I don't want to be stressed out the whole time I'm there, either.

A couple of my mother's questions:
- Are there simple meal ideas that gluten eaters (esp. gluten-eating kids) would enjoy?
- What cleaners effectively remove gluten from countertops/tables?

Any other advice would be much welcomed!

[ranger]

heatherjane, on Mar 14 2009, 07:21 AM, said:

Hi all,
I'll be visiting my out-of-state family in April for the first time since I was diagnosed a couple of months ago. My mom wants to do her best to ensure that my health is not in jeopardy when I visit, but she needs a little coaching. She is planning to make sure that anything that I eat is cooked separately, on new or undamaged cookware, and she's going to use a rubbermaid tub to store all my stuff... but after that point, she's not sure what else to do. My family is not very exotic in their eating habits... meatloaf, spaghetti, grilled food, chilli/soups, etc., so I don't want to overburden or overwhelm them. But, I don't want to be stressed out the whole time I'm there, either.

A couple of my mother's questions:
- Are there simple meal ideas that gluten eaters (esp. gluten-eating kids) would enjoy?
- What cleaners effectively remove gluten from countertops/tables?

Any other advice would be much welcomed!

All the foods you mentioned are easy to convert to gluten-free. For meatballs or meatloaf, just use gluten-free bread or crackers in place. I have used leftover breading, biscuits or even mashed potatoes for the filler. You can buy good gluten-free pasta or, if you are an experienced cook, you can make your own. Recipezaar.com amd glutenfreeda.com are good sources,as is this forum. My house is almost gluten free- dh makes an occasional sandwich, but his bread is kept wll away from the rest of the food, and he is limited to a small part of the counter, so cleaning is not that big an issue for me. I hope you have a good vist.

[mamaw]

Why don't you take along pancake mix, bread, cereal & your snacks. I would tell your Mother she can make any meats that are not pre-seasoned, marinated or have sauces on the meat. She can season with McCormick as their spices are clearly labeled. The same with vegetables & kraft salad dressing are also clearly marked. I would probably make or buy some tasty dessert that I could share with the family so they understand how you eat now days. when we go visiting I always take several things so that everyone can enjoy. You can make banana splits, pudding, jello salads, smoothies while you are there to again promote your new living style to them.
Find a nice place to eat out as well........
Main thing is to have an enjoyable time with family.....I would ask Mother if she wouldn't mind not baking with reg flour while you are visiting...
I clean my counter with a soft scrubbing pad & Palmolive dish soap & wipe several times after with clear water. In between I use Lysol or clorox clean-ups.
Easy meals : chicken nuggets by Bell & Evans,hamburgers,chili, spaghetti with homemade sauce ( you take your own pasta), Rotissiere chicken (make sure it is gluten-free). Costco's is gluten-free....bb'q chicken .
hth

mamaw

[Takala]

You can do an internet search for "gluten free health food store" or "gluten free grocery" with your mother's zip code, and see what sort of stores are nearby that would be available to shop at, so when you get there, you know exactly where to go to pick up whatever you need that she didn't buy and regrets....

These can be regular chain groceries with a good specialty product aisle, a national chain like Whole Foods. or a smaller local shop.

I would also pack a lot of non perishable food to take with me, if I didn't have that sort of access or from my internet research, suspected the supply was going to be not what I wanted. You can even ship it ahead of time fed ex or ups if you're flying.

For instance, if you're really fond of a certain gluten free cereal, and just want to eat that every morning, take a box with you. Also, if you have a favorite brand of gluten free dairy alternative milk, like boxes of rice, soy, hemp, check to see where you can get it, or bring it. I love nuts, and I eat nuts all the time with fruit in the mornings, so I'd be taking a big bag of almonds, because they don't need refrigeration and I can get them cheaper here. Rice cakes (Lundberg is gluten-free) also travel well, if you're into them. Gluten free tortillas. Your own jar of peanut butter. Safe jelly. Tuna in pouches. Your own jar of mayo, that you can purchase when you get there. That then, combined with a vegetable and/or a piece of fruit, takes care of a lot of breakfast/lunch emergencies, and then you can worry about dinners.

Big breakfast, eggs and gluten free ham or bacon (there is a lot of gluten-free Canadian bacon) also works.

For dinners, RICE PASTA can replace all wheat pasta. (Don't forget to use a clean colander)

Stovetop Mac and cheese, very easy to do gluten free. Cook rice pasta, drain, throw in some butter and or olive oil, salt, some grated cheese and some gluten free yogurt, a pinch of tumeric for color, stir and heat through.

Check you spaghetti sauce ingredients. Don't let them put some sort of icky contaminated sausage in the sauce, for instance.

Meatloaf. Use plain cooked rice for filler, or crumbled rice cakes.

Grilled food. Could be a problem, if done over an outdoor grill with a yucky not thoroughly cleaned grill, and some charcoals have gluten in them. Watch out for other people's marinades.

Classic chicken standbye. Take gluten free chicken breasts and bake them in the oven with some fresh lemon juice and fresh garlic slices. Add a sprig of rosemary. Serve with side vegetable or salad.

OMG WHAT TO DO ABOUT SALAD DRESSING ? Use olive oil and either apple cider or balsamic vinegar or a wedge of fresh squeezed lemon. Salt, pepper, sugar to taste. Crisis solved.

Chiles- very easy item to make good gluten free. Meat, onions, beans, peppers, tomatoes. Use McCormick individual gluten-free spices. Chile powder, cumin, pinch of oregano. A little apple cider vinegar. Can use canned pumpkin for a thickener, tastes great, works great. Serve with gluten-free corn tortillas. Or gluten free corn chips. You can bake your own chips if you need to, in the oven. Garnish with safe sour cream, or yogurt.

Guacamole. Take ripe avocado, smash it up with lemon juice and salt. Serve with corn tortillas.

Huevos rancheros. Fry eggs. Put on gluten-free corn tortillas. Top with leftover chile and grated cheese. Garnish with guacamole, serve with refried beans. See how easy this is to eat well gluten free.

Refried beans. Open can of pinto beans. DRAIN WELL, rinse if necessary with water. Put in pan with olive oil, salt, a few shakes of Chipotle Smoked Tabasco Sauce. Smash and heat thru.

Soups. Imagine and Pacific make boxed Gluten Free broths and soups. These are great for bases. Make a big pot of gluten free vegetable soup and you can eat that for lunch everyday. Saute assorted savory vegetables in olive oil, add gluten-free broth, a can of corn, a can of drained beans, a can of tomatoes, salt, a little real apple cider vinegar and a little bit of cumin, mmmmm.

Ore Ida makes tater tot type things that are gluten free.

Or take potatoes, bake them, and dress them with safe sour cream, safe yogurt, or safe chile. There's a meal.
Or cut potatoes into wedges, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake for oven fries.

Hamburgers, gluten-free hot dogs, potatoes, easy meal.

Potato salad can be made gluten-free in big batches. Best brand regular mayonaise is gluten free.

USE A NEW CUTTING BOARD. And your main problem is going to be keeping other people's contaminated spoons out of the safe food, once it's cooked. Try to ban wooden cooking spoons for the week.

[heatherjane]

Thankfully, there's a Whole Foods-type store ("Earth Fare") really close to their house. The first things on our agenda is to make a stop there to pick up any specialty items for me.

Thanks for your helpful (and thorough) suggestions! Hopefully they won't be too overwhelmed by all my sudden special needs.

[LDJofDenver]

heatherjane, on Mar 15 2009, 07:28 PM, said:

Thankfully, there's a Whole Foods-type store ("Earth Fare") really close to their house. The first things on our agenda is to make a stop there to pick up any specialty items for me.

Thanks for your helpful (and thorough) suggestions! Hopefully they won't be too overwhelmed by all my sudden special needs.

Did anyone mention that you should not use their toaster? If you can't find those toaster sleeves that keep your gluten-free bread safe in a contaminated toaster, you could always just pick up a $10 toaster at a Kmart or something, and just leave it there until your next visit.

[heatherjane]

LDJofDenver, on Mar 19 2009, 02:23 PM, said:

Did anyone mention that you should not use their toaster? If you can't find those toaster sleeves that keep your gluten-free bread safe in a contaminated toaster, you could always just pick up a $10 toaster at a Kmart or something, and just leave it there until your next visit.

Yeah... I thought of that. I think if I toast anything while I'm there it will probably be on a clean pan in the oven. Where can you find the toaster sleeves, though? I've heard about them once before but keep forgetting to look.

[janetw]

I think this is what you are looking for:

http://www.toastitbags.com/