Sad about Holiday food you cannot eat?

[manasota]

With the holidays approaching, I feel some sadness about being deprived of the holiday foods I used to enjoy.  Then I remember Sammy (not his real name).  He was a four-year old patient of mine when I was working as a pediatric hospital pharmacist.  Sammy used to visit me every day in my 3rd floor pharmacy satellite.  He would come strolling by with his IV pole and his nurse.  They would stand in my doorway and dance to the music I played in my satellite.  His nurse told me it made his day.  I know it made mine.  I so looked forward to seeing Sammy.  He was in the hospital a lot.  Sammy never ate any food.  Never.  All his nutrition came from IV admixtures.  He never smelled, or tasted, or enjoyed any food.  Not any Halloween candy, no Thanksgiving pie, no Christmas cookies, no Birthday cake.  Ever.  Sammy almost made it to adolescence.   Now when I feel deprived, I remember  Sammy and my sadness or even anger turns to gratitude for all the pleasures I do enjoy.  Maybe it can do the same for you.

[julissa]

so sad about that little boy..  this will be my 3rd holiday season, and I really don't get sad, I never did. I was so happy when I realized staying away from offending foods kept me feeling good.

[nvsmom]

Poor kid.  

The secrets to good holiday food is to plan ahead. I tend to do a little more cooking than the average so I will have safe food for my family to eat.  I make gluten-free stuffing (so the turkey is safe), casseroles, buy gluten-free snacks and pretzles.  We make gluten-free gingerbread houses, cookies, squares, brownies and candies.  gluten-free pie with a cookie crust is very easy to make.

We can have almost all of the same foods, we just need to make much of it ourselves and plan ahead. I'm starting some of my baking this week so it is in the freezer and ready to go.  

[bartfull]

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving last year at the home of a gluten-free friend. Turkey, gluten-free stuffing, gravy, potaoes, sweet potatoes, all kinds of veggies, gluten-free rolls, deviled eggs, peaches and cream, and those flourless peanut butter blossom cookies. Anyone who is feeling sad about holiday food should rejoice that they can eat what I ate last year instead of being like Sammy.

This year I am back on a super restricted diet. No gluten, dairy, corn, soy, or sugar. And you know what? I'll be bringing my chicken, broccoli, carrot mixture to heat in the microwave, and I will enjoy the company of my friends. It's the people, not the food, that make the holidays special.

[luvs2eat]

I still miss certain foods terribly. I've been gluten-free for more than 13 years but don't look forward to Thanksgiving anymore cause I can't have the stuffing that was the best part of the meal. I've tried about 13 different stuffing/dressing and it simply cannot be duplicated.

Same with chocolate chip cookies. We made them so often and I've never had a gluten-free recipe come remotely close. Those are two foods I just don't make anymore.

I know I'm healthy and would NEVER think of eating gluten... but boy... do I miss some things.

[cyclinglady]

19 minutes ago, luvs2eat said:

I still miss certain foods terribly. I've been gluten-free for more than 13 years but don't look forward to Thanksgiving anymore cause I can't have the stuffing that was the best part of the meal. I've tried about 13 different stuffing/dressing and it simply cannot be duplicated.

Same with chocolate chip cookies. We made them so often and I've never had a gluten-free recipe come remotely close. Those are two foods I just don't make anymore.

I know I'm healthy and would NEVER think of eating gluten... but boy... do I miss some things.

What?  I just baked some Nestle Tollhouse cookies and pumpkin bread using the recipe off the Libby's pumpkin website.  Both recipes I used before going gluten free.  I only use Pamela's or King Arthur's pre-blended flour.   I serve these to folks who eat gluten daily.  No one has even noticed that they are gluten free.  I use real butter,  extra large eggs, parchment paper, chill cookie dough first (do not over beat) and immediately freeze leftovers.  gluten-free baked goods do not keep well outside of the freezer.  

Stuffing is just veggies and seasonings that pretty much mask any kind of bread.   I use my gluten-free bread crusts that I hoard throughout the year in my freezer.  But, I confess that only my hubby like stuffing.  I can live without it.  ?

Our Thanksgiving will be gluten-free 100%.  Pumpkin and apple pie, rolls, pumpkin cream cheese rolls, lemon poundcake, cranberry cheesecake....oh, yeah, turkey and all the fixings!  

 

[bartfull]

Just got six pounds of grass fed, antibiotic and hormone free beef. So scratch the chicken. I'm having beef for Thanksgiving and I'll be LOVING it!

[manasota]

Luvs2eat, I think you are brave to post that you're still having trouble 13 years later.  It's natural for most of us to have fleeting memories of the foods/things we used to enjoy on holidays.  The trick is to not let this control, rule, or ruin your holiday.  Take control!  You need to develop new holiday traditions.  I assume you've tried numerous food substitutes.  My suggestion is to try to develop new NON-FOOD traditions!  Let your imagination go wild!

1.  Have a bowl, pieces of paper, & pencils on a table in the foyer so when your guests arrive they must choose ONE thing they are most thankful for on this Thanksgiving.  This forces them to consider ALL the things they are grateful for and puts everyone in a great mood for the celebration.  Have instructions written so they write ONE thankful idea, put it on the paper, fold it, & drop it in the bowl.  Later, after dinner, have someone (child, oldest attendee, etc.) pick them out & read them one by one.  Let everyone try to guess who it belongs to.  Should lead to lots of excited discussion and FUN (the thing you're looking for)!

2.  Buy a small, inexpensive bouquet at your local grocery store.  Get a bunch of inexpensive vases at the local dollar store.  Divide the bouquet up & place one stem in each vase.  Then place throughout the home at unexpected places.  Next to the TV where everyone will be watching football, in the guest bathroom (everyone goes there), on the foyer table with the bowl, on your nightstand, etc.   When you awake in the morning, you will be greeted by a gift from the universe--such divine fragrance and beauty and LIFE!

3.  Get some wine or grape juice & put it in little glasses or even paper cups.  People aren't "allowed" to imbibe until they tell a joke.

4.  When I was able to work (pediatric hospital), I chose to work nearly every holiday.   Not because I'm so kind or generous-HA!  I did it because it was fun!  It made me feel so good--all day, all year!  You can always volunteer at your local hospital.  There is always at least one patient who will get no visitors.  You can read to them, talk with them, or just sit with them.  Maybe hold their hand.  If you're good with babies, they always need people (warm bodies) to just sit and hold the babies.  I guarantee this will make you both feel good!

5.  Invite someone new to your celebration!  An elderly neighbor? Foreign exchange students? A friend who has nowhere special to go?  Orphans?  You are guaranteed to have new & exciting discussions and feelings.

From your posting, I think you need to get the focus OFF the food!  This is YOUR job.  You can do it!!  You CAN make your holidays fun again and something to look forward to all year long!  Try stepping just a little bit out of your comfort zone.  You CAN do it!  I know you are worth it.

[cyclinglady]

2 hours ago, manasota said:

Luvs2eat, I think you are brave to post that you're still having trouble 13 years later.  It's natural for most of us to have fleeting memories of the foods/things we used to enjoy on holidays.  The trick is to not let this control, rule, or ruin your holiday.  Take control!  You need to develop new holiday traditions.  I assume you've tried numerous food substitutes.  My suggestion is to try to develop new NON-FOOD traditions!  Let your imagination go wild!

1.  Have a bowl, pieces of paper, & pencils on a table in the foyer so when your guests arrive they must choose ONE thing they are most thankful for on this Thanksgiving.  This forces them to consider ALL the things they are grateful for and puts everyone in a great mood for the celebration.  Have instructions written so they write ONE thankful idea, put it on the paper, fold it, & drop it in the bowl.  Later, after dinner, have someone (child, oldest attendee, etc.) pick them out & read them one by one.  Let everyone try to guess who it belongs to.  Should lead to lots of excited discussion and FUN (the thing you're looking for)!

2.  Buy a small, inexpensive bouquet at your local grocery store.  Get a bunch of inexpensive vases at the local dollar store.  Divide the bouquet up & place one stem in each vase.  Then place throughout the home at unexpected places.  Next to the TV where everyone will be watching football, in the guest bathroom (everyone goes there), on the foyer table with the bowl, on your nightstand, etc.   When you awake in the morning, you will be greeted by a gift from the universe--such divine fragrance and beauty and LIFE!

3.  Get some wine or grape juice & put it in little glasses or even paper cups.  People aren't "allowed" to imbibe until they tell a joke.

4.  When I was able to work (pediatric hospital), I chose to work nearly every holiday.   Not because I'm so kind or generous-HA!  I did it because it was fun!  It made me feel so good--all day, all year!  You can always volunteer at your local hospital.  There is always at least one patient who will get no visitors.  You can read to them, talk with them, or just sit with them.  Maybe hold their hand.  If you're good with babies, they always need people (warm bodies) to just sit and hold the babies.  I guarantee this will make you both feel good!

5.  Invite someone new to your celebration!  An elderly neighbor? Foreign exchange students? A friend who has nowhere special to go?  Orphans?  You are guaranteed to have new & exciting discussions and feelings.

From your posting, I think you need to get the focus OFF the food!  This is YOUR job.  You can do it!!  You CAN make your holidays fun again and something to look forward to all year long!  Try stepping just a little bit out of your comfort zone.  You CAN do it!  I know you are worth it.

Those are terrific ideas!   ?

[RadDecor]

My thankfulness this year is having the time to explore my American ancestry!  In the past three months have discovered I derive from United Kingdom blue bloods, w/ a chain of kings that would impress even Queen Elizabeth II.  Was this a lovely discovery?  Of course.  Does it change anything?  Only in a heartfelt way.  Therefore my thankfulness this Thanksgiving 2015, is focused on all the Mayflower passengers and pilgrims of Plymouth Colony (which included three sets of my 9x great-grandparents).  Their spirit of adventure, their true grit, as well as the loss of their loved ones during that first harsh winter of 1620 when 44% of the pilgrims died; deserves our loving gratitude.   

Wanted to mention that I use the same Thanksgiving stuffing recipe I've used for decades and just replaced it w/ gluten free bread.  It's so easy to make, and so much better than the boxed  variety.  Other than the gluten-free bread, the ingredients are celery, onion, butter, poultry seasoning, and chicken broth.  Important:  bread must be dried, not fresh. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

[bartfull]

Yeah, I made stuffing last year with the heals of gluten-free bread I had been saving just for that reason. Some was Udi's, some was Canyon Bakehouse, and some was Schar. I used the poultry seasoning that Mom always used and followed the rest of her recipe. I admit it's been years since I had Mom's stuffing but as far as I can remember, it tasted the same. And as usual, it was my favorite part of the meal.