Please Help

[Guest chetalrim]

I'm in the process of being tested for celiac disease, but my doctor has indicated that regardless of the results, she'll have me going strictly gluten free anyway.

I do the vast majority of the cooking in the house, and my husband obviously has certain things that he loves eating that I won't be able to. We also have 5 children between us that I need to cook for as well.

I know that going gluten free is probably going to make me feel loads better, but how on earth do I cook dinner for me, my husband and the kids without cooking 3 different meals? Our children range between 8 weeks - 9 years of age, so I pretty much have my hands full as it is! How strict do you really have to be? We can't afford new cookware etc just for me, plus it will double the dishes I have to do anyway.

I just don't want to be a big inconvenience for my family. My husband knows I have to be gluten free soon, but I really don't think he completely understands what that will involve. I don't even fully understand it yet!! At first I was so excited at the prospect of feeling better, now I'm thinking of the whole thing with a huge sense of trepidation. *sigh* How does everyone with families cope?

[Wolicki]

I'm in the process of being tested for celiac disease, but my doctor has indicated that regardless of the results, she'll have me going strictly gluten free anyway.

I do the vast majority of the cooking in the house, and my husband obviously has certain things that he loves eating that I won't be able to. We also have 5 children between us that I need to cook for as well.

I know that going gluten free is probably going to make me feel loads better, but how on earth do I cook dinner for me, my husband and the kids without cooking 3 different meals? Our children range between 8 weeks - 9 years of age, so I pretty much have my hands full as it is! How strict do you really have to be? We can't afford new cookware etc just for me, plus it will double the dishes I have to do anyway.

I just don't want to be a big inconvenience for my family. My husband knows I have to be gluten free soon, but I really don't think he completely understands what that will involve. I don't even fully understand it yet!! At first I was so excited at the prospect of feeling better, now I'm thinking of the whole thing with a huge sense of trepidation. *sigh* How does everyone with families cope?

I feed my kids what I am eating, most of the time. All fresh veg,, fruits and lean meats with nuts once in a while. My system hasn't healed enough to tolerate any grains, and I had to give up dairy and peanut butter. But I will occassionally make them their mac and cheese, or peanut butter sammies- I just make theirs on regular bread.

It's not that hard and the benefit is that your whole family will be eating healthier Just ask them all to be patient while you figure it out!

[runningcrazy]

Just make a few changes to many meals, and your family probably wont even know.

Homemade mac and cheese with rice pasta and cornstarch to thicken your whitesauce.

Spaghetti with rice or corn/quinoa pasta.

Some meals are naturally gluten free: steak with safe sauce, salad no croutons, and a baked potato.

Burgers, just use your own bun.

Breakfast for dinner: gluten free pancakes(non-celiacs would like them), eggs, bacon, toast for them, etc. Whatever you like.

When it comes to meatballs or meat loaf, gluten free bread chopped up or quinoa flakes do the trick.

Tacos with safe seasoning and corn tortillas or hard shells(be sure the ingredients are safe)

Make a gluten free crust using a mix, and make homemade pizza,no one will know.

Spanish rice and chicken/pork chops

If you look more towards easy ways to switch things,it doesnt seem so bad. Its easy to switch to a different pasta, skip the croutons and use a safe dressing, etc.

Good luck!

[Darn210]

At the beginning it does seem overwhelming . . . after you've been at it for awhile, you'll realize it's not so bad.

We have a mixed kitchen. However, all cooking and baking is gluten free. It's not that hard to convert your family favorites to gluten free. Many times it's a matter of switching brands on some of your ingredients (now we use La Choy soy sauce and Baby Rays BBQ sauce). Meals can be "supplemented" for the gluten eaters with a hamburger bun here or sandwich bread there.

I did not get all new cookware. I got two new nonstick skillets (my old ones were a bit scratched up and couldn't be scrubbed clean), a new cutting board, a new pasta strainer, a new cookie sheet and a new toaster.

Gluten items (cereal, breads, cookies) are segregated in their own cabinet.

If you've got some recipes that you need help converting, this is the perfect place to ask. Lots of people here have already been through this process and can give you good ideas on substitutions.

. . . and welcome to the board

[GottaSki]

Our family dinners are gluten-free...we started with meat, vegies and either rice/potato and have now replaced ingredients in most of our old favorites. It will take some effort, but I can tell you it becomes much easier within a short time.

We do still have gluten cereals, breads and flour tortillas for my gluten eaters, but most of our food has become gluten-free. There are many posts about sharing kitchen with gluten eaters...separate cutting boards, toaster and condiments (butter, mayo, jams, pnut butter, etc). We mark our gluten-free items with small bright green circle stickers.

Good luck to you!

-Lisa

[Guest chetalrim]

Wow, thankyou so much everyone. I think I'm letting my worries run away with me. It's very reassuring to know there will be a way to manage it and that so many others cope just fine. I will definitely be doing a few searches for hints and tips!!! Probably best to try and get my head around it now, rather than when I have to start my gluten-free diet.

Thanks for the terrific support

[ranger]

Husband eats gluten- I don't. The other night, we had Mac and Cheese made with Tinkinyada rice pasta and cheese sauce thickened with cornstarch. Dh loved it. I make 8 in. pizza crust for me, freeze them, and buy him a frozen or delivered pizza. He eats glutteny things outside of the house, but our shared meals are almost always gluten-free. When we have burgurs, he has regular buns, I have gluten-free buns in the freezer. It's more work, but doable. And, we eat healthier now. Good luck.

[hannahp57]

My kitchen is shared also. we have separate cereal, crackers, tortillas, and bread. eveything else is gluten free. when i cook i can eat it. on the rare occasion i make something gluteny specifically for him, the kitchen is cleaned BEFORE and AFTER it is made. before so i can see all counter space and will know where contamination is. if you have alot of things on your counter and you spill flour it may hide and remain there awhile. we have a four slice toaster that has not glutened me yet! i have found glass dishes are the safest. just make dinner like always with gluten free ingredients substituted in and have the whole family eating one meal. it is unnecessary to make multiple meals, our food is just as healthy and most things are just as yummy. i would continue to buy regular bread just becuase the gluten-free flours are so expensive

[Guest chetalrim]

Thanks, I've been researching quite a bit and I think most of the time I can substitute gluten free ingredients for what I already use. We eat lots of salad (so that's easy!) and stir fries, so as long as my sauce ingredients are gluten free, it should be all good! I am definitely going to try and cook just one meal as per normal, and sometimes make something gluteny for the kids.

[Ruthie73]

Thumbs up to you! I was in a similar positiona year ago, and it is daunting/ a bit depressing at first, but once you get used to shopping for the right ingredients - say your gluten-free pasta and bread, etc; and swap your gluteny basic cooking ingredients like flour,soy sauce and stock cubes for gluten-free variants, etc, it all gets easier... and no-one notices the difference in the taste.

One tip we discovered for cooking pasta whilst on our camping hols this year - we only had two gas rings, so one was cooking the gluten-free sauce, the other for the water - problem: we all wanted to eat at the same time. Cooked my pasta first (too expensive for the whole family to eat it!) then scooped it out onto a plate and covered to keep warm, then put their reg pasta into the same water. No time issue, as the sauce was still cooking anyway!... Just have to make sure you have loads of water, as it does get a bit starchy or something from the gluten-free pasta. Result: less washing up! lol

Good luck!

x