Cereal Anyone?

[relkins]

My 10 year old son was officially diagnosed in Jan. 05. We are still in a stage of shock. He had been having some stomach pain for awhile but nothing major. One day he had some blood in his stool so I made him an appointment. The doctor asked a lot of questions and told me that he wanted to do a couple of screening tests on him. I was scared to death of course. When the tests came back he informed me that he might have Celiac's. I had never heard of it. From what I have read though unless it's already in your family it can take awhile for a doctor to test for it, so I guess in that aspect I was lucky with our doctor. Although I've learned a lot the past couple of months I'm worried that he might still be getting some gluten through things. I am a single mom that works full time, goes to school part time and on a very fixed budget. Can anyone give me some suggestions on some cereals that are gluten-free that I don't have to pay $5 a box for. Also are there any good gluten-free breads that make a good sandwich. I bought the tapicoa bread and he hated that. Anything will help this newbie.

Renee aka mom of Cameron

[KaitiUSA]

Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles by Post(a brand made by Kraft) is gluten free

Envirokidz also has some gluten free cereals too

[Boojca]

Ditto what Kaiti said.

As for bread, bc you are on a budget your best bet is to make your own bread. I use Bette Hagman's Tapioca Bread recipe and it tastes JUST like regular homemade white bread (I dont' have celiac disease, my 3 year old son does, and I like his bread better than mine!!) This recipe is in her book Living Well Without Wheat: The Gluten Free Gourmet revised edition.

Bridget

[VydorScope]

Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles by Post(a brand made by Kraft) is gluten free

Envirokidz also has some gluten free cereals too

Two more suggestions...

I get a cereal called Puffin's Honey Rice and its gluten-free. They have a gluten-free cornflakes too. Not all thier products are gluten-free, but the ones that are are cearly labled "Gluten Free" on the fron of the box. Becarefull where you buy it though, at Kroger it was 4.69 a box, at health food store called Wild Oats it was only 2.99 a box!

As for bread... I make my own. I refuse to pay 6 and 7$ for those tiny gluten-free loafs they sell.

[Guest taweavmo3]

What about the Malt O Meal Dyno Bytes??? There's also a cocoa pebbles version too. You get twice as much cereal for the price of a box of Fruity Pebbles. Someone please correct me if they are not gluten free, but I read on here that they were.

My daughter loves the Envirokidz cereal, but it's nearly $4 a box. The way she goes through cereal, it gets expensive. I just bought her the Malt O Meal cereal, even though I swore I'd never buy that sugary stuff! I figure since she's finally eating fruit again, I can up her fruit and veggie intake to make up for the junk. I also made something similar to rice krispie treats with the Dyno Bytes, and they were really good. It's just sugar cereal and marshmallows......so not a compete shocker there that the kids loved it. I can't seem to find a cookie recipe that I like though, so I gave up and made the marshmallow bars. All my cookies have that gritty texture and are very crumbly.

As for bread, I haven't found anything yet either. I can't afford a bread machine right now, and the last loaf I bought for $10 I ended up turning into breadcrumbs because no one would eat it. That was from a gluten free bakery around here, so I was really surprised that it wasn't tastier. Good luck in your bread search....I need the ideas too!

[Guest nini]

Malt-O-Meal just recently changed the ingredients of their cereals and they now contain gluten. I was VERY upset about this. I stocked up on many bags of it at the Super Wal Mart while they were still gluten free. Make sure you read the label, They will disclose wheat on the ingredients list. Hopefully the ones you just bought are still gluten free, but I do know that the transition to not being gluten-free is supposed to happen this summer.

[VydorScope]

I can't afford a bread machine right now

You do not need a bread machine to make bread. I never had one till just a week or 2 ago when my mom sent one.

[tarnalberry]

Health Valley Corn or Rice Crunch 'Ems and Blue Corn Flakes are good too. As is Kashi Cranberry Sunrise.

[Guest Eloisa]

I buy Gorilla Munch and my kids love to eat it. I don't think its that expensive.

[VydorScope]

I buy Gorilla Munch and my kids love to eat it. I don't think its that expensive.

depends where you buy it I guess... its $2.99/box at my Kroger. Just bought 2 boxes of the Kola one this afternoon, but I know some ppl said its over $4 a box, which would be to pricy for me.

[Guest taweavmo3]

Oh man!!! You've got to be kidding me! The package I bought does not say anything about wheat ingredients. Guess I need to stock up before the switch happens. I love Malt o Meal cereals, you get so much for such a small price and I don't have to go anywhere different to buy it.

The Envirokidz cereal is expensive here, the cheapest I have been able to find is $3.69 a box. I'm pretty sure my 14 month old has celiac as well, so between him and my daughter, we go through heaps of cereal. It is such an easy on-the-go snack.

Vydorscope...what kind of bread did you make without a bread machine? I'm feeling more adventerous these days, so I may attempt some bread soon!

[VydorScope]

Vydorscope...what kind of bread did you make without a bread machine? I'm feeling more adventerous these days, so I may attempt some bread soon!

ANY bread recipe can be made with out a machine, infact most have to be adapted to use the machine, not the other way around. The machine just kneeds an mixes the stuff for you, and of course bakes it. Get any decent gluten-free cookbook (or heck search this site theres some here) and there will be plenty of different breads you can make.

Theres no magic in the bread machine, it just does a few steps for you. Saves you time because it does the time consuming parts (mixing and kneeding) while it bakes the bread.

[connole1056]

VydorScope, I bet everyone with celiac disease can understand what you are going through. I think it is very difficult to introduce new types of food to a toddler or preschooler. They get very set in their food likes and dislikes. Much of the gluten-free food is bought frozen, but if it is not I freeze it in small portions. This saves money because so much of this food is preservative free and goes bad quickly. Maybe you could give a small portion to your child and then freeze the rest, then wait a few days and reintroduce it. It does seem harsh and I am sure that people will get upset, but if someone is hungry enough, he will eat what is avilable so maybe you could try not giving in and giving him something else. But keep in mind this can be very emotionally draining, especially since you seem to have alot on your plate with work and school. I found that I did spend alot of money finding out what my daughter liked. Some brands are well-liked by some, but not others, so it is hard to know what to try. I have gotten many recommendations for brands, bought them and then found out my daughter hates them. It's awful.

If there is a Shaw's Supermarket in your area, you may want to try them for cereal. The one near me has quite a few gluten-free cereals that are not too much money-about the same price as regular cereal boxes. In the larger Shaw's supermarkets they are not in the regular aisles though. They are in the natural foods section. I have found that the stores with these natural sections tend to put the gluten-free items on sale more often than those without. As more people eat natural foods, the prices go down AND they become more widely available. The price you pay really depends on how widely availble the food is. Of course food prices have been rising because the gas/oil prices have been rising. I did not see anyone suggest puffed rice. It is generally very inexpensive. Some people find it bland, but children usually like it with sugar sprinkled on it.

I found that after buying all the ingredients and adding in my time, it was cheaper to buy gluten-free bread then make it. If you do have a Shaw's near you, they often put it on sale for 2/$5.00. (This is the Food For Liife brand). If that is too much for you and you do continue making it yourself you still may want to condsider a bread machine. When my support group said the only machines that would mix the heavy flours and dough for gluten-free bread was over $200 and some $450 I almost dropped dead! However, after looking at the dough I thought I would try a cheaper machine and it worked fine. I got a Breadman on sale for $59 about 6 years ago and have never had a problem with it. If you want a machine you could try Macys when they have one of the sales, with coupons they ALWAYS seem to be having. That is how I got mine so cheap!

I hope this helps.

[VydorScope]

I think your getting the ppl your replying ot mixed up, but I appreacite teh advice

But on th topic of a breadmachine...

My bread machine cost about 60$ at target. I do not know what is out of your price range (who ever ir was that said they could not afford one, I lost track, LOL), but if you are thinking in the $200-$450 range, then your looking way to high. Mine is this one:

Open Original Shared Link

My wife and I have made a few loaves of gluten-free bread in it and had no problems at all. This is the only one i have ever used, so I can not compare it to others, but it a fairly simple device I doubt theres much difference in them.

[Guest Eloisa]

We made French Bread from the Gluten Free Pantry in a loaf pan and it really smelled good just like the real stuff and made Panini sandwiches and froze the rest. This stuff is the best stuff I tasted yet.

[gabrielle]

i like envriokids the best. especially the gorilla munch, and the peanut butter one (I forget what it is called)... but I really like them a lot.

[Jnkmnky]

My 7 year old son likes the "Black China Rice" bread from Foods for Life. Also, the white tapioca bread by Kinnikinnick is pretty darn good. You can order these breads on line. We bulk order and keep the freezer stocked. That saves on shipping. Plus, I find that the Kinnikinnick brands cost less on-line. When I purchase the products my son likes from WholeFoods, it's at least a buck more than directly from Kinnikinnick's on-line store. I have to recommend the Glazed Chocolate Donuts from Kinnikinnick. Actually, there's a nice variety of donuts from Kinnikinnick, but my son Loves the glazed chocolate. That's what he eats for breakfast.

Lots of stores will carry the Envirokidz cereals from Nature's Path. I go to the customer service desk, ask very nicely if they will please provide the gluten free cereals by Nature's Path and always get them. They'll probably ask you to provide a written request for the products, but they're usually very accommodating of customers. I'm navy so we move a lot and whenever we get to a new city, I just go from store to store requesting what my family needs and someone always steps up.

Don't be discouraged because the inital process is overwhelming. You and your son will find the products he likes, and eating gluten free will not be so bad as it is in the beginning.

Bacon and egg burritos in a gluten free corn tortilla are a nice breakfast. All my kids eat those. Sorry. Ideas just popping in when I should be ending the response.

[Guest Lucy]

our store has a health food section and they have their own brand of corn flakes, and frosted flakes, and they are very good. My kids HATE all the envirokids brands. Also I buy good start microwave breakfast. and some microwaveable omelets in the frozen section.

[Guest nini]

I wanted to add that my daughter LOVES Quaker Instant Grits... once they are cooked I add 1 slice of American Cheese to it and she just gobbles it up.

[Carriefaith]

So Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles are safe! That's great! Has anyone ever reacted to them?

[VydorScope]

So Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles are safe! That's great! Has anyone ever reacted to them?

Just wacth out for the "new" ones that add marshmellows or etc. All of those I saw had gluten in them. Only the "orginal" normal coco pebbles and fuirty pebbles are gluten-free. My toddler son has had no reaction to them that I know of.

[KaitiUSA]

So Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles are safe! That's great! Has anyone ever reacted to them?

Never had a reaction to them...and only keep to the cocoa and fruity ones by post...the new marshmallow ones do contain gluten.

[connole1056]

The really expensive machine I referred to was called Zoruishu, or something like that.There are a few models available. I am glad to hear that someone else bought a cheap one and did not have a problem with them. I think I am one of the only people in my support group who did not spend a few hundred on a the bread machine. The thinking is that since the gluten-free dough is so heavy the regular machine's motors die out rather quickly. I never had a problem with my cheap model. That is what I was saying-don't believe the hype, even from a celiac support group!!

[tarnalberry]

Zojirushi makes a rice maker - fuzzy logic rice maker - that's... insanely overpriced, or so it seems. (Its price tag is three digits... for a rice cooker... crazy!) Anyway... with being gluten-free, and my husband decided that he LIKES stir fry, we have lots of rice. And we both hated the stuff sticking at the bottom, and he didn't want to use the "pot on the stove" method (which I can do without any wasted rice), and wanted the rice to be consistently actually well done. So he got one for a birthday or christmas present when we had a gift certificate for the place we got it. And... dude... perfect rice. Brown, white. long-grain, short. One cup, five. Doesn't much matter. Always a full pot of perfectly cooked rice with every grain useable. It's rather amazing. If someone decides they want to splurge, gets a gift certificate to cooking.com or amazon .com, or has some "in the money" rich relatives who likes giving wacky gifts... consider it. If I were to buy a new bread maker, based on the design of their rice cooker, I'd look into their model.

[UIDancer]

I just discovered Kashi Cranberry Sunshine. I don't believe it says gluten-free on the box, but the gluten-free food list says it's gluten-free. It's REALLY good!!