Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

Juliet

Advanced Members
  • Posts

    333
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Female
  • Location
    Pasadena, CA

Recent Profile Visitors

7,869 profile views
  • PersianCeliac

    PersianCeliac

  • Rebeka

    Rebeka

Juliet's Achievements

  1. Looks great --except buttermilk in hawaii has wheat starch in it.

    Idiotic thing they do there..

    That's not that hard of a fix. You can make a buttermilk substitute by adding lemon juice or white vinegar to milk. For every one cup of buttermilk needed, combine 1 tablespoon or either lemon juice or vinegar with 15 tablespoons of milk (total liquid equal to 1 cup). You let it sit for about 10-15 minutes before you use it.

  2. If all you're looking for is a baking book, "Gluten Free Baking Classics" by Annalise Roberts is a great place to start. I've personally adjusted her flour blends a bit (for the brown rice flour I do a mixture of sorghum and brown rice, and I often add extra flax seed for fiber for those things that aren't sweets), but all of her recipes have worked out well, and it's always based on the same flour blends. It's a good place to start. Also, if you use Pamela's Products Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix, there are a ton of recipes for things like quick breads, cookies, biscuits, and muffins that start with that mix in addition to pancakes and waffles, that are very easy that you can find on their website: www.pamelasproducts.com. It's easy to modify old recipes with that mix as well. That's often where I steer newbies first is with that mix. And if you're worried to start on bread (which I would be :) - not the easiest thing to do and it takes some practice to find out what you like best in terms of flour mixtures), try to find a store that will carry Udi's bread for you. It's almost always affordable (often less than $4 per loaf, and their pizza crusts are great, too), and it is very close to regular bread, just a little small in size.

  3. There has been som more recent research talking about the adolescent brain (and from my experience with my 3 younger sisters and my niece, adolescence in girls really seems to start at 11)

    Open Original Shared Link

    One of the points that, I feel, is most interesting is the part about the pre-frontal cortex:

    "Undeveloped Brain Territory

    One part of the teen brain that is undeveloped until the mid-twenties lies in that second scoop of the ice cream cone. This is called the pre-frontal cortex (PFC). This part of the brain, when fully developed, is in a constant dialogue with the emotional brain (the limbic brain). In the adult, the PFC and the limbic brain are in balance, each one inhibiting the other. So when an adult has an emotional reaction to being cut off by a speeding car, the PFC part of the brain says-"Hey, stop, and think about your desire to go speeding after that car. You might get a ticket, you might cause an accident, your insurance rates will go up". For the teen, however, the PFC is undeveloped, and the emotional brain (including the amygdala mentioned above) rules the moment, until the PFC is developed in the mid-twenties. The teen thinks: "This is going to be exciting!"-if he thinks at all."

    I can't say there aren't additional underlying issues you have to deal with, but this certainly helps to explain why "reasonableness" truly seems to be thrown out the window during this age until sometime in their early 20's. As I said to my husband when his younger sister was about 11 1/2 and he had his first blow up with her (there's a 20 year difference between them), this happens to all girls and can start as early as 11 and ends as late as 25, and during that time (but not necessarily all of that time) we're just not going to like them all that much. But when it's all done we'll probably (hopefully????) like them again.

  4. FYI - masa harina is not the same thing as corn flour. Masa harina is actually "corn dough flour", the corn is turned into a dough, dried out, then ground to make it. It's what is used to make corn tortillas, tamales, pupusas, many Latin foods in general. Corn flour is ground dried corn kernels, more like the way rice flour is made. Depending on the recipe, too, sometimes when it calls for "corn flour", it actually is calling for corn starch. Maybe the recipes you are looking at you could post and some of us could give you suggestions for replacements if needed.

  5. Our son was 2 years 2 months old when he had his endoscopy. And it was far harder on us than him. They let us be with him until less than 5 minutes before they put him to sleep, and then the moment he woke up they brought him back. No IV's for him, and we left the hospital the moment he could walk without help and drink water without throwing up. We got there at 7:45 a.m. and left at 10:00 a.m. And there were no residual effects for him either; he started playing the moment he got home. At nearly 7 years old now, he has no memory of that day, but he does have memories of the 3 day stay in the hospital with nearly round the clock tests that occurred 3 weeks before the endoscopy.

    I stressed nearly non-stop before the procedure (I also had a newborn baby at the time and had very little sleep so I'll blame it all on that :) ). But honestly, it was a waste of my time, neither did it help myself or my family, to do that as much as I did. There are always the "what if" scenarios that as parents we can OBSESS over, but remember that you need to be a parent first, which means control your stress as best as you can and show your child lots of love right now. And when you need to vent or have any questions, just come to this forum. This place was probably the best source of information and support that I had when we first got the diagnosis. Good luck!

  6. First - You're not a horrible mother!!!!

    You know, you have to go with what your comfortable doing. My son was diagnosed at 2, and it took a year for him to not eat everything he saw, and another year to get him to stop picking up everything and throwing it in the trash when we were out. My son is 6 1/2 and my daughter 4 1/2, both have it, but my son is far more sensitive and I often feel like I need to put him in a bubble in order to keep him safe. But I can tell you, it gets easier as they get older.

    So, I read somewhere that every time your child feels sick, other than a cold, you tell them it's because they got gluten, even if it isn't, so that way they understand the association eating gluten = getting sick. Let them know they need to be gluten free. But you are a concerned mom and don't want him to get sick either, so it's a tough one whether to knowingly let him get sick or not. Also, you have to decide whether group play dates with food is something you're willing to do at this age. I hovered over him until he was 4 at the park and other people's houses, and I avoided gatherings that seemed to be centered around food not because I didn't want him to socialize but because it was just too stressful for me to hover over him while having another little one and making sure neither of them get something they shouldn't. I tried controlling the situations as much as I could. Now that he's older, I'm not quite as concerned since both are becoming more capable of taking care of themselves (washing hands, not sharing food), but at his elementary school my son doesn't eat in the cafeteria and only has one friend at a time who can eat outside with him because the group eating areas are too crowded and still not safe enough for him. I'm not saying how I did and am doing it is the right way for everyone, just what worked for us.

    So, if you're tired, stressed, hormonal, and PREGNANT, do what will cause the least amount of stress and least amount of overexertion for YOU. Don't worry about your child even if you decide to keep him in your house for the next however months before you're ready to venture out again - having a good mother is far more important than developing social skills at the age of 3 anyway, that's what preschool next year is for :)

  7. My 6 year old son does the same thing and it lasts for about 5-7 days. It is no fun. I try to help him pinpoint where the anger is coming from (sometimes that's enough to get him to wind down when he realizes it's truly nothing and he's just angry), let him know he's better than the emotions that are controlling him, and that we love him. It's also sad because he acts a bit bipolar at times and almost obsessively and possessively loving (ready to cry when he remembers a slight rejection say from a friend that happened months before, holds onto us as if he's afraid we'll never come back if we do something like go to the bathroom). We just do our best to try to stay in control and make sure we cry from frustration after he's asleep. I tried talking to some therapists, but at least for us they weren't much help. Of course, neither knew what Celiac Disease was and that it can dramatically affect behavior either.

    If you can go to a support group (if you're not near Boston), they may be able to help point you in a better direction. Right now we just try to grin and bear it while where protective gear!

  8. We're dealing with this issue now in first grade. We didn't have it last year because our kindergarten teacher didn't have any "parties". The kids didn't have holiday or birthday celebrations, but I must say it was a lot easier than this year.

    Implementing the same procedures as we did last year, he's had 4 times the amount of contamination when he's even more vigilant than before. He doesn't even eat in the cafeteria (they can't keep it clean), so it really is all in the classroom. He washes his hands at school a minimum of 4 times a day, if not more, and whenever they eat in class he sits separately from the others. But they have gluten treat parties almost every week, and the crumbs get everywhere. They made gluten gingerbread houses that were made by the teacher (I had to make gluten-free gingerbread cakes that we decorated in a separate corner with our own treats - luckily I can't get a job right now so I have the time to be there <_< ), they had gluten cornbread, cupcakes, and pretzels for Thanksgiving, they had gluten cupcakes and pretzels (because they're "healthy) for Halloween, and weekly birthday parties and two pizza parties. The day after the gingerbread houses, the class mother wanted to have a cookie decorating party to celebrate Christmas. And it's not just my son that has issues with food, there's a type 1 diabetic in his class who was just diagnosed in June and even though he's visited by his mother 3 times a day, he's still been sneaking treats lately. I nearly pulled out all my hair when I heard about the cookie decorating party.

    That proposed party was the last straw. We did tell the organizer of the cookie party (in a very nice way) that our son would not be attending and that we hoped that in the future the parties are not always centered around food. We also noted that other parents were concerned, too (which several were - not only the diabetic's mother but others since there was so much sugar). Once this was brought to her attention, she immediately changed the theme. She actually told us that it was more habit to assume the parties needed to center around food and that we were right that there are far better things that could be done. None of the kids knew about the original "plan" and all of the kids had a lot of fun doing a Christmas craft and drinking water out of cool re-usable sippers. I would bring it up. In kindergarten, it's a lot different than 5th grade. All of his classmates will only care that they have a party and not that it's different, and therefore less, than what the other kids at school had. Not one of my son's former kindergarten classmates bemoan the fact that they didn't have a pizza party or cupcakes the way the other kids did. They talked more about the cool things they got to do that others didn't (making art with "found" objects outside, learning Kung Fu moves from a real sensei, having a lesson with a Japanese dance instructor, getting to play on the playground for extra time because they did so well in class, winning magnifying glasses for good behavior, etc.) Good luck!

  9. My son just completed kindergarten, and he never eats stuff he's not supposed to. That being said, he got gluten for about the first half of the school year, without playing with play-dough or any gluten art/school supplies. It is amazing how much kids stick their hands near their mouths (wiggly tooth, show off a tooth that's lost, poke a finger then suck on it, etc.) And the cafeterias are crazy! He'd wipe down a spot or himself, get up to throw away the wipe, and then go back to find his spot taken. And then at the playgrounds, no matter how much the kids are told not to eat out there, the places are covered with gluten snacks. We had to have him sit somewhere outside of the cafeteria (too small to have a designated safe spot inside), wash his hands before eating and after every recess (no food was allowed in the classroom, so we were safe in the class), wipe down the classroom tables daily (for extra insurance), and have the teacher make sure our son kept his hands away from his mouth as much as possible. Once we did this, he only had an incident of getting gluten one time when he lost his tooth and couldn't stop sticking his finger in his mouth to show the missing tooth to everyone.

    Our son is EXTREMELY sensitive, and has been diagnosed for almost 4 years now, so he knows the routine and he still got gluten daily for the first half of the school year. And I swear to you, he did not take one bite of "forbidden food." Your kids might not be so sensitive, but just my 2 cents, I'd avoid gluten products of any sort (including lotion, conditioner, lipstick, lip balms) like the plague.

  10. I'm the oldest of several, and it is a fact of life that particularly during the teen years (and sometimes for the rest of your life) you will be teased by your siblings. I was the oldest, so I did the most, but it was still given to me, too. I was vegetarian for years and for some reason every single person in my immediate family, including in-laws, thought it was funny to offer me meat every time they ate. They didn't tire of it after 15 years. When my son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease at the age of 2, they were all very sensitive about not teasing him (way too young), but when I was later diagnosed, they started constantly teasing me about gluten. None of it is mean-spirited, but it is getting very old.

    And a brother's type of teasing can be a lot tougher than a girl's. A female friend of mine had a fresh bruise somewhere on her arms every day during her pre-teen and teen years while her older brothers were still living at home. And my husband and his 21 year old younger sister tease each other so much sometimes that people actually wonder if they like each other at all (and they really do - it's how they show they care). It's true, you can tell your parents and have them tell him to stop, but you know as well as I do that the moment your parents are gone it will be that much worse.

    My advice would be to just ignore it or give it right back with some smart a** comments of your own. Don't let it show that it gets to you. And although it may not seem like it right now, soon enough his teasing you about food you can't eat won't bother you. After 2 1/2 years of being strictly gluten free, I actually get a little sick to my stomach looking at anything that is definitely made with gluten. And I say this as someone who ate gluten products for well over 30 years before going gluten free. I can make nearly everything I ate before gluten free, and I'm not exagerating when I say it tastes better, especially since I feel better now, too, after eating it. And if you think it's because I don't know what gluten food tastes like anymore, almost everything I've made has been shared with people who eat gluten and they love my stuff, too. My youngest sister, in fact, bought gluten free flours in order to replicate my blueberry applesauce walnut bread, and she eats gluten with abandon and teases me every time with a, "guess what I'm eating right now?"

    So, suck it up, get tough, fight back if you need to, and learn how to cook - there are some great things to eat out there! And as a mother, I do think your older brother needs a smack upside his head!

  11. I have a suggestion for the leftover pumpkin, too. I make pumpkin "frosting" for my kids. Mix about 1/3-1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin with a small tub of mascarpone cheese, 2-4 Tablespoons sugar (depending on your tastebuds) and a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Whip that all up together and use with abandon! We put it on toast, pancakes, bread (even pumpkin bread), carrot cake (instead of the traditional cream cheese frosting, but not always - cream cheese frosting is just soooo good), etc.

  12. I would also put my vote with Pamela's Baking Mix as the first place to start when you begin venturing out into the world of gluten free baking and cooking. I make pumpkin pancakes with the mix, add nuts, ground flax seed (I highly recommend getting some - you can add it into all of your baked goods as well as pancakes & waffles and get the extra fiber and Omega 3 fatty acid which is often lacking in the gluten free diet), and a small bit of sugar (so syrup isn't necessary if I don't want, it tastes like very mildly sweet pumpkin bread) and then freeze leftovers. During the week I can then pull a couple out and heat them up in the toaster. I also sometimes make banana or berry pancakes instead, too.

  13. FYI, if she's in school with others, she can make all the right food choices and still get gluten if she's not diligent with washing her hands before eating (we also have our son wash his hands after recess so that if he puts his hands near his mouth while working in class, it's less likely to have any trace amounts of gluten), having a clean space to eat, and limiting how often she puts her hands near her mouth during the day. Also, look into lotions, soaps, hair products, lip balms, etc. It's amazing how many products have oats and wheat germ oil. There's now even a shampoo touting the hair health benefits of wheat, one of their advertised ingredients. All of these things, especially if she puts her hands near her mouth or twirls her hair a lot, can be reasons why she may be still getting some gluten.

    And some people just take a much longer time before their numbers go down, too.

  14. After 3 1/2 years of close to twice (sometimes thrice) weekly use, my Breadman Ultimate Pro breadmaker broke. I do still make bread in the oven, but our bread use has cut down dramatically to less than once a week. Our whole household is gluten free, and we both work from home, so we eat a lot here! There's nothing better sometimes than dumping all the ingredients in just before you go to bed and the next morning you slice it for your kids lunch. For convenience sake, it's worth every penny.

    And when I had one, after the first mixing and kneading cycle, I would pull out the paddle, too (as long as I was awake that is :) )

  15. Pamela's cake mixes don't have dairy a an ingredient, but there may be some from cross contamination. You can try Namaste, too, or Crave Bakery mixes, but it may be difficult to get that rise you're talking about. If it doesn't work, maybe for the "big" cake you can actually make one of those pull-apart cupcake molds. Each is a separate piece, but when you put them up against each other and frost it, it looks like one big cake. I've seen them even at Target.

  16. I don't make a true "risotto" too often, but I do use arborio rice quite a bit for it's high starch content. I have a baked risotto recipe I like to make, and I also make a faux pesto risotto with stir-fried veggies and lemon juice. I cook the arborio rice with a little gluten free vegetable base in the rice cooker, stir fry lots of veggies with some lemon juice and spices, then once both are cooked, I mix the veggies and rice together along with some basil pesto. It's delicious, and the pesto and lemon/veggie juice gets almost creamy once it combines with the starchy rice. The baked risotto starts out more like a traditional risotto, but then I add all the broth at once after sauteing the rice, veggies, and meat together, bring to a boil, then put all of it, covered, into the oven to bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Not quite as creamy as traditional risotto, but still tasty.

  17. Our 5 1/2 year old son (gluten free for 3 1/2 years) has behavioral issues that start within 2-3 hours after exposure and last for about 5-6 days. Then it takes a week to re-train him that he now is actually able to control his impulses, shouldn't haul off and hit someone the moment he is unhappy, and to not run and kiss every person he likes about 100 times a day. He gets very bipolar in his behavior. He also sticks his fingers and other things in his mouth more after he's been exposed, too, so sometimes one episode can lead to several and the behavioral problems can really last a long time.

  18. In addition to everything you said:

    1. A clean, safe area for him to eat (believe me, those cafeterias are gluten attacks waiting to happen; he touches the table right next to him where someone's eating a sandwich and there it begins).

    2. Time to wash his hands with soap you supply before eating and after every recess. You would not believe how much gluten on the playground there can be; kids aren't "supposed" to eat out there, but they do. And the best kid still puts his fingers in his mouth about 100 times a day when he or she is 5.

    3. Your kid does not get trash duty (this is something they do at my son's school).

    4. And if they do ever eat in the classroom, there has to always be a clean, safe place for your child to sit. In my son's class, they haven't been eating in class at all until the STARS testing started last week. He now eats at a designated spot in the that is cleaned daily with a fresh rag.

    5. And if your child has behavioral issues when he gets glutened, make sure this is noted! And if your child then gets into trouble either in the classroom or on the playground, have the school nurse assess him and contact you before punishment. If it's anything like me, he acts bipolar and truly is not in control of his actions. To have him punished only causes him to go into a severe, nearly suicidal depression, and he's only 5 1/2!

    And make sure your son has a spare set of clothes, possibly even shoes, that are either always in his backpack or at school.

    And either way, be prepared to be at his school a lot, particularly at first. No matter what, he will get glutened at some point (like when he loses his first tooth and can't stop himself from sticking his finger in his mouth constantly). So, the more you're there to explain what's going on, evaluate where possible problems might occur, and also making clear to your teacher (who hopefully will become your new best friend :) ) and the staff that you're there to help them as well as ensuring your son's health and well-being is safe and that he and his fellow students have a safe place to learn, the better it will be.

    And remember, it's just kindergarten. The most important thing for your son and you to learn is how your school works. You're technically not even required to send your child to kindergarten. So do your best not to stress. (Now that's the really tough part! ;) )

  19. Just so you all know, At the CDF Food fair & conference from the first Saturday in May, the reps from General Mills were giving out samples of the brownies, and they tasted just like the original non-gluten free mix. Also, I was told that Target & Wal-Mart will be carrying the gluten free mixes, as well as Ralph's and Vons and their affiliated grocery stores.

    I actually prefer the homemade flourless, fudgey brownies, but the taste & texture really brought back memories when I'd just grab a mix, add some chocolate chips & nuts, and eat warm brownies about 20 minutes later. I really do look forward to the mixes coming out!

×
×
  • Create New...