Mizzo

Just looking for some clarification . . . our school does not allow home made treats, does yours? or must it be store bought?

Ours allows home made. But I welcome both.

Hi folks,

I just became room parent for our classroom and was asked to head up food options for parties. Starting of course this week.

We have an egg allergy, Celiac and strict vegetarian.

I am going to talk to the parents but want to throw in some options as well. And yes I know fruit salad is always an option, but I want treat idea's.

Don't forget to toss out the toaster as well. I also got rid of cupcake pans / baking pans that were well scratched.

If you have a knife block consider replacing it also, I many times used to carelessly wipe the knife and put it back into the block without washing. Therefore, it would of been a haven for cross contamination.

If you are taking your daycare gluten free you need to look into the art supplies, sorry, it's a lot to deal with but in 6 months you will be glad for it. There are posts with lists of gluten-free art supplies on here somewhere.

Good luck,

I have used olive oil as a substitute in many recipes, it works fine but doesn't have as nice a flavor as butter.

Since she is over 7 get her in for a blood test as fast as possible to see if her numbers indicate Celiac's. I say this as a piece of mind for you, and she is old enough the numbers should be accurate.

Then start her Gluten free.

Make a list of all the things she does like (REALLY MAKE A LIST)

Sit down with it and see how creative you can be with mixing it up.

Don't worry too much about it for now] , so long as she is getting her vitamins, maybe omega 3 and fiber supplements also if needed. Her tastes will most likely change once she goes gluten-free, nothing you can do about it just go with the flow.

Their diet doesn't HAVE to be wildly varied that's what we would like, just so long as you are getting basics in thru the WEEK, not the day. Talk to a nutritionist at her Dr's office, sometimes they have idea's we don't think of, and they get the kids motivated more than we can.

When we first went gluten-free we went with the corn pasta because they were readily available and cheap. Then we tried Bionatura and Tinkyada, no comparison, B and T are way better but they are also 2x the price of corn and 3x the price of wheat.

Bionatura is our favorite but it runs about 3.79 a pound. I use Bionatura for spaghetti and pasta salads, and Tinyada for penne, shells etc.. with sauces. We can't go back to corn now.

Good luck

Anyone know of gluten-free frozen meatballs. Once in a while when I forget to defrost I would like this option, anyone know of any brand that is gluten-free?

Sooo, we have been seeing a GI specialist for 8 months. Originally my 1 year old daughter had chronic diarrhea she had undigested sugars in her stools and a very high level of bad bacteria in her gut. So they said probably Celiac. We had some blood work done, and she tested Neg for IgA Atigladin (lovel level of IgA in general) but had an elevated level of IgG (triple the normal). Also High Neutrophil count, Low Lymphocyte level and VERY low Alkaline phosphate levels. We are starting a Gluten Free Diet today because insurance will not approve the biopsy. She is 2 years and 2 month old and weighs 23 pounds. She does not heal well at all (5 week for a mosquito bite) ... Has anybody faced this issue with insurance or anything similar to the blood work? Any ideas on how to deal with our insurance?

Thanks!!

No help here, just my story.

We had np problem with the biopsy as our GI ordered it. However when it came to me and my husband getting the bloodwork on ourselves based on the GI recommendation our Primary care would not order the test due to lack of symptoms. So I suddenly ;-) had celiac like symptoms and insisted on the bloodwork (an aunt on my mom's side also has Celiac so it was an easy push). My husband who actually has stomach problems took longer to convince the PC but eventually we both got tested.

good luck.

You will get lots of response but I am chiming in first.

My 7 yr old girl was misdiagnosed for 1 1/2 yrs and finally tested and came back positive thru biopsy in April 2010 . It took nearly 2 months for the Tummy pain to disappear after going gluten-free with very little cross contamination. NO MEDICATION that I am aware of (short of narcotics) can take care of the pain as it is an Autpimmune disorder. I do give my girl TUMS for the tummy pains but that is a Placebo for her.

I did reduce dairy for the first couple weeks because I was told it could irritate atrophied Villi. Otherwise we waited till she healed.

Good luck, I will also watch this thread to see if anyone found a pain relief for Gluten reaction.

If the recipes from Annalise's book turn out to be a good as people are telling me it might be worth it to shell out the money. Its basically $25 for a 3lb bag. That's around $8lb, a really good flour mill is around $250. So for the cost of around 30lbs of flour it would pay for itself. We bake a lot so for me that would be worth it but I'd rather not shell out that kind of money you know?

I have Annalise's Baking book and her recipe's are good, IMO. FYI I use regular brown rice flour not superfine. Of course using superfine would be better but still they are pretty good as is. Would you like a sample recipe to try ?

Just a note about the book, this is a high fat, high caloric just like homemade, feel good baking recipe book . I tried to make healthier substitutes but nothing worked. I even email her to ask about how to make the recipes a little more waist friendly

and was told, and I quote " If you want a low-fat recipe buy a low-fat recipe book, that was not my intent when I wrote the book"

Since I disliked the tone of her response I will never buy another book of hers. That being said the recipes are good but watch out for the calories and fat.

If you are looking for a flour sub for baking, skip the blend that gluten-free cookbooks call for and get Le Garden Bakery's Quick Mix. It's a cup-for-cup flour substitute for any TRADITIONAL baking recipe. No need to use a gluten-free recipe anymore!

I think the point was to avoid the ridiculous shipping rates everyone charges. Le Garden charges 13.45 to my state for 1.1/2 lbs of their flour.

The u.s.p.s. rate for regular shipping for up to 3lbs is roughly $5, I know because I checked today because I am planning on shipping some frozen UDI's to an Aunt with celiac disease who can't get it. So yes, they are taking advantage of our situation.

Has anyone tried a grind or mill brown rice flour to superfine ? I would like to know myself as I have neither appliance to try it and don't want to invest in one for this experiment.

Are you looking for adult meal plans only or kid friendly as well?

Few ideas

Breakfast

easy = gluten-free cereal or gluten-free Oatmeal with dried fruits , nuts, whatever , yogurt smoothies, gluten-free bagel or english with Pbutter or jelly or cream cheese

cook= Eggs w/canadian bacon and fruit, Pamela's pancakes I make big batches and freeze extra's, eggs and grits,

Lunch

Easy = Tuna or chicken w/salad, Trader joe's has a few gluten-free frozen meals, mostly mexican and Indian style are microwaveable, Yogurt w/fruit and nuts, gluten-free soups , gluten-free cold cuts w/cheese and Corn tortilla,

Cook = Burgers no bun unless you like the gluten-free buns, stir fry veggies and chicken, rice and beans

Dinner

easy = gluten-free takeout hahaha, Mexican, Outback, etc.., Spaghetti and meatsauce, crock pot a soup or stew ,

Cook = any protein and veggie just use gluten-free sauces, and substitue Corn or brown rice pasta

Just remember any fruit , vegetable, meat, or fish is ok plain. Fresh herbs and simple spices are usually ok ie Ginger, garlic, oregano, thyme,etc.. usually fine , A multi spice concoction I would be weary of.

Do you need safe product list ?

For starters

LaChoy soy sauce or San J Tamari,

Many Wish Bone salad dressing says Gluten free on back

Nature path cereal says gluten-free

Bob's red mills has gluten-free Oats

Most Old El paso products are safe

Tikyada pasta are pretty good or Bionatura

There are loads of list of products I don't have the links but someone else will give them to you if you need it.

Good luck

Are you looking for adult meal plans only or kid friendly as well?

HI everyone,

Trying to keep within the Gluten free, peanut free , healthy snack, shelf stable, kid friendly and reasonably priced guidelines are tough. Thanks for a few great idea's.

Maureen

I have to supply up to 40 gluten-free snacks for several events. Can I supply Nature valley granola bars (oats and honey, and dark chocolate) and feel safe about it for others, we have no oat sensitivity.

Any other idea's for a prepackaged, individually portioned snack, must fit into health and wellness category and will not break my bank account.

Also must have a shelf life of up to 2 months. Oh yeah and should be kid friendly. :-)

There is a bakery in Randolph, Mass. called ALLCANEAT it is completely gluten free, also has dairy and soy free options. I know they do cakes but don't know about wedding cakes. Call them and find out.

www.allcaneatbakery.com

I have been there and will say they are OK. not great but OK. IMO.

BTW when I say Gluten free I mean it, the employees are not even allowed to eat or bring a non gluten-free product in the building.

Good luck

Well, there can sometimes be more than one possible meaning. For instance, DH can mean Dear Husband, or it can mean Dermatitis Herpetiformis, which is a skin condition related to Celiac. The context of where it is used should tell you which it is.

However, DS usually means Dear Son. I don't believe I've seen HS though.

Actually it's DH I see a lot. Thanks, now it makes sense.

I see abbeviations all the time and don't know what they mean..

2 most common are:

DS

HS

there are others..

What do they mean?

If it's possible you can try putting all the boxed gluten containing snack foods out of reach or locked away. Since his siblings are younger I assume they are not allowed to go get whatever / whenever they want so it could help!

My girl is 7 and she doesn't even know we have gluten foods because they are out of sight and out of reach.

Good luck

IMO these are great. It's a bit of work but what gluten-free cooking isn't. the "OR " options just lighten up the fat content, either way works great.

sub the white for brown rice flour, and try a a half batch if you want. My girl hates zucchini and loves these muffins, I processed the veggies and it worked nicely.

CARROT ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

2/3 cup sorghum flour or brown rice flour

2/3 cup tapioca flour

2/3 cup white rice flour

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

2 teaspoons of baking powder

3/4 teaspoon of baking soda

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or 2 tsp total cinnamon and nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt

1 large egg or egg white only

5 tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil

2 1/2 cups carrot and zucchini, grated or shredded

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the muffin tins with liners or grease them really well. Whisk the dry ingredients together well in a large bowl. In a med. bowl, combine the egg, yogurt, and melted butter. Make a hole in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients; stir until combined. Add the grated zucchini and carrot. Spoon the batter into muffin cups. Bake for about 20-25 minutes- it may take a little longer in some ovens, but overdone gluten-free muffins are terrible-keep an eye on them!

Makes about 18 muffins.

Anyone have good experiences with their kids with the GI's at Hasbro. We are diagnosed and just want to swap off for follow-up stuff away from Boston

yes, 1 egg or 2 egg whites ... i just use egg whites to avoid excess fat.

I made the 1 minute bun.

Did I not cook it long enough or should I use less that 2 egg whites because mine was the texture of spongecake, almost wet sponge cake. but surprisingly tasty considering the few ingredients and ease of cooking.

I bought baby carrots today, then saw that 1/10 of the container contains a mere 35 calories! That's barely anything! I guess they'd make a nice little addition to a larger meal, but wow, that's disappointing. Vegetables are not big in the calorie department.

I changed peanut butter brands again - this time for a brand that contains literally only peanuts plus some salt.

Sunflower Butter sounds good. I'm going on vacation soon, but when I get back, I might look for some.

I'll look into Larabars. Gluten-free and most of them seem to be dairy-free, so I think they'll be well worth getting. Again, I'll check them out when I get back from vacation.

Thanks for the suggestions! As for the alternate grains, can they be eaten right out of the box? Do they have to be cooked? I want as little food as possible that needs cooking.

Maybe you should consider investing in your own bowls , a few pans and maybe a mini fridge so that you can feel safe with your foods. I bought a mini fridge for traveling with my gluten-free girl and you can fit a lot in it and you wouldn't have to worry about cc. Just a thought.

I personally use ginger for my severe motion sickness. Ginger is a natural herb used for many stomach upset problems and is fairly safe. I take 2 capsule if you wanted you could try 1 to start and see if it helps. or even try tea add some lemon or honey for flavoring.

Peppermint is another all natural ingredient that eases upset stomach. If you have peppermint candy used with natural ingredients have her suck on a couple as well.

Also, I give my girl Tums as a placebo for when her belly hurts. Sometimes thinking something will help, actually does.

good luck

What about the Chex gluten-free cereals, or gluten-free oats, Cornbread with jam, Grits with eggs, Canadian bacon or Sausage with fruit, just a few idea's

another one: Fruit smoothies with Soy/rice milk and add a little gluten-free granola crunchies on top