Gluten Free vacations

We have gone on a few vacations over the last year since being very strict about being Gluten Free. It always makes me nervous when we go out to eat, especially when we are away from home. Here are a few tips on making a vacation a little easier on the (cheap) Gluten free traveler...

#1 Stay in a place with a Kitchen! We went to San Diego in August and stayed in a nice little hotel that had a small kitchen. It was totally worth a little extra money for the hotel. We cooked every meal and brought sandwiches to the beach for lunch every day. We actually saved money by not eating out the entire time. We live in Mesa, AZ so we drove to San Diego and just brought a lot of gluten free basics with us (Bread, noodles, mixes, Chex cereal, Lara and Soyjoy bars, pretzels, you know, the stuff that can be super expensive if you don't buy it on sale). We bought the rest of the food there. We had spaghetti, steak and potatoes, tacos, and a lot of sandwiches. What we cooked was simple and quick, it is not a vacation if I am cooking and cleaning all day! The best part about staying in a hotel is maid service. Someone else does all the cleaning, including the dishes!

#2 Research restaurants and stores. TJ and I went to New York in May. He went for work and I went to play with my sister who lives there. We stayed at her place so we were able to cook a lot of the meals. But we really wanted to be out sightseeing, not inside cooking. Lucky for us we looked up a few Gluten Free restaurants beforehand. Our very favorite place was Risoterria's. The bread sticks are amazing! We also went to Babycakes and had some delicious treats. We went to a Yankees game too. They had a concession stand that was specifically for Gluten Free, but it was out of food?! when we got there. I was not very pleased about that. We were able to find gluten free stuff at the regular grocery stores, such as pancake mix, brownie mix and soy sauce (we had to try out the sushi!). TJ got a little sick here and there when we didn't do proper research and look stuff up. Thank goodness for smart phones! I am constantly googling gluten free menus and products.

#3 Snacks. We buy snacks in bulk! Having a 4 and 1/2 and a 2 and 1/2 year old and me nursing means someone is constantly eating! Our favorite is apples, they are so easy, and cheap, and I feel good about giving them to the girls. Pretzels are a special treat because they cost more. The same with Soyjoy and Lara bars. The applesauce in a tube-thing is great. I feel kind of funny eating them in front of people though! Dole has some yummy ones, nice and tart instead of sugary.

#4 Research airlines for long flights. If you are flying make sure you plan ahead for meals! We were able to go to Hawaii in December with my family (so much fun!). Before getting on the plane back we had to toss our apples, oranges and bananas! Something about a specific fruit fly they didn't want carried over to the Mainland. The food they offered on the plane wasn't gluten free. Their complementary peanuts are OK though. But DO NOT eat Southwest Peanuts, they have wheat in the ingredients! Also the chance of finding a vendor in the airport that offers gluten free is slim. There were a few places that have gluten free at their regular restaurants but of course do not at the airport restaurant. Example there was a California pizza kitchen-no gluten free, and also a Cafe that usually offers different soups that are gluten free, but they didn't have it. Once again, we made sandwiches beforehand and packed some pretzels and chips. Occasionally TJ flies for work. If he didn't pack food or can't find a vendor he can usually find a salad with gf dressing, but it's hit or miss. And it's ridiculously expensive.

Gluten Free Apple Ring Pancakes

I got this idea here. I didn't even read the recipe, I just made a pancake mix and dipped apples in it! But it was so yummy. Made me feel a little better about pouring syrup on top! Plus it makes the batter go farther.

I really like to sneak healthy stuff into food without my husband or kids noticing, it's kind of a weird kick, I know. I added GF quick cooking oats, and some ground flax seed to the pancake mix. I also added a little extra milk and an egg white so it wouldn't be too thick. A little ground cinnamon in the mix is really delicious!

I think Bob's Redmill pancake mix is my current favorite. It tastes the most like original pancakes. The GF bisquick is too grainy for pancakes.

Simple Lunch Pasta

This made for a quick, yummy lunch.

I had some leftover grilled chicken from the other night (like 1/4 of a breast). I cooked up 3 different types of pasta because I just wanted to finish them off! I used some Quinoa spirals, rice flour spirals, and even rice flour spaghetti! Just in case you were wondering about the random noodle mix!)

I drained the noodles and diced up the chicken and set both aside. I just rinsed out the pasta pot and kept using it, I hate cleaning more dishes than I absolutely have to! Put some olive oil (about 2-3 tsp. and 1 tsp. garlic (I have a jar of the diced up garlic that makes my life a little easier). Cook garlic about 2 minutes to give the oil a good flavor. Add pasta and chicken. If they are sticking to the pan add more oil. I had frozen peas that looked good to me. If I had had some fresh green beans, or zuchini, or sno peas or asparagus you can bet I would have used them too! Pretty much anything can be added into this. I put on Italian seasonings, and salt and pepper to taste. I also had fresh parmesan cheese on hand, so grated some on top. It was light and fresh and fast. A perfect lunch!

Basic ingredients-
chicken
cooked pasta
olive oil 2-3 tsp
galric 1 tsp
frozen peas
Italian seasonings 1/2tsp
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan on top

Having a small child with Celiac

Kate and Trey

Kate will be 3 in April. She does a great job of not whining when she can't have something other people are eating. We say "It will make your tummy hurt" and almost always she will be happy with a substitute (which is key).

Here is my frustration...the other night she woke up over and over. She complained that her tummy hurt. Unless she snuck into something hidden around the house, there is no way it was from eating gluten. She may have had a bug or something, but no one else was/is displaying anything similar. Which makes me wonder if she has figured out it works for a great excuse (like to be able to sleep in my bed). She has said it on occassion during the day lately like when we are cleaning up her toys, or she doesn't want to finish dinner, or just when she wants some more attention. She definitely gets one-on-one time, but maybe she is craving some more? How do I differentiate between a real tummy ache and her just avoiding chores or wanting attention? I don't want her to be treated any different from other kids. Not extra special and not neglected, just normal.

Any parent of young kids out there with a similar problem?

Explaining Celiac Disease

While Celiac Disease is definitely becoming more known, there are still a lot of people who haven't heard of it. I had never heard of it before Kate got sick one and a half years ago. I feel like I am constantly describing it to people, even family.

The easiest thing for me to do is to describe it like this...

Celiac disease is sort of like a not-life-threatening peanut allergy. Even trace amounts make TJ and Kate very sick. It is an autoimmune disease, so the body attacks itself in their intestine. There is no cure or treatment other than a completely gluten free diet.


This is the best way for me to tell people in a few words how important gluten free is for us. You can certainly go into more depth than this, but i have found launching into more than this just overwhelms people. Keep it simple.

Amazing Gluten Free Almond Butter cookies

While staying at my parents' house in Snowflake, my mom and I made these delicious almond butter cookies. (pictures to follow when I get home!)

The best part is how simple they are.

1 cup almond butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the egg. Add sugar and almond butter. Mix well.

Roll into small balls (about 1 inch). Place on ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten with a fork (just like with regular peanut butter cookies). Bake for about 10 minutes. Let cool.

I really liked these with some Nutella on top! Spoon Nutella into a corner of a plastic baggy and cut the tip of the corner so you can more easily drizzle the chocolate. Or you can just spread it on with a butter knife. Just be careful because it can get messy, as Nutella does not harden!

These cookies were great because they have a lighter, nutty taste. My not-gluten-free family loved these too!

Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles are Gluten Free!

A lot of you may already know, but just in case...I was pleasantly surprised to find Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles now say "Gluten Free" right on the box! You can bet we have a box of each! I really like to mix either of them with corn or rice Chex (so it isn't so sugary). Kate was so excited to eat a new kind of cereal. I love you Chex, but a little extra variety is wonderful!