School daze....

Seriously - where did the summer go?  I find myself asking that question every August when I'm getting my back-to-school supplies for the boy. 

For our GFP2B kids, BTS supplies include a few extra necessities to start the school year off right.  So here is my list of must-haves, must-do's BTS supplies - GF style.

LESSONS FOR A GREAT GF SCHOOL YEAR

#1:  Remember to raise your hand
It's important to let teachers, administrative office and of course the school nurse know about your child's Celiac disease.  Here is a sample of the note I use each year - I like to include a list of snacks the boy loves and those he can not have unless I provide a GF version:

(INSERT CHILD NAME HERE) has Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disorder that necessitates he eliminate wheat, barley, rye and oats from his diet. WBRO may be hidden, however, in things like food additives, flavorings, personal care products, school supplies and more. Therefore, some adjustments may need to be made in the classroom and other areas of the school to reduce the risk of inadvertent contact.  I have provided some GF alternatives for him if there will be a birthday party or other special snack time in the classroom.  Or if you can let me know in advance and I will be more than happy to provide a cupcake or other treat for (INSERT CHILD NAME HERE).

Easy Reference Snack List for (INSERT CHILD NAME HERE)

POPCORN, which he loves J
Potato chips (no Pringles)
Taco chips/Tostitos chips made with only CORN (again, check packaging for “wheat”)
Plain chocolate/plain vanilla ice cream
M&M’s and Hershey Kisses J
Fruit Snacks
Fresh veggies (ranch dressing for dipping is great too)
Fresh fruit or fruit cocktail
JELLO

Examples of things (INSERT CHILD NAME HERE) CANNOT eat, unless a GF alternative is provided by me:

Crackers

Pringles

Cookies

Pretzels

Licorice

Any kind of candy bar containing a cookie/wheat

It is important to note that if (INSERT CHILD NAME HERE) should come into physical contact with any of the offending grains, it will be necessary to remove all protein residues from his skin as quickly as possible. Playdough is okay for him to play with, but he will need to wash his hands immediately following so he doesn’t ingest any.  If contact with wheat does occur, (INSERT CHILD NAME HERE) may also have an urgent need to use the restroom due to the possible onset of uncontrollable physical symptoms.  Because of this, special restroom privileges may be needed.  (INSERT CHILD NAME HERE) is very well aware of what he can and cannot have.  He is pretty adept at knowing what foods contain “gluten” in them and which do not.  However, since he is young, he may not always know that an item contains WBRO so it’s best to check labels – most say “contains wheat” and must be avoided.  Peanuts, corn, rice, and soy are all okay for him to have.

You are always welcome to call us any time of the day if there is a question.  Mom’s cell is xxx-xxx-xxxx and Dad's is xxx-xxx-xxxxx.   Anything we can do to make it easy for you and (INSERT CHILD NAME HERE), please do not hesitate to call us!   

It's important to let teachers, etc. know that you don't expect them to be an expert in Celiac Disease and that you are here to teach them too!

#2:  Get your school supplies
Each year, the boy and I shop for his favorite snacks to stock his GFP2B snack box.  We stock one for his teacher/homeroom (just in case the unexpected birthday is celebrated that day) and also one for the after-school program.  When the snacks get low, they return the box to me and we fill it up again.  Let your GFP2B kid pick the snacks and fill up the box - this helps them to 1:  learn their GF options and 2: let's them be in control (remember that "I can do it myself" blog?)  Here's our snack box. 


We use a clear, plastic storage bin and mark it with his name

 

A few favorite items to note:

• GF pretzels (I buy the big bag and put in baggies - cheaper than the snack size bags)
• Single-serving sized Nutella and Peanut Butter (great for dipping apples, pretzels, carrots)
• Fruit snacks
• Lucy's cookies - they make great snack packs which come in handy for unexpected bday parties!
• Craisins
• GF granola bars
• Sweet and salty snacks - packed with protein, nuts and M&M's...of course
• Larabars - another GF fave

 

#3: Practice the Golden Rule

No kid likes to feel different, so it's important to let them take control of their situation, tell their friends on their own and for you as a parent to "be cool" when letting school personnel know about your child's condition.  We have private conversations with teachers when the boy is out of ear shot. They can ask questions comfortably and the boy isn't subject to an embarrassing moment of sharing the side-effects of wheat in his system.  After all, would you want to stand there while your loved one, parent, sibling, etc. explains your chronic bowel symptoms?  Of course not.

 

#4:  Do your homework!

I was amazed to learn how many other students had Celiac disease in our school!  It helped a lot - especially in creating awareness so teachers know what to expect when they get a GFP2B kid!  I was also amazed to learn our school lunch program can provide him with a GF lunch!!  They even give him buns, bread and GF pizza!  Call your school cafeteria contact and ask if your lunch provider can give GF alternatives for your GFP2B kid.  Plus - not packing lunch everyday is pure bliss for this working mom!

 

Here's to ABC's and GF 123's!  What back-to-school tips do you have? 

 





Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

Hello my GFP2B friends!  Hope you are all enjoying your summer.  We certainly have - which explains my lack of posts lately (sorry!). 

While we've been busy visiting family, friends and enjoying the summer sun, I have discovered a few new goodies to share with you and oh boy are there some great new products out there!

1:  ALDI's continues to wow us in the GF department.  We bought their GF wraps - and the boy LOVES them!!!  We've rolled up meat and cheese in them, heated them up and stuffed with all kinds of goodness.  Seriously - if you have not visited ALDI's GF selection, it is worth it!!  Their baking mix and brownie mix, pizza and lasagna are equally fab.

2:   Beer bread has gone GF!!  Any of you been to a Tastefully Simple party?  They now have an awesome selection of GF products!!  And they are simply awesome (albeit a little bit more expensive).   We have made the beer bread and the brownie mixes and they are fabulous.  I made the beer bread using soda (ginger ale) and it turned out great.  The brownies are full of fudgy wudgie deliciousness.  I got a few other mixes too that I'm excited to make - I'll keep you posted.  In the meanwhile, check out the selection of gf goodies they offer:  https://www.tastefullysimple.com/shop-our-products/gluten-free

 

3:  I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!!  And one of my GF angels sent these delicious sugar cones to enjoy our ice cream in:

 

The boy gives this a GFP2B thumbs up!

Goldbaum's has some awesome GF products, let me tell you.  Check out their website.  They have me screaming for more!

So how has your summer going?  Find any new GF goodies to share with us?

Stay tuned - the first annual Back To School edition is coming, complete with survival skills, sample letters to give teachers/school staff and MORE!!



Veggie Tales

I know I know - and I'm sorry!!  It's been too long but I swear I have a good excuse.  Well, an okay excuse.  It's called Life.  Boy has she been keeping me busy!!  Baseball, picnics, family outings - oh my!  But oh so good too.

Because summer is as busy as it is awesome, I needed a fast and simple summer dish that was perfect for this GFP2B on-the-go-family.  And there's no better taste of summer than fresh vegetables and fresh herbs.

I picked up some beautiful peppers and nutritious-delicious-even-my-kid-eats-it KALE at the market.  In looking for something to pair these fabulous lovelies with, I quickly grabbed up a package of  Aidelles Roasted Garlic and Gruyere cheese chicken sausage.  A gluten free, Q&E (quick and easy) find y'all!  Check out their awesome selection of different chicken sausage HERE.  No MSG, nitrates or artificial ingredients - bonus!  And a nice compliment to fresh and healthy summer veggies.

 



So while summer lovin' was waiting to have me a blast, I threw this beauty together in minutes! 

 

Q&E Summer Pasta
 

1 Box gluten free penne (our family favorite is Barilla GF Penne)
olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
1 package Aidelles Roasted Garlic and Gruyere Cheese Chicken sausage, sliced on bias into small pieces.
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 yellow pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 orange pepper, sliced into thin strips
cherry tomatoes - cut in half
2 cups (or more) of fresh kale - rinsed (fresh spinach can also be used)
2 cloves fresh garlic pressed
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
grated parmesan and Romano cheese
fresh basil

Boil the pasta according to directions.  While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large pan and add peppers, sautéing until 1/2 cooked through.  Tear up kale and add to peppers with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic and some red pepper flakes (I use a few good shakes because we like a kick).  Sauté until kale is wilted.  Add sliced sausage.  Drain pasta and combine in pan with veggies and sausage. Add the butter, more salt/pepper, grated cheese and toss thoroughly.  Add the tomatoes and cook until heated through.  Top with fresh basil. 

 

This great dish - it happened so fast! 

What's your favorite summer on-the-go-to dish?  Please share!

 



Paradise by the oven light.....

Meatloaf - my boy's favorite meal.  And not just any meatloaf - barbeque turkey meatloaf.  I got this recipe from one of my ab-fab fellow and inspirational bloggers, my good friend Jess at Stylish, Stealthy and Healthy and she always has some great and yes, healthy recipes she shares.  And the proof of how good this recipe is lies in the fact my other boy - the husband - is a tried and true red-meat eating man who typically wrinkles his nose when I made anything using burger from poultry. 

But not this time.  MOB (my other boy) loves this turkey BBQ meatloaf.  So here is my version of Miss Stealthy's meatloaf - GF style:

 BBQ Meatloaf -by Jess at http://stylishstealthyandhealthy.com/
(Adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner?)
Serves: 4
Cook time: about 45 minutes
You’ll Need:
1lb lean ground turkey
1/3 cup GF Panko Breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce (it says "GF" right on the back label!)
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 T Dijon mustard
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. onion powder
1 T tomato paste

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce.   Shape into a loaf and place onto a baking sheet, brushing on remaining 1/4 cup of sauce until loaf is covered.  Bake for 45 minutes, and then transfer to a cutting board and allow to sit for about 15 minutes before slicing.

Seriously delicious.  And remember that whole "I'm a working mom" think I keep telling you?  One of the quickest, easiest, delicious side dishes I make with this any many of my GF meals is mashed potatoes - instant mashed potatoes. And these rock:

 

Idahoan Instant mash come in many flavors - and I haven't had one I didn't love.  Serve with a veggie (our choice for tonight - roasted broccoli) and you've got one fantastic meal that glows like the metal on the end of a knife....



Now hold on, hold on tight - I also tried a new product this week - I found this brand at Karns and was excited to see if they tasted as gooey and chewy as they looked on the front of the box:

 

Survey said:  YUM!  But then again, who doesn't love a chocolate brownie with double chocolate chips?  Now in all honesty, I think the less-expensive brands I find at Aldi's and even the Betty Crocker are just as good.  And you can add your own chocolate chips to make them chocolate x's 2.  But I love trying a new product. 

 

So what did you make your GFP2B kid for dinner tonight?  You can give me your answer in the morning...

Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting

I love my mama.  More than anything.  My mom is not only a mom to eight crazy kids (me being her youngest), she also has 16 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren!  True story!  And at 88 years-young, she visits her friends and the sick at nursing homes, goes to church every day and always has a gluten free goodie bag waiting for the boy when he visits. 

And seriously - doesn't she look great?

My mom makes the BEST PA Dutch chicken pot pie (not the stuff in a crust BTW), has a penchant for a decent pair of white slacks, and I am about to share with you her ab-fab, super delicious, fudgy-wudgy GF Chocolate Cake recipe!  She got it from one of her friends at church, who is also GF.  And let me tell you - this recipe is one of the best I've had.

Grandma made this for her boy for our family's Memorial Day picnic.  And with a bunch of vultures family as big as ours, you can understand why I wasn't able to get a picture....

GF Chocolate Cake
1 box gluten free cake mix (she uses Betty Crocker GF chocolate cake mix)
1 large box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups water

1 package, 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Put the dry, GF cake mix in a large mixing bowl .  Add the remaining ingredients (except chips) and mix together by hand - NO BEATER!  When thoroughly mixed, stir in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased and GF-floured (or sprayed) Bundt pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.  Do not over-bake  -- this cake will be very moist.

Frost with cream-cheese icing or an icing of your choice.  Instead of the icing, my mom drizzled the boy's cake with fudge ice cream topping, because there is no such thing as too much chocolate for her grandson.

Serve with love <3  Because that's what Grandma's and Mom's do. 

I love you Mom!  Thanks for everything you do for me and for the boy!  xoxo

You say potato, I say frittata

Two of my favorite GFP2B ingredients are potatoes and eggs. Potatoes are the king of the GF starches and eggs are well, the queen of protein.

So on nights like tonight, when I need a good, quick, easy one-pan meal, I love to make a frittata.  It's the blank slate of one-pan meals because really, you can add almost anything and it will taste great.

Now a bit of nostalgia - when I was a kid, one of my favorite comfort meals was when my dad made me potatoes and eggs.  And usually this also included some cut up hot dogs. He put everything in one pan and called it "shipwreck".  Don't knock it 'til you try it.  My college roommates said "EEWWW!!!" until one morning after a hard night of "studying" they quickly changed their tune to "YUMMMM!!!!". 

So this recipe I'm about to share is in honor of you, Dad.
 I miss you and your potatoes, hot dogs and eggs more than anything.

 

 

 

 

Potato, egg and sausage frittata

3-4 red potatoes, washed and sliced thin
1/2 chopped onion
4-6 frozen pre-cooked sausage patties, cut into bite-size pieces OR 1/2 to 1 lb. bulk sausage (Italian, country-style, hot - your choice)
butter
olive oil
10 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
Feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

If you are using the bulk sausage, cook until no longer pink and set aside.
If you are using the frozen patties, start here:

On medium-low heat and in an oven safe pan, sauté the sliced potatoes and onion in about 2 tbsp. of olive oil and 2 tbsp. butter.  You want them to cook but not brown. While sautéing the potatoes, season with salt and pepper to your liking and taste.

Add the bite-size pieces of frozen sausage to the potatoes and cook until heated through.

I love Jones  All-Natural Sausages.  They are certified GF!  I get them in the freezer section in the meat department at my grocer.  You can see their awesome GF certified products here:

Jones Sausage

 

If you used the bulk sausage, add the cooked sausage once the potatoes are softened.


While the potatoes and sausage are cooking, whisk the eggs and milk into a large mixing bowl. Add more salt/pepper and the red pepper flakes to season the eggs.  Then add the egg mixture to the potatoes and sausage and cook for about 1-2 minutes so eggs "set".  Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 15 minutes.  Then top with the feta cheese and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Cut into slices and wha-lah!  Delicious, one-pan meal and really, it doesn't take long at all.  Plus you can add any combinations you like - substitute the sausage for veggies like asparagus, broccoli or peppers.  Use ham and cheddar cheese instead of the sausage and feta.  Really - you can't screw this up! 

Boy likes his with ketchup.  The other boy (aka:  my husband) likes his with Sriracha.

 

It's nice to take those great childhood memories and make them for my family. 

 What family comfort-food recipes do you make for your GFP2B kid? 

Please share because we all can use a little comfort now and then :)



Hold onto your party hats....

So remember in last week's blog when I told you to I had a seriously amazing treat to share?  Well hold onto your party hats because check out this gluten free birthday cake for the boys laser tag party

Ahh-maaayyyyy-zing, right?  Now I am a very very lucky girl who has some seriously talented friends.  And one of them is my friend Melissa.  She does this as a hobby (seriously - can you believe that?) and every year she makes me one seriously fabulous GF birthday cake.  And it tastes as good as it looks. 

This year's theme was relatively simple compared to previous years.  There was the Civil War birthday cake, the Ireland (no, we aren't Irish) party and the Dog Birthday party.  And each year, Melissa comes up with one of the coolest and most delicious cakes I've ever had. 

She really studied up on GF baking and makes these from scratch.  She says freezing the cakes for about two days prior to icing it makes it even moister.  She also uses King Arthur GF flour in her mixes.  Her detail is amazing - really, she's an artist. 

 

Melissa first offered to make him a birthday cake back when he turned two.  I was talking about how I could never order him one of those fancy cakes from the store, decorated in a theme like Sesame Street or the Civil War...  Well she out-fancied them all.

 

For those of you who don't have a Melissa in your life, there are many GF bakeries popping up and making super fun cakes for kids.  I've even seen some beautiful GF wedding cakes!  I know here in the Camp Hill area, Betsy's Bakery whips up some really superbly decorated cakes for both.

 

Ain't it amazing what can be created and made Gluten Free and Proud 2 Be?