We happened upon this delicious little snack at our local Panera Bread in Scranton, PA. Ryan got a kids entree and enjoyed a bed of lettuce and some sliced turkey along with this tube of organic lowfat yogurt from Horizon Organic. We read the ingredients and it was completely safe for Ryan which means no gluten, no wheat and no food colorings. Perfect! The two flavors we have seen are blueberry and strawberry.

A word about Panera… While they do not have anything that is explicitly “Gluten Free”, they are more than accommodating when you ask for something on their menu without the bread or other accompaniments. My mom walked into the store tonight and asked if they had any more of the Horizon Organic Tuberz. They did and she asked for two boxes. The manager came out and hooked her up with the boxes at a very reasonable price (not retail). Kudos to that manager and Panera for their attention to customer satisfaction. They made a little boy extremely happy.

(Written by Susan)
Day 7
The day begins and I am feeling great. I have my usual Chex with Craisins and all is good. For lunch, I heated up the leftover pizza in the oven which allowed the crust to become crunchier. Today, the pizza tasted even better. Greg and I agree that we would like to continue using this recipe. Along with the pizza we had a tossed salad with our favorite sweet Italian dressing.

Shortly after lunch, we headed out to a birthday party. Our friends were great about having foods that were safe for Ryan to eat. He was able to have treats from the prize bucket (tootsie rolls), chips and ice cream. I received notice in advance that there would be cupcakes for the kids, so I made sure to bring a cupcake for Ryan so he would feel included. Ryan had a great time at the party and he even received an ice cream bowl containing treats that were safe for him as a party favor. I can only hope that all the parties Ryan attends will be so accommodating.

We had a special dinner to conclude my gluten free week. Greg helped me prepare a roast chicken with roasted red potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. I baked a loaf of gluten free bread in my bread machine and we also prepared cold slaw as a side dish. To complete our delicious meal, we had strawberry shortcake. The shortcake tasted amazing and was a great way to finish a very successful week. I am excited to continue to eat gluten free foods and to prepare meals for my family which are healthy and safe for everyone to eat!

We got the thin pizza crust recipe from the book Easy Gluten-Free Baking. Instead of the prescribed method we mixed the dough in our bread machine. Elizabeth Barbone also has a web site Gluten Free Baking that you can join for a small monthly fee and get amazing recipes.

Tomato sauce does not agree with Ryan so we make his pizza with sliced black olives and cheese. I think he would eat a whole can of black olives if given the chance…he loves them. We made a regular cheese pizza with sauce and a couple of pizzas with broccoli, olives, garlic and cheese.

The salad in the picture was topped off with T. Marzetti Sweet Italian Dressing which is gluten free along with a number of other T. Marzetti’s dressings. I like sweet things and this dressing is simply the best Italian dressing I have ever had.

(Written by Susan)
Day 6
Another morning and another bowl of Chex with Craisins filled my belly. This morning, however, I was hungry by 10:15 and decided to have some popcorn. For lunch, I had leftover ham and potato soup with a couple of dinner rolls. This soup is great the first time around and it is even more delicious the second time around. For a snack I had some grapes to satisfy my cravings for something sweet.

I decided to try a new recipe for pizza crust using my bread machine. The dough came out extremely sticky, but I managed to roll it out and shape it into thin circles. After baking the crust, it turned out crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The crust had a rice flavor to it, but Greg and I agreed that it tasted pretty good. Ryan on the other hand did not like the new crust. He did not want to eat the new pizza and begged for his old pizza. The crust he loves has oregano, garlic and basil in it. Next time I will add these ingredients to my mix and see if Ryan can be persuaded to like it. The day would not be complete without trail mix, so of course, I just HAD to have some after dinner.

Next we headed to Wegmans and Sam’s Club to buy some groceries. This was by far the most difficult part of my week. Until now, I had been surrounded by foods that were safe to eat and I did not have too many temptations near by. If you have not experienced Wegmans baked goods before, you are missing out on some of the most delicious breads and sweet treats. Unfortunately all of them contain gluten. So we went into the store to pick up some fruit and gluten free items, both of which are located just to the right of the bakery. The sweet aromas were so tempting. I refused to let my eyes even look at the baked goods. Ryan did not seem the least bit bothered by the bakery section, thank goodness. Next was Sam’s Club, which also has a bakery section. We walked right past the cakes to get to the food items we were looking for. As we were passing by Ryan said, “Mom, that strawberry cake looks delicious!” It broke my heart to see all that food that Ryan could not eat and possibly never be able to eat. I never realized how difficult it must be for someone with food allergies to even go to the grocery store.

Ryan’s situation is a little different from a lot of people who have Celiac disease. He was diagnosed at such a young age, that he has almost exclusively experienced gluten free foods. Ryan is so accustomed to his food that he does not even seem to be tempted by foods containing wheat. I have noticed that Ryan had found comfort in the fact that his food was only for him and no one else. I do feel a little guilty this week for taking this away from him. However, I think the benefit of this experience has been worth it. Greg and I would like to try to cook only gluten free meals now. It has felt so good this week to have only gluten free foods on our dinner table. There was no separate bread or butter for mommy and daddy which could not come in contact with Ryan’s food. Also, I did not have to cook separate foods such as pizza for Greg and me and a separate pizza for Ryan. I feel like our family has been united at the dinner table, which is very satisfying.

(Written by the Wizard)
As we sit at the dinner table our youngest one cries. He is not interested in eating and when given any food he just throws it on the floor for the dog to eat. Dominic does this a lot. He very well may be hungry but he is a super stubborn little boy and when he does not feel like being in his chair he chooses not to eat. My wife and I continue to eat. We attempt to give Dominic some food hoping he will give in and start eating. “Here Dominic, you like potatoes, try it.” The potato goes on the floor. “Dominic eat this piece of chicken.” The chicken goes on the floor. On Saturday Dominic did this exact routine. We wanted to go out and get some odds and ends from Sam’s Club so after dinner we hopped in the van and went for the ride. Sue brought along Dominic’s dinner and at various times throughout the trip tried to feed it to him. He was not having it. Our total trip time was about two and half hours. That stubborn little boy waited until we got home and eventually made us give in. He had to eat something! So while he curled up in Sue’s lap he munched on gluten free pretzels and water.

Ryan, being the observant one that he is, sees how things happen with Dominic and his stubborn ways. While Ryan is not anywhere near as stubborn he realizes how he can leverage things into getting what he wants. I am much tougher on Ryan and usually make him do things how he is expected. But that certainly does not stop him from trying. Usually, before lunch or dinner Ryan is playing. Either we are playing some sort of game like hockey or Wii or he is playing by himself. When lunch or dinner time comes around and he does not want to eat he will start complaining that his stomach or chest hurts. Normally this would cause alarm but it only seems to happen just before he is about to eat and after he needs to stop playing.

These boys are really learning how to manipulate people starting with their parents. I’m sure many parents out there have their own stories of similar habits from their kids.

(Written by Susan)
Day 5
Shortly after I wake up each morning I feel starved. For the past two mornings I have not felt hungry until about an hour and a half after waking up. We will see what tomorrow brings to see if this is a coincidence or related to my new diet. I had my usual Chex with Craisins which again kept me feeling full up until lunch time. For lunch today I was expecting to be disappointed. We were out of the house and I packed three leftover dinner rolls (2 days old) with soy butter and all natural fluff. Ryan has “fluff-r-nutters” nearly every day. I have tried them in the past on regular white bread and I never enjoyed eating them. If there is nothing in the house to eat I might resort to eating a fluff-r-nutter sandwich even though I really didn’t like the soy butter. Today, I actually enjoyed eating my sandwiches. The soy butter did not leave a funny aftertaste and the sweetness of the fluff tasted great with the rolls. For a healthy accompaniment I had several celery sticks.

This afternoon for a snack I decided to mix things up a bit and have a large piece of oatmeal bake in place of my trail mix. That oatmeal bake has been a great alternative. For dinner I fixed a tuna fish sandwich on a dinner roll and a tossed salad with shredded cheese on top. I found a ranch dressing that is gluten free and topped my salad with it. Looking for something crunchy to go with my dinner, I had some corn chips. Tonight, my sweet tooth struck and I had to have a small bowl of trail mix along with a cup of hot tea. That was a yummy combination!

I am feeling very good after five gluten free days. My body feels satisfied and I do not feel bloated like I have felt in the past. Now I am thinking about extending my gluten free diet for another week to see how my body is feeling. I don’t know that just one week is long enough to make conclusions about the impact of one’s diet.

(Written by Susan)
Day 4
To start off my day, I had my usual mix of Chex with Craisins. It is such a tasty breakfast and gives me energy for my busy mornings. Today, I did not even feel hungry for a morning snack. Lunch consisted of chicken, rice, corn and a roll. Not only do leftovers taste great, but they are also quick and easy. For something sweet after lunch I had some grapes. Of course in the afternoon I had my usual trail mix snack.

I decided to prepare ham and potato soup for dinner which is one of Ryan’s favorite meals. Tonight, I made a couple of adjustments to my usual recipe.

Ham and Potato Soup

• 1 small onion
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium carrot shredded
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 cups diced potatoes
• 5 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions: Cook the potatoes and save 2 cups of the water from the potatoes. Melt the butter and sauté the onions. Add the carrots and sauté. Mix in the cornstarch, salt and pepper. Slowly add the milk and heavy cream. Stir regularly while bringing mixture to a boil. After mixture has begun to thicken, add the potatoes, reserved water, and ham. Cook for a few more minutes to warm ham. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top.

To go with the soup, we had leftover dinner rolls which were delicious when dipped into the creamy soup. I felt very satisfied after dinner tonight and did not have anything else to eat or drink. As I mentioned in previous posts I have been feeling better. I am not positive that the diet is the only factor but from my reading it certainly can play a huge role.

(Written by Susan)
Day 3
While we have not converted 100% over to a gluten free diet…my husband still snacks on foods containing gluten (Darn you Girl Scout cookies!!)…all of our family meals have been gluten free. This is the third day of our gluten free week and I believe I have been feeling better. I have to research a little more into what others have said about the gluten free diet. Here is my day…

For breakfast I had my usual bowl of Chex with Craisins. Since finding out Rice Chex is gluten free we have been eating them like they are going out of style. It is a great cereal for breakfast or snack. For my mid-morning snack I had a piece of oatmeal bake with milk on top. I don’t mind eating the same things each day and my son Ryan seems to be just like me. When we find things we like to eat, we eat them day in and day out. Lunch was a repeat of dinner from yesterday, grilled ham and cheese with veggie sticks. For something sweet, I had some applesauce with cinnamon. There is no doubt I have been eating healthier over these past three days. My meals are more balanced with lots of fruits and vegetables. And you know what? I am not at all surprised. I am always telling people how healthy Ryan eats. He is sensitive to tomatoes, but other than that, he is able to have all fruits and vegetables. The best part is that Ryan actually likes to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Our afternoon snack time came and I opted for trail mix again. I think this will be a regular habit, because there are not a lot of snacks, besides fruits and vegetables that are safe for Ryan. For dinner I tried a new gluten free dinner roll recipe that turned out great! You can find the recipe here: Gluten Free Dinner Rolls. I wanted to coat the chicken with breading and decided to try something different. I crushed Chex cereal and added rosemary, thyme, salt and locatelli cheese. Next I coated the boneless, skinless chicken with egg and dipped it into my “breading” mixture. It went into the oven and baked for about 35 minutes at 380 degrees. Since I was baking my dinner rolls at the same time it made the meal come together very quickly. Per Ryan’s request, we had white rice and corn to top off the chicken entree. Dinner was delicious and now I am beginning to consider having all gluten free meals all the time. It is going to take a little more effort and a little more money, but it is great to have a table full of food, all of which can safely be eaten by Ryan. After dinner I again had a craving for something sweet. Tonight I decided to have oatmeal bake along with my hot tea. Delicious.

(Written by Susan)
Day 2
This morning I decided to have my usual breakfast, which happens to be gluten free. General Mills now make gluten free Rice Chex and they are great when accompanied by Craisins. When Ryan was ready for breakfast he wanted to have a piece of toast so I decided to try a slice of toasted freshly baked bread. As I expected, it was very good. Next I searched for an oatmeal bake recipe so I could attempt a gluten free version. I substituted applesauce for oil and raisins for the cranberries. You can check out the recipe here: Oatmeal Bake.

For lunch I had leftover meatloaf, potatoes, veggies and a slice of the homemade gluten free bread. Yum! I am a huge fan of leftovers. Next, Ryan and I tried the oatmeal bake which turned out okay. I bet it would be delicious warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. While Ryan enjoyed his ice cream and oatmeal snack, I chose to not do dessert. For an afternoon snack I went back to trail mix, because it is filling and very satisfying.

Time for dinner. I opted for a simple meal since we had been playing outside right up until dinner time. I fixed grilled ham and cheese sandwiches using the same loaf of bread I baked yesterday. Greg, Ryan, Dominic and I all had sandwiches with the gluten free bread and everyone was pleased. The ham came from Heavenly Ham and I found that my local store has a gluten free ham. Hooray! If you check out the website or call your local store you will find that some locations are still be using the old spice recipe which is not gluten free. As a side to our sandwiches we had carrot and celery sticks and sliced broccoli. We used Marzetti’s Sweet Italian dressing for dipping our vegetables. If you have not tried it shame on you. It is my family’s favorite salad dressing and it is also gluten free! You can check out all the gluten free salad dressings Marzetti’s makes at their website. Shortly after dinner, I always find myself craving something sweet. Lately, I have been having a hot cup of tea with sugar and a touch of milk. Tonight, it really hit the spot.

(Written by Susan)
When my son Ryan was 6 weeks old, he was given a lollipop to taste. No harm in that, right? Within minutes he started developing hives on his cute, little face. Not sure what to do, since I was three and half hours from home, I went to the nearest pharmacy. The pharmacist recommended giving Ryan Benadryl and helped me figure out the correct dose to give him for his weight. Thankfully, this cleared up Ryan’s face and my husband and I could breathe calmly again. After speaking with the pharmacist and later Ryan’s Pediatrician, we learned that Ryan most likely reacted to the red food dye in the lollipop. Several months later I began to feed Ryan bread and noticed that he sometimes developed hives after digesting the bread. When Ryan was 9 months old I was out with a friend and I fed him a baby snack puff. Shortly after, Ryan started to get hives on his face. Within an hour they started to spread to his arms. I called Ryan’s pediatrician and brought Ryan directly to his office. The pediatrician had me pick up some medicine to give Ryan to stop the hives and recommended that we see an allergist. It has been three and a half years now since my son Ryan was diagnosed with a wheat allergy, peanut allergy and red food dye allergy.

I received a bunch of literature from the allergist and began to adjust Ryan’s diet to try to eliminate wheat, peanuts, and food dyes. In the beginning it was a challenge making sure that each food item was free from Ryan’s allergens. I had a list of ingredients commonly found in foods that the allergist said were not to be trusted as safe for Ryan. These ingredients could possibly contain wheat even though wheat was no where to be found on the food label. From time to time Ryan would have a reaction to something that he would eat and I would feel frustrated that I fed something to him that he was allergic to. Then Ryan began having skin problems and his eczema got worse. After speaking with the allergist we thought that Ryan might be sensitive to dairy. So Ryan went on a dairy free diet as well. For about two years Ryan avoided dairy until I decided to gradually start introducing it again. Thankfully Ryan seemed to do fine with dairy products which allows him to eat more foods and have a more balanced diet.

(more…)