We have breakfast for dinner on average about once a week. These waffles are one item that is requested regularly. You can top them with butter, strawberries, blueberries, whipped cream and/or ice cream.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
• 2 Tbls Sugar
• 1 Tbls Barkat Gluten-Free Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 3/4 Cups Milk
• 6 Tbls Vegetable Oil
• 2 Large Eggs

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth
2. Pour approx. 1/2 Cup of batter onto waffle iron surface. (*waffle iron settings may need to be adjusted for crisp waffles)
3. Plate cooked waffle and top with syrup, fruit, whipped cream or chocolate

I really knew nothing about gluten or eating “gluten free”. When my son Ryan was diagnosed with a gluten allergy we immediately started research on the web. Thankfully there were a number of sites that had information and links to alternate foods we could try. Look for some resource links at the end of this post.

I worked in food service for eleven years, some as a cook and some as a manager. Throughout my career I have come up against others with dietary requirements. One of the most common requirements was a vegetarian diet. I never had someone require a gluten free diet.

There was a point where I had to limit my diet because my gallbladder was giving me trouble. For a few months I had to avoid fatty foods until my gallbladder calmed down so it could be removed. After that I got to enjoy the foods I had to avoid and for the most part felt great. So why did I just recently change to a gluten free diet?

1. It’s Healthy -
When you embark on a gluten free diet the foods you replace are usually much healthier. Breads and other baked goods contain lots of white flour which is generally an unhealthy and cheap way to produce these products. Gluten free breads are made with healthy flours such as white rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch among others. On a gluten free diet you tend to eat more fruits and vegetables as your snacks and fillers during meals. We already eat too few of these so why not take advantage of the opportunity to introduce more into our diet. Another healthy plus is you start paying attention to labels more. With all the quick and easy meals out there now people forget to be health conscious with their choices. In addition to removing gluten you can also focus on reducing things like sodium and fat in your diet.

2. Family Members Must Do It Why Not you? –
If you have a family member that is on a gluten free diet for whatever reason, why not jump in and try it yourself? This is the way I started with the diet. My son has been on the diet for a few years and my wife and I made the decision to give it a try for a week to better understand what he goes through. We found that it is easier for us to just cook a complete gluten free dish than two separate dishes each meal. Since making the change it seems to have brought our family even closer. There is no long a disconnect we had by eating foods in front of Ryan that he may never get to eat.

3. Cooking is an Adventure -
When Ryan was on the gluten free diet himself he would stick to his ‘old stand-by’ meals of fluffer nutters with ricemellow and soy nut butter on tapioca loaf. Since the family made the move to gluten free we have been experimenting with numerous recipes. We first had to filter through ingredients that do not contain gluten. Once we had our list we got recipe ideas from magazines, cookbooks and websites. We are continuously adding the recipes we create or find to this blog under the tag Gluten Free. Not only have we created some great tasting foods but we have been creating a small library of foods everyone in the house loves.

Overall, going gluten free has been an easy transition for us. Over the past few weeks I have been feeling better and lost a few pounds in the process(not that I need to). One thing to be conscious of is to make sure you get your vitamins and minerals. As was said earlier you will and should eat more fruits and vegetables in addition to varying your diet. With so many great recipes coming to the web daily your meals should be the equivalent of non-gluten free in taste but healthier.

Resources:
Gluten Free Mall – Great place to get all the ingredients you need for healthy gluten free meals.

The Gluten Free Mommy – An assortment of great recipes that have never failed us.

Ener-G Foods – Wonderful product list of gluten free breads, cookies, pastas and more.

Our local grocery store had some turkey sausage that was completely allergen free for my son including gluten.

We used Barkat Animal Shapes Gluten-Free Pasta as the pasta which came out a perfect al dente. The feature of the meal though was the turkey sausage. The flavor it delivered to the dish made your mouth consistently water for another bite. We removed the casing from the sausage and cooked it up in a frying pan with some diced onions.

To plate it up just put a bed of pasta on the plate, spoon the turkey sausage and onion mixture on top and cover with Pecorino Romano cheese. A very flavorful and filling dish.

We are known to frequently have breakfast for dinner. Eggs, French toast and sometimes cereal when we are not feeling up for spending too much time in the kitchen. This Broccoli Cheese Quiche recipe turned out amazing. This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 large crown of broccoli chopped
• 3 potatoes chopped small
• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 2 Tablespoons shredded parmesan

Directions
Sauté onion in the olive oil. Partially cook the potatoes in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Add broccoli, potatoes, salt, pepper and garlic to the sautéd onions and cook for approx. 5-7 minutes. Mix eggs, milk, cheddar cheese and parsley in a bowl. Spray a 9 inch pie dish with cooking spray. Spread potato and broccoli mixture in the bottom of the dish. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and broccoli. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.

Optional: You may wish to add chopped ham or sausage for an even more hearty meal.

Not only did this dish come out tasting amazing but 2 days of left overs for the entire family tasted just as yummy. The recipe came from Gluten Free Mommy Easy Chicken Pot Pie. It really is an easy recipe and honestly seems ‘dummy’ free.

Natalie has some incredible tasting recipes which we have been trying out periodically. This recipe is one that will be requested over and over. It had a wonderfully light crust and was chock full of vegetables and chicken.

(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!

(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 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.