FLUFFY BREAD FLUFFY BREAD FLUFFY BREAD!!!! woot woot!!!

This bread FINALLY tastes SOOOOO good...not a speck of rice around...

In a medium sized bowl:
Mix 1 packet rapid dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
with 1 1/4 cups warm water (not hot)
and 1 tablespoon sugar




In a large bowl:
whisk together your dry ingredients and set aside:
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour 
1 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour!)
1/2 cup GF oat flour (I grind gluten free oats in a spice mill)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/ 1/4 teaspoons salt


In another medium sized bowl:
Mix until frothy: 
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
2 eggs
Add the bubbly yeast mixture to the egg mixture and then mix into the  dry ingredients.

Mix together with a fork for about 90 seconds until well blended

The dough will look closer to a muffin batter than bread dough, soft, but not cake batter wet.
move dough to a bread pan sprayed with Pam and allow to rise in a warm place until it doubles

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F /177 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.

This bread is just as wonderful three days later <3.  Store in an airtight container.

adapted from a recipe by the gluten free goddess :)

Grind this bread after toasting to make gluten free stuffing :)

SCONE HEAVEN!!! Sorghum flour, your NEW BEST friend!!!

Success Success Success!!!  Thanks SO much to the gluten free goddess I have discovered the most AMAZING pumpkin Scone recipe..soft fluffy moist and lighter than your average scone...I substituted oat flour (that I ground in a spice mill from gf oats) for the millet flour and use potato starch (NOT FLOUR) WOW!  it was even VERY yummy the next day...it went FAST!

Pumpkin Scones Recipe:
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup organic millet flour/oat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon  salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons organic light brown sugar
7 tablespoons cold shortening 
1/2 cup mashed cooked pumpkin or canned pumpkin
1 large egg
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
3 tablespoons milk whisked with 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice 


Instructions:


Preheat the oven to 350º F. Lightly grease a 9-inch Pyrex pie dish.


In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flours and dry ingredients. Add in the shortening by pieces and cut in the shortening (with a fork or a pastry cutter) and mix until the mixture looks sandy.


Add in the pumpkin,  egg, maple syrup and  milk. Beat the batter briefly until the dough forms a smooth mass. You do not need to beat the dough very long, just until it is mixed.


Scrape the dough into the prepared pie plate. Using lightly oiled hands pat and shape the dough into a smooth flat round. Press the dough all the way to the edges of the pie plate.


Use a thin sharp knife to score the dough into 6-8 wedges.


Bake the scones together in the pie dish.


Place the pie dish - or the baking sheet- in the oven. Bake until the scones are firm and slightly golden- roughly 20 minutes.


Cool the scones on a wire rack and make the maple nutmeg icing.

 Icing:

Use only a little liquid at a time as you beat the frosting. If it gets too thin, add more confectioner's (powdered) sugar. 


Ingredients:


1 cup confectioner's or powdered sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch of nutmeg, to taste (start tiny, you can add more) 


Instructions:


Beat until smooth and add more milk a tablespoon at a time until the icing is creamy- but not too thin. Taste test and add more nutmeg if it needs it.


Beat the icing for three to four minutes (this improves the texture).


Spoon the icing into a pastry bag fitted with a simple tip (or use a plastic sandwich bag with a tiny hole cut in one bottom corner). Chill the icing while the scones are cooling a bit.


Squiggle the icing on top of the scones, or spread on the frosting with an icing knife, if you like a lot of sweetness adorning your scone.




Makes 6-8 scones.


SOOOOOOOO GOOOOODDD!!!!!

pizza...yum...bread mix yuck..

Well the Celimix rice bread mix as a a bread was an EPIC FAIL at my house (no offence) BUT as a pizza dough it was enjoyed by all!!!  I mixed the recipe as printed on the bag..let it rise for a little bit (about 20 mins) and then used Pam cooking spray on my new pizza pans (a little splurge) and spread the dough (with copious amounts of rice flour on my fingers...)  added prego sauce and gluten free pepperoni (Freybe's) for our little people and salami (Freybe's gf), peppers, and extra cheese for ours...I tried cooking it for 10 mins but it was still a bit mealy so I put it back on for 10 more mins. at 350 degrees Fahrenheit /170 degrees Celsius...YUM  my 5 year old ate 4 pieces!!! All of the children were excited to have PIZZA again!!! On another note...I was reminded by a special friend ...NOT to focus on trying to find substitutes for my faves from my glutenous past...but to focus on fresh new foods for our healthy future :)  Thanks Sheri <3

Bread that tastes like bread ??? Success???

Yesterday I decided to try yet ANOTHER bread recipe..I picked up some new all purpose flour from the new gluten free bakery...I think it's base was brown rice flour so the bread turned out a light purplish grey colour..with specks in it that looked like kiwi seeds...but when my second youngest (the reason for our switch away from gluten) said WOW!  It's BREAD!!!  I knew it would be a hit...I have a few more to try and who knows what it will be like now that it is cold...but she identified it as bread...so here is the recipe...

Tolerable bread: 

If you don't have a bread machine, preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

• 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 ½ c. water (hot tap water, but not too hot, or the yeast will die)
• 2 ½ cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix
• 2 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1tsp. salt
• 2 eggs 
• 1 ½ Tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• 
  
  1. Mix the yeast and the sugar in a small bowl. Blend with a fork and set aside until it starts to bubble...about 5-10 mins.
  2. Combine the flour, xanthan gum and salt in a large bowl, making sure it's well blended.
  3. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and vinegar until the eggs are a bit frothy.
  4. The yeast should be bubbly by now, so you can add all of your wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed. You don't need to knead this dough. You'll notice with gluten-free mixes, it's more of a cake-like consistency.
  5. If you have a bread machine, you can dump it in there at this point and cook on the 80 minute setting. You don't need the paddle. If you don't have a bread machine, place the bowl in a warm place with a towel over it.  Let the dough rise for about 45 minutes or until it doubles in size. Then place it in a loaf pan and cook until a toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
  Add butter and ENJOY!!!
  Today I will try this recipe and another using regular gluten-free all purpose flour..

The quest for bread that doesn't taste like gritty playdough...

I guess the key to gluten free living is to change my thinking somewhat.  I can NOT try to make my diet the way it was by finding gluten free substitutions...as I have been doing...I need to start a journey with gluten free recipes and learn a new way to cook and live ...leaving my old ways behind...Here is the story of my ongoing quest for tolerable gluten free bread...
     I started out by trying those breads in the freezer section of the grocery store...ewwww...except for Udi's hot dog buns..toasted they are heavy but CLOSE to the real thing...and the okay  bagels from Glutino...again they MUST be toasted..
     Then I went onto bread mixes...also hugely disappointing ...except for Celimix bread mix which isn't very good for bread but definitely YUMMY for pizza crust!!  I made the bread recipe following the package directions and after letting it rise, drenched my fingers in rice flour and spread the dough on a pizza pan...it is VERY sticky and has a consistency of thick toothpaste but with the flour on my fingers I spread it and then added Daddy's special spaghetti sauce...(see recipes),  cheese and Grimm's gluten free lunch meat (salami, pepperoni etc...) and Mozzarella cheese...My family LOVED it!!!
     Next I started surfing the net for the "best bread recipes"...the $45 hot dog buns was the best bun type recipe so far...tolerable and even yummy right out of the oven...not so good two days later....I tried a few others but have not been pleased...ONE.. I didn't even eat :(   I have started to notice the the old school gluten free people try to avoid potato and tapioca flours and go more for the starches...some recommend psyllium husk be added and many make their own all purpose flour blends...
     I even drove many miles/km out of my way to find a bakery ...one bakery said gluten free but when I got there I found that she meant wheat free...not necessarily gluten free...only wheat gluten free...WHAT???   the other bakery (just opened two days before) only had baked goods so far..but WOW! cupcakes that would rival any other cupcake and brownies that were perfect!!  I purchased some of their all purpose flour and went in search of more online recipes...sigh...why cant my middle daughter eat rice cakes???

an incredible restaurant !!

I like to give credit where credit is due so her it is...I recently won a gift certificate from a soccer fundraiser (football for my UK friends) to a restaurant in S.Surrey called Uli's    http://ulisrestaurant.com/    and almost everything on their menu can be made gluten free or vegan!!! The burgers are to DIE for and the little frites (teeny fries) are STILL on my mind.   The waiter bonded us with the food and the restaurant and it was classy and casual at the same time.  We even met the chef !  Amazing food and they are even going to sell us some of their gluten free buns (YUM!)  

You would think a CHILDREN'S hospital would know better..

My daughter who has Celiac disease (our eight year old who has Down syndrome) ALSO has a heart condition.  She has already had two open heart surgeries, one at three months and one at 6 years.  This Monday I got a call about the results of a portable heart monitor she had worn and apparently her heart rate is about 45 on average..it should be 90...The rate goes down to 30 at night and her heart even STOPPED BEATING for 2.9 seconds at the time of the test when she was asleep...SCARY stuff!  The doctor asked us to bring her in for surgery for  an immediate pacemaker implant...just two days later on the Thursday.  My hubby just started a new job and I run a small Montessori daycare from our home so you can imagine the stress.
I was not sure what to expect diet-wise so I packed food for both of us that was gluten free as well as our own dishes and cutlery and hand soap.  The surgeons were not sure if there would be any medicals items that contained gluten and went to look...I am sure the freezing cream had gluten as she reacted to it with a big rash...the surgery went well and when we returned to the room I looked up the soaps and sanitizers that the medical and cleaning staff would be using and asked the nurses to avoid lotions and possibly wear gloves around our daughter.  Luckily the Johnson's baby shampoo and Laura line soaps and microsan hand sanitizers were gluten free :)  (I Googled them )  They already had Dawn liquid dish soap in the kitchen so all was good...UNTIL breakfast came the next morning...She was given a LACTOSE FREE breakfast of oatmeal, toast and lactose free milk product...I returned it and she was given eggs and milk and rice crackers..I had little faith about cross contamination so she ate gorilla munch cereal, applesauce and yoghurt from home :)  I find that life always sends my family little surprises and setbacks...food related and otherwise so we just plan ahead and be proactive so we have a backup plan and sometimes I just have to let it go and trust that if she is exposed a little bit at least I tried the best I could...my sister told me to relax a bit and not be so crazy about this Celiac thing...as she called it... I said NO...I would NOT compromise my daughter's health ..and asked her to think about it this way...I said that I wondered if her child had a life threatening peanut allergy..if they would let one speck of peanut related products in the house..or any pan/appliance that came into contact with peanut butter around their child's food...would they ask kids/adults to wash their hands upon entering and be sure to check restaurants and labels more carefully ???  Then I also compared Celiac to diabetes...I asked if they would they give their diabetic child one speck of sugar if they could avoid it ???  That quieted her comments instantly..But honestly..who cares what anyone thinks about our diet choices...this is our life decision and it is what works for US!  We, as a family of 7,  have committed to this gluten free home to make a safe "home-base" for our daughter.  Family and visitors  will need to follow our restrictions in our home and do as they please in theirs.   We can bring her gluten free food when we visit or go to parties etc.   I CAN'T  and WON'T try to change others..I can only educate and just set boundaries and follow what we have decided as a family <3

Daddy's special Spaghetti sauce

Ingredients:
1 to 1.5lbs/ .5 to .75 kg of ground beef, chicken or sausage
(for vegetarian substitute 1 c. grated zucchini or 2c. fresh spinach)
1 c. chopped bell pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 stalks of celery
1 can of mushrooms (sliced pieces drain off water and discard)
1 large jar Prego spaghetti sauce with mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped or one tsp. of pre-chopped garlic from a jar


Brown 1.5 pounds of ground beef or ground chicken or sausage meat (breakfast sausage squeezed out of the casing is our fave) in a large pot or electric frying pan set at medium heat.
Chop: onions, bell peppers, celery into bite sized chunks and add along with garlic to browned meat and continue frying for 5 to ten minutes. Cover the pot/pan and stir regularly
Add 1 jar or Prego spaghetti sauce with mushrooms and also the can of mushrooms with the water drained off.
Replace lid and cook at med/low heat until veggies are soft, stirring occasionally.

Serve over brown rice or corn spaghetti cooked as per package directions and RINSED WITH COLD WATER.
Use this sauce in our Gluten free lasagne recipe :)

Gluten free YUMMY meat lasagne

Home-style meat lasagne (for vegetarian option  substitute grated zucchini or cooked spinach or both for ground beef.  ALSO good with sausage meat or ground chicken)

Ingredients:
Alternating layers of:
Daddy's special spaghetti sauce (see blog for recipe)
Brown rice lasagne noodles cooked as per package and RINSED with COLD water.
Cottage cheese mixture (cottage cheese mixed with one egg and 2T fresh or 1T dried parsley)
Grated mozzarella cheese

In a 9x13 pan spread two layers of lasagne noodles placed with no spaces in between the noodles.
Spread sauce over the noodle layer (about 2inches/5cm worth).
Add another layer of noodles.  Spread the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles.  Add another layer of noodles and top with another layer of sauce. Cover with a GENEROUS amount of grated mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a 350  F / 176 C   oven for 30 to 35 mins.  Let stand for 35 mins.
ENJOY!!!  YUM!!

Daddy's fajitas or tacos seasoning mix

My hubby had a turn to cook gluten free and decided to make fajitas...with chicken...a family favourite...the dilemma ???  Which taco seasoning mixes had  gluten in them ???   We knew the brown rice wraps  were amazing...WAY better than whole wheat  and they thawed on the counter in less than 10 minutes...we knew the chicken was safe..thighs were the most juicy...remove the skin and chop off the meat...red peppers and onions were good too...this is now our family's FAVOURITE seasoning (works for tacos too) and  is made by combining these ingredients..

Daddy's fajitas seasoning  mix:
3 T. all purpose Gluten Free Flour
2 T. chili powder
1 T. salt
1 T. paprika
1 T. sugar
1/2  tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed/whole red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cumin
mix all ingredients together and save in a resealable bag or container.
makes three servings of fajitas or tacos


To use:
Add 4T of mix (equivalent to the amount that would be in a store bought packet) and a cup of water to browned meat and cook at a simmer until it thickens :)
If stored in a cool dry place, mix will last for about 1 year

So what ABOUT that dog??!!!

I was browsing the natural food aisles in Extra foods (my newest venture)  YAY!!! they are the only store in B.C. that I KNOW has CHEX!!!!   Normally priced cereal we can eat!!!! and I discovered gluten free pet foods and snacks...it HAS been nagging at me that the dog food probably has gluten in it..I have been reassuring myself that we CAN NOT afford gluten free pet food (2 dogs...four cats) and I DON'T want to get rid of the dogs or cats so...I figure if we don't let her feed them any more (she can feed the guinea pig, turtles and fish...yeah I know...5 kids, a school in my house and a total zoo...lol ) and she will NEVER eat out of the animal's bowls..we ALWAYS wash our hands when we feed them and the food is kept outside...PLUS we do not wash their dishes inside either...SO in hope this is ok ???!!!   I guess I will keep thinking about it...I worry about them licking her but she doesn't like them licking her and they listen to her..

The difficult lunch

My ten year old daughter is very thin and has always been a picky eater  I found myself struggling to make her lunches in the first place and NOW???!!!  She used to at last try to eat a peanut butter sandwich...she wont eat Thermos food or anything WEIRD  or UNCOOL  (eggs, tuna...)...sigh.  She has been great with the breakfast...even eats breakfast now...and with dinner most times... but LUNCH!!  I have her make her own lunches now so I know she will at least eat SOMETHING  ..here are some ideas we came up with together....
The puffed rice bars...like a granola bar without the granola..rice crackers, pretzels, oranges, apples and some veggies and other fruits...I sent her cereal once but she refused to take the milk...even with an ice pack she said it gets too warm...she has to have SOME protein ??!!!  I finally came upon the wonderful substance PEANUT BUTTER!!!  (or almond butter etc...even peanut-less nut butter   if you school is peanut free) She takes a container with a big glob of the yummy stuff in it with things that she LIKES to dip in..celery, a banana...crackers...I feel like she is being fed and she is happy to eat it...it is only healthy if they EAT it right ??  I am so grateful that our house is GLUTEN FREE!!!  Now any food choice my family makes is safe for our little one with Celiac and the struggles to keep things decontaminated are non-existent..PLUS  having Down syndrome already excludes our little one from many things in life...having a heart condition does too...how fair would it be for us to sit and eat puffy bread (gosh I SO miss puffy bread) while she eats playdough type gluten free bread (still working on the perfect bread recipe.....the $45 buns were wonderful but still somewhat heavy and well...I don't have a mixer anymore :P  I really love the brown rice tortillas..they stay in your freezer and thaw in seconds and are even good untoasted!  Gosh I never realized how close i would be with my new toaster...should have invested in a higher quality one..new mixer is first...Today is hot lunch and of course I pre-paid not knowing about the diagnosis...the school PAC was amazing and they have agreed to go against their no refunds policy and let me have a credit towards my other daughter's hot lunch instead :)

Day 9: Fajitas

     For chicken fajitas:  the salsa, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and chicken are gluten free naturally and I found some AMAZING but expensive, brown rice tortillas in the freezer section of the gluten free area...However, the SEASONING MIX is NOT gluten free...what to do ???  My hubby was on shift for dinner tonight so he Googled  a recipe for gluten free chicken fajitas and mixed up his own batch of seasoning.  The dinner was SO good everyone wanted more and we still had seasoning left for tacos / fajitas another night.
     Lunch was to be a little tricky for tomorrow because we were out of most things..this gluten free stuff is really expensive...all of the girls had cereal (with the milk on the side of course) BREAKFAST for LUNCH!  they LOVED it.  I started to worry about the dog food...and the cat food...was it gluten free...I figured that it was mostly corn based (we buy the cheap kind) and it is not like she is ever going to eat from THEIR bowls...the cats mostly avoid the young children (wonder why) and the dogs are not allowed to lick us :P  I may have to revisit this after more research...For now she will not be feeding these animals..she can help with the fish, guinea pig and turtles :)

Day 7: HOT DOGS!!!!!!

One of the moms at our daycare surprised me today by bringing me a LARGE amout of gluten free cookies pasta and pretzels...must have cost about $50 NICE!!!  We shared GF pretzels for my daughter's school birthday celebration (oddly enough two of the kids at my daycare can't eat wheat so they try to be gluten free and offer GREAT advice :)   )  I was so grateful...After a long day at work we headed out to buy my middle daughter a new bathing suit at Winners and found GLUTEN FREE GRANOLA!!!!  woot woot!!  They have a whole little gluten free section ...Homesense does too..after that we hit Safeway in search of the rumoured "gluten free pieroghy (perogy)"  and found...you guessed it HOTDOGS!!! on SALE even!!! I am going to attempt homeade buns tonight :P and will let you know how it goes...tonight dinner was yummy pancakes :)  The Kinnikinick mix was BETTER than gluten mix...the pancakes didn't leave the full heavy feeling in my tummy like regular pancakes.  The last few even had fresh blueberries..ANOTHER real TREAT!!  For dessert we had yoghurt and I had the yummy new granola in mine.  I also found that Bob's Red Mill rolled oats were gluten free <3    NOW what to do for the buns???!!!

Day 8: the $45 hotdog buns :(

     I decided to make the gluten free hot dog buns with my little preschool class today...the BUNS turned out to be a little weird looking because the batter was like toothpaste at first and when i placed them on the baking sheet, each little bun had spikes sticking out where the dough had stuck to my fingers..like a porcupine..lol.  The instructions said to mix the dough in a bread machine...sadly I had to give mine away :'(  ...  )or to use a free-standing mixer with a dough paddle.  I figured WHY NOT USE my regular MIXER??!!   Sigh...after the smoke cleared I realized that my mixer couldn't handle this tough glob of dough and was actually on fire ...sigh again ...add a new mixer to the list of appliances..I am starting to feel Amish...
     After all of that...the buns actually baked up and tasted like regular dinner rolls..a titch heavy but YUMMY!!  We had all missed bread SO much they were a  REAL treat.  My youngest didn't even eat a hot dog...she just wanted a bun :P
     I am going to try my hand at bread baking this weekend...the bread we bought pre-made in the frozen section did not impress anyone, the DOG would NOT even eat it...My hubby found a pretty good rice bread that was not frozen but very dry and you sort of have to choke it down.  Hopefully I can find a puffy bread recipe :)
     This week is my hubby's turn to make lunches for the girls...he was a bit overwhelmed at first but I helped and he is getting the hang of it.  I thawed some of the chocolate chip cookie bars I had baked the week before (I always save a bit and freeze some of whatever I bake or make so we have a quick dinner on a night when we are rushed..not like we can just go grab a pizza or McDonald's any more :(  He really appreciated that..
    One of the other parents at our little school was so kind and brought us two BIG boxes of Chex cereal.  Rice and honey nut...Chex has ALWAYS been gluten free :) YUM!!  We have been eating them as night-time snacks :)

Day 6 :) THE BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!!!!! and LOOK OUT FRIDGE!!

     This morning I thought...ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!  TIME FOR THE FREEZER!!  We CAN'T  just keep these AMAZING meatballs and sausages and pizza, pierogies and chinese potstickers, eggrolls and pizzas...arrggghhhh!  I packed them , the jam and maple syrup and handsoaps up and took them to the single mom across the way..she was grateful and i was thankful and my hubby couldn't get crabby  because it was our youngest's fifth birthday !!!   HOUSE DECONTAMINATION   DONE!!!   Now to make the cake...and WHAT TO HAVE FOR DINNER????!!   with GUESTS???!!!
     I bought one of the Kinnikinnick cake mixes, chocolate flavour and then made icing with shortening, butter and icing sugar.  the cake was absolutely AMAZING..light fluffy and yummy...no one would believe me that it was gluten free..we had popcorn and veggies for snacks and lemon flavoured water (with sugar on the side for those who wished it).  Dinner was my hubby's yummy sauce and rice/corn spaghetti.  My second youngest, the one with Celiac...LOVED both pastas so much she got it all over her face, hands and hair!!  Everyone loved the pasta...it was rinsed with cool water and thus cooked perfectly this time...A GOOD time was had by all and we actually felt very good about the food :)

Day 5: Brown Rice Spaghetti ???

Since Prego spaghetti sauce was gluten free...my hubby could still make his AMAZING sauce and we could have rice spaghetti.  It would be a trial run for my youngest's birthday party on Sunday...did I mention it would be my daughters birthday AND we were having COMPANY FOR DINNER???!!!!  I found gluten free pizza mix and shells at Superstore as well as number and letter shaped "fries" and BREADING FOR CHICKEN!!!!!  We also found a few more brands of cereal and some animal cookies.  I had the cake mix but could use butter and icing sugar and oil to make the icing on the gluten free cake mix...I figured I would make that the morning of the party so it wouldn't have the consistency of a gummy  rock :P  We had a first aid class all day so we left eggs for our sitter and reminded her to wash her hands when she entered our home...you even have to clean your face and mouth before kissing our daughter....sigh....The 8 hour class took our minds off of our tummies and we are slowly starting to adapt..my husband is even losing weight...he has not been tested yet...my guess is that his "wheat belly" is going down and HE is the carrier...Celiac is genetically passed down but because our daughter has Down syndrome she may just get it naturally...not genetically...I could also have had a false positive blood test...Myself and two of my other daughters tested negative and our two sons have not been tested...My youngest is starting to be really aware..She says things like ".I don't want that chicken cause I don't want my tummy to get sick !!!"   She tested negative but if she is living in a healthier way...good!

Day 2: the Quest for recipies: WAFFLES!!!

The only good thing about yesterday (day one) was the fact that I gave almost all of the food items to my eldest son who suffers from mental health issues and FINALLY has a space in a recovery house for his addictions...SO the appliances and food, although somewhat enabling...were put to good use...The second good thing was the outpouring of support I found in my Facebook friends (some of whom I forgot that I had even added) and the community itself...hover around the gluten free section of a grocery store long enough and you can connect with people who "get it".
  Things were looking up as I found yummy cookie bars, pretzels and rice crackers that everyone LOVED .  MY hubby started to warm to the idea and be more supportive when he found he could have MORE MEAT in his diet and I splurged and made a chocolate chip cookie recipe that was TO DIE FOR...from a mix...My middle daughter said she ALREADY felt WAY more energetic and was willing to eat the new cereals and that her running had ALREADY improved...I too felt A LOT better...at the age of 44 it was one of the first times I woke up feeling good and not aching everywhere...I didn't bounce out of bed it just didn't hurt to do so...lunches were hard because we had become a bit of a junk food junkie family and DEFINITELY bread lovers....got a little more flack from hubby when he discovered that the bread tasted like and had the consistency of play-dough...even when toasted...and me...I miss puffy bread...sigh...
     I found a few more pastas and discovered that plain chips were ok ..Cyclone brand from save on anyways...did you notice I HADN'T (other than the catsup) tackled the fridge and freezers yet ???  I DID find Gluten free waffles and although the directions kinda freaked me out...it kept repeating over and over MUST be cooked for a minimum of 10 minutes..even if you oven is better or worse than other ovens MUST cook for ten minutes...the waffles were WELL DONE and hard and crispy AND we had to eat them with corn syrup because fake maple syrup had caramel colour which contains malt...{p.s. all but the malt vinegar and cheap balsamic could stay,  PLUS all cooking oils :)  }  Back to the waffles they were a GODSEND and my hubby and I finished the "contraband" AMAZING slow cooker beef I had made with mushroom soup (not gluten free...) before we knew about his...THEN we brushed our teeth, washed our hands and faces, and threw out the container it was stored in...did I mention ALL the Tupperware had to go ??!!!  Lunch containers..storage containers etc were all ...sob...contaminated.

Day 4: meatloaf

I WAS able to make my meatloaf recipe with Heinz catsup (instead of tomato paste...most of which have gluten), eggs, and gluten free crushed cornflakes because unprocessed meats, fruits, and veggies and most dairy (almost all unflavoured) is gluten free :)   Fresh potatoes were always gluten free and then I was stumped with what else to add...SO I cooked a HUGE amount of frozen peas and frozen corn...Hubby announced that HE was NOT a RABBIT and would need MORE meatloaf than that...sigh...it was really good I just didn't make enough..the kids loved it, but also baulked at the peas and corn...I almost giggled when serving it because they all got about 2 cups each :P   I did take the criticism personally after the meal was over...it DID take me a few hours to plan and prepare that meal :'( and NO ONE gave me good compliments only complaints about the veggies...I decided to get out and get some air and cry on a long drive by myself...also ...and probably not the wisest idea... I posted about my hurt feelings on my Facebook status and got SO MANY words of encouragement and support...and then, of course, I apologized to my hubby there too..he did learn Anne Murray's ..."Even though we ain't got money...I am so in love with you honey"  song on the guitar and sing it to me earlier in the day...Awwwww     <3       I know :')

Day 3: rice noodles...hmmmm

I found out that OLD EL PASO taco shells are GLUTEN FREE!!!!  SALSA too!! not the mix though....so we can have tacos and add our own seasonings!!!!   I also bought some rice pasta and figured I'd add chicken and Braggs soya sauce (all of the others I know of have GLUTEN!!!) and make chowmein since Chinese delivery is now out of the question...sob..NOTE to SELF... Celiac RULE NUMBER TWO:  READ the DIRECTIONS  CAREFULLY!!!  the rice noodles are cooked the same amount of time as wheat but MUST be rinsed with cold water before serving or stir frying..we ended up with a tasty...although VERY gelatinous mass of glop I called it...the girls loved the lunch meat (Freyes gluten free) and cheese as well as fruit and applesauce for lunches...plus chips...I think we are starting to adjust but my hubby says he feels like there is a CAP on all of the food and he is restricted from the amount he can eat...the kids say they are hungry...I am getting psyched up to try baking :
p.s. Cyclone potato chips from Save on Foods are safe too :)

DAY 1...D day for gluten..DECONTAMINATION

It was a moment of tears when I found out that my 8 yr old had Celiac...I really thought that, since we hadn't heard results of the biopsy for over two months, that she was ok..no news is good news right???WRONG! she had celiac and the Dr wanted me to come in so he could tell me so in person..I could not...hubby just started a new job, I run a family daycare...NOT gonna work...so he FINALLY relented and told me over the phone.  I researched immediately and found some great blogs and started the painful process of de-contaminating my home...I thought I would only have kitchen issues but MAN was I wrong!!!
First: THE PANTRY... should be simple enough right ?  I made the executive decision that we would ALL go gluten free and then our daughter could eat ANYTHING in the home without worry...did I mention she has Down syndrome AND a heart condition...just one more thing to add to the list of ways to curb her independence :(      SO...as I went through the pantry there were things that I figured would automatically be right... rice crispies (wrong...malt) and cornflakes, oatmeal, cornmeal (wrong!!! cross contaminated from other grains during production) would be ok....I also thought buckwheat was bad...Wrong!!! Buckwheat is part of the spinach family.  This is where in learned Celiac LESSON NUMBER ONE  :READ THE LABEL!!!  Even some products that are originally gluten free can sometimes be changed...or as in the case of Fry's cocoa..made in THREE different factories...so some are contaminated and some are not...Price Smart Foods was kind enough to let me trade regular products I had recently purchased (I didn't have a receipt) for gluten free products to the tune of about $50  THANK GOODNESS  I started to break into tears after the pantry decontamination as I looked and we literally had one bag of rice pasta, prego spaghetti sauce and sugar remaining.  The only reason I could keep the sugar was that it was new an unopened ..I mean who really washes and decontaminates a measuring cup or measuring spoon when baking??? all the baking powder, soda, flour, of course, cocoa, cake mixes etc had to go...Day one's seemingly easy process was turning into a 5 hour job so far...my eyes had a permanent squint from reading labels....
After more research I found that any non-stick bakeware, pots, pans etc were also contaminated because the gluten sticks in the cracks...same for plastic serving utensils and cast iron cookware...sob...I actually cried when my bread machine, deep fryer, sandwich and waffle makers had to go....I am grateful that I RARELY used my electric frying pan so it had no scratches and I hope it is ok...also my food processor...having a hard time parting with it but haven't used the part I make breadcrumbs with yet...I was left with  two medium pots, one with no handle (New years accident :P ), one large pot and one WOK.
Done??? NOPE!  Further research on my part dictated that all personal hygiene products and household cleaners are NOT gluten free...louder sob...Crest products including floss were ok so I got those and THANK GOODNESS pantene shampoo/conditioner plus Dove original bar soaps were safe...not much change there...our dishwasher soap "Finish" was good but the hand soap (we now use sweetwater foam pump and softsoap) and dishsoap (dawn and greenworks are ok) ALL had to go...AS WELL as the nice foamy soap type dispensers because they were contaminated.
NOW I am DONE RIGHT???? NOPE!!   School was now the issue.   No more playdough, stickers, envelopes, paper mache, paste, etc... unless it was gluten free...no more hot lunch, chocolate milk (the pre-made kind) and crumbs of classmates were now a concern as they all ate and worked at their desks...even inhaled gluten is very dangerous... I spent the rest of that day in tears and crying out for help on facebook...bought some WAY TO EXPENSIVE mixes and lunch items for the next day ...dealt with an angry husband who said HE WAS NOT going to change his diet and HE DID NOT WANT TO HEAR THE WORD GLUTEN ONE MORE TIME.. and cried myself to sleep.