Penny-wise and Gluten Free too

Before you read any further you must know that it really irks me when people claim they CAN'T do something. Lately my annoyance has been with other families who have a gluten free child at home.

Their children are constantly being accidentally 'glutened' because the entire house is not gluten free. I find that unacceptable because gluten (in my mind) is a slow poison and could eventually kill a person with Celiac Disease! There is no excuse for blatant cross contamination in the home (This means things like using the same butter, peanut butter, or even the same toaster!) I know even those of us make mistakes, assuming one product is gluten free and it has changed... that happens and those kind of mistakes are just a part of life... I'm talking about the mistakes that could have and should have been avoided!

There are basically 2 reasons why an entire household as not gone gluten free:
1. Someone or the rest of the family doesn't like the taste of gluten free foods.
2. It's too expensive for my entire family to be gluten free.

I say BAH to both! Lets take the first excuse:

Who cares if the rest of the family doesn't like it right away?? I didn't like diet coke for a long time either but now I'm used to it and prefer it over regular. When my husband and I found out my daughter had Celiac disease we knew instantly we'd have to all be gluten free (inside the home). She's a toddler and like to eat what I eat... and I simply am not going to be making 2 different breakfasts, 2 different lunches, and 2 different dinners for the rest of my life. My time is more valuable than that. To those people who won't go gluten free even after their child has been 'glutened' multiple times in their own home I say You are a parent now... do what right for your child! End of story!

The second excuse is the most popular and I am not as annoyed with people who use it. And some people have a valid argument especially if their child has other food allergies/intolerances.. that can make it hard. For the rest of us who are just gluten free (no other food allergies/intolerances) I'm here to tell you that you can be gluten free without breaking the bank! I know I've done it! It took some time and organization on my part but its been a $$ saver and a time saver at the grocery store.

Here is how to do it:

1. Make a list of all of your favorite foods (entire family) gluten free or not. I did breakfast and dinner because we usually eat leftovers for lunch. (You need about 27 dinners)
   
2. Highlight all the meals that are already gluten free
3. Put a question mark next to the ones that could be gluten free but you are not sure about
4. Leave all that are full of gluten blank
5. Look up your "?" and find out if they have gluten in them... change on your list accordingly
6. Look up all that are full of gluten and see if you can find a GF recipe for that meal (I found gf recipes for all my meals that had gluten in them)
7. Print out a monthly calender and start writing down meals on each day. On the back make 4 columns labeled (week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4)
8. Write out all the ingredients you need for each week in the column
9. Now you have a basic shopping list for a month! (for me its my basic shopping list each month because I rotate these meals.
   

For variety I added a 'left over' day to each week, a eat out day 1 time a month, and a "special" day once a month where we can pick any random thing to eat (at the beginning of the week)

How does this list save me $$ ??

With the list I am able to purchase most of my meat at Costco (same type of store as Sam's club) Other items I get there... frozen veggies, cheeses, canned foods, pasta sauce, rice, and spices.
We go once a month and each month I have to buy less and less because the meat is in bulk so it can feed us for 2-3 months.

Then my weekly list is cut down by a lot... I typically buy fruits, veggies, milk, and the occasional meat that I couldn't find at Costco.

Anyhow my costco bill now is anywhere between $100-$250 a month (depending on if we need dog food or some other random thing my husband thinks of) and my weekly grocery bill is anywhere from $55-80 a week.

If you do the math: I range from $320 a month for groceries to $570 (This is really high because I don't ever spend $80 all 4 weeks in one month)

For those of you who want the weekly range: its $80 - $142.50 (Again I think the only time it would be this high is if we had company or it was a holiday)

So taking the averages: We are looking at a little over $100 a week for a family of 3 (one big eater) and a dog. All of whom are gluten free except for the dog (His food is in a room not accessible by my daughter.

So for all of you who are struggling with the cost of gluten free food my top 10 tips for being frugal are:

1. By name brand companies that label their products well... like Kraft and Hershey's
   
2. Make at leas a weekly menu (monthly is better because you can rotate it)
3. Call companies for their list of gluten free foods (They send you coupons with the list)
4. Veggies, Meat, rice, and fruit always gluten free!
   
5. Compare products that say gluten free to regular brands (Call if you have to) my only 'special' products are cereal, pasta, flower, and cake mixes.
6. Find a friend for mail order. Buying in bulk is cheaper but who needs all that food? split the cost of the food and shipping if you can!
7. Stock up your pantry with gluten free essentials.
8. Make a list to go shopping and don't stray from it (this eliminates impulse purchases)
9. Find and take a gluten free cooking class or baking class (it helps to make you a more confidant shopper as well as chef)
10. Check out stores other than health food stores. I am able to do 99.9% of my shopping at a regular chain grocery store. I rarely have to journey to Whole foods anymore.

I know I was harsh at the beginning of the post. But to all the "can't doers" out there STOP IT!! You can do it you just have to take the time to try!

MRSA strikes again

I woke up this morning and was blessed with "polka-dots" much like my daughters. We had planned on visiting the Austin Children's Museum but instead spent that time waiting at the Dr. after hours clinic. I too have contracted the staff infection, thank god for antibiotics! I only have about 11 spots but they are sore when touched.

While we were out we decided to stop by Wild Wood Art Cafe and grab lunch. I've been there before because nearly everything on their menu is gluten free. My husband had a hot pastrami sandwich, and my daughter and I split a pork enchilada. We were all happy with our lunch choices but today I decided to take advantage of their baked goods section. My daughter had a gluten free ding-dong and loved it! My husband had the richest chocolate cake (also gluten free), and I tried the Italian creme cake! They were just amazing I really have no words for them. I'm hoping that someday they will offer gluten free baking classes I would love to get a few tips from them!

On a side note:
Play Dough has been my biggest issue lately. I really would like my daughter to start playing with it. I've made it myself but I'm lazy and really just want something that comes out of a tub like the real thing. I've found it! Like most gluten free products it is a bit more expensive but to me its worth the extra price Colorations Gluten Free Dough. If you are interested in the GF homemade recipe here is the one I've had the best luck with: (From the Celiac Sprue Association's Website)

½ cup rice flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cooking oil
Food coloring, if desired

Directions:

Mix ingredients. Cook and stir on low heat for 3 minutes or until it forms a ball. Cool completely before storing in a sealable plastic bag.

Compounding Pharmacies my new best friend

My daughter has had some strange looking bumps develop and spread over the past few days. I really thought they were the chicken pox (even though she's had the vaccine) Today we headed to the Pediatrician to check them out. We were immediately put into a quarantined room because at first glance they too thought "Chicken Pox" However after further examination it has been determined that she has MRSA (staff infection). Controlled by antibiotics.

I reminded her pediatrician that occasionally medications did contain gluten so she added to the prescription that it needed to be gluten free. I tried Wallgreens first and reminded the pharmacist that she needed to call to confirm that the medication was gluten free. It turns out that it had quite a lot of gluten in it. She looked through several other medications that could be used and they all had gluten in them as well. She let me know (actually reminded me because I have used them before) that here in Austin we have several compounding pharmacies and suggested I try the nearest one.

Again when I got to the compounding pharmacy (Peoples) we found that all the medicines they had to treat the bacterial infection also included gluten :( Fortunately they could make a few phone calls and get the 'recipe' for a gluten free formula for this antibiotic! MY out of pocked expense will be about $50 but I will be reimbursed by my insurance company! I am VERY thankful that these pharmacies are still around!

As soon as I got home I called my insurance company (We've switched since my daughters original diagnosis) and asked them what happens when I have to go to a compounding pharmacy to get a medication that needs to be MADE gluten free. They were shockingly helpful! They sent me to their website and walked me through the steps for finding, filling out, and submitting the reimbursement form! He also is sending me several forms so that I "don't always have to print them out on my home computer!"

Being a mom I started to think about the possibilities of being on a family vacation and having to find a Compounding Pharmacy because kids like to get sick at the most inconvenient time! For all you out there an Accredited Compounding Pharmacy list at the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board.

2007 30th Annual CSA Conference- Tuson, Arizona

I was fiddling around on the computer today and found out that the Celiac Sprue Association is having their annual conference in Tucson, Arizona! I can't wait to go! My daughter can play with her grandparents and I can learn a lot about Celiac Disease! Registration will begin sometime this summer!

I've also been thinking a lot about having my ducks in a row for for when my daughter begins school (I know its a long time away). After teaching for 4 years I am convinced that any child with Celiac disease should be on a 504 plan to help insure that they will remain gluten free out of the home. I guess there is some controversy about this because people don't want their kid to be "labeled" but I know a legal document makes teachers and schools think 2 or 3 times before they give things to kids and thats what I want... and insurance policy! Especially since I live in a great but backward school district. I can see a teacher thinking that I am just a paranoid mom and giving my daughter a cupcake because all the other kids got one too! His/her heart might be in the right place but not his/her brain!

I've found a Parents guide to Section 504. I'm glad I looked into it so early because I have identified several problems with get tining the school to go along with a 504 plan. At least now I have time to do some research to counter what they have to say!

Amazing Gluten Free Breadsticks and they are easy too!

I guess the cold weather has motivated me to bake a little more lately. Its a nice way to warm up the house and it smells so good, especially when you come in from the icy cold weather! Anyhow last night I had a taste for bread sticks with our spaghetti but it was already 4pm when I decided this and we usually eat at 6 so I needed to find something that was gluten free, simple, and fast!

I searched through my cookbooks and found a recipe that I modified (I was missing an ingredient) Anyhow here is what I did.... my husband loved them and said "Is this gluten free??" in shock because they were so good!

Recipe:
1/4 cup shortening
3 Tablespoons honey
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of yeast (thats 1 packet if you dont have the jar kind of yeast)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup potato starch (not flour)
1 1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and mix well to remove all lumps (I used a hand held mixer on high)

Place the really moist sticky dough in a plastic bag with a corner cut out (or a pastry bag if you have one) and pipe dough onto a greased baking sheet (about 5-8 inches long). Sprinkle with a topping of your desire or bake as is (I used garlic and other herbs but sesame seeds or cheese would have been wonderful too) Bake till golden brown (about 10 minutes in my oven).

I'm going to try this recipe again this weekend only piping the sticks into hot oil to see if I can create a "fry bread" or funnel cake type of thing! I'll post how it works on Sunday!

Allergy/Gluten free Baking on Martha today

I'm a big fan of Martha Stewart and today our local tv station decided that the hard freeze here in Austin was old news and actually aired real tv instead of boring video of the dumb people driving too fast on the ice.


The owner of Babycakes in NYC was on today talking about allergy/ gluten free baking! (And they deliver) Everyone in the audience seemed to like the brownies and the Cinnamon Toasties are something I will surely try soon.

It was nice to see a mainstream show air information about gluten free baking!

The biggest tip I learned is to use hot water or coffee to help lift the batter of the cakes! I've never tried this but I can't wait to try it! Though gluten free cakes taste good they can be very flat and torte like!

Guess I should start baking again!

Crazy Peanut Butter Cookies

We have been trapped in the house for nearly 3 days now because of our Winter storm. Any how its always nice to bake when its cold out.

I found a simple but CRAZY gluten free peanut butter cookie recipe and it was delicious!

1 large egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter (any kind will work)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350
Put all ingredients in to a food processor and pulse till mixed (Or combine by hand if you like)
Roll into balls (makes about 30) and place on a lined cookie sheet (I used parchment paper)
Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or just until the cookies start to flatten out and crack


Super easy! Their texture is a bit different they are very light and crunchy but they taste great! I added chocolate chips to mine and used creamy peanut butter. I do think that next time I will try chunky to see what it does to the texture!

Camping- It can be done!

I should have posted this several days ago because our camping trip was in October but I had questions about it before I went so I'm sure others do as well!

I was really new to the gluten free thing when my family decided to go camping but being a good sport (and with the help of my mom) we did it without my daughter being glutened!

Things I learned:
1. Bring lots of fresh fruit everyone (even those who eat gluten) enjoy this as a fresh snack.
2. You do not have to buy specialty hot dogs as Whole Foods would make you think! Hebrew National Franks are gluten free as well as Johnsonville Bratwurst (with the exception of the Beer kind)
3. Do not attempt eating a gluten free hot dog bun or a gluten free hamburger bun unless its been warmed first! Way too hard!
4. Bring lots of alum. foil or your own grilling rack to reduce the risk of cross contamination
5. Yes S'mores are possible!!! All the graham cracker adds is a crunch the taste is in the marshmallow and chocolate!

Recipe for Gluten Free S'mores:
These are not as big as the traditional graham kind but they were just as tasty!

1. Jett Puffed Marshmallows
2. Envirokids gluten free vanilla animal cookies or gluten free gingersnaps
3. Hearshy's Chocolate bars
4. A designated gluten free marshmallow cooking stick to avoid cross contamination

The rest is easy!


Gluten free camping meals:
Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and orange juice
Gluten free pancakes, fresh fruit, and syrup
Breakfast taco on a corn tortilla with eggs, sausage, potatoes, cheese and salsa

Lunch:
Hot dogs, Baked beans (We used Bushes), and applesauce
Lettuce wrap sandwich with all the fixings, and celery with peanut butter and raisins
Amy's gluten free Macaroni and cheese with Frito's and chili

Snacks:
Gluten Free Trail mix (I made my own with GF cereals, M&M's, mixed nuts, coconut...etc)
Fresh Fruit
Dried fruit raisins/ craisins
applesauce
Jello Pudding
Jello
Potato chips
Tortilla Chips and salsa

Dinner:
Hamburgers, Baked beans, fruit salad
Chili, with cheese, onions, and Frito's on the side
Beef stew brought from home and reheated (The rue was made with cornstarch)

Bread Success

Almost immediately after finding out my daughter had Celiac Disease my husband and I went out and bought a bread machine. We ended up getting the Cuisinart one that had a gluten free setting. Until yesterday I had just been making gluten free bread from store bought mixes (all I can say is YUCK!) Though beautiful looking breads they just tasted horrible.

For Christmas I received The Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread by Bette Hagmen. I decided to try her recipe for Seattle Sourdough!

My Game plan:
3 days before bread making day I started a gluten free sourdough started: Basically just some warm water, yeast, a bit of sugar, and some rice flour. And I let it sit and ferment

On day 4 I cooked a small loaf of bread! It was a success! Both my daughter and husband at it with out pitching a fit! It's still not the same as full of gluten bread but it did not have the nasty aftertaste that the mixes had!

I can't wait to try again!

What does a gluten free pantry look like?

In three months my pantry, fridge, and freezer have quickly taken on a major over haul. It would have been very helpful for me to see just what a gluten free kitchen/pantry looks like but I learned the hard and expensive way. (Nearly $30 extra a week at the beginning) Anyhow I have put together a list of what I keep around the house in case any of you are wondering where to start.

Here is what I stock in my pantry now: (All of it gluten free)

Flours: Potato starch/flour, cornstarch, cornmeal, Pamela's baking mix, and Tom Sawyer Flour (I have to mail order this)

Fats: 0 Trans fat Shortening, vegetable or corn oil depending on whats on sale when I need it, butter, Smart Balance, and non stick spray-no alcohol! *I don't use margarine at all.

Sugars: white sugar, powdered sugar, corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, and molasses

Leavening: Baking powder (you do need to read labels on baking powder some have flour added to them), baking soda, yeast

Stabilizers/ Gums: Cream of tartar, xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan (when I can find it) and Karaya gum

Flavorings: Vanilla Flavoring, Lemon Flavoring, and almond flavoring (check with the companies to make sure the alcohol used is gluten free I've never found any that contain gluten)

Nuts and other stuff: cocoa, unsweetened chocolate, coconut, semi sweet chocolate chips, food colorings, peanut butter

Spices/herbs: salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, sage, oregano, rosemary, bay leaf, basil, seasoned salt, pepper, red peppr, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander, tumeric, cumin, and cardamom (most of mine are McCormicks)

Whole Grains: rice, and Flax Seed (not sure if its a grain but I don know where else to put this)

Vinegars: white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and Balsamic Vinegar (the good stuff its expensive)

Wine: I always have a dry white, a desert wine, and a Merlot on hand

Canned stuff: Applesauce, pumpkin, pineapple, jelly/jam, refried beans, baked beans, chicken broth, canned chicken, evaporate milk, sweetened condensed milk, tomato paste, pasta sauce, black beans

Baking Mixes: Pamela's brownie mix, Pamela's chocolate cake mix, Gluten free Panntry bread mixes, gluten free pancake mix, unflavored gelatin

Pastas: Gluten free Mac and Cheese, Gluten free spirals, Gluten free penne, and gluten free spaghetti (occasionally I get Lasagna noodles but not often)

Cereal: Perky'0, Gorilla Munch, Bobs Red Mill hot GF cereal

Snack bars: GF breakfast bars, and Lara bars, Jello Pudding

Here is what I have in my fridge (not including leftovers)

Diary: Milk whole and 1%, butter milk (not all the time I get this 1 time a month) cottage cheese, cream cheese, unflavored yogurt, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, sour cream, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese

Juice: Lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice (in the freezer for cooking) to drink cranberry or blueberry juice

Eggs (large)

Meats: I buy in bulk so I always have this stuff on hand.... roast beef, ground beef, smoked sausage, Italian sausage, ham, chicken, pork lion, pork chops, steak, flank steak

Fresh or frozen fruits and veggies (if in season I get fresh if not I get frozen or if its cheaper to get frozen I do that too): apples, bananas, peaches, raisins, craisins, blue berries, strawberries, orange, cranberries, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, green beans, peas, broccoli, corn]

I've found that I can just about make ANYTHING from a regular cookbook using these ingredients... I use the Tom Sawyer Flour only for baking cookies and thickening gravy.

What is Celiac Disease Anyhow??

Okay so my daughter has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease and I've been told that it is an autoimmune disorder caused by the gluten protein in some grains but what the heck does that mean? Let me tell you its hard to find but I finally have a technical answer about what happens in her body when she eats gluten!

Here is the technical mumbo-jumbo:

When anyone (even people without Celiac disease) eats gluten containing products it causes our bodies to produce an excess amount of zonulin. (A protein found in our small intestine that basically works as a doorman allowing the nutrients of our food to pass into the bloodstream) You heard me right.. EVERY person on earth produces too much zonulin when they eat gluten! Having too much zonulin opens so many ..doors.. that toxins (gluten fragments) get into our blood stream that normally wouldn't have been allowed in.

This is where my daughter's body acts differently than ours does. Her body sees these gluten fragments as invaders and it launches and attack against them.. the problem is her body also attacks itself (the autoimmune part of this Celiac) She produces antibodies ant react against normal, healthy tissue rather than the bad stuff.

Her body attacks the villi (the little finger things on our intestines that help absorb nutrients) on the lining of the small intestine causing them to flatten (really they are chopped down like a tree). If they have been chopped they are no longer able to absorb nutrients from her food. The damage always happens at the top of the intestine first.

Remember that her small intestine is about 3.5 times longer than she is (so about 10+ feet) So by the time she was showing symptoms and losing weight, her entire intestine had been damaged.

Anyhow the villi do repair themselves once you have switched to a gluten free diet. It takes 1-12 months for adults and with kids it..s a much faster recovery.

Now you all know what Celiac disease is!

*special thanks to the book Gluten Free Living for Dummies it has been a GREAT resource.

My Daughters Story

My daughter was born a hefty 9lbs 13oz and has always been a "big" girl! The only form of nutrition she received for the first 6 months of her life was breast milk and after that I made her baby food and nursed her until 13 months old. She was a happy and healthy baby showing no signs of food allergies or intolerances from day one. (I've put this information in here to dispel the thoughts that 1. Not feeding a baby gluten before the age of 4-6 months will prevent Celiac Disease, and 2. Nursing a baby for 1 year will help to prevent Celiac Disease...in my case the proof is in the pudding)

I clearly remember a day in October when I heard her cough in the middle of the night. I went to check on her and found that she had vomited. I cleaned her up, took her temperature only to find that it was normal and brushed the incident off, I thought she was just too hot.

What started off as 1 night of vomit quickly progressed to an everyday ordeal of projectile undigested food, many phone calls to the pediatrician, and finally a referral to a Pediatric Gasteroenterologist. We were in the GI's office 1.5 weeks after my daughter started showing symptoms.

After going through a complete family medical history, we drew blood and waited for the results. I received a phone call that went something like this 3 days later:

Hello

This is the nurse practitioner at the GI's office, we have R's test results. She has an Autoimmune disorder called Celiac Disease and would like to schedule a biopsy to confirm diagnosis.

What is that?

It means she has a gluten intolerance and this can be controlled completely by her diet.

So are you not sure that she has this?

No, Her test are clearly showing positive for Celiac

Then why do we need to do a biopsy?

To confirm Diagnosis, can we schedule it now?

No, I need to speak with her regular pediatrician first.

To make a long story short we did the biopsy and her diagnosis was confirmed.

My daughters initial TTG's were 73

I fed my daughter 1 saltine cracker a day until her biopsy and she has been gluten free ever since (almost 4 months now)