Sweets and Birthdays
Since my son has been gluten free we have had to be creative with sweets and birthdays. It is easy to make gluten free meals when you focus on what the gluten intolerant person can have. For instance if you make a meal with meat and a vegetable that is a gluten free meal. Making cake and cookies can be a little more tricky.
I have tried Betty Crocker gluten free brownies and cake mixes and I am very impressed with their flavor and consistency. My son loved them and my other kids couldn't even tell the difference. I like to make my son peanut butter cookies. This recipe is gluten free and dairy free.
Peanut Butter Cookies
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup GF Peanut Butter
1 Egg
Mix all ingredients together and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
These cookies are very good and easy to make. They are also a crowd pleaser.
I have recently tried King Arthur Flour cookie mix and it is very good. I did not even add the chocolate chips (I was out) and they still turned out great.
School presents another challenge for gluten free kids. I have talked with the teachers, principal, and nurse at my son's school. They have all been informed about why my son needs to be gluten free and what he cannot eat. This is a great help, for us the nurse was a great advocate. She explained about gluten intolerance was and what he could and could not eat. It was great and the kids in his class started trying to find snacks and desserts that he could eat. I still packed him a lunch everyday and his teacher had a cupboard that stored sweets and gluten free snacks for him. If someone had a birthday or special occasion the teacher was prepared and my son didn't feel left out.
It seems like being gluten free is a challenge, but if you focus on what your gluten free family member or friend can eat instead of what they cannot eat, it will be a positive experience for everyone. If you have a question don't be afraid to ask the place you are eating out, the company that makes the product, or whoever is in charge how the foods are made and with what ingredients.
There are a few websites that I would recommend, http://www.celiac.org/, and http://www.celiac.com/.
They have been very helpful for me and they are factual. If you try this recipe or if this has helped you in any way let me know. Thanks for reading.
Great blog!
ReplyDeleteI recently took GF brownies from a Betty Crocker mix to a swim party at a friend's house, & she was AMAZED they were so good AND GF! (I left the extras with her) I quipped 'I feel sorry for folks who have to eat that 'glue-y' stuff!'
I've been GF two years, since my daughter & her family had the genetic testing, & found they each had two genes for intolerance. I lived next door, & figure since a) I passed one of those genes on, & b) it would be easier for my granddaughters (then 4 & 9) to follow the new GF way of life if I was GF, too! Our 'symptoms' seem to be more mental health related - brain fog, anxiety, dyslexia, migraines, mild seizure disorder; my daughter's heart palpitations (12 years duration) were gone the first week GF. Her older daughter went of the seizure meds last summer, at 10.
I'm curious whether you & the rest of your family have had the genetic testing, to see if you also carry the genes for intolerance/celiac? A friend whose adult daughter was just diagnosed with celiac is waiting the results of her tests. I chose not to be tested, but to follow the lifestyle change, & an SO GLAD I have! I lost about 15 #, & continue to feel better in many ways.
Thanks again for offering your experiences through this blog!
Thank you Dia for your comments. It is always an encouragement to hear from people like yourself. I have not had the testing and neither have my other children or husband. I have strong suspicions that I have celiac as well. I am checking to see if there is somewhere here that I can be tested. Thank you again for your encouraging comments.
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