Category Archives: Loving

Kid and family focused

Feb 14

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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The kiddos were excited this morning when they woke up to these V-day treats!


Daddy let them eat some for breakfast–sorry teachers! I used this recipe from gfreekid.com but used WowButter since Emerson is allergic to peanut butter.  She was not a fan of the WowButter flavor on it’s own but mix it with some sugar and top with chocolate icing and its a different story!

It is such a simple recipe–great for someone like me that is not a great baker!

1 Cup peanut butter (or WowButter in my case)

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

Mix all ingrendients together and use a greased (or non stick spray) mini-muffin pan to make the cups.  Try to make the layer thin and even in the muffin pan to ensure even baking.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 9 minutes.  Top with your favorite icing.  A word of caution: be very careful to watch them in the oven…speaking from experience they can burn very quickly!  My first batch ended up in the garbage can :(  

I love that this recipe could easily be adapted for different holdiays/occasions simply by changing the color of the icing or adding different sprinkles.

I don’t buy into the “Hallmark/Roses/Candy” part of the holiday but it is a nice reminder to say “I love you” to those special people in your life–and maybe do a little something special for them too. Hope your heart is surrounded by love today and always!

Jan 24

Mommy Day

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Each week the kiddos and I get to enjoy “mommy day”.  I’m lucky enough to have a flexible job that allows me to have one day off each week which has now become known as mommy day.  While often the days’ activities include grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning—we also try to have some fun!

The summer is easy—we love to spend the day at the park, pool, zoo, or Kings Island (my kids have no idea how lucky they are to only live 5 minutes from an amusement park!).  However, I have been in search of activities for the colder months—inexpensive ideas too!  Between my professional life and my home-mommy to a gluten-free girl- world I sometimes have to remind myself it’s not always about food—so here are some non-food, but still gluten-free activities.

I was REALLY late to join the Pinterest bandwagon…and some days I’m not sure I should have jumped on at all…but, there are so many creative people out there—why re-create the wheel?  Since play-doh is a no-no for keeping an activity gluten free we decided to make GAK today.  The kids had a blast!

I divided the original recipe in half so each kid used:

  • 1 4 oz bottle Elmer’s glue
  • water
  • 1/2 tsp Borax (found in the laundry aisle at the grocery store). Hopefully your store will have a smaller box–  You only need a very small amount for this activity and the only box my grocery store had was 4 pounds!  Guess I’ll be searching next for “things to do with Borax”.
  • food coloring (we used store brand neon colors because we were going for bright colors but really any would work).
  1. Pour the entire bottle of glue into bowl
  2. fill bottle with warm water, shake and pour the water into the bowl too.
  3. Mix with spoon.
  4. Add food coloring (as little or as much as you want to get desired color) and mix some more.  Set aside.
  5. In a small cup add 1/2 tsp Borax to 1/4 Cup warm water and mix until Borax is dissolved.
  6. Add this mixture to the glue mixture and stir.
  7. It is that easy!  Keep mixing with spoon or your hands.  The more you manipulate it the better the texture gets.  Have fun!

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IMG_0808[1]  He was a little unsure at first Smile

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IMG_0812[1]  We ended up mixing the blue and pink to make purple GAK and used some cookie cutters for added fun.

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Some more of my Pinterest kid-friendly, cheap, gluten-free pins:

Mess-free finger painting:  We did this over the weekend—the kids had a great time making shapes, practicing letter writing and mixing the colors.  I just used the Crayola washable paint we had on hand.  We started with the white paper taped to the table as described and pictured below from the Hippie Housewife, but ended up taping the bags to the windows that look out to the deck—the kids liked the way it looked with the sun shining through the paint better.

picture above from http://hippiehousewife.blogspot.ca/

My daughter loves to draw rainbows and anything this colorful!

And for the boys—Truck Painting!

 

Want to see more of  my finds?– Kids Stuff Board

What are your favorite Mommy Day activities?

Jan 07

New Year’s Resolutions for living with celiac disease.

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So, now that we are about to start the first FULL week of the year time to get down to business!  (Clearly just a rationalization for me to not feel so guilty about finishing off the left-over holiday goodies since I hadn’t officially started my resolutions yet).

These are just some suggestions that might get you thinking about how you can use the new year to reset and make this a great gluten-free and healthy year!

  1. Keep up on the research.  Information about celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and living gluten free is everywhere!  Don’t get swayed by the “hype”. Vow to stick to factual information and keep up-to-date with what the research is really showing.  Stick to reputable websites such as the NFCA, The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, and of course The Happy Belly Project!  Or ask a dietitian!
  2. Try a new homemade gluten-free recipe each month.  Expanding your horizon will help you focus on what you can GAIN by going gluten free, not what you lose by living gluten-free.  There are so many websites and cook books out there—or take an “old favorite” recipe and adapt it to be gluten free.
  3. Try a new gluten-free grain.  Fiber is an issue and trying new grains can increase fiber intake as well as many vitamins, minerals, and protein.  Many of the gluten-free convenience items are made from white rice—nice and easy to grab on-the-go, but not super-nutritious.  This is one I struggle with and am hoping to accomplish in 2013.  My second part of this resolution is find recipes that my kids will actually eat too.  My quinoa attempts have not been so successful in this second area.
  4. Follow up with your doctor.  Regular contact with your physician and dietitian is important.  Stick to your annual appointment and get your yearly blood work done. It is the one way to be sure you aren’t being “glutened” and causing long-term damage to your body.
  5. Don’t cheat!   I know its hard but even a little gluten can damage the lining of your intestine and make you feel miserable!

What are your resolutions to make 2013 a great year?

Nov 21

Disney Magic

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Well, I’m certainly not doing very well at keeping up regular posts.  Many excuses reasons come to mind—being increased to 40 hours per week at my job—not something I was hoping  for, but in light of the current state of the economy and so many people looking for jobs, I am thankful to have one; and, one I actually enjoy too!  In addition to full-time mommy to now 5 and 3 year olds–life gets pretty busy.

However, after returning from a recent family trip to Walt Disney World in Florida I think it is worth commenting on.  I was really nervous about traveling for a whole week without a full kitchen available.  Everyone told me, “no need to bring any food, she will be able to eat everywhere” but I just couldn’t believe it.  To get to the punch line—IT”S TRUE!  What a wonderful “vacation” for me not to have to worry about constantly packing up food and snacks for Emerson. And a huge treat for her to be able to order off the menu EVERYWHERE we went. Disney does many things right from a customer service standpoint and attending to those with special diet concerns is one of them.  Crowd control after the electrical parade is another story!

Our first meal was at the quick service location in our hotel, Art of Animation.  From the moment Chef Ron came out and stooped down to talk to “Princess Emerson” at her level to find out exactly what she wanted for lunch I knew we were going to be ok.  He then proceeded to prepare her meal himself and deliver it directly to her.

Each table service meal we were greeted by a chef that took her order and then hand delivered it to the table themselves.  At the quick service restaurants a supervisor or manager assumed these responsibilities.  IF I had to find a negative it would be at the quick service locations it did take quite a bit longer to get her meals however, knowing it was safe for her to eat made it completely worth while.

Plenty of to-go snacks including pop chips and gluten free brownies, cookies and cupcakes were available most places.  We did visit the gluten free bakery Downtown Disney but didn’t end up getting anything.  I meant to make it back all week but never found the time!

I wish I had been better about taking pictures of her food and the restaurants/quick service locations we ate, but I wasn’t Sad smile  To be honest, her meals were such a “non-issue” I really didn’t have to think about it at all.  Such a change from most vacations!

Here are the few I did get…

IMG_0243  The Chef talking with Emerson and I about her special birthday breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table.

IMG_0258 Birthday Mickey Mouse waffles complete with Mickey Mouse sprinkles!

IMG_0458  Cookie ice cream sandwich made just for Emerson!  Half of the chocolate ice cream ended up on her white shirt—but nothing a little bleach couldn’t fix!

Have you been to Disney?  What was your experience?  Let me know other gluten-free-friendly vacation choices you have found too!

Aug 02

Summer Bounty

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One of the best things about the gluten free diet is the natural guidance toward eating more whole, natural foods. Especially fruits and veggies. I have to admit it makes me smile to know while her friends at daycare are eating processed cookies and crackers, my daughter is happily munching away on green pepper strips. Sidenote-We love our daycare and no, they do not serve processed snacks everyday–

Recently my kids and I have made a new habit of going straight from school to the farmer’s stand just down the street a couple times a week. I love that the kids get excited to pick out their own fruits and veggies. Emerson always heads straight to the cantaloupe and corn while Cohen loves the berries. The folks are so nice and always let him taste test before choosing which one he wants.

Summer fruits and veggies make dinner preparation so easy! Some of our favorite naturally gluten-free sides this summer include:

corn on the cob
roasted asparagus with olive oil and parmesean cheese
sliced cucumbers and tomatoes with italian dressing
sliced green peppers

There are many websites and recipes out there—too many to list—but sometimes it’s nice just to keep it simple!

I encourage you to take a moment to stop at the roadside stand or farmer’s market in your area. What are your favorite summer foods?

Jul 09

Mind over matter. Happy and gluten free.

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What determines ones quality of life?  It is quite subjective.  I see patients everyday with kidney disease requiring dialysis and think “I don’t think I would want to live if I had XYZ…” but these patients do.  And do it well.  I have asked some, “I know you don’t enjoy coming to dialysis, so what makes you get up 3 mornings a week and come in for treatment?”  Their answers include family, kids, spouses, grandchildren, the will to be able to continue to care for others, the fear of dying…there are many.

It got me thinking.  Celiac disease is not that different than any other chronic disease.  We have to ask ourselves—how can I make this the best it can be for me?  Or my spouse, or my child?

A 2011 study found that 65% of patients reported full adherence to the gluten free diet, but that nearly 80% of them found the diet “impossible, mostly difficult, or sometimes difficult”.  The study found a step-wise decline in quality of life and increasing likelihood of anxiety / depression associated with increasing degree of difficulty adhering to the gluten free diet.  The study concludes that “The degree of gluten free diet difficulty is associated with reductions in patient wellbeing and psychological distress that the dietician is critically placed to address.”  Not, interestingly, the degree of adherence achieved which would directly effect how one feels on any given day.

So, bottom-line, how can we make the gluten free diet feel easier to follow and therefore be happier!  Below are my top 5 tips.

  1. Use your resources!  It IS actually easier to follow the gluten free diet than ever before.
    • Almost all grocery store chains and companies will provide a list of gluten free items that they carry.  Check out this one from Janine, a Meijer Healthy Living Advisor.
    • The internet has made searching company websites a breeze.
    • Use apps on your smart phone or tablet (more to come on this soon).
  2. Focus on adding foods, not taking away.
    • I think dietitians are guilty of falling into the “deprivation model” when we counsel patients.  “Don’t/Avoid/Limit” are words I often hear myself using when counseling patients.
    • When I think a better method would be the “enjoyment model”.  When instructing someone on a gluten free diet this method would include advice such as “enjoy fruits, vegetables, plain meats, beans, nuts and dairy products”.  Looks a lot like the same advice I hear for cardiovascular health and to prevent diabetes—huh, maybe this gluten-free thing isn’t so bad?
  3. Get family and friends on board.  It’s always more fun when you are surrounded by those special people in your life.
  4. Look at this as an opportunity to explore new foods and recipes—who has tried quinoa, teff or amaranth?  Sneak peak: get ready for the gluten-free grain challenge—coming to The Happy Belly Project soon!
  5. Get connected.  Get involved.  Attend celiac support group meetings, join a list-serv, go for a gluten-free grocery store tour, or find a celiac conference in your area.  The NFCA has great information on community events.

Let me know your best tips for making the gluten-free diet an easy-to-follow way of life!

 

 

 

 

 

Resources:

Barratt SM, Leeds JS, Sanders DS.  Quality of Life in Coeliac Disease is Determined by Perceived Degree of Difficulty Adhering to a Gluten-Free Diet, not the Level of Dietary Adherence Ultimately Achieved. J Gastroinstin Liver Dis.  Sept 2011 Vol 20 No3, 241-245.

Webb D.  Think Positive-Focusing on Foods to Add, Rather Than Avoid, Helps Your Patients Succeed.  Todays Dietitian. Vol. 13 No. 2 P.24.

Apr 30

Breastfeeding and the introduction to gluten: What is the science saying?

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Because my daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease 3 weeks before I had my son, one of my first questions I had for the GI doctor was, “What can I do to reduce his chances of having celiac disease?” As does most scientific research, a lot of the studies lead to the conclusion that more studies need to be done. Great! But, what do we (think) we know now?

Here, I’ll try to summarize the latest recommendations available and give a little of the “why” behind the recommendations. Studies show that only about 4% of the people with the DQ2/DQ8 genes actually develop celiac disease. What, then, leads those 4% to develop the disease? One theory is the timing of introduction of gluten. The DAISY project found that those children exposed to gluten in the first 3 months had a 5-fold increased risk of developing celiac compared to those exposed initially between 4-6 months. Additionally, those exposed after 7 months had a slightly higher risk than those exposed between 4-6 months. Of note, this study was done with children at high risk for celiac disease (those who had a 1st-degree relative with type 1 diabetes or certain genetic markers). A meta-analysis (a statistical way to combine the related results of multiple studies) completed in 2006 found that children being breastfed at the time of gluten introduction had a 52% reduction in the risk of developing celiac disease compared to their peers who were not breastfed when initially introduced to gluten-containing foods.

The protective effect of breastfeeding is likely multi-faceted. Some proposed theories include: Breast milk has the ability to introduce small amounts of gluten through the breast milk (levels in parts per billion), and/or babies benefit from the microbiota (types and amounts of specific “good bacteria”) introduced into their GI tracts through breastfeeding. A 2011 study found a common increased level of B uniformisbacteria both in the breastfed group of infants and those with the genotype at low risk of developing celiac disease, possibly suggesting that higher levels of this bacteria are protective against the development of the disease. Much more research is needed in this area before any specific recommendations would be mainstream but I think as parents anything we can do to improve the health, or even the potential to improve our children’s health, is well worth it!

Bottom line:

1. It appears there is a window between 4-6 months during which it’s best to expose children to gluten. Especially if they are “high risk” for developing celiac disease including those with 1st degree relatives with celiac or type1 diabetes.

2. Breastfeeding, of any duration, appears to have a positive effect on decreasing risk, or at least delaying onset of celiac disease.

3. Breastfeeding during the time period your child is initially exposed to gluten may also decrease risk of celiac disease.

4. Breastfeeding does not seem to affect the severity of disease.

 

Reference articles:

Sanchez E, et al. Influence of Environmental and Genetic Factors Linked to Celiac Disease Risk on Infant Gut Colonization by Bacteroides Species.   Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Aug. 2011. 5316-5323.

Silano M, et al. Effect of the timing of gluten introduction on the development of celiac disease. World J Gastroenterol April 2010. 1939-1942.

Radlovic N, et al. Influence of early feeding practices on celiac disease in infants. Clinical Sciences.  Augutst 2010. 417-422.

Apr 19

Gluten-free pumpkin flax muffins

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Kids in the kitchen.  I think there are so many benefits to spending time cooking with your kids.  Yes, it may lead to a bigger mess, and yes, may take longer than doing it yourself, but every once in a while allow yourself to slow down and enjoy some quality time being in the moment with your child(ren).  Hey, they might even learn a few things.

Every basic area of learning can be covered by making a simple recipe together.  My daughter is 4 so we are not trying to tackle astrophysics yet but we did cover some reading, math, science, and health topics while baking muffins today.  We started by reading the ingredient list; covered math by reading ingredient amounts and while measuring and counting as we combined different items; talked about food science (one of my favs in college) like why we had to have certain ingredients like eggs to hold everything together; and finally, near and dear to my heart, discussed the “healthy” items like pumpkin and ground flaxseed that were in the muffins.

This recipe is adapted from one I found on allrecipes.com and was one of my first “successful” gluten-free baking attempts.   The original recipe calls for coconut flour—I’ve never had that in my kitchen, but ground flaxseed I’m much more familiar with so I made the substitution.  It makes a ton of muffins—1 dozen large and 2 1/2 dozen minis.  My kids are still young so the minis are a perfect size for them.  Just a warning-they are the perfect pop-able size for adults too!  I usually take at least half and freeze them.  Makes a great grab-n-go snack or quick breakfast for those crazy mornings!

What you need:

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2 1/2 cups gluten free baking flour-if it doesn’t already contain xanthan gum make sure to add it per the recommendations on the flour.  Believe me, don’t forget this step!

3/4 C ground flaxseed

1 (15 ounce) can unseasoned pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon salt

1 C vegetable oil

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 C maple syrup

1/2 C milk

2 TBSP pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs (I use 1 whole egg and egg replacer = to 3 eggs)

How to make it:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl.
  3. Whisk all wet ingredients together in another bowl then fold into dry ingredients.

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4.  Place muffin liners in pan and spray with non-stick spray.  (I don’t use liners for the minis, just spray the pan)

5.  Distribute batter evenly.  Approximately 1/4 C for each large muffin and a heaping TBSP for each mini.

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6.  Bake: 20-23 minutes for large muffins and 15-17 minutes for minis.

028   The anticipation!

7. Eat and enjoy!

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Apr 05

Happy Easter! An easy gluten free Easter treat!

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What you need:

Semi sweet Baker’s Chocolate

Large marshmallows

Peeps (bunnies look the cutest I think, but the chicks work too)

Sugar sprinkles

Toothpicks

How to:

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1.  Place toothpicks in each marshmallow.

2.  Melt chocolate in microwave.  Do this slowly (15-30 second increments) and stop just before it is smooth.  Stir to melt the remaining chocolate so the chocolate doesn’t get burned.

3.  Dip marshmallows in chocolate then sprinkle with colored sugar crystals.

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4.  Place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

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5. Place in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes until chocolate hardens.

6.  Top with peeps.

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7. Eat and Enjoy!

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Mar 24

Being diagnosed at a young age; the advantages, the disadvantages

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Our daughter was diagnosed at 21 months old. One huge advantage was that she didn’t have to suffer for years of trying to figure out what was wrong with her before getting a doctor to accurately diagnose her celiac disease. While 6 weeks of having your 20-month-old vomit, have diarrhea, and lose weight seems like an eternity during the process, the truth is that it is a much faster road to diagnosis than most people face. It “helped” that at her age she had very classic gastrointestinal symptoms of the disease. And of course, I am so thankful for having a great pediatrician and access to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Emerson will never know “what she is missing”—she didn’t grow up on gluten-filled pizza, baked goods and bread and then have to give it all up as an adult. Tastes are acquired, and all she knows is gluten-free products and cooking.  Another huge advantage is improved health in the long run with decreased risk of serious consequences from continuing to be “glutened” for many years.

But there are still disadvantages. Cross-contamination is a big concern. Trying to prevent cross-contamination is difficult—toddlers touch everything, and then put their hands in their mouth or eat with their hands. I’m not looking forward to the teenage years (for many reasons!)–an additional peer pressure fear I have is that she will want to “be like her friends” and eat the same pizza, cheeseburgers, and cookies that they are.

We tried to keep it very simple and honest for our daughter from day one. We would tell her, yes, there will be times you cannot share food that others are having. Just like daddy can’t be around dogs or horses, you can’t eat gluten. We also started reminding her that if someone tried to give her food she should ask, “Is this gluten free?” So, one day after picking her up from daycare I asked, “Are you learning about cooperation?” (which was their word of the week). Her response: “No, I just ask if it’s gluten free.” I had to just laugh and say, “That is a really good thing to do!” Apparently the concept of cooperation didn’t quite stick!

I love the positive outlook GF Kid promotes.  I agree with her philosophy that for children diagnosed with celiac disease it is up to the parents to instill an “I can do this” attitude about anything; including living gluten free.  Plus, I love all the creative recipe ideas!  We always try to teach our daughter to not let the “disease” (anyone else hate that the word “disease”)? define her.

What are your best strategies to teach your children about living a gluten-free life during the different stages of life?