Gluten Free Friday Week 3

This post comes a day late because of the holiday yesterday!

I was asked a question by Beck last week (Beck, I can't view your blog! Your profile is set to private)

So how's it going for you guys? Are you seeing changes as a result of the gluten-free food? Can you explain more of what the effects of gluten vs. non-gluten are on your son/family? I'd love to learn more about it.

It's going very well. Surprisingly, our kids have adapted excellently. I think this is due to 2 things. The first is that our kids are very good good eaters. They've always eaten a wide variety of foods, so they're still enjoying many of their favorites (fruits, veggies, big salads, quinoa, etc) The second is that we do not often do treats and we've made a point to do extra treat since going gluten free, so that they know there is lots of "fun" gluten free foods as well. Our kids have commented a few times that "Being Gluten Free is the best!"

We have not seen any major changes yet. There have been a couple moments where someone forgot and gave them a bite of something, or a graham cracker, etc. I have noticed that our youngest son, who is still in diapers, has had much more firm bowel movements. I found that interesting.

Our kids have suffered with some loose bowel movements over the years. But nothing like when the oldest 2 were babies, I'll have to write about that more some other time. If you don't have loose stools 6 times or more a day, then doctors deem you normal. So, the occasional trouble the kids have in the bathroom for no apparent reason I never could put my finger on.

We have noticed in the last week this has happened less and less. Until yesterday, Isaac had to make a mad dash to the bathroom. I'm not sure why it happened, but I know we'll figure this out eventually.

Isaac also has some developmental delays, we're hoping in a few months we'll see some more clarity for him in speech, communication, etc. We'll have to wait and see. That's a big hope.

Here's some info I would like you all to consider:

An estimated, 1 in 100 Americans has celiacs disease. Only 3% of that number has been diagnosed.

Could you have Celiac's? The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness has an online quiz here. If you take it, let me know your results!

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Gluten Free blog of the week : Gluten A Go Go This blog is going to tickle your taste buds, for sure. Right now I'm trying to learn how to replace the normal every day foods, happily grabbing a gluten free brownie mix when my kids need their own replacement at a birthday party. But next time we need something that's not part of the everyday meal plan - this blog is where I'm going to get some recipes. Danish, cookies, pralines??? I didn't know those kinds of food would all be a part of my world of "Cooking from scratch" again.

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Recipes we tried and liked :

Pamela's Pancake Mix - WOW! We've always made out pancakes from scratch, so I was worried how a gluten free mix would taste. The kids and I loved it, and Jake loved it so much he said he liked it better than normal from scratch pancakes! Delicious!

This Spinach and Feta Quiche was OK. I think I made two mistakes that caused it to just be mediocre : 1) I accidentally bought regular spinach in case of baby spinach 2) I think I put in more spinach than it called for. The flavor was all right.. but... it was just lacking. I might try it out again with the baby spinach just to see.

This Broccoli and 3 Cheese Soup was beyond amazing. It was delicious. The kids loved it, Jake loved it, I was wishing I tripled the recipe. I could eat this every day it was that good. The cheese I chose to use were Cheddar, Jarlsberg, and Monterey Jack. I can't wait to make this one again.