Gluten Free Pregnancy

As my bikini waxer noticed back in May (I know, I know, TMI - but really, her powers of observation are quite impressive - my mom didn't even suspect yet) .. I am pregnant!!! At that point I was "just a little bit pregnant" - about six weeks.  But I did find myself at a little bit of a crossroads - what to do about the gluten??

For anyone just tuning in, I had been strictly g-free since Z-bug was diagnosed with celiac in January.  I have no trouble digesting plain ol' bread but in the interest of solidarity and to walk a mile in her shoes, I have eaten, ordered, and baked exclusively gluten-free.  But having survived the first three months of my previous two pregnancies by relying on saltines I wasn't sure whether to cheat or not cheat (and believe me, I had tried all sorts of organic, whole grain, and 'healthier' alternatives - but nothing seemed to beat the saltine for "morning" sickness). 


There doesn't seem to be any reason that gluten is necessary during pregnancy as long as I'm taking getting enough folic acid, zinc calcium and vitamin D which I am through supplements. And my OB said there was no reason to go on the gluten unless I needed it for my own peace of mind.  Turns out, I didn't ... I made it through the rough patches with Preggie Pop Drops & lots of hot water with lemon, some ginger tea & suckers and to sub for the plain bagels/pasta when I needed bland - baked potatoes.

Now that baby #3 is about six weeks away, I find myself wondering again - what to do about the gluten? This time once baby is ready for food.  So far E-bee doesn't show signs of celiac, but frankly neither did Z until she started complaining about tummy aches at age 4.  At home we're strictly gluten free, but E gets gluten at day care and on the occasional outing without Z.  I've seen the recent studies about timing of gluten exposure during breastfeeding so do I bring some gluten back into the house for #3?  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2860070/pdf/WJG-16-1939.pdf Thing is, I don't quite buy it since Z-bug was exclusively breast fed until 6 months and though I don't remember the etent of her consumption I know was gnawing on frozen bagels and picking at whole wheat cereals as she learned the whole eating thing. 

Anyway, I will try to be more diligent with the posting - there have been some awesome meals we've discovered over this past year, especially at holiday time ... e.g. Sausage-Risotto stuffed Sugar Pumpkin (below - and don't judge based on looks alone, it's delish); Sweet-potato stuffed Acorn Squash (sprinkled with dried cranberries, courtesy of Z - she was right, they made it even better!); Pumpkin-Swirl Cheesecake with gluten-free gingersnap crust (YUM!) ...

A Gluten Free Disney!

We just spent five fabulous (magical!) days at Disney. What a BLAST we had. We went on rides and met characters and sang and danced and ate real french fries from a gluten-free fryolater!  It truly was magical - Z-bug had conversations with real live princesses ("Oh Ariel, that's not a guppy, that's my sister - on land we call them babies!"), E-bee was absolutely enthralled with the characters and rides and pool ... I smiled for five days straight! 




Z dancing with Tigger!


I also spent the mornings much like I do at home - setting up two bowls of gluten-free cereal or plain greek yogurt, cutting up fruit, putting together an assembly line of pb&j sandwiches on gluten-free bread, bagging snacks ...

I had ordered stuff from Amazon to be delivered to the hotel - princess autograph books, a package of diapers so I didn't have to pack so many, little packets of almond butter, a Rapunzel dress for baby E to match her big sister's, those Happy Baby/happytot squeezy veggie-fruit things that are good to carry around... and pretzels.



Glutino pretzels (which rock even by gluten-filled standards) to be precise.  A whole case of them. I ordered the snack packs (8oz) which I thought excessive but manageable - but received a huge Glutino box with 12 family size bags (14oz) of pretzels - for four people for five days ... pretzels for breakfast, check! Pretzels for dinner (dipped in hummus or mustard - it's a fine meal!).  Pretzels for snack, as many as you want!  And we still had EIGHT bags to stuff into our suitcases and carry-ons at the end of the trip.  Ooops!

I also ordered groceries to the room from GardenGrocer.com (highly recommended, by the way - food was at the hotel when we got there and everything was fresh and as ordered) which saved us money, time, and the possibility of low blood sugar meltdowns while we hunted for g-free fare at the parks. Turns out, there are actually a lot of gluten free options at Disney but it was nice to not have to worry about it.  And in the three restaurants we did eat in, the chefs came over to talk about what on the menu/buffet was safe to eat.  They were really knowledgeable and nice, and pretty smart - all their meatballs and salmon cakes, etc are made with potato flour so they're safe for celiacs too!

My Disney-lovefest did suffer a blow this morning, though, when I read this:  http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/tv-radio/mom-disney-show-jessie-ridicules-kids-with-celiac-disease-688350/
Celiac aside, having a weaker kid get food thrown at him for laughs doesn't sound very funny or like good messaging for the kids watching it- but not having familiarity with the particular show involved, maybe there was a teaching moment involved that somehow redeems the comical bullying?  In any event, we get enough rolled eyes and confusion when we order food or ask what the ingredients are in meals prepared in people's homes to commiserate with those two sweet kids who felt ostracized by a show they enjoyed watching. 

This news, however, about an upcoming Phase IIb clinical trial for an enzyme combination that helps break down gluten, is fairly encouraging: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1446911-abbvie-s-latest-drug-deal-marks-a-shift-in-the-celiac-disease-therapeutics-field [In a six-week phase IIa study, the drug company reported that their enzyme/drug reduced giadin-related intestinal inflammation in celiac patients that consumed gluten during the trial!!]

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies without the gluten - really!!

Hello and happy celiac awareness month! If there's anyone keeping track of such things, I did in fact take a brief hiatus, during which we ...

... celebrated Z-bug's 4 and half-birthday with butterfly wings (cardboard and glitter - so fun!) and cupcakes from Glutinus Minimus (a dedicated bakery in Belmont, MA that also sells through a local cupcake place... eh)

 

The half-birthday girl with her big wings at the table and a set of smaller wings to go outside and kick the soccer-ball around (and just to prove I wore mine all day too, that's my arm up in the top-left of her table photo!)

... had our first family case of the pink eye (FYI, drops are much easier with a squirmy 17 month old than that gel-like substance you're supposed to squeeze along an eye that is closed and turned way from you) ... witnessed a terrorist attack firsthand (Boston) ... cut out the morning 'nana' so baby E's down to just bedtime nursing (remarkably and a total coincidence, at 17months just like Z-baby was) ... and decided to plan a spur of the moment but much-needed getaway next week -- to DISNEY WORLD (seriously perfect timing since E-bee can pick Ariel, 'Rella and the Beast out of a line-up and I heard this during a viewing of the Little Mermaid last week: "now baby, don't worry - the scary parts aren't real, only Ariel and Prince Eric are real)!!

And in the meantime, and quite by accident, I discovered this past Sunday how to make chewy chocolate chip cookies!! I have become a pro at the crispy, buttery, no one can tell they're gluten free kind. Thing is, I love a good chewy cookie sometimes and just assumed I was out of luck.  But as luck would have it, I was running low on my g-free flour blend and needed cookies (we were headed to a party where I knew there would be a full table of dessert, none of which my girl could eat).  So I did the following:

Whisked together:
1 1/2 cups King Arthurs g-free flour blend
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (more like 2/4tsp... some sort of spilled in while I was measuring)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Creamed:
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup cane sugar

Mixed it all together and stirred in a package of Trader Joes semi-sweet chocolate chips  (they're on the T-Joes no gluten added list).



Baked little balls of the cookie dough at 350 for approximately12 minutes, took them out while pretty soft and hoped for the best.  They didn't crisp up just hardened enough to be cookies (with the exception of one or two that were soft and broke so we could taste them!).

I put the tasty little morsels on a pretty party tray, covered with celophane and ribbon and off we went (I know, I should have a photo - I am not by any means handy with celophane but a tip for my fellow not-particularly-talented-but-crafty types it's available at the party store, pretty forgiving and definitely looked nice enough to to bring with us to a party of not just friends). The entire platter of cookies I brought (minus the two I stashed away for Z in case of emergency) was GONE by the time the desserts were put out - someone had poked a hole in the celophane to get at one and apparently started a trend ... people devoured them, and we were the only non-gluten eating people at the party.  Moist, delicious, and gluten free .... hooray!!

I also brought a big and short-lived jar full of my sweet and savory roasted nuts ... I've not quite perfected the recipe though and they all get eaten (okay, I eat them) so quickly I can't seem to keep more than one batch around at a time to compare and see what proprotions we like better.  Guess I'll just have to keep trying!

Gluten-Free Cocktail Party

Hosted a little Cocktail Party for the Man's co-workers and spouses on Saturday night ... without a drop of gluten in sight!  I love, really love, to host .. . the planning, the prepping, the arranging - so fun for me! But this was the first time I was going to try to do it gluten-free ... and the task seemed daunting.  I did learn (in a leap of faith) that you can use the recipe off of any chocolate chip bag to make really good cookies, so long as you  use a g-free flour blend and add some xanthan gum to the mix! (And really, honestly, no one will know unless you tell them - I did since someone asked for their own gluten-reasons, but everyone who had already tasted them was shocked).  I also discovered a fondness for the Old Fashioned, and that a full bar set up looks really cool on the console in the dining room ... though admittedly is not particularly practical, or child-friendly.

Here's the menu for anyone interested ... and despite my best intentions, I have no photos to share so you'll just have to take my word for it that with the help of Z (skewering), the man (stuffing and wrapping dates), E-baby (being cute and letting us use our hands for things other than holding her) and a pal who helped shlep ice and booze back from the market, it was basically all ready when the guests arrived and looked pretty good! I had planned to roll the dip into balls, cover them in g-free panko crumbs and fry them, but opted for serving it as a dip with the chips rather than risk an oil splattered kitchen, ringing smoke detectors, and sad little fritters that might not have even tasted good (I don't really even know how to fry - I just thought it would be easier/neater to eat off of little pokers than dripping off of chips).  I was apparently on a little skewer kick, as you can tell ...

Cocktails:

·                 Old Fashioned

o   Orange slice/Cherry/sugar cube in glass - muddle & add whiskey/bitters/ice, splash of soda optional

·         Pineapple Infused Vodka - chilled

·         BAR Stocked with: Vodka (plain & vanilla), Gin, Whiskey, Tequila, Triple Sec, Creme de Cacoa, Rose's Lime juice, Bitters, LOTS OF ICE  [Garnish: Umbrella skewers of orange & cherries; Small bowls with Lemon wedges, Lime wedges, big stuffed Olives]

Wine:

·         White  - Pino Gris/Chardonnay

·         Red – Cabernet/Pinot Noir 

Hors D’Oeuvres:

Savory

·         Blue cheese stuffed dates, wrapped in bacon (a few w a pecan & brown sugar, no bacon)

·         Chicken Satay, Carrot & Celery Sticks w Peanut Dipping Sauce (surprisingly easy to make!)

·         Caprese skewers (Grape tomato, fresh basil, mozarella ball - balsamic, evoo, salt/pepper)

·         Cheese Plate – Gouda, Cheddar w chives, Asiago w Rosemarry

·         Chips w Peach Salsa (T-Joes) & Artichoke-Asiago Dip (mix: Mayo, Asiago, Artichoke, Garlic)

·         Nuts (Raw Cashews/Pecans/Almonds - roasted w Cinammon, Bbrown sugar, Rosemary, Salt)

·         Gimlet Olives (Pimiento olives soaked overnight in Vodka, Rose's lime juice & fresh lime)

Sweet

·         Fruit skewers w margarita dip (didn't love the dip but the skewers looked really pretty!)

·         White chocolate chip/dark chocolate chunk cookies (Gluten-free & homemade, natch!)

·         Caramel popcorn with nuts (Thatchers Gourmet brand - first time we had it, pretty yummy!)

Welcome Spring! The sun, the flowers ... the snow?!

The weather-Gods decided to have one last hurrah, and gave us that nice little snowstorm the day before Spring officially arrived - now, we're generally pro-snow since all we have to do is play in it and not shovel it! But it does impact our morning commute: a half-mile walk with two kids, two nap bags, two lunch bags, an after-school snack and my work bag.  It was actually tolerable but did have me second-guessing my decision to go into the office and cart the kids to daycare despite the closing of the public schools in ours and most towns around us.  Z enjoyed stomping in the snow, though she did say as we got about two blocks away, after an un-shoveled block and a half with hail in our faces: "mama, this is a horrible walk to school" ... yeah, sweetpea, I'm not totally loving it either if we're being completely honest here!  She did like my songs meant to distract and delight, but I'm not sure my 'good morning to you' verses could compare to the little diddy the Man made up that morning (to the tune of Jimmy Crack Corn & I don't Care): take a deep breath and count to ten!  I had to keep waking baby up as she drifted off in her Lillebaby sling, but she was great at drop-off -  happily wandered over to the table to wait for snack and instead of blowing me kisses (which her little toddler-friend was more than happy to do) just sat there giving me that little sideways glint like she's got a secret! [I know her secret: "I'm gonna see you tomorrow morning before the sun comes up, ladies choice: should we make it 4:40 or 4:50?"]  Once I made the half-mile trek back to work I was glad I showed up (in my snowday-casual ensemble of oversized turtleneck and riding pants) since most of my colleagues did make it in too, and  for some reason were dressed like there wasn't snow and ice flying from every direction - suckers! 
Well, almost a week later there are still piles of snow.... much to the delight of my big girl, who in her little party dress complete with tights and party shoes went running through about twenty feet of it until her feet went out from under her, and she slid - happily - on her bottom for another foot or two!

This was yesterday, and the party dress was for - you guessed it - another kid birthday party.  That would make the second party in two days... ad as you know, that means two Udi's Gluten Free pepperoni pizzas, two cupcakes with the buttercream frosting I am a whiz a whipping up on the fly, and as much sprinkle-flair as I could muster.  Anyone have a good way to transport these lonely little cupcakes so they make it to the parties without one side or the entire top smooshed??  She's such a trooper though, look how happy my girl is ....

I probably could think of something more secure than a few toothpicks in the sides and a cleaned out Fage yogurt container (the one with the lid) if I wasn't so sleepy ... do you think if we have a heart to heart with the small one she'll let us sleep in until 6am a few days a week?!

Celiac and cold cereal, because oatmeal's out for now ...



Oatmeal was our staple breakfast pre-diagnosis, except for those non-school days I'd give in and allow 'cold cereal' ... which for some reason, according to my apparently misguided parental wisdom, didn't seem as hearty or filling for days she had to be 'on' (at least according to preschool standards) until lunch-time?  I guess I was mistaken since that's what Z-Bug eats most mornings with some fresh fruit and she does just fine ... who knew?! 

So far we haven't tried any of the G-Free oats... I don't really get it, do you?? If so, please explain it to me - from what I can tell the issue is supposed to be cross-contamination, but oats do have gluten just not wheat gluten ... but is that okay or not?? So we're staying off the oats until, perhaps, we've been on the diet a while longer and want to see how she does with a gluten free oatmeal.

So yesterday I practically bought out all of the Nature's Path Gluten-Free cereal left on the shelf at Whole Foods - how could I not, they were on SALE!  They're really yummy (we've been eating Gorilla Munch and Peanut Butter Panda Puffs since well before Z-Bug's celiac diagnosis - to be honest, since well before Z was old enough to eat cereal!).  And some actually have a little fiber in there (e.g. Whole O's which I'll happily give E-Bee as an alternative to those filled-with-good-stuff, but not-so-filling and get crunched into the floor really easily Happy Baby Green Puffs). 

Check out how many options there are: http://us.naturespath.com/our-products?field_product_type_tid=All&field_special_diet_tid=14&field_superfood_ingredient_tid=All&field_new_value=All

And for some humor ... (cartoon found at  http://www.thefastertimes.com/pediatrics/2011/08/10/celiac/ )

And as long as we're on breakfast, since I didn't take the time to toot my own horn last week, here's Z's G-Free Valentine breakfast plate - with apple slices, plain Greek yogurt (with Cinnamon) and coconut-bluberry muffin (asI wrote about previously) ALL in the shape of hearts!

Something's missing in these muffins... oh yeah, gluten!

We do love to bake in these parts, and now that the pantry's fully stocked with an array of gluten-free flours (coconut, almon, Trade Joes blend, king Arthurs blend, some xanthan gum and corn meal ... so far!) we plan on getting back into it.  Yesterday my big girl and I had a few hours to ourselves without baby E, so after a few games it was into the kitchen to get down to business!  I was hoping for banana bread so as not to let the extremely (overly) ripened banana in the bowl go to waste, but Z-bug wanted blueberry muffins so out came the GFB (for the second time in a week of owning it) and all the ingredients for Coconut Blueberry Muffins.  With, of course, a few tweaks - with only 1 egg in the fridge but a full container of organic egg whites I had bought for easy frittata-making but haven't used yet, we used a cup and a half of egg white instead of the 6 eggs. I also added a dash (about a 1/2 teaspoon) of vanilla.  And we used frozen blueberries, because it's February.

 Z-bug meticulously measured and poured everything but the xanthan gum - it was our very first time using it and I read the warnings about too much so I wanted to be the culprit if we ended up with hockey pucks.  We didn't!

Princess Z made sure that every muffin would have some blueberries...

We did, however, only end up with enough batter for 10 "almost full" muffin cups - not the yield of 12 the recipe told us we'd get (and I think my muffin pan is regulation size?!)

 Most of them popped out of the muffin tin without effort - minor sticking on a couple (used spray, not paper cups)

                                                               The result? Delicious!


And ... Muffins-ish.  Sure, they taste good - there's that lemony, bakery-ish thing they have from the zest and the coconut flour does add a bit of sweetness and hint of something tropical... but they are, after all, gluten-free. So, they're not quite muffins ... they're Muffin-ish. 

Which, reminds me of a book we recently got.  Though we love "The Dot" and it's delightful main character Vashti by the same author, Peter H. Reynolds's "Ish" I'm not so sure about - sure it's a fun read if your kid's old enough not to internalize nor try to emulate the rotten older brother but I don't love the message that unless it's an exact replica, your drawing is not the actual thing you were aiming for - or even your best interpretation thereof - merely a lesser, not as good, only iSH version...
Feel free to comment to the contrary - please! I really do want to like it, but I only sort of "like-ish" it...