This is a great website if you are looking for a GF restaurant!
http://www.theceliacscene.com/North_American_Chains.html
Saturday, March 5, 2011
need help here
There are a few things I am trying to remember this week:
1. People do not get in the way of my goals. People ARE my goal.
2. God does not promise to save us from difficulty, although He may. He does promise to save us from sin. (Bible, especially meditating on Isaiah)
3. My reason for getting up in the morning: God has not treated me as my sins deserve, and His love for me is higher than the heavens are above the earth. (Ps. 103:10-11, compared with Ps. 118:24)
4. I am ready to cheerfully serve the Lord however He requires, at any moment. (Ps. 123:2)
5. God did not leave us as orphans but has given us His Spirit. (John 14:18..and that's my help!)
1. People do not get in the way of my goals. People ARE my goal.
2. God does not promise to save us from difficulty, although He may. He does promise to save us from sin. (Bible, especially meditating on Isaiah)
3. My reason for getting up in the morning: God has not treated me as my sins deserve, and His love for me is higher than the heavens are above the earth. (Ps. 103:10-11, compared with Ps. 118:24)
4. I am ready to cheerfully serve the Lord however He requires, at any moment. (Ps. 123:2)
5. God did not leave us as orphans but has given us His Spirit. (John 14:18..and that's my help!)
Thursday, March 3, 2011
GF snacks that won't break the budget
I was able to shave quite a bit off our last grocery bill...hooray!! Now we'll see if that continues. It always helps when I have a week I don't have to buy meat.
Specialty snacks for a gluten free diet are not cheap, but there are a quite a few naturally gluten free foods or homemade snacks that help keep us within budget. Here are a few ideas:
Fresh fruits and vegetables, especially those that are in season. I just discovered my youngest will eat carrots if I cut them in circles--we call them carrot coins. He even tried peanut butter and celery when I chopped the celery into smallish pieces. My daughter loves to make a baked potato for herself in the microwave. And of course, pears, bananas, and other fruit are always a hit.
Homemade treats like granola bars, cereal bars, cookies, etc. Gluten free flours and oats are more expensive, but making my own snacks with these is still less than buying something premade.
Popcorn and Nuts--really, what's cheaper than popcorn? Nuts are more expensive...grr!!
Canned fruit, applesauce, we even buy baby pear sauce for FG stage 1.
Potato chips: We can do Lays, Kettle Chips, Fritos, Tostitos, and there are many others as well.
If you do have to buy something pre-made, Envirokidz and Enjoy Life have a nice line of products that are a little more reasonable than most.
Finally, these aren't exactly inexpensive, but the snacks on this website are a special treat: www.allergygrocer.com. You do have to mix these up and make them yourself. I spent our savings last week at this website, so we'll see if it was a worthwhile splurge. We are so hungry for things like pretzels, donuts, bagels, graham crackers, and biscuits! Hopefully in time I will even learn how to make these on my own.
Specialty snacks for a gluten free diet are not cheap, but there are a quite a few naturally gluten free foods or homemade snacks that help keep us within budget. Here are a few ideas:
Fresh fruits and vegetables, especially those that are in season. I just discovered my youngest will eat carrots if I cut them in circles--we call them carrot coins. He even tried peanut butter and celery when I chopped the celery into smallish pieces. My daughter loves to make a baked potato for herself in the microwave. And of course, pears, bananas, and other fruit are always a hit.
Homemade treats like granola bars, cereal bars, cookies, etc. Gluten free flours and oats are more expensive, but making my own snacks with these is still less than buying something premade.
Popcorn and Nuts--really, what's cheaper than popcorn? Nuts are more expensive...grr!!
Canned fruit, applesauce, we even buy baby pear sauce for FG stage 1.
Potato chips: We can do Lays, Kettle Chips, Fritos, Tostitos, and there are many others as well.
If you do have to buy something pre-made, Envirokidz and Enjoy Life have a nice line of products that are a little more reasonable than most.
Finally, these aren't exactly inexpensive, but the snacks on this website are a special treat: www.allergygrocer.com. You do have to mix these up and make them yourself. I spent our savings last week at this website, so we'll see if it was a worthwhile splurge. We are so hungry for things like pretzels, donuts, bagels, graham crackers, and biscuits! Hopefully in time I will even learn how to make these on my own.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
my favorite gluten free flour mix
6 c. rice flour (I use 3 c. white rice and 3 c. brown rice)
2 c. potato starch flour
1 c. tapioca flour
Mix in tall container and store in freezer. (Gluten free flours have a shorter shelf life than regular flour.) Add 1 t. xanthan gum or guar gum for every cup of flour used. I wait and add the xanthan gum when I'm mixing a recipe. You can use this flour to replace regular flour in any recipe, and it tastes great!
Check websites like Amazon and Vitacost for some good prices on gluten-free flours.
2 c. potato starch flour
1 c. tapioca flour
Mix in tall container and store in freezer. (Gluten free flours have a shorter shelf life than regular flour.) Add 1 t. xanthan gum or guar gum for every cup of flour used. I wait and add the xanthan gum when I'm mixing a recipe. You can use this flour to replace regular flour in any recipe, and it tastes great!
Check websites like Amazon and Vitacost for some good prices on gluten-free flours.
now for my oldest
Micah was supposed to be the easy one. He doesn't react to artificials. He thinks they are kind of a yucky idea, and after he studied the ingredients of Cool Ranch Doritoes with me online one night, he stopped wanting to eat them. But really, he wasn't supposed to have any restrictions.
Yet this fall and winter, he's been sick with diarrhea at least 5 times, and it generally lasts 5-10 days. Do the math, and you can guess how much school he's missed this year. And now, he's been sick three times in the past 5 weeks alone.
My pediatrician and I are getting to know each other very well...and she knows about our diet changes and the things we've discovered about Rachel and gluten. So when we went to see her today, she ordered bloodwork to check Micah for celiac and told me to go ahead and put him on a diary free, gluten free diet for now.
We're starting to think Josiah and I have issues with gluten, too, so maybe it's time to become a gluten free family!
I'm going to buy a new waffle maker tomorrow to celebrate.
Yet this fall and winter, he's been sick with diarrhea at least 5 times, and it generally lasts 5-10 days. Do the math, and you can guess how much school he's missed this year. And now, he's been sick three times in the past 5 weeks alone.
My pediatrician and I are getting to know each other very well...and she knows about our diet changes and the things we've discovered about Rachel and gluten. So when we went to see her today, she ordered bloodwork to check Micah for celiac and told me to go ahead and put him on a diary free, gluten free diet for now.
We're starting to think Josiah and I have issues with gluten, too, so maybe it's time to become a gluten free family!
I'm going to buy a new waffle maker tomorrow to celebrate.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
GF and Feingold on a budget
Josiah is like a different child eating a natural diet, and we have seen Rachel's joint pain and other symptoms are directly linked to consuming gluten and casein. A new way of eating is here to stay.
But our grocery bills have been absurd lately! Now that we are well-established in eating gluten free and avoiding food additives, it's time to ponder what I could do to help save some money. Here are a few ideas I have come up with:
1. Budget a set amount to use on food.
When it's gone, we're done (but hopefully not hungry!) It helps me to really evaluate how badly we really need a pre-made, processed treat versus making something from scratch.
2. Make a list of favorite, low budget meals.
For those meals that cost more, what could I do to bring costs down and within budget? Several recipes for low budget meals (including some that are allergy friendly), can be found if you check out this link: http://www.5dollardinners.com/.
3. Make a list of favorite, low budget snacks.
Most specialty-made gluten free foods and snacks are fairly expensive. But there are some natural alternatives like fresh fruits, vegetables, soups, and chips that are more budget-friendly. I do buy Envirokidz bars for Rachel from time to time because they are the cheapest of the gluten free snacks I can find. I've also splurged for gluten free oreo-type cookies, but I've found I could make these myself, too: http://truebluexf.blogspot.com/2011/02/oreosgluten-free.html!
4. Get creative.
There are a few places where I can find coupons for the foods we use, and Amazon is a great place to order GF flours. Kroger and Meijer both have great sales and coupons online, so when I find a good buy, I can stock up.
As I make these changes, I'll share some tips and recipes. Some of them may help any budget whether gluten-free or not. Not only that, cooking from scratch is healthier than most things that are pre-made!
If anyone else has tips to share, please leave a comment!!
But our grocery bills have been absurd lately! Now that we are well-established in eating gluten free and avoiding food additives, it's time to ponder what I could do to help save some money. Here are a few ideas I have come up with:
1. Budget a set amount to use on food.
When it's gone, we're done (but hopefully not hungry!) It helps me to really evaluate how badly we really need a pre-made, processed treat versus making something from scratch.
2. Make a list of favorite, low budget meals.
For those meals that cost more, what could I do to bring costs down and within budget? Several recipes for low budget meals (including some that are allergy friendly), can be found if you check out this link: http://www.5dollardinners.com/.
3. Make a list of favorite, low budget snacks.
Most specialty-made gluten free foods and snacks are fairly expensive. But there are some natural alternatives like fresh fruits, vegetables, soups, and chips that are more budget-friendly. I do buy Envirokidz bars for Rachel from time to time because they are the cheapest of the gluten free snacks I can find. I've also splurged for gluten free oreo-type cookies, but I've found I could make these myself, too: http://truebluexf.blogspot.com/2011/02/oreosgluten-free.html!
4. Get creative.
There are a few places where I can find coupons for the foods we use, and Amazon is a great place to order GF flours. Kroger and Meijer both have great sales and coupons online, so when I find a good buy, I can stock up.
As I make these changes, I'll share some tips and recipes. Some of them may help any budget whether gluten-free or not. Not only that, cooking from scratch is healthier than most things that are pre-made!
If anyone else has tips to share, please leave a comment!!
Monday, February 21, 2011
something to celebrate
It was an exciting weekend in our extended family. On Saturday my brother Jared obtained his licence to preach in the PCA--hooray!!! On Sunday my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. The pictures are for the ones who couldn't be there.
When we ordered flowers, all we said is they were for a 40th anniversary and we wanted something special. We were delighted to see they matched Mom and Dad's wedding colors!!
The honored couple...we are blessed by their marriage.
Dad, Mom, Amy, Aaron, Leah, and Eric
I almost missed this!!!
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