I am thrilled to be able to share with you an amazing offer to help get you & your gluten-free child(ren) ready for the upcoming school year.  Jules Gluten Free has put together an e-book with all kinds of useful tips (all ages, including college), lunch box suggestions, recipes and more.  For a limited time, you can get this e-book for FREE (normal price is $9.95).

Read below for more information:

Jules’ Back-to-School E-Book
If this is your first school year with a gluten-free student, this book is indispensable. Jules offers advice on how and when to talk to teachers, handling special occasions, creative and simple lunchbox ideas for mains, desserts and snack time; and college tips regarding roommates, dining hall issues, meeting gluten-free friends and more.

How do you get the e-book?  Simple.  Just follow the instructions:

To redeem this fabulous e-book, simply visit www.JulesGlutenFree.com.
Go to the Product page.
Click on the Back-to-School E-book and Add to your Shopping Cart.
(To go directly to the e-book, click here:  http://www.julesglutenfree.com/product-p/book-bts.htm)
At check out, use this coupon code:  2011BTSebook (case sensitive).  Hit Apply.
The value of this item will drop to $0.00.
Purchase and process the order.
An e-mail will be sent to you allowing you to download the e-book.
For questions, feel free to contact support@julesglutenfree.com.

This offer won’t last long – only until August 26, 2011, so make sure to take advantage of it while you can.  I just downloaded mine and browsed through it.  I have never made gluten-free flour tortillas, but I can’t wait to try the recipe that is included in this book!! 

If you would like to learn more about Jules and Jules Gluten Free Flour, read her guest post from earlier this year. 

Do you have a gluten-free child(ren)?  What has been your biggest obstacle to overcome regarding school?

As children grow, they become more independent.  This is our goal as parents, to teach our children the things they need to know about life to live independently,  happily & successfully.  If it was only that easy, right?

Every parent has their challenges with their child(ren).  Some of those challenges are more stressful than others.  Having a child that requires a special diet requires a lot of planning & control on the part of the parent(s).  As the child grows older & matures, some of this planning & control begins to transfer over to the child/teen.  Every family is different and may begin this phase at a different stage.  Some kids aren’t ready to take on the added responsibilities, while others run with it.

Then comes compliance.  Following said diet.  It is one thing to accidentally ingest gluten, it is another to purposefully ingest it.  Kids are not the only ones who may not comply with the gluten-free diet; I have read of many adults not complying as well.  I don’t understand, but then again, gluten makes me really sick.  However, knowing what I do know about Celiac Disease and the effects of gluten on my body, I don’t ever see myself eating gluten intentionally.

While the reaction may not be immediate, there are long-term effects that must be considered.  For those with Celiac Disease that either hasn’t been diagnosed or choose to ignore the diagnosis, they continue to damage their body. The villi (finger-like projections in the small intestine that absorb nutrients) are damaged when the body mounts a defense against the gluten (which it can’t digest in people with Celiac Disease). If those villi are damaged or non-existent, they can’t properly absorb nutrients. The person can become malnourished, vitamin deficient, etc. Additionally, untreated, this can lead to a host of complications down the road, which can include cancer.

Teens often only see today, what is right in front of them.  They don’t see down the road.  I know that is how I was as a teenager/young adult.  I try to remember that as I parent my kids, while helping to guide them try to understand that the choices they make today can and will impact their future.

Sometimes, despite all the guidance, they make bad choices.  Jon made one of those the other day by eating a Pop Tart.  When he first told me about it, he prefaced it by telling me that I was going to be mad.  I told him that while I might be mad, I still wanted to hear what he had to say.  It took a while to register what he said.  At first I was mad, but that quickly changed to disappointment & concern.  I asked him why he ate it and he said that a friend had dared him to eat it.  I know that they are just teen boys and this is what they do, but that doesn’t change the fact that if this were to become a habit – eating gluten regularly – it could have some serious repercussions down the road.  Interestingly enough, he did not seem to have any ill effects, which didn’t help my case about why he had made a bad choice.  I guess I should be thankful that they weren’t experimenting with drugs or alcohol, that it was just a Pop Tart.

After I was able to collect my thoughts about all of this, I chatted a bit with Jon.  He has told me that he doesn’t believe he has Celiac and wants to be retested.  He went on to say that once he turns 18 he is not going to follow the diet and he will eat whatever he wants.  He is due for a GI follow-up, so maybe she can help him understand the importance of adhering to the diet.

While his compliance concerns me, I can only do so much.  I can educate him the best that I can and continue to support him until he turns 18.  I have to come to accept that there is a point where I will have to let go of the reins.

I know, I am goofy.  We aren’t having chicken for dinner, so I thought the title was appropriate.  Thanks to all who entered the Gluten-Free Bisquick* Giveaway! 

The winner is….

• 34 Cybele Owen "Like" Gluten-Free-Is-Life on Facebook

Congrats Cybele!  Please email me at Kim@glutenfreeislife.com

*GF Bisquick was provided to me free of charge by Gluten Freely.

Today is about recovery.  Not just recovery from my long run yesterday, which really wasn’t long compared to last week, but still.  Sunday is recovery day.  I am also recovering from Hannah’s birthday and a tad too much wine last night.  Will I ever learn? 

In addition to trying to sleep in, which was an epic fail (I love that phrase, so I had to fit it in somewhere), I put yoga on the schedule for today and committed to nothing else.  Yeah, I would grocery shop, but no pool, no shopping, etc.  Sleeping in lasted until about 7 AM.  What am I, 75?  I feel like my grandparents getting up at the crack of dawn when I don’t have to be up for anything.  I meandered out of bed and to my coffee pot to make the coveted nectar of the gods.  Hannah presented me with my chores for the day.  What, she turns 9 yesterday and now she is in charge of delegating the chores? 

I love that Aaron has to build a deck today, Jon has “stuff” to do and Hannah has “no chores”.  LOL!  At least she put yoga & blog on my list along with shopping for her at Justice. 

I did shop online today thanks to my Ebates email.  Yes, I am a sucker, but this sucker saved some money and is getting money back. 

The day ended with a 75 minute yoga class, Chipotle and a glass of red wine.  I do have a message for Chipotle – please add plain avocados to your menu.  Those of us who can’t eat onions, but love avocados, can’t eat the guacamole and that makes me sad.  I do love that they have great gluten-free options and are usually very careful if you get the manager involved in your order. 

Sunday – Chipotle – spur of the moment after yoga class

Monday – Pasta with roasted grape tomatoes, chickpeas, goat cheese and fresh basil and salad

Tuesday – Tacos or Mexican pizza, black beans and salad

Wednesday – BBQ pork tenderloin, baked sweet potatoes, corn on the cob & salad

Thursday – Breakfast for dinner

Friday – MYOP (pizza) and salad

Saturday – Hannah’s sleepover – don’t ask me what I have done – I just know that I will be having a lot of coffee

My baby girl is 9 today!  Where has the time gone?  I can’t believe she is going into 4th grade in just a few short weeks.  We will be celebrating by cooking out with family & friends and lots of gluten-free goodies!  Hannah does not have Celiac, though she does carry one of the genes associated with it.  She gets screened once a year and so far, so good!  Speaking of which, I believe she is due for her test!  We got a little distracted this summer with her broken arm & surgery. 

Baby Hannah, just a few hours after she was born:

Hannah and I just a couple of weeks before she broke her arm:

Hannah did want a traditional cake from the bakery, but I will also make a gluten-free dessert for Jon & I – brownies, I think.  I have a box of Betty Crocker’s GF Brownies beckoning to me, so I think I will add that to my to-do list or see if Jon would like to make them.  He has become quite the baker lately.  The rest of the food we will serve will be gluten-free – baked beans, grilled chicken, salad and chips & salsa. 

In honor of Hannah’s 9th b-day tomorrow (she will be 9), I am going to offer a fun giveaway!  Gluten-free Bisquick is a versatile mix that can be used for pancakes & many other baking needs.  Though Hannah doesn’t have to eat gluten-free, she often does because that is how we bake & cook most of the time.  A true testament to this product is having a picky 9 yr old girl who doesn’t have to eat it, endorse it.

My sister, Regan, and Hannah.

Continue reading →

Since school starts in roughly 20 days, I thought it would be time for me to attempt to get organized.  I get these crazy thoughts a few times a year.  I love the idea of organization, I just can’t seem to put those ideas into action.  I like to call what I have going on “organized chaos”.  More often than not, if you ask me to find something, I know exactly where it is.  Don’t ask me how, I think I have an odd sense of where I last saw a particular object.  Just like my memory for phone numbers, though I don’t seem to use that like I used to now that everyone is in my phone under their name and I rarely dial numbers anymore. 

I have tried numerous to-do lists – both online and off – with little success.  I have several calendars – Google (which syncs to phone and iPad), kitchen wall and “Mom’s” calendar notebook.  I have a notebook where I can handwrite to-do lists and a whiteboard in my kitchen for lists.  I have observed several things about my methods:

• I have too many options – I need to choose one & stick with it
• I have too much stuff even though I throw away a lot.  Hubby calls me a hoarder – LOL – I am a long way from a hoarder.  He is just a minimalist and keeps nothing.   I like to have mementos from my kids.
• I come by this honestly.  I found out when venting to my mom the other night that she is the same way and has gone through the same thing.  Thanks, Mom!   
• I need someone to set it all up and take away all options but one. 

This has frustrated me to the point that my latest notebook is now title “Kim’s Attempt at Trying to Get (and Stay) Organized”.  I figured with the kids starting back to school that I needed to do something.  I have a ton of paperwork for school and all extracurricular activities.  Not only do these need to be filled out, but kept in order so they can be found & turned in when due.  Yes, they expect me to hold onto them for a period of time.  Yikes! 

What do you do to stay organized?  Do you use online task/list methods or old-fashioned paper? 

Kim

I have heard many a good thing about Estrella Damm Daura gluten-free beer, but had been hesitant to try it because it is made with barley malt.  ACK!  Everything I had ever read on Celiac Disease and the gluten-free diet said to avoid barley malt at all costs.  Then I talked to another gluten-free blogger, Tiffany Janes, and due to the processing, the gluten is removed from the beer, much like that of Mike’s Lite Hard Lemonade.  There is less than 6PPM of gluten in this beer.

The cast of characters for my pulled pork is 3 items:

• pork loin roast, chops or tenderloin
• 1-2 cups distilled white vinegar
• BBQ sauce of choice (this week it will be Guy Fieri’s new line)

Directions:

1. Season pork with salt & pepper.
2. Pour 1-2 cups of distilled white vinegar (I have also used apple cider vinegar when I ran out of white) into crock pot.
3. Place pork in crock pot & turn on “low” for 8 hours.  Leave the lid closed.
4. Read some more information about Guy Fieri’s new BBQ sauce line.  You should have plenty of time to read this while your pork is cooking away in the crock pot. 

Among the new Guy Fieri barbeque sauces:

• Bourbon Brown Sugar Barbeque Sauce: Sweet & Sticky – Guy’s sweet, sticky

Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce rocks on just about anything. Smoky bourbon,

sweet brown sugar and a hint of spicy black pepper create off-the-hook flavor

that’s a perfect compliment to everything from beef to chicken, pork and seafood.

Gluten free.

• Carolina #6 Barbeque Sauce & Marinade: Mop & Slop – Guy’s Carolina #6

BBQ Sauce & Marinade is the perfectly tangy and versatile “mop & slop” sauce.

Apple cider vinegar, sweet brown sugar and a little bit of cayenne pepper heat is a

rockin’ combination to be slopped right on pulled pork or used as a marinade or

baste for any grilled meat. Gluten free.

• Kansas City Barbeque Sauce: Smoky & Sweet – Guy’s Kansas City BBQ Sauce

is your traditional, go-to sauce that you’ll dig on just about everything. Sweet,

smoky molasses, a hint of apple cider vinegar and a little black pepper heat will

rock everything from beef brisket to chicken wings or anything else you can

throw on a grill. Gluten free.

Note: Guy Fieri has also introduced a new Pacific Rim Barbeque & Wok Sauce which is

not gluten-free.

Once the 8 hours has passed, the pork is ready to be drained (or just remove from the liquid carefully, it will fall apart easily).  Shred the pork with 2 forks & toss with your choice of BBQ sauce.  I usually let the kids decide which sauce they want.  They are both fans of the ‘Sweet & Sticky’ – go figure!  I liked that one, as well as the other two.  The ‘Mop & Slop’ was also good on salmon and the ‘Smoky & Sweet’ was great on my Sunshine burger & sweet potato fries.

Guy Fieri’s three gluten-free barbeque sauces are available in 19-ounce bottles for a suggested retail price of $4.29.

Eat your BBQ pork any way you choose.  We like the pork on gluten-free rolls, corn tortillas, salad, baked potato (or sweet potato) or even over pasta!  Get creative – as Andrea says “Play with your food!”.

***The Guy Fieri sauce were provided to me free of charge to review.  The opinions stated in this post are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything. 

Welcome to August!  I can’t believe that it is that time of year again, the time all parents wait for – BACK TO SCHOOL!  My kids go back in 23 days, but who is counting?  Jon will be a sophomore and Hannah a 4th grader.  This makes me feel old.  How can I have a son that is in 10th grade?!  Where is my baby boy?  This is Jon 15 years ago:

Now he is talking about getting his temporary driver’s license in approximately 2 months.  Talk about a fast way to turn a mom’s hair grey!  Hope he passes his test the first time, something his mother, grandmother, grandfather & aunt all failed to do.  Yes, that is right, my parents and sister, along with myself, all failed our driver’s tests the first time around.  Enough chatter, on with the menu!

Sunday – Salmon, brown rice, steamed veggies & salad (got some Coho wild salmon on sale from Whole Foods last week – it was excellent)

Monday – Rotisserie chicken, roasted beets, turnips & sweet potatoes and salad

Tuesday – Tacos, refried black beans, corn & salad

Wednesday – BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, roasted zuchinni, baked potatoes & salad

Thursday – Breakfast for dinner – waffles or pancakes, fruit & turkey bacon

Friday – Make your own pizza

Saturday – Grilled chicken & burgers, baked beans, corn on the cob and fruit salad

Weekly Recap:

Molly Woo’s new gluten-free menu impresses

Does a gluten-free diet in athletes improve performance?

Review: Cooking Light cookbook

Review: O’Dough’s Flax pizza crust

Gluten-Free at Naked Pizza

Hope you all have a great week!! 

Kim