Nephew with celiac - what is fair/appropriate when visiting grandma?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you see how quickly people have come up with solutions here? In the time it took you to post your beef, you could have sat down and easily thought through:

1) "Simple" gluten-free foods that your kids do like
2) "Good enough" gluten free substitutes, like the nuggets
3) "Containable" non-gluten free food, like individual microwave cups of mac and cheese and noodles and soup
4) "In-room dining" options like bread for PB sandwiches in your bedroom with a closed door

When you look for problems, you'll find them.
When you look for solutions, you'll find them.

Maybe OP just wants a chance to relax with her family. This trip already sounds like a PITA before you add in the gluten issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you see how quickly people have come up with solutions here? In the time it took you to post your beef, you could have sat down and easily thought through:

1) "Simple" gluten-free foods that your kids do like
2) "Good enough" gluten free substitutes, like the nuggets
3) "Containable" non-gluten free food, like individual microwave cups of mac and cheese and noodles and soup
4) "In-room dining" options like bread for PB sandwiches in your bedroom with a closed door

When you look for problems, you'll find them.
When you look for solutions, you'll find them.

Maybe OP just wants a chance to relax with her family. This trip already sounds like a PITA before you add in the gluten issue.

I'm sure the 2yo and his family wish gluten weren't a vacation problem, too. But it is. That's life. Do the best you can, and be kind to your family who has a newborn and a significant diagnosis here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is your husband's family? I would stay home and let him deal with feeding the kids for a week. You can print out all the suggestions for GF foods people have provided in this thread.

LOL - I just gave him the list and told him the next round of 'tests' was on him, and if we still fail he can talk to his brother about accommodations. He was hiding his head in the sand until tonight when the 4YO literally took one bite of the chicken nugget and spit it out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is your husband's family? I would stay home and let him deal with feeding the kids for a week. You can print out all the suggestions for GF foods people have provided in this thread.

LOL - I just gave him the list and told him the next round of 'tests' was on him, and if we still fail he can talk to his brother about accommodations. He was hiding his head in the sand until tonight when the 4YO literally took one bite of the chicken nugget and spit it out

Did you do a blind taste test, or did you essentially set this up to fail?

[Anonymous]

GF mom.

Pasta - try Barilla, that's our favorite and I think the most like regular pasta. Just remember the gentle boil and stir. Spaghetti is the hardest because it tends to clump - if We're making that I actually break it in half and stir with tongs to pull it apart.

Bread - this is probably one of the hardest ones, and most mass produced aren't great. We actually got a bread maker to make our own. The really good GF breads tend to be from smaller, GF bakeries. Can you live without bread for the week?

Nuggets - I think we've done apple gate and they were OK, but honestly I generally make my own, though that's more for my non-GF kid anyway.

What other foods do your kids eat? I've found that focusing on naturally GF foods can really be easier. Do they eat rice or potatoes? What about corn tortillas?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is your husband's family? I would stay home and let him deal with feeding the kids for a week. You can print out all the suggestions for GF foods people have provided in this thread.

LOL - I just gave him the list and told him the next round of 'tests' was on him, and if we still fail he can talk to his brother about accommodations. He was hiding his head in the sand until tonight when the 4YO literally took one bite of the chicken nugget and spit it out

Did you do a blind taste test, or did you essentially set this up to fail?

Totally blind. Although it may actually have been better to warn DS because he knows his nuggets and these were most definitely not them. Maybe if we said the store ran out and these were all they had it would have gone over better because he would have been prepared for something different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GF mom.

Pasta - try Barilla, that's our favorite and I think the most like regular pasta. Just remember the gentle boil and stir. Spaghetti is the hardest because it tends to clump - if We're making that I actually break it in half and stir with tongs to pull it apart.

Bread - this is probably one of the hardest ones, and most mass produced aren't great. We actually got a bread maker to make our own. The really good GF breads tend to be from smaller, GF bakeries. Can you live without bread for the week?

Nuggets - I think we've done apple gate and they were OK, but honestly I generally make my own, though that's more for my non-GF kid anyway.

What other foods do your kids eat? I've found that focusing on naturally GF foods can really be easier. Do they eat rice or potatoes? What about corn tortillas?

Thanks PP. I'll try Barilla. What coating do you use for your own nuggets? I can try that at home first. Do you have a soy sauce you like?

The older one is more adventurous and will probably be OK - hot dog, hamburger, nachos, French fries... The 4YO eats almost nothing I can think of that doesn't have some gluten. Meal staples are grilled cheese, turkey sandwiches, pb& j, nuggets, variants of pizza, grilled chicken with a specific marinade (this is a possibility for replacement)... Plain white rice, I guess. No tortillas, no potatoes other than fried. Eggs rarely and only if made just so. [and before I get more grief about their diets, they eat plenty of fruit, cheese, yogurt, etc. we just need dinner!]

[Anonymous]

The mass hysteria over food allergies is just insane. I say this as a mom whose child has a peanut/tree nut allergy. I was hysterical for the first year thinking my kid could die at any moment. Then I really looked at the number of deaths due to food allergies and it is minuscule. The numbers of deaths you find on food allergy websites aren't accurate. More people are dying from insect stings and lightening strikes.
I refuse to believe the 2 year old is so sensitive to gluten that you can't prepare food in the same kitchen if you use paper plates and some Clorox wipes to clean up crumbs. There is no way he could ever go to preschool, the park, a zoo, etc.

[Anonymous]

Soy sauce - we tried GF Tamari and kids don't like it, but they both liked the takeout Chinese WY packets. I know the Kari-Out packets are GF too as is a brand called Little Soya. Don't have clear advice on this one because as I said we just figured out this week that they'll eat it at all.

Chicken tender coating we've done a wide variety - I tend to just google baked chicken tenders and then follow instructions (I'm not much of a cook). I think the one everyone likes best is breadcrumbs with Parmesan (gf breadcrumbs have gotten easy to find) but my kids also just love Parmesan (they eat pasta with olive oil and parm, don't like the noodles either buttered or with sauce.)

Hamburgers both of my kids eat without buns. For the turkey sandwich would he consider eating turkey roll-ups so the sandwich without the bread? And if he eats fried potatoes have you tried roasting potatoes? We got a GF kids cookbook that had a recipe for 'Cowboys in the saddle' (grilled steak slices draped across roasted potato spears) and don't know if it was because they found it, the picture is fun, or because potatoes spears roasted in olive oil and salt are delicious, but my kids both love that meal.

And honestly if you're good for other meals but just struggling with dinner, perhaps just do a couple 'breakfast for dinner' meals? I don't like cooking and my kids are somewhat picky / food can't touch kids (they use different utensils for the different items. Thank god for the dishwasher.). So we do lots of deconstructed simple meals. And I'm certainly not above feeding them yogurt, fruit and cereal for dinner and calling it good.

Another thought - GF pretzels dipped in peanut butter. We're partial to the sticks for easier dipping. Snyders is our favorite brand.

And crackers - don't know if it will go over with your kid but we've had decent success with rice crackers. And Nut-Thins are delicious, though can't swear my kids actually like them, but DH and I sure do.

[Anonymous]

I have to put in a plug here for Mary's gluten-free crackers. I think the official name is Mary's gone. I had these last week and they were amazing. They are gluten-free. I think I had the herb and spice one.

I'm not sure if kids would like them, but you and your husband might. If your kids are adventurous maybe. I had them because my friend is gluten-free, but I want to buy them for myself

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is your husband's family? I would stay home and let him deal with feeding the kids for a week. You can print out all the suggestions for GF foods people have provided in this thread.

LOL - I just gave him the list and told him the next round of 'tests' was on him, and if we still fail he can talk to his brother about accommodations. He was hiding his head in the sand until tonight when the 4YO literally took one bite of the chicken nugget and spit it out

I'm impressed he took a bite. I changed brands on my kid and he refused the new brand (had trouble finding the old one).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The mass hysteria over food allergies is just insane. I say this as a mom whose child has a peanut/tree nut allergy. I was hysterical for the first year thinking my kid could die at any moment. Then I really looked at the number of deaths due to food allergies and it is minuscule. The numbers of deaths you find on food allergy websites aren't accurate. More people are dying from insect stings and lightening strikes.
I refuse to believe the 2 year old is so sensitive to gluten that you can't prepare food in the same kitchen if you use paper plates and some Clorox wipes to clean up crumbs. There is no way he could ever go to preschool, the park, a zoo, etc.

Its ok the parents want to be careful but one kitchen should be GF and the other for everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GF mom.

Pasta - try Barilla, that's our favorite and I think the most like regular pasta. Just remember the gentle boil and stir. Spaghetti is the hardest because it tends to clump - if We're making that I actually break it in half and stir with tongs to pull it apart.

Bread - this is probably one of the hardest ones, and most mass produced aren't great. We actually got a bread maker to make our own. The really good GF breads tend to be from smaller, GF bakeries. Can you live without bread for the week?

Nuggets - I think we've done apple gate and they were OK, but honestly I generally make my own, though that's more for my non-GF kid anyway.

What other foods do your kids eat? I've found that focusing on naturally GF foods can really be easier. Do they eat rice or potatoes? What about corn tortillas?

Thanks PP. I'll try Barilla. What coating do you use for your own nuggets? I can try that at home first. Do you have a soy sauce you like?

The older one is more adventurous and will probably be OK - hot dog, hamburger, nachos, French fries... The 4YO eats almost nothing I can think of that doesn't have some gluten. Meal staples are grilled cheese, turkey sandwiches, pb& j, nuggets, variants of pizza, grilled chicken with a specific marinade (this is a possibility for replacement)... Plain white rice, I guess. No tortillas, no potatoes other than fried. Eggs rarely and only if made just so. [and before I get more grief about their diets, they eat plenty of fruit, cheese, yogurt, etc. we just need dinner!]

Your kids are way too picky. You've let this go on way too long. Our pediatrician warns that, for picky eaters, "Fix it by 5 or it won't change."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow
Well if they want the guest cabin, that is where they eat, that is what stays gluten free. They cannot have it all.

+1. Pretty obvious, they have to choose a or b, can't take over it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, do you see how quickly people have come up with solutions here? In the time it took you to post your beef, you could have sat down and easily thought through:

1) "Simple" gluten-free foods that your kids do like
2) "Good enough" gluten free substitutes, like the nuggets
3) "Containable" non-gluten free food, like individual microwave cups of mac and cheese and noodles and soup
4) "In-room dining" options like bread for PB sandwiches in your bedroom with a closed door

When you look for problems, you'll find them.
When you look for solutions, you'll find them.

Maybe OP just wants a chance to relax with her family. This trip already sounds like a PITA before you add in the gluten issue.

+1. It's for the people with the problem to not act as entitled b*tches and contribute to the solution.