I think what is being lost here is that while one can have a healthy, varied and delicious diet without gluten if one decides to (for whatever reason), for people that do not live this way - especially picky children - turning on a dime to accommodate others they are vacationing with is not easy. My kids eat a healthy but not too varied diet, with a fair bit of gluten, and when I look at the menu at 21:50 it looks fine to me but wouldn't work for them. If it had to, over time we would get them there, but it wouldn't happen without protest and it wouldn't happen easily for a vacation next week.

We eat Italian or French bread or dinner rolls pretty much every night. We also have regular pasta at least once a week. Gluten/carbs are not bad for you if you are not trying to lose weight. We are all thin. We eat tons of fresh fruits and vegetables too.

Fluffy gluten-ous white bread is delicious!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids with no allergies. My sister's kids have nut allergies and are lactose intolerant. When we vacation with them/visit them, we adopt their diet, no problem. It is no big deal to accommodate them for a few days. Then again, my kids are not picky eaters and do empathize with their cousins.

I don't think eliminating nuts and lactose is nearly as difficult as removing gluten from your diet. Try it for a few days and get back to me.

Challenge accepted. Here are five GF days, with kids:

Day 1
Breakfast: Corn Chex, blueberries, milk
Lunch: Turkey and cheese wrapped in lettuce, apples, potato chips
Snack: Yogurt, Pirate's Booty
Dinner: Tacos, salad
Dessert: ice cream

Day 2:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit salad
Lunch: Chicken salad, strawberries, tortilla chips, carrots
Snack: fruit juice Popsicles
Dinner: Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans

Day3:
Breakfast: yogurt, banana, gluten free granola
Lunch: hot dog with no bun, pickle, orange, veggie straws
Snack: Trail mix
Dinner: GF nuggets, oven fries, asparagus
Dessert: baked apples, whipped cream

Day 4:
Breakfast: Rice Krispies, banana
Lunch: PEanut butter with apple slices and celery, raisins, chips and salsa
Snack: fruit leather
Dinner: Roast chicken, broccoli, baked potato

Day 5:
Breakfast: cheese Omelettes, strawberries
Lunch: tuna salad, Wheat Thins, cucumber slices, pears
Snack: Frozen grapes, string cheese
Dinner: Steak and veggie kabobs, corn on the cob, fruit salad
Dessert: Fudgsicles

This was off the top of my head, and my kids have eaten all of these things in recent weeks. Shall I go on? Thanks for playing!

Sounds good, but no Wheat Thins. Sub GF frackers of which there are many options.

Wheat Thins have gluten...hence the Wheat in the name...as do most frozen oven fries, so make sure they're made from scratch. Otherwise a decent menu if your kids will eat it. My daughter has to be GF and DF, which makes it doubly hard, but the older she has gotten she knows the benefits far outweigh the extreme pain from eating both. Good luck OP!

PP who made the menu here...yes, I'd sub a different cracker, and there are tons of GF varieties. As for oven fries...this is one of those things that are so easy to make, I don't understand why people waste money on store-bought. Clean some potatoes and dry; don't peel (or do peel, if you've got super-picky kids), chop into fries of your preferred size. Mix around with olive oil and sea salt to taste. Sometimes, I throw in some paprika or Lowrey's season salt or Old Bay. Spread out (give them enough room!) in a roasting pan or a cookie sheet or two. Bake at 400 or 425 for about 20 minutes, tossing around a few times to make sure they cook on all sides. Simple.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids with no allergies. My sister's kids have nut allergies and are lactose intolerant. When we vacation with them/visit them, we adopt their diet, no problem. It is no big deal to accommodate them for a few days. Then again, my kids are not picky eaters and do empathize with their cousins.

I don't think eliminating nuts and lactose is nearly as difficult as removing gluten from your diet. Try it for a few days and get back to me.

Challenge accepted. Here are five GF days, with kids:

Day 1
Breakfast: Corn Chex, blueberries, milk
Lunch: Turkey and cheese wrapped in lettuce, apples, potato chips
Snack: Yogurt, Pirate's Booty
Dinner: Tacos, salad
Dessert: ice cream

Day 2:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit salad
Lunch: Chicken salad, strawberries, tortilla chips, carrots
Snack: fruit juice Popsicles
Dinner: Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans

Day3:
Breakfast: yogurt, banana, gluten free granola
Lunch: hot dog with no bun, pickle, orange, veggie straws
Snack: Trail mix
Dinner: GF nuggets, oven fries, asparagus
Dessert: baked apples, whipped cream

Day 4:
Breakfast: Rice Krispies, banana
Lunch: PEanut butter with apple slices and celery, raisins, chips and salsa
Snack: fruit leather
Dinner: Roast chicken, broccoli, baked potato

Day 5:
Breakfast: cheese Omelettes, strawberries
Lunch: tuna salad, Wheat Thins, cucumber slices, pears
Snack: Frozen grapes, string cheese
Dinner: Steak and veggie kabobs, corn on the cob, fruit salad
Dessert: Fudgsicles

This was off the top of my head, and my kids have eaten all of these things in recent weeks. Shall I go on? Thanks for playing!

Sounds good, but no Wheat Thins. Sub GF frackers of which there are many options.

Wheat Thins have gluten...hence the Wheat in the name...as do most frozen oven fries, so make sure they're made from scratch. Otherwise a decent menu if your kids will eat it. My daughter has to be GF and DF, which makes it doubly hard, but the older she has gotten she knows the benefits far outweigh the extreme pain from eating both. Good luck OP!

Anonymous wrote:^^ah, yes. Because family,including a newborn, is there it's going to be miserable so give them both kitchens. Weird.

Two things:

1) "Festive vacation" food for all snacks/meals for 5+ days? My kids eat healthy food on vacation, with some special treats like ice cream and hot dogs and chips and fruit leather thrown in here and there. Which is exactly what the PP posted in her menu. Do you really go into "full vacation mode" for all meals and snacks with young kids while you are on vacation? How odd. What do they eat, sugary cereal every morning? Burgers and fries and sodas at every dinner? Blech! They must feel awful when they get back home.

2) No, it will not be a "miserable trip" just because family is there. But it's not a wheels-up vacation, if you know what I mean. There are a lot of potentially great things about this trip for OP and her family: time with each other, time with their extended family, lots of opportunity to play outdoors, and yes! Special food like ice cream and Pirate's Booty, which can be enjoyed by ALL the kids. And yes, great dinners could be had by all--if you don't think BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, cucumber salad, fresh tomatoes with salt and basil and a Fudgsicle sounds like a good dinner for all ages, then you are probably overly addicted to processed carbs. OP should enjoy all the great things about this trip, eat some good GF food, and be a wonderful aunt/DIL/SIL by being flexible and putting the family with the newborn and the toddler with a tough food allergy first.

^^ah, yes. Because family,including a newborn, is there it's going to be miserable so give them both kitchens. Weird.

Anonymous wrote:^^ festive vacation food.

I still don't get why they can't have the small cabin for gluten-ful meals.

I still don't get why people are still insisting this is a vacation-OMG-vacation. It's a family trip with kids and a newborn, people. If OP wants a vacation, she should hire a sitter and book a resort and eat in restaurants.

^^ festive vacation food.

I still don't get why they can't have the small cabin for gluten-ful meals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids with no allergies. My sister's kids have nut allergies and are lactose intolerant. When we vacation with them/visit them, we adopt their diet, no problem. It is no big deal to accommodate them for a few days. Then again, my kids are not picky eaters and do empathize with their cousins.

I don't think eliminating nuts and lactose is nearly as difficult as removing gluten from your diet. Try it for a few days and get back to me.

Challenge accepted. Here are five GF days, with kids:

Day 1
Breakfast: Corn Chex, blueberries, milk
Lunch: Turkey and cheese wrapped in lettuce, apples, potato chips
Snack: Yogurt, Pirate's Booty
Dinner: Tacos, salad
Dessert: ice cream

Day 2:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit salad
Lunch: Chicken salad, strawberries, tortilla chips, carrots
Snack: fruit juice Popsicles
Dinner: Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans

Day3:
Breakfast: yogurt, banana, gluten free granola
Lunch: hot dog with no bun, pickle, orange, veggie straws
Snack: Trail mix
Dinner: GF nuggets, oven fries, asparagus
Dessert: baked apples, whipped cream

Day 4:
Breakfast: Rice Krispies, banana
Lunch: PEanut butter with apple slices and celery, raisins, chips and salsa
Snack: fruit leather
Dinner: Roast chicken, broccoli, baked potato

Day 5:
Breakfast: cheese Omelettes, strawberries
Lunch: tuna salad, Wheat Thins, cucumber slices, pears
Snack: Frozen grapes, string cheese
Dinner: Steak and veggie kabobs, corn on the cob, fruit salad
Dessert: Fudgsicles

This was off the top of my head, and my kids have eaten all of these things in recent weeks. Shall I go on? Thanks for playing!

Sounds good, but no Wheat Thins. Sub GF frackers of which there are many options.

Word.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids with no allergies. My sister's kids have nut allergies and are lactose intolerant. When we vacation with them/visit them, we adopt their diet, no problem. It is no big deal to accommodate them for a few days. Then again, my kids are not picky eaters and do empathize with their cousins.

I don't think eliminating nuts and lactose is nearly as difficult as removing gluten from your diet. Try it for a few days and get back to me.

Challenge accepted. Here are five GF days, with kids:

Day 1
Breakfast: Corn Chex, blueberries, milk
Lunch: Turkey and cheese wrapped in lettuce, apples, potato chips
Snack: Yogurt, Pirate's Booty
Dinner: Tacos, salad
Dessert: ice cream

Day 2:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit salad
Lunch: Chicken salad, strawberries, tortilla chips, carrots
Snack: fruit juice Popsicles
Dinner: Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans

Day3:
Breakfast: yogurt, banana, gluten free granola
Lunch: hot dog with no bun, pickle, orange, veggie straws
Snack: Trail mix
Dinner: GF nuggets, oven fries, asparagus
Dessert: baked apples, whipped cream

Day 4:
Breakfast: Rice Krispies, banana
Lunch: PEanut butter with apple slices and celery, raisins, chips and salsa
Snack: fruit leather
Dinner: Roast chicken, broccoli, baked potato

Day 5:
Breakfast: cheese Omelettes, strawberries
Lunch: tuna salad, Wheat Thins, cucumber slices, pears
Snack: Frozen grapes, string cheese
Dinner: Steak and veggie kabobs, corn on the cob, fruit salad
Dessert: Fudgsicles

This was off the top of my head, and my kids have eaten all of these things in recent weeks. Shall I go on? Thanks for playing!

Sounds good, but no Wheat Thins. Sub GF frackers of which there are many options.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids with no allergies. My sister's kids have nut allergies and are lactose intolerant. When we vacation with them/visit them, we adopt their diet, no problem. It is no big deal to accommodate them for a few days. Then again, my kids are not picky eaters and do empathize with their cousins.

I don't think eliminating nuts and lactose is nearly as difficult as removing gluten from your diet. Try it for a few days and get back to me.

Challenge accepted. Here are five GF days, with kids:

Day 1
Breakfast: Corn Chex, blueberries, milk
Lunch: Turkey and cheese wrapped in lettuce, apples, potato chips
Snack: Yogurt, Pirate's Booty
Dinner: Tacos, salad
Dessert: ice cream

Day 2:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit salad
Lunch: Chicken salad, strawberries, tortilla chips, carrots
Snack: fruit juice Popsicles
Dinner: Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans

Day3:
Breakfast: yogurt, banana, gluten free granola
Lunch: hot dog with no bun, pickle, orange, veggie straws
Snack: Trail mix
Dinner: GF nuggets, oven fries, asparagus
Dessert: baked apples, whipped cream

Day 4:
Breakfast: Rice Krispies, banana
Lunch: PEanut butter with apple slices and celery, raisins, chips and salsa
Snack: fruit leather
Dinner: Roast chicken, broccoli, baked potato

Day 5:
Breakfast: cheese Omelettes, strawberries
Lunch: tuna salad, Wheat Thins, cucumber slices, pears
Snack: Frozen grapes, string cheese
Dinner: Steak and veggie kabobs, corn on the cob, fruit salad
Dessert: Fudgsicles

This was off the top of my head, and my kids have eaten all of these things in recent weeks. Shall I go on? Thanks for playing!

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids with no allergies. My sister's kids have nut allergies and are lactose intolerant. When we vacation with them/visit them, we adopt their diet, no problem. It is no big deal to accommodate them for a few days. Then again, my kids are not picky eaters and do empathize with their cousins.

I don't think eliminating nuts and lactose is nearly as difficult as removing gluten from your diet. Try it for a few days and get back to me.

I have two kids with no allergies. My sister's kids have nut allergies and are lactose intolerant. When we vacation with them/visit them, we adopt their diet, no problem. It is no big deal to accommodate them for a few days. Then again, my kids are not picky eaters and do empathize with their cousins.

I think OP is embarking on this vacation this week-- good luck OP! You know we are waiting for updates!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GF food is awful. If you, or your children, have special diets. stop imposing them on other people.

I have celiac. I had filet and lobster with a baked potato last night. It was GF and pretty awesome.

I had eggs scrambled with pesto for breakfast, smoked salmon and cucumbers for lunch, and taco salad for dinner (no shell), plus a peach. I'm not suffering!