One last post before I go. Wednesday I was in Wal-Mart in Lincoln and noticed they had actual GF pasta! I can't think of the brand name, it's not one we've tried. I think it starts with a D and has an Italian name. Previously I've only seen it in the health food store before. They had rotini and spaghetti. I got so excited I almost cried! It was also a dollar and half cheaper there than what I had seen it in the health food stores for.
One thing that I should let people know, we don't have internet at home. And I don't feel right going to blogger at work so my posts will probably be erratic. But, be patient, there will probably be days when I do like today and do a lot of posts!
Good news! Our oldest won the 5th and 6th grade division of the county spelling bee and will be going to districts tomorrow!
Have a great weekend!
February 29, 2008
Taxes and GF food
You may all know this, but two days before we were to get our taxes done I was looking at the celiac.com website and discovered that you can claim the price difference of GF foods on your taxes as a medical expense.
This works for us because we were already itemizing because of all our medical expenses this year and we paid for our own insurance until October. If you don't have huge medical expenses to claim, this may be too much work to be worth it. We had to leave A. on our other insurance policy that we pay for, so we will continue to do this. We will be getting our tax return in two weeks! Yeah! Maybe I can pay a hunk on medical bills.
This works for us because we were already itemizing because of all our medical expenses this year and we paid for our own insurance until October. If you don't have huge medical expenses to claim, this may be too much work to be worth it. We had to leave A. on our other insurance policy that we pay for, so we will continue to do this. We will be getting our tax return in two weeks! Yeah! Maybe I can pay a hunk on medical bills.
Newbie
I wanted to let people know our situation. Our son was diagnosed with diabetes in August and with Celiac in November. We are the newest ones here to figuring out this lifestyle.
That probably showed in my doctor's visit last week. We were at a GI doctor appointment for follow-up after our biopsy. When I told the doctor that I had put our youngest on the GF diet too because he had all the symptoms, he was not happy. He didn't really chew me out, but I was feeling pretty stressed out with life and it was either the way he looked at me or how he said it, I burst into tears. It can be so frustrating sometimes. Wondering if you are doing everything right or not, thinking of the ten ways you goof in a day, here I thought I was doing something right. So we have taken our youngest off the diet for the next 2-3 weeks, then we are to get his blood tested and see where we go. Funny part? He's been off the diet for a week and no symptoms! Maybe I was wrong after all. Wouldn't that be great?
That probably showed in my doctor's visit last week. We were at a GI doctor appointment for follow-up after our biopsy. When I told the doctor that I had put our youngest on the GF diet too because he had all the symptoms, he was not happy. He didn't really chew me out, but I was feeling pretty stressed out with life and it was either the way he looked at me or how he said it, I burst into tears. It can be so frustrating sometimes. Wondering if you are doing everything right or not, thinking of the ten ways you goof in a day, here I thought I was doing something right. So we have taken our youngest off the diet for the next 2-3 weeks, then we are to get his blood tested and see where we go. Funny part? He's been off the diet for a week and no symptoms! Maybe I was wrong after all. Wouldn't that be great?
February 24, 2008
Restaurants
I have found some restaurants that serve gluten free food and are really good about it. A few of these restaurants are listed below.
Fast Food:
Pretty much the only place that I ever go for fast food is Wendy's. They have baked potatoes and I really like them. I do have to tell the kitchen to make sure that the person making my potato has not handled a hamburger bun, or that they need to put on clean gloves.
Restaurants:
There are plenty of restaurants in this area that I eat at.
Texas T-Bone in Grand Island is very good about keeping things from getting contaminated. They let me bring my own steak seasoning in and grill my steak on aluminum foil so that if there is anything on the grill, it won't contaminate my steak. They make sure to use clean utensils and also bring out ingredient lists if a person needs them. I usually order the Sirloin Steak with my own seasoning, a loaded baked potato :), and a ceasar salad with no croutons. The ceasar dressing here is gluten free and I have checked it personally.
Red Lobster is another place that has gf foods. I like some types of seafood and crab legs is one of my favorites. If I tell the manager that I have this allergy, then everything goes smoothly. I also like the ceasar salads here. The only downfall is that the cheesy rolls that I used to love always smell soooo good and they are tempting even though they would make me extremely sick.
Noodles and Co. I just tried this restaurant today. It was so great. There is one at 14th and P in Lincoln. There is also one somewhere in Omaha. I'm not even sure what I ordered, but it was really good. They have a menu on the wall. Anything can be ordered with rice noodles and they have what they call a gluten crash kit. This just means that they cook everything in separate pans with separate utensils and notify the kitchen that it is for a gluten allergy so that there will be no cross contamination. My mom also ordered gluten free so that I could try her meal as well as my own. I brought the extras home so that I could take them to school as lunches this week. The restaurant is kind of like fast food when you order. It was fairly cheap and I got a gigantic plate of food. You sit down with the number they give you at whatever table you want. They bring your food out to you and it is on real plates with real silverware. In case you were thinking that it would be like Fazolis. Its not. It is more of a casual dining place without the cheap plastic.
These are just a few of the places that I like to eat. I hope you have as good of luck at these places as I have.
Kara
Fast Food:
Pretty much the only place that I ever go for fast food is Wendy's. They have baked potatoes and I really like them. I do have to tell the kitchen to make sure that the person making my potato has not handled a hamburger bun, or that they need to put on clean gloves.
Restaurants:
There are plenty of restaurants in this area that I eat at.
Texas T-Bone in Grand Island is very good about keeping things from getting contaminated. They let me bring my own steak seasoning in and grill my steak on aluminum foil so that if there is anything on the grill, it won't contaminate my steak. They make sure to use clean utensils and also bring out ingredient lists if a person needs them. I usually order the Sirloin Steak with my own seasoning, a loaded baked potato :), and a ceasar salad with no croutons. The ceasar dressing here is gluten free and I have checked it personally.
Red Lobster is another place that has gf foods. I like some types of seafood and crab legs is one of my favorites. If I tell the manager that I have this allergy, then everything goes smoothly. I also like the ceasar salads here. The only downfall is that the cheesy rolls that I used to love always smell soooo good and they are tempting even though they would make me extremely sick.
Noodles and Co. I just tried this restaurant today. It was so great. There is one at 14th and P in Lincoln. There is also one somewhere in Omaha. I'm not even sure what I ordered, but it was really good. They have a menu on the wall. Anything can be ordered with rice noodles and they have what they call a gluten crash kit. This just means that they cook everything in separate pans with separate utensils and notify the kitchen that it is for a gluten allergy so that there will be no cross contamination. My mom also ordered gluten free so that I could try her meal as well as my own. I brought the extras home so that I could take them to school as lunches this week. The restaurant is kind of like fast food when you order. It was fairly cheap and I got a gigantic plate of food. You sit down with the number they give you at whatever table you want. They bring your food out to you and it is on real plates with real silverware. In case you were thinking that it would be like Fazolis. Its not. It is more of a casual dining place without the cheap plastic.
These are just a few of the places that I like to eat. I hope you have as good of luck at these places as I have.
Kara
February 22, 2008
Dealing With Friends
Well, I really don't know much about diabetes, or how it affects people, since I don't have diabetes. But, as a celiac, my friends tend to make comments to me about eating something, or they catch themselves in the middle of asking me if I want their brownie or donut. I have gotten to where this doesn't bother me very much anymore because I have really begun to like my gluten-free food. But there are times when it makes me a little bit mad and I want to yell because they just can't seem to remember. When this happens, I just have to remind myself that they don't deal with the celiac every day, so they don't think of it naturally like I do. Other than occassionally forgetting about my celiac, my friends have been great in accepting my celiac. They are willing to try a bite of my food when I bring something new and are also willing to learn a little bit more about what I can eat. Over New Years, my friends and I made pizzas with Kinnikinnick pizza crusts and everybody had fun and really liked my food. This great support from my friends has really helped me through this time while I have been adjusting to my allergies, even in those times when they make me want to scream.
February 21, 2008
Ridiculous Comments
Well, in the two years that I have had celiac, I have heard some pretty funny comments.
One of these comments is from a time that I went to Runza. My mom ordered a hamburger for me with no bun. She asked the girl taking our order to tell the people in the kitchen that they needed to make sure that there was no crumbs that could contaminate me. The girl was embarassed to tell the kitchen about it so she asked her manager to tell the kitchen because it was for a food allergy. The manager turned to my mom and asked her what kind of allergy. Mom told the manager that it was for a wheat allergy and that I was highly allergic so she needed to tell the kitchen. The manager turned to my mom and flat-out said, "We don't have any wheat in this establishment." My mom snapped back something about how every bun in their kitchen was made of wheat. Then when we got the food, my mom made me open it at the counter to make sure that it was done right since the manager had told her that they didn't have any wheat in the restaurant.
One of these comments is from a time that I went to Runza. My mom ordered a hamburger for me with no bun. She asked the girl taking our order to tell the people in the kitchen that they needed to make sure that there was no crumbs that could contaminate me. The girl was embarassed to tell the kitchen about it so she asked her manager to tell the kitchen because it was for a food allergy. The manager turned to my mom and asked her what kind of allergy. Mom told the manager that it was for a wheat allergy and that I was highly allergic so she needed to tell the kitchen. The manager turned to my mom and flat-out said, "We don't have any wheat in this establishment." My mom snapped back something about how every bun in their kitchen was made of wheat. Then when we got the food, my mom made me open it at the counter to make sure that it was done right since the manager had told her that they didn't have any wheat in the restaurant.
February 18, 2008
Reliv
Well, I am going to start trying Reliv to see if it helps my situation out a little bit. If any of you have tried this product or know anything about it, I would like a little bit of feedback. I will try to keep you updated on how Reliv is working for me.
Kara
Kara
February 17, 2008
Using the Blog
Well, this page may not be as easy to use for everybody as I probably assumed because obviously I am a teenager and I don't know how familiar all of you are with this kind of technology.
In the top right corner is a link that says "New Post." If you would like to create a new topic, this is where you can do so.
Under each main topic is a little purple link that says comments. You can also click on the topic title to expand the view and see all of the comments connected. You can then click on the newer post or older post buttons to go from one topic to another in this view. If you would like to post or view other comments, you must click on of these links. When creating this blog, I didn't realize that was how it would work, but this has been the best option that I have explored.
There is no limit on how many topics or how many comments each topic has, or so I understand, so feel free to write in with any news on your family, or any questions you have for the rest of the group.
I can always rearrange the blogs so that different ones can be on the top so that people can see them first if that is needed. I can also change just about anything on the site here if you need me to for any reason.
Happy Blogging.
Kara
In the top right corner is a link that says "New Post." If you would like to create a new topic, this is where you can do so.
Under each main topic is a little purple link that says comments. You can also click on the topic title to expand the view and see all of the comments connected. You can then click on the newer post or older post buttons to go from one topic to another in this view. If you would like to post or view other comments, you must click on of these links. When creating this blog, I didn't realize that was how it would work, but this has been the best option that I have explored.
There is no limit on how many topics or how many comments each topic has, or so I understand, so feel free to write in with any news on your family, or any questions you have for the rest of the group.
I can always rearrange the blogs so that different ones can be on the top so that people can see them first if that is needed. I can also change just about anything on the site here if you need me to for any reason.
Happy Blogging.
Kara
Favorite Gluten Free Recipes
Finding recipes that work gluten free can be difficult. I thought that it would be great to start by sharing what some of our favorite gluten free recipes are.
My favorite recipe is...
Chocolate Sheet Cake
2 c. Authentic Foods Multi Blend Flour
2 c. sugar
Mix together in large mixing bowl.
1 stick oleo
1/2 c. shortening
3 TBSP cocoa
1 c. water
Bring to boil. Pour over flour and sugar, mix well.
Add 1/2 c. buttermilk, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. soda, 2 eggs.
Mix well. Pour in a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 pan. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
Five minutes before the cake is done, combine and bring to boil:
1 stick oleo
3 TBSP cocoa
5 TBSP milk
remove from heat and add 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 c. nuts, 1 box powdered sugar.
Beat smooth an spread over cake while hot.
This is my great-grandma's recipe and I encourage you to write down your favorite recipes and maybe even try mine.
My favorite recipe is...
Chocolate Sheet Cake
2 c. Authentic Foods Multi Blend Flour
2 c. sugar
Mix together in large mixing bowl.
1 stick oleo
1/2 c. shortening
3 TBSP cocoa
1 c. water
Bring to boil. Pour over flour and sugar, mix well.
Add 1/2 c. buttermilk, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. soda, 2 eggs.
Mix well. Pour in a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 pan. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
Five minutes before the cake is done, combine and bring to boil:
1 stick oleo
3 TBSP cocoa
5 TBSP milk
remove from heat and add 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 c. nuts, 1 box powdered sugar.
Beat smooth an spread over cake while hot.
This is my great-grandma's recipe and I encourage you to write down your favorite recipes and maybe even try mine.
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