Recipe: Simple Coconut Pops

Coconut reminds me of lazy days lounging in a hammock, with the sounds of the ocean in the background. It also brings to mind Thai food, chocolatey desserts, and the smell of sunscreen. Over the past year, I've started using coconut in a variety of ways. I use the oil to soothe my son's dry skin, to cook, and as a substitute in baking. I use coconut milk in cooking to create incredible soups and rice dishes. I use shredded coconut in cooking and baking, and I use coconut water in my smoothies.

Coconut has a million uses, and now that it's fairly easy to find and not as expensive as it once was, I use it more than ever.

An Easter Egg Hunt Gone Wrong: Gluten Free at School

I've held off writing this post for a few hours, hoping to let my anger and sadness calm down a bit, but I'm still upset and think this post needs to be written.

My son is 5 years old, and in junior kindergarten. He's the one in our family who MUST be gluten free. His school is well aware of his gluten free status, as he attended the preschool there from the time he was two. I send him to school with his lunch every day, and I provide the school with gluten free treats when there is a special event. His school doesn't allow students to bring food to class for birthdays or special occasions, which makes things a bit easier to handle.

Today, my son's teacher held an Easter Egg Hunt for the class. Each child had to find two eggs, labelled with their name and filled with candy. A cute idea, and the kids loved it. My kid loved it, until the hunt was over.

Not for the Squeamish: The Effects of Being Glutened

Tonight's blog post was going to be a detailed recap of the Gluten Free Living Conference and all the wonderful people I met and information I learned that I want to pass on to you. Instead, I'm writing about my afternoon, because if you're the parent of a gluten free kid, this is probably a familiar story.

Sometime over the weekend, my son got glutened. No one is entirely sure when it happened, although my husband suspects it may have something to do with a piece of candy. If that last sentence makes no logical sense to you, welcome to my world. My 5 year old is generally so anxious about food that he always asks if it's gluten free.

Chuck E. Cheese Offers Gluten Free Pizza & Cupcakes

Great news for gluten free kids!  Chuck E. Cheese is rolling out gluten free pizzas nationwide in the United States and Canada.  This is fantastic for kids like my son.  We have never taken him to Chuck E. Cheese or considered it for a birthday party location because of a lack of gluten free items to choose from. 

If you have a gluten free kid, you know how stressful things like birthday parties can be, where their differences become even more obvious to everyone around them.  I even declined to have him attend a baking party once because I knew that he couldn't even touch, never mind eat, what the other kids would be baking.  So anytime a kid-friendly place makes their menu that much more accessible to children with food restrictions, I'm happy. 

Here are the details.  The pizzas are produced in a dedicated gluten free facility and shipped to the restaurant locations in a sealed bag.  They are then cooked, still in the bag, and delivered to the table in the bag as well, to avoid cross-contamination.  This makes me feel much more comfortable than ordering pizza in locations where the pies are made in close proximity to ones that use regular flour. 

The other great addition to the menu is the chocolate cupcake!  Being left out from eating sweet treats is a horrible experience for a kid at a party, and although I generally bring my own, it's not the same experience as being able to order one like everyone else.  I like that the chain added a gluten free dessert in addition to the pizza.  It allows kids to have a full meal. 

Click on the Chuck E. Cheese website for more information.  They even have an allergen finder, where you can search for your location and download a PDF file with every menu item, their ingredients, and the potential allergens listed in a clear and easy to read manner.  The restaurant acknowledges that there are other allergens that that are still present in their menu items, and that they are working toward including a wider variety of items addressing those issues.  This is even better news for all kids who have ever felt left out because of what they couldn't eat.

I'm looking forward to calling my local restaurant in Vaughan and confirming that they have the pizzas and cupcakes available.  If they do, I think a certain 3 year old may be experiencing his first visit to Chuck E. Cheese very soon!

Welcome!

I started this blog to chronicle the journey my family is taking in regards to my son's digestive health issues, and to connect with others experiencing something similar.  I want this blog to be a positive forum that offers honest feedback about our daily experiences navigating the world of gluten-free, dairy-free living, as well a place to offer tips, recipes, and suggestions for celiac friendly venues in the GTA and beyond. 

Back story:

My son Etienne is 21 months old.  Since infancy, he's always had digestive issues.  We switched him to lactose free formula, but he was always in some sort of discomfort and he occasionally suffered from diarrhea.  When he started daycare at 18 months, the problems got worse.  Starting on the first day, he came home with a rash across his back and chest, and he was experiencing diarrhea.  He had recently been vaccinated, so the doctor told us it was a reaction to the vaccine.  Only it didn't go away.  He began experiencing three to four loose bowel movements per day, he had a chronic runny nose and the rash came and went.  To make a long story short, two months, two stool samples, two urine samples and two blood tests later, we were able to rule out parasites as the cause.  We were extremely worried.  His behaviour had changed and he was irritable and difficult to manage.  He had lost several pounds in a two month period and his pants were falling down. 

My mom mentioned to me that there was a history of celiac on her side of the family, and suggested I look into that as a possibility.  I did some research on the internet and found that his symptoms fit the bill.  After speaking with my doctor, she suggested that we try eliminating all gluten and dairy from his diet for a few days and see what happened.  We did, and his symptoms disappeared almost immediately.  We've had him on a strictly gluten and dairy free diet ever since, and he's regained all the weight he'd previously lost.  We've been referred to a specialist to explore the matter further, but that's a story for another post!

We're just starting our journey, and are learning how to navigate the world outside of our home with a small child who doesn't yet understand the dietary restrictions that are placed on him.  It's only been a month, but already I've experienced the difficulties of circumventing a daycare menu that is gluten heavy, the joys of soy yogurt, and how quickly symptoms can return when my son accidentally ingests something containing gluten.  I look forward to any comments, stories or positive suggestions on anything celiac related.

I'm looking forward to sharing this journey with you!

(It's also my mom's birthday today, so Happy Birthday Mom!)