Final Few Days at the Daycare

This week is my son's last week at his current daycare.  He goes 3 days a week, Monday-Wednesday, until he switches next week when I go back to work full-time.  His new daycare is attached to the school we hope he'll attend in kindergarten, so the transition will hopefully be easier when the time comes. 

I'm excited about the move for a few reasons.  The daycare is within walking distance of our house, so dropping him off and picking him up will be simple.  He'll learn French (hopefully!).  The centre is small, with fewer students and teachers than his current daycare, so less chance of accidental cross-contamination of someone unaware of his condition.

More importantly though, the daycare's menu is supplied by an outside catering company that supplies all of the children's meals.  I contacted the company and they assured me that providing my son with a gluten free and dairy free meal each day would not be a problem.  The company has a separate kitchen where they provide the meals that don't contain the most common allergens.

The representative told me that they try to provide students with food restrictions meals that are as close to those that everyone else is eating as possible.  For example, veggie sticks and cream cheese dip would be replaced with a dairy free version of cream cheese.  This is important to me because my son is starting to realize when his food is different from that of everyone else, and he doesn't like it.

I have to admit though, putting my son's meals back in the hands of anyone but myself is also causing me considerable anxiety, although the company is reputable and the menu and preparation methods sound appropriate.  When Etienne was being fed by his current daycare, we had more than one incident of cross-contamination and illness.  He hasn't had an incident since May, when he was accidentally fed a slice of whole wheat bread at daycare, and I would like it to stay that way.  I've been providing all of his food for a long time, and I've rested easy at least knowing that his food was safe and hadn't come into contact with any ingredients that would make him sick.  Handing over this responsibility to someone else is proving to be more difficult than I thought it would be!

Wednesday night is the orientation/open house.  We've already discussed Etienne's requirements with the staff at a previous meeting, and we're going to be providing a list of items he can't come into contact with, like certain types of glue, paint and clay-type products.  We'll provide alternatives if necessary, but I just hope things go smoothly.

Like all parents with children beginning at a new daycare or school, I hope that my son likes his teachers, makes friends and has fun every day.  On top of those concerns, I worry that he'll struggle with the new language. 

Above all though, I worry that he'll make it through each day without getting sick.  Without being fed something that damages his insides, that causes him pain and discomfort, that makes his soft skin break out into an itchy, miserable rash.  Without suffering through the mood swings, lethargy and vitamin and mineral deficiencies that accompany contamination with gluten. 

Fingers crossed.

Gluten Free Weekly Menu Plan

Hello everyone!  This week I tried out some new recipes, and I'm happy with the results.  Here's what we're eating for dinner this week.

Monday:  Turkey Scallopini with Basil Pesto and Sauteed Green Beans in Olive Oil & Garlic and Marinated Artichoke Hearts

 

Tuesday: Maple Glazed Salmon with Fava Bean, Red Potato & Mushroom Compote 







Wednesday: Polenta w/Tomato Sauce & Sauteed Mushrooms (The sauce is ready, the polenta I'll make same day.)

Thursday: Quinoa Vegetable Soup & Spanish Tortilla (Spanish Omelette) 

A tomatillo

 

Friday: Ground Beef Nachos with Goat Cheese Cheddar and Homemade Tomatillo Salsa 

The photo of the salsa doesn't do it justice.  I really need a better camera.  The mixture of the dark green of the jalapeño and bell peppers contrasts nicely with the lighter green of the tomatillos and the bright green cilantro stirred in at the end.  Definitely a recipe to keep.

50 Jars of Tomatoes and a Birthday Party

This morning's birthday party was a lot of fun for my son.  We brought along some gluten free hot dogs and hamburgers to match the menu, and I baked a few gluten free cupcakes for him to enjoy as a substitute for birthday cake.  I used the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix to make the cupcakes, and the Duncan Hines fluffy white frosting that I had leftover from when I made the Devil's Food Cake.  They baked up perfectly, were nice and moist, and had a great vanilla flavour.  YUM! 

The only problem we're now encountering is that my son has reached the age where he realizes that his cupcakes are not the same as the birthday cake that everyone else is eating, but he's not old enough yet to really understand why.  I explain to him that the cake will make him sick, but he still doesn't get it.  I think next time I'll try matching the colour of the icing to the cake to perhaps make it seem more similar.  He did enjoy his cupcakes though, and there were no meltdowns, so I'm happy.

On the tomato front, they got done today, and I brought home about 50 jars of freshly canned tomatoes that we can use as sauce, in chili, or soups, or casseroles...the possibilities are endless!  We now have some canned roasted red peppers and some canned tomatoes to get us through the winter.  There's nothing like opening up a jar of tomatoes in the dead of winter knowing that they were preserved right at their freshest point, when the best looking specimens available at the grocery store are pale and nowhere near ripe. 

Weekly menu plan goes up tomorrow! 

5 Things on a Friday: Canning Tomatoes Edition

Today we canned tomatoes.  All day.  There will be more tomorrow.  Hopefully we'll do enough for two years, so that we won't have to do it next year.  I'm sore and tired, so before I relax with a nice glass of wine, here are my thoughts on the day.

1- The acid in tomatoes is great for exfoliating the skin.  My hands are smooth as a baby's bottom.

2- A little salt, a little basil, and a lot of tomatoes.  Simple recipe, simple process, a lot of elbow grease.

3- By about the 900th tomato, one begins to wonder if having homemade tomato sauce is really worth all the fuss.

4- The first time you open a jar and the smell of homemade sauce hits you in the face, you realize that of course it was worth it.

5- Maintaining a family tradition that reminds me of my childhood is worth the sore back and hands. 

Before more tomato canning tomorrow we have a birthday party to attend.  Picked up the yellow food cake mix to make cupcakes so that my son can participate in the birthday cake too.  What's that?  What about the cake I made two days ago?  I have no idea where it all went...

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake

While visiting the US this summer, I brought home a box of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake to try and review.  Last week I wrote THIS POST about finding two Betty Crocker GF products available at my local Fortino's grocery store.  The box states that the product is produced in a dedicated gluten free facility.

I meant to bake up the cake over the weekend but ended up canning roasted red peppers at my parents' house instead.  This weekend I'll be canning tomatoes for sauce (family traditions at their best!), so I got a craving and decided to bake last night.  Smack dab in the middle of a thunderstorm and tornado warnings.  I wanted something sweet to munch on while huddling in the cold room in the basement in the dark. 

Preparing the mix is straightforward- add water, eggs and butter (I always use a dairy substitute), mix and bake.  Easy-peasy. 

The cake took on the longer end of the stated time spread to cook all the way through, but it rose nicely and was springy to the touch.

 

The only complaint I have is that the cake cooked a bit too much on the very bottom, and despite greasing the bottom of the pan as per the box instructions, it was a little tricky getting it out without breaking it.  Next time I'll use a springform pan.  It had a lot of loose crumbs around the edges as well, but I think that was a result of all my efforts to get it out of the pan in one piece.  The cake itself held together well once on the plate.  

For icing, I decided to give the Duncan Hines white icing a try, after seeing "gluten free" listed on the back of the container, underneath the ingredient list.  The only reason I checked was that someone had mentioned to me that they thought it was safe for my son to eat.  Listing it on the front of the container might make it a more obvious option for those of us who can spot the words "gluten free" on a shelf full of 50 different products from the other end of the aisle.  

This icing was light and fluffy and really, really sweet.  I iced the cake quickly because I was worried about the power going out in the middle of the operation, so you can still see some of the loose crumbs kind of mixed in with the icing.  If I had taken more time, the icing itself would have done a good job of covering the cake. Regardless, it set really nicely.  More importantly, it tasted like regular icing.

 

Verdict:  I really liked the cake.  It was a little crumbly right out of the pan, but it set nicely and the slices held together without problem.  Even my husband, who doesn't like cake in general, had two slices last night and brought another slice to work today.  I found that I actually enjoyed the cake more today than I did yesterday.  I left it on the counter overnight, like I would any regular cake.  I've been picking at it all day, and it hasn't dried out at all. 

As far as boxed-mix baking goes, everyone knows Betty Crocker, and those who are gluten free are no longer left out of the party.  The price was comparable to regular mixes, and the taste was just as good.

Looking forward to trying the Yellow Cake mix next!

CityLine Features Gluten Free and Dairy Free Options

I don't generally watch Cityline, but today the show featured both gluten free cooking as well as alternatives to regular dairy products. 

Nothing revolutionary on the gluten free front, but the exposure and awareness are always welcome!  The show did feature three recipes, GF chocolate chip cookies, GF fudge cake and a GF pasta bake.  Recipes can be found on Cityline's WEBSITE .  They look delicious!

The show also featured a segment on alternatives to cow's milk for those who can't digest it, or who just want some other options.  Soy, rice, almond and hemp milk were just some of the options featured.  Again, nothing revolutionary here, but a really great way to raise awareness of the options available. 

Great to see Gluten Free and Dairy Free awareness hit the mainstream!

Wordless Wednesday

My son, on his tricycle (that's less than a week old).  Asking his father if he can jump.  Le Sigh.

Gluten Free at Winners/Home Sense

When shopping for some pretty home office supplies the other day at the Winners store at Vaughan Mills, I came across a happy surprise:  Gluten Free products!  Whenever I notice a food section in any store, I can't help but swing by and check to see if there are any gluten free products offered.  At Winners, they have a small packaged food section, with a shelf of gluten free items.

Cookies.

Candy.  Including sugar free options.

Crackers.

Baking mixes.

Quinoa flour!

Good job Winners! 

So, wondering if this was a one store wonder, I made my way over to the Woodbridge store, and I'm happy to report that they also had a gluten free section.   

The section is small, with just a few items, but Winners isn't a food store.  It's mainly a clothing and home decor store, with a small section of prepackaged specialty foods and snacks.

It's good to know that there's one more place I can run in and pick up a safe snack for my son when we're out, or where I can find him a treat on short notice. 

Getting Ready For Fall

School starts in two weeks, which means that I'll be back at work next week, getting my classroom set up, photocopying, attending meetings, and so on.  I've been off for a long time, so this is going to be a bigger than usual post-summer adjustment.  It also means that all the fall prep I haven't done in two years is back in full swing.  Yesterday I was at my parents' house canning peppers, and this weekend we'll be doing tomatoes.  In a few weeks we'll probably make sausages and maybe even some cabbage rolls.

Most of my fall prep revolves around nailing down a tighter schedule and organizing some time savers to make life easier.  This year, I'll be preparing some freezer meals in advance with the intent of only having to prepare 4 weeknight dinners each week.  I'm also doing some menu planning in advance so there's less guess work when I get home in the evening.  All those day-to-day things I've been home to do the past two years will now have to get done evenings and weekends. 

A part of me is looking forward to going back to work (and getting a full-time paycheck again), and another part of me is a bit sad to be losing the day-to-day freedom that comes with staying home.  Right now though, I'm consumed with the lesson planning that needs to be done, work clothes that need to be bought, and freezer meals that need to be prepped. 

On a side note, although I wasn't able to take photos of all my menu plan meals this week, I do have a great one of the beet salad.  Beets aren't my favourite vegetable, but when they come in our weekly harvest food box delivery, I like to make this salad.

 

If I must eat beets, this is a darn delicious way to do it!

Quick reminder, click on the Menu Plan tab to access all the gluten free weekly menu plans since January of this year! 

Gluten Free Weekly Menu Plan

Today's menu plan is being posted late because I ended up spending the day canning peppers at my parents' house.  It's an easy procedure, but time consuming.  The up-side is that we will now have enough homemade roasted red peppers on hand for antipasto, salads and sauces for the next year.  Worth the work.

Unfortunately, that means that while I cooked a few of my meals in advance, I didn't cook them all, and I didn't take photos.  Sorry! 

Monday: Gluten Free Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs & a Romaine Lettuce Salad

Tuesday: Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup with Gluten Free Garlic Bread

Wednesday: Quinoa Pilaf with Eggplant and Yellow & Green Zucchini & Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Thursday: Pulled Pork Tacos with Salsa and Homemade Guacamole

Friday: Bacon & Eggs, Sauteed Swiss Chard with a side of Rice & Peas