Ideas for a Fun Gluten Free Easter Egg Hunt

My son has been gluten free for several years now, and one thing that I've always made an effort to do is ensure that he doesn't miss out on things because he can't eat gluten. Sometimes that means coming up with some creative alternatives to the way holidays are traditionally celebrated. Although you can find gluten free alternatives to most things these days, it's not always easy and they often cost much more than the original. Sometimes it's more fun (and economical) to change things up a little. If you're looking for some last minute Easter ideas for your child, here are some gluten free Easter ideas sure to make any child happy!

Wordless Wednesday: Spring in Paris

It's Spring in Paris! Here are a few photos from the last few weeks. Happy April!

View of the 15th Arrondissement from the Pont Mirabeau

April Fools' & Chocolate Sardines!

Are you ready for April Fools' Day? Growing up in Canada, April Fools' Day was the one day of the year that kids knew they could get away with pulling pranks on family and friends without getting into too much trouble.

My friends never did anything crazy, just silly things that were meant to be all in good fun. I never thought much about where the holiday originated or why it was okay to play jokes on others that one day of the year.




Now that I'm living in France, I've noticed chocolate fish popping up in the windows of chocolatiers everywhere. At first I thought it had to do with Easter, but it turns out that while fish are an important symbol of Easter, they also have a lot to do with April Fools' Day.

Wordless Wednesday

I haven't posted a Wordless Wednesday in a while, but there are so many photos from our recent move to France that I want to share that I thought this would be a great place to start!

The pyramid of the Louvre, on a winter's morning without many tourists around

A gluten free lemon tart from Bio Sphere Cafe. Review posted on Gluten Free Family Travel

Chasing giant bubbles outside the Pompidou Centre

View of the rooftops from the terrace at the Pompidou Centre

The Birthday Must Go On!

This weekend marked my oldest son's 6th birthday. Unfortunately, everyone was sick this weekend, coming down with some sort of 24 hour bug that rampaged through our systems, leaving us worn out and exhausted. I felt bad for my little guy, who was so excited to be back in Canada to celebrate with a real party, only to have to cancel because he was too sick for a big celebration.


Our first mini celebration was Friday night, with a small cake just for immediate family, followed by his main gift. Luckily, he felt great as he hadn't yet gotten sick. Unfortunately for me, it was right smack dab in the middle of my 24 hour gross-fest, so I basically made it down for the cake and that was it.

Still, he loved his new Iron Man guitar, and showed off his rock star stance for the rest of the evening. He takes guitar lessons with his Uncle Dave whenever we're in the country, so he brought his guitar along for his Saturday morning lesson. Unfortunately, the birthday boy started feeling ill on Saturday night along with my husband, and the two of them spent most of today in bed.

I didn't want to risk getting any guests sick, so we cancelled the invites and postponed the celebration. However, by this evening both my husband and my son began feeling better, so we decided to go ahead with the cake, only minus the extra guests. The cake was a chocolate cake made from XO Baking Co.'s chocolate mix, and homemade buttercream icing.

We took advantage of the slight reprieve and let him open the rest of his gifts, then watched the kids try and get the Avengers pinata to give up its goods!

I don't know how everyone will feel tomorrow, but I'm hoping it's better than it has been the past few days. We have some official paperwork to take care of before going back to France, and there's an extreme cold front  heading our way on top of it all. Thinking warm, healthy thoughts!

Recipe: Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder in Tomato Sauce

Growing up, lamb was something we ate two or three times a year at most. Christmas, Easter, and perhaps for a birthday or anniversary dinner were about the only times lamb made it onto the dinner table. Mostly it was because lamb was, and still is, expensive. It was also because my dad was really the only person who absolutely adored lamb. I typically refused on the grounds that lambs are cute, and my mom and sister would usually have a little bit but not nearly enough to justify the high cost.

Is Haggis Gluten Free?

Source

Updated January 2015

So, Robbie Burns Day is just around the corner, and people everywhere are planning their annual Robbie Burns Supper!  People in Canada celebrate too, in case you're wondering.  I'm not sure about here in France. I'll have to ask around!

But this isn't a post about the day, or the man, or the legend behind it all. 

When a Restaurant Just Can't Get it Right

Eating in restaurants with a gluten free child is not always easy, but I've always managed to find something safe for my son to eat. Most restaurants have something on the menu, or can adjust a recipe to be safe. After speaking with the server or the chef (or both!)

I'm usually relatively comfortable allowing my son to eat out in restaurants. In the four years my son has been gluten free, I have only had to leave a restaurant without feeding him once, and that was right at the beginning and more my fault than anything.

Until a few weeks ago.

We Moved to Paris!

I originally posted this on my travel site, GlutenFreeFamilyTravel.com, but thought it was worth a repost here. 

Typically the content of the two sites are separate, but there will certainly be times when something posted on one site will be reposted on the other. 

Our move to France will be a huge source of content over the next year on both sites. Our plan to move to Toulouse changed quite quickly and unexpectedly, but was accompanied by an exciting new development!

Happy New Year!