Navigating the GFCF Diet

Well, we are hanging in there with the diet. Sarah is so stubborn. It's kind of funny. For a while, it seemed like she was on a hunger strike - refusing ot eat most things I gave her. I think she lived off of Craisins for about 3 days. Her new MO is to nibble and pick at her food for about 3 or 4 days. Then she will get really hungry and eat really well for 2 days. Then the cycle begins again. I really think she likes the food but she's mad that I took away her regular stuff!

I am in the process of removing all of the "hidden" gfcf. Many spice blends and seasoning mixes have either gluten or casein. I found milk in Sarah's lotion and oats in the soap. Play-doh is off limits as well, but there's an alternative.

Though everyone in my house is not going completely gfcf, I have removed a lot of things from our diet. It's so much easier to make a meal that everyone can eat, as opposed to making something special for Sarah. Kyle is OK with gfcf pancakes and he also likes the almond milk (which Sarah doesn't). So, most of our family breakfasts are gfcf though Kyle eats whatever he wants when he is getting breakfast for himself. We had some pretty good gfcf dinners over the past week. Teriyaki chicken breasts with jasmine garlic rice and stir fry veggies. Steak with baked potatoes and fresh spinach. Curried chicken breasts with rice and more stir fry veggies (Kyle loves the veggies).

I have started making smoothies. I thought it would be a good way to trick Sarah into having some almond milk, and they're great for hiding nutritious stuff. Well, Sarah hasn't touched one yet, but Kyle wants one almost every day. Orange Julius is his favorite but I also make strawberry banana, strawberry pineapple and "berry blast". You cannot imagine all the good stuff that can be hidden in a smoothie.

I may have given up real ice cream, but I am becoming addicted to the Purely Decadent frozen dessert by Turtle Mountain (I need to buy some stock in this company - love them). The stuff is really good. The vanilla is very close to the real thing! The chocolate is YUMMY with just a hint of coconut (can't wait to make a milkshake). I also like the mint chocolate chip and the chocolate cookie dough. I tried pomegranate chip, it's OK but not my favorite. Sarah loves them all, which does me no good! I don't want to replace her old foods with sweets.

I wish I wouldn't have told everyone (well everyone we see on a regular basis) about the diet. Everyone who knows says they see a change. I can't wait to take her around someone who doesn't know to see if they notice anything.