Author: kristenann

Gluten free, mainly vegetarian herbalist living in beautiful Western Washington, but love to travel. My two boys have various other food intolerances including gluten, so I think and write about food quite a bit. Author of the children's book, The Knight Owl, which has it's own blog:http://theknightowlblog.wordpress.com/.
gluten intolerance

Cooking Slump

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The warmer weather is welcome, to say the least, but it isn’t helping my motivation in the kitchen. This last week I tried my youngest and pickiest on a gluten free diet, without telling him. It was hard~ I ended up feeding him a lot of bars and snack-y things just to fill him up, with apples, carrots and green juice filling in the nutrition holes. Those three items are constants anyway, so at least there was a bit of normality to his diet. He did eat a bowl of rice one evening which he hadn’t done for years, claiming he didn’t like it, and a couple of new items were eaten but honestly, it was so hard trying to find things to fill his belly that by this weekend I’m so sick of cooking and baking I could scream, or better, fast, if I didn’t have to feed everyone else constantly. One thing I did add to the pumpkin/cinnamon scones I always make was topping them with a simple icing~ powdered sugar and water. After eating them plain for a few days my youngest always tires of them, so I added the icing and he was thrilled to finish them off. And I also found some vanilla sandwich cookies made by kinnikinnick that were a nice addition to his lunch box. Unlike a lot of gf cookies which have calorie and fat numbers off the charts, these are much more reasonable and taste light and delicious. (Ok, so they didn’t all make it into his lunchbox.) I didn’t really see a drastic difference in my youngest, although when I finally gave him wheat again yesterday he later woke up from a bad dream and had to get me. He did not complain about his stomach at all this week, which he sometimes does, nor did he suffer from being “too tired” to go to the park. Connected? Who knows. At least I’ve figured out a few items to add to his diet and I will continue to watch his reactions to what he eats, but quite frankly at the moment, even the thought of prepping strawberries sounds horribly painful. Maybe if I move all the kids’ favorite foods and some dishes low enough they could make their own meals for a day or two…Although then I’d be doing double time on the clean up. Maybe a restaurant is in our future.

Uncategorized

Garlic Jims GF Pizza and More

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The other night my husband and I went out with another couple to a local brewery called Black Raven where we ordered a gluten free pizza to be delivered there. As a side note, as far as I know Black Raven does not have any gluten free beers, but you can order wine there, which I did. The fact you can order pizza and have it sent to the brewery is just brilliant, and the fact Garlic Jims has a delicious gluten free crust is even more brilliant. We got the gourmet garlic and all agreed it was excellent. And here’s the kicker, at PCC this week I saw the very same pizza in the gluten free freezer! I am so excited about this! If it is half as good as the fresh version, I’ll be thrilled. The only bad thing was that after eating that night my husband’s tummy hurt, which caused us to wonder if it is possible to be gluten-free intolerant…? That’s just a joke, but really I hope that experience doesn’t cloud his future gf experiences b/c I’m sure it had more to do with the combinations of foods and drinks than one thing in particular. The couple we went with are not gluten intolerant by the way, but they do try to eat variety instead of always depending on wheat for bread type items. I think that is great~ different grains means different vitamins and minerals and such. I’ve started adding more flours in my own baked goods in an effort to boost protein and keep calories down. Plus you can give yourself a food sensitivity just by eating something all the time, which is probably why I can’t eat gluten now~ had my quota + in younger years. Which reminds me, I’ve been wondering, again, if I should put my youngest on a gluten free diet for a week. This is a more daunting task than putting a regular 6 year old on a allergy-test diet b/c he only eats a few things and most of them are made of wheat. I’ve already started substituting some items, for example giving him Pirate’s Booty and apples at snack time instead of cheesy crackers and apples. (He could live on cheesy crackers. That would be his desert island food, for sure, but he hasn’t said anything about the switch. Yet.) I have also tried making new substitute items, such as gluten free vanilla scones, like the ones at Starbucks which he adores. I also made them vegan, so in order to try this daring feet, I got out my Flying Apron cookbook and Ree’s petite vanilla scone recipe and put on my thinking cap. To be honest, they turned out only so-so, and although my oldest loves them, my target audience, Mr.Picky, does not. I’m going to try again though and hopefully I’ll get it right at some point and then post a recipe. Until then I’ll just say I followed Ree’s example with the vanilla beans, and followed the basic measurements of dry goods to wet goods from a Flying Apron recipe. The results were more iced cookie than iced scone though, except not as sweet as a cookie.  The density was off. I think next time I’ll scale back the oil, or maybe not even force the vegan part~ making scones are what butter was invented for, right? We’ll see.

cosmetics · natural beauty products

Cilantro with a side of lunch

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Not everyone loves cilantro. Apparently the herb shares some chemical components with soap, and when people declare they hate cilantro it usually is because it tastes “soapy”. The traditional wisdom says that those who grow up in a culture eating the stuff like it, for those who don’t it tastes like soap, but that just doesn’t ring true in our house. I definitely did not grow up eating the stuff, but I love cilantro with a passion, and my son who eats just about anything and everything could indeed grow up eating it, but he just can’t stand it. Maybe if you have a latent Pica gene you automatically are drawn to it, though honestly I don’t taste soapiness when I eat cilantro. It is so delightful in my mouth it feels like all is right in the world for at least thirty seconds, then it’s time for another bite. Here’s how we’ve been indulging in the herb lately, (I was reminded of this combo when our friends made black bean tacos for us on Cinco De Mayo) though if you are one of the haters, lettuce works, but it will be much less flavorful. For my husband I use flour tortillas, corn for myself, warmed up in a pan on the stove. Next is a bed of cilantro (or lettuce) and I put enough down to look like a real bed of greens, not just a bit of flavoring, but suit yourself. Then the black beans which have been previously prepared (I make mine with a bay leaf, garlic, and cumin) then sliced avocado, topped off with pico de gallo salsa. (I use pre-made Whole Foods brand because I can’t imagine making it any tastier myself). It is a simple combination, but really good and healthy too.
Speaking of soap, it seems people are starting to think about what they use on their body day in and day out for years, such as soap, lotion, cosmetics, creams, serums, hair products, etc. There is a new book about the scary chemicals in bath and beauty products called No More Dirty Looks and I heard the authors speak on KUOW.ORG and so can you, just click here. Basically, it is a hugely unregulated industry with questionable ingredients that might not be found in large doses, but instead in small doses in everything you use, daily, for decades. Locally, PCC Markets have taken a look at their products and decided not to carry any companies with certain ingredients. Read which companies they trust, and which they don’t here. They admit to the fact that the healthier, cleaner brands are more expensive, but that is no surprise. The authors of the above book, Siobhan O’Connor and Alexandra Spunt, point out that if you look at the ingredients of most body care, you find a lot of fillers, such as water, with a bit of active ingredients. With all-natural ingredients you get a lot more of the active ingredients, and therefore really need to use less product. It is worth looking at the products you use all the time, and seeing if anything can be replaced by something natural and healthier and most likely with results you’ll like better.

Uncategorized

Mix-up

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The other day I was at the park with my oldest when we got separated. (That means he was on his bike going as fast as humanly possible while I tried to catch up on foot.) When we reunited, he said he had gotten confused because he had thought “that boy” was me. I thought, “that boy must have some long crazy hair!” but when he pointed out the kid his head was nearly shaved, about 10 or 11 years old and Latino. Does that sound like me?

But I guess we all make mistakes. So hopefully I will be forgiven for something that happened on the way home from school today. My kids love listening to books on CD in the car and I love the fact they are quiet as mice when they do so, so I am constantly getting them from the library. The pickings are getting slim though so right now we are listening to something just on the edge of appropriate for a 6 and 8 year old~ Judy Blume’s Super Fudge. The main character is a 6th grader and a complete whiner, so I haven’t been thrilled with it already, but today there was a huge discussion about the validity of Santa Claus. Yikes! The boys were quiet, but then the questions came a minute or two after we were inside. Strangely, my younger one is far more dubious about the whole Santa/tooth fairy/Easter bunny thing. He has already mentioned that he thinks I’m the tooth fairy, probably b/c every time they loose teeth the tooth fairy doesn’t come until after breakfast~ after they have awoken to the disappointment of no money. “Oh, she’s late again! Must have been a busy night,” I’ll say and shuffle them off to breakfast while I run around the house looking for coins or dollar bills. Anyway, my older one insists he heard Santa’s bells one night so he keeps answering the question that my younger one is asking me this afternoon, “Is Santa real?” So here’s a word of warning~ don’t listen to or read Super Fudge until the kids are firmly post-Santa.
gluten free

Annie’s box of Gluten Free mac and cheese

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Some days are just mac n’ cheese kind of days. It happens about twice a year that I get a hankering for the stuff and absolutely nothing else will do. And it has to be the box kind~ no fancy cookery or anything like that, even though I’ve seen some pretty tempting recipes out there on the web. Today was one of those days~ maybe it was the crazy winds blowing through, maybe it was the May Day violence happening across the 520, or maybe (and most likely) it was the fact I helped 21 kindergartners paint this morning~ when I got home for lunch it was either a tall glass of red or a box of Annie’s. Luckily for my liver, I had a box in the way back corner of my pantry so I was able to indulge. It tasted excellent~ it’s been a long decade or so since I have had ‘regular’ mac n’ cheese, but I’m pretty sure this rice pasta version will help any child (or adult) transitioning to gluten free get over at least pining away for Kraft. That’s a great way to transition, by the way~ fill those cravings with the good gluten free alternatives out there. Pizza, pasta, cake~ you can find it all now which is so nice for kids especially. You can worry about making the healthiest choices later, after the whole shock of the diagnosis wears off. Because it will. In the beginning, again especially for children, the best thing to do is to not feel deprived, or different. I’m now really surprised when people say to me, “Oh it must be hard, or terrible, or earth shattering to avoid wheat!” It’s really not hard, or bad at all. To be honest, it bummed me out at first, and even now I’ll get an odd pang for something~ usually it’s visual like a movie where there is lonely, dirty guy in a dank French prison who gets handed a hunk of bread and I’ll think, “Oooo, that looks good!” But then I’ll make myself a batch of scones and think, “this is much better than being locked in an underground Medieval prison any old day.” Really, it gets easier, food tastes better, and once you feel good you never want to feel sick ever again.

gluten free · gluten free travel

Portland, Oregon: Gluten Free Getaway (with Kids)

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International Test Rose Garden

When you think of having children, there are so many things you do not consider. For example, their birthdays~ where they fall on the calendar and the fact you will be responsible for a party every year at that time until they are old enough to understand smaller is better. True, some people love the whole party planning thing, but since I am not a party person, nor a planner, the idea of invitations, food, setting, goody bags, etc, leaves me stressed for weeks. Once my youngest entered the prime party-hat wearing years of preschool I knew I would never survive planning two parties a year, therefore I suggested we have one party each year and one little getaway each year, and the years would alternate. This went over surprisingly well, mostly because the getaway for two years in a row was to Great Wolf Lodge. This year we talked my oldest into going to Portland instead, and he agreed, much to our relief. I wasn’t sure I could handle another year of GWL and I’m pretty sure my husband feels more than the same way. Portland has a surprising number of gluten free places as well as plenty of things for kids to do. We were only there one night, but here is what we did and some things we didn’t do but are on the agenda for next time: We left a little after 9:AM on Friday and got to Portland right after noon, which means lunch time. Portland is actually a lot bigger than I remembered so we just pulled over at the first place where most of our group would eat at least something, which happened to be a Chipotle. If you click on that link you will see their special diet information which is clear, thoughtful, and varied. (We were in the SW quadrant, close to PSU so it was very busy and hard to find parking, though we eventually did so in public garage not far from the restaurant.) We then drove to Washington Park which could itself keep a family busy for a whole weekend. Things to keep in mind: the first Friday of the month is free at the Children’s museum from 4-8:PM. At the zoo, the second Tuesday of every month is only $4.00 admission, and everyday if you take public transit there (which is easy to do) you get $1.50 off the ticket price. The Hoyt Arboretum and Rose Gardens are free.
We parked by the roses which also happens to be on top of a big hill with nice views of Portland beyond the park. From there we walked to the kids’ playground where the boys managed to run off the steam that 3 hours in the car had built up. Our hotel had a check-in time of 3:PM so we took advantage of that fully expecting to head back to the Children’s museum after 4: when it happened to have it’s free hours for the month, but as so often happens when traveling with kids, we had a change of plans. Once we were in our hotel I checked my phone GPS and saw that Powell’s books was not far away and definitely within walking distance. The weather was sunny and warm enough, so the walk was a great way to get a taste of Portland, and Powell’s is heaven for just about anyone interested in anything really~there’s bound to be a book about it at Powell’s. By the time we walked back to the hotel though, the boys were exhausted and ready for dinner, not a museum. (They were both suffering from colds unfortunately. In fact one had an inhaler for bronchitis, so considering that they really did quite well and were troopers.) My friend told me about a gluten free fish and chips place called Corbett Fish House on Corbett. There are actually two owned by the same people, the other one is Hawthorne Fish House, on….Hawthorne. Corbett was closer to our hotel so we went to that one and weren’t disappointed~ it was delicious. Not only did I eat breaded fish (they use rice flour!) I had it on a gluten free bun, and it was good! If fish is not your cup of tea though, the Deschutes Brewery actually has a gluten free menu in Portland. There is also a helpful site with a gluten free restaurant list which is a great place to narrow your options in a growing city. After dinner we were done for night and went back to the hotel to sleep. The next morning we wanted to get to the main attraction, the OMSI, just when it opened (9:30) so we did not go gluten free hunting, but there are several places we could have gone. There is the Tula Baking Company and the Cravin Raven bakery. My friend also told me about The Old Wives’ Tales which looks especially good for children. The OMSI was amazing~ and we have been to a lot of museums. We were there for 3 hours and saw maybe half of it. It was definitely a great birthday trip, especially because my sons have always loved submarines and they have a real one there to tour. I thought the guided tour might be a bit much for my 6 and nearly 8 year old, but they loved it. They asked more questions than anyone else and remembered the layout enough to draw it days later! We were going to go to the Saturday MarketGluten-free Gourmand. There are so many options there next time we just might end up staying a whole week instead of just a weekend!

Submarine at OMSI

 

Uncategorized

New Yogurt in the House

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Usually when I check out at the grocery store I try to split up the amount of yogurt I buy with other things~ so for example I’ll put my youngest son’s favorite (Wallaby vanilla low fat yogurt) up then some apples and pickles, my Greek yogurt pick of the moment surrounded by orange juice and tofu, then my husband’s, etc, etc. It’s just kind of embarrassing to buy that much yogurt. If just two out of the four of us liked the same thing, it’d be so much easier, but, alas, we are four individuals in every sense of the word. We just had family visiting and while here they brought in yet another yogurt which has wrapped my oldest in its smooth creamy grip with both it’s taste and memories of his beloved cousin. It is Stonyfield’s Greek yokids yogurt and it is a fairly new product. There are no off-putting chunks, and no fruit on the bottom to stir in, plus although it is Greek yogurt, it is a lighter one, perfect for kids’ taste buds. My oldest is actually the one person in the household who went through phases with yogurt, sometimes liking it but usually not caring much one way or another about it. Now he’s obsessed. I suppose it is yet another “healthy” obsession though I have had to limit his intake.  He wakes up wanting it, comes home from school asking for it, then thinks about it again before bed. At least he’ll never be accused of lacking passion.

gardening

April is Earth Month

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To celebrate the first day of Spring Break I took my boys to Molbak’s to get some veggie starts for our little kitchen garden in the back. It turned out to be a gorgeous day which we deserved after a rainy weekend. Rainy month actually. I could go on backwards, but I’ll just let it rest there. We actually started the day at the park where my youngest took off his training wheels! Both my boys are bi-pedler now I guess. Once we got home we started on the garden:

Step 1. move rocks

Step 2. take off the black cover and
add compost

Step 3. rake out the compost and
plant the veggie starts


Step 4. replace black cover and rocks
and demand to keep the black plastic
things in which the veggies were bought

I don’t get it~ the boys have a ton of toys but they decided to make a united stand against recycling those plant containers. I felt like we were in a debate club, practicing on some monstrously silly topic, except they were dead serious. There was no way I was getting those containers out of their soil-stained hands. One made the Eiffel tower with his, the other made some sort of war ship. You are thinking that means they won the debate, but actually it was a compromise~ I told them they could keep them as long as they stayed outside. After all, if they were inspired to make arts and crafts with them, well, who was I to get in the way of inspiration. I just did not want another thing migrating into the house.

kids · parenting · sensory processing disorder

Activity Time

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The weather here has been less than bliss-inducing, to say the least, which really effects the mood of the whole family. Usually there are two or three days I can pick up my two boys from school so they can run around and play with friends on the school property before heading home (as opposed to just riding the bus straight home.) It was rainy and icky all week so they missed out on that play time, and by the weekend it really showed. I’ve noticed this before~ if they have that free play time, they are far more centered, even on the following days, so the centered-ness stays really lasts a long time. Both my boys just seemed all wound up yesterday morning, and even though we made it to the park for a bit before bedtime, it was brief, and today my older more sensitive son woke up again all ‘off’. Nothing could change his mood indoors, so I knew what I had to do~ take him down to the park in the cold, windy, morning air for a walk, or run, or whatever got him happier. It took some convincing but he is old enough now to realize that those ‘mood changer’ park outings really work. It took about 20 minutes before I started hearing his voice move from whiny to joyful, which happened while in the damp, cold sandbox. (I had to keep circling the sandbox just to stay warm while he made a castle and then a Roman town.) He was “too exhausted” to do much physical~ he had worn himself out by getting frustrated with a painting he messed up earlier. After about 20 minutes in the sandbox though, he wanted to run around the track~ where he got hit in the arm by a careless soccer ball. This would have caused a total meltdown less than an hour before, but he just smiled and waved and said, “good thing it didn’t hit my head.” Oh yes. And it’s a very good thing we live by a park. Very good indeed.

gluten free

Apron Day

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I once lamented here that my oldest has an apron while I did not even own one myself, but that changed this past Christmas when my sweet husband bought me two. Most people quietly cringe and back away when I tell them I got aprons for Christmas, but they are exactly what I wanted. Now my oldest and I can both suit up before attacking some project in the kitchen. Today has been one of those days where I’ve been in the kitchen so much that I actually still have my pajama bottoms on (cleverly hidden by said apron.) I’ve prepared sweet potatoes, still baking in the oven for a later date, white bean salad with hearts of palm, and gluten free focaccia. To made it I roughly followed Annalise Roberts’ Gluten Free Baking Classics’ recipe for rustic flat bread, but instead of the flour mix she uses, I substituted the following: 1C gf oat flour (Bob’s) 1/4 C cornstarch and 1/4C tapioca flour.
Do those look like sun dried tomatoes on top? Why yes, they are! Plus Mediterranean sea salt, onions, garlic, oregano, and herbs Provence. (We are, sadly, out of basil. Too much Italian food talk lately.) I love the combination of this focaccia with the white bean salad. Besides tasting great together, it just seems more spring-ish to be eating salad than soup for a change. Speaking of great combinations, this wine is my hands down all time favorite:
Favorite Special Occasion Wine
Favorite Everyday Wine

It is also quite expensive~ I can’t remember if it was a gift or bought for some sort of celebration, but it is worth it for special occasions. I even adore the label. Thus far in my not very wine-wise life I’ve found that shopping for wine by the beauty of the label has worked out quite well. I could frame that one there on the right. The wine we normally drink for not so special occasions was also bought (by my husband) for it’s label. It is around $10.99/bottle but is really smooth and delicious. I’d say things about it’s tawny note and blackberry undertones but I would have NO idea what I’m talking about it, so I’ll just say it is yummy. You can figure out why yourself. I think I’ll make some more scones while I still have this apron on and before anyone stops by and sees my pjs at 1:30 in the afternoon.

We ❤ Saturdays.