GlutenFree Me Lunch Box: Yogurt with cheese and fruit

I started this gluten free food segment, GlutenFree Me, to encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their diets. Look for pictures of gluten free meals, reviews of gluten free recipes and products and gluten free tips and tricks. 

Gluten free yogurt, KIND granola, Kraft cheddar cracker cuts and grapes.

Are you thinking, "That's just not enough for lunch!" ??? That's because Gluten is an appetite stimulant. If you stop eating gluten, this could be a filling lunch. You can also add an apple or a slice of gluten free rotisserie chicken (check out Sam's rotisserie chickens).

A bonus GlutenFree Me: Lunch Box idea – sauteed okra (lightly oil, salt and pepper, saute until tender), these gluten free pumpkin muffins in mini muffin size and apple sauce. That was my son's lunch for school today!

GlutenFree Me Starter Kit: Crackers

I started this gluten free food segment, GlutenFree Me, to encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their diets. Look for pictures of gluten free meals, reviews of gluten free recipes and products and gluten free tips and tricks. 

Starting a gluten free diet is daunting. It doesn't seem fair. But if you get through that first week or two (or three or four), it gets easier. Not just because it takes that long to change a habit, but because you are healing your body. But getting through that first week is hard. You probably have a headache. You might feel like you just can't get full. You WILL snack — a lot. BUT then this magical thing happens: That craving to eat all of the cake/waffles/buttered bread/fried chicken/candy/chocolate/ice cream?

IT GOES AWAY.

I've prepared a virtual starter kit to help get you through that time. I can find all of these foods at Kroger and Walmart in a small town, so you can find them, too.

If you want crackers: Nut Thins or Celery

These crackers really got me through that first week. The almond Nut-Thins have a neutral flavor, so you can eat them with flavorful gluten free dips, like hummus. The pecan Nut-Thins are good too, they have a stronger, nutty flavor, so eat them with bland dips, like whipped cream cheese. 

Celery has that crispy crunch that reminds me of a cracker. I know, it's not the same, but if you are looking for a healthy option, celery is there for you. I cut mine into small, skinny sticks.

Cool Stuff I Found on the Internet

I'm going to tell you about COOL STUFF on the internet. Like, Imagine that caps lock is a euphemism for large wooden letters that are modge-podged (real verb) with magazine cut outs from Seventeen Magazine, like we did it in 1992. That's how cool.

This is how it works: I'll write my question, you know, the one I thought right before I found COOL STUFF on the internet. Then I'll show you the ACTUAL COOL STUFF I found. This is lining up to be a series, isn't it?

Question: How can I make an outfit for Charlie with my sewing machine? I know how to make a quilt top, but I don't actually know anything about sewing. How does this thing *kicks sewing machine* work?

Answer: Dawn Anderson's YouTube Videos about sewing. She is very informative AND she looks like she's preforming in a really funny SNL skit where the actors are so used to being funny on screen that they don't break character to laugh. And and and I bet she made that shirt and probably those plants by her fireplace.

If there was a Lifetime Movie Network mini series about the life of Dawn Anderson, Dawn Anderson would be played by Kristen Schaal. Kristen Schaal is hilarious. She is eating a bird in her IMDB photo, that's how cool she is.

Anyway, Dawn Anderson, as it says up there (kind of) has been sewing FOREVER. I have been sewing for NEVER, unless you count that little pillow I made in 8th grade Home Ec. (Don't count it.)

On my quest to teach myself to sew in my thirties, Dawn Anderson has been there, right by my side, sitting next to my sewing machine, teaching me to sew.

Thanks, Dawn Anderson. YOU are COOL STUFF.

No, Mom. Geez.

This morning, Charlie was watching what we call "the caterpillar show". It's a short cartoon of a set of stories by Eric Carle, starting with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

The second story in the cartoon is called Papa, Please Get me the Moon. The little girl in this story is named Monica.

Charlie usually waves at the caterpillar in Hungry Caterpillar and the cat in Papa, Please Get Me the Moon, but today, he pointed to the little girl and said, "person."

My mom and I both cheered him on and said, "Yes, that's right. That is a person. Good words." He then looked at me, and with a very direct tone, said, "Monica."

Well, ok then.

GlutenFree Me Recipe Review: Stuffed Peppers

I started this gluten free food segment, GlutenFree Me, to encourage myself and others that are struggling to GlutenFree their diets. Look for pictures of gluten free meals, reviews of gluten free recipes and products and gluten free tips and tricks. 

ITALIAN STUFFED PEPPERS WITH SPAGHETTI SQUASH

This recipe makes a Mexican stuffed pepper, but I made an easy Italian version that was a hit for the whole family. It was the same kind of feeling when you sit down to the table with a huge plate of lasagna or bowl of spaghetti. For my toddler, I just served the meat mixture over spaghetti squash (short strings and very soft), with no bell pepper. 

What I did different from the recipe: I browned 1 lb. ground beef and an onion, mixed in rice and store bought tomato sauce (I used Kroger brand organic tomato basil), stuffed peppers with mixture and poured extra sauce on the bottom of the dish. I covered each pepper with a slice of cheese about five minutes before the end of bake time and served the peppers over baked, buttered spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti squash has become my favorite substitute for spaghetti noodles. To cook spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Oil, salt and pepper the flesh. Lay flesh side down on a baking sheet (I cover with my sheet with foil), bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes. Other ways to cook spaghetti squash.