Posts tagged ‘Planning’
Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Tips: 3 Scenarios
[We’ve been on the hunt for the best gluten-free holiday tips. Naturally, we asked NFCA volunteer Annsley to share her advice. Here’s how she stays gluten-free at Thanksgiving, no matter what’s on the table.]
Autumn is one of my favorite times of year because it speaks to cool, crisp air, falling leaves, harvests, family gatherings, and lots of food. This all sounds great! Then the reality of the situation hits; my imagination runs wild and I see a playground for gluten: The slide is a big wet lasagna noodle, the swings seats are plump, cushy pumpkin muffins, the dirt is stuffing giving way under the shuffle of feet as animals, adults, and kids slurp and slide all over, smearing gluten from one play structure to the next.
Then the chilly fall air blows across my face and I’m back to reality – gobs of friends and family hovering over the food, fingers picking, serving spoons jumping from one platter to the next. . . This could end up as a regular old disaster, but I then I take hold of my imagination and decide to control the situation with ORDER.
Tips for Thanksgiving when you have TOTAL control:
- If it’s up to you, make all dishes gluten-free. That way, you’ll have no cross-contamination issues!
Tips for Thanksgiving when you have PARTIAL control:
- Make sure there are some gluten-free dishes that are available to you.
- Ask to be the first one served and/or make your own plate before all the guests are served. Take enough for seconds, because once the dishes are touched by others, it could be a slippery slope.
- Set the gluten-free dishes on a separate table or a separate section on the table. They should be the first dishes in the line-up.
- If you’re feeling brave, make a little note next to the gluten-free dishes that says:
This dish is gluten-free and may become contaminated if brought into contact with other dishes. Please use only this serving spoon with it.
Tips for Thanksgiving when you have ZERO control:
- Bring your own food.
- Put your food on one of the plates that everyone else has and bring it out to your place when everyone else sits down to eat.
– Annsley Klehr
Gluten Freedoms, LLC
More from Annsley:
A Blogger A Day: The WHOLE Gang
Name: Diane Eblin
Lives in: Herndon, VA
Blogs at: www.thewholegang.org
Tweets at: www.twitter.com/thewholegang
Like her at: The WHOLE Gang on Facebook; Friend her at: Diane Eblin on Facebook
On the bookshelf: The Gluten-Free Diner e-cookbook. Available at www.thewholegang.org/the-gluten-free-diner-cookbook
Why we’re fans: Diane has a ton of information on her blog – recipes, reviews, “Food Rock Star” profiles – but they’re laid out in a way that’s easy to digest. She’s a busy woman, organizing blog campaigns like the current 30 Days to Easy Gluten-Free Living (with some familiar faces), developing recipes and, this year, becoming a Certified Health Coach trained at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. We’ve had the pleasure of featuring some of her creations on our Recipe of the Week blog, so we’re glad she’s “taking it to the streets” to help others along their health journey.
Diane Eblin
Diane’s Story: I am gluten intolerant, my family has tested for gluten being a problem and we have autoimmune diseases that require a gluten free diet. I started my blog to keep track of all the resources I found and the recipes I was creating. Then people started to read it and it grew from there. Now it’s a wonderful community where people come to learn and share. It’s continually growing and changing and this year as I work through my studies at Integrative Nutrition I will be sharing much more than just recipes. Starting in July I will also be seeing clients as a Holistic Health Coach who specializes in helping people who have to give up certain foods.
According to Diane: The most wonderfully unexpected part of living gluten-free is the great friends I have made all around the world and how much I’ve learned from them, too.
A taste of The WHOLE Gang:
- Gluten-Free Kandy Kakes Recipe and Win This Cookbook
- 30 Days to a Food Revolution
- Recipe Round-Ups: Real Food Weekly (every Thursday) and Friday Foodie Fix
For more of NFCA’s Celiac Awareness Month celebration, visit www.CeliacCentral.org/awarenessmonth.
A Blogger A Day: Gluten Free LI
Name: Sue Moller
Lives in: Long Island, NY
Blogs at: www.GlutenFreeLI.com
Tweets at: www.twitter.com/GlutenFreeLI
Like her at: www.Facebook.com/GlutenFreeLI
Why we’re fans: I’m originally from Long Island, so I’m a bit biased in wondering what’s new and gluten-free east of NYC. To be fair, there’s a lot to talk about, and Sue works hard to cover it all. In addition to her main blog, Sue also serves as Long Island’s Gluten-Free Food Examiner. She blogs about everything from store openings to fundraising events to gluten-free moments in mainstream news. Sue even fought traffic and toll booths to attend NFCA’s Appetite for Awareness 2011, and I know from personal experience that the Long Island to Philly commute is no cakewalk.
Sue Moller
Sue’s Story: I was diagnossed with celiac disease 2 weeks before my wedding in 2005. When I was first diagnosed, it was very hard to find products that were gluten-free and eat out safely in the Long Island area. I started creating lists of places that I had success at, and then decided to post the results of many hours of research online, so that others who were just diagnosed would also be able to benefit from the information I found.
According to Sue: The toughest part about being gluten-free is traveling to new places. It is totally possible and much more easier now (luckily with the tons of information on the Internet), but traveling does require much more planning than when I wasn’t on a gluten-free diet.
A taste of Gluten Free LI:
- Gluten-Free Eaters Still Need to Take Precautions When Eating Out
- Suffolk County Celiacs Support Group Meeting: February 1, 2011
- My Gluten-Free Thanksgiving
For more of NFCA’s Celiac Awareness Month celebration, visit www.CeliacCentral.org/awarenessmonth.
A Blogger A Day: Be Free For Me
Name: Kathleen A. Reale
Lives in: Hopkinton, MA
Blogs at: www.BeFreeForMe.com
Tweets at: www.twitter.com/kreale
Like her at: www.facebook.com/BeFreeForMe
Why we’re fans: Kathleen shares plenty of resources and recipes on her site, but her specialty is helping you get free or deeply discounted stuff. Sign up to get free gluten-free product samples and coupons in the mail, or take part in Win-It Wednesdays for a chance to win fantastic (and we mean fantastic) giveaways. Last year, NFCA donated 6 goodie bags to Win-It Wednesdays, and we were thrilled with the response.
Kathleen Reale
Kathleen’s Story: For years, I ran an event marketing and in-store demonstration company that I started in college. After my family members & I were diagnosed with celiac disease several years ago, I discovered that living a gluten-free lifestyle takes preparation, time and money. I decided to put my food marketing and in-store demonstration experience to work and created BeFreeForMe.com, a savings & sharing community for gluten-free and allergy-free consumers. It is great to be able to merge my passion for celiac awareness with my marketing, promotions and business acumen. I love my job and what I do!
According to Kathleen: The most unexpected part about going gluten-free was how friendly and supportive the celiac community is! If I see a complete stranger in the gluten-free section of the grocery store stocking-up on a new product I’ve been dying to try, or another cruising the aisle with a cart jammed packed with gluten-free items, I don’t hesitate one second to strike up a conversation! Because of this camaraderie, my shopping trips sometimes take twice as long… but all my new friendships make up for it! My new motto? Once a celiac – Never a stranger!
A taste of Be Free For Me:
- Food Allergies, Celiac Disease and the Pursuit of Happiness
- Mom’s Wisdom: Navigation For a Gluten & Allergen Free Life
- Celiac Disease and Food Allergies: The Marathon of Your Life
For more of NFCA’s Celiac Awareness Month celebration, visit www.CeliacCentral.org/awarenessmonth.
Welcome to the Roundtable
Every Monday, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness staff gathers at a large roundtable for our weekly conference call. With a few telecommuters and plenty of travel engagements, there’s usually someone on the road, so a call-in works best.
We chat about accomplishments, what we’re working on and how we can help each other reach our goals. It’s where we take the pulse of the organization, and also where we get to know each other. There are moments to share – “I just got the best witch’s hat for Halloween!” and the inevitable mishaps – “Tripped over the cable wire, again!” – but it’s part of the fun of working with this group.
Now, we’re starting a roundtable with you. Celiac Central: Bits and Bites will serve up the latest experiences, encounters and everyday observations from NFCA staff. We pull long hours (and the occasional fistful of hair) to improve diagnosis of celiac disease and make the gluten-free lifestyle easy to maintain.
As you’ll quickly find, we share a lot of the same concerns as you. (Stomach trouble at a party, anyone?) That’s part of what makes us so passionate.
We hope you enjoy this look behind-the-scenes of NFCA, and we encourage you to add your thoughts!
-Cheryl (on behalf of the whole team!)
Celiac Central: Bits and Bites 