"G-free," not guilt free

As the post-holiday reality sets in and I step off the scale at Weight Watchers, I can honestly say that there is more to blame for my two pound weight gain than Christmas cookies, candies and excess consumption of vino. Here I was thinking that since Nicholas was intolerant of gluten, all white flour would find its way out of the house like yeast around Passover time. In came the rice cakes, the corn puffs, the snap pea crisps. And in the mix were gluten free pretzels (which, mind you I got "on sale" at Fairway Market for just under $5) and some Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix -- "just in case" there was some sort of special occasion that would require gluten free desserts. After all, Nicholas' birthday is in October. It's best to be prepared.

I think Nicholas ate a fistful of pretzels and about three of the cupcakes out of the dozen that the (again EXPENSIVE) boxed mix yielded. No wonder my jeans are feeling tighter by the second. I now feel the need to sneak in those white flour foods at work, and can frequently be found bulldozing through the cafeteria line in all my teacher glory to get my soft pretzels, bagels and pizza.

Snack foods and desserts are really no problem and are pretty well marketed as gluten free foods. I do feel bad for Nicholas when it comes to bread, though. Rice bran bread and rice bran wraps are hardly appetizing alternatives. Unless of course one likes eating cardboard or roots and bulbs. There is a great tapioca bread that a friend tipped me off about, which ironically cannot be found in the gluten free section -- it's in the Asian aisle. If you pop it in the microwave for a few seconds, it actually has the texture of real bread, and grilled cheese sandwiches look a lot less like bricks sandwiching Velveeta. Good stuff.

At preschool, Nicholas is cooperating pretty well, accepting his alternative snacks when everyone else gets goldfish and animal crackers. We've also stocked the kitchen there with gluten free waffles, pancakes, bread and rice pasta. His teachers tell me that he is faring well, but he is not above swiping at a classmate's graham cracker or diving at the Munchkins during a birthday party. I explained that we try our best to limit his gluten intake so that when he does have such occasions, he can indulge. Now I just need to rinse and repeat that message for myself!