When Gluten Comes To Visit

I have been lax on writing anything lately.  This is definitely not due to a lack of topics, but due to everything that comes with moving.   We are 2 weeks away from moving to a new state and let's just say the past two months have been Crazy Times.

 

 

Living in the Orlando area definitely has it's perks.  One is that we have always had many visitors.  I have enjoyed having friends and family come from out of state to visit over the years. I love showing them around Florida, which includes kayaking trips, the rocky beach in Palm Coast and yes, we often go to the theme parks during these times.  Eating entails:  eat fast food, eat out and some eating meals cooked at our home.

 

 

Now throw eating gluten free + extra allergens in the mix for me and Yep, I get a little bit stressed.  What should be a time to relax with family and friends has me now on edge .... and yes, a little obsessive about my space and eating on the go.

 

 

Eating out at theme parks has become the easy part for me.

 

Eating on the run out of the parks and sometimes at home with company are the hard parts.

 

 

My brother and his family came for an extended weekend after a business trip for him during the week.  They brought luggage, 2 adults, 2 kids and glutinous food to snack on in the evening and dangerous donuts for breakfast.

 

 

My brother and sister-in-law know what I can not eat. They know how concerned I am about my food when we are eating out, but I am pretty certain they don't know how I run my kitchen and house with gluten and now other allergens in the mix.


And honestly with the house and moving, my plate was so full that I did not want to have to go into any of it.  I just wanted it to be as normal of a weekend as it could be. 

 

 

They arrived right around dinner time on a Friday.  I knew the kids would be hungry, so what did I do?  Bought Publix fried chicken and corn chips ... and had them eat outside.  Another plus to living in Florida and needing to be gluten free.

 

 

 

I bought paper plates and red solo cups this way they would eat and throw away.

 

 

For dinner for the adults I  cooked only gluten free:  I made a salad, cooked shrimp and had left over Crawfish etouffee made with Mrs. Glee's Gluten Free Flour Blend. I have recently changed flours due to potato allergy. Mrs. Glee's was a great change and healthy to boot.


We did have left over salad, which I put in the frig for everyone else to eat for subsequent meals, but I ate none of it because I could not guarantee that it had remained gluten free due to the kids eating some.

 

 

I placed dishes and silverware out on the counter so no one was digging in my silverware drawer.

 

 

I made sure I served myself first and got enough to where I knew I would not need seconds.

 

 

What else did I do?

 

 

Watched each kid like a hawk. 


Made them wash hands after eating. 


Watched my kitchen and moved glutinous and potato products to one counter. 


I cleaned the counters often as well as my frig. door. Probably not enough, but I tried the best I could.

 

 

Did I ask anymore of my brother and his family?  No.

 

 

Did I lecture my niece and nephew?  No.

 

 

I wanted to make their stay as comfortable as possible.  They know of my need to be gluten free and my new food allergies. They knew I was cooking dinner and was in charge.

 

 

My sister-in-law asked if I needed help a few times, but I insisted she sit and enjoy her glass of wine. Little did she know I was working towards keeping my meal safe.

 

 

I did not want to lecture when they were just staying for the weekend and I was also just too tired to have a discussion about it.

 

 

 

Time Out Of The House

 

 

The next morning the kids ate their donuts on paper plates, I cleaned the counters and then we headed to Universal Studios for the day.



On day two we headed to Palm Coast where we ate lunch at The Matanzas Innlet Restaurant that is 100% Celiac friendly due to one of the owners having Celiac Disease. We toured the Matanzas Fort, immersed ourselves in the beauty of Washington Oaks State Park - Beach Side and had dinner at Five Guys in Daytona Beach, FL.

Thoughts On Cross Contamination In Your Home 

I am always amazed when I think about how my brain works extra hard now in my kitchen versus how it did before my gluten issues.  We have gluten still in the house, but I have learned to handle it.


I have sandwich making for my kids down to a science. Silverware comes out first, water bottle gets filled, sandwich bags get placed on the counter, any veggies used come out and condiments and then the luncheon meat and cheese. 


The bread is always the last to come out.


And once the sandwich is "In the Bag" I wash my hands.  I place it in the brown bag or lunchbox, wash once more and then put everything up.  The counters get wiped down.  And I no longer use towels to clean....it's always paper towels.  Gluten collected and thrown in the trash.

 

 

For almost a year my brain was on high alert at all times in my kitchen, over the second year I began to relax some, but my awareness is always keenly there.


Now when family or friends come over my alertness goes back to high quickly as I have "untrained people" to deal with.



And maybe I am not handling it the best I should, but for now it has worked ok.  When my father came to stay last year, I tried my best to educate him, but how can you expect someone that is 70 and has never had to worry about allergens to remember all that I know now?  So I have to compensate for their lack of knowledge or concern.

 

 

Keeping my kitchen safe from cross contamination is a skill that I never ever had a clue I would have to develop, but I have done it.  Training my immediate family was just as important and is still a work in progress. 

 

Training my extended family and friends....well, I'm still working on it, but I am finding what works for me.

 

 

 

What do you do when family comes to visit? 

 

 

How do you handle their eating and yours?