How to Go Gluten-Free on the Go!
Mom Hack Monday – Gluten Free on the Go!
It’s Down syndrome awareness month! And what better way to celebrate, than to reignite the “Mom Hack Mondays” blog series! This week I’m featuring one of my favorite busy moms, Tiffany! Tiffany has three beautiful kiddos (ages 10, 8 & 5) and they all have unique abilities: Will (her oldest) loves all sports, Luke (her middle son) is an artist with his own Instagram following, and Ellie (her 5-year-old) is a model who also happens to rock an extra 21st chromosome! Ellie also requires a gluten-free diet, which has added an additional challenge to Tiffany’s hectic schedule.
A busy mom of three, Tiffany also juggles a full-time gig as a Product Engineer at Columbia Sportswear while managing the social media component of her husband’s new business. And in her “spare time” she volunteers with the Down syndrome Diagnosis Network where she helps connect moms to online support groups. In summary, Tiffany is one of my favorite rockin’ moms to follow on FB and I’m not the only member of her fan club. She is brilliant at coming up with various shortcuts and “hacks” that make the lives of busy mamas with kiddos that rock a little something extra, a little easier. As a matter of fact, if you’re a member of the DS community you’ve probably seen her infamous “1-pager” floating around FB! Several months ago, Tiffany created a very artsy and concise 1-page document that outlines the lovely Ellie’s strengths, personality characteristics, and Tiff & Jesse’s vision for Ellie’s future – perfect for passing out to teachers, administrators, and school specialists on the first day of school or before an ARD meeting! I shared this 1-pager on my child’s preschool FB page and I’ve been asked no less than 10 times to re-share. And I always gladly distribute this link directly to her blog! Check it out for detailed instructions on how to use Canva to create the perfect 1-pager for your child.
The 1-pager isn’t Tiff’s only impressive “hack” however. When little Ellie developed several adverse reactions to gluten, Tiffany decided to try a gluten-free diet for her. As many of you who have undertaken this challenge know…going gluten-free can be a big undertaking. If you peruse gluten-free ideas on Pinterest, for instance, many of the pins that will pop up will include detailed instructions on how to handmake certain gluten-free recipes. Sometimes these recipes are fun to try, but for busy parents like Tiffany, making homemade gluten-free goods from scratch isn’t always possible. So in an effort to share some of her easy, on-the-go, gluten-free successes, Tiffany posted several suggestions a while back in the “All Star Rockin’ Moms” group!
So, whether your child has Celiacs disease, a diagnosed gluten sensitivity, or perhaps you just suspect something’s “off” with gluten and your kiddo….these are some great suggestions! And on a final note, prior to posting this blog entry, I did a little research. Did you know that our kiddos with DS are more susceptible to Celiacs and gluten-sensitivities? And many times the obvious symptoms don’t appear or go unnoticed. Quite a few resources recommend getting your child tested for Celiacs disease between the ages of 2 – 3. T21Connect offers some great resources on this topic if you’re interested in learning more.
So without further adieu….I give you the next official “Mom Hack” contributed to Mamability! Thank you Tiffany!
Tiff’s Gluten-free Tips for Busy Parents!
To my mama’s who are trying the gluten-free route… we have been doing this for about 8?? months and at first I struggled (hard!!!!!!) because Ellie has texture issues and loved her mac n cheese. I also work full time and suck at making food, so I’m all about convenience! I thought I’d post this here because if I can do it YOU CAN DO IT, I promise you!!!!! It has helped Ellie’s poopin probs, her skin, her ‘tude, I’m really happy we finally did it. And it’s getting easier and easier!
I buy all of these staples at Target and Costco!
So there you have it! Some excellent tips and suggestions for going gluten-free on the go! Believe it or not, we already buy a lot of these products for our kiddos. After a quick “gluten free” search in my Target app, I realized a lot of foods our kids eat are gluten-free, and there are quite a few gluten-free convenience items on the market these days! If you have any additional tips or suggestions, please feel free to comment below! I’m certain my gluten-free readers and followers will appreciate you for it!