Gluten-free and the no-fun-food table

Another diagnosis - celiac disease
Last week my nephew was diagnosed with celiac disease. He's five and also Type 1 diabetic. My sister messaged me shortly after getting off the phone with Zane's doctor and my response was, "looks like Zane gets to join me at the no-fun-food table."

I've been thinking about that statement and it's not true at all. I eat lots of fun food. It's just a little more work and a lot more delicious to eat at home. For a kid living with T1 diabetes for more than two years, removing gluten will likely not be much of a stretch. You know, cause wheat/gluten = carbs and carbs are a diabetics nemesis. Still though, Zane and his parents will have to learn how to navigate the gluten-free world and work to find kid-friendly food that fits with his even more restrictive diet.

Paleo and pesco vegetarian - it's what's for dinner
Fast forward to this week, I will be hosting Thanksgiving at my house and menu-planning/grocery list making has begun. My goal is to craft a menu that is low stress, paleo (lower in carbs and sugar, GF and dairy-free) AND as close to traditional Thanksgiving fare as possible. To recap, I am gluten- and dairy-free and allergic to citrus and cane sugar. My husband is pesco vegetarian (also super sad to not get to eat ham) and Zane is diabetic, gluten-free, and allergic to a host of other foods.  That's a lot to sort out but, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

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O'Jackson-Keefe Thanksgiving dinner menu 2018
Hempler's spiral cut ham  - fingers crossed they are in stock at my grocery.
Salmon filet - I buy mine at Costco. They seem like a fair price for the size and quality of the filet.
Thanksgiving side dish (roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash with dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds). This replaces the brown sugar/marshmallowy/butter soaked sweet potatoes.
Slow Cooker garlic-herb mushrooms (I sub out the butter for butter flavor coconut oil  and the heavy cream for coconut milk from a can).
Mashed Cauliflower  - I like the mashed cauliflower from the  Whole 30 sirloin tips recipe.  There is also a Whole 30 recipe for gravy that can be adapted by using ham drippings instead of beef. Mom is the gravy master so I leave that to her.
Kale and Brussels sprout salad
No-bake peanut butter pie. A big hit last year and easily prepared well in advance. I'm sure there are healthier options I buy a prepared gluten-free chocolate pie crust to save time.
Paleo pumpkin pie. New this year, wish me luck. ;)

Pumpkin or pecan
After confirming the guest list (10) for Thanksgiving dinner, I messaged Zane:
Me: pumpkin or pecan pie?
Zane: Yay I get pumpkin pie!
Me: <three pie emojis>
Zane: Pie pie pie! And ham because I like that too!

Take that T1 diabetes and celiac disease. Zane and I are eating pie and ham and we'll be sitting at the same table as everyone else, eating all the food and it will be fuuuuuuun.

*Most of the recipes I use come from Pinterest and when necessary, I modify them to fit our diets. You can follow my Thanksgiving board if you want to check out the other recipes pinned there.
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