A Totally Gluten Free Thanksgiving
Our first holiday with a family member with Celiac Disease
When we first found out our daughter had Celiac Disease, we were mostly just relieved to understand why her symptoms had persisted. We wanted her to feel better, and quick. We didn’t immediately have the bandwidth to think about how she would feel eating differently from her peers, or even her family. How alone and ‘other’ she might feel some day. I initially believed we could keep her food separate from the rest of the family, and this would not be a difficult juggling act. Only a few weeks in, I knew I was mistaken. Besides grabbing food off other plates, she longs to share her food and take bites of what I’m eating. And telling her no broke my heart. “But Mama,” she said in her tiny voice, “we share,” she held her arms wide for emphasis. I decided I want everything in our home to be available to her, because I know not everything in the world will be.
While making our home GF has been an adjustment, I feel this is the best choice for our family. When the rest of us are out and about, we have the option to eat whatever we want. She doesn’t get that choice, at least not as easily. I want her home to feel plentiful, safe and delicious. Not another minefield to navigate or cause stress. We’re lucky that at this age, she is largely unaware but I know as she grows and grows, so will her confusion, frustration and maybe even sadness.
As we approach our first major holiday as a GF household, I want to share our menu, what I told our guests, and how I plan to make her feel special.
Thanksgiving Menu
-Turkey with a simple brine and plenty of butter
-Gravy, made with GF flour of course
-Mashed potatoes
-Twice bake sweet potatoes (Ina Garten recipe)
-Cranberry sauce
-Trader Joes GF Stuffing
-Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
-TJ GF Cornbread
-GF pumpkin pie and apple pie (using TJ’s frozen GF pie crusts as a time saver)
Naturally, everyone coming over wants to bring something. For us - this year - we are handling the food 100%. There’s still plenty to take care of that’s not even food related! Centerpieces, drinks, cocktail napkins, games for kids, and TIME! Take the kids to the park, keep them busy while the hosts are cooking. To me, offering childcare is better than any cracker or side dish! You could also specify GF brands you approve of for appetizers if your guests really want to bring something food-centric.
As for making our baby feel special, I plan to present her with an apron to help us out (for when she is not at the park), emphasize to her that she can have any food she wants, and hype up the day with lots of crafts and coloring options to get excited about Thanksgiving. I got some great coloring turkey crowns and placemats off Amazon, as well as felt turkeys with themed stickers. My hope is the GF food, family, activities and crafts will all create a positive experience that we can recreate each year (and each holiday) so she never has to feel left out.
How are you making your Thanksgiving GF this year? Let me know in the comments!