Sleepover

[alwaysnackered]

Hello my 14 year old daughter has just been diagnosed coeliac. We are adjusting still ! .

Please can somebody give me some ideas as she goes to friends houses sometimes and I'm really stuck as to what I can give her to take for dinner . Not wanting to put the other parents to any trouble either . Any tips ideas would be really appreciated. Many thanks Shirley

[Echo1988]

Hi. I have been a coeliac for the last 9 years. I batch make gluten free pasta meals, gluten free Chicken Tikka curry, brown rice and gluten free Risotto then freeze them. Then when I have a long day or I am at a friends house I defrost them and use a microwave to warm them up. I hope that this helps. X

[Regalbirdy]

Hi,

The easiest option when eating out anywhere is to go for jacket potatoes. Simple to do with a range of suitable toppings available to us Coeliacs. If the other family were willing to serve them for their own meal as well then she wouldn't have to be made to feel different.

Another option would be to send her with a GF pizza from the supermarket frozen Free From section (ready made pizzas are available in many big supermarkets - Asda comes to mind here, they often sell DS/Schar ones).

You would still have to have a word with her friend's parents to get them to minimise the risk of cross contamination when cooking though; and to also make them understand how unwell she would be if they don't!

Good luck!

[SilverDreamMachine]

Hi,

When hosts ask what can I do for you (your daughter)? The best results for me have been, firstly please don't buy in any GF bread or cakes on my account (expensive and and in my opinion pretty horrid). I then take a couple of slices of my favourite bread (which happens to be my own home made). That's the bread sorted.

Depending on how well I know the host I also suggest that often meals can be GF if the ingredients are GF and the flour used to thicken is GF and then suggest cornflour, which is often already in people's cupboards. This may open up lots of options for your daughter.

Please also reassure her she may have CD, but from now on her GF diet will probably be a far more healthy diet than her non CD peers.

Best of luck.

Peter

[freelancer in reply to SilverDreamMachine]

Glad to see this - I feel like I spend half my life trying to prevent people from buying me gluten-free biscuits, snacks etc without looking difficult/ungrateful. It's a minefield...

[Hidden]

Hi there

I have this issue sometimes for my 11 year old with CD.

I usually make him a pasta bowl full of bolegnese with cling film over and pack biscuits, popcorn, fruit and sweets and then morning cereal in a bowl with a lid and some milk so he doesn't eat a single thing at his friends house.

It works very well for us but I sometimes don't get my pasta bowl back!

I do the same for parties. I make him a packed lunch and he's asked only to eat what is inside. He had had a long term allergy to dairy and eggs that have resolved but now has a new allergy to soya so we have to be very careful.

[alwaysnackered]

Thankyou so much , you guys are brilliant . Its given me some ideas , I'll show my daughter your replys when she comes in from school . It'll cheer her , as I think shes a bit shell shocked . Thanks again x. Shirley

[Angel25]

Spaghetti squash dishes and google Cauliflower in recipes too besides the videos showing how to do a pizza crust with it. Once set up to do it with vegetables we can get pretty inventive with dishes and have a way to travel with them. Or, if for soups, maybe could send her with bought soups if no time to fix anything as a rushed item if invited somewhere last minute.

[Karen77]

Indian foods are almost always naturally gluten free (skip the naan) and there are loads of websites for delicious gluten-free foods from scratch. Just google. We usually look for something that is similar to what they're already eating at the friend's house so that they don't have to feel too different (like if it's a birthday party where there will be pizza, we make a GF pizza ahead of time).

[alwaysnackered]

Thanks Karen77. I was told not to trust any indian takeaways etc just in case ?

[Karen77 in reply to alwaysnackered]

So far I have had good luck myself at Indian buffets (which I suspect would be a higher chance of cross contamination thank takeaway). Unfortunately, dairy and I are no longer friends so my days of Indian buffet are now in the past...

That said, you can also make your own. It`s basically like a stew so, though it takes a bit of time, it`s pretty easy. You could likely make a big batch in the crockpot and then freeze in individual portions. I`m thinking korma or butter chicken... that sort of thing. You can also make rice ahead and keep it in the fridge for a week. Not sure how it would do frozen. My kids actually eat cold rice nearly every day with their lunch and they love it. I still prefer to heat mine up! Cold rice is also handy when making soup.

[alwaysnackered]

Really useful thankyou Karen77