Farmers’ Markets Offer Families with Food Allergies a Bounty of Options
by Elizabeth Kaplan

For kids with allergies, shopping with mom or dad at a traditional grocery store can be very disheartening.  The majority of prepared and processed foods available have gluten, soy, dairy, nuts or eggs in them making it difficult to shop.  Not only do children feel left out, their parents often feel frustrated too.  Weaning your children from processed and prepared foods is one of the 10 Steps to “Going Gluten-Free” and a great way to kick the habit is to concentrate on a diet centered on whole foods by shopping at farmers’ markets.

At a farmers’ market you are presented with nature’s seasonal bounty.  There are no flashy cereal boxes or sugary snacks tempting your children, no scary chemical ingredients lacing the foods, and there are limited offerings which makes choosing something easier.  You are tempted by the smells and tastes of fresh, local produce and artesian foods.  Shopping and eating are just part of the fun. With a little preparation, you can turn any trip to the farmers’ market into an educational experience for your children while exposing them to a world of whole food choices that are free from all the bad stuff.

Here are some ideas for making your trip to farmers’ market an exciting adventure for kids, and give you time to enjoy the surroundings yourself.

Farmers’ Market Kid’s Activities:

1. Develop a list of questions for farmers: Young children often do not understand that some fruits grow on trees, some on vines, and others on bushes. The other day my three year old said, “We should plant a peach bush.”  Obviously he’s never seen a peach tree.  Talk to your kids about where and how different fruits and vegetables grow.  Play a question and answer game as you walk through the market to help them identify how fruits and vegetables grow.

2. Create a menu: As you are strolling around the farmers’ market, pick up a variety of ingredients to make a special family meal.  Have your children look at all the possibilities and come up with ideas.  See our family’s Farm to Table Sunday Supper Menu. (hyperlink)

3.  Give your kids some money to spend:  Our kids love to spend money, so we give them each $5 to choose what they’d like to purchase for their snacks and lunches.  While enhancing their math skills, they are also gaining confidence in decision making and social interaction.  Make sure your child is able to ask if an item is “gluten-free” or free from any other allergies he/she has.

4.  Find and purchase an unusual fruit or veggie: Have your kids help you find some produce that you would not normally eat. Buy it, take it home, and have the kids help cook it for dinner. This is a great way to get your family to try a variety of different foods.

5. Get artistic: Place all your beautiful produce in a basket.  When you get home give your children paper, colored pencils, watercolors or other art supplies and have them draw a still life of your farmers’ market basket.

6. Engage your children in cooking: You’ve planned the menu, purchased the food, now have your children help make the meal.  Children as young as three can help by washing produce, stirring, measuring, fetching items from the pantry, and setting the table. Older kids (10 and up) can chop produce, stir the pot, and help clean up by cleaning the counter and doing the dishes.
Shopping together at the Farmer’s Market is an opportunity to reconnect both with the food you eat, and the people who grow it. The more you can engage your kids in selecting, buying, preparing and cooking real, sustainable, non-processed, allergen-free foods, the better equipped they’ll be to make wise food choices in the future. The fact that you’ll be teaching your children to cook is just icing on the organic gluten-free carrot cake!

Take the fast food free pledge with your family, check out this site developed by a 12 year old~http://www.fastfoodfree.org/

Gluten-free/Dairy-free Option/Vegan Option
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
4 medium leeks
2 celery ribs, including leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 medium yellow potatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups leek stock (made from leek stocks)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Tumeric
2 tablespoons butter, or butter substitute such as coconut oil
1/4 cup The Pure Pantry Organic All-Purpose Baking Mix
1/2 cup milk of choice, unflavored (rice, coconut, or regular 2%)

Instructions:
Cut off dark green stocks leek where it begins to turn pale green.  Wash stocks thoroughly.
Place in stock pot and cover with 6 cups water.  Add 2 ribs celery and 1 teaspoon salt.  Simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
Cut white part of leek in half.  Wash sliced leeks in a large bowl of cold water, separating layers with your figures to flush out the dirt.  Drain well in a colander.  Slice leeks into ½ inch pieces.
Cut potatoes into ½ inch cubes.  Place 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat.  Add olive oil, leeks and onion.  Sauté until onions are soft.   Add potatoes, salt, and pepper, wine, leek stock and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, about 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Discard bay leaf.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter (or butter alternative) in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then add flour and cook roux, whisking, until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 2 cups simmering stock (from soup), whisking vigorously (mixture will be thick), then whisk mixture into remaining soup and return to a simmer.  Whisk in milk of choice.
Blend soup in batches in a blender until smooth about 1 minute per batch, transferring to 4-quart saucepan. Serve chilled or hot.  If serving chilled, let soup cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Blackberry-Nectarine Crisp

A fantastic do-ahead dessert for entertaining or just the family.

So many of us with celiac disease also have thyroid issues. I share this article by Valerie Breslow with you as it provides helpful guidelines for food choices – and most importantly, gluten-free foods are part of the equation for supporting your thyroid.

The Thyroid – Diet Connection
Given the fact that we live in a toxic world full of chemicals combined with our stress-ridden culture, it’s no wonder our thyroids are challenged to function normally. And it’s not uncommon as we age to become more susceptible to a low-functioning thyroid gland. Why does this matter? Because your thyroid is the master gland of your metabolism and it relies on the dietary intake of certain minerals to produce key thyroid hormones. The thyroid gland is actually a butterfly-shaped endocrine organ and is tucked in your neck just in front of the larynx. Since it’s so close to the surface of your body, and not usually covered by clothing, the thyroid gland is highly sensitive to environmental changes, oxygen levels in the air, and exposure to toxic chemicals. It is also dependent on elements in the foods you eat and controls all the key functions in your body, including your ability to gain or lose weight! Now that I have your attention…here are some key facts:
Because it’s difficult to avoid toxic chemical exposure in our world today, one of the best things you can do is (more…)

A recent Harvard study supported by the National Institutes of Health showed that people who consume whole grains, including brown rice, have a lower risk of developing type II diabetes than those who eat white rice.  This discovery bodes well for those who are fans of The Pure Pantry products since our ingredient list includes brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa and sorghum flours — all whole grain flours packed with nutritional benefits.

One problem often faced by gluten-free consumers is the lack of whole grains used in gluten-free products.   Often products’ main ingredients are white rice flour and sugar — two culprits in the development of type II diabetes.
Read more here