Transforming Family Traditions with Gluten-Free Creativity

When my oldest son was diagnosed with celiac disease, my heart sank—not because of the diagnosis itself, but because of everything I feared he might miss out on. As a mom with celiac disease myself, I knew the challenges we were about to face. From navigating birthday parties and school lunches to mastering gluten-free cooking, I was determined to make sure my son didn’t have to give up the joy of childhood.

In this episode, I’ll take you through the early days of our gluten-free journey, including the challenges, my first big cooking success, and the lessons I learned along the way. I’ll also share practical tips, like how to save money on gluten-free ingredients and avoid cross-contamination.

Whether you or a loved one are celiac, gluten intolerant, or just starting your gluten-free lifestyle, this story will inspire and encourage you. Let’s tackle the barriers of gluten-free living together—one delicious dish at a time!

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Transcript

Carrie Saunders 0:00

Quick reminder before we get started on this episode . This podcast is based on my personal experiences and isn't medical advice . I still remember the moment that I got the results and my oldest son had celiac . My heart sank , but not for the reason you might think . I wasn't worried about the diagnosis itself . I was worried about everything he might miss out on . You see , I'd gotten the diagnosis myself just a year and a half earlier , so I knew what we were in for . As a mom , you can accept missing out on things , but when it's your child , everything changes . Welcome to the Gluten-Free Engineer Podcast . I'm your host , k Saunders .

Carrie Saunders 0:39

In 2011 , I was diagnosed with celiac disease , a moment that changed everything , but I was determined not to let it hold me back . With my two engineering degrees , I set out to reverse engineer the gluten-free lifestyle , breaking down recipes , safety tips , travel hacks and everything in between , to rebuild a life I love . Whether you have celiac disease , gluten intolerance or simply choose to live gluten-free , this podcast is for you . Join me each week as we simplify the gluten-free lifestyle , make it fun and prove that you don't have to miss out on anything .

Carrie Saunders 1:12

My oldest was just 10 years old when we got the news that he had celiac . Like me , he was in fifth grade , the life of the classroom , always making friends and going to just about everyone's birthday parties . I'm sure you can imagine the thoughts going through my head . How will we handle him going to birthday parties now ? How do we make sure he doesn't feel left out ? No one else we knew in his class had the disease , and I was barely on this journey myself . I had only heard of celiac about a year and a half before when I was diagnosed . It wasn't something most people talked about in 2012 . We had already figured out that I struggled greatly with cross-contamination . I worried about how he would handle that at school , during parties , in the lunchroom or at sleepovers . For his long-term health , I knew it was important to avoid gluten as much as possible . Little did we know that , as his body healed , even a small amount of gluten would trigger a strong reaction . Like most 10-year-olds in America , his favorite foods included cookies , cakes , waffles , bread , pasta and , of course , chicken nuggets . Right Now , don't get me wrong , he was a good eater and didn't have these foods all the time , but they were things that he did love .

Carrie Saunders 2:31

After processing his diagnosis , I made a decision I wouldn't let celiac disease steal my child's childhood . As a person with two engineering degrees , I was determined to pull apart recipes , understand the science and art behind them and recreate gluten-free foods he loved . That's when the gluten-free engineer in me came out . The more I practiced , the better I got . And talk about practice , his diagnosis came right before Thanksgiving , throwing us into the deep end . We had to navigate two Thanksgiving gatherings and celebrations , five Christmas celebrations the next month , and then his birthday was in January . Talk about mom overwhelm and really wanting to make sure I protect my child on this new journey we had to do .

Carrie Saunders 3:14

His favorite holiday dish is my curried chicken casserole . The gluten in this dish comes from cream of chicken soup and breadcrumbs that are on top of the casserole . I was on a mission to find a gluten-free cream of chicken soup for Thanksgiving . I wasn't experienced enough to make it from scratch back then , but here's a hint it's actually really easy and tastes better too , and that is to come in future episodes . But if you're celiac , when you're looking for substitute ingredients you must make sure they're certified gluten-free . Check for labels that don't say processed in a facility that also processes wheat to avoid cross-contamination . If you're gluten intolerant or choose to eat gluten-free . The process in a facility warning , though , might not bother you .

Carrie Saunders 3:59

For the breadcrumbs , I came up with a money-saving trick . We all know how expensive gluten-free bread is , even before the price hikes after the pandemic , so we saved all the heels of our loaves of bread from early on in this gluten-free journey . No one really eats those anyway , I know , I don't . I didn't really like gluten bread heels , but gluten-free heels , I feel like , tasted even worse and the texture and dryness was even worse . So what did we do ? We stuck them in our freezer . We saved them up and made breadcrumbs or croutons from them , depending upon what we were doing with our dishes . It was a great cost-saving hack and super easy to do too .

Carrie Saunders 4:39

What resulted ? A chicken curry casserole that you couldn't tell was gluten-free . It was my first major success . The kids even thought it was tastier than the original , and that's saying a lot , given it was a 10-year-old , an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old eating this . Am I right ? So celiac doesn't have to mean missing out , or even if you're gluten intolerant or choose to be gluten-free , it doesn't mean you have to be missing out . It just means we need to do things a little differently , and that's okay .

Carrie Saunders 5:12

In this podcast , I'll be breaking down the barriers of eating gluten-free . Whether you or a family member are celiac gluten intolerant or choose to be gluten-free , you're in the right place . We'll talk about everything from cooking recipes , gluten-free product reviews to dining out , travel strategies , celebrations and handling social situations . Most importantly , we'll focus on making gluten-free living fun , simple and enjoyable . As a busy mom of three , I had to adapt quickly and make gluten-free living easier for us . Now , with over 12 years of experience , I want to take what I've learned and help make it easier for you too . I want to take what I've learned and help make it easier for you , too .

Carrie Saunders 5:58

Thank you for listening to this episode of the Gluten-Free Engineer . If you found value in this story , please share it with someone who might need encouragement on their own gluten-free journey . For more tips , recipes , resources and even links to my YouTube channel , head on over to theglutenfreeengineercom . It's your one-stop place to make gluten-free living simple , fun and full of flavor , and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss out on an episode . Here's to making gluten-free living simple , fun and delicious . Talk to you soon . The Gluten-Free Engineer podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only . I share my personal experiences and stories about living with celiac disease and navigating a gluten-free lifestyle . This podcast does not provide a medical advice . Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for medical questions , concerns or advice specific to your health .