Friday, September 5, 2008

Celiac Sleepovers

I got the call a little while ago, “Mom, I want to sleep over at Will’s house tonight.” I have to admit that this sends me into scramble mode as I start planning the next twelve hours of meals away from home. Even though Will’s cousin is a celiac and they have adjoining back yards, I do a mental assessment of what is in my freezer and pantry.

My son rushes home to pack his toothbrush, pj’s and sleeping bag. I rush to pack a snack, dinner and breakfast. Luckily they had planned on cheeseburgers and fries, and this family is a seasoned bunch of pro’s on serving up bun less burgers and interesting snacks for celiacs.

Into his bag I placed two slices of cinnamon raisin bread, a huge baggie of cereal and a bag of pretzels. Being hungry would put a damper on the planned camp out on the screened porch, although I think tropical storm Hanna will wreak more havoc with their plans.

Honestly, if he had potato chips, an apple and vanilla ice cream for dinner and choked down a few eggs in the morning….it would be just fine. Maybe he wouldn’t achieve the right balance on the food pyramid, but it’s one night. He would be with one of his best buds and he’d have gluten-free food in his tummy.
Kendall Egan