Nothing says summer in our family like the first camping trip. And doing it gluten-free takes some preparation. So, I've been spending the last week shopping and mapping out our meals and snacks while we are in the great outdoors.

Here's the menu:

Day 1
We will arrive about 3 p.m., so I'm packing ham rolls and gf pretzels for the car. After we get all settled in and the tents are up, I plan an easy and filling dinner. I pre-cut veggies and got all the fixin's for taco salad. I also pre-made the beef with Penzey's Taco Seasoning. I plan to re-heat the beef either over the fire or on the camping stove. For dessert, we have Kraft marshmallows to roast, of course!

Day 2
For breakfast, I premixed some pancake batter. I like Bob's Red Mill, and I just add water and applesauce to desired thickness. I packed some pure maple syrup, which should taste even better out in the woods. For lunch, we will roast Ballpark hotdogs and eat them with Heinz pork and beans. I've got some Celiac Specialties Gummy Worms for dessert (I found them at Hiller's), which should be a hit at the campground. For dinner, I'm going to grill chicken, which I packed in the marinade (Kraft Italian dressing). I also pre-made a package of Lundberg risotto and cut a half a dozen carrots on an angle. I plan to roast the carrots over the fire in a grill basket. I bought some gf graham crackers and Enjoy Life chocolate bars. So later, we'll make s'mores!

Day 3
We're gonna just have some Gorilla Munch cereal and fruit for breakfast. Then, it's back on the road. I've packed a loaf of homemade gf bread so we can slice it up and make sandwiches on the way home.

Snacks
I popped some popcorn in canola oil and lightly salted it, then packed it in a freezer bag. Also in my snack bag are Soy Crisps, pre-baked Kroger Brand tater tots, Silk chocolate milk boxes, Boar's Head bologna, Rice Chex, Kroger brand Organics Barbecue Kettle chips, homemade trail mix, peanut butter and celery sticks.

Here's a recipe for a little outdoor energy:

Trail Mix
1 cup gluten-free pretzels
1 cup nuts (or soy nuts) of choice
1 cup gf chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life))
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried fruit of choice

Mix and store in travel containers.

Happy trails.

Check out Sugar Kisses bakery. It recently reopened on Coolidge in Berkley after leaving their Royal Oak location. Sugar Kisses is an all-natural, wheat-free pastry shop that offers a wide range of dietary alternatives including but not limited to gluten-free and vegan baked goods. Get directions here.

It's time to talk resources again. Everyone cooking and/or eating gluten-free needs them, and I'm happy to share and receive any new information about restaurants, products or events that could make being gf just a little bit easier.

• I recently discovered Dr. Rana Awdish of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit has written a cookbook on allergy-free cooking. Many of the recipes are gluten-free. Check out her story, blog and cookbook information here.

• As the writer of this blog, I get a myriad of notifications, both from readers and establishments, when a gluten-free product is offered. Recently, I was notified that Corn Chex now have a gluten-free label, Starbucks has added a gluten-free Orange Valencia Cake to its menu and I will continue to make sure to slip in the newest products when they come across my desk.

• On a rare break from the gluten-free kitchen, my husband and I enjoyed a night out with my parents. We saw a play in Chelsea and stopped at Paesano in Ann Arbor on the way home. I opened the menu and was delighted to find the restaurant offers gluten-free pasta and a variety of offerings, including dessert. I asked the server if the pasta was prepared and strained separate from the rest of the pasta and she confirmed that the restaurant takes extra precautions to prevent cross-contamination. Another coup for gluten-free eaters!

• I recently discovered Bell and Evans chicken strips at Westborn Market (which had them on sale). They are worth the price. I pack them in my son's lunchbox when chicken nuggets are on the hot lunch menu.

Finally, I rediscovered a recipe worth sharing. It's a standard that I find simple, economical and easy to sneak extra veggies into. Whether you are cooking for picky eaters or simply enjoy using up your market produce, this one is a keeper.

Stuffed Peppers
1 tablespoon e.v. olive oil
1 pound ground sirloin
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 cups rice, cooked
1/2 cup quinoa
1 large can tomato sauce
1 cup chopped veggies of choice (I used yellow squash and carrots, diced)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
salt to taste
4-5 bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise

Prepare rice. Drizzle oil in large saute pan and brown sirloin. Season and add onion and veggies. Saute for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 425 F. Add tomato sauce and quinoa to sirloin mixture and simmer 10 more minutes. While that is simmering, cut peppers and strip seeds and membranes. Place peppers on cookie sheet and roast in oven for 10 minutes. Turn off heat under filling mixture and add rice. When peppers are cooked to your liking, spoon filling into peppers. Melt cheese on top if desired.

Tip: My kids like to eat just the filling. I also like to slice squash or zucchini lengthwise, spoon out the seeds and fill those.

As a mother at the helm of a (mostly) gluten-free kitchen, I find it hard not to reflect on how I got here when Mother's Day rolls around.

For me, a celiac diagnosis was almost an "accident" that came with an autism diagnosis. Scrambling to find the best treatments and interventions for my son, I asked his pediatrician about the gfcf diet. I had read book after book and Web site after Web site at this point and was geared up to try the gamut.

What I found out quickly was this diet is not always an accepted treatment in the medical world. Perhaps it's because the doctor knew how daunting it could be to take these foods out of my son's diet, or perhaps it is the lack of studies available on it (here's one I found). Anyway, her skepticism became a blessing, when she prescribed a slew of allergy tests and threw in a celiac panel at the last minute after I asked if an allergy test would pick up any intolerances, particularly to casein (dairy) and gluten.

What started out as an afterthought was the only "positive" result. Soon, we were visiting the GI doctor, obtaining a diagnosis and cleaning out our kitchen.

About six months later, we took out dairy, reintroduced it after a few months, and then quickly took it out again. It was clear to us that our son has a strong behavioral reaction to dairy, although the blood tests didn't show any intolerance.

The fortunate thing about a celiac diagnosis, if someone with this autoimmune disease can find a silver lining, is no one can dispute the medical significance. If you have celiac, you must delete gluten. There is evidence in the intestines that damage has been done. Another silver lining is that you can maybe find it in family members, who might otherwise be suffering with an undiagnosed disease.

And fortunately for us, our son has taken to this diet pretty well. He's a picky eater, but over time has come to accept all kinds of healthful alternatives, such as Lundberg Spinach and Wild Mushroom rice. We still have some heart-breaking moments, like when he has to eat his "special" pizza at a birthday party, or the kids in his class are dipping chicken nuggets while my disappointed son nibbles on gluten-free pretzels. It hasn't been an easy road, but it is the right one to travel for the sake of my son's health.

So, here we are. We are completely gluten-free and casein-free for more than a year and a half, and I can confidently say that our son is a healthier and happier boy. He still has some behaviors associated with autism (self-stimulating sounds, repetitive language, etc.), but some of these have been greatly reduced since implementing the diet (hand flapping, spinning, tip-toe walking, tantruming). Whether they are related, or a result of other treatments only time -- and frankly, more research -- will tell.

But for now, he's happy, he's healthy and I'm one proud mom.

Note: This study (among many others) reveals research indicating there is no link between autism and celiac. It's an interesting read.