I love to cook for my family.

When I watch my little ones bring their forks to their mouths, knowing that I did my best to create a healthful and nutritious dish that will provide them with what they need to grow, be nourished and feel comfort, I feel at once accomplished and triumphant. They may not always eat entire platefuls of food, but I am confident that throughout the day, they are getting exposure to real food that will give them what they need to keep them healthy.

Not too long ago, I wondered if I could ever provide the variety of food needed to help them grow and stay strong. When my son was diagnosed with celiac, I thought what many parents feel when they must put their kids on special diets: What in the world is he going to eat?

At the time, his favorite foods were macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and just plain bread. He spit out slice after slice of gluten-free bread and screamed and cried in frustration that he could no longer have some of his favorite things.

Already very thin and picky about eating, I wasn't about to give up on feeding him the best possible foods. The only thing that would make him feel better, the GI doctor revealed, would be a gluten-free diet. The gluten he had been eating in abundance was damaging his small intestines, blocking the villi from delivering the much-needed nutrients he needed to thrive. If this was his treatment, I was on it. After scrubbing out all my pots and pans, doing a full-scale sweep of the kitchen and spending a small fortune on gluten free products, I started building an arsenal of recipes. I began with macaroni and cheese. I loved it, my husband loved it. He wouldn't bite.

I moved on to baking bread. Armed with a new bread maker, I filled the house with the aroma of fresh-baked bread. It was as soft as the store-bought loaves of yesterday, but still he stood his ground. I have no idea what he went through the first week or so gluten-free, because he was also not verbalizing much to me at the time. He ate little nibbles here and there of the latest product I discovered. But his eyes told me he longed for the foods he was used to. The new foods weren't any worse, I am certain. In fact, they were much better on a lot of levels. They just weren't the SAME. We are all creatures of habit, and when you mix in autism, you get a more intense need of keeping things at the status quo.

But, eventually, I learned to feed him better. And he ate. MUCH more. Now, the pride I feel with every bite is bigger than I would have ever imagined. And after two years without gluten, along with lots of hard work and dedication dietary and otherwise, he tells me what he wants to eat and rejects the things he shouldn't. He helps me in the kitchen and thanks me when I come up with a new concoction. He has gained weight and his pallor has changed. I can see a big difference in his health. And he hasn't asked for macaroni and cheese in years.

Still, I wonder what he was experiencing in the early days. The trial and error of it all took months to perfect. I feel I stumbled through it with little feedback and very narrow options.
Next month is gluten-free awareness month. Pamela's Products and the Gluten Intolerance Group are teaming up and offering a challenge: Can you go gluten free for one weekend? I accepted the challenge and raised them an extra few dozen days. I will go gluten free for the entire month of May. You can sign up or learn more here.

Starting May 1, I will pretend my celiac panel came back positive, and will retrace the steps I took with my son. I will go through the three folders of literature I have collected from doctors and professionals, re-evaluate and clean my cupboards and live as if I suddenly can not eat the foods I once ate daily. The good news is I am more informed now and eat mostly gluten free in my home. However, I'm already dreading the planning it will take when I'm running around, am visiting friends or go out to eat. I hope it will give me some perspective into the lives of many of my readers and, of course, my son.

And I'm hoping it will get my creative juices flowing for new recipes and products!
Here's one I recently discovered:
McCormick spices offers a product that has saved the day a few times at our house. Recipe Inspirations are little pre-measured spices and easy recipe ideas combined so you can whip up a meal without thinking too much about it. The company told me all the spices are pure and gluten-free. However, some of the recipes call for an addition of flour. I used Bob's Red Mill's flour blend on the Apple and Sage Pork Chops recipe with no problems.

My favorite (photo at top of page) was this one:

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes
Spices: Paprika, crushed rosemary leaves, minced garlic, black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
6 bone-in chicken thighs (I used tenderloins)
1 1/2 pounds small red skin potatoes, cut into cubes (I used 1/2 pound potatoes, 1 pound carrots)

Mix oil, salt and spices in large bowl. Toss in chicken and potatoes and coat. Arrange in a tin-foil lined baking dish and roast in a 425 F preheated oven 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked and potatoes are tender.

Find Recipe Sensations in the spice aisle of the supermarket.