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I have a friend with three kids (a set of twins and a younger child) and one of the twins has celiac disease.

The entire house is celiac friendly. They don't have special foods just for their daughter, their whole house is gluten (and the other problem grains) free so their daughter knows everything in their house is safe to eat.

I know cheese is a favorite snack and rice chez cereal is their favorite cereal-- tons of products are available now--cookies, ice cream, everything. They will just have to go through a period of educating themselves.

My mom and DH are celiac and gluten intolerant respectively. We don't know about LO yet, but there's definitely a chance. Anyway, just from my own experience with trial and error, I can tell you...

- Freschetta GF frozen pizzas are the best! (and we've tried a lot of them...)
- I like Glutino GF pretzels even better than regular pretzels.
- America's Test Kitchen (Cooks Illustrated) just tested a ton of gluten free flours, and came up with their favorite mix, which I've heard wonderful things about!
- I think Udi bread makes the best grilled cheese (some breads soak up the cheese and turn into a soggy grainy grossness).
- GF bread is NOT good untoasted, no matter what the package says.
- We like almost all of the GF pastas. They key is cooking them right, if the texture is off it's not so much the pasta, it's over/under cooked - this takes trial and error to figure out just when to take it off the stove as the time on the package is usually not accurate.

@BadgerMom: ooh good to know about Freschetta. I've seen it but haven't tried it. And I love Udis!

@MaryM: I have celiac, my son doesn't (yet).... And I'm sure in a large house it will be an adjustment. They may want to have a separate toaster if they use it a lot. Lots of cross contamination.... Bisquik makes Gf pancake/biscuit mix and its so good. You would never know. Really, there are so many good GF products out there now, she might just want her own little area with GF snacks.

Sneaky gluten can be found in soy sauce (meat marinades!) soups and stocks, certain candy (twizzlers boo) and others.

Findmeglutenfree is a good site to find GF restaurants near you, so many now serve GF pizza along with regular so that would be good. And even Pizza Hut just announced it has GF pizza in many locations!

Once she/they get used to the diet it will feel much more normal!

Lots of good advice. If she hasn't already, it is worth having the other kids tested. If they've been eating gluten regularly, it is just a simple blood test. There's a significant genetic component to celiac , so, it would actually be pretty surprising for only 1/8 to be affected.

My nephew has celiac disease and my sister buys a ton of stuff at grocery outlet...dirt cheap.

http://glutenfreegirl.com/

If they like Asian food, my advice for a quick meal is rice noodles + gluten free soy sauce + meat of choice + lots of vegetables.

The basic recipe would be to boil the noodles in water, while in a separate (large) pan, saute chopped onions, then minced garlic. Once the onions are clear, add your protein, season and stir until cooked. If you like a thicker sauce, add your sauce (soy, oyster sauce) while cooking your meat. Empty the pan and set aside. Quickly fry up the veggies. Add the noodles, mix. Add the cooked bowl of meat, onions and sauce. Mix, season, and serve.

My favorite resource was Gluten Free on a Shoestring (blog). She also writes books that are good.

I'll reiterate and add in some things I've learned as a celiac...

1) Cross contamination will be the single biggest issue in their house. They need separate toaster, switch from teflon pans to stainless steel or ceramic coated pans, think about crumbs that fall in the utensil holders, etc. Separate counter space, new jars of peanut butter and condiments... Remember that celiac is NOT dose-dependent...ANY gluten is too much, even the smallest bit.

2) Corn pasta over rice pasta any day. Rice pasta gets mushy.

3) Speaking of pasta...Mac & cheese--Aldi has a GF mac & cheese that's a life saver with kids. Tastes just like Kraft! Additional, Aldi has an AWESOME and low cost GF line.

4) Learn to bake GF bread, pizza crust, etc. So much cheaper. Check out gfjules.com for some awesome recipes and my favorite GF flour of all time.

5) Costco!! Great GF labeling and products. GF pizzas, bread, flour, mixes. Good prices!

6) She should really consider getting tested, as should her husband and other children. Someone else will be a celiac, I'd bet good money on it. Celiac can be a silent disease!

7) Once she gets the hang of things, really consider going to a GF household, I promise it CAN be done on a budget and will make her life so much easier.

ETA: 8) Oatmeal--I was told to avoid it for the first 2 years (even the GF stuff) while my gut healed, because oat gluten is very similar to wheat gluten. Must, must, must be GF oats if you use them. Regular oats are frequently processed with wheat. I've been GF for 4+ years now, and still can only eat GF oats in small amounts or I will react.

@MaryM: Suggest Pamela's Bread Mix to them. I love it! If they use a bread maker, they'll need one that is "clean", as in never had wheat bread made in it. And check to make sure yeast is GF - Red Star brand is, but otherwise check the label.

LO is gluten intolerant, so while I haven't been doing GF for long, I have found
http://blog.meaningfuleats.com to be helpful!

Also, this thread is super helpful. Thanks!