It all began when our 3 year old complained every single day for 5 months that his “tummy” hurt.
We thought maybe he was just trying to get out of daycare or having to pick up his room. We even thought perhaps he was just tired and getting his feelings confused.
But after months of complaining I felt like I needed to get him in to the doctor. Just in case.
Even though he had no other symptoms {weight loss, no appetite, etc} I was still concerned. It wasn’t normal to me to have a child complain on a daily basis about a tummy ache.
The doctor chalked it up to “chronic abdominal pain” and said it’s common among children ages 3-5. Unfortunately he offered no explanation.
When I left that day I still felt like I had no answers. And then I began talking with a friend who’s son has Celiac Disease and I wondered…is it possible?
Could my child have this?
The doctor never mentioned it? Why would they not even mention the possibility?
I began thinking about what we eat as a family. I began realizing that my food allergies {that came about within the last year} may be more than just “don’t eat the bread or carbs”.
We set out on a mission to explore gluten-free.
We are definitely not going drastic just yet, but we are trying to incorporate more meals with no gluten and so far…we have found that all of our tummies are feeling less stress.
Eventually we are going to have everyone in the family tested to see if anyone has an allergy. I have the appointments set, but they aren’t for a few more weeks.
For now we are continuing our experiment to see if it helps. I never thought someone like ME could attempt a diet like this. I am a carb junky. I live for pasta and bread, but I don’t live for the constant bathroom runs I have to make immediately following {TMI}. 😉
Who knew you could make Gluten-Free Pizza that actually tasted good? I never would have thought it was do-able.
A look at what ingredients you will need…
- Crust:
- 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese room temperature {full fat}
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- sprinkle of pepper
- Topping:
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- toppings - pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms
- sprinkle of garlic powder
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Mix cream cheese, eggs, pepper, garlic powder and parmesan cheese until combined {I use handheld mixer}.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Allow crust to cool for 10 minutes.
- Spread pizza sauce on to crust.
- Top with cheese and pizza toppings.
- Sprinkle with garlic powder.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Linking up here:
I have Celiac! I carry the gene … from my Dad’s side …. This pizza looks great! Thanks for sharing!
This looks yummy!
I’ve been gluten free since February and it has been the best decision of my life! It’s amazing to see the difference.
Thanks for sharing!
Wow, this looks awesome! And seems so simple! I really need to try this! We’re not celiac but I found that going gluten-free every so often helps to feel better overall. 🙂
Good luck for the appointments!
It’s super good!!
Hey Mandy,
My niece was diagnosed with celiac at age 3, she just turned 13. 10 years ago, celiac was not spoken about, boy how have times changed let alone the availability of gluten free foods and menus!! My sister went to multiple doctors until she finally went to Rush in Chicago – this was almost a 1 1/2 year battle. My niece had a bloated stomach (huge), constantly tired (no energy), and diaharrea all the time. Once she went gluten, bam all sypmtons were erased!!
Cream cheese + parmesan crust? Sign me up! I’ve always shied away from GF foods, but this actually sounds pretty good, I think I’ll give it a try.
Hi! I just wanted to drop a tip, as a dietitian nutritionist. Don’t cut out all the gluten until you’ve all been tested. If its cut from the diet prior to the test, your chances of getting a false-negative are higher. Good luck! 🙂 <3
Thanks for the info! I actually had heard this from a few others too! Great to know! 🙂
Two years ago I was having HORRIBLE stomach issues. I had already been diagnosed with having IBS as a teenager, but this was the first time in a long time the symptoms didn’t ease up. After months of trying this and that, getting tested, it turned out I had a gluten intolerance. I’ve pretty much been gluten free for a year and feel SO much better! It’s weird how I had been a carb eater my whole life then suddenly my body wasn’t taking it anymore, but with how I feel now, wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks for this simple recipe – I am so trying this for dinner tomorrow!
I have been GF for 1 1/2 years now and it is AMAZING how much better I feel. I was told 10+ years ago that I was gluten intolerant (terrible stomach issues), but I didn’t cut it out of my diet because at that point it was so hard to find GF foods. Then I tried going GF because I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and I read that it can actually take away all symptoms. It was amazing…2 or 3 weeks after eating GF all symptoms (from the RA and other stomach issues) were gone and no more costly medications!!
I will be trying this recipe soon. 🙂
I’ve been trying to find a gf pizza recipe that we all enjoy….and it been difficult. I will definitely give this one a try. Thanks…j
Just a few tips about gluten-free…
If you stop eating gluten before you are tested, your test wont work. You have to actively be eating gluten for it to show up as an allergy in the test. If you cut back on gluten you might be sabotaging your test as well.
The test is not the end-all-be-all. Many people with a gluten allergy or intolerance come back “normal” in their blood work.
To know if you really are going to feel better you need to be 100% gluten free for several weeks. Tapering off and having less or a little here or there does not work. It takes gluten at least a week to get out of your system (maybe even longer) so if you want to see if your son will feel better being gluten free he really needs to be totally gluten free for several weeks straight.
I highly recommend the book Wheat Belly. HIGHLY recommend.
We are gluten free over here and have been for a long time. Travis is 100% gluten-free. No cheating ever. He doesn’t get belly aches, but he gets severe ADHD when he eats even one bite of it. We keep him off gluten to avoid having to medicate him with ADHD drugs.
I ate a cookie today. Within 30 minutes my stomach was killing me. I felt like I was going to throw up. I guess I’ve been gluten-free so long now that my stomach really revolted when I ate the flour.
Anyway, like I said, we are gluten-free so if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ping me. Also, your pizza looks yum! Udi’s makes a pre-made crust that is in the frozen section (two-pack for less than $5). They are delicious and make making pizzas so easy.
My daughter had all the symptoms of gluten sensitivity and the doctor missed it completely, too. They even did bloodwork. We figured it out ourselves, like you did, by word of mouth and trying a gluten-free diet, which worked! I have the same question you do: why can we figure this out but the doctors don’t even think about it? Eating this way is a challenge, though, so THANK YOU so much for the recipe! My daughter will be so excited!
Thank you sounds delicious!! Do you happen to know the nutritional value?
Cals: 110
Cholesterol: 59.7
Sodium: 360.7
Carbs: 3.0
Fiber: 1.3
Protein: 6.8
Wow looks amazing! I’ve gone gluten free for the same reason as your son–“it hurts my tummy!” and one of the things I’ve been craving the most is pizza! I made this recipe, but added 1/4 cup of coconut flour to the crust to help absorb some of the moisture and give it a more “doughy” texture. The result came out great! Thanks for the recipe, Mandy! 🙂
I love your pizza. They look so yummy! I’ll try to make it for my family some time. Thanks for the recipe!
This was an amazing pizza! I found out I had a gluten intolerance that caused my hyperthyroidism, my energy levels were so bad, I couldn’t get out of bed or move at all most days. And now, with a toddler and a preschooler, I couldn’t keep going that route. What an amazing difference gluten-free has made on my life! Slowly, but surely, I am converting our family to a gluten-free lifestyle. I don’t think my husband understands yet, but I’m pretty sure he has an intolerance as well. Anyway, thank you for posting such a great recipe!
Yay! So glad you liked it too!
I may be making it again tonight for myself…. 😉 It’s so yummy!!!
After reading this blog post, I am convinced my daughter and husband may have a gluten intolerance. I’m really excited to try this recipe!
Excellent post! My wife and I will try your Gluten Free Pizza Recipe soon. We have followed your’s and your husband’s blog for a while now. Thanks for your work. You were the first couple that proved to us that it could be done. I’ve been in the military for ten years and I’m tired of going to war and I’m ready to stay at home with my wife. Hopefully, if we follow your family’s example and Pat Flynn’s advice her blog will begin to do well.
So cool Jason! Thanks for following (and thank you for your service)! Can’t wait to check out your site!
I’ve made this many times and it is GREAT!! It is now my favorite “crust” for pizza and I shall continue to enjoy it often. Thank you so much for posting. I am a low carb and GF 63 year old woman and feel wonderful – no health issues, PTL!
The pizza looks so delicious! When I look at the photo my mouth starts watering!
I found this recipe on Pinterest…I have a friend who is GF and am looking for GF recipes. But then I read about your son. Thanks for adding all that info. It sounds a lot like my two kids, who often complain about their stomach hurting. I wonder if maybe we should try to go GF too….thanks again.
I’ve made this pizza crust with fat free soft cheese and it turned out great.
Found your recipe on Pinterest, and made it tonight. OH WOW! It was so delicious the kids devoured it and left NONE for daddy! And the smell!? I wish I could send this scent through the internet- oh man, it is fab!!!
I will be making this again… about a half hour before my husband gets home! He needs to have some- and deserves it! It is AWESOME! Thank you so much for making gluten free living more tasty!
~Mellissa, mom of a GF family since 2010
Yay! Glad you liked it!
I’m so happy seeing your recipe. I also tried to make gluten free pizza. Well, I made it delicious. 😀