Ill bring the veggies (and Heluva good ranch dip!)

So when I am home on the Cape one of my all time best friends and her fiance always invite me over for dinner. They are really great at making sure everything is gluten free and I usually bring dessert because that is the hardest. However tonight she is making gluten free cookies (God Bless her) I swear she is the best girl friend!! 

My job is to bring the veggies and dip since tonights meal is fajitas and honestly we need more veggies than that. I have made the veggie dip from scratch but today I really didnt feel like it so I did some research and food a whole bunch of gluten free items I always thought had gluten in them.


Heluva Good Gluten Free list!!

Check it out and enjoy!

Box Office Cafe

So when I am back "home", where I graduated high school and bad memories come back to life I always crave Box Office Pizza. Actually the guy that makes the pizza went to high school with me. How ironic? So Box Office has a lot of gluten free items such as sandwich rolls, crackers, cookies and even gluten free beer. There pizza is fantastic and they are very careful to make sure there is no cross contimidation.

Also it is one of many places to get gluten free food on the cape. I will keep you posted on my other favorites while I am home for the holidays!

Located on Rt 28 in Chatham MA

Being Sick and Gluten Free

So when you are sick people tell you to eat bread, saltines and drink ginger ale. I can not eat saltines or bread and i have to make sure the brand of the ginger ale. Not to mention you need to make sure the medicine you take is gluten free. Its hard. 

I was sick all day and had only eaten white rice. When I got home I was so glad to eat a piece of gluten free toast and a few glutino crackers. I then realized that when you go somewhere I really should bring such foods because the Amy's soup I did bring would not have settled with my sick tummy.

So how do you make this simple?

I always pack a little bag of food when ever I know I am going to be at someone elses house, just in case. I bring breakfast bars if I think I may sleep over and always bring chips. However after experiencing being sick with no medication or soothing foods I decided to make a SICK KIT that can stay in my car.

Include in your SICK KIT a few medications for different sickness. Make sure you have Motrin (the true life saver). Also in the kit keep some gluten free crackers (bread won't last as long) and a can of gluten free ginger ale (canada dry is gluten free) , maybe even two if you haven't gotten sick in a while ;)

As I have said before I am learning as I go and I learned today that not having anything was awful. Don't make the same mistake.

Much love,

GF Me

Olive Garden wrote back

When I am out and can't find a small restaurant that can accommodate my gluten free needs I will go to restaurants such as Outback Steak House and Olive Garden. Both of these restaurants have gluten free menus and their wait staff and kitchen staff. Outback has a huge menu even with a dessert option. Olive Garden has a much smaller menu with not many options.

I wrote Olive Garden after speaking to a manager during my last visit. I asked them if they were planning on expanding their gluten free menu and add things such as vegetarian options, bread and at least one dessert option. They wrote back with the following:

Dear Samantha:

Thank you for contacting us at olivegarden.com.

Certainly, we empathize with your challenges and decisions regarding dining out as it relates to food intolerances and allergies.  Our culinary team is always exploring additions to the menu, but we have no immediate plans to add additional gluten-free vegetarian options, breads, and desserts. Your desire however has been documented.

Please be assured we are listening and working to meet your preferences.

 
Justin
Olive Garden Guest Relations

If you would like Olive Garden to expand I suggest you contact them as well. The best way to get results is to contact the restaurant via email. 

 

Amy's Microwave Meals

Sometimes I am tired and dont feel like making a gluten free meal or I may be visiting a friend and don't want to cook in their house. Amys gluten free microwave meals are amazing!!! :D I highly suggest them! The gluten free mac and cheese and enchiladas are fantastic!

Grocery Shopping during the holidays

During the holiday time I usually head home to my folks house for a few weeks. I am the only gluten free memeber of my large family and often have to prepare my own meals. However I made two amazing discoveries last night. Ore-Ida Tater Tots says Gluten Free on the package as does Progresso Clam Chowder. I am so glad that people are starting to realize how important it is to say gluten free on their product!

Also Stop and Shop has Rice Dream Gluten Free EGGNOG!

GLuten Free Restaurant Guide to NYC

This was a very helpful link!! There are tons of Gluten Free restaurants in NYC but make sure to look them up and realize that they are all over the city (not always close to where you are)

Blooms Deli in NYC

Tonight I ate a Gluten Free Pizza Burger at Blooms Deli on Lexington Ave with my mom and little sister. Living in D.C. gluten free for the past few months has been difficult but in NYC it has been so easy. They have a huge gluten free menu with pasta, sandwich bread and burger buns. The menu is large compared to the normal gluten free menu with approximately five choice (celiacs you know what I am talking about). They even have a pickle bar. Check it Out!

Z PIZZA

Tonight my mom, sister and I ate at Zpizza in Alexandria, VA. It was great. The service was fast and the Gluten free pizza was fantastic. They also have gluten free salad dressings. Their pepperoni, salami and many other toppings are gluten free as well. They also sold Coca-Cola products (not pepsi) Its not as fancy as Ellas and has more locations than just the DC area. (Minnesota and Hawaii just to name two) Check out the site and see if there is one in your area!

Moms Organic Market

Mom's Organic Market is in the DC Metro area and has a ton of gluten free food and products. The majority of the employees are also very well aware of what gluten free means (unlike some other places). They have bread, cereal, flours, snacks, drinks. EVERYTHING. However Mom's is a little pricey so I go there for certain items from time to time.

Gluten Free Pizza at Ellas

Yummy Gluten Free pizza is hard to come by, but in DC I FOUND IT! Its amazing! Ellas Pizza I highly suggest you try it. The pizzas are individual size (about 9") and so good! Try it out! I loved the Margherita pizza the most.

INFO: 901 F Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 638-3434

Gluten Free Medications

Feeling sick this winter? This list is amazing! It has saved me several times. Its not a bad idea to print out a copy and have it handy or write a shorter list for yourself. I have been sick for the past few days and used this list about five times to reference different medicines. Remember that anything can change so double check!

Gluten Free Drugs

Gluten Free Gifts

Cafe Press Gluten Free Gifts

I love this site! Check it out to get yourself (or a GF love bug) some GF apparel!

The Austin Grill

The Austin Grille is an amazing tex mex restaurant located mostly in the DC Metro area. They have a full gluten free menu with several choices. P.S. Try their enchiladas!
If you have been or get the chance, let me know what you think!

Gluten Free Girl

The book. Gluten Free Girl really helped me get started on my gluten free journey and I hope it can help you to. She has some great recipes and amazing stories. Check out the blog! Glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com

Gluten Free Chili

So its that time of year when its cold, damp and everyone is getting sick. During these times I LOVE to make chili. There is so many ways to make it that there really isn't a strict recipe to follow. For those that want exact amounts, this may not be the place for you.

I usually make my chili vegetarian but you don't have to. Ground Turkey, cooked and added too is great.

Ingredients:
Peppers (I like to mix it up one green, 1/2 orange, 1/2 yellow)
Onion
Tomato
Tomato Paste*
Beans (2 cans of your favorite beans. I prefer to mix kidney and cannelini beans)
Firm Tofu or Ground Meat* (Optional)
Potatoes (Optional)
Broth* (Veggie or Chicken)
Water
Salt and Pepper to taste

So if cooking ground meat, fry that first until it is mostly cooked. Add chopped onion (about 1/2 cup but really by taste). Add about half of a small can of tomato paste. Add Salt and Pepper. If using potatoes, add diced potatoes. Then add chopped peppers and half a diced tomato. Continue to stir. Then add beans (if using Tofu, throw it in now). Then top off with veggie broth and water to taste. Then bring to a boil, lower temperature and let cook for a little while. Feel free to add any other veggies like mushrooms or carrots.

Really good with Bob Red Mill GF Bread. Can top with cheese, steamed radishes and sour cream.

Yum. Enjoy and let me know if you change it up yourself?

* Make sure these items are gluten free. They usually are but just read the labels