Sunday, December 19, 2010

Gluten Free Vegas Baby!

I recently spent a few days in Vegas for a conference for work. Here are my gluten free stories.

On the way there, (US Airways evening flight):
It was a 6pm flight, so I didn't really need to bring a lot of food. What I did do though, was bring double lunch to work and eat right before we left. I also brought about 7 Lara Bars for the week. Larabars are awesome and gluten free! Check them out at Larabars Website . I love the banana bread flavor and the lemon and key lime. You can also get a pack of "minis" at Target that are great for pre-gym snacks.

Larabar Gluten Free!

Larabar Mini Bars









At the conference (Mandalay Bay):
We got into Vegas at about 9pm Vegas time and headed straight for the Mandalay Bay to check into the conference. Two weeks before I left, I got into an e-mail storm with one of the conference coordinators, (the people who help with registration and things like special diets). 

At first, I was told that I needed to bring my own "preferred food" with me... just to be safe. Needless to say, this made me very unhappy. Eating gluten free definitely isn't a preference for me. However, not destroying my gut, keeping all my teeth and not having 100% more chance of lymphoma over the average person is... I digress. After a few phone calls and some e-mails, I was told I'd be accommodated at the conference. Huge relief.

Once there, I got a special blue ticket to give the banquet servers at breakfast and lunch. Dinner was not included. I never used the ticket for breakfast because I had Larabars and they always had fruit and coffee. At lunch, I was pleasantly surprised. Here's what they fed me:

Day 1: Plain chicken with mashed sweet potato? and roasted veggies

Mandalay Bay Conference Catering
Day 2: Broiled Salmon with roasted veggies and brown rice
(Sorry, I totally forgot to take a picture before chowing down...)

Day 3: Steak tips, fingerling potatoes and asparagus

Mandalay Bay Conference Catering

It was all really healthy and portioned nicely. I also ate salad from the regular buffet on days that I was still hungry. As for snacks... they weren't as good. The first day I didn't even notice the snacks and the second day they had popcorn that "may contain barley"... really.... barley in popcorn? The third day they had fruit and trail mix, which I was ALL over.

Dinner, was a different story. There are plenty of gluten free restaurant options in Vegas, but when you're at the mercy of other people it can be a little more challenging.
Day 1: I wound up eating a small plate of salad at the exhibition hall while my coworkers chowed on gross looking pasta. Fortunately, I ran into friends from Boston who I met through a young designers class and we went to this Mexican Place called T & T at the Luxor. They didn't have a gf menu, but were able to help me pick something I could eat. Shrimp tacos!

Day 2: My one coworker, had been saying that she really wanted to go to the Noodle Shop at Mandalay Bay. I caved and went even though I was pretty sure nothing there was gf. Fortunately, due to another coworker's diligence and the Noodle Shop's awesomeness, they wound up just bringing me egg fried rice with chicken and veggies, (no soy sauce). It wasn't the best thing I've ever eaten, but it was filling and didn't get me sick.

Day 3: I was promised on multiple occasions that we would go to the Border Grill at Mandalay Bay because they had a gf menu. This never happened. Instead I was forced into going to the Burger Bar, which I was initially pissed about because someone didn't seem to care that all I was able to eat there was a burger patty and the "fixings" aka lettuce, tomato and a pickle. Fortunately, it's a zazzy burger place and I was able to get a turkey burger (no bun), with avocado, shrimp, sprouts and a side salad. It all worked out really well in the end and my crabbiness subsided.
Burger Bar - Las Vegas - Mandalay Bay

All in all it was a good trip. I only got sick once on the first day for some unknown reason. I wound up having to blow off my afternoon class and lay down for an hour. Luckily, I brought a loaf of Udi's with me so I had a slice and rallied for the remainder of my classes. I also brought Applegate lunch meat in a vacuum sealed pouch, which amazingly made it through TSA security. I only wound up eating it once or twice, but it was good to have it. This was my first real trip, (read: not staying at a house cooking for myself), being gluten free and it went off with out too much of a hitch.

Stayed tuned for the follow up adventures to California, the second leg of my trip!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Bar Harbor, ME - Gluten Free Mexican Two Ways

Every year Mike and I head up to Acadia National Park in Maine for four days of hiking and camping. This year we stayed in a screaming child infested campground called Hadley Point. It sucked so much we actually spent time driving around looking at campgrounds for next year.

 While out in Southwest Harbor looking at Seawall Campground, which looks awesome by the way, we decided we wanted nachos. I busted out the google phone and typed "nachos" into the yelp application. It turned out there was a Mexican place called XYZ right around the corner. When we pulled up it was only about 4pm and there was only one car there and it was way back on a side street. We decided to go in and were very pleasantly surprised, not by nachos, but by an authentic Mexican restaurant. The food was incredible. I got some kind of grilled shrimp with a stuffed relleno pepper which was to die for and a margarita made with rum. The owner seated us and talked to us about gluten free options for me and they even gave me corn tortillas instead of bread to use with the various fresh salsas. By the time we left, I was pleasantly full, mildly buzzed and the place was packed. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who loves delicious authentic Mexican Food and staying gfree. I can't wait to go back next year.


XYZ Restaurant Website





** Update: Miguel's has been sold and is now a different restaurant. Sadness**

The first year we went to Maine I googled "Gluten Free Bar Harbor" and found an article someone wrote about Miguel's. This place is more of an americanized Mexican restaurant, but is still pretty sweet. They have a special gluten free menu that has their regular menu color coded red and green. Red = Not Gluten Free and  Green = Gluten Free. I always get the tacos when I go and they are pretty tasty. If you're up in Bar Harbor give this place a try.

Miguel's Mexican Restaurant Website

Other Restaurants in Bar Harbor:
Bar Harbor is pretty good with gluten free. I've been told that most restaurants can put together gluten free options for you or have special menus if you just ask. We always go to Main Street Diner for breakfast and never have a problem. I just ask them to leave the toast out.

Also, try A & B Naturals. It's an awesome natural foods store and even carries St. Peter's Gluten Free Beer, which in my opinion, is some of the best gluten free beer around.


A & B Naturals Website

Places to be careful eating at:
One place I did go to though, didn't leave me feeling so great about the food I was eating. We went to Tamarind one morning for breakfast and I ordered an egg sandwich on a food for life gluten free english muffin. They prepare the sandwiches out in the open so I asked the teenager that was making my sandwich if he could change his gloves and put down some foil so he wasn't making my gfree sandwich on bread crumbs from regular bread. The haughty attitude I got in return was not appreciated. I explained again that my food cannot touch anything other bread touched. He got all offended and  told me that he cleans the surface all the time and that I didn't need to worry. I was pretty worried and stupidly ate the sandwich anyways... bad idea.

All in all. Bar Harbor is really safe place to travel to and stay gluten free. There's amazing hiking and puffins if you're willing to get up early and go on a boat. ;o)


View from Champlain Mountain!

Five Minute Chocolate Mug Cake - Gluten Free!

My parents' next door neighbor Jen bought me a cook book at her church bazaar because it had gfree recipes in it, (and because she's awesome). I was thumbing through it tonight when I found a recipe for "In the Mood" 5 Minute chocolate Mug Cake (By Betty Miller). I told Mike and he couldn't have gotten up faster if I had put fire crackers in his pants. "Let's make this", he exclaimed. I of course, scrambled into the kitchen after him. We decided to use Bob's Red Mill Baking Mix for the first batch and I tried using Gluten Free Bisquick for the second, (the Bisquick was way better). Here's the recipe and pictures of the results. I'll warn you, this is by no means healthy, but it sure is tasty. I may even stick a candle in one for my birthday. ;o)


4 tbsp Flour (GFree Bisquick)
4 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Cocoa (Hershey's Special Dark)
1 Egg
3 tbsp Milk (fat free milk)
3 tbsp Cooking oil (Smart Balance)
3 tbsp Chocolate Chips (I've been using Ghiradelli without a reaction... so far).
Splash of Vanilla (McCormick)
1 Large Coffee Mug (I mean large... seriously I mean large or it overflows in your microwave)

In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, egg, milk and oil. Mix well and add chocolate chips and vanilla and mix again. Pour into coffee mug and microwave for 3 minutes. Cake will expand in the cup and like the picture... may overflow if you cup is too small.

Eat it in the cup, dump it in a bowl, put ice cream on it or whipped cream. Bottom line... enjoy it! It took me a whopping five minutes to make.





Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Stay Tuned - More Gluten Free Shenanigans Coming Soon!

Like I mentioned in my last post, I have a huge back log for you. Upcoming articles include:

1) Bar Harbor, Maine - My Mexican Food Heaven
2) North Conway, New Hampshire - BBQ, Pizza and Mexican Oh My!
3) Northbridge House of Pizza - A Hidden Gluten Free Gem
4) Gluten Free Beer
5) My Thanksgiving is Even Better Gluten Free

Not necessarily in that order. ;o)

Also, I'll be attending Autodesk University in Las Vegas at the end of November and stopping up in Oakland, CA "On my way home". This adventure will take me on six different flights, a three day conference at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and a weekend with my friends and their "new" baby. We'll see how this goes. Let's just say I'm packing a tub of reduced fat Jif, which I'm 99% sure is gluten free and a bag of Udi's for good measure. I sure hope the TSA doesn't count peanut butter as a liquid. Ha.

Vacationing Gluten Free - Florida!!

So, this article was written a month ago while we were in Florida... I have quite a back log of articles for you, so brace yourself. Upcoming articles include Bar Harbor Maine, North Conway New Hampshire and Montreal/ Quebec City in Canada. I just took the licensing exam I was studying for so now I have no excuse but to write articles and embrace the Boston gluten free community full on. Now, for gluten free Florida!

Ok, so we're staying at a house in Satellite Beach so it's not so tough... We did visit Disney and that was interesting. The week before I left I e-mailed Disney special diets and asked them about Gluten Free at Animal Kingdom. I got back a very very long overly complicated e-mail. At the bottom was a list of places I could go "on the fly". Restorauntasaurus, (yeah you read that right), was on the list. On the day we visited Disney I had a sizable breakfast. Who knows what I'd be able to eat at the park and I had zero desire to tote around a lunch bag while riding roller coasters and going on cheesy fake safaris. We got there around 9:30am and B-Lined for the safari after that we walked around for awhile and Mike got hungry so we decided to go look for food. We checked the dinosaur restaurant listed above. It was a walk up place and then menu included deep fried chicken fingers, burgers, hot dogs and onion rings.... all of which I couldn't even dream of eating. I wasn't hungry so it was all good. Mike wound up finding a place that made cheese filled pretzels and was happy. I finally got hungry and wound up eating popcorn for lunch... lame!


Later that night before we picked up friends from the airport we tried this place in Orlando called Nona Sushi. It was pretty good. The manager? owner? was really nice and chatted with us about Celiac Disease and soy sauce snobbery. I did not know La Choy soy sauce doesn't contain wheat.


Nona Sushi on Facebook

The rest of the week we just cooked at the house. I was shocked to see a plethora of gluten free products at our "local" grocery store in Satellite Beach. They even had gf Bisquick?! We picked up a pack and made the best quiche/ cake thing for breakfast. When we got back to Boston I tried finding it around here and couldn't! My mom had to pick some up the Hannaford near her house and bring it to me. I never liked real Bisquick so I didn't have high hopes for the gluten free version, but I wound up really liking it. Since vacation I've made french apple cake and the best clam fritters I've had in awhile. I used to make the fritters at a little surf and turf restaurant near my hometown, so I know good fritters. These were light, fluffy and chewy. They needed more clams and better seasoning, but the consistency was perfect... I digress.


Gluten Free Bisquick

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Gluten Free On the Run - Maintain Spontaneity Without Getting Glutened

Mike and I were up in Littleton this weekend picking up pumpkins for Halloween. I of course didn't plan ahead and wound up in unfamiliar territory with a grumbling belly. Thinking I was being smart I busted out my phone and typed 'gluten free' into the yelp application. Peaches Bakery in Harvard came up and it was only a few miles away. Sweet! We drove five minutes down the road and pulled into the parking lot only to find the place was closed on Sunday. I know, if only I had planned ahead...

Defeated, we continued on our way to find some farm markets... We found a few, they were nice and we bought veggies and bacon for the chowder we were planning on making later that night. By this point I was getting really grumpy because I was super hungry and couldn't think of where to get food. On our way out of town I noticed a super market. Of course! There's food at a super market! We stopped by and picked up the fixings for the best impromptu car picnic I've ever had. We had:

Hormel Natural Choice Ham (sealed pack labeled Gluten Free)
Sargento Colby Jack Slices  (No gluten ingrediants... website confirms)
Bolthouse Farms Blue Goodness Smoothie (Labeled Gluten Free)
Lundberg Brown Rice Chips (Labeled Gluten Free)


It wasn't a sit down dinner, but it sure did the trick. I've also bought bags of apple slices and popcorn during other car trips on the go. Most of the time, my android phone helps me maintain spontaneity, but when things are closed or you're in a place that doesn't know what gluten is, try the grocery store.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Dear Probiotics - Thank you for taming my angry tummy

After going gluten free for a year and a half I thought I was in the clear... until the last month or so. It all started with chicken biryani from my local Indian restaurant and went straight down hill from there. Everything I ate made me sick. First I thought it was dairy... then I feared it was eggs. Nothing and everything in particular seemed to piss my stomach off. I couldn't digest anything and I was running out of slouchy mom sweaters to cover the huge puffy 'gluten belly'. I kept thinking it would just go away... maybe I had a stomach bug... It didn't and almost two months went by. Finally I had enough and called my doctor. She told me to come in and redo the CD blood tests (IGA) and eventually the super fun biopsy. The blood tests turned out normal, (huge miracle), and I don't go for the biopsy until December. In the mean time she told me to try 'Align Probiotics'. I wound up picking up PB-8 instead at my local Wholefoods, (1- It's listed as gluten free very clearly on their website and 2- It's ten bucks less than Align). Sold. The first two days were rocky, but after that my stomach did a 180. It was like a bad boyfriend who gets too drunk and yaks on your front porch only to return the next day like nothing happened... except you can't leave your stomach/ digestive tract out in the cold.

All in all. I totally recommend trying probiotics, (as long as it's ok with your doctor).

Nutrition Now Probiotics Website


PB-8 is Gluten, Peanut and Soy Free (Allergy Info) The green bottle is actually vegetarian!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Boston's Fort Point - My favorite Gluten Free lunch spot

Yum, it is lunch time and I have just returned from my favorite cafe. I've been getting my lunch at Channel Cafe on Summer Street in Boston for as long as I've been Gluten Free. There are a couple of other places I've tried, but none of them hold a candle to Channel. I always get one of two things:

Naked burrito (no cheese):
This is quite possibly one of my favorite things to eat. You get seasoned rice, beans, fresh salsa with avocado and a fist full of salad. Oh and don't forget the jalapenos! You can get cheese if you like, but I prefer to abstain. I've been trying in vain... to down size my dairy intake...

Veggie Burger (no bun no chips):
Again, one of my favorite things to eat. It's not your average veggie burger! It's made of chick peas and spices and other delicious things I can't seem to figure out. If you like Indian Food you will love this veggie burger. It comes with a yogurt sauce which I can't resist and the fistful of salad. Excellent.

There are other things on their menu that are GF or could be made GF so don't be afraid to ask. I just love my go-to dishes so much I haven't strayed in awhile...


They also do dinner on Thursday and Fridays! if you're in the area, they are a must try for fresh, tasty gluten free food.

Channel Cafe Boston

I heart Udi's Gluten Free Products!

Ok, so outside my intro... this is the first thing I have to say about being GF. I do not work for Udis, know anyone who works for Udis, (although I wish I did), nor is anyone paying me to do this. I simply love their bread/ bread products. If you have to go GF and you still want to eat bread go out and find these products. The sandwich bread and the whole grain bread taste like 'real' bread. I was jumping around in my kitchen, like a person who just won the lottery, the first time I tried this bread. It's spongey, light and doesn't crumble unless you're brilliant and accidentally put an ice pack on it (read: don't do this). All you have to do is pop it out of your freezer, wrap it in a paper towel and nuke it for 20-30 seconds for two slices. You can toast it if you want, but you don't have to. Amazing. Also, if you're like me and you packed on 15 pounds after going GF... you'll be glad to know there's only 140 calories for two slices and very little fat.

Other products they have are:


Plain bagels (yum... better than 'real' bagels in my book).

cinnamon buns (delicious... but not advisable if you're on a diet diet...)

Lemon Streusal (haven't tried it yet)

Pizza crusts (awesome and not full of fat)

So, check out their website. It even has a dollar off coupon!




Picture is from Udi's website.
Udi's Website
 



Thursday, August 19, 2010

Hello!

Hi my name is Becky. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in November 2008 and have been Gluten Free since December 2008. I'm not a doctor, a nutritionist or a chef... just one girl living in Boston who refuses to let gluten-free mean sacrificing taste, my waist line and feeling like a 'normal person'. The following posts will be about my adventures/ experiences with living gluten free... most of them infused with a little humor :o).


Disclaimer:

Like I said, I'm no doctor... not even close... I do try my very very best to maintain a 100% gluten free diet, but hey, I'm human and sometimes I mess up resulting in what looks like the belly of a pregnant woman, a headache and a very bad mood. Always check the products you eat for potential gluten and consult your doctor/ nutritionist if you have any questions. Otherwise, enjoy!