Olive Garden - Italian Gluten-Free food?

Believe it or not, I was able to eat a Gluten-Free, fairly healthy dinner at Olive Garden last night in Burleson including dessert!  I threw myself on the mercy of the chef and he suggested several dishes I could have.  I ended up with the salad with house dressing, apricot chicken, grilled veggies and chocolate ice cream.  

The wait staff was very patient and I didn't get sick at all.

It's not haute cuisine, but it definitely expands my options.

Make your own Gluten-Free ice cream

Many high quality ice creams are already gluten free - one of my favorites is Blue Bell's Homemade Vanilla.  However, I often have a slight fear of cross-contamination in processed foods.

This summer I bought a Cuisinart ice cream maker, although there are several different brands which I'm sure will work fine.

I've made several different kinds of blissfully 100% GF ice cream and sorbet already.  The other great thing with making your own ice cream is you can add mix-ins yourself at the almost-done stage.

So, if you make your own GF cookie dough, or buy some GF oreo cookies, you can crush them up and have a safe, tasty treat.

For the calorie conscious, it's good because you can control the amount of fat and calories and still be safe.  Many of the low-cal products seem to contain modified food starch.

Pop Chips - Healthy and Gluten Free

Pop chips are quite tasty.  I was really disappointed when I realized I couldn't have most of the baked chips any more.  These taste tons better and are just as good for you if not better!  

The magic is they are popped with heat and pressure, not fried or baked.  Our local health-food stores like Central Market have trouble keeping them in stock!

Check the ingredients, not all of them are GF!

Gluten Free Road Trip Tips

If all goes well, I'll be off on a road trip to Jasper, Arkansas this weekend.  There is one organic restaurant in town that serves food I can eat and has a small supply of GF necessities, but other than that, it's breaded and fried all the way.  Here are some tips for not having to stress when travelling into Glutinous territory.

1. I make a pot of GF spaghetti and meat sauce and divvy it up into plastic containers and store them in a cooler.  Then, I can eat anywhere on the road and supplement my meal with whatever fresh fruits/veggies I can find.
2. I bring a box of GF cereal and some bananas.  Then, breakfast is no sweat at McDonalds, Starbucks or anywhere else.  All I need is some milk.  I can even eat at a gas station.  It helps to bring disposable bowls and spoons.  Otherwise, just make do with available materials.  I've eaten cereal out of paper cups before.
3. Bring an emergency bar of some sort for every day just to have on you.  I like the chocolate Larabars and the chocolate and sesame seed KIND bars, but there are lots to choose from.
4. If you get really stuck, just go to a grocery store and search the outer ring.  You can always find fresh fruit and cheese for an emergency meal.  Also, don't forget a great alternative of apples and peanut butter.
5. There are a surprising amount of common junk foods in gas stations that are GF including my favorite - Cracker Jacks.  Don't overlook obvious other snacks like individual serving packs of nuts, even corn nuts and pumpkin seeds.
6. If you're out with friends, don't forget you won't have bread to soak up any alcohol, so consider that before ordering a cocktail before dinner.  
7. Keep your eyes and ears open for possibilities.  I went with a friend to a cafe in New Orleans, certain I'd be sitting there salivating as she ate a beignet (tasty, donut-like treat) and wound up with some scrumptious fresh lemonade and a bag of the best meringue cookies I've ever eaten!

Good Celiac info in "You on a Diet"

I don't know about the rest of you guys, but when I started healing on my Gluten-Free diet, I started gaining weight - mainly because all of a sudden I was keeping more of the calories I was consuming.

  "You on a Diet" has a short but very interesting page or two on the changes in people's bodies when Celiacs go Gluten Free.  It answered a lot of questions I had.

G.A.P. Adventure Travel caters to Gluten Free and other diets

Recently, I hiked the Inca Trail with G.A.P. Adventure Travel.  My biggest concern was being able to eat the food the porters would cook on the trail.  When I called the company, they said, don't worry about it, they'll take care of it when you get there.

Well, of course I worried about it!  I had all kinds of gluten free bars, peanut butter, etc.  But when I got out there, I could understand why they were so confident.  I explained my situation to our guide and he made sure that there was more than enough GF food for me at every meal.  One morning, they even made me pancakes from quinoa flower!  It was the most worry-free trip I've had in a long time.

Central Market has Gluten-Free cooking classes

Central Market recently posted it's Fall cooking class schedule.  You can download it here.

They have a wide variety of classes, but one particularly interesting one is Gluten-Free Bking with Christine Llarraza on Wed. Sep. 3 from 6:30 - 9:00 PM at the Fort Worth location.

The description for the $60 class states:

"In this class designed to introduce you to the wonderful gluten-free products featured in our store, Chef Christine will demonstrate and you will sample: Chile Cornbread; Red Onion & Rosemary Pizza; Lemon Drizzle Loaf; Spiced Apple Scone Round; Basic Gluten-Free White Loaf; and Sticky Spiced Loaf."

Central Market also has Dallas and Southlake locations.