How many times does this happen to you?

I really should start keeping tabs on how many times a week (or sometimes a day) I get questioned or scrutinized on my dietary needs…

Biggest offender: At Work… lunch or dinner meetings and co-workers think I’m being “healthy” because I brought my own lunch or ordering something “special” because I’m on certain diet. Paleo this.

I know they don’t know any better, but the process of reacting to their reaction is annoying.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Traveling to the other side of the globe…GF, of course

I had the opportunity to join my husband in New Zealand while he was there on business, obviously my first reaction was a normal form of excitement. My immediate second reaction was completely abnormal, because not many people have to constantly switch gears into survival mode. I may sound dramatic but here’s how the situation unfolded:

1. Total travel time: 24 hours, which  equates to at least 3 meals plus snacks (at least)
2. Neither airline was able to guarantee a safe meal for me
3. Neither airline would be able to heat food up for me
4. Customs in New Zealand is super strict-you cannot bring food through

All of this basically means I had to precisely figure out enough food to get me through 2 very long flights, drag it with me across the world and try not to over pack and end up throwing away, precious, expensive, safe food.

My approach: High protein, high fiber; Easy to “make” and easy to carry- bring items that can be paired with what is available at the airport or on the plane. Taste standards go down when you’re in survival mode, but I tried to get gourmet.

PS all of this effort was just for the way there, getting back is a whole other approach.

Here’s what I did…

Meal 1, Dinner: “Beef Teriyaki” which actually means, a cup of instant noodles and teriyaki beef jerky. It could have been worse, I suppose. Krave is still my ultimate favorite  jerky-every flavor is amazing. The noodles on the other hand, really needed boiling water and I’m pretty sure the water the stewardess poured in my pathetic cup was just hot. The noodles never really softened up …but that didn’t stop me from eating it. For the record, the wine helped.

Meal 2, Breakfast: PB Banana Oatmeal. The more legit of meals, a packet of eco-planet GF oatmeal, 1 fresh banana, 1 packet of Justin’s Almond Butter (yum!), and a packet of honey. This time the “boiling” water was hot enough to make the food edible, and it was genuinely delicious. Not quite the egg omelets and French toast being passed around the cabin, but satisfied my hunger with a smile.

Meal 3, I forgot what time of the day it is and I’m hungry: I discovered Vega products, which essentially have a ton of protein, fiber and lots of veggies in the form of a bar or powder (just add water). The flavors are really great and snacks are filling.

GF foods that are usually available at airport/plane that can be eaten on own or paired with something you bring:

• Nuts
• Yogurt
•    Fresh Fruit (pair with a packet of PB)
• Dried Fruit
• Fresh Veggies
• Popcorn
• Chips
• Jerky-50/50 that it’s GF
• Milk (pair with your own cereal)
• Juice/Water bottle (pair with smoothie powder)
• Hot Water (pair with instant oatmeal or soups)
•  Cheese-read label (pair with your own crackers)

Obviously if you’re willing to travel with a heftier load you can pre-make a meal and carry in a small soft shell cooler (avoiding liquids):

•  Sandwiches –I have yet to find a GF bread that travels well and/or taste good without being toasted or made into French toast
• Pasta & Sauce-Make the night before, place in Tupperware and freeze overnight, throw in your bag and it will be defrosted by the afternoon
• Bean Salad-Choose ½ cup of 2 different beans; add some fresh herbs and your favorite vinaigrette  
• Chicken Salad- do everyone around you a favor and don’t make tuna fish

Whether you’re traveling 1 mile or 30,000 miles away from home, it’s always an adventure, but knowing it’s possible, is worth sharing. Get creative and enjoy life.

I Scream, You Scream

Ice cream was introduced to me at a VERY early age, my Grandmother expressed such a passion for the cold deliciousness, that she started an ice cream club for the 20+ Grandchildren in the family. Visits to her house would guarantee at least 3 flavors in her freezer, cones and most important, seconds! My Mother…also very passionate, has always stocked the freezer with multiple flavors as well, however cones and seconds- not a guarantee…anyway, needless to say, I am basically addicted (to lots of flavors, cones AND seconds!). When I was diagnosed with Celiac, my villi was so damaged, I couldn’t digest dairy (gasp!) I spent the 1^st 6 months pretending that non-dairy options were satisfying …they were decent, but didn’t compare to the rich creaminess of the old fashioned stuff…as I slowly started to introduce the real deal back into my life (whew) I found it difficult to dissect labels, it was exhausting to go on websites every time I was in the grocery store. I ended up buying Elan, Vanilla Frozen Yogurt EVERYTIME…which don’t get me wrong, better than the wanna-bees, but given my craving for choice, it sometimes got boring. Of course I tried to make “cookies & cream” by crumbling a GF sandwich cookie into the ice cream, but everyone knows cookies and cream is amazing because the cookies taste like they’ve been dipped in milk and then frozen-yum!  I also was not able to go to Ice Cream shops because of major cross contamination-even frozen yogurt! I was having major withdrawals…

And then Breyer’s pulled through-just as they did at Granny’s house…over 30 GF flavors, all with proper labeling. I’ve noticed some packaging already transitioning and imagine in the next few months there will be a sense of relief in the freezer section for all Celiacs. THANK YOU Breyers for identifying the GF flavors. Albeit there is no Cookies & Cream (someday, I hope!), there are still other fabulous sounding flavors that I’m anxious to try. In a cone.

In almost sheer parallel, another breakthrough: I discovered Yogurtland. That’s right, Yogurtland…a land in which I could spend many hours a week. I was taking a stroll through a lovely center of town and walked by Yogurtland, hesitantly, I convinced myself to walk inside and ask the exhausting question “Do you have any Gluten-Free ice cream??”, the young teenager said “yeah, I think we have a few flavors”…my ears perked, “what about cross-contamination??”, I ask. “We have a strict procedure to ensure there is not cross-contamination” he says. My heart started racing as I walked over to the ‘do-it-yourself’ frozen yogurt machines….now counting….2…5…8…12…16 FLAVORS!! Clearly I looked waaay overly excited and the kid basically chucked a handful of sample cups at me, in which, at 6pm on a weekday, pre-dinner, I tried every single GF flavor. AND brought home a hefty pint, obviously. Amazing. I now have a rewards card to Yogurtland and visit frequently…so THANK YOU Yogurtland for being Celiac friendly!

Product Review: Snyder's GF Pretzels

A few companies have made a good effort trying to create a GF pretzel but there always seemed to be a funky flavor, aftertaste or texture that was such a turn off.

Within this last year, Snyder’s of Hanover came out with GF pretzels in sticks and minis-and WOW are they delicious. They nailed the flavor and it’s paired with the perfect “crisp”. My husband actually likes them better then Gluten filled pretzels. Win-win. I also noticed on their site that they have two flavors: Hot Buffalo Wing and Honey Mustard & Onion…looking forward to trying them!!

Well done Snyder’s-thank you for creating delicious snacks that everyone can enjoy!! 

Picking up where I left off...

I do realize it’s been a while since I've “blogged” about the challenges of my new GF life, truth is, the challenges have not gone away, they continue to surprise me (in many ways), and it’s been a very busy year...

Oh yes, I got engaged.

Planning a GF wedding was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Finding the right caterer was key.

We decided to have a fairly small, low maintenance wedding. BBQ on farm with 60 of our closest friends and family. It was perfect.

Equally important, the food was perfect. The last thing I wanted to do was feed my guest dry, cardboard-like cornbread and flavor-less meat. I also didn’t want to take unnecessary bathroom breaks in my 1930’s vintage dress. I found compromise. During cocktail hour, we offered a combination of Gluten free & filled appetizers (it was mostly GF). Tip for the Bride: Have your caterer sneak a GF plate in your bridal suite. I laughed when I kept hearing “make sure you eat on your wedding day”…how could I not? Well. Let. Me. Tell. You. Time flies and so do your nerves. All I could stomach was a good glass of champagne (or two) and the next thing I knew the evening was approaching, the caramelized onion tarts were being passed around, the spreads & breads board was crowded with guests and I was starving! Luckily, my caterer stashed my bridal suite with a safe plate of GF goodness and I did not have to worry about sneaky bread crumbs from the communal table. 

For the main meal EVERYTHING was GF and it was good. We had a whole pig roast (yes, on a farm-don’t judge), grilled chicken, roasted veggies, salads and cornbread-it was all served family style. Outside of my home, for the first time in over a year, I could eat off of the same platters that everyone else was eating off of AND not worry if something fell on my plate. It was amazing.

Dessert can be slightly more challenging if you go the cake route. I’m sure there are plenty of decent GF bakeries around, but we opted for pie instead. It was a good move in many ways. We had a range of sizes: personal, 6", 9”, we also had a range of flavors: peach, blueberry, pecan, strawberry-YUM. Everyone devoured them, probably because they were made with lots of gluten. I however, had a personal GF berry crumble. Delicious.

The day was super special, not only because I married my best friend, but as a Celiac, I successfully got through a huge milestone, damage-free.

Those who helped make it happen: Charcoal Charlie and the Saxy Chef-THANK YOU!

Camping Gluten Free. Conquered.

We love to be outdoors, every season, all activities... from ice climbing in the winter to kayaking in the summer. Clearly this is the year I will face my "normal activities" with a new approach, and depending on the time span of the activity, the stress of food fluctuates...bike rides, a day hike, snowshoeing. Easy. But backpacking for 2 days in an area on the map labeled "desolation" (seriously), I was not sure how to approach.

First instinct is to see if GF freeze dried meals exist, and yes they exist, but are not widely available. When you not only work 12 hour days,but are still trying to feed yourself during the work week (and those pesky lunch meetings!) driving to several stores for a single freeze dried meal was not happening.

Plan B.

I knew there would be a lot of calorie burning (18miles!!), so I needed substantial food. The plan was to be on the trail by 11am, camp over night, and hike through the afternoon to get back before dark... Did you do the math? ... The meal math: 4meals and plenty of fuel.

My approach...

 I started by eating a hearty breakfast before arriving at the  trailhead, Natures Path GF waffles with sliced banana, ground flax and maple syrup. YUM!

Next I decided to take a combination of "snacks" and "meals" ...

 To be specific:

Beef Jerky- now there is not A lot of GF jerky... My all time favorite by far is Krave although you can't find it everywhere. Jack Links is pretty much at every gas station, but only a small handful of flavors are GF, my favorite is Hot &Spicy.

Easy energy snacks: apples, dried fruit & nuts, and KIND bars (available everywhere!).


A little more: sandwich made with Udi' s GF bread and Applegate lunch meat (Boars Head packaged is also GF) and cheese. Luckily it was 30 degrees and I didn't have to worry about keeping for long periods of time! I also made a peanut butter and jelly sand which.

For dinner I brought a bag of edamame and corn and added to a package of Thai Kitchen noodles packet.All you need is boiling water (campfire!). I also may have thrown in a bar of chocolate and wine! 

For breakfast I brought a pre packed bag of Bobs Red Mill Muesli.

With all of the snacks, sandwiches and meals- I successfully sustained a full energy weekend that was stress free and all fun!

PS. Thankfully we went with an awesome couple (one vegetarian) so there was zero food awkwardness and a lot of understanding around cross contamination! 

The proposal.

Last month, while hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, my boyfriend of 5  years...(often referred to as my "other half" -sometimes the better half), proposed while we were taking in the view of snowfall on a still lake. Of course I yelped with excitement and said yes... But it didn't take long for me to start thinking  how wedding cuisine  is almost as important as the open bar and music...all potentially containing lots of gluten-especially that cake!!

I'll  have to admit, I need to get through Thanksgiving first but this is obviously on my mind! Keep checking in to follow the planning of my GF wedding (or mostly GF...I couldn't possibly deprive guests of a fine IPA).