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!