Fast food that’s GFCF?! Who knew it was possible? But it is at Pollo Tropical Today I had lunch with my DH at our neigborhood Pollo Tropical and had a wonderful meal, yet again. This is my go-to place for fast, easy, always GFCF food. Pollo Tropical is actually a member of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), so they’re really aware of the considerations necessary to accommodate food sensitive people. The staff at the three Pollo Tropicals I frequent are always super nice and friendly. And every single employee I’ve ever interacted with has taken my food allergies very seriously and were extremely conscientious with the gluten. Since going GF on Dec 3rd, I’ve probably been here a dozen or more times and have NEVER had any reaction. So, what do I eat here? I love the Tropichops! It’s a bowl of rice and beans with your choice of meat on top. I usually get the Chicken Tropichop with white rice (I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the yellow rice has gluten in it, but it’s not listed on the official Pollo Tropical Allergy List… but I always get white to be safe) and black beans. They have a Regular and a Large, but the large comes with a side Caesar salad, so I always get the Regular (and it’s more than enough to eat.. I usually take some home!). To spice it up a little, I put on a bunch of mild salsa from the salsa bar. And I usually get the combo meal (adds a side and a drink). For my side I always get the super delicious Plantains. They’re...
Oh my gosh!!!!!!! I never thought I could have another treat from the Ice Cream freezer section again. But I was so wrong!!!!!! I found these WONDERFUL coconut, non-dairy, gluten-free frozen treats at the grocery store yesterday. The brand is So Delicious and the treats I purchased were Coconut Almond Mini Bars. And I must admit I was more than a little dubious about them. Any company that gives itself a name like that is either trying too hard to make up for a poor-tasting product or not terribly creative in the name department. But after I tried them I actually agreed with their self-chosen moniker because they really and truly are SOOOOO delicious!!!!! I was so very, VERY excited as I sat there rolling my eyes in yummy ecstasy, reveling in the fact that there are actually yummy dairy-free treats out there. And apparently there are a lot more from the same company!! Before I ate the Coconut Almond Bar, I did a quick search to be sure it was GFCF (it says Dairy Free all over the box and the ingredients seemed safe, but I just wanted to be sure about the Gluten). When I got to their site I found that So Delicious is a very, very allergy friendly company. (I don’t know why I was surprise to see this… with an “ice cream” treat that’s not made from milk, their target allergy demographic should have been obvious to me!) But they have a wonderful Allergy ID Chart that lists every product they have and if it’s ingredients include Almond, Coconut, Corn, Dairy, Egg, Gluten, Peanut,...
I received my order from Triumph Dining today! I spent a little more than I probably should have ($54.70 when it was all shipped and everything). But I figure anything that can make this difficult change in my life a little easier is well worth the money!! I’m so excited to check them out tonight. I ordered everything they offer for Gluten Free living: The Essential Gluten Free Grocery Guide The Essential Gluten Free Restaurant Guide and the Dining Cards. They were very prompt with delivery (I ordered them on the 4th and they shipped on the 5th). And the production value of everything seems really nice. I love the modern design and colors.. But it’s the content that really matters. Since I haven’t had a chance to really read much yet (just what I could quickly scan while waiting in car line for 5 minutes this afternoon), I’ll withhold true judgement until I use them for a week or so. But I’ll post a through review next...
It may be a little expensive as far as iPhone apps goes, but the iPhone app “Is That Gluten-Free?” by Midlife Crisis Apps is worth every penny, if you ask me. Especially since it’s a one time $6 fee as opposed to a subscription based app or website (can anyone say Zeer?). This is a great database for Gluten Free grocery items. While it’s not all inclusive (in the month I’ve had it there were several things already that I’ve looked for and found missing), so far I’ve found it to be a pretty good guide to finding gluten-free items while wandering the isles. I’m not sure how often it’s updated, but I’m going be sure to check for App Updates regularly to make sure I have the latest possible nutritional info available. Now if they just had “Is That Casein Free?”…! Check out the “Is That Gluten-Free” app at the iTunes store...
Eating out and being truly gluten free and casein free is proving to be very difficult. There’s milk and gluten in SOOO many prepared foods. I’ve been hearing from people that going to oriental restaurants is the way to go: not a lot of dairy in general and plenty of rice and veggies. So today for lunch we went to Pei Wei to give their Gluten Free Menu a try. I was initially a little disappointed with the number of items to choose from (there are currently only five menu items) but all of them seemed to be dairy free too. I ordered the Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls without Thai peanut sauce (they are in the regular menu under the Salad section). When ordering, I told them about being allergic to dairy and being gluten free. The girl behind the counter was a little confused about the whole “gluten free menu” thing and deferred to a more experienced employee. She, fortunately, knew all about the gluten free menu button on the computer, so she showed her “go here to the Gluten Free Menu, then just push the item and that’s it.” When our order was delivered, the server made a point of saying “Gluten Free Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls” when he announced the order to see who had what. That was very encouraging. And then when I ate the first bite… YUM!!! They we absolutely delicious!!! Fresh and tasty, the chicken, veggies and mint came wrapped in a nice soft rice paper. It was nice and cool and light, but with three full rolls to an order, very filling and satisfying....
