I hope that all of you out there dealing with Celiac disease and gluten issues have someone who supports you being different and appreciates you for being unique.
Love,
The GF GF
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I'm Taylor. I'm 20 years old and I have Celiac Disease. I live gluten-free, even though my boyfriend and friends aren't. Stick around for anything and everything gluten free.
Love,
The Gluten-Free Girlfriend
This PostSecret photo I found on Reddit the other day touched my heart. Its difficult to have special eating circumstances, and even more difficult at big gatherings with people who aren't gluten free. The fact that someone out there chooses to be gluten free to support another is incredible and beautiful and inspiring.
I hope that all of you out there dealing with Celiac disease and gluten issues have someone who supports you being different and appreciates you for being unique. Love, The GF GF
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I have just recieved the news that I am now part of the GFAF Expo Phoenix Blogger Team! This is the second GFAF Expo of the year, and it is going to be incredible. I will do a big explanation post about the GFAF Expo in a few days, but for now secure your tickets here. (Single day passes are available) Love, The GF GF Hello all, how are you?
I have been absent from posting for more than a month now, and unfortunately that meant a new battle with gluten and celiac disease. The good news is I'm back up and running and ready to kick it into high gear in the new year with expos, product reviews (I found the best chocolate covered pretzels!). Look for posts in the next few days about the Gluten Free and Allergen Free Expo that is being hosted in Phoenix February 22-23. I am super proud to say I have joined their Blogger Team! Love, The GF GF This Christmas was my first experience traveling while being gluten free. I had packed myself a bag of chips (Jalapeño Kettle Cooked), and set out to the airport with a lot of hope in my heart.
Surprisingly, flying cross country on Christmas Eve was not my worst decision ever. Lines were quick and people were being very nice to each other. My worst decision regarding this trip was not bringing anything more than chips, because there is almost nothing to eat at the airport for a gluten free jetsetter like myself. The Starbucks in the terminal did not carry the normal arrangement of prepackaged Starbucks brand snack kits, instead both the front load fridge and a second side fridge were filled with sandwiches, wraps, fruit cups, and yogurt cups that already had the granola on top which I didn't trust. Continuing to wander the terminal, I noted that none of the miniature restaurants appeared to offer any gluten free options. If you're on a layover in PHX, expect to find very little to eat besides snack foods and the random banana I got at Starbucks. Yes you can buy chips and candy at the small convenience store, but unfortunately meals will be scarce in the airport. Most of the restaurants in the airport are sports bar/grill types and those have few gluten free options besides salads. We are so done with salads though aren't we? Once on the flight, Southwest offers you a choice between peanuts or pretzels. Obviously we can't have the pretzels, but further investigation shows that their honey roasted peanuts contain wheat starch (but hey they're kosher!). Yet another easy snack option foiled. The flight attendants were not sympathetic; I received a very nasty look when I handed them back and said I couldn't have wheat. I think this is because the flight attendants are exhausted this time of year. I ended up eating 75% of my chips, a banana, and a grande Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks. Lovely snacks but I was highly disappointed with my options. Airports allow you to fly with one carryon and one personal bag; they do not count outside food or your coat. Based on my terrible foraging results, I would suggest that gluten free fliers bring a small meal and a few snacks to ensure that you have something to eat while traveling, or eat a good amount before leaving home. (No liquids!) Happy holidays! Love, The GF GF I love Mongolian barbeque, but unfortunately most places don't offer much in the way of accommodations for gluten free customers. I'd seen that YC's was labeled "gluten free" on Yelp. This doesn't really mean much to me because I have had issues with Yelp misrepresenting the cuisines offered at different restaurants. Sunday afternoon about a week ago the guys come over and say that we should check it out because "They have endless bowls that you can just pack full of meat!" Internet research told me that YC's was in fact gluten free, provided you make the correct menu choices. This place is your typical Mongolian BBQ type situation: you get a metal bowl of the size of your choosing, and go down the line and add meats and veggies to your heart's content and then over season it before a man throws it on a gazillion degree flat griddle and it cooks in minutes before your eyes. When you arrive, you pay for your food immediately and choose between a small, large, or endless large bowl. You alert the cashier that you have a food allergy and they will give you a small placard that will alert the grill masters to your condition. At the beginning of the line before the meats, grab a waxed paper sheet so you can press down the contents of your bowl as you go to pack more in. Walking down the buffet line, YC's offers
While the rice noodles are gluten free, they were perilously close to the wheat and udon noodles. I also saw some loose noodles lying in each other's tubs. Cross-contamination is a big no-no for me so I nixed the noodles and opted for white rice that is served next to the brown rice, far away from any wheat contaminants that may be present. When I got to the sauce bar, the gluten free options available are clearly marked. Gluten free soy sauce is available; look on top of the sauce bar or ask an employee. There are sauce creation suggestions (YC's Own, Mongolian, Sweet & Sour etc) that tell you how many of each scoop of sauces you'd need, but few of those suggestions are gluten free. I used garlic, ginger, gluten free soy sauce, and sweet syrup to create a teriyaki like sauce. If you have a gluten allergy, ONLY use the sauces marked with a yellow GF sticker and the gluten free soy sauce. Regular soy sauce is the key ingredient in the other sauces, and regular soy sauce contains gluten. Once you're through the sauces, you line up to have your meal cooked. Here you can add sesame seeds, sriracha, jalapeños, peanuts, and cilantro if you choose. The peanuts are whole nuts and appeared to have fallen into their neighboring containers, so skip those in question if you have a peanut allergy. Food allergy guests may wait longer for their food to be cooked as the grill masters scrape, steam clean, and steam clean the grill again to ensure safety. The location nearest me has two grills operating simultaneously and I have never waited more than 6-7 minutes for my food. Each person's meal will cost around $10, drinks and rice and soup included. To-go boxes are 50¢, and a frozen yogurt cup/cone is a $1. YC's offers a relatively easy, wallet-friendly, gluten free experience, but only if you are already aware of the dangers of hidden gluten and cross contamination. I have visited this location twice with no gluten attacks afterward, so I am willing to deem it a safe option. It is a great place to eat if you have a lot of people in your party who like to have a wide variety of options. My group of carnivores loves it because they can get as much meat as they want and there's frozen yogurt. Hope you get a chance to try YC's in your area! Love, The GF GF |