the Next EXIT

This is a great book to have for road trips. As you are traveling on the Interstate highways, you can look ahead and see what restaurants and services are listed for each exit. McDonald’s aren’t hard to find at any random intersection, but Chik-fil-a, Outback, and P.F. Chang’s may be a little more difficult to find without this book. The book also lists gas, lodging, grocery and retail stores, rest areas, etc. and which side of the highway you will find them.

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Triumph Dining Restaurant Guide

This book lists, by state, restaurants, bakeries and cafes that offer something gluten free to eat. It also has a list of gluten-free menu items from national chain restaurants. I found it very helpful when trying out eateries that I hadn’t been to before. I have the second edition, but have realized that I really need to get the current, fourth edition that I’m sure has a lot of updates in it.

So, start with the Next EXIT to see which restaurants will be at the intersection where you want to stop. Then, look in the Triumph Dining Restaurant Guide to see if it has menu information on the restaurants. Then you’ll know exactly where and when to stop to find gluten-free meals for everyone in the family. No need to worry about battery life or Internet connection. Just look through the books to find what you need.

Notable Links:

• Check out the page Eating Out for links to restaurants which provide information on their websites about eating gluten free in their establishments.
• Triumph Dining also has dining cards in various foreign languages (perfect for authentic ethnic restaurants) and a grocery guide for helping you find gluten-free food at the grocery stores.

Monday – Hamburgers
Labor Day seems like the perfect day to cook burgers on the grill. We’ll serve them with French fries and Brussels sprouts.

Tuesday – Parmesan Chicken Nuggets
Chicken nuggets served with steamed carrots. I’ll get the kids to help me make fruit kabobs, too.

Wednesday – Hot dogs and Macaroni & Cheese
My kids are not big fans of Mac & Cheese. But, I’m hoping to encourage their interest, by letting them help me make it. We’ll make the Mac & Cheese earlier in the day. Then I’ll just need to heat it up quickly with some hot dogs after soccer practice.

Thursday – Chick-fil-a
We’ll be out, so we’ll be stopping somewhere for dinner. Chick-fil-a is the kids’ choice. Grilled chicken fillets, waffle fries and fruit cups for the kids, and salads for the adults. If you need a fast food meal this week, check out Chick-fil-a’s gluten-free menu.

Friday – Leftover Chicken Nuggets
Serving leftover chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes and peas.

Saturday – Leftover Mac & Cheese
We’ll heat up some hot dogs to go with the Mac & Cheese again. Serving with steamed broccoli.

Sunday – McDonald’s
Finishing up the week with a trip to McDonald’s for Happy Meals. We order hamburgers with no buns, and haven’t had a problem — except when we forget to ask for forks and knives.

Need more menu ideas?

Manda at Asparagus Thin is hosting Gluten-Free Menu Swap this week with the theme ingredient of tapioca/manioc/cassava/yucca. The only time I really use tapioca is in a mix of gluten-free flours. I use tapioca flour in my recipe for King Cake. Now I know we’re not even close to Mardi Gras, but this makes a nice breakfast pastry, too.

As always, there are hundreds more menu plans (not necessarily gluten-free) at OrgJunkie.com. Or, check out some of my past menu plans.

I tried to fix meals that are naturally gluten-free. I also tried to keep meals simple enough to satisfy the kids‘ taste buds. And some days, we went sightseeing with them and got back late, so we needed meals that were quick to fix. I didn’t cook and bake as much as I wanted to for them. The kids probably wouldn’t appreciate more elaborate meals anyway. Instead, I spent more time catching up with family I don’t get to see very often.

Breakfast Items

• Cereal – We had a lot of varieties on hand: Koala Crisp, Panda Puffs, Honey Nut Chex, Rice Chex, Cinnamon Chex, Brown Rice Crisps, Brown Rice Crisps with Berries, Cocoa Pebbles, Fruity Pebbles.
• Waffles
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
• Yogurt
• Fruit – blueberries seemed to be the favorite, but we also had bananas, strawberries, cherries, and apples.

Lunch

• Sandwiches – My cousin bought regular bread for sandwiches, so we had to be careful about cross-contamination. My cousin used a clean spoon to scoop out the peanut butter and jelly to avoid getting bread crumbs in the jars. (Thanks for understanding, Lorie!) And, plates, utensils and preparation area were cleaned thoroughly. For more gluten-free sandwich ideas, check out my post on alternatives for bread.
• Cheese slices
• Pepperoni and bologna
• Hot dogs
• Crackers
• Fruit
• Chips: corn chips, tortilla chips, potato chips

Snacks & Desserts

• Fruit Snacks
• Pirate’s Booty
• Popcorn
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
• Ice pops
• Ice cream
• Brownies: The Gluten-Free Pantry Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix made it quick and easy to get a dessert on the table.
• Cookies – I made a new recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies that I’ll tell you about later. My cousin also brought some gluten-free cookies with her to share with us: Glutino Chocolate Wafers and Raisin and Spice quinoa cookies by Adean Dream.
  

Dinners

Monday – Boston Market
Yep, we cheated the first evening and picked up food at Boston Market on the way home from afternoon activities. Boston Market is a great place to find gluten-free meals. We ordered a chicken family meal with mashed potatoes, corn, and steamed vegetables. I also got an additional rotisserie chicken to make sure we had enough. (For a limited time, it’s only $1.99 to add on to your order!)  It’s always great to have extra chicken to use in other meals later in the week, too. Check out their menu with gluten content indicated. If you don’t have a Boston Market located near you, check out some of these other restaurants with gluten-free menus.

Tuesday – Flank Steak
Flank steak marinated in a gluten-free soy sauce with ginger, garlic, and molasses was grilled and then thinly sliced. We served it with a tossed salad, corn-on-the-cob, and steak-cut french fries.

Wednesday – Chicken Tacos
Another day out sightseeing, so I put chicken in the slow-cooker in the morning and had Mexican chicken ready when we got home. We quickly heated corn tortillas and crispy shells to serve with chopped lettuce, tomato, onion, black olives, black beans, and shredded cheese.

Thursday – Bonefish Grill
Our family visitors generously offered to take us out for dinner. We talked about local restaurants that have gluten-free menus and they decided to try Bonefish Grill, since it was new to them. It’s my son’s favorite restaurant. The only GF item on the kids’ menu is grilled chicken, so that’s what he gets, along with steamed vegetables with no seasoning. He cleans his plate every time, which is saying a lot for my skinny little Celiac. My husband and I always start dinner with the Saucy Shrimp appetizer. For dinner, I had the Ahi Tuna with mango salsa served with jasmine rice and steamed vegetables (no seasoning). It was so good! Another favorite of mine on their gluten-free menu is Lily’s chicken (topped with spinach, artichoke and goat cheese) with garlic mashed potatoes.

Friday – Southwestern Chicken Salad
After eating so much at Thursday’s dinner at Bonefish, I was ready for a lighter meal. So, we used leftovers from Wednesday’s meal to build our own salads. The kids didn’t exactly eat salads, but they ate some of the ingredients separately. We also had some hot dogs to heat up for the kids. Hot dogs with cheese in a corn tortilla always works well.

Saturday – Hamburgers
I was told this was a favorite of my cousin’s daughter, so we decided to have hamburgers one night. I was a little concerned about serving gluten-free buns to those used to eating the glutenous ones, but it wasn’t a problem. The youngest kids didn’t want buns, one wanted bread instead of a bun, and the adults enjoyed our favorite GF rolls: Against the Grain. I made a red potato and green bean salad for the adults, and served steamed green beans and French fries for the kids. OK, the adults ate the fries, too.

Sunday – Leftovers
We had a great time with family, but their vacation time was over. With our guests gone, we tried to finish up the leftovers in the refrigerator.

Need more menu ideas?

For more Gluten-Free Menus, visit this week’s Gluten-Free Menu Swap, hosted by Manda at Aspargus Thin. Her theme this week is grapes. This weekend I made a very tasty Chicken Salad using grapes and leftover chicken from Boston Market.  Thanks to Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness for continuing to organize the Gluten-Free Menu Swap.

As always, there are hundreds more menu plans (not necessarily gluten-free) at OrgJunkie.com.

Monday – Hamburgers
Hotdogs and hamburgers prepared by my uncles. I’ll be bringing our own gluten-free buns (Against the Grain Rolls) to this meal. I’ll have to check the sides when I get there.

Tuesday – Lemon Chicken
The caterers are preparing lemon chicken with garlic, thyme, and white wine sauce. We’ll pass on the Greek pasta salad and rolls, and have a tossed green salad instead.

Wednesday – Lasagne substitute
The caterers said they will prepare a substitute meal for the night they are planning to serve lasagne. Can’t wait to talk to them to see what this will be.

Thursday – BBQ Pulled Pork
Caterers are serving BBQ pulled pork with potato salad and coleslaw. It should be gluten-free, but I’ll check the ingredients to make sure it’s safe. Here’s my recipe for slow-cooked pulled pork.

Friday – Fast Food
Not sure what’s on the menu because it’s our last day of our family reunion. We’ll probably be traveling and have to stop at a restaurant. Chick-fil-A is always one of our favorites while traveling: It’s fast and easy, it has a play area for the kids to stretch their legs and use up some energy, and it has gluten-free options for us.

Saturday – ?????
We’ll probably eat at my parent’s house, in which case I may have to request chicken enchiladas with salsa verde. Or, if we’re short on time, I’d love to try the gluten-free pizza at Godfather’s Pizza. Check out Mike’s review of the gf pizza at his website Switch2GlutenFree.com.

Sunday – Fast Food or Leftovers
More traveling, so maybe more fast food. After a couple days of fast food, it will probably have to be a salad for me. Or, if I’m lucky, it will be leftovers from my parent’s house.

Need more menu ideas?
For more gluten-free meals and recipes check out the GF Menu Swap, hosted this week by Angela at Angela’s Kitchen. Her theme ingredient for the week is cabbage.

You’ll find hundreds of more meals and recipes (not necessarily gluten-free) listed at OrgJunkie.com’s Menu Plan Monday.

I first discovered DSS more than three years ago while I was looking for a gluten-free play dough. My son was 2 at the time and was always putting things in his mouth. I didn’t want any play dough with gluten getting into his mouth, so I made my own at home.  But I still wanted to see if I could find some pre-made. DSS was carrying the only commercially available gluten-free play dough I could find: Colorations Wheat & Gluten-Free Dough. It comes in a large plastic bucket that contains eight different colors of gluten-free play dough inside.

It was perfect for when my son started preschool. I gave the whole bucket to the teacher to keep in the classroom so they could use it whenever needed. The texture of the dough is a little different from other gluten-containing doughs. It’s smoother and not as squishy or grainy. My son’s teacher actually preferred it because it smells better. The bucket of Colorations play dough lasted about a year before it started to dry out and get too tough to work with. I make my own play dough at home at least once a year, but it’s nice to have the option to buy it. I also bought some of the play dough tools, including these
Dough Presses at DSS for my kids to take to preschool. That way I don’t have to worry about cross-contamination by sharing tools with others at school. My daughter has some for her class, my son has some for his class, and we keep some at home, too.

In addition to play dough, DSS has a lot of arts and crafts supplies that are labeled for gluten/wheat allergies as well as other allergies. The content of Gluten/Wheat, Dairy/Casein, Latex, Egg, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Soy is indicated on paint, ink, glue, and other craft products. Over 200 items are in the Common-Allergen-Free Products category at Discount School Supply. And, now they have a new line of items for helping kids with other Special Needs, too.

I’ve really found DSS to be a great source for arts & crafts and school supplies at very reasonable prices. I usually make one or two large orders every year to take advantage of their free shipping offer. And, this week they are offering Free Delivery on in-stock orders over $49! It’s a great time to check them out, and get ready for summer.

Related Celiac Family articles: Elmer’s Glue & Gak Recipe, Gluten-Free Play Dough Recipe

I found a great recipe at Bonefish Grill’s website for Saucy Shrimp and Scallops. I was trying to recreate their recipe for their Saucy Shrimp appetizer that we love to order at the restaurant. It didn’t turn out exactly like the appetizer I have at the Bonefish Grill, but it was close (and very good!). After comparing the recipe I made with the dish at the restaurant, I noticed these differences: The restaurant uses lime juice, not lemon like the recipe states; and the Sun Dried Tomatoes the restaurant used had a much sweeter taste than the ones I got at the grocery store. Other than that, I’d say it was pretty much the same. My husband and I gobbled it up at home just as fast as we do at the restaurant. And, if my kids don’t want to eat it…well, more for me and my husband.

If you’re needing a quick meal, whether it’s lunch or dinner, why not make a plate of nachos? “Appetizer” or “bar food” you say. Yes, they are. But they’re also filling and you can make them to be as nutritious or as fattening as you like.  Choose your favorite ingredients: gluten-free corn chips, leftover taco meat, some refried beans, black beans, shredded cheese, tomatoes, sliced olives, avocado, salsa, sour cream, green onions, etc. A minute in the microwave or 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven, and you’re done. Or, if you’ve got a lot of leftover rice, put the ingredients over rice instead of chips. It may not be Chipotle, but it’s easy, tasty and filling.

And don’t forget the guacamole. It’s pretty quick and easy to make, but really makes a nice finishing touch to an easy meal. Try The W.H.O.L.E. Gang’s 5-Minute Guacamole.

Or, if you want it even easier try Frontera’s Guacamole Mix. I found it at Wegmans but you can also purchase it online at Amazon. After reading the ingredients — “fresh tomatillos, fresh tomatoes, green chiles, fresh onions, fresh cilantro, fresh garlic, citric acid, salt, pure can sugar” — I had to give it a try. I was a little skeptical about all the “fresh” ingredients listed (I mean how fresh can it be if it’s in a jar?), but I couldn’t resist.

I think it took 2 minutes to remove the seeds, peel, and mash the avocados (3 or 4) with the entire jar of guacamole mix. And, wow! It wasn’t just good, it really did taste fresh. So, if you’re in a pinch for time, you might want to give it a try. Wouldn’t it be great for a Mexican Fiesta party? One side dish or appetizer you could have done in minutes before the party crowd shows up.

For more avocado recipes, check out The W.H.O.L.E. Gang’s Friday Foodie Fix – secret ingredient avocados!

I hope everyone had a great Easter. We’ve been spending a lot of quality time with the family and doing a lot of cooking, too. Today my fridge is already full of leftovers, so we’ll be trying to use them up this week. It will be a nice break from all the cooking.

Cheryl at Gluten Free Goodness is temporarily organizing the Gluten Free Menu Swap and is hosting it this week, too. Sorry I don’t have the theme ingredient of the week, flax seeds, in any of my recipes. I’ve never cooked or baked with flax seeds, so I’m anxious to see what everyone else is doing with that ingredient this week.

Monday – Leftover Buffet
Everything comes out of the fridge, and everyone gets to choose what they want. I think I’ll be having the last of the gumbo.

Tuesday – Chicken Divan
A chicken and broccoli casserole served over leftover rice.

Wednesday – Chicken Wraps
Leftover chicken and salad chopped thinly and wrapped inside rice paper/wrappers. I think I’ll try Emeril’s Honey and Mustard dipping sauce to go with it, too. Served with leftover red potato and green bean salad.

Thursday – Broiled Tilapia with a Parmesan Sauce
Served with broccoli and rice.

Friday – Pizza
Haven’t decided yet if it’s going to be homemade pizza, or a trip to zpizza, or maybe Uno’s for their new gluten-free crust.

Saturday – Leftovers
One more day of a leftover buffet. I think it will be nachos or quesadillas for me with leftover taco meat.

Sunday – Meatballs
Trying a new recipe for Porcupine Meatballs posted by Angela at The Nuts Blog. Serving with french fries and fruit salad.

Looks like an easy week of cooking for me.

My husband and I enjoy many more choices on the gluten-free menu. We always start out the meal with the Saucy Shrimp to share. I was pleasantly surprised when I found that they had the recipe for Saucy Shrimp and Scallops on their website! So, I decided to try it. And, even though I had to make a few substitutions, it was fabulous! I highly recommend you try it yourself.

Saucy Shrimp and Scallops

Ingredients:

2 oz. Butter
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 ea. green onion [I recommend sliced.]
10 ea. Kalamata olives, 1/2 pieces
1 tbsp. sundried tomatoes, julienne
3 oz. shrimp (small count)
3 oz. bay scallops
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup clam broth
3 tbsp. Feta cheese, crumbles
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
For service: crusty bread, as needed [Use gluten-free, of course!]

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a saute pan. Add garlic and green onions and saute until the aroma fills the air.
2. Add Kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes — cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add shrimp and scallops, salt & pepper and saute until firm — do not overcook.
4. Add lemon juice, clam juice and feta cheese — bring to a simmer.
5. Pour into heated serving dish.
6. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
7. Serve with crusty bread.

Additional Notes:

• I didn’t have scallops, so I made the recipe with just the shrimp I had in the freezer. The appetizer at Bonefish doesn’t have scallops, either.
• I also didn’t have clam broth, so I used clam juice instead.
• You might also want to try using lime juice instead of lemon, quartering the kalamata olives, and adding extra feta at the end with the parsley.
• So here’s where you can find the recipe for Saucy Shrimp and Scallops on their website, but I suggest checking out the other recipes they have online, too. What better way to ensure that your meal is gluten-free, than by making it yourself!

Yes, you can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with beer!

The most widely distributed gluten-free beer in the United States is Redbridge. It’s only been on the market for a couple years. It is made from sorghum and is distributed by Anheuser-Busch. It is a good-tasting beer that we keep stocked in our house. The Redbridge website has a great search function for finding where you can purchase their beer, both in stores and restaurants.

Another good gluten-free beer is New Grist made by Lakefront Brewery, a microbrewery located in Milwaukee, WI. I think this was the first gluten-free beer we ever tried. The New Grist website says it’s “the first beer brewed without malted barley or any gluten-containing products to be recognized as beer by the U.S. Government.” It is made from sorghum and rice. This is another beer we keep stocked at our house.

Bard’s Beer (or Bard’s Tale) was also one of the first gluten-free beers we found. An American lager made from malted sorghum, it is a darker beer than New Grist and really tastes great. Unfortunately, it’s not available in our state yet. It is, however, available in many states — well worth the search on their website.

Green’s Gluten-Free Beers are brewed in England using sorghum, millet, buckwheat and brown rice. Their beers are not only gluten-free, but also free of many allergens. Green’s beers do not contain eggs, soy, peanuts and other nuts, fish, shellfish, milk and lactose, celery, mustard, sesame seed, sulphur dioxide and sulphites. (I don’t know how common it is to see these allergens in beer, but I’ve listed them anyway for our friends with numerous allergies.) Green’s distributes three styles of beer in the United States: Quest, a light-bodied blond beer; Discovery, a medium-bodied amber; and Endeavor, a dark beer. I was very impressed with both the Quest and Discovery beers. I have yet to try the Endeavor. I recently found these beers at our local Whole Foods Market, but was told that availability varies. To find them for yourself, check out their North American distributor’s website.

Check out these other websites for more information on gluten-free beer:

Barley-Free Gluten-Free Beer for Celiacs from Lakefront Brewery [informative article about Lakefront Brewery and review of New Grist] by Carolyn Smagalski and BellaOnline.com
Celiacs Guide to Gluten-Free Beer [includes information on a variety of gluten-free beers] by Carolyn Smagalski and BellaOnline.com
Gluten-Free Beer Festival [Click on "Available Beers" for tasting notes on a variety of gluten-free beers brewed in the US and other countries.]
Gluten-Free Passport [a good list, with website links, of gluten-free beers distributed in countries around the world]
Redbridge gluten-free beer [a well-written review of Redbridge beer] by Mike Pomranz and Slashfood.com