JPs bakery

Here's what I want to say about JPs gluten free pastries/bakery: If you have a chance, GO. Your waistline may not thank you, but your taste buds will.

This little bakery is tucked into a storefront in Benson, North Carolina. I travel to the Raleigh/Durham area for work frequently, and I have never been able to make it into the store before they close, since it's about an hour's drive from where I'm working.

HOWEVER I had a few free hours Friday afternoon, so I hopped into the car with enthusiasm and gleefully took a small road trip.

I went slightly nuts, trying to grab a little of everything.

I loved the fact that they had blondie and cheesecake samplers, so I didn't have to choose flavors. Solid option, there.

After taking a little bite of everything, I have to say I'm pretty impressed.

The pumpkin bread was a little crumbly and the cupcakes were good but nothing special, but the blondies and cheesecake were fantastic. The cinnamon roll was perfection, with a good frosting ratio. I wish I would have bought more of them.

(I have seen pictures of cream cheese danishes on their instagram page, and was looking forward to sampling those, but I didn't see them in the store.)

The real star of the show, though, was those Hawaiian rolls.

Oh, my word. I don't know what kind of magic is involved in baking those little rolls, but they are out of this world.

I had to freeze them to keep myself from devouring the entire package at once.

So, overall if you're looking for a gluten free treat that's completely worth an hour's drive, check out JP's.

grillin' and chillen

I want to talk about how I received a fantastic housewarming gift.

Since I no longer live with a man who does all the grilling, I figured it was time to learn for myself.

(Because kabobs in the oven are certainly doable, but just don't have that same pizazz.)

I wanted a charcoal grill, because I feel like a gas grill is not much more than turning on the stove.

One of my favorite people decided to do some research and got me a grill.

This Gas2Coal grill is the best of both worlds. As a grilling newbie, I really appreciate how easy it is to light the coals, and how easy it is to convert between gas and coal use.

It even has a side burner that I've used to cook broccoli and brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet while the meat grills. The best part is I don't heat up the house, and there's something so satisfying about learning how to use a new tool.

Basically, I'm so damn excited to grill ALL THE THINGS!

why, margaritas?

I made a rookie mistake this afternoon. I was at a party and neglected to ask the hostess about every single item that went in my mouth.

The unlikely culprit? A margarita. It is cinco de mayo, after all. I had just finished my first one when my belly started to feel little weird. I didn't suspect gluten and figured it was because I've been eating a lot of junk food lately (plus I had just consumed a margarita at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.) Figured I'd drink some water and visit the vegetable tray instead of the nacho bar and I'd be fine.

What could be bad about the refreshing combination of limes and tequila on a beautiful sunny afternoon? Well, nothing.

Except when the hostess's secret ingredient is a little bit of Corona. I happened to notice she was making another batch and boom, she nonchalantly popped the bottles open and they happily glugged their way into the pitcher.

My stomach turned again and a feeling of dread washed over me. I didn't even taste or smell the beer when I drank it. Shit.

I knew I had to act fast. Some glutenings are more severe than others, but no glutening ends up good.

I usually have some activated charcoal* capsules in my purse, but this time I didn't have any with me. I practically ran out of the party and fortunately it was only a few minutes from my house.

I took the meds as soon as I could and started pushing water and drinking ginger tea.

Overall, I was able to avoid the worst symptoms, but even the best-managed glutening is not fun.

Really bummed that I had to cancel my plans for the evening. I'd been looking forward to them all week. It's been so long since I've had to cancel plans for a tummy-related issue. I'm so MAD at myself for being careless.

Constant vigilance!

*Now, we know that once gluten is consumed there's nothing you can do; there's no reversal of the gluten hitting your system. You're gluten-screwed.

Although lots of claims have been made, I have not seen any studies that test the ability of charcoal to adsorb gluten.
I take it just in case it does. Maybe future studies will prove this? Plus I have found that it does help with the symptoms of being glutened.
(Keep in mind that if you take any other medications within 2 hours of the charcoal (pepto, immodium, zofran, etc), they will not be as effective.)

Chipotle

Sometimes you make dinner plans. Then sometimes when you're on the way to the restaurant, burritos pop into your cute friend's brain and the next thing you know, you're headed to a different restaurant.

Restaurant spontaneity can be scary if you have celiac disease. The unknown! Quick, do a google search! Typically scenarios like that end up with a sad, overpriced salad in exchange for good company, which is not terrible because at least I don't get sick.

However this time, the new route led us to Chipotle. Thankfully, they've got an easy, mobile-friendly allergen menu, which I was able to quickly pull up on my phone and order WITHOUT holding up the line. Sweet.

So I happily enjoyed my bowl (with guac, duh), and suffered no ill-effects from the spontaneous restaurant choice. Gotta love that.

True Food Kitchen, Austin

You know how I keep mentioning how awesome Austin is for gluten free noms?

Well I've got another one for ya. True Food Kitchen.

In addition to the fantastic weather on the patio and custom mimosas, the menu was very clearly marked with several gluten free options. Which always makes my little heart sing, mimosas or not.

I had the inside out quinoa burger with a side of kale salad, planning to eat half and take the rest home for late-night post-bar noms.

Yeah, that didn't happen. The darn thing was SO GOOD. I kept eating and the next thing I knew, I was staring at quinoa crumbs.

No regrets.

Wildwood Bakehouse

My recent travel adventures have taken me to Austin, which is about the gluten-friendliest place I've ever been. Not only do waiters know what you're talking about when you say the words, "gluten free," but there are several restaurants that are ENTIRELY gluten free.

Like Wildwood Bakehouse, a cute little COMPLETELY GLUTEN FREE restaurant with an impressive menu.

I was particularly thrilled to see plain old chicken tenders on the menu, because I haven't had anything breaded and fried in years! Which is probably a good thing.

My pretty sister, who suggested the place, ordered a pasta dish (which I got to TRY) and it was good. My breaded and fried chicken tenders with fries were crispy and tasty and excellent.

Of course, when I find a gluten free bakery, I get some desserts to go.

I wish I could say that I froze them or shared them, but I ate them all. No regrets.

gluten free musings

It's always been hard to safely eat at restaurants. But lately, I think it's gotten harder.

I think it's due to the whole "gluten free" movement and many restaurants now offer "gluten-friendly" dishes with a big fat disclaimer about how you should only eat them if you're gluten intolerant and they're not meant for those with Celiac disease.

Gee, thanks.

Eating gluten free has become a fad. In the past, you'd utter the word gluten and no one knew what you were talking about. Now, everyone knows that word, but few fully understand what it means.

Many restaurants now offer a gluten free menu but take zero precautions to avoid cross contamination in the kitchen.

I can't tell you how many times I've been excited to see "gluten free" on a menu and gotten sick because of that.

As a result, I'm skeptical of all gluten free claims. Yes, gluten free is everywhere but it's frequently not safe for celiacs.

For now, I'm avoiding all restaurants unless it's a 100% gluten free kitchen, because I'm tired of getting sick after ordering off of the "gluten free" menu.

Even if they say they take measures to prevent contamination, you never really know what goes on in the kitchen. All it takes is one tiny mistake to contaminate something.

It's not worth it.

Just another wave in Celiac adventures!

Last week's meals, travel edition

Traveling can be hard when you gotta watch what you eat so you don't get violently ill. Here is a little bit from the travel chronicles...

This time, I left the house with a snack size baggie of Snyder's GF pretzels, single serve peanut butter, and a granola bar. (The small container in the picture contains multi-vitamins and fish oil capsules.)

When I land, I always head to the grocery store, especially if the hotel doesn't have a complimentary happy hour. (That hotel was booked full so I was forced to book another.)
This is what I got:

[wine, chocolate, yogurt, fruit, rx bars, and a bar* my brother recommended.]

[I try to grab something breakfast-friendly if I'm not familiar with my hotel's breakfast style... sometimes they have nothing but gluten, but sometimes there are (naturally) GF options]

Breakfast- The hotel had a few breakfast options: I had a hard boiled egg with some fruit and yogurt.

Snacks- An Rx bar, granola bar, or an apple from hotel breakfast

Lunch-

-Monday: Travel day. Snyder's GF pretzels + peanut butter at the gate. I don't get airsick, but the flight was really turbulent and it freaks me out. I generally feel more comfortable if I eat light before a flight.

-Tuesday: Cafeteria salad bar, fruit, and potato chips

-Wednesday: Cafeteria salad bar, fruit, and potato chips (yawn)

-Thursday: Guess what? Cafeteria salad bar, fruit, and potato chips. Literally the only gf options in the cafeteria but I've seen way worse!

-Friday: Travel day. My flight was super early so I ate an Rx bar on the shuttle to pick up my car after I landed.

Dinner-

-Monday: Whole Foods hot bar! After a day of traveling it felt so good to dig in to a hot, GF meal and people-watch. [rosemary chicken, broccoli, peas, and mashed sweet potatoes]

-Tuesday: I hesitantly agreed to go to a nearby Italian restaurant with some colleagues, but to my surprise they had GF pasta on the menu! No disclaimer or anything, and the waitress noted that most of the dishes could be made gf. I wanted something on the lighter side, so I opted for the salad of the day and shrimp cocktail.

-Wednesday: I'm getting less shy when asking about gluten free options at restaurants. Lucky 32 had a very knowledgeable staff when I asked. I enjoyed catfish with some 'greens and beans.' Plus half-priced wine.

-Thursday: Was feeling a little eh, probably from eating out so much. I opted to grab a lighter dinner: veggies from Whole Foods, with the fruit and yogurt I bought earlier in the week.

-Friday: Since my flight was early I was actually home for dinner. I was hella tired though, so I thew some frozen chicken nuggets, tator tots, and broccoli on a sheet pan and made myself a cocktail.

Travel meals, last week

Traveling can be so, so hard sometimes. Especially when you gotta watch what you eat so you don't get violently ill. So. Here is a little bit from the travel chronicles...

Breakfast- Hotel had a decent breakfast. I had a hard boiled egg, with some fruit and yogurt.

Lunch-
-Monday: Whole Foods hot bar: Rotisserie chicken, carrots, green beans, broccoli. I ate first, so I wouldn't buy the whole store out of hunger, then purchased a few items:
     Crunchmaster crackers
     Turkey breast lunchmeat
     Fresh fruit
     Yogurt
     Hummus + crackers snack
     Wine and chocolate

-Tuesday: McAlisters Spud Max for the win. Lunch was WAY later than anticipated, and I had a granola bar* in my bag to hold me over but I was STARVING. I originally intended to save half for dinner but I ate the whole thing. No regrets.
-Wednesday: The Lazy Dog in Plano has a gluten sensitive menu in the restaurant (but not online). Despite the disclaimer that nothing can be 100% gluten free, I enjoyed the chicken tortilla soup and wedge salad with no tummy issues.
-Thursday- No travel day is complete without freezing rain and delayed flights. At the gate I had an Rx bar* and apple from the hotel breakfast.

Dinner- Since lunches were eaten late in the afternoon, dinner was light; a few slices of turkey breast with crackers and fruit. Wine and chocolate for post-yoga dessert :o) (I did not consume all of it; I shared the chocolate with colleagues and hotel staff)

*I packed an RX bar and a French Meadow Bakery granola bar. (aka life savers)

Travel meals, last week.

This week's menu was all over the place because of travel.

I don't like to have a big meal before flying, so depending on my flight time I usually fast or eat very light. I always carry a snack in my carryon bag because usually after I get off the plane I'm hungry but I'm also trying to pick up a rental car or navigate somewhere.*

So this week's meals:

Monday- Travel day. Rx bar at the airport, then I headed back home after hours of cancelled flights. womp womp. I ate something that was in the freezer and went to bed early.

Tuesday- Travel day Part 2.
Lunch: Cafeteria salad bar with hummus and potato chips
Dinner: Amy's black bean tamale frozen dinner**

Wednesday-
Lunch: Progresso GF soup and Crunchmaster crackers***
Dinner: Hotel restaurant had some GF options, yay!

Thursday- Oops another snowstorm was predicted so rather than get stranded over the weekend, we changed our flights and got the heck out of town. I grabbed an apple and a small thing of peanut butter from the hotel breakfast to snack on while waiting standby.

*Snacks: It's easy to go overboard and fill your bag with snacks. Typically an Rx bar and a baggie full of Snyder's GF pretzels will be enough.

**Dinner while traveling... sometimes I'll join a colleague for dinner and eat a plain salad just for the company, or if I'm lucky I will find a local GF place and convince them to join me.
Sometimes I'm tired and the local GF scene sucks so I hit up the nearest grocery store and grab something. Recently I discovered the Whole Foods hot bar. Game changer!

[Side note: This trip, after several canceled flights because of a snowstorm, I had woken up at 2am, worked all day, and at the end of the day Target was the nearest store.
Perfect, because I don't have a decent winter jacket... because I never needed one! Layers are necessary when you travel from 65-degree tepid Houston to 10-degree snowy Chicago. Turns out, I arrived hilariously under-prepared wearing a light sweater and ankle pants.
So I got food AND clothes. I love Target.]

***In addition to the frozen dinner and warmer clothes, I picked up some things for lunches: Progresso chicken and rice soup with Crunchmaster crackers. I like these in particular while traveling because the soup doesn't need a can opener, and the cracker bag seals with a ziplock.

Sometimes I plan my travel meals ahead and pack a tupperware container to heat up soup. This trip, there was a cafeteria with a microwave and I borrowed a bowl. So my lunch was warm and cheap and absolutely GF.

GF at Airports

Traveling can be stressful, especially when it comes to finding something that is absolutely gluten free. Being stuck on an airplane is not a good time to find out that you've been glutened.

For those and other turbulence-related reasons, I typically don't like to have a big meal before flying. I usually eat a small snack and carry something light in my carryon bag, like an Rx bar or Snyder's GF pretzels and peanut butter.

But, sometimes you gotta eat, even if it's overpriced airport food. So I've started compiling a rough guide based on my experiences. I usually fly United, so I'm not sure about other terminals but I assume they're all pretty similar within a specific airport.

A brief roundup of GF options at airports I've been to lately:

- IAH (2018) is the airport I visit the most. Terminal C has just been remodeled and is really nice. A lot of pre-packaged gluten free options at the little stores. I've seen little snack boxes, salads, bars, snacks, and I've even found GF sandwiches and cookies.
Some of the restaurants have GF menu options, but I have not tried anything. (I trust the pre-packaged stuff more than the restaurant dishes because of the potential for cross-contamination.)

- ORD (2018) pickings are pretty slim, so I usually try to have something with me. I like to grab an apple + a little thing of peanut butter from the hotel breakfast.

-DFW (2018) has a few stores with pre-packaged items like cheese sticks and chips, but not much else.

- RDU (2017) has a few restaurants that typically have GF options, like 5 Guys, but again I usually stick with a safe snack from one of the stores, or if time permits I'll eat before heading to the airport. Lots of GF stuff in the area.

- MSP (2017) has a French Meadow Bakery which has a really good GF selection. I've eaten there several times with no issues. At the very least I always grab a GF lemon bar for a special treat.

- LAX (2017)... I've only eaten at one place, but it was a really good hummus plate at a restaurant that was right next to my gate. They were happy to sub extra veggies in place of the crackers.

-SAN (2013)- The last time I was there, years ago, I found some of those GoPicnic boxes at a food court kiosk (some are GF, NOT ALL) and was happily satisfied with the assortment of snacks. Hopefully I get to travel to San Diego and update this soon.

menu with coffee spots

This morning started with oversleeping and a visit from the plumber. Sure, Monday.

(S: salmon + roasted veggies  M: BIG salad  T: crock pot beef  W: soup  R: leftovers  F: dinner out  S: still up in the air. sloppy joes sounds good)

I think every week's menu gets altered because life changes justlikethat. But it is nice to have a plan in case things don't go haywire.

After Wednesday I'll be avoiding one side when I chew so I don't disturb a temporary crown. I can't remember which tooth, but when you're trapped in that dentist chair... does that really matter?

Anyway, the whole thing may be scrapped for mashed potatoes and soup. Hey, I adapt.

Spaghetti squash, roasted vs steamed

I came across a different way to prepare spaghetti squash recently.

I've only made spaghetti squash a few times, but I've always taken the "steam with water in microwave" approach because it's quicker.

However I had a bit of time to meal prep today, so I roasted it in the oven.

Here's how you do it:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the guts. (Save the guts)*

One major difference with this approach was that it was harder to cut because it hadn't been softened in the microwave. So I scored the flesh where I wanted to cut and it made it a little easier.

Onto a baking sheet they went, with a little olive oil sprayed on top.

After an hour in the oven (I flipped them halfway), they were done.

A quick summary of the differences:

-Strand length: Definitely longer when cut into rings.
-Texture: About the same using either method, but the squash is "wetter" when steamed.
-Flavor: Steaming makes blander strands, while roasting creates a caramelized, almost sweet flavor.

What method will I use in the future? The differences are subtle so it will depend on how much time I have, and what I'm making.

*I save the guts so I can roast the seeds. To make separating the seeds easier, I loosen them from the guts and put it all in a bowl of water. The seeds float so they're easier to separate. Just skim them off the top of the water.

I roasted these for 20 minutes in the oven on the bottom rack, while the squash roasted on the top rack.

Menu and wintry weather

Yesterday I was useless, but today I got it together enough to write down a menu. Small victories, y'all.

(S: pork stir fry.  M: pork carnitas bowl.  T: quick veggie soup.  W: salmon + roasted veggies  T: leftovers or travel?  F: salad  S: dinner out)

There is a chance of "wintry precipitation" on Tuesday, which is never a good thing in Houston because we are always totally unprepared. Of course I am scheduled to travel across town and also I'm trying to get to Louisiana at some point, so it should be an interesting week.

My plan is to go with the flow. At least I don't have to worry about what to cook for dinner!

Picnik Austin

My boss asked me to go to Austin last-minute for work this week. Of course I said yes.
My sister lives there, and she picked out a great restaurant for dinner. She even ventured into (gasp) NORTH Austin for me.

Picnik has a 100% gluten free kitchen and that pretty much is the best thing ever. The atmosphere was good, the staff was friendly, and the food was tasty. I'd go back.

Pictures:

The brussels sprouts appetizer was in that bowl. It was obviously so terrible that nobody licked the spoon or anything.

I ordered the chicken with a side of GF garlic bread. So. Good.

She got the pepper stuffed with duck (I don't remember the exact name). The cool thing was I got to try her dish, worry-free because IT'S ALL GLUTEN FREE.

Dessert was the blondie ice cream sandwich. I never get to eat stuff like this! Very happy.

Quick chili

I like chili. I think most folks like chili. Some have very strong opinions about chili, but I don't discriminate. I like all the kinds.

You know what else? I like beans in my chili. Yes, I live in Texas and I like beans in my chili. Get over it.

This simple, 6-ingredient basic chili is kind of my favorite.

Sautee in a pot: Chopped onion, a couple slices of chopped bacon, and some ground beef. I like frozen beef patties because they're already portioned out in small servings and they thaw quickly.

Halfway through cooking the meat, add in half a package of McCormick GF Chili seasoning. Making your own seasoning blend is great, and sometimes I mix some up to have on hand. But if run out, I like this kind.

When the meat is cooked, stir in a can (15 oz) of diced tomatoes and a can of kidney beans. Rinse the cans with a little water and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the consistency is right.

Feel free to add in things. Like leftover or sad vegetables. Or pumpkin puree. Or jalapenos.

One-pan salmon and roasted veggies

One-pan meals are my favorite. No cleanup on a Monday night? Yes, please.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
     (Take a sip of pre-dinner wine.)
Cover a sheet pan in tin foil for that easy cleanup, and spray with olive oil.
Put the food on the pan. Tonight was chopped brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes**, and previously frozen salmon.
     (Sip, sip.)
Season the salmon. (Trader Joe's 21-seasoning blend, olive oil), then put salt and pepper on everything.
     (When I sip, you sip, we sip.)

Stick the pan in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the salmon is at least 145 degrees when you stick the thermometer in it. Honestly it depends on how still-frozen the salmon was when you put it in the oven.

Just like that, dinner is served. And photographed with crappy lighting.

Bonus: I had a late lunch so wasn't very hungry. Leftovers went atop salad greens with a scoop of avocado for lunch tomorrow.

** I had some leftover roasted sweet potatoes in the fridge so they got double-roasted. They were really good. Kinda crispy and chewy which sounds bad but I kinda dug it.

taco bowls and realism

Let's begin with a dose of realism. Oh, happy gluten free new year!

This is my weekly menu, on the kitchen counter, half-finished, next to some crumpled up Target bags.

(S: Taco Salad / M: Salmon and roasted veggies / T: Chili / W: Chili leftovers... Thursday-Saturday will most likely be something in the crock pot)

Here's how I ate tonight's taco salad, next to miscellaneous items on the kitchen table.

Now, this taco salad, however hastily photographed, was really delicious.

Essentially it's ground beef sauteed with  a chopped garlic clove and taco seasoning, atop mixed greens. Plus some cauliflower mexican rice and avocado slices.

Attempting to cut back on carbs, as part of a mini-detox after consuming nothing but alcohol and cake since Thanksgiving. I have to say there was enough going on in the taco bowl that I did not miss the taco shells... this time.