It's Girl Scout cookie time....

Its that time of year again...when the gluten intolerant cannot enjoy the delicious Girl Scout cookies that are are every Dillons and Walmart entryway...Until this year that is....

Girl Scouts have rolled out two new gluten free cookie lines this year, Trios and Toffee-Tastic. The Trios cookie is a peanut butter oatmeal cookie and Toffee-Tastic is a butter cookie with small toffee bits. I have to say that I was not a fan of the Trios (sorry Girl Scouts), they seemed almost stale to me and are very small, bite size. Toffee-Tastic were my favorite, the rich butter cookie almost melts in your mouth. I have to admit that the Toffee-Tastic I had to order from a seller on Amazon. I was told by a local troop that they each only received two cases of the GF options, not knowing how they would sell, so I could not find Toffee-Tastic locally. You can order them online through the Girl Scouts, but you have to order a whole case (which is a strong possibility since I enjoyed them so much).

Thank you Girl Scouts for including us Celiac friends in your cookie lineup! It's much appreciated

Nabisco Gluten Free Crackers

It's a good sign when companies like Nabisco start making gluten free items. Found these at Target and they are WONDERFUL! Several flavors to choose from. I think by far the best even though I haven't found many white cheddar crackers out there that are GF. Flavor not too overwhelming and crackers are not grainy. Give them a try! Believe I paid about $2.00 for this box, which is also a lot cheaper than several others I have seen.

Aldi's is catching on....

In the past few months, Aldi's here in Wichita has been having some special buys that include gluten free items such as baking mix and frozen gluten free pancakes. The baking mix was about half the price as the Bisquick brand that I usually purchase, so obviously I stoked up quite well on this product before they took it away. It was really good, couldn't tell the difference between the Aldi and the Bisquick brands, same texture, consistency, and look. The GF pancakes were good as well, they come three in a pack and there are four packs to a box for about 2.00. They were good, but the actual pancakes were quite small. One person could easily eat two packages for breakfast. So check your local Aldi once in a while and they products come and go as they get them  in as special buys. It will save you a lot of money.

Tyson gluten free chicken nuggets

Update June 2 

Found them at Target!! I'll let you know what I think!

Tyson now makes gluten free frozen chicken nuggets and chicken strips!! If anyone out there knows where to buy them locally let me know! I can't wait!

A Gluten Free Traveler

So I have to say...this girl was a little nervous about traveling in a while since being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I am going to be out of my comfort zone of knowing where I can eat, where I can't , blah blah blah. My routine is thrown officially off of the norm to continue my lively gluten free adventures. The day came when I traveled for my job since being diagnosed. Thoughts racing through my head...betting everything I have that I will accidentally eat something that is contaminated and become ill and endure the airplane ride with a gluten filled stomach.

I ate at a WONDERFUL, must I say again WONDERFUL restaurant called Fogo de Chao in Indianapolis http://www.fogodechao.com/ Brazilian Steakhouse. After sitting down, I interviewed the waiter with great determination expecting a blank stare back at me. To my surprise, the waiter stated that everything on the menu was gluten free with the exception of just about three things. I jaw dropped open...and then the moment came..."Miss, the rolls that I just served to the table are actually gluten free, made from fava flour." Thud.....I think my jaw hit the floor hard at this point. I have never eaten so much in my entire life, as steak after steak was brought out in small helpings. Protein overload is what my body experienced.

For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about and for those of you that do can relate, it has been almost ten years since I have gone out to eat and have bread with my dinner. I actually felt like a norm.

Fogo de Chao is a chain with several locations across the country, even one here locally in Kansas City. I say it is a must for anyone with Celiac Disease.

On the trip back, we had a quick layover in Denver and as I was sprinting through the Denver airport out of the corner of my eye amongst all the other over priced airport cafes and restaurants  I see "Udi's Grill and Cafe". After coming to a dead stop, probably causing the people who were walking right behind me to curse at me, I took a quick left and was like a mosquito to light. I had a few GF chocolate chip cookies to tie my hunger over until my plane landed in Wichita. Again for those of you that don't know, Udi's makes in my opinion the best GF products in the market today. I  forgot Udi's was based out of Denver.

So bring on Indianapolis and Denver any day, I am ready for a new gluten free adventure...

Bj's Brewhouse-Wichita location

So excited that Bj's came to Wichita! Good news for my fellow GF friends. I ate at one of these in Norman, OK when traveling to Dallas. Such a great GF menu. http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/sites/default/files/GlutenAllrgnMenu0811_Brnch_R3.pdf
Pizza, soup, and dessert are even on the menu for us :) The Pazooki is to die for, a large warm GF cookie topped with ice cream....um yeah...not too many places that we can go and find that one on the menu.

Picasso's Pizzeria-Any takers?

I am still waiting on a chance to go try Picasso's down in Delano. I have gone down there one time to give it a try and of course, with my luck, all the ovens were broken so they had the whole place shut down for the afternoon. Yes, this IS my kind of luck....I think I was born with it..ho hum.
Anyways, if anyone has been here. let me know what you thought and if you had the gf option or not? I heard there sandwiches are pretty good as well.