My child with autism and I both have some food sensitivities. We discovered how food can cause autoimmune reactions through our son's biochemical intervention. About a year of our son going gluten and dairy free, I found it necessary to do the same for myself. We have also discovered a need to largely avoid soy and corn as well.
Hubby and I had the rare opportunity of going out on two dates last week. Often we don't have a lot of time when we have a chance to go out alone, so we usually choose to grab a bite to eat. We have grown to really love eating out. Now that we can no longer order pizza on Friday nights or Chinese take out on the weekends, it is almost a necessity to get out and get a meal together once in awhile. I thought I would share about the meals I had while eating out last week.
Last Tuesday my teacher husband had the day off of school, kind of. He still went in to do a small amount of work, leaving time for us to do something while our son was still in school. We decided to go to Jason's Deli. (It is located outside the University Mall in the parking lot, for you locals.) They carry gluten-free bread! Although not completely corn free, corn is not the main ingredient, and I seemed to handle it fine. I ordered a turkey breast build-your-own sandwich with mustard, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Instead of the chips, I subbed in some fresh fruit. What a great lunch. Hubby ordered one of the specials that looked really yummy. My meal was awesome, but I think next time I go I will try to order a special, too, but with my own brand of 'specialness.' Specialness= subbing bread for gluten free, no cheese, subbing or leaving off sides, etc. It is so nice to have a place close where I can get a sandwich and I don't have to say "no bun please." I happen to like the bun!
On Saturday night we had another opportunity to do something, so we went out to Winger's in Orem. We had a little coupon, and I heard that they had gluten free options, so we decided to give it a try. The tricky part ended up being dairy and corn, plus the "gluten free menu" was simply a list of everything, no descriptions, and it labeled everything "GF" or "Not GF." I took my time ordering so I could sort everything out between the two menus and ask questions so I could get it right. I had a delicious meal there, and this is what I had: Blackened Chicken Tacos, no tortillas, no cheese, no dressing, subbing seasoning-less steak fries for tortilla chips and salsa. I suppose that the rice option would have made more sense as a side, but I had to have the fries for some reason. My tacos ended up being lettuce, black beans, pico de gallo, and seasoned chicken strips on top. The chicken was seasoned so nicely, it really made the meal. The steak fries were good... I had ketchup with it that was loaded with high fructose corn syrup... (a 'no, no' that tastes really weird to me, but I went sparingly on it. I wonder if it is possible to get packets of 'real sugar' ketchup. I would shamelessly keep some of those in my car for such occasions.)
So that is my rambling story of eating out last week. Two good experiences at two different places, all in one week. Who would have thought it possible? :)
3 comments:
That's awesome! I didn't know that Jason's Deli had gluten-free bread. It makes me really happy that restaurants and companies are starting to figure it out. Gluten-free's not so weird anymore; it's more the allergies.
I love being able to eat out. I had homemade gf noodles at a restaurant in ABQ,NM with a red sauce. The sauce wasn't just tomatoes so it wasn't very acidic.
Lets just say it was so nice to my tummy and the noodles were amazingly soft!
It is totally hard to avoid all allergens when eating out. I find corn especially difficult. Although Jason's Deli GF bread does not seem to bother me, I know that if I ate it too often, it would because of the corn. Same with the "regular" high fructose corn syrup ketchup. My fridge is stocked with "sweetened with sugar" ketchup.
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