Whoops!

So I've been a little ... distracted... sue me.  But I have been up to a ton of eating.  Monical's opened the door for a flood of eating out, something I haven't been doing much of at all so far this year until I decided to go gluten free.  

Last time I had a chance to check in was Wednesday, and I do certainly feel badly about that.  I'm going to keep going for another week and try to get back in the habit of writing every night while I wait for dinner to cook.  Yeah, definitely.  

Thursday night and old friend came back to town and after work, we decided to go for some dinner.  She chose the Coffee House (best quesadillas uptown I'd say) and I was excited because I knew of their huge vegan/vegetarian selection.  Fallacy - I thought this everyone's-welcome-we-cater-t0-all-types-of-alternative-eating would translate to gluten free but it certainly did not.  I ate the only two gluten free things on the menu I could find for dinner - oven fries and chips and salsa.  Everything else was either glutenized or served with a big heaping mass of gluten.  I was so disappointed!  Coffee House!  Get with the program.  I also had an Orangina which may or may not have been the most satisfying part of that meal.  Needless to say, I was totally unsatisfied and chose to make up those extra calories in tootsie rolls.  

 

Delicious.  

Oh!  but how could I forget Wednesday night's ridiculousness.  Midterm in my anthro class, but afterwards she wanted us to stay and watch this movie for funsies.  She even admitted to the funsies, tried lamely to make an excuse to how it might potentially be relevant, but then went back to the original explanation of "relaxing/fun."  What's great about movies in that class is that she brings in snacks...but she brings one of those Sam's Club sized boxes of a billion fun-sized chips from the frito-lays company.  Remembering the barbecue lays disaster from the night before I didn't really get my hopes up.  Turns out regular lays I can actually eat.  I can also eat Fritos and Cheetos but not Doritos or Sunchips.  Not bad I'd say.  Not bad at all.  So that was cool and the tv series we started was pretty cool/funny/nuts also.  I'm so glad I stayed.  

Friday, I ate out AGAIN!  Went to the Garlic Press Café and was so thrilled.  For two places that cater to similar crowds, I was astonished at the variety I had to choose from in the deli case and how clearly and largely it was marked GF.  I had an amazing dinner of crustless quiche and both potato and cucumber salads.  Excellent.  

Saturday was Noodles and Co., a place I never thought I'd eat!  I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner.  Their pad thai is made with rice noodles and they so graciously let you substitute any noodle in any dish.  Making gluten free fast & easy on the go pasta was as easy as that!  And scrumptious too!  The texture is certainly one to get used to, but I was really excited about my noodles experience and will definitely go again soon.  

Also this day I got back into the kitchen briefly while trying to avoid doing some homework and had a lovely meal of mac 'n cheese and some steamed vegetables.  Potatoes, red peppers, sugar snap peas.  I feel like what I'm lacking in bread starch I'm certainly making up for in potatoes.  I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing.  This week (perhaps next weekend) there's some homemade gluten-free bread in my future but for now the potatoes will do certainly.  This mac 'n cheese was from Annie's and it was spectacular.  I was so excited and happy with this meal.  I thought the cheese sauce was flavorful and much better than even Kraft mac 'n cheese or the Glutino stuff I had that first night.  On a separate and not really related note: I really love my camera.  My food almost got cold during this photoshoot.  Oh well, certainly worth it.  Look at that texture!  

But this brings us finally back to today!  This entry has been epic I know, but I'll do my best not to fall so behind again.  Lunch started with Gluten free corn dogs from 'Sbetter or something like that.  This company also makes gluten free buffalo wings and gluten free chicken tenders.  If they taste anything like the corn dogs COUNT ME IN.  I could do gluten free easily and forever if not for the fact that I miss buffalo wings like none other.  Couldn't begin to tell you why but I do.  Miss 'em most out of anything.  I keep saying I'll use that gluten free all-purpose flour to batter some chicken breasts and make myself a buffalo chicken wrap on a corn tortilla or something but it's yet to happen.  

These corn dogs though - very, very good except for the fact that they just sort of crumbled apart.  The outside part fell away on what looked like pre-carved fault lines which destroyed any chance of eating it actually on the stick.  That's okay, too phallic for my tastes anyway.  Fork please.  Also in the freezer - gluten free waffles that I'm interested in eating.  

For dinner we went out again. Chili's.  I was also pretty impressed with Chili's.  They had a really great allergen menu on the internet you can download that shows the things you can eat on the menu if you have any of the common eight allergies.  I thought I had it bad - at least I'm not allergic to soy!  

 Here's a small photograph of the menu.  You probably can't read that.  Oh well.  The point is, it was nicely broken down and I ordered something that was really satisfying that I've never thought to order.  I forget what it was called.  One of those chicken dishes.  The one with barbecue sauce, cheese, and bacon on top.  Pretty good I'd say.  How strange that the hardest time I've had with this limitation and eating out has been at the Coffee House.  How strange and disappointing.  

Here's to one more week!