Every Sunday after church, we head over to Trader Joe's to do our food shopping. A gluten free diet can become very expensive. Thankfully, Trader Joe's has some great products that are reasonably priced.
Gluten Free French Rolls
Gluten Free English Muffins
Gluten Free Waffles
Gluten Free Bagels
Gluten Free Ginger Snaps
Each of this is priced between $2-$3. I suggest that you buy a few of each item since they sell out fast!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Against the Grain Gourmet Baguettes
I visited my sister for dinner last week and she was wondering what to cook me for dinner. I said I'd be happy with the appetizers and a salad because I wasn't in the mood for anything special. When I arrived at her house, my sister then showed me a gluten free bread that she picked up at a store called Fairway in Bergen County, NJ. I was excited because it was a baguette bread that you heat up in the oven. I had not had baguettes in 5 years.
I was about to butter the bread when it came of the oven. I looked over the table and saw a mozzarella, tomato and basil appetizer. I decided to make myself a sandwich! I layered the mozzarella, etc. and topped it with the salad my sister had prepared. It was pure heaven to enjoy a real sandwich that wasn't on cardboard tasting bread. I usually avoid yeast but I felt that I deserved to reward myself!
My sister showed up for Sunday dinner with more of the bread. My daughter and I buttered it and dunked it in our "Sunday gravy". There is life after going gluten free after all.
check out http://www.againstthegraingourmet.com/ for more details
I was about to butter the bread when it came of the oven. I looked over the table and saw a mozzarella, tomato and basil appetizer. I decided to make myself a sandwich! I layered the mozzarella, etc. and topped it with the salad my sister had prepared. It was pure heaven to enjoy a real sandwich that wasn't on cardboard tasting bread. I usually avoid yeast but I felt that I deserved to reward myself!
My sister showed up for Sunday dinner with more of the bread. My daughter and I buttered it and dunked it in our "Sunday gravy". There is life after going gluten free after all.
check out http://www.againstthegraingourmet.com/ for more details
Monday, January 4, 2010
Nizza Restaurant in NYC
On my way to church last week, I had the sudden urge to hop on a bus into NYC and go to my favorite restaurant. I looked in the rear view mirror and said "How about if we skip church today and go for a gluten free lunch". My son responded "no thanks, I'd rather go to church or stay home". My daughter quickly responded , "Let's go!". I said a quick prayer and asked God to forgive me for my impulsiveness. I figured that God would be okay with me skipping church since I had just attended on Christmas Eve a few days earlier. Once I cleared my conscience, I made a U turn in the middle of the road, headed home and called the bus company. "What time is your next bus?" I asked the NJ Transit Operator. "The next bus leaves at 11:42!". she replied. I looked at my Blackberry and the time was 11:40. The bus stop was about a mile away. I screamed for my daughter to hurry. We jumped into the car and parked on a side street. We ran to the bus stop and there was a man standing there already. He saw the look of anticipation in my eyes and said "the bus is late, you are okay". "Yippee!" I replied.
The bus took about 45 minutes to get into the city. Once we arrived in the city, we walked around Times Square for a bit and then headed over to 44th and 9th to visit Nizza Restaurant. The entrance to Nizza feels like a glass fun house maize. Once we figured out which door actually opened, we entered the restaurant. We were brought to a cozy booth along the back wall. With great pride, I stated "We'll both need to see the gluten free menus!". Instead of looking at me as though I were a martian, the host said "of course".
We felt indescribable joy to hold gluten free menus in our hands. My daughter and I analyzed every item as we tried to choose what to order. As we pondered, the waiter brought over a bread basket. My instinct was to waive my hand and tell him that we could not eat bread. The waiter realized what I was doing and said "Oh, these fresh bread sticks are gluten free". "Are you serious?" I asked. "Yes..... enjoy!" he replied. We devoured the breadsticks in about 3 minutes. The entire time I kept telling myself "these can't be gluten free but I'll worry about that later". They were warm, toasty and irresistable.
We finally decided what to order after we finished stuffing our faces with breadsticks. I chose the arugula salad and fettucini with pesto. My daughter chose the Margherita pizza. The arugula salad was a generous portion with fresh grated parmigiano cheese. It was delicious and satisfying. I was full but I didn't travel to NYC to eat a salad. My pesto dish was superb. The pesto sauce was very fresh and it was a delight to eat gluten free fettucini. The Margherita pizza was made with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. Although my daughter was full from the breadsticks, she was thrilled to enjoy pizza without any worries.
The entire dining experience was simply wonderful. No embarrassment, no anxiety and no fear of having the chef reject your special food requests. At Nizza, gluten free dining happens every day and they actually go out of their way to make you feel special! After a delicious sorbet dessert, we headed back to Port Authority. We had to wait in line 45 minutes for the bus and then the ride home took over an hour due to traffic. You may wonder, was the commute worth it? Absolutely.
Nizza also has a regular menu. For more info, please visit www.nizzanyc.com/
The bus took about 45 minutes to get into the city. Once we arrived in the city, we walked around Times Square for a bit and then headed over to 44th and 9th to visit Nizza Restaurant. The entrance to Nizza feels like a glass fun house maize. Once we figured out which door actually opened, we entered the restaurant. We were brought to a cozy booth along the back wall. With great pride, I stated "We'll both need to see the gluten free menus!". Instead of looking at me as though I were a martian, the host said "of course".
We felt indescribable joy to hold gluten free menus in our hands. My daughter and I analyzed every item as we tried to choose what to order. As we pondered, the waiter brought over a bread basket. My instinct was to waive my hand and tell him that we could not eat bread. The waiter realized what I was doing and said "Oh, these fresh bread sticks are gluten free". "Are you serious?" I asked. "Yes..... enjoy!" he replied. We devoured the breadsticks in about 3 minutes. The entire time I kept telling myself "these can't be gluten free but I'll worry about that later". They were warm, toasty and irresistable.
We finally decided what to order after we finished stuffing our faces with breadsticks. I chose the arugula salad and fettucini with pesto. My daughter chose the Margherita pizza. The arugula salad was a generous portion with fresh grated parmigiano cheese. It was delicious and satisfying. I was full but I didn't travel to NYC to eat a salad. My pesto dish was superb. The pesto sauce was very fresh and it was a delight to eat gluten free fettucini. The Margherita pizza was made with cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. Although my daughter was full from the breadsticks, she was thrilled to enjoy pizza without any worries.
The entire dining experience was simply wonderful. No embarrassment, no anxiety and no fear of having the chef reject your special food requests. At Nizza, gluten free dining happens every day and they actually go out of their way to make you feel special! After a delicious sorbet dessert, we headed back to Port Authority. We had to wait in line 45 minutes for the bus and then the ride home took over an hour due to traffic. You may wonder, was the commute worth it? Absolutely.
Nizza also has a regular menu. For more info, please visit www.nizzanyc.com/
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Lundberg Brown Rice Crisps
Try Lundberg Brown Rice Crisps. They are very crispy and taste great alone or with a variety of toppings (hummus, salsa, guacamole, goat cheese, etc.) They come in many different flavors. I like Sea Salt, Wasabi and Pico de Gallo.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Choco Perfection European Dark Chocolate Bars
The Choco Perfect dark chocolate bars are delicious. I have a couple of squares every day. Dark chocolate is a good source for anti-oxidants and this bar contains 60% Cocoa. What I like the most about these bars is that they are sugar free and loaded with fiber (14 grams per bar).
I would not recommend devouring a bar right away but rather start with one square a day. The reason is that this bar is sweetend with Erythitol. It is a natural sweetener that can cause some bloating/gas if taken in excess. I personally did not have any problems with the Erythitol.
Also, I did not like the Raspberry Chocolate. These bars can be found at Nature's Pavillion in Pompton Plains. I also found then on a website called www.netrition.com. This site charged me twice but then reversed it 2 days later. I don't recommend using a debit card for orders through that site!
I would not recommend devouring a bar right away but rather start with one square a day. The reason is that this bar is sweetend with Erythitol. It is a natural sweetener that can cause some bloating/gas if taken in excess. I personally did not have any problems with the Erythitol.
Also, I did not like the Raspberry Chocolate. These bars can be found at Nature's Pavillion in Pompton Plains. I also found then on a website called www.netrition.com. This site charged me twice but then reversed it 2 days later. I don't recommend using a debit card for orders through that site!
Glutino Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is a good gluten free chocolate chip cookie made with semi-sweet chips. They can be found @ www.glutenfreemall.com. Make sure you buy a bag that has not been crushed as the cookies do crumble too much.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Baby Cakes Bakery
You have to visit Baby Cakes Bakery located @ 248 Broom Street in NYC. They have a large selection of gluten free baked goods that taste like "the real thing". We tried a few products and our favorites were the cookies and banana bread. I had to keep asking if the banana bread truly was gluten free because it tasted THAT good. The banana bread was moist and tasty with a fresh banana flavor. What I like most about Baby Cakes is that they primary use agave nectar in their baked goods instead of sugar. Baby Cakes also ships baked goods! You can call them at 212-677-5047. Please tell them you found them on Gluten Free Mary!
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