Gluten-Free Fast Food ~ Interstate Edition

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Corn-Free, Oh My!

What's a weary traveler to do when the options are few?

In our hometown, we've staked out all of the fast-food establishments that easily cater to our special dietary restrictions:

Chipotle for burrito bowls

Qdoba for more burrito bowls

Noodles & Co. for most any noodle bowl with the rice noodle substitution

Chick-Fil-A for chargilled chicken filet wrapped in lettuce, chicken garden salad, chicken fruit salad, waffle fries, egg, bacon and sausage breakfast

Subway for most of the cold-cut lunch meat salads

Good Times for fresh cut fries and lettuce wrapped burgers (Note: Wild Fries are not gluten-free)


On the interstate, eating for our allergies was a whole different story.

My recent 1,000 mile driving trip made me realize just how few fast food drive-thru restaurants provide quick gluten-free options. Seeing as there was one driver, three little kids, and one-thousand miles to cover in a 24 hour period, I needed to drive-thru.

Normally I don't drive-thru. But there are times when I must drive-thru.

There wasn't much stopping and exercising on the way out to Chicago. We couldn't waste an hour sitting down at a roadside cafe. Nor were there any of our other fast-food favorites from the above list.

So we became very friendly with our two drive-thru options:

Wendy's for a meat patty wrapped in lettuce with bacon, french fries, chicken grill filet, baked potato, chili, and salads.

I like Wendy's a lot because they have large leaves of lettuce which fit around the burger like a bun. This makes eating a bunless burger soooo much easier.

Burger King for more meat patties on a bed of shredded lettuce, more french fries, and apple fries. The tacos are an option too if corn is part of your program.

The good news about Burger King is that most of the restaurants have dedicated fryers for the fries. This way cross-contamination is reduced. Always double check with each establishment to be sure about dedicated fryers if cross-contamination is an issue for you.

With Wendy's and Burger King as our only drive-thru options on I-80, two days into the trip I was beginning to feel like I was turning into a french fry. Actually, my thighs are proof that the metamorphosis had begun.

Thank heavens I'm home now eating normal food. I've never looked so forward to slaving over a hot stove in my life.

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Quintessential road trip music....

Grateful Dead - Truckin'

11: Taking Stock

Eleven weeks to go and the countdown is really on. Soon I'm going to be counting down on two hands... ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five... you get the idea.

This weekend my sweet hubby and I got the unique opportunity to steal away for a night. Just he and I. I and he. He and me.

We dropped the kids off at grandma's, drove an hour to the north, stayed at a B&B and made up for lost time gazing endlessly into one another's eyes, cuddling in the corner booth of a fancy restaurant, and whispering the lyrics of early 1990's love songs in one another's ears. More on this later.

Back to the topic at hand, Taking Stock.

Being away from home for the weekend, you tend to eat out at every meal, which reminded me of the little grocery spending project I'd been working on for the past seven months. It dawned on me that I haven't really taken stock of how my $150 per week grocery budget was holding up against the stressors of the busyness of the final semester of grad school.

At the beginning of the project—way back in August—I was watching all of my receipts very closely each and every week. I realize I haven't done that in awhile. I guess I've gotten used to identifying which items meet the budget and which to avoid.

So I became curious and decided to take a peek at the receipts for the month. This is what I found:

In looking at January 2011 as a whole, it appears that I went over the food budget by $18 per week. Works for me. Just so long as I have enough spices to make my beloved chai twice a week, I'm good. And by the way, a chai loving sister just did a quick calculation of the chai spices she bought for my Masala Chai concentrate, and she's guesstimating it comes to about $1 per quart for the finished concentrate. Oh yeah baby! I knew there was a reason I started brewing my own chai at home.

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I was kidding about this weekend's endless gazing and fancy restaurant cuddling. But I was totally serious about this part...

Bon Jovi - Bed of Roses

Friday Night Round-Up: Week 26

Note to Self

 Dear Judith,

You have clearly fallen back into your old habits when it comes to weekly spending on the food budget. You were on a roll for a while. What happened?

Was it the allure of the discounted organic chocolate bars at the checkout stand?

Was it the need to double your intake of chai to four quarts per week because of the chilly weather?

Was it the seven different grocery store trips where you didn't come out with what you went in for and you bought things that weren't even on the list?

Just curious how this project has so quickly taken a turn down the path towards pocketbook agony.

Compassionately concerned,
Judith

Note in Response to 'Note to Self'


Dear Judith,

Indeed, I have fallen off the wagon. Or am I back on the wagon? I never know.

Either way, this week's food budget total is shameful. It's utterly disgraceful.

But it is not what you think. The bills from the grocery store were right on the mark. $150 total. The organic chocolate, chai spices and all the little extras didn't pose any trouble for the budget.

I'll tell you where the problem lies. The out-to-eats. For a family on a tight budget, out-to-eats are the devil. They can pin you down in a full nelson, unrelenting in their secret stealthiness to sabotage the wellbeing of the entire pocketbook.

On the flip-side, I'll tell you how this travesty came about.

My dear husband took the children away to his mother's for the weekend. He and they. They and he. A true Daddy's weekend. It was full of tailgating at the college football game, playing ball in the gym, movie watching and all kinds of goodness that comes along with a weekend full of Daddy and no Mommy.

It was a rich weekend for all. Mommy slept-in until 10:30am on Sunday, which honestly, I cannot recall the last time I did that. Possibly a decade ago. I woke at the usual time but decided to lay in bed in the quiet house and drift off to sleep again. I repeated this cycle at least three times until I realized the day was half gone. At which point I got out of bed to make myself a cup of chai and sit in quiet solitude for hours.

And while Mommy was doing all this, Daddy was having quality time with his offspring. Which, thankfully, happens much more frequently than once a decade.

The moral of the story is that due to the fact that I was charged with having a relaxing weekend full of rest and rejuvenation, I failed to pack the family a full flight of meals for their two days away. Hence, the out-to-eats. Next time I'll plan to put some things in the freezer ahead of time. Amen.

Restfully yours,
Judith

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Beware: The following video is a little, ah, what shall we say... unusual. I've included it so you can hear one of my favorite songs of all time for sleeping-in and chilling-out. If the video is distracting, simply close your eyes and listen blissfully. The song is gorgeous!

Edie Brickell - Times Like This

Friday Night Round-Up: Week 30

This photo doesn't have much to do with anything. I just liked it. You see the older children here with stick guns playing war on a mountainside. And then there's Mr. Happy trying his darndest to be a part of the crowd.

Moving onto the topic for today: $151.38

Not including the out-to-eat lunch we did on Saturday in celebration of a good friend's birthday. These things creep up on you. I don't want to include it in my total for the week. And since this is my project, I don't have to if I don't want to.

I'm not whining. It's just that it is a mandatory expense if you're going to help celebrate the awesome life of a good man. It shouldn't be held against the amazing meal planning and budgeting I did for the week.

I liken this celebratory eating-out to school photos. These creep up on you too. Try your darndest to budget and pull in the reigns on extra spending for the month, and next thing you know, little Johnny comes home with a school picture order form. In all sincerity, are you not going to order at least one photo?

The poor child was made to sit in front of a taupe backsplash, bright lights shining in his face, was handed a comb and told to groom himself. I am not going to be the one telling him he did all of that for nothing. I'm going to order the darn thing. It might be the cheapest package available, but I'm ordering one. Not four 4x6s. Not twenty wallets. Not even two 5x7s. Just one. Grandma and Grandpa are going to be mad.

Friday Night Round-Up: Week 33

$147.52

I am pleased with myself.

Well, I was, until Saturday night. Walking into the seventh day of the food week we were on target to make the budget for the first time since we started this challenge in early August.

The final day of Week 33's challenge started out promising. I laid in bed until 8 am. That's always a sign of a good day. My sweet husband prepared a big breakfast of home fries and scrambled eggs. I scooted out the door to meet all the new babies from one of my recent Childbirth Ed classes. Truly a divine Saturday morning.

Back home again we started packing up the crew for The Enchanted Forest. A friend told me it was a really great tradition for the kids. She mentioned something about animals popping out of the forest talking to the kids about their lifestyles and habitat. Music and food, too. I didn't know what to expect. We were in for an adventure.

We attempted to make our way out of the driveway, which was seemingly quite difficult without car keys. So ensued a thirty minute search for the key. Last anyone knew the baby had it. We searched high and low. Inside and out.

And then it magically fell to the ground from the hook where it normally resides. Not sure how that happened, but this clearly was the beginning of an afternoon of similar setbacks and oddities.

The forest walk was truly enchanting. The kids never failed to point out to the forest creatures, "You're not real. That's just a costume." Over and over and over again.

It was an enjoyable walk through the orange and red colored foliage. Crisp fall air mixed with the sounds of the Marimba band for a relaxing family afternoon. Relaxing, that is, until wet drops started falling from the sky. We quickly realized that a few key items were neglected in our desperate search for the car key.

Wet and cold with no jackets. Dang. You would think we'd have a handle on this by now. Preparedness is not our forte. Clearly.

We forgot the gluten-free dairy-free snacks as well. And baby missed his nap, to boot. Cold, wet, hungry and tired the elders of the group made the executive decision to make a bee-line for our favorite Mexican restaurant. There's nothing that spicy salsa can.'t fix.

And so we did. And so we spent an extra $22 on food this week. And so my perfect week of food budgeting went straight down the tubes. Damn.

And the Countdown Begins...

This weekend I can officially put the wrap on the First Week of the worst thing that's happened to me in the past few years. (And honestly, if this is the worst, life really ain't that bad! I'm not complaining. Just a little tired, that's all.)




It's not reading the textbooks titled Information Technology Management, writing the papers, poring through lifeless case study after lifeless case study, or pointless hours of online commenting that kills me. For it's not me who's toiling this way. It's him.

But I must admit, while he's been doing all of that plus full-time work over the last three years, I've slowly been dug three feet under. Halfway to the grave. The burden has been great back at the homestead with a young family to raise while attending to the special dietary needs of my eldest and my youngest sons.

I couldn't have been more ecstatic this summer when he told me that he planned to finish up school in two more semesters. Albeit by taking three grad level courses per semester.

And so the countdown begins. What in the past has seemed like an endless infinity to that glorious day when I would see my husband more than eight hours a week -- has now turned into small weekly stepping stones approaching mid-May. I'm not sure, but I might be the only woman standing in that auditorium soaking wet in my little commencement dress. Not from perspiration from the terrible early summer heat but instead from the tears of joy streaming down my face landing all over my tired ol' self.

And now.... the point of this blog. The thing that makes my life easier. The thing that makes my kids tolerable to be around. The thing that brings a smile to my husband's face. The thing that helps me get through the day without falling over faint. The thing that makes my bank account happy. And in turn, affords me the opportunity to buy tickets to see my favorite band on a date with my love!

Yes, yes, yes. That dreaded ol' thang that sets women's nerves on end. That dreaded 'ol thang that when neglected leads to many nights in a row of carry-out. That dreaded 'ol thang that sends tired husbands to the store at all odd hours of the day and night.

Meal Planning. Here we go...

A Word about Out-to-Eats

I contribute 75% of our food spending woes to eating out. Years ago we could grab a quick bite out-to-eat at a restaurant for $15 or less. We'd walk away satisfied and more than pleased that someone else did all the prep and clean-up. Even as small children started entering the picture it was not that difficult to keep the spending to a minimum when out. Slice of pizza. Grilled cheese. Chicken strips. Sure go ahead, gorge yourself on that bread basket, it's free!

Everything changed when our son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Sushi became the new pizza - quick, convenient and delicious. The prepared foods aisle at Whole Foods replaced sub sandwiches - small containers filled with chicken salad and quinoa. We said a swift goodbye to kids meals at the Mexican restaurant - and a hearty hello to the full entree portion of fajitas. Overnight our food spending more than doubled.

For years now we've continued to partake in the ol' American pastime of going out to eat - with friends, after a long day at work, in between games on a busy Saturday, when I feel lazy, craving something fried, or just don't want to look at another dirty dish in my kitchen sink. In my book, there is always an occasion to eat out!

Every month when I take time to reflect on where all the money has gone, I get a very clear response from my debit card report. Restaurants. Always the culprit. Every time.

Nonetheless, I am continually surprised and appalled by the numbers. Anywhere from 30% - 50% of money spent on food in the month is in the form of out-to-eats. The shocking part of all of this is that the weekly grocery bill is never affected at all by this frivolous reveling in modern convenience.

My mama once heard on a radio show, "when trying to get out of debt (or not enter into it), the only time you should step foot in a restaurant is if you're working there." The only foreseeable way to make this $150/week food budget work is to heed this advice. We're a few weeks into the challenge and so far so good. If I spend less than $150 at the grocery store this week there may be room for the $11 fajitas at our favorite Mexican restaurant!

But first, one more important item of business before I sign-off -- A definition of what's included in my $150 weekly food budget:

All food from the grocery store.
All food from restaurants.
All alcohol from the liquor store.

Now that's what I'm talking about. A true challenge.