Gluten Free Travels to the Happiest Place on Earth...

For my travels to Disney I loaded up my bag with my arsenal of snacks ready to take on the week. I had heard that Disney was going to be gluten free friendly but there's always a level of uncertainty that goes into traveling. Plus I hit a small snafu along the way- Whole Foods was closed on Easter Sunday. I've been living in a place where stores are open 365 days a year to serve a tourist population and didn't expect this. I wasn't able to round out my snacks but had enough to get along with.
As I waited for the plane in Boston I tried a new (to me) gluten free bar and I settled in for some airport knitting.

The Pure bar reminds me of a Lara bar and has a similar composition but with more nuts. I like Lara bars but only in small doses and felt the same way about this Pure Bar.
 Our first big meal in Disney was in Epcot at a Canadian Restaurant, Le Cellier Steakhouse. I felt good about this, it was a planned meal and I had called the week before to let them know that there was one gluten free person in this party of 11.

They brought me gluten free rolls and my own plate of butter to prevent cross contamination. I then enjoyed a perfect Fillet Mignon on a bed of risotto. Between this and my trip to Quebec City I may forever associate risotto with Canada.

I finished my experience that evening with a Champagne Sorbet that was a nice light finish to a wonderful meal. 

We finished the meal and strolled out into the streets of Epcot in time to catch the evening's firework display.

How did the rest of my trip go? Was it as magical as the first dinner? It's a bit too much information to squeeze into one post so stay tuned for the rest of the details.

Gluten Free Disneyworld... Any Advice?

In a couple of weeks I hope to share with you about my gluten free adventures in Disneyworld. We're heading out soon and I could use some advice. Has anyone gone lately? I know I should call ahead to the places where we have reservations but any ideas on how to tackle eating at the park? I'm working on my list of packed snacks but always love suggestions for those too.
You may remember how I tackle Airport Survival...  and yes, I'll have some knitting planned out as well.

My snack packing list:
Surf Sweets
Justin's Nut Butter Single Serve Packages
Udi's Bagels  (can I find these at the park?)
Glutino Snack Bars & Pretzels
Luna Gluten Free Protein Bars
Peperoni

What else would you bring for gluten-free happiness and survival?

This ski bum also needs to plan on some snacks that won't melt in the heat...

Spring Meltdowns and Gluten Free Comfort Foods

This has been a funny weather year in the Northeast... we had a record breaking HEAT wave in March which caused the great meltdown of the ski resorts. We managed to pull through it and set a new record for latest snowmaking on record for Sugarloaf. Those dedicated snowmakers unfurled the hoses and made snow on March 27th. Snowmaking usually ends for the season in early February and the snow from snowmaking and Mother Nature has been known to last well into April and even into May here at Sugarloaf.  The snowmaking effort paid off and the mountain recovered in good fashion and Mother Nature even came through with more seasonable temperatures and a bit of natural snow.

I'm not gonna lie- this ski bum enjoyed a week of summer temps and even sported chacos and shorts during the heat wave.  The pups also soaked up the rays of the sun in style.

 We did ski during the great meltdown and I was well prepared with my Udi's Bagel for lunch on the ski lift.

The bright side of a spring meltdown is that you actually can eat a bagel on the lift without the fear of frostbite setting in. This is a rare mitten-less photo of my hand that would not normally occur.

This new cold spell has inspired a more winter like menu and I found myself making the first Beef Stew of the winter and it created a wonderful aroma in the house as it simmered in the crockpot all day. 

 We also found comfort in a warm Risotto with chicken....

 And in Red Curry with chicken and veggies...

I've also revisited my Peanut Sauce with Chicken and Noodles

Now the calendar and Mother Nature seem to have made peace and we're going to enjoy skiing for a few more weeks here in Maine. I'll take this kind of meltdown any day over the kind of meltdown we went through last winter.  That was much harder then melting snow and it pains me whenever anyone has to go through those types of challenges. So please join me and let's send some good thoughts to Marlow from Gluten Hates Me who is facing her own roller coaster this year.
Here's a Survival Smoothie (virtual style) for Marlow and anyone else who needs some antioxidants for some serious fighting power.

Oh Bother Smoothie
1 handful ice cubes
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (Wild Maine Blueberries preferred here at campchaos)
1 cup apple juice (or a bit more)
1 scoop Spiru-tein High Energy Meal Vanilla Flavor (make sure it's labeled gluten free!)

Toss all into a blender and hit the smoothie button until smooth. Place in favorite mug and feel the blueberries power you up.