Gluten Free Mom To Be | A Blog About Gluten Free and Pregnancy

August 26, 2014

Finally Tasted Gluten Free Fried Chicken Thanks To 50s Prime Time Cafe

After a great day in Epcot, we headed over to Hollywood Studios for dinner. On our travels, nestled snug in my arms, little one fell asleep for a much needed nap, and I have to admit that I wished I could fall asleep along with her too. Soon enough though we pulled up at the bus stop and quickly unloaded. It was back into the stroller for our little girl and thankfully the transition didn’t wake her up.

Since we arrived a bit early for our reservation at 50s Prime Time Cafe, we decided to grab a few cups of water (which by the way you can get for free at any stand!) and meander through the air conditioned gift shops. I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever been so thankful for air conditioning in quite awhile. It just felt heavenly walking through those stores, not to mention it made nap time a lot more comfortable I’m sure for a certain little girl. After looking through all of Disney’s merchandise, and snagging a Mickey pretzel magnet that our toddler would just love, it was time to head over for dinner.

A short wait later and a table that would fit our group of thirteen was ready. Thankfully, there was enough room to push our stroller in with sleeping baby inside and not interrupt nap time. The chef joined us moments later, took our allergy free orders (gluten free fried chicken of course and the brownie sundae), and politely obliged to our gluten free fried chicken request and in fact shared that the chicken was almost ready, yay!!!! I couldn’t have been happier to be one step closer to tasting the deliciousness of their gluten free fried chicken again.

A little Mommy and Daddy time while little one sleeps.

Now, how did I seem to accomplish the impossible, seeing as last time I was less than successful at 50s? Well I sent my gluten free meal request via email to Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com, 2 weeks before we left for our trip, where they then passed it along to the restaurant. It seems so silly that this is necessary, but trust me, if you want to enjoy this gluten free item I highly recommend doing this. In one of my many discussions with Disney’s Special Diets department I was informed that the restaurant no longer keeps all of the ingredients on hand at all times so they need ample notice ahead of time of a request to get everything. Better safe than sorry and from now on I’ll only ever order this dish in this way, hopefully to always have the success that I did that day!

Okay, so now that all of the instructions for ordering are out of the way lets get to the good stuff. Since our gluten free fried chicken was almost ready when we talked to the chef (thanks to my pre-ordering!) our wait was cut down significantly, unfortunately though not enough for our little girl. In fact, just as our meals were arriving our little one stirred, I’m telling you they have amazing timing, and didn’t wake up in the best of moods. Seeing as I have an amazing husband who knows how much I had looked forward to this meal he offered to take our little girl outside for a walk so I could quickly gobble my hot and crispy gluten free fried chicken down. I don’t know how they do it but the crispy gluten free fried chicken with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and string beans hit the spot perfectly and was amazing! The outside of the chicken was perfectly crispy and flavorful while the inside was bursting with juicy flavor. The sides were just as tasty as I remembered too but there’s no denying the star of that plate was chicken.

khkhk — Gluten Free Dad’s Brownie Sundae

Once my perfect plate of gluten free diner food was almost done, Dan and my little one were back and it was my turn on toddler duty. Thankfully we had gotten our little girl some dinner ahead of time so she happily nibbled on some of Mommy’s green beans, sandwich, and her favorite, apple slices. Before we knew it, the creme de la creme of the dessert menu had arrived, a gluten free version of Dad’s Brownie Sundae, which towered over the table in all of it’s glory! By this time, my little one who loves herself some dessert, had finished her meal, at least as close as we were going to get, and even had a quick change outside and was licking her lips at one look of this masterpiece. We divided the whole sundae for our family of three to enjoy, making sure each of us got to taste all of the fixings, including the homemade gluten free brownie, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, caramel sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, caramel popcorn, m&ms and a cherry. This dessert is phenomenal, from the delicious gluten free brownie that they make in house to the clever toppings like the caramel popcorn, each bite makes you close your eyes and give a little mmm. A sweet way to end our meal for sure!

So needless to say my faith in 50s Prime Time Cafe has been restored. With some notice ahead of time, they were able to create a gluten free masterpiece and I for one couldn’t be more grateful. After such a rough experience only a few months ago, it was certainly a relief to walk out with such a different feeling this time. Hopefully this method is fool proof and gets you this plate of deliciousness anytime you want! Keep me posted on all of your gluten free experiences in Disney World too, good or bad, I’d love to hear them!

TIP: If you’re contemplating making a dining reservation at 50s Prime Time Cafe and are interested in their legendary gluten free fried chicken, make sure you order ahead as I did by simply emailing your request to Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com. This seems to be the best way to make sure that you get to enjoy what you want.

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

August 22, 2014

Deliciously Gluten Free Lunch For Just Us Three at Epcot’s Tutto Gusto

As the second day of our vacation rolled around so did our time at Epcot. We love our days and nights at Epcot, with the amazing food and drinks, the feeling of all of the different cultures around you, and some fantastic rides scattered in there too. We had big plans for this day in Epcot, an early start at Soarin’, then meeting Mickey and his friends at the Character Spot, then hopping on Test Track, and finally heading over to start the World Showcase, all summed up with a ride on Nemo and a walk through the aquarium in the afternoon before dinner.

Mommy, Daddy, and Little Snow White too!

The highlight by far, as always, was meeting everyone at the Character Spot. My little girl just loves Mickey and his friends. With a running start, she charges over to each of them and embraces them in a huge hug, then quickly about faces and sits down on their lap for a picture. Nothing beats watching her hug each of them so warmly like they’re her best friends and then bid them an equally warm farewell wave. It’s moments like that that make me want to go back to Disney over and over just to let my little girl see her friends again.

By the time we had completed our morning rides, our little girl had drifted off to sleep, so instead of squeezing in the Mexico and Norway rides we took our time meandering around the countries and their stores. By the time we had reached Italy, we decided to have an early lunch at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. We happen to really love Tutto Gusto, although it isn’t on the dining plan, it’s a nice alternative for lunch in Epcot. Literally, the moment we pulled the stroller up to the restaurant our little one was in the midst of waking up from her nap, it’s amazing how they have such good timing.

We were given a great table right in the middle of the wine cellar where we could admire the wall of wine bottles behind us along with the gorgeous authentic Italian touches everywhere, all while enjoying the wonderfully cool and dark environment that was so welcomed after baking in the Orlando heat and humidity all morning. Our server quickly met us at our table along with the chef to go over my gluten free options. They have gluten free pasta which allows for any of the pasta options on the menu, however everything on their tasting menu, meats, cheeses, etc. are gluten free too. Much to my dismay though, the chef informed me that all of these other options are kept in a communal case where their paninis and such are stored too, so there is a chance of cross contamination there. I was warned that if I was very sensitive that the case contents were pretty off limits, even though that’s a bit disappointing I was completely okay with skipping out on the gluten exposure. I decided to go with my favorite dish, the gluten free pasta pomodoro with burrata cheese, that they really do so well there.

While we waited for our dishes, the server dropped off our recommended wines, I went with a sweet, bubbly Moscato along with a bonus plate of gluten free breads. There was a raisin bread and two other plain breads. They were all quite good but my favorite was the raisin bread, of which I really only had a bite or two since I didn’t want to ruin my lunch. Meanwhile, our little girl couldn’t get enough of the delicious looking, non-gluten free focaccia bread and crunchy breadsticks that were placed in front of her and my husband. She loved every bit of that bread plate and would’ve taken it all home with us if we could.

Gluten Free Pasta Pomodoro at Epcot's Tutto Gusto — Gluten Free Pasta Pomodoro at Epcot’s Tutto Gusto

Soon enough, our lunches arrived, my husband’s Tuscan pork ribs and my gluten free pasta pomodoro that would be split with my little bread monster. When we had visited Tutto Gusto before on our last trip, unbeknownst to me, the chef made me a dinner sized portion of the pasta which was way too much food and too expensive for lunch too, This time just confirmed my suspicions from before, as my tasting plate of gluten free pasta arrived and was just the right size (and price) for lunch and even to be shared with a little toddler. It was just as delicious as I remembered with whole roasted tomatoes scattered throughout, fresh basil, and creamy burrata cheese on top. Not to mention the pasta was phenomenal! It was cooked perfectly al dente and embraced all of the flavors of the sauce and cheese. Such a fantastic lunch option when you’re in Epcot, just gives you a little break from the fries, burgers, and sandwiches.

Okay, so what Disney meal is complete without a dessert? Our lunch at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar was no different. My gluten free choice was the chocolate panna cotta with cherries on top. It was so soft and creamy, just how a panna cotta should be, and matched perfectly with the cherries. Needless to say, this dessert didn’t stand a chance in my group, even though I shared it with little one (who also happen to snag a few bites from Daddy’s dessert too), I’m sure the dish wouldn’t have been empty anyway if it had been left up to just me.

As our meal was coming to a close, I couldn’t help but look around and truly appreciate just how wonderful our vacations are together. Sure my little girl has her moments when her toddler age and impatience shows through but then there are plenty of those other moments too, where she’s all smiles and laughs, making Mommy and Daddy smile too. She’s a precious little gem our little girl and we couldn’t be more happy to share all of these exciting moments with her as she grows up.

So all in all, I can’t recommend Epcot’s Tutto Gusto highly enough. They offer delicious gluten free menu options, and non-gluten free ones too, that are sure to please everyone. The only downside that I did have was that I couldn’t get my hands on their recipes. Sadly, they weren’t really keen on sharing those which was really disappointing for me, seeing as Disney isn’t necessarily in my backyard and on my regular list of Friday night take out options. Even though I can’t recreate these exact dishes at home though, it just makes it that much more exciting and tastier when we get to go back!

Our little Snow White giving her favorite princess some love!

After lunch, we were all refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of Epcot. We headed straight over to Germany to meet my daughter’s favorite princess, Snow White. The meet and greet went just how we expected, a huge hug, followed by being held for bit, and finally a goodbye hug and wave that made the line behind us aww in unison. After her meeting, we took our little Snow White through the rest of the countries and finally to the Nemo ride, which she LOVES! The ride itself is great, but the aquarium afterwards is a great experience that we all love. By the time we finished Nemo, it was time to head over to Hollywood Studios for dinner. Stay tuned for my most exciting gluten free news from our summer Disney vacation! I’ll give you a hint, it has to do with fried chicken!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

August 20, 2014

A Breakfast Or A Dessert? These Gluten Free Powdered Custard Donuts Can Be Either!

I’ll be honest, most of the time during my pregnancy being gluten free wasn’t too difficult. Of course there were plenty of moments where I couldn’t seem to get a specific craving out of my head and couldn’t necessarily satisfy it either but that was to be expected. There were also plenty of moments that my cravings were completely doable and were for things that I could eat in a second. Like everyone else’s pregnancies though mine was no different, scattered throughout there were cravings for non-gluten free items that, no matter what I would do, just wouldn’t disappear. Two in particular stand out at the moment, bagels and donuts, both of which were extremely off limits in my diet. (more…)

August 19, 2014

A Chaotic And Cool Gluten Free Dinner On Night 1 In The Beast’s West Wing Of Be Our Guest

So I suppose it’s become somewhat of a tradition to spend our first day of our Disney vacation in Magic Kingdom. Right after we do our bag drop off at our resort we head on over to Magic Kingdom to start our vacation off with a trip through Fantasyland’s finest rides. This particular trip was no different, filling our first day with a tour through some old and new rides and finishing it off with a perfect first night’s dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant.

After a long morning of travel and an afternoon of hot fun we were eager to get dinner underway. We had arrived right on time and were shown to our table in the Beast’s West Wing. It was dark and cool, with thunder and lightening causing the lights to flicker on and off, definitely recreating the mysterious and somewhat scary nature of the West Wing. With so much to see and hear we were pretty optimistic that our little one would either be plenty entertained or embrace the darkness of the room and succumb to her heavily drooping eyes. Needless to say our dinner ended up being a bit more chaotic to say the least, and I think Dan and I probably spent a grand total of 30 minutes together the entire dinner. At one point or another each one of us was up and walking with our overly exhausted 1 year old who had bigger and better plans then sitting down to a nice dinner. It had been a long day up to that point with no nap in sight so I kind of knew the probable outcome of the dinner, but still hoped that the castle would enchant her and help us through our dinner.

Well with no enchantment in sight, we made do with our fussy little one and managed to still get in a few bites of semi-hot food. For my dinner I decided to start off with the gluten free French Onion Soup, followed by the gluten free Strip Steak with Pommes Frites, and finish with a gluten free Raspberry Sorbet. I was most excited to dive into a big bowl of French Onion Soup with melted cheese on top, it’s been ages since I’ve been so lucky. Soon after placing my order with the chef, my soup came around the corner and I couldn’t wait to take my first bite.

Gluten Free French Onion Soup at Be Our Guest

The soup was delicious, overflowing with onions and topped with a thick layer of melted cheese. While I’m not the biggest fan of onions in general, I do however enjoy the flavor that they add to this soup and with the melted cheese, it was simply divine. It was an amazing start to the meal and done perfectly gluten free too!

Soon after our appetizers had left the table, our main courses were turning the corner. While Dan started on his dish, I decided to take our little girl on a walk around the castle to give everyone a break from the rambunctious toddler. Soon enough we had made our way back to our dining room and it was my turn to dive into my meal. By this point my steak had turned a little cold so that was a bit disappointing but I wasn’t going to let that deter me from enjoying the great flavors. Unlike our last visit to Be Our Guest, this time around it didn’t seem like they had cooked the steak in the garlic herb butter as there was only a side dish on the plate, none was actually melted on top. It wasn’t quite the same this way, as the flavor of the butter didn’t really have a chance to melt into the steak; however, the butter was just as delicious as before and did make a good dipping side for the pommes frites which were just as perfectly flavored as I remember. All together my meal was pretty good, the pommes frites were the star for me and for my little girl who quieted down instantly after one bite, while the steak just needed to be cooked in the garlic herb butter to absorb that amazing flavor.

lkjklj — Gluten Free Grilled Strip Steak at Be Our Guest

Soon enough the dessert cart was rolling up alongside our table and delivering our family’s amazing sweet selections, with my sorbet quickly following. Normally I order the gluten free Lemon Raspberry Puff but I was in more of a cold treat kind of mood that day. The gluten free Raspberry Sorbet was perfect, a cold and sweet finish to a tasty meal. I highly recommend this dessert as an alternative to their gluten free puff, it was a huge helping and just the right amount of sweetness at the end of the meal.

Gluten Free Raspberry Sorbet at Be Our Guest

All together our dinner on Day 1 was incredibly flavorful and filling, a great finish to a jam packed first day of vacation. After such a long morning of travel and a hot afternoon hopping on and off rides it was just great to enjoy a cool meal in the dark and stormy West Wing of Beast’s castle. With full bellies and an extra boost of energy, we tackled a few more attractions after dinner like Belle’s Enchanted Tales, the carousel, and the tea cups. Soon enough, all of our tanks were close to empty though and it was time to call it a day. We turned in a bit early that night making sure to be well rested for Day 2 of fun at Epcot. Keep an eye out for the great gluten free news that I received on the second day of our vacation!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

August 18, 2014

A Vacation Filled With A Little Family, Food, And A Lot Of Magic!

And we’re back! Another Disney trip has come and gone already, it seems like it was just yesterday we were in the midst of planning this one. Kind of sad how quickly it all seems to pass but that just means now we get to enjoy the memories and begin plans for more in the future.

This vacation was a little different with Nanny and Pop Pop, aunts and uncles, and cousins in tow but just as much fun as always. With an extra early bed time the night before, we were on our way bright and early to catch the first flight of the day, A somewhat short flight later and we had arrived in hot and humid Orlando, ready to start our adventure. I just love that once you land you start feeling the magic of Disney World almost immediately, from the magic bands that we promptly donned ourselves in shortly after landing to our magic carpets, in the form of the Magical Express buses, ready and waiting to take us to our resort in Disney style.

Shortly after landing, we plopped our tired butts in our Magical Express seats, watched the Disney vaca video, and soon enough we were being dropped off at the foot of Disney’s Art Of Animation resort. Thanks to checking in online prior to our arrival, we quickly dropped off our bags at the front desk and made our way to the bus stop to wait for our transportation to Magic Kingdom for Day 1’s excitement. Only a 10-15 minutes bus ride later and we had arrived at our destination, a little tired but super excited to walk down Main Street and breathe in the magic that awaited us in Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

First on the agenda, we were all beyond starving so we decided on a quick quick service lunch at Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland. In the past, we’ve always had great gluten free success at this one so I for one was excited for a delicious turkey sandwich with those tasty Disney fries. While I certainly anticipated ordering to be more complicated for my group, as it always is thanks to the special diet request, on this particular day, it was beyond complicated. Besides unluckily picking the wrong line that barely moved, it took forever for the manager to make her way over to take our order. Once we placed our order, it took an additional 25 minutes or so to receive our food, which mind you I ordered a cold sandwich and fries so there wasn’t too much cooking involved. Finally, when we did receive our food a few things were wrong and missing so all together the entire ordering process was not very much fun.

Cosmic Ray's Sad Sandwich — Cosmic Ray’s Sad Gluten Free Turkey Sandwich

Sadly, by the time we finally sat down with our food, the rest of our family was well underway on enjoying their lunches. Nevertheless, all of the waiting and watching others eat just made me that much hungrier and eager to enjoy my turkey sandwich. But after just one bite, my bread literally disintegrated before my eyes and my sandwich was no more, leaving little to no more excitement about my first gluten free lunch. I was left with bits and pieces to nibble on and a delicious plate of fries but definitely not the tasty lunch that I had hoped I was in store for.

Since last time I tasted this sandwich it was filling, delicious, and stayed perfectly intact while I enjoyed it, I couldn’t help but to check my Magic Kingdom Gluten Free Guide to see what the disappointing change in bread might be. It appears that on my previous trip, Cosmic Ray’s used the Udi’s gluten free hamburger bun which I happen to really enjoy, especially since it reliably stands up in any kind of sandwich. This round though, I know for certain that this was no Udi’s bun but instead a GNI gluten free burger bun. Sadly, I am not a huge fan of the switch to this substitution so hopefully it was temporary and they return to my favorite standby by Udi’s.

Even though my lunch was a little disappointing, it did the trick and held me over through our afternoon packed full of fun. Stay tuned for an update on our dinner at Be Our Guest that first night!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

August 5, 2014

Disney World Here We Come!

Deliciously juicy turkey legs, strip steak with garlic herb butter and pommes frites, pulled pork sandwiches, and refreshingly sweet Dole Whips, in such a short time we’ll be basking in Orlando’s hot sun and humidity, enjoying all of Disney’s finest gluten free foods. As our trip inches closer I can’t help but get more and more excited, not only for the gluten free yumminess, but also for more fantastic Disney memories that we’ll create with our little one.

It’s funny to think back on our first trip to Disney as a family less than a year ago and how much things have changed. Our little girl is now a toddler who grows more and more as each day passes. While on our first trip she definitely knew Disney’s main characters, so much so that she smiled, laughed, and hugged each one, but for this one she’s so much more excited to see her now best friends that she calls by name and plans on giving each a running hug and kiss. She’s grown to love Disney as much as her Mommy and Daddy do which is so heartwarming to see.

Our highlights for our upcoming adventure are definitely the Frozen Summer Event at Hollywood Studios, the Disney Junior show starring all of little one’s favorite friends, the Electrical Parade of course, and some of our all time favorite rides like Peter Pan, it’s a small world, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Pooh, and Little Mermaid. While our little girl isn’t quite tall enough to enjoy the Mine Train, Dan and I are surely going to be checking that one out too while Nanny and Pop Pop are on baby watch. Now for the spectacular foods that I’ve been dreaming about in anticipation, we’re definitely looking forward to dinner and lunch at Be Our Guest, the turkey legs, our first family experience at the Hoop Dee Do Review, and hopefully another stop in at Tutto Gusto.

So there you have it, a quick run down of our Summer 2014 Disney Vacation. Stay tuned on twitter for updates on my gluten free food adventures as they come and I’ll be back on my blog soon with some great reviews and pictures to share!

Have A Magical Week,

Lindsay

August 4, 2014

Another Phenomenal Gluten Free Bread By Canyon Bakehouse: Deli Rye Style

Through my years of living gluten free, I’ve searched high and low for the best gluten free breads out there. While I’ve found my go to brands for everyday meals, I always keep my eyes peeled for more options. Although I’d heard the name Canyon Bakehouse before I’d never seen any of their products in my local stores. Hearing more and more fantastic things about them, I was intrigued to see what kinds of products they offer, so I finally decided to check out their website. Oh my was I ever glad that I did too. Here I found two gluten free breads that I’d never seen gluten free before, their Rosemary and Thyme Foccacia and Deli Style Rye. (more…)

August 1, 2014

Good Morning Gluten Free World! How About A Gluten Free Breakfast Wrap!

Ever since I made those delicious Gluten Free Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese Quesadillas I’ve been obsessed with Udi’s tortillas. I can’t get over just how perfect their texture and taste is despite their gluten status. I mean it’s pretty hard to believe that after years of searching high and low never being able to find a delicious gluten free tortilla that Udi’s now has seemed to accomplish the impossible and make a beautifully soft flour tortilla sans gluten that tastes and feels just like the regular version! Congratulations Udi’s! (more…)

July 31, 2014

A Take On Macaroni And Cheese That Tastes Anything But Out Of A Box

I have to admit, I’ve never been one to crave mac and cheese from a box. Don’t get me wrong I have most definitely eaten the legendary blue boxed Kraft Macaroni and Cheese on more than one occasion, but I’ve by far, preferred a warm, heaping plate of my mom’s homemade cheesy macaroni instead. I can still taste the warm tomato soup layered with cheese and pasta, delicious memories from years past. (more…)

July 30, 2014

Did You Know That Perdue Offers Gluten Free Shortcuts? Grab Some Today, Save A Little Time And Save A Little Money Too!

In case you haven’t guessed it by now I am a huge fan of Perdue’s chicken products. It’s a tough world out there following a gluten free diet, so any brand that makes our lives a little bit easier makes me smile. Not only do I buy Perdue’s chicken breasts and tenders for all of my from scratch cooking but I’m also very pleased with their gluten free line of breaded chicken tenders as well as select shortcuts. They are perfect when you’re crunched for time and match with so many of my go to, quick dinner recipes. I’d also like to mention that I think these products were among my favorite dinner items during my pregnancy. They saved me from touching the forbidden raw chicken and an hour or so of prep time. Interested in trying some of these out? Make sure you print this Perdue Shortcut Coupon today to save on your next purchase! May I recommend the honey or grilled varieties that you can try in my Pesto, Chicken, and Tomato Pizza, Crispy Chicken Cobb Wrap, or my latest and favorite recipe Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese Quesadilla.

Sincerely,

Lindsay