While most nights I make dinner for our family, there are nights when we are busy or I’m just tired.  I know our family is going to have a lot more of these nights coming up when our new baby girl arrives in February.  So, what does a gluten free family do when they want take out?  Here is a list of options I’ve found that work for us.  These are chain restaurants, so if you are worried about cross-contamination I’d talk to the people at your local restaurant about what they do to prevent it.  Even our dairy and egg allergic son can eat at a couple of these places.

CHIPOTLE

Our family probably eats at Chipotle more than any other restaurant.  They are very allergy friendly.  If you ask, they’ll change they’re gloves for you so the flour tortillas they’ve just touched won’t contaminate your food.  Most things on their menu are gluten free other than the tortillas.  I avoid the cheese and lettuce as well because the servers use their gloved hands (which have touched tortillas) to handle these items.  For Jacob, we avoid the sour cream and cheese as well.  We usually get a side of chips and guacamole which are also delicious!

Here’s a link to Chipotle’s allergen information:  http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/menu/special_diet_information/special_diet_information.aspx

LARKBURGER

Unfortunately Larkburger is currently only located in Colorado, but we love it!  They have gluten free hamburger buns, their fries are cooked in dedicated fryers and they are also very allergy friendly and the staff is usually very helpful.  Their gluten free hamburger buns do contain dairy and egg so for Jacob we just get him a hamburger patty wrapped in lettuce no sauce, a side of french fries, and one of their tasty fresh squeezed lemonades.  Angie, when you come to visit we can go here!

Here’s a link to Larkburger’s allergen information:  http://www.larkburger.com/menu/allergen-info

CHIC-FIL-A

We’ve only eaten at Chic-fil-a a handful of times, mostly because there is dairy in almost every item on the menu – so Jacob doesn’t have many options here.  However, we do stop by every once in a while to get french fries which are allergen free… also I think they are the best thing at Chic-fil-a.   I would double check with your Chic-Fil-A to make sure they use a dedicated fryer for the fries.  We’ve been to a couple of different locations and they both did.  I’ve also had their chicken garden salad with no issues… make sure to check the things they give you on the side for wheat though, mine came with sunflower seeds in a packet that had wheat as an ingredient!

Gluten free info:  http://www.chick-fil-a.com/#gluten

Allergen info:  http://www.chick-fil-a.com/#allergies

WENDY’S

We’ve only eaten at Wendy’s a few times since my diagnosis, but they have a pretty decent gluten free menu for a fast food place.  We haven’t ever tried to get Jacob anything there.  I’ve ordered the chili, a sour cream and chive baked potato, and a frosty.

Gluten free info:  http://www.wendys.com/food/pdf/us/gluten_free_list.pdf

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE CURBSIDE TAKE-AWAY

Outback Steakhouse is not exactly fast food, but when you call in and just go pick up it up, it’s close enough.  We eat this pretty frequently, they are limited on dairy free options here so we just usually fix Jacob something separate when we get this for dinner.

http://www.outback.com/menu/pdf/glutenfree.pdf

P. F. CHANG’S ONLINE ORDERING

Again, P. F. Chang’s is not exactly fast food, but they also offer online ordering, and have a great gluten free menu.  I haven’t found where P. F. Chang’s publishes their other allergens, so we don’t order Jacob any food from here either.

http://www.pfchangs.com/menu/ – click on the gluten free tab.

Remember to talk to your local restaurant about how they handle gluten free cooking.

My sister was recently diagnosed with celiac disease, which makes 3 people in our immediate family that have come back positive for the disease.  I’ve promised her I would post a list of meal ideas and tips that I have for the first few weeks of going gluten free.  It can be quite a chore to figure out what to eat, especially if you are not used to cooking very often!  And as both she and I discovered, when you are out socializing with people or trying to bring lunch to work  it can be really hard to plan at first without starving.  So here’s my list of ideas for this transition period.

QUICK BREAKFASTS

Smoothies – We blend up a cup of orange juice (Simply Orange, most Tropicana, and Florida Orange are gluten free – sometimes you have to watch out for natural flavors on juices that could contain gluten), a cup of cranberry juice (we get Ocean Spray 100% juice blends), 2 bananas, and a cup or so of frozen fruit almost every day for breakfast.  I vary exactly what is in them, but these are super easy and tasty.  I add flax seed oil for Omega-3s and soy milk (Silk is gluten free) or hemp milk (Tempt brand is gluten free).

Fresh fruit

Toast on gluten free bread with jam, peanut butter, etc, most of which are gluten free  – If you can eat eggs, I think Udi’s bread is the best if you can find it.  If you have to avoid eggs like we do we’ve found Food For Life brand to be pretty good toasted, be careful because not all of their bread is gluten free.  We invested in a new toaster when I went gluten free to prevent cross-contamination.

Vans Free Waffles – They sell these at our Target, Whole Foods, King Soopers, and other local grocery stores.  These are especially great for us because they have no eggs or dairy either.

Oscar Meyer Turkey Bacon – Easy and quick to heat up and is gluten free.  (Also dairy and egg free).

Gluten free dry cereals

Gluten free hot cereals – Cream of Rice, Pocono Cream of Buckwheat, Bob’s Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal

Gluten free energy bars – I love Larabars, I carry them with me all of the time and they are a lifesaver.  They are filling, great for breakfast on the run, or a snack.  Our SuperTarget carries a couple of flavors in the energy bar section, and most the the grocery stores around us carry them as well.  My favorite flavors are peanut butter and peanut butter chocolate chip.

QUICK LUNCHES

Amy’s Frozen Dinners – These are usually pretty tasty, but they aren’t always super filling as my sister found out this week.  I would bring some fruit to eat with these and make them more filling.

Sandwiches & Chips – I think gluten free bread is better toasted, but this might not always be an option.  You have to watch lunch meat but there are brands like Hormel Natural Choice that are gluten free (and dairy free).  Most condiments are gluten free, as are things like pickles.  As for chips we love Kettle potato chips because they are gluten free and they have many dairy free options.  Most plain tortilla chips are gluten free as well.

Leftovers – If you’ve just gone gluten free you probably aren’t going to have many gluten free leftovers to work with.  But this is what we eat most of the time for lunch.  I usually meal plan and plan to make enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day as well.

Veggies or Crackers & Hummus – We like to use Falafel King hummus that is gluten free, but it is available mostly in the Denver area.  I’m not sure which of the other hummus brands are gluten free, but there are some out there.  Hummus is great with cut up veggies or gluten free crackers.  We usually buy Mary’s Gone Crackers.

Salads – Pack a salad at home with lettuce and bring some gluten free salad dressing (there are quite a few brands that are gluten free, or drizzle a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil over it), lunch meat or beans for protein, cheese, to make it more filling you can add avocado, artichokes, nuts or seeds.

QUICK DINNERS

Baked potato and toppings – Either in the microwave, or the oven if you’ve got more time.  Toppings can be lunch meat, cheese, sour cream, chives, gluten free canned chili (Amy’s is gluten free), etc.  Serve with a salad and side of fruit to make it more filling.

Sweet potato and toppings – These can be done in the microwave as well if needed.  I usually serve with brown sugar and butter (or in our case dairy free margarine).  Again serve with a salad and side of fruit to make it more filling.

Gluten free canned chili and tortilla chips – We use Amy’s canned chili but Hormel also says their chili is gluten free – heat up on the stove and serve with avocado, salsa, sour cream, cheese, etc.

Gluten free soup and grilled cheese – When I first went gluten free this was a go to meal when we didn’t have anything planned.  Many soups have gluten in them but Pacific brand boxed soups are often gluten free, and Imagine Foods  soups are also gluten free.  Wolfgang Puck Tomato Basil Bisque is gluten free.  Progresso also has a list of soups on their website that are gluten free.  Serve with grilled cheese on gluten free bread.

Sauteed chicken and rice – I like to sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and herbs…  I usually use Herbs de Provence or thyme depending on what we have.  Add olive oil to your pan on medium high, until the oil is hot, add the chicken and sautee for 4 or so minutes on each side.  Serve with white or brown rice.

Gluten free pasta and sauce – There are lots of gluten free pastas out there, I like Tinkyada, and many common pasta sauces are gluten free as well.

Tacos – I use McCormick taco seasoning and either ground beef or ground turkey.  Ortega hard taco shells are gluten free and say so on the package.

Or mix and match a simple meal:

Start with a protein – steak, fish, chicken, turkey, pork chops, season it,  and grill, sautee, or broil it.

Add a carbohydrate – Rice, baked potato, roasted potatoes, or try a new gluten free grain like quinoa.

Add some vegetables – Whatever you like steamed, roasted, or grilled.  Or add a salad.

Add fruit for dessert.

These are just starter ideas for meals, but after going gluten free for a bit you’ll come up with a list of recipes that work for you and your family.  I’m going to try to post our weekly meal plans for more gluten free meal ideas.   These meals may be a little more complicated but if you try one or two new recipes a week you may find some others that you like and eat frequently at your house.