Gluten Free Me…

and super size me while you’re at it!  Unless you are aware that McD’s fries are NOT technically gluten free according the their own website. 😦  I have been informed however that the celiac foundation tested them and found them to be within the limit to be considered gluten free.

On other business…

Summer is officially over since Sunday marked the last day of the fair!

I can still smell the kettle corn cooking.  I’ve still got chicken poo stuck to my boots.  Thing 1 still has artificial freckles on his face, the kind you get from falling off the sheep in Mutton Bustin’ and yet it is time to get back to reality.  Time to eat meals from my own table and time to blog again lest the blog police shut me down. 

Every year I cling to the last morsels of the fair just like Templeton in Charlotte’s Web.  I love the fair; bad food, creative crafts, huge pumpkins and the rodeo!  “The bulls and the blood, the dust and the mud!”  Gotta love it.

What do you eat when you are on the go?

Thinking back on the fair and the mirage that was summer I wondered if it might be helpful to compile some of the fast food orders I make over and over and over again. 

When you have to eat gluten free you tend to avoid fast food like mothers across the nation avoid having to change dirty diapers on the primitive floor of the fair bathroom where there is no warm water, no soap and likely no towels when you are down to your last wet wipe!  None the less when the occasion arises most every mother will just get the job done.

Here is my “menu” for those times when fast food is inevitable.

What can I eat at McDonald’s?

• yogurt parfait (NO oatmeal) 
• salad (NO croutons and NO chicken- not even the grilled one!)
•  fruit and walnut salad (DON’T eat the candies walnuts the second ingredient is wheat)
•  100% beef patties (NOT the Angus patty)
•  McRib Pork Patty.

The salad dressings do not contain gluten ingredients. All but one are soy free. The Italian dressing is the only one that does not contain milk.

I usually order a yogurt parfait and fries but I just read on the McDonald’s website that the number 2 ingredient is a vegetable oil which includes Natural Beef flavor in which one of the ingredients is hydrolyzed wheat.  And all this time I though fries were gluten free!  WAAAAAA!

I rarely order a plain meat patty because the chances that somebody puts a bun on accidentally then yanks it off and sticks the patty in a boat (crumbs and all) is something I don’t like to gamble on.

What can I eat at Wendy’s?

Wendy’s is my favorite.  In my town it is the best fast food bet if I don’t want to get sick, though I have had the occasional cross contamination issues that go along with chancing it “out on the range”!  Truly only 1 in 100. That’s pretty good.

• grilled chicken patty
• 100% beef patty
• potatoes
• gogurts
• fries (I think but can’t verify online right now)
• salads (minus croutons, NOT including the Asian salad-or just leave off the noodles)
• most of the dressings are without wheat (be aware that soy sauce has wheat so stay away from Asian dressings/marinades)

I usually order one of their wonderful salads.

OR

A chicken patty with my favorite dressing to dip, a sour cream and chive potato and a big swig of good ol’ Dr. Pepper!

What can I eat at Carl’s Jr?

• The low carb $6 burger-
• fries

There is still hope for french fry eaters (unless you are allergic to soy).  I had stopped eating Carl’s fries when they changed to the “fresh cut” version because I noticed the breading and assumed it was wheat.  I actually spit a couple out in a panic and threw three boxes of fries away on that assumption.  Browsing their website I found that the “breading” is actually rice flour so it appears that french fries are still in my future! Don’t eat the zuccini or crisscut fries though.

Since they have the low carb option Carl’s will make any of their sandwiches on lettuce!  They even have real  lettuce!  The chicken (even grilled chicken) is not okay the marinade contains soy sauce.

View the complete Carl’s ingredients list here.

I hope this helps. Here are some other fast food chains and restaurants I’ve left off since I don’t have much experience with them,  our little town doesn’t offer a lot of options! 🙂

Please visit Linda’s new and improved “What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free” and don’t forget to check out the other great recipes this week!

Restaurants with gluten free options

If you are willing to risk the possibility of cross contamination here are some restaurant chains that have made an attempt to offer gluten-free options, because you can’t always pack a sack lunch. Don’t be a goof, always ask before you order and don’t be embarrased to let the waiter and/or chef know how important it is to get your order right. 

First some quick tips: 

French Fries are often lightly breaded, seasoned and fried in a vat with other gluten products so don’t assume they are ok.

Fried rice is often made with a slight amount of soy sauce in the vat to keep it from sticking together – always ask.

Soups, sauces, maranades and salad dressing are easy items to ask to read a label on.

• Arby’s http://www.arbys.com
• Carl’s Jr. http://carlsjr.com
• Chick-fil-A  http://chic-fil-a.com
• Chili’s http://chilis.com (download allergy info under “menu” before you go)
• Claim Jumper http://claimjumper.com
• Cold Stone   http://www.coldstonecreamery.com
• In N Out Burger http://in-n-out.com
• Jack in the Box http://jackinthebox.com
• Mimi’s Cafe http://mimiscafe.com
• Old Spaghetti Factory http://www.osf.com
• Outback Steakhouse http://www.outbacksteakhouse.com
• P F Changs http://www.pfchangs.com
• Red Robin http://redrobin.com
• Wendy’s http://www.wendys.com
• Winger’s Grill and Bar http://www.wingers.info