Over the long Memorial Day weekend, I moved from Baltimore to Washington D.C. for the summer, which means that there's a whole lot of D.C. reviews coming soon to the blog. After a long day of packing and moving, I decided to venture over to Georgetown to walk around and get fresh air.
To decide where to find dinner, I consulted my Find Me Gluten-Free app, and after reading reviews decided to give El Centro D.F. a try.
With a menu featuring authentic Mexican eats, El Centro D.F. has a lot to offer for gluten-free eaters. From tacos to fajitas, enchiladas to salad, corn-based tortillas make most of the menu gluten-free.
El Centro D.F. is one in a few restaurants operated by Mexican-born chef Richard Sandoval. Inspired by the flavors of Mexico City, dining at El Centro D.F. promises to capture the essence and authenticity of meals he enjoyed with his family growing up.
Looking for an updated rundown of gluten-free options at Nationals Park? Click here to see the 2019 edition.
The roar of the crowd... the crack of the bat... baseball season is in full swing (pun intended)! While everyone can join in on the fun of cheering on the home team, baseball stadiums can be difficult to navigate as a gluten-free eater because hot dogs, pretzels, and other gluten-filled snacks are the staples of concession stands everywhere.
Luckily, Nationals Park in Washington D.C, home of the Washington Nationals, has taken steps to include gluten-free eaters into the full experience of visiting the ballpark- hot dog and all. With a 100% dedicated gluten-free concession stand, and food policies that allow you to bring in outside food, it's easy to plan ahead to enjoy an afternoon or evening at the ballpark.
As I wrap up my time in Baltimore (for now) I made one final foodie stop before heading out of town at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse in Towson. I have heard for awhile that BJ's has lots of gluten-free options so I decided it was finally time to check them out.
This BJ's is part of the new Towson Square development, which features restaurants, a huge movie theater, and tons of shopping nearby at Towson Town Center. Their menu is lengthy, an there's a lot of options for those with food allergies and dietary restrictions. I arrived for late lunch, and was eager to see how my experience compared to my expectations.
It's been ages since I last embarked on a gluten-free baking project, because it has been difficult to find free time this semester. Luckily, with my final exams behind me, I was able to break out my mixing bowls to test drive the Bella Gluten-Free mixes that have been hanging out in my pantry for a few weeks now.
What's awesome about these mixes is that they are allergen-free and go from shelf to oven in mere minutes. With fun packaging and super simple instructions, they make baking fun and totally not intimidating.
The Bella Gluten-Free line of mixes ranges from sweet and savory and the sampler I received included mixes that would be perfect from breakfast to dinner, with desert thrown in on the side. From pizza to warm chocolate chip cookies, baking was a great way to unwind a bit after a long, stressful semester.
Visiting Orlando for a super short weekend, I did not have much time to explore and try out new places around town. However, when plans fell through for a dinner downtown, I had to scramble to see what dining options were nearby.
After checking out a few restaurants, I felt comfortable enough to settle for Kasa Restaurant, whose staff assured me that their menu had some gluten-free options to chose from. With a warm, welcoming atmosphere and a nice evening for dining al fresco, I was optimistic about the dining choice.
Just a few blocks away from the Amway Center, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and other downtown attractions, the location couldn't have been better and more accessible.
Microwave popcorn is one of those foods that can be tricky to find dairy-free. Although naturally gluten-free, butter and milk products are often used to provide the authentic buttery flavor made famous by movie theaters.
Luckily, SkinnyPop has engineered a perfect solution for allergy-free eaters everywhere: microwave popcorn that's not only safe, but pops up into it's own bowl. These popcorn aisle newcomers are a perfect merge of convenience and satisfaction, and are sure to liven up movie night for everyone in your family.
One of the truly great things about Washington D.C. is that you can find just about any type of food from around the world here. I love any type of non-American food (and it's usually more gluten-free friendly), but until recently have not sought out Thai food in the District.
Thai food is my favorite of the Asian cuisines because it is just so flavorful and comforting. I love curries and the abundance of safe ingredients used, so I decided to seek out Beau Thai after looking for a gluten-free friendly Thai place in the city.
Located in the Shaw neighborhood of the city, Beau Thai takes pride in serving fresh, authentic fare that has won "Best Thai Restaurant" in Washington City Paper's annual poll for several years in a row.
I stopped by during their weekend brunch, and was excited to get my first taste of Thai food in a while. With a beautiful dining room and large windows perfect for people (and dog) watching, I knew it was a perfect choice to spend a Sunday dining out.
As a busy college student, time for cooking elaborate, healthy meals is hard to find sometimes. Between school, work, and interning, sometimes I need a quick meal to fill me up and fuel several hours' worth of activity.
To do this, I often turn to frozen meals, which often have less than stellar nutritional and taste profiles. They're quick and easy, but less than satisfying.
However, when shopping at Mom's Organic Market, I discovered a new-to-me brand and product that promised to be a solution for my healthy eating on-the-go dilemma: Luvo's planted power bowls.
These bowls are 100% vegan and gluten-free, containing an impressive amount of plant based goodness in their seemingly small size. Both bowls I tried pack plant-based protein, and reading their ingredient lists is refreshing, as every ingredient is both readable and recognizable.
Could these frozen meals buck the frozen food stereotype and be both tasty and good-for-you? I had a sneaking suspicion going in that they would easily pass both standards.
As a gluten-free eater, I am always in search of better sandwich breads, because gluten-free breads in general tend to have a lot to improve on. Whether it's a tiny size, crumbly consistency, or holes that take up a good part of the slice, gluten-free bread has gotten a bad rap for being subpar in every aspect to gluten-full breads.
When La Brea Bakery reached out to me with an offer to try their white and multigrain sandwich breads, I was excited to give them a try. I admit that I had no idea that La Brea Bakery was in the gluten-free arena, but have seen their gluten bread at Costco which has earned rave reviews from my gluten-eating family.
What stood out to me the moment I unpacked the samples La Brea Bakery sent me was how much the bread resembled any loaf of bread you might find in the grocery store. It was soft, it was full-sized, and had a delicious bready aroma. Could this bread mark a large leap forward for what gluten-free sandwich bread can and should be? I was ready to put it to the test.
