We just got home a few days ago from a 2-week Baltic cruise. This was our third cruise with
Oceania Cruises and we had a fantastic time. We visited beautiful sights and enjoyed amazing food. Our cruise started from London (actually Dover), and from there we visited Belgium, Amsterdam, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Finland, Russia (St. Petersburg), Estonia, and Sweden (Stockholm).
We had planned to get to London a full day early so we could enjoy some time before having to go to the ship. Unfortunately, with flight issues that came up (more details about this later) we only had a few hours in London and we were exhausted. I had done some research for gluten-friendly restaurants in London before the trip, but by the time we got there we just wanted to eat at the closest restaurant we could find. We came across
Nar Restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant in South London. The food was delicious and the staff was knowledgeable about special diets. The menu actually identifies vegetarian dishes, as well as dishes containing nuts, and specifies to notify a Manager with any food allergies. I had grilled chicken with basmati rice. The portions were very generous and the chicken was packed full of flavor.
The food on the ship was amazing. I mentioned in a prior post (Traveling Gluten-Free) that Oceania Cruises does a wonderful job making accommodations for special diets. Just like my previous trips with them, I gave them advance notice of my gluten-free diet and they didn't skip a beat. I had gluten-free bread at all my meals, and was able to review the dinner menu each morning to provide my selections for that evening in advance in case my meal needed to be prepared differently. The chef was available to review the buffet items with me when necessary (we usually had lunch at the buffet). They also have tea time every afternoon where you can enjoy small sandwiches, desserts, and a cup of tea. I rarely went to this on our prior trips thinking there wouldn't be anything I could eat. However, I decided to go this trip for some tea, and was so surprised when I was greeted with a special tray of gluten-free sandwiches. We ended up going to this almost every afternoon and I was able to enjoy a variety of sandwiches including egg salad, shrimp salad, chicken salad, cream cheese, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Some of my favorite dinners on board consisted of Lobster Risotto, Filet Mignon, Veal Chop with Mushroom Porcini Sauce, Vegetarian Bean Chili, Seabass with Crushed Potatoes, and Herb Crusted Rotisserie Free-Range Chicken. My favorite treat on board was the Triple Homemade Marshmallow Dessert. It was out of this world!
I mentioned above that we had some flight issues on this trip. I had made plans well in advance for special gluten-free meals on the international flights both going and coming from the cruise on Continental. Unfortunately, we had weather delays on the first leg of our trip and missed our connection flight from Newark to London (by minutes). We ended up on a flight to London leaving almost 6 hours later than our original flight, and of course my gluten-free meal (along with our luggage) didn't follow me on that later flight. I was able to eat a small meal at the airport, and luckily had some snacks to hold me over on the flight. Preparing to return from Stockholm at the end of our trip, I was hopeful there wouldn't be any problems with the gluten-free meal I had arranged for this flight. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the airport we were shocked to find out that with the changes Continental made to our initial flight to London, they accidently cancelled our reservations for our return flight. They were able to make some changes and get us home on the original flight, however the pre-arranged gluten-free meal was long gone. The few gluten-free snacks I had left at the end of the trip just barely held me over on this flight.
I usually always carry gluten-free snacks when I travel and they definitely came in handy on this trip. Along with the flights, I like to have them on hand for the days on long excursions. I also mentioned in the previous travel post that I am not the most adventurous. I'm sure there are many people on gluten-free diets who travel to other countries and try all of the local food. I am not one of those people, and cruising allows me to see the world and eat great food that I know will agree with me. Aside from the flight issues, it was a wonderful vacation. Thank you Oceania Cruises!
We just got home a few days ago from a 2-week Baltic cruise. This was our third cruise with Oceania Cruises and we had a fantastic time. We visited beautiful sights and enjoyed amazing food. Our cruise started from London (actually Dover), and from there we visited Belgium, Amsterdam, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Finland, Russia (St. Petersburg), Estonia, and Sweden (Stockholm).
The Gluten-Free Bakehouse from Whole Foods has a huge selection of tasty baked goods. Their products (breads, muffins, cookies, scones, and more) are made at a dedicated gluten-free facility and are sold at Whole Foods Markets in the US and Canada.
I discovered this recipe recently from a fellow gluten-free blogger (GLUTEN FREE SOX FAN), and just made it last night for dinner. It was out of this world.
We ventured out to Pei Wei today for a nice relaxing Sunday lunch. If you have never been to Pei Wei (P.F. Chang's is their parent company), it is a casual Asian Diner serving Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese inspired dishes.
I don't buy pudding all that often, but I have had Kozy Shack chocolate pudding many times. Along with chocolate, they also have tapioca and rice pudding (all labeled gluten-free). Their website also lists some seasonal flavors for their regular pudding including Key Lime, Country Peach, and Pumpkin.
Whether you are traveling, going to a long business meeting, or just going to run some errands, always make sure you take a snack along. While there are plenty of gluten-free snack options out there (not necessarily labeled "gluten-free"), sometimes they aren't always available when you need them. It is best to plan ahead and be prepared so you don't go hungry! Your snack could be a bag of chips or a candy bar, but some fresh fruit is a great healthy option. 
Growing up, I was always a pasta girl. Whether we made it at home or went out to eat, pasta was always one of my favorite meals. When I went away to college, I lived on pasta because it was cheap and easy. After college (when I was actually making a decent living), I continued to make pasta once a week and made sure I had enough leftovers for a few lunches. So when I made the switch to a gluten-free diet a few years ago, I was crushed at the thought of never being able to eat one of my favorite foods again.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, there are many great gluten-free books and blogs with wonderful recipes. Some are simple recipes and some are more elaborate. I am just your average cook, so recipes with several ingredients can be a little overwhelming for me. That's not to say I won't try something new that looks really tempting, but it hasn't happened too often so far.
Washington, DC is an incredible place to visit. We were there recently for a long weekend to celebrate a special birthday and had an amazing time. We stayed in Georgetown, but ventured out to explore as much as DC as we could on foot and on the Metro (they have a fantastic public transportation system). I hadn't been there in many years, so we visited the memorials, monuments, museums, and Arlington National Cemetery. It was my first time at Arlington, and I would definitely recommend going there when you visit DC.
I mentioned in Wednesday's blog (Going Out to Eat) that there are many restaurants that will make accommodations for special diets, however some cities do a much better job of this than others. I was in San Diego last year for a conference, and was also able to explore the city and take in the sights. The weather was beautiful as we walked down the streets lined with shops and restaurants. Although I had done my research of gluten-friendly establishments prior to the trip, we ended up eating in random restaurants that we came across on our walks. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the staff in EVERY restaurant we ate at were all familiar with gluten-free requests.
It is that time of year... the grocery stores are filled with food for Passover and many items are gluten-free (be sure to check the labels)! I wish I could find gluten-free blintzes and knishes like those mentioned on Gluten-Free NYC, but if you are lucky enough to have a large selection, these may be in your store. A few years ago, I came across gluten-free Ring Tings from Shabtai Gourmet. They were incredible, and they brought back so many memories of eating Ding Dongs and Rings Dings as a kid, but I haven't been able to find them lately. I do however have a large variety of Passover cookies at my local grocery store, and this year I discovered another blast from the past... black and white cookies from Oberlander's. I had to try them as soon as I got home, and they tasted just like I remembered. Passover is still a few weeks away, so I think I may need to go back and pick up a few more boxes before they disappear!
