Continental Airlines is allergy friendly. Not only are their flights peanut free (unlike Southwest, Delta and Northwest), but they also offer gluten-free meals. You just have to request the gluten free meal at least 24 hours before your flight.
I was craving chocolate cake this morning so I made some with Whole Foods' 365 brand Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix. The recipe calls for buttermilk or lowfat yogurt but since I had neither, I just used skim milk. The cake came out pretty well. It's pretty light and fluffy and chocolatey. The chocolate flavor could be a little richer, but maybe the addition of chocolate chips would help that. The box is $3.99 from Whole Foods and you have to add eggs, vanilla extract, butter and buttermilk/yogurt. Overall, not amazing, but not bad.
The Pure Pantry's Pancake and Baking Mix makes delicious buckwheat pancakes and waffles. For those who miss the rich hearty flavor of whole wheat and whole grain, then buckwheat is for you. Buckwheat is not actually wheat and is safe for including as part a gluten free diet. The pancake mix is easy to use just like regular commercial pancake mix, but this one is of course gluten free. The mix can also be used for other baking needs. The mix makes great waffles and I doubt anyone would realize it is gluten free. There is also an original buttermilk flavored mix for those who prefer a more traditional pancake. The Pure Pantry is a company founded by a local SoCal resident who also lives gluten free. It is available at Healthy Creations and the Leucadia Farmer's Market. 
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My favorite shampoo for my colored hair used to be Pureology, however, I noticed that it always made my scalp very dry and itchy. I read the ingredients, and guess what - wheat protein! Ever since I stopped using Pureology, I have been searching for a good gluten free shampoo. Most of the ones I have found either take the color out or leave my hair dry and straw-like. My salon uses Bumble & Bumble but I've never really been a huge fan of their products. Most of their regular shampoos do contain wheat, however, I saw that their color support shampoo (it comes in several colors for blondes, brunettes, redheads etc.) does not contain wheat. After using it for over a month, I have found that my hair is soft and manageable and the color is actually enhanced! This shampoo is not cheap, it's about $22/bottle retail and Amazon has it for $18/bottle. However, unless I find a comprable cheaper alternative, I will probably keep using it.
I LOVE Pizza so I was very excited to hear that UNO Chicago Grill, famous for their deep dish pizza, is now serving Gluten Free Pizzas!!! It's not at all locations, so call first, but it is available in Fashion Valley in San Diego. I am very excited to try it - I am always searching for the perfect GF pizza!
My husband and I went to Cowboy Star for a special occasion. Typically steak restaurants are pretty safe and the higher-end places usually are pretty good about educating their staff about food allergies. However, when I told the waitress that I could not eat gluten, she had no idea what I was talking about. She had not even heard the word gluten before, and I thought I was talking about glucose! I tried to explain to her that I could not eat wheat, and clearly this was beyond her comprehension as she brought both me and husband individual bread portions. Overall, the food was okay. I liked the atmosphere since it was more relaxed than some other steak restaurants, however, their inability to educate their servers leaves me doubting I will go back.
My husband and I went here for dinner one night. They have a set menu plus a daily menu and there were two kinds of risotto on the menu the night we went. I got the mushroom risotto and it was very yummy. We also got an appetizer that had spinach, prosciutto, asiago cheese and some goodies. The serving sizes were generous so there was some left over for the next day. The service was excellent! And for dessert I had the creme brulee. They also have a good wine list. Parking is a pain but that's Hillcrest. Prices were between $11 and $20 for a main entree. I did not talk to the chef about the exact ingredients of my food but I didn't have any problems. However, since they don't advertise anything as being gluten free, I would recommend that someone is very sensitive, to call ahead and ask.
I went to this restaurant with a gluten-free dining out group. One of the chefs has a child who is gluten-free so he understands the diet restrictions. I ordered the Rigatoni Salmone and it was delicious. The portion size was good and I had some left over to take home for the next day. The house wine was good and inexpensive. Italian has always been my favorite food and I have missed being able to go Italian restaurants so I am glad I have found this one. Parking is easy because it is a few blocks away from UTC. If you want to go here for a gluten-free meal - call a couple hours ahead because they have to buy the pasta.
I made these brownies after having a major chocolate craving. Instead of the recommended butter, I used half olive oil and half apple sauce to reduce the fat content. I was disappointed when these brownies came out of the oven - they didn't seem very chocolately even though they contain little chocolate chips. However, after the brownies cooled, they tasted better. They were still lacking some chocolately flavor that I wanted, but they weren't bad. I think I will try a different mix next time. This mix was from Whole Foods' 365 brand and was about 3.99 per box.
As someone with a NUT and a GLUTEN allergy, it is next to impossible to find an energy or a protein bar. So I was super excited when I saw the Comfort Bars in Whole Foods and they didn't have a peanut flavor, which always means all flavors may contain peanuts. Although the name is a little weird, and reminds me of laxatives, these bars are delicious!! I had the white chocolate Cherry Chip flavor and omigosh, they taste so good!!! I'm going to buy them by the box next time. They are a little pricey, approx. $2.35 each at Whole Foods but they are worth it for me since they are the ONLY bars I can eat that actually taste good!
Corn thins are a cracker substitute - sort of! They have the taste and texture of rice cakes but they are about a quarter of the thickness, thereby, making them a more viable cracker substitute. They have a pretty mild flavor that won't interfere with any topping. They are certified gluten-free and are high in fiber so they are good for you. Overall, they are pretty good, not as good as a buttery wheat cracker, but much healthier!
I have not actually tried this restaurant but I am excited to go there because they feature gluten-free selections on their menu. They are located next to Trader Joe's in Hillcrest. I am supposed to attend a work function there this week so I will definitely review the food soon.
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Trader Joe's Refresh Citrus Shampoo is gluten-free, it smells great, it works well, and it's super cheap! An all around winner.... with the small caveat that I don't think it is good for colored hair. Since my hair is not currently its natural hue, I have to be careful about which shampoos I use. Many shampoos will strip hair of color. Although I think this is a great shampoo for non-chemically treated hair, I wouldn't recommend it for colored hair because I think it is slowly removing my hair color. Still searching for that perfect gluten-free, color-friendly shampoo...
Only after talking to my hair stylist did I realize that many shampoos and other hair products contain wheat. For those with skin sensitivities, the wheat in the hair products can leave you with an itchy or dry scalp and face. My prior favorite shampoo, Pureology, unfortunately contains wheat protein, so I needed to search for a new one. In Whole Foods, I found California Baby's Super Sensitive Shampoo. Since I love their calming moisturizing cream and all their stuff is gluten-free, I decided to try this product. Unfortunately, I think it may be too sensitive. After I using it for several days, my hair felt dirty. I don't think it was cleaning my hair sufficiently. This may be one product that is great for babies but not for adults.
Wallaby Organic Yogurt is the best yogurt out there by far! It's fruity and creamy and delicious without being too sweet like all those regular commercial varieties. It comes in tons of good flavors, one of my favorites is Orange-Pineapple. It also comes in both low fat and fat free. It is available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.
These cookies are individually-wrapped so they are great for eating on the go. They taste like a healthy version of a cookie with an orange flavor. They are pretty good but they aren't sweet enough to be compared to a cookie containing wheat. I take them with me when I want to have a snack while out, but generally, they are not enticing enough to make me eat them at home. They sell them at Whole Foods for about $4 a box.
