Earth Fare Has Now Opened in Fort Wayne

Earth Fare opened this morning at 8:00. They are located at the SW corner of Dupont and Coldwater in the old Scott's location- behind a CVS that I didn't know existed!

I've never shopped at an Earth Fare store before and to be honest, I barely batted an eye at the news that they were coming to town because this location isn't convenient to me- the same reason I rarely make my way out to Fort Wayne Custom RX or Nolt's Marketplace for GF goodies. This place is different though, and I do now plan to make the drive much more often.

Finding quality, affordable GF items is an absolute must for me as a Celiac with a tight budget. Earth Fare definitely values quality. It will not sell any products that contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial fats or artificial trans fats, artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, artificial sweeteners, bleached or bromated flours, or antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones. They are very receptive to customer requests for products as long as the products fit within their food philosophy. When I looked through their store, I was more concerned with finding my favorite GF products and new GF products that aren't offered anywhere else in town- at a price that would make it worth the drive when all of my other favorite local spots are closer. I was thrilled to see many great products that I already purchase or would like to try at prices comparable to anywhere else in town. It's possible that I may actually be able to consolidate shopping trips by getting more things here at Earth Fare. Just to make it a little more worthwhile on the cost, I signed up for their Tomato Bank to earn points to save money.

I know that shopping at a new store can be intimidating, and when you're used to flying past aisles and aisles of food you cannot eat, it's sometimes hard to slow down and find everything you might enjoy. Earth Fare builds in a lot of little visual cues to help you find your way around a little more easily. Let's go on a tour...

Want organic produce? The label advertising the price is a circle instead of a square. Circle= o for organic.
(sorry, no picture)

Want gluten free? Look for the wood paneling on the edge of the shelf:

The regular shelves are just black, so once you start to look for the wood, it just jumps right out at you. You still will want to browse the regular shelves too- some "normal" food items are naturally GF and some GF items might happen to end up on the regular shelf too (we did notice some Glutino products on a black shelf last night). The shelf colors and the bold "gluten free" signs sticking out to flag the items should make navigating the store much easier, though.

Also note the red price labels and  red arrows. These are items that Earth Fare has committed to selling at a low price every day. No sales, just deals.

Want to find a sale? Those are labeled in green:

That's a great selection of Pamela's products there- but I was also excited to see the mixes from XO Baking Co.

GF products are indicated in one other way too, as you can see in this large selection of beverages:

You will need to be a little more careful in the frozen foods section:

GF item are not clearly marked except on their labels- but as you can hopefully see in this picture, there are many things to choose from!

Some labels are just easily recognized from a mile away (bonus if they're on sale):

I LOVE BROWN COW YOGURT!!!!!!!! Enough said, I'm shopping here.

Earth Fare works hard to stock local products as much as they can throughout the store. So if you've been a shopper in another location, you will find that this store is different because it's in a different location. While some favorites (like my yogurt) are not region-specific, others may be.

This endcap has numerous Bee Free products (out of Noblesville)- not all are shown. Always make sure to check out the ends of the aisles for new or local products. Here's another one:

I've been told these taste just like Fig Newtons. I can't wait to find out!

There are other new products there that I've never tried before:

This could be fun!

Okay, on to other things.... like cosmetics!
I have used the same brand of makeup for 7 years- as long as I've been GF- but they recently quit carrying my colors. Since then, I've been on a mission to find cosmetics to meet my needs- and being 100% GF is a huge selling point for me so I can shop with ease. I found not one, but TWO brands at Earth Fare to choose from! 

Zuzu Luxe from Gabriel Cosmetics is certified GF and its brochure states: "Our cosmetics do not contain any of the following: coal tar derivatives or FD&C coloring agents; nano/micro sized particles; mineral oil, lanolin, or talc; propylene glycol; parabens; hydrogenated oils; gluten.

 Mineral Fusion's brochure states: "Our cosmetics are free from parabens, artificial colors, fragrances, gluten, phthalates, and talc to ensure that even the most sensitive skin stays beautiful."

Okay, are you ready to go shopping yet? Can you believe I'm not even done?!??

Thursdays at Earth Fare are Family Dinner Nights (starting NEXT week here in FW). Yes, they have a dining area where some menu items can be prepared wheat free (they do not guarantee GF due to the risk of cross-contamination). If one adult buys a meal for at least $5, up to 6 kids- YES, SIX- present with them can eat free on Thursday evenings. My kids are not GF, so this will be a lot easier for me to do than some of you dealing with more food restrictions... but WOW... I could get a salad or something else GF for me, and my children will eat for free on Thursdays. This is an amazing deal for me with two little ones; I can only imagine how my friend with four kids will react! 

Just remember- you can't get that deal tomorrow. Wait until the 15th. Sorry. 

Have I covered everything yet? Will Blogspot be able to support a post this long? Did I make silly errors in typing that I'll never catch because I've been working on this for so long?? I suppose we will just have to find out, huh? Please make sure to like Gluten Free Fort Wayne and Earth Fare Fort Wayne on Facebook, share this with your friends, and let me know all about your shopping experience and if all of my work just now at the keyboard was worth it! Enjoy!! 

Udi's Tortillas

I bought some of Udi's new tortillas a while back and stuck them in the freezer to wait for just the right moment to try them. If you know me, you might know that back in my gluten-loving days, I worked for many years through high school and college (okay, and even for a while after college!) making pizzas. If you don't know me and you're reading this, you probably realize by now that pizza is one of my favorite things to experiment making. If you know my husband, you might know that it's one of the few edible things I can create- but anyhow....

So yes, I made pizza today.

I was afraid to put sauce on them and have them turn into a soggy mess, so I decided we would just dip them in sauce. Great move. The tortillas are tough enough that I think they could have held up to the challenge, but being flexible and tortilla-y, that might have been too much weight for them. For the same reason, I didn't go all crazy on toppings. I believe they could have held a little more than I put on them, but again, why not throw fun stuff in your dipping sauce?

How did I do it?

 I brushed olive oil on the bottom side of the tortillas (the side with the darker markings) and then flipped them over onto my foil-covered baking sheet. I topped them with mozzarella cheese, green peppers, onions, and pepperoni. I put the pepperoni on last so that maybe the edges would get a little crispy (that won't happen if they're sitting flat on the cheese under other toppings. I then sprinkled on the last little bit of cheese I had in the bag along with some Parmesan cheese and put it in the oven. I had it preheated to 400 and cooked it for 10-15 minutes until the cheese was just starting to brown.

How was it?

Amazing!! This just may be my new favorite pizza. They cut nicely with a pizza cutter so I could make just the right shapes and sizes for everyone to happily eat them. I do think they were extra fun with dipping sauce and would be great as a meal or appetizer- I will definitely make them exactly the same next time.

Enjoy the pictures- the food's already gone!

Pillsbury Pizza Dough

Anyone who's known me for a long time might remember the years I spent making some of the most beautiful (gluten-filled) pizzas in '08 zip code during high school and college. I can still make a nice-looking pizza, but being gluten free for 6 years now, the challenge is what crust to put it on.

Anyone who knows me also realizes that I'm not going to put a lot of effort into complicated recipes or experimenting with different ingredients to find a perfect GF blend of whatever. Give me a crust and I'll make a pizza on it, but I'm not making a crust from scratch. A mix, perhaps, but not from scratch.

So anyhow, after sabotaging any hopes of weight loss by devouring tubs of the new Pillsbury GF chocolate chip cookie dough, I decided to try the pizza dough to see if they nailed this dough as perfectly as the cookies (although I might add- I have no idea how well the cookies bake as I have only eaten the dough raw, ignoring the advice on the package against doing so).

It felt good to work with some dough again rather than to just pull a pre-made crust out of the freezer. As I rolled it out and manipulated it into the right shape, I thought I'd try hand-tossing it. This dough is not hand-tossable. It does tear easily, a good reminder that it is indeed gluten free. Having to ball up the dough to start again was a nice reminder of what you lose when you give up regular flour. Flour gives dough its elasticity, something that I have not found replicated well in any GF dough. I used to be able to stretch out a thin crust pizza dough as thin as a silk scarf for a light, crispy crust. That is not happening with this dough.

I stuck with rolling it out with a rolling pin and manipulating it with my fingers. The directions on the package say to oil your hands and your pan/foil- it wasn't too sticky on my fingers, but after cooking it, I definitely recommend generously oiling your workspace. I put down a lot of oil and it didn't get stuck to the foil, but I did have to peel the foil back. That's helpful also with any cheese that hangs off the edge of your crust too- it will glue your pizza down if you have too much.  As I said before, the crust does tear easily. If you get cracks in it as you roll it out, just pinch it back together. I actually worked the edges of my crust a lot with my fingers to get the right shape. If you screw up, don't worry- just fix it. This dough is forgiving.

The dough doesn't rise when cooking, so if you're looking for a thicker edge on your crust, roll it out to the thickness you want and then pinch up the edges a little more to make them thicker. On a traditional pizza, the edges that aren't covered in sauce will rise up more; you won't get that effect with this crust. Personally, I'd rather just have more space to lay down toppings, so I rolled it all out pretty evenly.

Make sure that you do following the directions on the package for baking- you do need to bake the dough by itself first before adding your toppings. For me, this was my chance to make my sauce.

Yeah, the person who doesn't want to make things from scratch or follow recipes DOES make her own sauce... go figure! I'd give you the recipe, but it's not exact. I use tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, garlic, and sometimes minced onions. I mix them until I get the right taste and consistency. My gluten-eating husband has never been too fond of any of the GF pizza crusts I've used, but he always loves my sauce. He's kind of snobby about pizza too, swearing by his favorite Lexy's pizza. I never used to think the sauce was such a big deal, but it really is. Remember Papa John's? I hated their pizza because their sauce was too thin and sweet. Marco's was always good, but didn't taste good the next day. Pizza Hut was always better the next day- cold or hot. A lot of this was the sauce and how it worked together with the crust.

I know you're still waiting to hear about the crust and if you should try it... I'm getting there... but first a little bit more on making a beautiful pizza:

Don't sauce all the way out to the edge. Give yourself a crust.
Evenly space out all of your toppings.
Don't overdo any single topping- even if you only use a single topping. You CAN have too much of a good thing.
Put your cheese on last and make sure it stretches over your toppings onto the crust you left around the edge. It will help to hold everything in place. I used to put cheese down first, but with GF pizzas I have found that it works best on top.
If you do load your pizza down with lots of toppings, it will take longer to bake. Don't just pull the pizza out because the timer went off. Try to wait until the cheese starts to brown a little bit. Be mindful of your crust, though- you don't want to burn it waiting for browned cheese.

So how was my crust?

It was okay. It was definitely gluten free. It wasn't crumbly. It cooked nicely. It was very dense, however. It kind of reminded me of an Udi's pizza crust, but baked at home. I like the Udi's crusts, so this isn't a bad thing, but it's not necessarily anything to brag about. Perhaps I could have rolled it out thinner. My husband didn't like it, though he did eat it. He does reject a lot of gluten free stuff, so again, this isn't a bad thing. I made a good pizza that he could appreciate- the crust just wasn't anything special to him. Will I buy it again? Yes. Will it be my only pizza crust? No. My favorite is still Against the Grain. This one is a lot cheaper though, so it definitely gets my vote there. I might not have as much time for cooking with it during the school year, but I was satisfied with the crust. I would recommend you try it.

Try the cookie dough too- and send another tub of it my way!

I look forward to hearing your experiences with this dough and things you've tried to make it even better. This was only my first attempt at using it.

Gluten Free Living Now Expo 2012

FROM GLUTEN FREE LIVING NOW, BASED IN INDIANAPOLIS:



Gluten Free Living Now Expo 2012
Saturday, October 13th 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday, October 14th 9:00am to 2:30pm Location: The Fountains, 502 E Carmel Drive, Carmel, IN 46032
Featuring:
Alessio Fasano, M.D. Center for Celiac Research
World’s most well-known expert on Celiac Disease Sit back, listen to an informative lecture on Celiac Disease. Gain invaluable knowledge from the expert.

Itinerary and topics will be updated on our website listed below.

Other Experts will be speaking about the Gluten Free Lifestyle throughout this event

A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the Center for Celiac Research (CFCR)
Cooking Demonstrations Foods and Services! Room for over 80 local & national gluten-free vendors
You will NOT want to miss the 2nd Annual Gluten Free Expo
General Admission is $5. Children under 10 are free. Donations will be accepted at the door to support The Allergen Free Kid’s Camp & The Gluten Intolerant Food Program
Contact us today! Shelia (317)771-6506 Email: shelia@glutenfreelivingnow.org  Tina (317)379-2350 Email: tina@glutenfreelivingnow.org
Visit our website for registration updates and information
http://www.glutenfreelivingnow.org/

If you know of any companies that have great gluten free products, food,and restaurants with great gluten free menus that would like to participate....please feel free to contact me at my email address:shelia@glutenfreelivingnow.org

This year, although it is still in the early planning phase we plan on having a gluten free chef cook-off competition on Oct. 13th at the expo.

Beating the Heat

Now on a lighter note...

What are your favorite gluten free foods to enjoy on insanely hot days like today?

Prolapse and Celiac?

Okay, I apologize for getting all serious and personal on a Friday afternoon, but I'm hoping for some input, seeing as 88% of the "fans" on the Facebook page are female.

I was recently having a conversation with someone who wondered if by chance there is an increased incidence of pelvic organ prolapse among Celiacs. I'm not a medical professional of any sort, but it seemed to make sense that things "down there" could suffer negative effects, especially when paired with hysterectomy, menopause, childbirth, or other big events of that sort.

So anyhow, I'd love to hear your perspective on the matter. You can comment here anonymously or email me at glutenfreefortwayne@yahoo.com- I figure this might be something people aren't comfortable talking openly about (unlike gluten-fueled bowel movements), but maybe we should be talking about it...?

Scotty's Brewhouse

I know at one point they were considering a location at The Harrison downtown, but with all the mess that has been, it didn't pan out. I just caught a story that's a couple of weeks old, however, saying that they do still have plans to come to town. Check that story out here.

If you're not familiar with Scotty's Brewhouse (I've never been there, but hear great things), check out their gluten free menu online.

Sounds good to me!

Good Grains Gluten Free Bakery

From Amanda Williams at Good Grains Bakery in Roanoke (OPENING TOMORROW!!!):

Hello everyone!!! Wanted to let you know my cousin, Melissa Paul, and I are opening a 100% Gluten-free bakery tomorrow in Roanoke. We are located at 4223 Station Rd Unit A, in the plaza connected to Nick's Junction Restaurant. The plaza is called Station Corners. It is on the left as you head south down US-24. We feature a wide array of baked goods from breads, rolls and pizza crusts to cookies pies and cupcakes etc. Come on down and check us out!!! The name of the bakery is Good Grains. Our hrs will be Tues-Fri 8-4 and Sat 8-2. (At present, the sign is not quite finished...) Hope to see you there!! We look forward to meeting you and serving you some outstanding GF food!!!

I don't know about you, but I'll be headed to Roanoke tomorrow.

Camp Gluten Freedom

I know it's last-minute here, but if you're still interested in sending your kid to a totally gluten free summer camp next week, they have extended the registration deadline to June 25.

Check it out at the link below:
http://glutenfreelivingnow.org/Allergen_Free_Kid_s_Camp.html

Farm Markets

Thank you to Debby from the Fort Wayne Celiacs Support Group for compiling this list of local markets!!!

I had no hand in this except copying and pasting from her email...  :)


My challenges to you now:
1. Add a comment here with any that have been omitted from the list.
2. Add a comment with any GF goodies you find at these markets.


Barr Street Market                                                                        

302 E. Berry St.
Opens July 7 - Sept. 15
Saturdays - 9am - 1pm

Cedar Creek Produce

1709 Clay St.
Leo-Cedarville
self-serve basis.
8am-8pm
Also can handpick some berries,
call 627-5239

Columbia City Farmers' Market
West of Courthouse Square

May-October

Saturdays 7:30am -12

Dupont Downs -parking lot next to the Dupont Library

536 E. Dupont Rd.
Thursdays 12-3pm

East State Village Market

Tecumseh Library
1411 E. State Blvd.
June-October
Sundays 12-4pm

Georgetown Square Farmer's Market

corner of State Blvd. & Maplecrest Rd.

June 14-Sept. 13

Thursdays 4-7pm

Hardy's Farm Market

4525 Knoll Rd.

Opens second week in July -Oct.

Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm

Historic West Main Street Farmers' Market
1936 W. Main Street

May - October

Fridays 3pm-8pm

Roanoke Farmers' Market

Downtown Roanoke

July 7 - Sept. 29

Saturdays 8am-12

Salomon Farmers' Market

817 W. Dupont in Old Barn

Wednesdays 5pm -8pm

South Side Farmers' Market

3300 Warsaw St.

Easter - Mid-December

Saturdays 7am -1pm

Towne House Retirement Community

2209 Saint Joe Center Rd.

Tuesdays 3pm -6pm

Facebook

If you're not a fan on Facebook, please go check it out.I post more links and quick tidbits on there... I save this blog for the more detailed posts.

Don't forget to subscribe to email updates on this blog or to follow it if you have a Google account.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

I apologize for the delay in getting this info out- I've been busy with a newborn!

Two weeks ago, I got some additional information regarding GF eating at Parkview Field. Here's what they said:

"Great News!

We have a new startup bakery called Good Grains out of Roanoke, Indiana baking fresh gluten free buns for us. She has her own mill and had developed a wonderful combination of grains to make a fresh soft bun that do not crumble. We introduced these buns over the last home-stand and received great review from them.

We are also working on a flatbread for the hotdogs, brats and sausages that we have so they can also be enjoyed by all our fans."

Soooo.... get out and enjoy a Tincaps game- and food!

If you missed my previous post on GF at Parkview Field, check it out HERE.

Gluten Free Camp in Indianapolis

Gluten Free summer camp June 26-29 for children ages 9-14! Check it out HERE.

Gluten Free at Parkview Field

Below is a response I received today regarding GF options at Parkview Field.

Enjoy!

(Additional info in a later blog update can be found HERE.)

We have made a great effort to make many of the items served at Parkview Field Gluten Free. Below is a list of the Gluten Free food that is served at Parkview field. Please note that while most things are either naturally gluten free or made gluten free, very few items we receive are “Certified Gluten Free”, and while we take great precaution to ensure ideal conditions , we do not have a gluten free prep area.

Concession Stand 2

¼ pound Cheeseburger – when served on the Gluten free bun

Johnsonville Bratwurst – when served on the Gluten free bun

Ballpark All Beef Hot dog – when served on the Gluten free bun

Grilled Chicken Sandwich – when served on the Gluten free bun

TinCap Salad, both garden and Chapman’s

Nachos with cheese

Veggies & Hummus

Sauerkraut

Riceworks chips * served throughout the park*

All Heinz condiments served at Parkview Field. We are currently switching to Red Gold for which is also Gluten Free.

Manzana’s Mexican grill

Tacos 3 for $5 – when on soft or hard corn tortillas

Nachos Grande – all hot and cold sides are made gluten free. The only thing that contains gluten on the cart is the wheat tortilla; taco salad bowl and burrito.

Both Popcorn Carts

Roasted Peanuts

Popcorn all sizes (our seasoning does not contain gluten)

Centerfield Grill

¼ Rack Ribs and combo plate

¼ Chicken and combo plate

Jumbo Turkey Leg

Char Grilled Chicken Strips

Field of Greens Cart

Both TinCaps salads and dressings

Veggies & Hummus

Riceworks Chips

Apple Cart

Carmel Apple

Fresh Apple

Applesauce

BBQ Cart

BBQ Ribs and combo plate

¼ Chicken and combo plate

BBQ Pork sandwich – when served on the Gluten free bun

BBQ beef Brisket sandwich – when served on the Gluten free bun

BBQ nachos

Grilled Corn

Carmel Apple Cole Slaw

Stadium Wide

Frozen Chocolate Bananas

Lemon, strawberry, and watermelon chill

Dippin Dots

Most flavors of hand dipped ice cream (cups only, no cones)

Soft Serve ice cream (Stand one, cup only)

Peanuts

Most novelty ice creams

French Meadow Wins Again

A few weeks back, I bought a package of soft tortilla shells at Fort Wayne Custom Rx. That's the only place I've seen these (I think...? Does A&B Natural Foods have them? I don't recall...... I always get the pizza crusts there!), and French Meadow did not disappoint.

Okay, maybe I was disappointed that there were only 6 in the package, but I'd still buy it again.  :)

I found they worked best slightly warmed in the microwave. They were soft and even softened back up when reheated. They didn't get dry and crunchy.

They were definitely the best soft tortillas I've had since going GF. Without compare. I wouldn't expect anything less from French Meadow Bakery.

Seriously, we need to get more of their products in more of our local groceries! A&B has their pizza crusts, Kroger has their brownies, FW Custom Rx has these tortillas, and Meijer occasionally has their cupcakes. I know some restaurants use their bread (Dash-In does, or at least last I knew), but I've never been able to buy it. This brand is awesome!

Brunch in Indy in April

Check out the Gluten Free Living Now blog post HERE.
I don't know about you, but I'm thinking waffles sound good right now!

Baker Street

It's been 6 months since I've discussed them HERE.
Please review that link.

Concerns were recently expressed in the GFFW Facebook group about their GF menu- and the fact that they have now removed this menu because it was not completely GF.

I looked back at their GF menu, which is still posted online HERE.
I couldn't help but notice that the items mentioned in the blog post last summer still appear in this menu online.

I've never eaten there; it's a bit out of my price range these days. Please share your experiences here on the blog, on www.facebook.com/glutenfreefortwayne or at glutenfreefortwayne@yahoo.com.

I've heard plenty of positive reviews of GF dining there, but the most recent report I'm hearing is not encouraging.

FINALLY PIZZA!!

Remember how Casa was supposed to start having pizza back in July? I wrote about it way back on June 14! Somehow July didn't quite happen, but I stayed excited. In August, I knew it would be anytime now. I was calling them once a week for a while hoping they would have it- or at least have a date for when they would have it.

Well, school started. As you can see from the date on my last post, it's been a busy school year. This is my first posting since school officially started! So I got busy and discouraged and quit calling. I did check their online GF menu about a week ago and the pizza still wasn't back up (it was originally posted online when the pizza was first supposed to arrive in July).

Guess what?

It's posted now.

The buzz on Facebook is all positive. I can't wait to try it. If I wasn't drowning in paperwork, I'd head out for pizza tonight!! If you've had it already, please tell us all about it. I was hoping to be one of the first, but hey- at least I can make sure everyone knows it's out there now, right?

Some might complain and be negative about how it took so long and how they didn't seem to know what was going on....... I'll complain that I've been dying to try their pizza, BUT I'm okay with them taking their time to make sure they get all the details right. Casa has been amazing ever since they first debuted their GF menu- they want to do this right. I applaud that.

Now go eat some pizza!

French Meadow Bakery

For the longest time, I kept lingering at the freezer section, looking at this box of brownies. I was never a brownie lover until adulthood, so I'm pretty picky about my brownies. Are these worth the money? The picture on the box looks good, but that doesn't mean anything. After months of dancing with these questions, I finally bought some- back in May, I believe, at the Co-op.

I loved that they came individually wrapped. Not too big, not too small. I wasn't overly impressed with the first one, but not at all disappointed. I had another one the next day. It was pretty good. By the time I got to the end of the box, I was disappointed that they were gone. French Meadow Bakery for the win!

I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of other people talking about this company because this seemed like a pretty high-quality product. No gimmicks, just goodness.

The Dash-In uses their bread if you want a GF sandwich. I haven't been there, but I've only heard good things.

When I saw some cupcakes at Meijer (who also carries the brownies), I knew I had to try them after the brownies success. These were awesome from the start. Again, they're not too big, not too small. The glob of frosting on them satisfies the inner child adequately. I even ate one for breakfast one time, after my usual Larabar and Stonyfield or Brown Cow yogurt. Fun, fun!!

A few weeks ago, I found some pizza crusts from French Meadow at A&B Natural Foods. Well duh, I have to try it!

This pizza is the closest I have come so far in the GF world to the pizza baking experiences I had working at a gluten pizza place in high school and college. It's a blob of frozen dough in its own pan, ready for toppings and an oven. It filled out the pan perfectly and didn't stick at all. Clean-up is easy with this pan of course, and you could even eat it straight from the pan. My toddler liked it too, and she gets a bit picky about bread-y products.

I don't know why more people aren't publicly singing the praises of French Meadow Bakery, but I definitely want to get the word out for you to try this stuff out. I'll leave you with pictures of our two pizzas from last week:

You MUST go eat at Cottage Flowers!

I apologize that this post has been so long in the making, but I cannot emphasize enough how much you MUST go to The Health Food Shoppe's deli at Cottage Flowers downtown for lunch at your earliest availability. Seriously, get out your calendar and write/type it in right now. This is important because they are only open Monday through Friday during the lunch hour, 10-2. If you work days and you're not downtown, you need to plan a special trip on a day off or something. You will NOT be disappointed!!!

I went to their preview party a few weeks ago and they had tables set up with desserts and sandwiches ready to go, as well as hot items at the counter. I'm waiting in line with all the downtown people eager to try it, holding a squirmy toddler and suspiciously eyeing all these flour-based foods ahead of me. I knew they were supposed to be offering some gluten free foods, but I was beginning to suspect that this was not going to be the day to sample them. I was THIIIIIIIIS close to turning around and walking out because there was NO way I could make a lunch of it there on that day. I talked myself out of it thinking I could at least get some info on their GF foods and feed that wiggle-worm who was by now throwing the sippy cup at people in business suits.

When I got up to the dessert table, I almost jokingly asked the guy if there was any chance that any of the items would happen to be gluten free (I already KNEW the answer, I was so sure!)- he stated that yes, everything but THIS ONE item IS gluten free.

Wait, what??
The brownies?
The muffins?
The pecan gooey bars?
ALL GLUTEN FREE????

I asked so many times that the sippy-cup-assaulted man in front of me had to jump in and assure me that yes, he said they are all gluten free.

"So, what would you like, ma'am?"
"Um, all of it!"

I still wasn't convinced. This poor kid just doesn't know what I'm talking about.

I worked my way over to the sandwiches. I started out sharing that I had been told that these desserts were GF (they reassured me of this as well) and asked if any of the sandwiches were..... no, they're not........ the gluten free sandwiches are over on the counter.

Eeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

I got sandwiches for me and the sippy shooter and asked about the hot items. They just ran out of the lasagna, but assured me that they ALWAYS make it GF. They had some salmon stuff that was good. Sorry, I don't remember exactly what it was.

Then I got talked into the quinoa salad. They had cous cous (not GF), but the quinoa salad was their GF alternative to that. Didn't look much like something I'd care for, but what the heck!! And yes, it was awesome.

This week I have had the opportunity to eat lunch there a few times due to work (need to get a job in Citizen's Square now for lunch convenience....) and I am so sad that it may be quite some time before I get to return. That's why I need you to keep them busy. From what I've seen, the lunch crowd has been good, but I don't want to lose this amazing asset, even if I can't take advantage of it as regularly as I would like. Please go there when you can. Seriously.

Okay, so as I said, I've lunched there twice this week and will be back there once more tomorrow. Yesterday I got a sandwich and the salad bar; today a sandwich and soup.

They use Sami's bread, which I actually had never tried before. Very good. They use meat from Applegate Farms- no hormones, antibiotics, nitrates, artificial ingredients, or gluten. All of their veggies are organic. Their lemonade is fresh-squeezed with just lemon juice from organic lemons, cane sugar, and water.

They offer a hot entree every day as the daily feature. Today was Chicken Divine, which is like a chicken casserole. The soup caught my attention more, however. It was turkey and rice with mushrooms (and something else maybe???)- great stuff!!

You can get the salad, soup, or sandwiches individually, but they do offer lunch specials (like a combo meal) where you can get a combination of two of those or the quinoa salad with tea or lemonade for $8.95. I of course had to add a dessert on each day- a pecan gooey bar yesterday and brownie today. I'm not too nuts about nuts, but the pecan gooey bar is so fun!! I may have to pick up a few of those tomorrow for the road.

Have you written this in on your calendar yet to go get lunch there soon??? Because I feel like an infomercial at this point that just won't shut up!!

I haven't enjoyed lunch so much since The Roasted Bean closed and I couldn't get my paninis for lunch anymore...

Okay, wait. One more thing I forgot. When you go to the salad bar, get croutons. Yes, the croutons they have out are GF.

I told someone yesterday that eating here is like the opposite of eating out at many other places for us. Usually we have a small list of things we can choose from; here we have a small list of things we canNOT choose from. THIS is a reflection of why I love The Health Food Shoppe so much, beyond just this deli. Their business was started by someone GF looking to make GF options available loooooong before GF was even remotely mainstream, and certainly before it was being blogged. :)  Same idea as my blog- I started the concept of Gluten Free Fort Wayne to keep my info organized and to share with others. Many other businesses offer GF foods, but GF is the reason we have The Health Food Shoppe in the first place.

I promise you I'm done now.