how do you s'more?

Note from Kristin: While we are busy celebrating summer with a bonfire, we would love to know how our gluten-free readers eat s'mores! There's nothing better than a gooey marshmallow with chocolate and we are looking for a good gluten-free version. 


Here is Vincent's s'more with two pieces of plain chocolate and a marshmallow in the middle.

Here is mine using Nature Valley Granola Thins which were delicious used for s'mores. The chocolate is layered right onto a thin granola bar. They are not gluten-free, but if you can tolerate oats, this might be an option for you.  

Also, just to clarify, Vincent's gluten allergy causes him a lot of stomach problems. But he can handle small doses of oats and some alternative grains, like spelt. We are also lucky that so far we have not had to worry about small traces of cross contamination. So occasionally we do try products with different grains that are not entirely gluten-free but are alternatives to traditional wheat products. This is obviously not an option for everyone and we realize that some of our posts might not fit the dietary needs of everyone. This is just what seems to work for us. Our first choice, is always gluten-free, of course, but we do have a few alternative favorites, (ie, soaked grains, spelt, kamut) that we may want to share along the way! So, enough of the gluten-free formalities, if you've got a great gf s'more idea, please comment!   

picasso naturals.

Seventh stop. This stop is Picasso Naturals in Kearny Mesa. We heard about this spot from my crazy uncle Manual. I can't really see him there because it is really small and he is always the life of the party. He likes this place a lot though and I can see why. They make healthy good food. Pretty much anything on their menu can be made gluten-free including both the wraps and sandwiches.

I ordered the tuna melt and it was small but really good. I also ordered one of their smoothies and it was AWESOME. Lola, my sister, liked the smoothie, too. 

My mom ordered a veggie wrap and she said it was good. It was made with brown rice tortilla. 

My dad ordered a sandwich that looked really good. It had turkey, jalapenos, lettuce and cheese on multi-grain bread. This was another good spot for gluten-free sandwiches, wraps, smoothies and other healthy foods! A lot of their produce is organic and the owner was really nice, too. Check them out on Yelp or visit them at 7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, #115 San Diego, CA 92111.

gluten-free favorites.

Product number one. This is one of my favorite brands called Udi's. They have all sorts of gluten-free stuff like cookies, pizza crust, and bread. All three are really good. The cookies and bread are nice and chewy. That is the thing I miss most about bread and I am sure you miss it, too. (Have I mentioned that bread is one of my favorite foods?!!) 


Udi's bread is great for sandwiches and toast but it's kind of small. The pizza crust are nice and thin and crisp up really good. Overall this is a great brand!


Here is a photo of the pizza crust and bread but sorry, we ate all the cookies!

mountain mikes.

Sixth stop. So I had a baseball game last Friday night. (And did I tell you that I made the All-Star Team? Sorry, I didn't mean to brag, but I thought it was good to tell you.) Well anyway, after we won our game, me and my friends from the team got pizza at Mountain Mikes in San Carlos. It has some of the better gluten-free pizza. I am not going to say "the best" because there's a lot of gluten-free pizza out there. But it is really, really good. The crust is really thin and you can order whatever you want on it. I ordered the black olive with cheese. My favorite. Also, I was so busy with my friends I forgot all about the review. So this is all that was left when we got home.

They also have games and TVs so me and my friends had good food and a good time. Check out Mountain Mikes here. There are locations all over the states but check with your area for gluten-free pizzas.

the trails.

Fifth stop. (Are you getting tired of me counting, yet?) This stop is The Trails Eatery in San Carlos. They have a whole menu of gluten-free stuff. I ordered the gluten-free pancakes with a side of bacon. But I already did pancakes, right? Yes, but hey they're pancakes. You can never have enough. 

These pancakes were fluffier than the other review, but the pancakes from Palm Springs had more flavor. So I think they are tied for scrumpdillyumptiousness (you can find that word in the Willy Wonka dictionary). They are also big! I only finished half of these and am saving the rest for dinner. Right, mom?

My mom got the egg sandwich on gluten-free bread. I had a bite and it was a little dry for me, but still good. We think they may use Udi's bread (review to come) and the pancakes are cooked using Pamela's GF Mix. They also have a lunch menu with gluten-free sandwiches. 

 You can read more about them here. But be sure to stop by next time you are in the neighborhood. 

whole foods.

Fourth stop. Today I found this spot on a field trip in San Diego. It is in Whole Foods. Some of you may know about Whole Foods, but for some of you who don't, it is a grocery store. 

(Here I am on the field trip... learning about milk.)

But they also have a little area where they have sandwiches and pizzas. They have gluten-free pizza and bread there. The pizza is really good. I had the pepperoni pizza. But there are 6 or 7 to choose from. As my mom would say, they need to "crisp up the crust", but I still liked it.

So the next time you are in Whole Foods, you have to try it!

luscious lorraine's.

Third stop. This one is in Palm Springs, too. You can find it in the middle of a store called Harvest Health Foods. But the deli is called Luscious Lorraine's. We came here for the wraps. You know how wraps are, right? They usually have a flour tortilla around them and I'm always like, "Oh, man those look so good!" But these wraps are made with brown rice tortillas. I know it kinda sounds weird, but it is actually good. I ordered the Chicken Wrap. It has lettuce, lots of salsa, chicken, cheese and ranch dressing. Besides being gluten free, my favorite part was the chunks of chicken. My dad says I got the best lunch out of all of us and I agree with him. 

Here is the info for Luscious Lorraines...
http://lusciouslorraines.com/ 

palm greens cafe.

Second stop. This one is in Palm Springs so if you are there you got to check it out. It is called Palm Greens Cafe. They have all sorts of gluten-free stuff. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes, muffins and this rice crispy energy bar that my mom really liked. But what I was there for was the pancakes. They were awesome. They came with three big pancakes and a side of maple syrup or warm apple sauce. They were one of my favorite gluten-free pancakes. 

This was my mom's breakfast. She had the organic breakfast bowl, which is also gluten-free. I didn't try it but my mom said it was good. It didn't look like a kid thing, but it looked good for an adult as you can see. 

You can find the directions and full menu at 

http://palmgreenscafe.com/