What companies have gluten free wine?

I was reading an interesting discussion in a Celiac forum about people having a gluten reaction to some kinds of wine.  

I won't go into all the details here but the basic concern is that some wine is fermented and/or aged in barrels sealed with wheat paste, potentially contaminating it with gluten. The other side of the coin is that wine is filtered before bottling to remove contaminates.

So, I did a little research because I figure, better safe than sorry.  Also, if there are companies who are specifically conscious and caring toward those of us with Celiac and willing to supply unquestionably gluten free wine, I want to know who they are!

Here are my results based on wines that I wanted to try:

Frey Vineyards is one that specifically states that their wines are gluten free (and vegan!) on their website here: http://www.freywine.com/vegan-wine.html

Fish Eye Winery advises us to check with our doctor (this rubs me the wrong way, how would my Dr. know Fish Eye's production practices?!?)  http://www.fisheyewines.com/faq/

Then, I took to email for a couple brands that interested me, here are their responses...

Pepperwood Grove (http://pepperwoodgrove.com/) 

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out to us. Given the nature of our winemaking, we cannot guarantee that any of our wines are gluten free. I doubt that our wines have gluten in them due to our limited use of oak barrels. If there were to be any in the wine, it would end up being filtered out. However, our winemakers do not guarantee our wines to be entirely gluten free. Thank you.

 Assistant Brand Manager, Foundation Wine Collection

Don Sebastiani & Sons

Nexux Wine Brands (http://www.nexuswines.com/), I was specifically interested in Cara Mia Pinot Noir:

Thank you for the following. The wines are fermented and held after fermentation in Stainless steel. No barrel aging.

These wines do not carry any sort of gluten free certification. 

Thank you.

Nexus Brands, LLC

I hope this helps you, if you're also looking to find wines that are committed to gluten free recipes too!

You you're a sugar addict when...

Yesterday, I was getting my Starbuck's and the barista described to the lady behind me what it was and was in it...I'm thinking "oh a little coffee and milk with syrup" No...it was vanilla syrup and 3 Tbs of Caramel and about 12 ounces of whole milk. Candybar in a cup for breakfast... "only people don't give you a nasty look when you're drinking it out of a cup instead of chewing on a wrapper"

Yes, that is what I said. We all laughed but as I was walking away, I thought, "that's kind of wrong..."

I've always known it was akin to a milkshake and didn't think much of it, especially since I don't get one often - once every couple weeks, as a treat.  But, it did set me to thinking about all the sugar I eat, again.

I've been thinking about sugar a lot the last few weeks.

Ok, so here's the scoop. I've never had problem skin, but recently I've found myself getting really bad breakouts.  So, I was thinking about the things that have changed to cause it. I'm using Clinique facial stuff now...that might be irritating, although unlikely since they pride themselves on being the skin gurus. And my cupboards are starting to see an increased amount of sugar. 

If you have heard of Kris Carr or Suzanne Somers, they will pretty much tell you sugar is the devil when it comes to our hormones (second only to artificial sweeteners and dyes) and can really wreak havoc on our health. But ooooh it tastes so good! and it gives a nice little high when you're feeling dumpy. And it's super duper addictive!!

And, here's my point. I've become addicted.

For the last week I've been meticulously tracking my food on Spark People and noticing trends...sugar. Mostly in drinks. 

This troubles me because there was a point in my life, about a year ago when I rarely had any sugar. Of course, I was addicted to Diet soft drinks instead.

But this week...every day I was having 2 cans of Pepsi Throwback (150 cal each), handfuls of mini marshmallows after lunch, rice Krispie treats for breakfast, 3 times I stopped at starbuck's for my Macchiato, and then came the quarts of grape Koolaid I love, and Bailey's on coffee cubes every night. Believe me, Bailey's has SUGAR!

The moral of the story? I'm coming up with a sugar reduction plan. I tried cold-turkey this morning but for 5 hours all I could think about was rice krispie treats and Bailey's and got kind of shaky and seriously mean. I did a little research and because of it's addictive nature, most people have severe withdrawal, akin to heroin withdrawals...so my best bet is probably a replace/reduce action plan.

If you have any experience or suggestion - PLEASE leave me a comment. Being gluten free and staying off the artificial sweeteners rules out a lot of the "usual" options like chewing gum and sugar free candies or filling up on whole grains for a slow carb energy spike. 

In case you're curious here are the nutrition facts on my Caramel treat, from Starbucks.com:

Caramel Macchiato

Freshly steamed milk with vanilla-flavored syrup, marked with espresso and finished with caramel sauce.

Short 8oz Tall 12oz Grande 16oz Venti 20oz  Nonfat milk Whole Milk 2% Milk Soy (United States) 

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (16 fl oz)

Calories 240	Calories from Fat 60
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g	11%
Saturated Fat 3.5g	18%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 25mg	8%
Sodium 0mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate34g	12%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Sugars 32g
Protein 10g
Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 2% Calcium 35% Iron 0%
Caffeine 150mg**
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
**Each caffeine value is an approximate value.

Fake Restaurant Food

I was thinking about things GF that restaurants serve and how easy it is to do at home. So here are a few things I did.  What are your favorite restaurant meals?

Tuna spring rolls $3 per person 2 WW points per roll.

Yes I used canned tuna (it was ok). Thai Kitchen makes 2 yummy sauces - mango and sweet red chili, they go great in shot glasses for easy dipping!

I love them with carrots (shredded or baby), green onions or scallions and avocado.

$3-4 per person. Ever notice how a salad seems better at a restaurant? I think it's because they make them fancy/pretty. I've started buying pre-washed organic greens ($3 for a tub that serves generously 4, conservatively 6), baby carrots ($3 for 16 z bag), tomatoes ($3 for 4 romas) and sweet peas ($2.50 9 oz bag). 5 minute salad, baby! Add cheese, nuts, fruit etc...pretty soon you're stuffed gourmet style at a fraction of the cost and time.  0 WW points

Pizza always seems fancier at a restaurant too. I threw some baby spinach on my $8 Amy's GF cheese pizza and it was lovely (I may have toasted it a little too long though). Serves 2, 10 WW points each.

I like to think I make a good argument for not eating out. Between waiting 15 - 45 minutes for a table...10 minutes to get your drinks and another 20 to get your food, given they don't make any mistakes or take a longer time...you can easily eat at home, cheaper, cleaner and faster. The only draw back is that you have to clean up after...and that's what paper plates are for, ya?
Also, you know what you're eating for sure without having to grill a wait person or chef for ingredients. Whether you're watching food allergies, high blood pressure or your calories, it's a pain worth eliminating - in my humble opinion.
What are your tips for an easy meal?

Points: Chipotle and Outback

 Hi guys!

I was cleaning out a cupboard and found a dust covered Weight Watchers At Home Program circa 2004 and after my trip down memory lane subsided, I got curious.

I was remembering pre-celiac diagnosis how I would eat...and it wasn't necessarily pretty - in many ways! I happened to be one of the few who could maintain a certain level of weight despite the celiac (until it reached a critical point and I lost 20 pounds in a couple weeks, of course). So, in 2004 I was dating a guy who wanted me to diet with him so I chose Weight Watchers since it didn't require bizarre shakes, bars or excessive workouts (I had zero energy due to the CD) and got the at-home kit so we could share and be frugal...

Needless to say, it was only a short time later I found I couldn't follow it, because I discovered that I was eating about 2x as much as my points allowed just to keep upright and functioning. Yes, you read that right, just to maintain, I ate at least 2 times the amount of food a "normal" person should. I kind of freaked out about that...again.

So, back then, restaurants didn't publish nutrition info on the web as much as they do today so any points estimates were just loose guesses, unless I happened to eat at one of them in the Dining Out Companion.

Which brings me to today's little research project!

I decided to see how many Points a meal at a couple restaurants, where I still eat, would be. Here we go!

Outback (gluten free menu, of course -  no croutons, no bread, no seasonings):

Outback Special steak = 1 pt per ounce (6 oz = 6 pts, 9 oz = 9) 

House salad with tangy tomato dressing = 4 

Baked potato w/everything but butter = 6 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes = 7 

Grilled Asparagus = 1 

Steamed Broccoli = 2 (added fat!) 

Sweet potato, plain = 6; add toppings = 10 

Salmon = 10 (added fiber?) 

Chocolate Thunder dessert = 9 per serving, serves 4 

About 20 points for the meal! Wow. Considering pre-celiac diag. I may have also added bread & butter, 2 drinks and dessert to that...I can't think about that now!

Chipotle (also used to get a 6 pt tortilla too):

Burrito Bowl:

Cilantro Rice (white) = 3

Black Beans = 2

Barbacoa = 4

Salsa = 0

Cheese = 3

Sour Cream = 3

Guacamole = 3

Chips (sometimes!) = 13 for 4 ounces.

So an entire Burrito bowl ranges from 15 - 18 points.

To give you an idea of what points per day a person should eat, the scale goes by body weight:

Your Weight: Daily Points

below 150: 20

150-174: 22

175-199: 24

200-224: 26

225-249: 28

250-274: 30

275-299: 31

300-324: 32

325-349: 33

350+: 34

BTW, I heard they've changed the program - but I'm not curious enough, yet, to  sign up and find out how. Anyone know?

I hate to admit this, but when I look back at an average day in my WW journal (pre-diagnosis), I easily ate 40+ points per day, literally 2-3 times my allotment and I didn't gain a single pound...

If you haven't seen this video yet...it's one of those tragically funny ones for me. Obvs I going gf isn't what makes you skinny...

Outback Steakhouse - you are so funny!

I was seriously craving a steak all week long. I mean, every day I thought how great it would be to gnaw on a huge chunk of beef. Gross, I know. After months of being a vegetarian I was shocked at myself. I felt like Phoebe when she was pregnant - the baby wants meat!!

So, I gave in and ordered Outback take-out. The sirloin with a salad and garlic mashed potatoes. I added plenty of notes for them to mix my salad in a clean bowl, no croutons, gluten allergy, etc. So, I get my bag and inside is this cute little packet...of BREAD! Ahem, really Outback? All my gluten free warnings and you shove a piece of bread in the bag? Get a clue.

I guess it wasn't terrible, silly though. And into the trash it went. Everything was in it's own little container so I wasn't too worried about contamination. Was a shame to throw away that bread though. I remember how warm and soft and slightly sweet it was *drool*.

11 ounce steak in a giant styrofoam box (I hate those leaky monsters)

2 cups of mashed potatoes in a styrofoam bowl

1 cup of salad in a styrofoam container and about 1 Tbs of dressing.

Gotta tell you, I felt really off kilter with this. I'm used to a plate filled with salad and veggies and maybe a single serving of potato - which means 1, about 1/2-1 cup at the most. Here I was with this pathetic little salad and I craved more. I was stuffed full of potatoes before I even got to the steak.

I admit it, I ate the whole thing. It was delicious. Smelled terrible, but tasted so good...and I was hungry again in 2 hours. What's up with that? Feed me a zucchini and I can go for hours. Stuff me with potatoes and meat and I'm starving again in 2. Weird. I thought protein was supposed to keep you full longer.

My only explanation is that my body was so desperate for protein that it immediately incorporated it with my tissues and I could go for more.

I'm a little sad today. I was loving being vegetarian but after eating that steak I feel so good today. None of the usual fatigue, no dark circles under my eyes that I thought were normal. I guess I need meat for my health. I'm sure there are some arguments that I don't. That I can take supplements to replace what I'm not getting from being vegan (where do they get the stuff in those supplements?) and maybe I just wasn't getting the right mix of nutrients.

I'm tired of the fight. It shouldn't be so hard to figure out how to live. I shouldn't be constantly questioning my diet. Is it making me sick? Am I getting proper nutrition? Am I killing innocent animals? Am I killing myself slowly? Am I going to get glutened? How about food poisoning? It's exhausting.

So, dear Outback, thank you for not glutening me, despite your best efforts. Thank you for the vibrancy I feel today. I'll be back. Keep a steak on the barbie for me cuz Lord knows I still can't stomach the thought of raw meat in my house.

P.S. thank you for the gluten free menu: http://www.outback.com/menu/pdf/glutenfree.pdf

Take that Starbuck's! (don't worry I still luv ya)

Today's lesson: Make your own Soy Chai Latte for less than you can get one at Starbuck's and in one tenth of the time it takes to wait in line for it.


Step 1: Go to the store, buy Very Vanilla Silk $2.50 - $3. This is crucial - VERY VANILLA - the other types won't taste right, trust me. Also pick up a carton of Tazo Chai Concentrate liquid. I get organic because it costs the same $3 and I'm afraid of poison (pesticides = bug poison = bad for Cocoa).


Step 2: At home, fill a mug half full with chai, microwave for 1 minute, if you want hotter cook it 1 more minute but watch it so it doesn't boil over.


Step 3: Fill mug to the top with Silk.


Step 4: Drink immediately before it gets too cold.  It should be just the right temperature.


Wasn't that easy?
Yeah, I'll still get one at good ol Star's once in a while and I haven't figured out how to steam a proper latte yet.  But if they don't start stocking my gf cookies consistently, I'm going to take a barista class and invest in some super cute travel coffee mugs that are microwave safe.
That aint an empty threat. Do you hear me Starbuck's? Stock my Lucy's cookies in cinnamon please.

Celiac, you're always on my mind

I had coffee with a good friend the other day, at Starbuck's natch, and she was telling me about her son and how he isn't growing as fast as expected.  My first thought, of course, is to test him for Celiac, since that's when it's most likely to present itself.  I found myself having to hold back and ask a few questions first.  I don't want to be that lady, you know?

That lady thinks everything relates to her and everyone must be concerned with the same thing she is all the time.

So, I asked what the Dr. said and what not. Then, satisfied that her Dr. had not brought up Celiac or ran any tests on him, I apologetically offered up to her that she should consider a simple blood test for Celiac and simple skin tests for food allergies too.  I think it is important, I know that if I'd have known sooner my life would have been much less painful and I don't want anyone to go through that! At the same time I felt sheepish about bringing it up because then I feel like that lady!

Every day since, I want to ask if she's going to do it or if she just thinks I'm that silly lady.  I'm holding back!

I don't understand people who can just embrace not knowing.  They say ignorance is bliss, but I wasn't born with that gene. I have to know.  For instance, I knew there was no way on God's green earth that I could have HIV, but at my last annual checkup, I asked the Dr. to order the test anyway.  I figured, they were drawing blood and I had mysterious symptoms - might as well check everything!  There might be a slight chance that I was exposed helping coworkers apply bandaids or something.  Well, I didn't stress about it waiting for the test to come back but when it did *Negative*, thank you very much, I was still just a tiny bit relieved.  Putting your mind to rest is almost as good as knowing exactly what's wrong.

That's why I'm writing this.  I'm dying to know that a friend took my advice but I can't out and out ask her without bordering on crazy person so, um...if you're reading this and took my advice, let me know!  I'm dying here!

Adventuring in Dining out - I dream of non-contamination

I've been looking for restaurants to go to lately. I want to eat out once in a while, especially when I have company so I don't have to cook and clean!

I dream of restaurants that are truly gluten free and I wonder why they aren't popping up. I mean, it's not like people without gluten intolerance couldn't eat there...

Anyway, here's my report out from good to bad:

Chipotle: I can't sing the praises of Chipotle enough. Their allergen statement is short and sweet - like I like it! http://www.chipotle.com/Chipotle_Allergen_Card.pdf All of their food is gf except the flour tortillas and they do that "fwap" with the stuff so crosscontamination hardly even concerns me. I ask them to put on clean gloves before they make mine and I'm happy. Extra kudos on the Organic options! Unnatural food chemicals will be the demise of us.

Jason's Deli - has an allergen report online: http://www.jasonsdeli.com/files/jdeli_allergen.pdf?phpMyAdmin=8d5f164b1d65cc8467461fb90f2883c9 and the staff was very helpful. Luv them! I ordered a build-your-own sandwich, w/o bread of course, and it's great. Where else can you get pastrami, corned beef, sauerkraut, mustard, organic spinach, lettuce, tomato in a box - hot meat, cold veggies. MMMMM!!!
True story: I ordered meals to be delivered to my office by 5:00 pm so I could take them home to my family for dinner. The guy that delivered told me he specifically reviewed the book for me too and took out a dressing I'd ordered that isn't safe and replaced with with gf ranch. So, I luv him too. I'm happy to report one time/life saving discovery for me!! Plus, if you order online you get deli dollars to redeem for free food (Yay!)

Outback: Duh! I think anyone stepping into a gf website probably got tipped off that Outback has a gf menu, and has to some extent for a while. http://www.outback.com/foodandmenus/pdf/glutenfree.pdf. I luv me a fat juicy steak and a cheesy baked potato. Hold the bread!! We ordered ‘Take Away’ on a Saturday night for the fam and I’m happy to report it was ok. They forgot one of our sides, which seems to happen often when you order takeout from anywhere, but the food was good. We tried the gf brownie dessert and it was addictive.

Starbuck's: Ok, so they don't exactly qualify as a dinner type place but, their drinks can have as many calories and protein (if you get soy milk) as a meal...and now they have gf cookies, fruit snacks and some of their packaged foods are potentially safe like the fruit and cheese platter. You have to call their customer service line to find out about allergens, but the employees in the store will let you read the ingredients on everything including the syrups & milk. Yes, I asked to read the ingredients on the soy milk before I'd drink it!

Boston Market: Nice Allergen List online: http://www.bostonmarket.com/restaurant?page=allergens. I like what I see and have had 2 good experiences with them. I say Yes! It helps that I LUV creamed spinach and their poultry gravy is gf - hard to find gf gravy!

Chili's: posts Allergen Info: http://www.chilis.com/EN/Allergy%20Information/Chilis%20Allergen_Generic.pdf I'm encouraged, the entree warning says "w/o sides" but they list the safe sides, so I'm thinking you could make a decent choice. This goes on my list of places to try on a Friday night. p.s. there's one really close to my house - bonus!

Wendy's: has a gluten free list: http://www.wendys.com/food/pdf/us/gluten_free_list.pdf. It's mostly condiments but I was happy to see that I can have Frosties. And the salads are pre-made, that makes me feel safer since the croutons etc are in separate packages. I'll go there in a pinch.

And the bad…

Burger King: Has a Gluten Sensitive List: http://www.bk.com/cms/en/us/cms_out/digital_assets/files/menu_nutrition/GlutenFree.pdf So if all you are hungry for is packets of sauce… Me? Nix! Sorry BK isn't doing it my way.

Carrabbas: Publishes a gf menu: http://www.carrabbas.com/menu/pdf/GFmenu.pdf but the catch is you have to ask them to make your food without "grill baste". I nixed them based on the fact they have no dedicated gf grill. My logic is that if everything is basted with some gluteny goop and cooked on the same grill as my food, even if they don't add extra goop, I'm getting contaminated. The only things on the menu mostly ok are 3 salads and I'm sorry, as good as the Fiorucci sounds, if my dinner mates are eating Sirloin Marsala, I'm going to be a very grumpy girl unless I have several glasses of wine. Neither will turn out well.
I did try them for take out a couple months ago and it did not settle well with me – now I have an idea why.

Macaroni Grill: A friend of mine who has Muniere's disease suggested this to me based on her experience there. They accommodated her special requests (none of which include Gluten btw) so I decided to check out their menus. Surprise! They have an allergen report too: http://www.brinker.com/gr/allergens/mac%20allergen.pdf.


Nixed! When I saw all the "w/o" notes, I just couldn't imagine trying to make that all clear to a waitperson that's paid $2/hour on a busy Saturday night and expect any kind of success. I'm not that lucky. I mean, if they can't make risotto and goat cheese gf (these things are naturally gf!) I'm not eating there.

McDonalds: They may have best intentions but, NIXED! Online you can look at ingredients lists galore but I'm not that desperate or have enough time in my life to work it out!

Johnny Carinos: GF Menu: http://www.carinos.com/menu/74879/showgluten/1062 but the items on it describe angel hair pasta...Umm - what? I called and confirmed - they do not serve gf pasta - it's a hoax y'all!

Applebee's: My Mom loves Applebees (at least while she was in Oklahoma). Sorry Mom, they don't post allergens on line. They are falling to the bottom of my list.

TGIFridays: posts no allergen info online or even a FAQ statement. nix.

Fried Rice Yumminess- Day 3

This was actually the 2nd time I'd ever done a stir fry. In my whole life! I was worried because the first time didn't turn out well. I think everything burned and I didn't have the right ingredients to start with. I was following instructions a friend gave me "Just grab some veggies and meat and throw them in the pan for a few minutes with some soy sauce". I had gf soy sauce but it was awful!

This time, my stir fry turned out great! This recipe didn't call for soy sauce (obviously since it's soy free) and it turned out delicious (as you can see). I tried to alter the recipe but what is 1/4 of 1/2 cup of peas? Do you have a 1/8 cup measure? So it was a spoonful of this and a pinch of that. I think I ended up with 2 servings because I didn't try to split an egg and I was probably a little generous with the veggies. It was a whole lot of food!

Take Aways:

I'll be making this all the time now. It was so, my kind of low maintenance cooking!! Easy, fast and yummy (and cheap!!). If anyone ever suggests getting Chinese takeout I will scoff at them. Why wait for delivery of some greasy MSG laden goo, when you can have fresh in 10 minutes or less? My friend (with the stir fry advice of yore) said frozen veggies don't work - um this is proof to me they do! Fresh would have gotten mealy, I think.

Also, after eating this I had tons of energy and my tummy was totally happy. I think it was the perfect combo of starches, fiber and protein to get me through the rest of my day.

Things I would change:

Nothing! I actually could have popped home to make this over a lunch hour, if I needed to :)

Lunch @ Starbuck's

Silly me, I tried to have lunch at Starbuck's again, it's really not healthy because I always go for thick creamy sugary treats. But, it's my favorite place to meet up with friends because:

1. They are everywhere so that's really convenient

2. I can always get something safe

3. They usually have those cozy seating areas and patio tables for sunny days (of which we have 300 here per year!)

4. The bathrooms are usually clean

My fall back is usually a Soy Chai Latte bc I reason that the soymilk has protein and calcium and the chai has all those antioxidants and spices that are supposed to be good for your innards. So, it's almost a meal and a Venti has about 300 calories so that counts too.

But today I was craving something (let's blame PMS) and went crazy by ordering a Java Chip Frappucino - Grande. I usually ask to see all the ingredients labels, but I was feeling brave and just asked what was in it - "Coffee base (milk sugar and coffee), chocolate chips and ice". Ok, sounds good. I coupled that with a pkg of Lucy's Cinnamon cookies (these have become my favorites) and walked away with a $5.51 sugar rush, 600 calories.

It was worth it too. Yum Yum Yum! And if you're wondering, yes the Java chip Frapp is gf :)

Bonefish Grill anyone?

Dinner with the work team to celebrate our week and accomplishments instantly went from "where should we eat - let's vote" to "where can Cocoa eat?" when I said, "count me out of 'the Village' I can't eat there - gluten issues." Some part of me was happy, I get to choose and actually go, part of me was sad because I also wanted to go hang out with friends and had to cancel.

So, we went to Bonefish Grill, despite being "expensive", a word that I've never had a grasp of gf or not.

Want to know how it went? It's a good example of why half of my hesitation to eat out is the actual taste of food and service and the other half is actually fear of being poisoned.

So, to sum up my Bonefish experience, which is not unusual for the several times I've been there:

The glass of St. Michelle Riesling was good $7/glass

I ordered the Chilean Sea Bass w/ mango salsa (nothing to write home about), $20 and the Creme Brulee $10

Pro- I can trust that it will be gluten free

Con - may still be raw and despite sending it back will return raw but with more veggies and sauce

Pro - only 1 appetizer is gf so I got to have dessert first (creme brulee but they also have a gf giant ice cream and fudge sauce laden chocolate brownie - YUM!)

Con - the service almost always sucks (one time was ok when it was just 4 of us)

Pro- very friendly lighting (candles on tables)

Con - they use way too much salt and sugar in their foods

Pro- close to where I live/work

Here's the breakdown:

First off, I have to say our waitress was barely worth tipping and I have a feeling she specifically ignored me because I asked for a gluten free menu right off. I ordered a glass of wine at the same time as everyone else, yet my glass of house wine arrived at least 5 minutes after everyone else's various cocktails (there were 10 of us btw). 2 more rounds of drinks were ordered and consumed, which I got 1...my food came - fish cold and not flaking at.all. It took 3 tries on my part and 2 of the girl by me to get the waitress' attention (she hovered at the other end of the table), I asked to have it cooked more and it arrived 90 seconds later - still cold and I mean icy - not luke warm, not heating lamp warm - cold. Couldn't get a doggie bag until the girl near me asked for 2! (one for me, thanks sweetie!) I nuked it for 6 minutes when I got home before it was flaky so I know that it was basically raw when they brought it to me - both times.

Don't know if we were charged for the drinks that never came because one really nice guy in our group picked up the entire check. We'll see it on his travel expenses next week, don't worry.

I did enjoy my steamed vegetable medley, the creme brulee was delish and had blueberries on top, which made my day and the mashed potatoes were made with real garlic, not the powder - so good!!

In case you're wondering, the rest of the day was uninteresting food-wise, Apple & yogurt for breakfast ($.75), snacked on mixed nuts, nut thins (free) until Dinner.

Grand total $37.75 for the day of which I paid $.75 (not too shabby!)