Gluten Free, R U?

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Nomad Lounge Walt Disney World

Top of my list for this Disney visit was getting the gluten free churros as Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom. Every time I saw someone else post about them, I was determined I would have them too.

We stopped in and tried to find an outside table. Nothing.
We went inside. Nothing.
I was sticking it out though and after standing at the front of the patio finally a table for two opened up. We were so excited because it was outside and it was near the railing so we have a beautiful view.

We ordered the churros and hubby got their press coffee.

It took a little while to get our food but we didn’t mind. It was nice to sit in the comfy chairs where it was somewhat quiet for Disney.

The churros came out and they were warm and perfect. Plain or with the vanilla sauce, I could have eaten them all day. I guarantee next time, we won’t share. We will each get our own order. Absolutely delicious and just a great setting.

Friday, June 5, 2020

Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe - Norway Pavilion Epcot - Walt Disney World

Our special stop in Epcot was to get the chocolate cake with banana mousse.

Well worth the trip!!!

We even got a lovely outdoor seat where I didn't even know there was seating.

Chocolate cake mmmm
Banana mmmm
Chocolate shell mmmm
in my world what more could I want.

This was so good. And while it was sweet I wouldn't say it was overly sweet. I thought it was just right. A wonderful treat as we watched the sunset on our day. And the perfect dessert to follow up our Mama Melrose late lunch.

And I am so glad we got it on the day we did because when we went back to Epcot on the weekend (the Food and Wine Festival day) the line wrapped around the building and I am not even sure if this would have been available with all the people ordering it. More Disney luck and magic for us.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Mama Melrose's Walt Disney World

I really wanted to eat at Mama Melrose's in Hollywood Studios but for some reason the day we chose to go, we could not do a walk in. The place looked empty but the girl swore there was no room. She advised us to try for a reservation same day as something might open up. So we stepped outside and after fighting with the app, we had a reservation for an hour later. We were starving so we went and got popcorn to hold us over.

It was worth the aggravation to eat here though and I would eat here again in a second! Excellent service, lots of options, great setting and wonderful food.

I got the strawberry lemonade and we had gluten free rolls to start, along with the Margherita Flatbread. We tried not to stuff ourselves but it was all so delicious.

Then we split the Wood-grilled Chicken and Penne Pasta with four cheese sauce. Soooo delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it now. It was a huge serving which I think they did because we were splitting it but if you were one person eating the serving we got you would be stuffed! Just the right amount of chicken and the cheese sauce was gooey and warm and cheeeeesy.

I have to say though the place never filled up, so I was still stumped as to why there were no walk ins being taken but it worked out for us and I was so happy and stuffed.

We didn't get dessert here because we were headed to Epcot for something special.

My gluten free history

When I turned 30 years old, I started to gain weight that I couldn't lose and I was getting back to back colds. The final straw was I got bronchitis and I had to take an antibiotic to help me get better. The side effect for 4% of people on this antibiotic was gastrointestinal issues. Yes, I was part of that 4%. The medicine basically stripped away whatever had been protecting me through my first 30 years of life. You see I have always had gastrointestinal issues since I can remember. My father also had the same issues and my paternal grandmother too. I was so sick from the medicine (or so I thought) that I had to go back to the doctor and do a series of tests. During this time I was following the BRAT diet (Banana, rice, a, toast). Saltines and toast were my go to comfort, little did I know they were NOT what I should be eating. My co-worker gave me an article about food allergies and there was a quiz. You only needed to answer 4 of the 8 questions with yes to fall under their designation and I had answered 6 of the 8 with yes. I was on my way. My husband and I cleaned out all our cabinets of the 7 allergens… all that was left was rice. After a few weeks, I was feeling somewhat better when I stayed at a home where they told me to eat whatever was in the fridge. I saw the rice and started eating. Within a hour I was violently ill. I couldn't understand. I took the rice with me to work the next day and when I told my other co-worker about my issue she asked to see the rice. It was orzo… pasta… gluten/wheat filled pasta! I had my first allergen to check off the list as being an issue. It turned out at the time dairy and eggs were also triggers but I have since been able to add them back. My husband and I went on a full gluten free diet and within a few months I had lost my weight, stopped living in my bathroom, looked healthy and was not terrified to eat things any more. Now it has been 15 years and while I have gained some weight back (darn those yummy gluten free cookies and pretzels) my issues are still in check and I couldn't be happier to figure out what was wrong with my body and be able to fix it.