Traveling Gluten-free

I just returned from spending some time visiting family in California. I enjoy spending time with loved ones, but I sometimes worry about being able to stay gluten free while away from home. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone, but I need to avoid gluten to be well. I really had nothing to worry about.

My husband and I spent the weekend in Santa Barbara with his family. I am blessed with wonderful in-laws, and getting to spend time in beautiful Santa Barbara is a bonus. They served us delicious home-cooked meals, and always made sure that I would be able to eat safely. We had delicious French Onion Soup for dinner, pancakes for breakfast (my sister-in-law made special gf pancakes just for me), and finished with a big BBQ in honor of my husband’s late grandfather. Nonno immigrated from Italy to Santa Barbara as a young man and would have been 100 years old this year. We enjoyed a loving reunion of family and friends as we shared BBQ with all the fixin’s. For dessert, my sister-in-law was making a trifle, and she actually made a second gf version so that I would have dessert too (thanks, Julie!). I am a fortunate person.

Next we went to Northridge to spend some time with my family. Now, my mother is very health-conscience and generally only keeps healthy foods in the house. There is always plenty of fresh fruit in the fridge, but she also stocked her kitchen with some of my favorite gf junk-foods to make sure I would have foods that I liked and could eat safely. Thanks Mom! At my sister and brother-in-law’s house, one of their friends cooked a delicious gf meal for all of us. It was so nice to be able to enjoy everyone’s company and delicious food without having to think much about staying gluten free.

Of course, it’s not all about the food. Since this blog is mostly about food, that’s what I write about most often, but life is about so much more. And my trip was about so much more: spending time with my husband, seeing family, including my 94-year-old grandmother, enjoying my niece and nephews, visiting with my parents, touring my sister’s business, and generally catching up with what everyone has been doing.

I truly am a fortunate person.

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