fast food for the gluten-free eater...

I'm not a huge fast food junkie, but being someone who works at home by myself, I like to get out of the house every now and then to grab an inexpensive meal to eat at home. Ergo, fast food.

Eating fast food on a gluten-free diet can be a little challenging, but not impossible. It just requires some knowledge and creativity.

1. Chipotle

Chipotle is by far my favorite fast food lunch. Everything on their menu is gluten-free except for the tortillas. Even before I learned about my gluten intolerance, I usually got a bowl: a taco salad of sorts with a rice base.

Plus, if you load up your bowl with the right things, it's not too terribly unhealthy of a meal. I like to get mine with chicken, no beans, and no dairy. Fairly healthy. I guess :D


2. Subway

The Boser is a huge sandwich fan-- he eats Subway for lunch nearly every weekday. About 800 Subways are currently test driving a gluten free bun, and all the DFW locations I've visited have it. The bun is small, but pretty tasty. Nothing phenomenal, but standard gluten-free bread fair and it gets Boser his beloved sandwich now and again.

3. Domino's

Several pizza places offer gluten free crusts (including Mellow Mushroom and Palio's, if you live in Denton), and Domino's added it to their menu yesterday. I haven't tried it yet, but the promise of awful-for-me style pizza after a stressful day is wonderfully alluring and trying one will happen sooner or later. I'll keep you posted.

The Boser is especially excited because they only offer the gluten free crust in a small, so we'll have to order two pizzas. So he can have a "real pizza" and I can have a "sickly pizza," as he so eloquently put it.


4. The Burger Hack

As you know, I am a huge burger fan. While it's hard to find a local burger joint with a gluten-free burger patty, let alone a bread option, the fast food industry is a little more understanding. Carl's Jr., Five Guys, and Mooyah all offer a "lettuce wrap" option to hold your burger patty, the patty of which is gluten free already. (Watch out for the shakes at Mooyah, though.) The Boser is a big Five Guys fan, so if we eat at the restaurant, I usually end up fork and knifing my lettuce wrapped burger because it's kind of a mess otherwise. But if I bring a burger home for lunchtime?

The Burger Hack:

Two slices of Udi's sandwich bread, lightly buttered and toasted. You almost forget it's not a bun. Almost.

You can buy Udi's burger buns, and buns from other gluten-free companies for that matter, but I haven't been that adventurous yet. Maybe someday.

Happy fast fooding!

Loves and Hugs,

Rachel Elise