Frugal Fork

I am happy to announce that I have merged my blog and my podcast into one new site. For all my latest posts please visit my new website FrugalFork.com

See you there. :-)

Sprouts Jubilee

Sprouts is a new chain here in Northern California, and they can generally be found in the central and western United States. They have more of an open feel, with more bulk bins and wine, and less fresh grab and go items than I would say of Whole Foods.  They have both a gluten free aisle as well as items throughout the store.  Right now they are having what they've entitled "gluten-free jubilee" and all of their gluten free items are at least 25% off. There are locations in both Elk Grove and Roseville, with one opening soon in Citrus Heights.

Since I love food, as well as getting deals, I had to go check things out. I stocked up on Luna and Larabars at $1.00/each, Hansen sodas for $0.50 a can, and coconut water for $1.50 instead of $2.99. The big savings came in when looking at the pastas and bake mixes. $1.80 for quinoa pasta, any shape, is a good deal. Pamela's, Authentic Foods, King Arthur, and Bob's Red Mill, and a few others were all about $2-3 off per mix. King Arthur can be more of an expensive line, so that's what I generally stocked up on.  If you have not ever been to Sprouts, or if you want to take advantage of some deals, make sure you plan a visit before February 1.

Telestrations

Pictionary and telephone: what an awesome combination!

I seriously recommend this game. It's easy to learn, easy to play, and your face will be sore the next day from laughter.  

Dave & Busters Does Gluten Free

I went to Dave & Busters for a corporate event, so of course I had to research the gluten free options ahead of time. For the evening we were presented with a buffet so I was kind of at their mercy, but at least with some research I knew what I was walking into.

I, out of habit, ate a little something ahead of time, and while I could have ordered on the side, it would have been slightly awkward. For this particular event I ended up eating veggies and cocktail shrimp but I was ok with that.

My research did however reveal some interesting tidbits you should know before heading out to Dave & Busters. I love potato skins, and they typically are something I am able to order if on the menu, but not at D & B.  None of the appetizers are on their gluten free menu because of cross contamination issues, or per their language "It is because of contamination- where the food is prepared. For gluten free we prepare the items separately," and yet on their gluten free menu it does not sound like the items are prepped in a separate area.  In any case they have a gluten free menu. You need to call corporate for a copy, but here's what is available currently as of January 2012.

Suggested Menu Options for Wheat/Gluten Allergies
We have prepared this list of suggested menu items based on the advice of our QA & Food Safety Manager/Nutritionist along with the most current information from our food suppliers and their stated absence of wheat/gluten protein within these items. Please be aware that during normal kitchen operations involving shared cooking equipment and preparation areas, which may or may not include common fryer oil, the possibility exists for cross contact, therefore, food items (including garnishes may come in contact with wheat/gluten proteins. Additionally, fried food items could absorb wheat/ gluten proteins during the cooking process. Therefore, we recommend that individuals with these allergies and intolerances avoid ALL fried foods & garnishes. Due to these circumstances, we are unable to guarantee that any menu entrée below can be COMPLETELY free of wheat/gluten protein.

*As an added precaution, please ask to be seated away from the kitchen to avoid potentially irritating aromas

Soups:

Chicken Tortilla (Order without Garnish or Toppings)

Chicken & Seafood:

BBQ Chicken,

Lacy’s Chicken

Island Grilled Tri-Fecta

Salads without Dressing or Tortilla Strips:

Sweet Apple Pecan Salad (Shrimp or Chicken)

Greek Salad (Shrimp or Chicken)

Honey Mustard Spinach Salad, House Salad

Grilled Steak Salad (no Frazzled Onions)

Salads Dressings:

Raspberry Vinaigrette, Honey Mustard, Caesar, Balsamic Herb Vinaigrette

Sides:

Sautéed Green Beans

Mashed Potatoes (without toppings)

Mixed Vegetable Medley Citrus Rice

Burgers & Sandwiches without a bun: 

Roasted Turkey Avocado BLT

The Boss Chicken Club

Char-Grilled Atlantic Salmon

Buster’s Cheeseburger

Monterey Burger

Bar Burger 

Dave’s Double Cheeseburger

Steaks:

NY Strip or Sirloin Steak

Chargrilled NY Strip or Sirloin Steak Jack Daniels BBQ Ribs

Black Jack NY Strip or Sirloin Steak

Sauces & Extras:

Black Jack BBQ Sauce, Chipotle-Honey Sauce, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Salsa, Sour Cream

Birthday Cupcakes

I love blue and polka dots so for my birthday it only made sense to combine the two. I picked up both mini and regular size cupcake liners for what I planned to be blue velvet cupcakes.

I had teal but not blue dye already, so teal it was. Teal, cream cheese frosting that is.  I had considered making the frosting dairy free, but I have not found a dairy free cream cheese that I like.

The blue velvet cupcakes did not end up the way I hoped but they were certainly delicious chocolate cupcakes made using the Kind Arthur chocolate cake mix.

Everyone who ate one of these mini gems asked for a second one. Frosting or not. YUM!

Veggie Quesadillas

A friend and I got together for dinner but we didn't feel like doing anything too involved, so we made veggie quesadillas. We gathered all our supplies and started the process.

How Well is Your Digestive System Working?

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

This has been a great winter for me and my old enemy soup. We have been able to work out our differences and have an amicable relationship. For soup Sunday this week I made coconut curry chicken soup, yet another awesome recipe I was exposed to thanks to Pinterest. In the original recipe it was suggested to pour the chicken and veggie mix over the rice, but I stirred it in.  It will thicken significantly if you do this, so I added about a cup of extra chicken broth.  The coconut flavor was mild and you could certainly add in more curry if you wanted a stronger flavor. Yet again, I found a soup I will make again.

Wholesome Cake

I received some samples of cake mix from Whole Some Chow, who offer both a vegan line and a gluten free, vegan line. I was iffy about whether or not this was going to be good, because honestly I have not had any vegan cake mixes that are actually good. Every other time when I have made a cake with oil instead of eggs it separated after being baked. The other issue with vegan cakes is density. It's expected they will be more dense, but some are just inedible.

Thus, you can understand my doubt that these cakes would be tasty, but I gave it a go. I started out with the chocolate cake, which was good enough to frost.  The vanilla cake was really good; the first day I could hardly tell it was vegan, but the second and third day it almost seemed to become more dense.  The raw batter was actually better than the baked cake.

Then there was the chocolate lavender cake.  I waited as long as I possibly could because I dislike lavender and just could not imagine it in a cake.  When I finally did make it it had a similar consistency to the plain chocolate, but something was off about it both in taste and texture. Just not for me. Overall I do not think I would buy these mixes, but if you're vegan, I suppose they are worth a go.

It's Museum Time!

To find out all the details and to plan your day please visit SacramentoMuseums.Org 

Buns & Barrettes

I have dined at the Counter several times before, but most recently was the first time I was able to order a burger with a bun! A friend and I journeyed out to the fountains plaza for a typical whole foods/counter combo. We were pleasantly surprised to see they are now offering Udi's gluten free buns. It was nice to be able to order a real burger, bun, and all, although I will say I am more so a fan of Canyon Bakehouse buns. In any case, the burger was absolutely delicious. And if you have not had their sweet potato fries, you're missing out.

 After the meal and our way over to Whole Foods we passed a new store to the plaza called Charming Charlie. All the glitz and glam, and colored coordination- it was calling our names, but given the set up of the store and the location we figured we surely could not afford anything. We were however once again pleasantly surprised for the evening. We discovered it was actually sort of like Clarie's but geared more to adults.  Violet and dark purple on separate rounders, lime green and forest green; we were in accessory overload.

Where was this store a year ago when I needed some accessorizes for multiple events? In any case, it was an evening adventure of girly fun.

Salsa Bean Soup

My husband looked at me a little funny when he asked for dinner and I told him salsa bean soup.  Once he ate a bowl, he wanted a second, and confessed it was absolutely delicious.

In the making process I realized it was probably the way some people make chili- with a can of salsa.  In any case, the type of salsa will either make or break this recipe.  I used homemade salsa that I am absolutely in love with, and a can of drained cannelloni beans. Heat them together, and that's about it. I topped it with Daiya Cheese, avocado, and some tofutti sour cream.

I had previously calculated the cost of my homemade salsa at $2.00 a jar, and with that knowledge I was able to determine that it was only $2.09 a servings, including all the dairy free toppings.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

On a recent road trip I revived my love of lunch wraps and burritos.  YES, there is a gluten free tortilla that rolls: Teff wraps!. We made many a burrito on this particular trip, including dinner one night with relatives. We had a full Mexican spread just as if we out to eat.

We only have two wraps left at the end of our trip and they needed to be popped in the fridge or freezer by then, so we decided to try making tortilla chips out of them. If you're corn free there are not too many options for tortilla chips other than Beanitos, so we figured why not give teff wraps a try. 

We just added a little sea salt and cut them into small pieces and put them in the oven on low heat.  About 10 to 15 minutes later and you've got one tasty chip. Paired with some homemade guacamole and we ate like royalty.

Bagel Chips

Glutino.  They make breads, crackers, bake mixes, snack bars, and now, they have introduced bagel chips in original and Parmesan and garlic. They're called bagel chips, but these are basically croutons. Sure, they're also great as dippers, and paired with soup, but they're a hard, dry, seasoned bread cube- that screams crouton to me. And a taste one at that! At $5.00 a box I would not buy these all the time, but they were quite tasty.

What do you think? Have you tired these yet?

Gluten Free at Chick-Fil-A

Chick-fil-A was the "hip" place to hang out when I was in high school, but I was not part of that crowd. Dispute knowing they have a list of gluten free options on their website, I have truthfully never actually dined at Chick-fil-A. Mainly that is because they are not conveniently located for me and not because I did not see them as a good option. More recently, this week they announced new gluten free, non-breaded chicken nuggets that are part of their new healthy children's meal.

Per their press release "Chick-fil-A's Grilled Nuggets, paired with the Fruit Cup and one-percent milk, is one of the most nutritious children’s meal combinations offered among any major fast food chain. The meal has only 210 calories and 3 grams of fat – reflecting an 86 percent cut in fat grams and a 56 percent calorie reduction compared with its previous offerings."

Now I want to go Chick-fil! 


You can read the full press release here.

  
Mark Baldwin Chick-fil-A, Inc.
(404) 684-8598
mark.baldwin@chick-fil-a.com

Kristal McKanders Jackson Spalding for Chick-fil-A
(404) 214-3558
kmckanders@jacksonspalding.com

Pizza Rolls

Have you made monkey bread before? It can be sweet; it can be savory- I prefer the savory, like garlic butter rolls, or like I made this time- pizza style! Once again thanks to Pinterest I discovered a recipe posted by Confections of A Foodie Bride for pizza monkey bread. This is not your hurry up and bake pizza, but more like grab a cider and have some fun in the kitchen.  Plus it makes a great recipe for a party because of it's presentation.

Mac & Cheese to Go

Do I like convenience? Yes

Do I like Mac & Chesse? Yes

Was I excited about instant gluten free mac & cheese? YES

Is this product from Pastariso any good? Debatable.

Disney on a Budget

I live on that fine line between sane and crazy, and leaned a little into the crazy when I decided to go to Disneyland on New Year's Eve. The place was packed by 9 AM and it just got busier. It's usually best for gluten free diners to order during a non-rush period, but that was not going to happen at Disneyland this time. I was prepared however.  For starters, pack your bag accordingly. They mainly care about weapons, and didn't say anything when they looked into my bag, but if they have any qualm just tell them you have special dietary needs.  We brought in several small ziplocs of homemade beef jerky, pretzels and peanut butter, a couple protein bars, trail mix, and bottled water. 

Then once you're in the park go over to the kind people at city hall and pick up a current gluten free dining list. They update them fairly often, but in general they have gluten free buns throughout the park, a gluten free pizza option, and so much more. Now here's where the budget comes into play.  We ate responsibly and shared a gigantic turkey leg for $8.99. Add in a soda and lunch was only $6.50 a person; that's less than any hamburger meal costs throughout the park. Hell, it would probably cost you more to buy a combo at Carl's Jr. Plus, the turkey leg was amazing; slow roasted in it's own juices. Tip: grab a fork and knife and a mustard packet and find yourself a seat. This is way easier to eat sitting down, even tough it was amusing to see others walking around eating this giant leg walking around.

Gluten Free Corn Dogs

Worth the $5.00! That is all I need to say.

Homemade Lettuce Wraps

I love the lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang's and Del Mar Rendezous has some really awesome ones too, but we should be able to make that same awesomeness for in-home dining, don't you think? Someone posted a recipe for lettuce wraps on Pinterest, and so I added it to my recipe board to come back to. Before the holidays seemed like a good time to make them- an easy, quick meal.

The homemade version was not as pretty as P.F. Chang', and the lettuce was not as crisp, but it was tasty! If you want to try out the recipe I used, you'll find it here.