Gluten Free in Aspen & Denver

Last summer, my daughters and I accompanied my husband on a business trip to Aspen, Colorado. We flew into Denver, then rented a car to drive to Aspen.

We landed around lunch time, so I talked my husband into driving into downtown Denver so we could eat at Five on Black Brazilian Grill, a 100% gluten free fast casual restaurant.

Aulani and Oahu Gluten Free

Last June, my daughters and I spent five nights at Aulani - A Disney Resort on Oahu with my parents and my brother's family. This was not my first visit to Hawaii. My husband and I spent a week on Maui and a week on Kauai on our honeymoon, six years before I was diagnosed with celiac disease.

I never had any intentions of returning to Hawaii, but when my family told me they were going to Aulani, we decided to join them. On our honeymoon, we found the time change from the east coast very hard to deal with, but now that we live on the west coast, it was not too bad.

Disneyland 2019

Since we moved to California three years ago, we have been visiting Disneyland at least once a year. We do not have annual passes, because it is about a 5 1/2 drive for us from Santa Cruz County. I am often asked if I prefer Disney World or Disneyland. My family loves them both. For gluten free dining options, I definitely prefer Disney World in Florida. At Disneyland, we love how close the two theme parks are to each other, so I recommend a park hopper, so you can go back and forth between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure multiple times in one day. I also recommend the MaxPass for making fastpasses. It allows you to ride a large number of attractions in one day without waiting in long lines. We much prefer it to the fastpass system at Disney World.

In January, my daughters and I tagged along with my husband to his work conference in Los Angeles over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. We did not buy park passes for Disneyland, but we did visit Downtown Disney twice.

Disney Wonder Baja Cruise 2019

Over Easter Break, we spent three nights at Disneyland, and took a five night Baja cruise with my parents on the Disney Wonder out of San Diego.

This was our ninth cruise with Disney Cruise Line, and our first on the Disney Wonder.

Palo Brunch & Dinner - Disney Wonder

Over Easter Break, we took our ninth cruise with Disney Cruise Line, and our first on the Disney Wonder. My husband and I never miss a chance to dine at Palo, an adults-only restaurant serving Northern Italian cuisine on all Disney ships.

When our booking window opened, I made reservations for brunch and dinner. The charge for Palo is now $40 per person, but it is definitely worth it.

Gluten Free in Lake Tahoe

Every winter since moving to California, we have spent a long weekend in Lake Tahoe, so my husband can ski, and my daughters and I can go tubing.

Our favorite place to stay is the Marriott Grand Residence Club in Heavenly Village at South Lake Tahoe. There are plenty of options for gluten free dining at Heavenly Village, so you do not even need a car if you are staying there.

Gracie Jones' Gluten Free Bake Shop - Palo Alto, California

Update - Gracie Jones is permanently closed. Misfits Bakehouse, which is also 100% gluten free, has opened in the same space. 

Yesterday, I attended a Generation GF event hosted by Amy the Family Chef at Gracie Jones' Gluten Free Bake Shop in Palo Alto, California.

Gracie is the executive chef of Asian Box, a 100% fast causal chain in California. You can read my review here.

Pushkin's Bakery - Sacramento, California

On our way back from our trip to Lake Tahoe over President's Day weekend, we stopped at Pushkin's Bakery in Sacramento for lunch. I had hoped to dine at Pushkin's Restaurant, but it is closed on Mondays. Both the bakery and the restaurant are 100% gluten free.

Thankfully, Pushkin's Bakery has a sandwich menu, so we were not limited to baked goods for lunch. Everything at Pushkin's is gluten and dairy free, except the Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese you can add to any sandwich. There are no tables inside, but we were able to eat lunch at one of the tables outside on the sidewalk.

Primal Santa Cruz - Santa Cruz, California

September, 2019 Update - Primal Santa Cruz closed and reopened as Vida, which is also now closed

Two and a half years ago, we moved from Orlando, Florida to Santa Cruz County, California. Dining out around our new home has been a challenge at times, so I was so excited when I heard that Primal Santa Cruz, a 100% gluten free, grain free, soy free, non-GMO, organic, and refined sugar free restaurant was opening about 25 minutes from our house.

Primal Santa Cruz is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, and has a brunch menu on the weekend. For breakfast, lunch, and brunch, you place your order at the counter, receive a number to place on your table, and a server delivers your food when it is ready. For dinner, Primal Santa Cruz is a full service restaurant.

Kona Cafe Breakfast - Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

Over Thanksgiving Break, we had breakfast at Kona Cafe, a table service restaurant at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort.

Kona Cafe has an allergy-friendly menu that lists options for people with gluten/wheat, milk, egg, soy, peanut/tree nut, and fish/shellfish allergies.