July 10, 2025 • 17 mins
Today, I’m sharing one of our favorite family traditions — beach vacations! But if you’re living that gluten-free life like we are, you know vacations come with a whole new layer of planning.
It’s not just about sunscreen and flip-flops — it’s about staying safe, making sure we don’t get glutened, and still getting to relax and enjoy the trip. From what we pack in the car to what kitchen items we bring along to the condo, I’m walking you through exactly how we prepare to make sure our vacation is fun and stress-free.
Whether you're heading to the beach, the mountains, or just going away for the weekend — this episode is packed with tips to help you eat well, feel great, and avoid any mid-trip gluten surprises.
Come join us in our free Facebook Community, The Gluten Free Engineer.
It’s a space where you can connect with others living gluten-free, ask questions, swap tips and recipes, and get support from people who truly get it. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or a seasoned gluten-free pro, you’ll feel right at home.
This episode is brought to you by Find Me Gluten Free—your go-to app for discovering safe, gluten-free dining options wherever you go!
Get your exclusive discount for our listeners at theglutenfreeengineer.com/findmeglutenfree
Because dinning out gluten-free shouldn’t be a guessing game!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carrie Saunders (00:00):
Quick reminder before we get started on this
episode this podcast is based onmy personal experiences and
isn't medical advice.
Today I'm sharing one of ourfavorite family traditions and
that's beach vacations.
But if you're living thatgluten-free lifestyle, like we
are, you know vacations can comewith a whole new layer of
planning.
It's not just about sunscreen,flip-flops, packing the perfect
(00:23):
bathing suit.
It's about staying safe andmaking sure we don't get
glutened and still getting torelax and enjoy the trip and
enjoy some food adventures.
From what we pack in the cartto what kitchen items we bring
along to the condo, I'm going towalk you through exactly how we
prepare to make sure ourvacation is fun and stress-free.
So, whether you're heading tothe beach, the mountains or just
(00:46):
going away for the weekend,this episode is going to be
packed with tips to help you eatwell, feel great and avoid any
mid-trip gluten surprises.
So let's get into it.
Welcome to the Gluten-FreeEngineer Podcast.
I'm your host, Saunders.
In 2011, I was diagnosed withceliac disease, a moment that
changed everything, but I wasdetermined not to let it hold me
(01:09):
back.
With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer
the gluten-free lifestyle,breaking down recipes, safety
tips, travel hacks andeverything in between to rebuild
a life I love.
Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance or simply
choose to live gluten-free, thispodcast is for you.
Join me each week as wesimplify the gluten-free
(01:29):
lifestyle, make it fun and provethat you don't have to miss out
on anything.
Welcome back to the show.
Today we're talking about beinggluten-free on vacation,
particularly what we like to dofor our gluten-free Myrtle Beach
vacation that we do every year.
We love to go to Myrtle Beachevery year in the summer with
(01:50):
our kids.
My husband and I have beendoing this since when we were
dating, back in high school, Iwould go with his family on a
beach vacation and he had beendoing it since he was a little
kid and his dad since he was alittle kid.
So their family tradition is togo to Myrtle Beach pretty much
every single year.
So whenever we found out that Ihad celiac disease and then
(02:13):
later you know, not too longafter that, about a year or so
after that found out our oldesthad celiac, followed by a few
more years later and the othertwo having celiac our beach
vacations changed a lot.
We needed to make sure that wewere having fun, enjoying our
time there, but also being safe.
We didn't want to getaccidentally gluten.
(02:34):
Obviously, when you're onvacation, because you want to
have fun and feel good onvacation and you want to be able
to enjoy it.
And we're going to be talkingabout how do we plan ahead so
that we can relax and enjoy ourvacation, and we've applied this
to our even longer trips toOrlando, florida, to Universal
Studios or Disney.
That's probably.
(02:55):
That's about a 12 to 15 hourdrive from where we live,
depending upon what time of dayyou actually drive down there,
versus our beach vacation.
That's about an eight hourdrive.
It used to be 11 hours, butthey have a lot better roads now
.
So how do we do this?
First off, we plan ahead andthen, to make this simple, what
I encourage you to do is make alist of what you need and what
(03:17):
you're going to take with youand keep that list so that every
time you go on vacation, youcan look at your you know
trusted items that you alwayswant to bring, that you always
need to bring, and just adjustit for wherever you might be
going, in case it's a differentlocation.
But we started when the kidswere little, even before we had
celiac and knew that we well, weprobably had celiac.
But before we knew we hadceliac, we had that trusty list
(03:41):
of what to pack.
So we didn't forget theiressential toys sunscreen, you
know, toothbrush, toothpaste,all those things.
But then, as we found out thatwe were celiac, we started
adding on essential items likefood and kitchen items that
we're going to bring with us.
So having that list helpsreduce the stress of going on
(04:01):
subsequent vacations so that youare making sure you aren't
forgetting something.
So we want to make that list soit's not overwhelming.
It just helps you prepare a bitmore.
So one of the things that I loveto do is I love to, when we're
going on a road trip, shop athome.
I do this for a couple ofreasons.
(04:22):
One, I don't want to waste mytime on vacation shopping.
It just seems silly.
I want to enjoy my vacation.
Two, usually on those vacationtouristy places the groceries
are more expensive than at myhouse, so I'm saving a bit of
money.
And three, I don't know whethermy you know tried and true
(04:44):
gluten-free items are going tobe available in those stores.
So it kind of helps reduce thestress by, you know, preparing
and bringing those food itemsalong with us so that we don't
have to waste our time andpotentially money and maybe not
be able to find what we need.
So we always grocery shopbefore we go.
(05:05):
We have collected over the years, you know, several different
coolers and we even know thatthey'll make it all the way to
Florida a full day trip, 12 to15 hour drive trip.
So once you get experiencedoing this, you can do it, you
know, even easier next time.
So pack that cooler, bring thethings that you like.
For us we have specific eggsthat we love here locally, that
(05:28):
we get from a farmer thatdoesn't feed their chickens soy
or wheat, so we tolerate them alot better.
So we even bring eggs with usand they're more sturdy than you
think.
We will bring our favoritegrass-fed butter too.
Again, that way I don't have to, you know, shop and try to find
it at a store, and so a tip onthe butter is if you're
traveling, you know, say morethan four or five hours or so,
(05:52):
or even if it's a short trip,freeze it.
Freeze it before you go.
Butter is really great tofreeze and refreeze.
It really just tolerates that.
So freeze something like that.
You can also make sure thatyou're bringing your favorite
gluten-free granola bars.
We like to pack in our coolersour lunches, so we don't even
(06:13):
have to stop for lunch.
We just stop for bathroombreaks and gas and that's it.
So we don't even stop and goout to eat on the way.
We will pack lunch meats andgluten-free bread and usually
some fruit.
We'll pack beef jerky that'sgluten and soy-free.
We might pack some gluten-free,safe nuts for protein.
(06:36):
So we like to pack a decentamount of protein for the trip
down.
It's going to keep you fullerlonger and you're going to feel
more satisfied, and so we liketo, you know, lean towards that
more protein snack.
We do have, you know, thegluten-free bread and the
granola bars to help us out too.
And we do need a bit of carbsbecause you know, our bodies do
function on carbs as well.
(06:57):
So make sure you're packing agood variety that you know works
for your body.
My body personally needs moreprotein than most of the rest of
our family, so I know I need tohave those heavy protein snacks
with me.
We also will pack if we're goingto a condominium and we're
actually Marriott Vacation Clubowners, we will, you know.
(07:17):
So we travel to condominiums alot because it's, you know, just
built into our package and it'sa lot cheaper for us that way.
And we will take certainessential pans you know our
favorite egg frying pan, ourfavorite cutting board and knife
, so the things that you wouldworry about in a condominium
(07:38):
having cross contaminationpotentiality in the vessels.
So we'll bring things like that.
We even have a special toaster,just a cheap toaster that we
take with us so that we cantoast our bread safely and so
that we aren't using the toasterthat's in the condo.
Sometimes we bring our airfryer.
(07:59):
We're a little bit crazy.
We sometimes bring our airfryer because our kids love
gluten-free chicken strips andit's just an easy way to do it.
So we will sometimes bring ourair fryer too.
So we might go a little bitoverboard, I will admit that,
but it's the things that we like.
It's their comfort thing.
So look at what you use on adaily basis in your own kitchen
(08:20):
and see what makes the mostsense to take with me, what's
going to make it easier for me.
You also are going to want toconsider bringing like cooking
utensils, like spatulas orspoons, just in case the place
you're going to has wooden orplastic ones that can hide
gluten in it.
Now I do know that the MarriottVacation Club area that we go
(08:43):
to, they have, thankfully,stainless steel spoons so we
don't have to bring quite somany cooking utensils as far as
that goes, because those will.
They do tend to clean up verywell and don't have the cross
contact in there.
And we also love to bring, youknow, a packet of foil like
aluminum foil.
So if you get in a pinchaluminum foil is a great way to
(09:08):
aluminum foil.
So if you get in a pinchaluminum foil is a great way to
save you from that cross contact.
You can put it on, you know,the cooking vessel you might be
using on the stove or on a grillor in the oven or on a sheet
pan that they might have.
It's a great way to have anextra layer, a barrier for any
cross contact.
So we like to have a foil withus just in case we need to use
it to protect things.
Now, if you're going to a placeit's not that you're afraid
(09:31):
they may not have cleaned itwell, make sure you double wipe
down everything and make surethere's.
You know you're minimizing whatgluten might be left behind
there.
And then I like to resourcerestaurants ahead of time.
Now, when we're going to MyrtleBeach we've been there for
years, you know we obviouslywill double check.
The restaurant still has a goodreputation, so we already have
(09:52):
our favorites.
But when you're going someplacenew, I like to research
restaurants ahead of time.
We make a list of our top oneswe want to go to.
We'll use the Find Me GlutenFree app to double check.
You know recent reviews on howceliac safe they are and then
use that for our adventures.
When recently, when I wasresearching for this next
(10:14):
upcoming Myrtle Beach trip, Ifound this dedicated gluten-free
ice cream shop, so we are superexcited to try it.
They have pineapple ice creamand we all love pineapple, so
we're super excited to try that.
So doing that, doing thatplanning ahead, can get you even
more excited for your upcomingvacation.
So try to view it as not a tour, but as an exciting way to
(10:39):
explore new places that will besafe to eat.
So we also make sure that whenwe do go to the restaurants that
are not dedicated gluten-free,we want to make sure we tell the
server that we have a gluten.
Allergy is what we usually door celiac, if they tend to
understand that word, but I findgluten allergy tends to
resonate more with most serversand many times they will bring a
(11:02):
manager over to talk to us andmake sure that we are safe.
You can make sure you ask forhidden gluten potentials,
whether the fryer is shared,whether the cooktop is shared
with other gluten areas, whetherthey have a gluten-free prep
area or not, whether they willchange their gloves or not.
So ask your standard questionswhen you are going out to eat,
(11:24):
especially in mixed restaurants,and many times when we go on
these vacations we eat in a bitmore than we eat out anymore.
And honestly, one, it's morefun sometimes because we're all
sitting around the table in ourcondo and having a good time.
And two, we're saving money.
Now, another thing we do too ismy kids absolutely love my
(11:47):
gluten-free chicken casserole.
I've talked about this beforeon the podcast.
It's one of their favoritethings.
So what I will do a few daysbefore vacation is I'll make
somewhere between one and threeof them.
Sometimes my youngest convincesme to make him two and the rest
of the family one, but honestly, they all share all three.
But I will make them ahead oftime because when you're making
(12:09):
that recipe.
Making more than one is notmuch more effort than just
making one, and so we'll make itahead of time.
I'll put it in the freezer inour deep freezer, you know a day
or two before we leave, so itgets deep frozen and that treats
like an ice pack on the waydown.
So that helps, one, keep ourfood cold and two, it preserves
(12:31):
it for whenever it is time tohave that.
You know, gluten-free chickencasserole on our vacation, and
the kids actually look forwardto that meal.
That's one of the thingsthey're like oh are we having
chicken casserole, mom, onvacation?
You know that's something theylook forward to.
So find a favorite meal likethat.
That might be maybe somethingthat's a little bit more effort
and you don't do it every day athome, but it travels well, like
(12:54):
this gluten-free chickencasserole.
You can find the recipe on ourwebsite, um, at the
glutenfreeengineercom, and findsome fun ways to also eat in.
Um, we will also.
We'll eat in dinner, but thenmaybe we go out for dessert and
find a you know a great icecream shop.
So mix it up and find some funways to have a great gluten-free
(13:15):
beach vacation.
We also have small coolers thatwe take with us.
We can take them to the actualbeach so that we're not running
back into the condo to get lunchor to have snacks.
We know we have safe things toeat when we're away from the
condo and out on the beach.
So think about how do younormally do your vacation?
(13:37):
How would you slightly adjustit to make it more convenient
and gluten-free and look at itas an opportunity and a fun way
to make your vacation much moreenjoyable?
And when you do go on vacation,we always want to make sure we
pack stuff for emergencies.
So we always bring digestiveenzymes and we will take them
before and after meal when we'reat a restaurant that has a
(13:59):
mixed kitchen.
Even though we might think thatthey're very careful, we do
that just in case.
You might want to bring sometummy soothing teas in case you
do get gluten.
You might want some painrelievers or anti-nausea
medicines in case you get gluten.
These are things that I like topack just in case.
Maybe some electrolyte packetsif that helps you recover from
(14:21):
being gluten, and you might wantto have some gluten-free snacks
, obviously for recovery, justin case.
But when I do the other thingsI talked about earlier in this
episode.
Usually we don't need theseemergency recovery type things,
but I always like to have themjust in case, because nobody
wants to run out to the store toget these things in an
(14:41):
emergency if somebody is feelingsick.
So always pack these with you.
Then you're always set in casesomething does come up.
So with a little planning,gluten-free beach trips or road
trips can be very enjoyablepotentially even more fun and
lower stress than it was beforeyour diagnosis of celiac or
(15:02):
before you found out you weregluten intolerant.
And you deserve a vacationwhere you don't have to stress
over every meal and it'sabsolutely doable.
And we have so much fun on ourtrips and I hope you do as well.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the gluten-free
engineer.
If you found value in thisstory, please share it with
(15:22):
someone who might needencouragement on their own
gluten-free journey.
For more tips, recipes,resources and even links to my
YouTube channel, head on over totheglutenfreeengineercom.
It's your one-stop hub to makegluten-free living simple, fun
and full of flavor.
And don't forget to subscribeso you never miss out on an
(15:43):
episode.
And we will see you next week.
The Gluten-Free Engineerpodcast is for informational and
entertainment purposes only.
The Gluten-Free Engineerpodcast is for informational and
entertainment purposes only.
I share my personal experiencesand stories about living with
celiac disease and navigating agluten-free lifestyle.
This podcast does not providemedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealthcare professional for
medical questions, concerns oradvice specific to your health.
Quick reminder before we get started on this
episode this podcast is based onmy personal experiences and
isn't medical advice.
Today I'm sharing one of ourfavorite family traditions and
that's beach vacations.
But if you're living thatgluten-free lifestyle, like we
are, you know vacations can comewith a whole new layer of
planning.
It's not just about sunscreen,flip-flops, packing the perfect
(00:23):
bathing suit.
It's about staying safe andmaking sure we don't get
glutened and still getting torelax and enjoy the trip and
enjoy some food adventures.
From what we pack in the cartto what kitchen items we bring
along to the condo, I'm going towalk you through exactly how we
prepare to make sure ourvacation is fun and stress-free.
So, whether you're heading tothe beach, the mountains or just
(00:46):
going away for the weekend,this episode is going to be
packed with tips to help you eatwell, feel great and avoid any
mid-trip gluten surprises.
So let's get into it.
Welcome to the Gluten-FreeEngineer Podcast.
I'm your host, Saunders.
In 2011, I was diagnosed withceliac disease, a moment that
changed everything, but I wasdetermined not to let it hold me
(01:09):
back.
With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer
the gluten-free lifestyle,breaking down recipes, safety
tips, travel hacks andeverything in between to rebuild
a life I love.
Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance or simply
choose to live gluten-free, thispodcast is for you.
Join me each week as wesimplify the gluten-free
(01:29):
lifestyle, make it fun and provethat you don't have to miss out
on anything.
Welcome back to the show.
Today we're talking about beinggluten-free on vacation,
particularly what we like to dofor our gluten-free Myrtle Beach
vacation that we do every year.
We love to go to Myrtle Beachevery year in the summer with
(01:50):
our kids.
My husband and I have beendoing this since when we were
dating, back in high school, Iwould go with his family on a
beach vacation and he had beendoing it since he was a little
kid and his dad since he was alittle kid.
So their family tradition is togo to Myrtle Beach pretty much
every single year.
So whenever we found out that Ihad celiac disease and then
(02:13):
later you know, not too longafter that, about a year or so
after that found out our oldesthad celiac, followed by a few
more years later and the othertwo having celiac our beach
vacations changed a lot.
We needed to make sure that wewere having fun, enjoying our
time there, but also being safe.
We didn't want to getaccidentally gluten.
(02:34):
Obviously, when you're onvacation, because you want to
have fun and feel good onvacation and you want to be able
to enjoy it.
And we're going to be talkingabout how do we plan ahead so
that we can relax and enjoy ourvacation, and we've applied this
to our even longer trips toOrlando, florida, to Universal
Studios or Disney.
That's probably.
(02:55):
That's about a 12 to 15 hourdrive from where we live,
depending upon what time of dayyou actually drive down there,
versus our beach vacation.
That's about an eight hourdrive.
It used to be 11 hours, butthey have a lot better roads now
.
So how do we do this?
First off, we plan ahead andthen, to make this simple, what
I encourage you to do is make alist of what you need and what
(03:17):
you're going to take with youand keep that list so that every
time you go on vacation, youcan look at your you know
trusted items that you alwayswant to bring, that you always
need to bring, and just adjustit for wherever you might be
going, in case it's a differentlocation.
But we started when the kidswere little, even before we had
celiac and knew that we well, weprobably had celiac.
But before we knew we hadceliac, we had that trusty list
(03:41):
of what to pack.
So we didn't forget theiressential toys sunscreen, you
know, toothbrush, toothpaste,all those things.
But then, as we found out thatwe were celiac, we started
adding on essential items likefood and kitchen items that
we're going to bring with us.
So having that list helpsreduce the stress of going on
(04:01):
subsequent vacations so that youare making sure you aren't
forgetting something.
So we want to make that list soit's not overwhelming.
It just helps you prepare a bitmore.
So one of the things that I loveto do is I love to, when we're
going on a road trip, shop athome.
I do this for a couple ofreasons.
(04:22):
One, I don't want to waste mytime on vacation shopping.
It just seems silly.
I want to enjoy my vacation.
Two, usually on those vacationtouristy places the groceries
are more expensive than at myhouse, so I'm saving a bit of
money.
And three, I don't know whethermy you know tried and true
(04:44):
gluten-free items are going tobe available in those stores.
So it kind of helps reduce thestress by, you know, preparing
and bringing those food itemsalong with us so that we don't
have to waste our time andpotentially money and maybe not
be able to find what we need.
So we always grocery shopbefore we go.
(05:05):
We have collected over the years, you know, several different
coolers and we even know thatthey'll make it all the way to
Florida a full day trip, 12 to15 hour drive trip.
So once you get experiencedoing this, you can do it, you
know, even easier next time.
So pack that cooler, bring thethings that you like.
For us we have specific eggsthat we love here locally, that
(05:28):
we get from a farmer thatdoesn't feed their chickens soy
or wheat, so we tolerate them alot better.
So we even bring eggs with usand they're more sturdy than you
think.
We will bring our favoritegrass-fed butter too.
Again, that way I don't have to, you know, shop and try to find
it at a store, and so a tip onthe butter is if you're
traveling, you know, say morethan four or five hours or so,
(05:52):
or even if it's a short trip,freeze it.
Freeze it before you go.
Butter is really great tofreeze and refreeze.
It really just tolerates that.
So freeze something like that.
You can also make sure thatyou're bringing your favorite
gluten-free granola bars.
We like to pack in our coolersour lunches, so we don't even
(06:13):
have to stop for lunch.
We just stop for bathroombreaks and gas and that's it.
So we don't even stop and goout to eat on the way.
We will pack lunch meats andgluten-free bread and usually
some fruit.
We'll pack beef jerky that'sgluten and soy-free.
We might pack some gluten-free,safe nuts for protein.
(06:36):
So we like to pack a decentamount of protein for the trip
down.
It's going to keep you fullerlonger and you're going to feel
more satisfied, and so we liketo, you know, lean towards that
more protein snack.
We do have, you know, thegluten-free bread and the
granola bars to help us out too.
And we do need a bit of carbsbecause you know, our bodies do
function on carbs as well.
(06:57):
So make sure you're packing agood variety that you know works
for your body.
My body personally needs moreprotein than most of the rest of
our family, so I know I need tohave those heavy protein snacks
with me.
We also will pack if we're goingto a condominium and we're
actually Marriott Vacation Clubowners, we will, you know.
(07:17):
So we travel to condominiums alot because it's, you know, just
built into our package and it'sa lot cheaper for us that way.
And we will take certainessential pans you know our
favorite egg frying pan, ourfavorite cutting board and knife
, so the things that you wouldworry about in a condominium
(07:38):
having cross contaminationpotentiality in the vessels.
So we'll bring things like that.
We even have a special toaster,just a cheap toaster that we
take with us so that we cantoast our bread safely and so
that we aren't using the toasterthat's in the condo.
Sometimes we bring our airfryer.
(07:59):
We're a little bit crazy.
We sometimes bring our airfryer because our kids love
gluten-free chicken strips andit's just an easy way to do it.
So we will sometimes bring ourair fryer too.
So we might go a little bitoverboard, I will admit that,
but it's the things that we like.
It's their comfort thing.
So look at what you use on adaily basis in your own kitchen
(08:20):
and see what makes the mostsense to take with me, what's
going to make it easier for me.
You also are going to want toconsider bringing like cooking
utensils, like spatulas orspoons, just in case the place
you're going to has wooden orplastic ones that can hide
gluten in it.
Now I do know that the MarriottVacation Club area that we go
(08:43):
to, they have, thankfully,stainless steel spoons so we
don't have to bring quite somany cooking utensils as far as
that goes, because those will.
They do tend to clean up verywell and don't have the cross
contact in there.
And we also love to bring, youknow, a packet of foil like
aluminum foil.
So if you get in a pinchaluminum foil is a great way to
(09:08):
aluminum foil.
So if you get in a pinchaluminum foil is a great way to
save you from that cross contact.
You can put it on, you know,the cooking vessel you might be
using on the stove or on a grillor in the oven or on a sheet
pan that they might have.
It's a great way to have anextra layer, a barrier for any
cross contact.
So we like to have a foil withus just in case we need to use
it to protect things.
Now, if you're going to a placeit's not that you're afraid
(09:31):
they may not have cleaned itwell, make sure you double wipe
down everything and make surethere's.
You know you're minimizing whatgluten might be left behind
there.
And then I like to resourcerestaurants ahead of time.
Now, when we're going to MyrtleBeach we've been there for
years, you know we obviouslywill double check.
The restaurant still has a goodreputation, so we already have
(09:52):
our favorites.
But when you're going someplacenew, I like to research
restaurants ahead of time.
We make a list of our top oneswe want to go to.
We'll use the Find Me GlutenFree app to double check.
You know recent reviews on howceliac safe they are and then
use that for our adventures.
When recently, when I wasresearching for this next
(10:14):
upcoming Myrtle Beach trip, Ifound this dedicated gluten-free
ice cream shop, so we are superexcited to try it.
They have pineapple ice creamand we all love pineapple, so
we're super excited to try that.
So doing that, doing thatplanning ahead, can get you even
more excited for your upcomingvacation.
So try to view it as not a tour, but as an exciting way to
(10:39):
explore new places that will besafe to eat.
So we also make sure that whenwe do go to the restaurants that
are not dedicated gluten-free,we want to make sure we tell the
server that we have a gluten.
Allergy is what we usually door celiac, if they tend to
understand that word, but I findgluten allergy tends to
resonate more with most serversand many times they will bring a
(11:02):
manager over to talk to us andmake sure that we are safe.
You can make sure you ask forhidden gluten potentials,
whether the fryer is shared,whether the cooktop is shared
with other gluten areas, whetherthey have a gluten-free prep
area or not, whether they willchange their gloves or not.
So ask your standard questionswhen you are going out to eat,
(11:24):
especially in mixed restaurants,and many times when we go on
these vacations we eat in a bitmore than we eat out anymore.
And honestly, one, it's morefun sometimes because we're all
sitting around the table in ourcondo and having a good time.
And two, we're saving money.
Now, another thing we do too ismy kids absolutely love my
(11:47):
gluten-free chicken casserole.
I've talked about this beforeon the podcast.
It's one of their favoritethings.
So what I will do a few daysbefore vacation is I'll make
somewhere between one and threeof them.
Sometimes my youngest convincesme to make him two and the rest
of the family one, but honestly, they all share all three.
But I will make them ahead oftime because when you're making
(12:09):
that recipe.
Making more than one is notmuch more effort than just
making one, and so we'll make itahead of time.
I'll put it in the freezer inour deep freezer, you know a day
or two before we leave, so itgets deep frozen and that treats
like an ice pack on the waydown.
So that helps, one, keep ourfood cold and two, it preserves
(12:31):
it for whenever it is time tohave that.
You know, gluten-free chickencasserole on our vacation, and
the kids actually look forwardto that meal.
That's one of the thingsthey're like oh are we having
chicken casserole, mom, onvacation?
You know that's something theylook forward to.
So find a favorite meal likethat.
That might be maybe somethingthat's a little bit more effort
and you don't do it every day athome, but it travels well, like
(12:54):
this gluten-free chickencasserole.
You can find the recipe on ourwebsite, um, at the
glutenfreeengineercom, and findsome fun ways to also eat in.
Um, we will also.
We'll eat in dinner, but thenmaybe we go out for dessert and
find a you know a great icecream shop.
So mix it up and find some funways to have a great gluten-free
(13:15):
beach vacation.
We also have small coolers thatwe take with us.
We can take them to the actualbeach so that we're not running
back into the condo to get lunchor to have snacks.
We know we have safe things toeat when we're away from the
condo and out on the beach.
So think about how do younormally do your vacation?
(13:37):
How would you slightly adjustit to make it more convenient
and gluten-free and look at itas an opportunity and a fun way
to make your vacation much moreenjoyable?
And when you do go on vacation,we always want to make sure we
pack stuff for emergencies.
So we always bring digestiveenzymes and we will take them
before and after meal when we'reat a restaurant that has a
(13:59):
mixed kitchen.
Even though we might think thatthey're very careful, we do
that just in case.
You might want to bring sometummy soothing teas in case you
do get gluten.
You might want some painrelievers or anti-nausea
medicines in case you get gluten.
These are things that I like topack just in case.
Maybe some electrolyte packetsif that helps you recover from
(14:21):
being gluten, and you might wantto have some gluten-free snacks
, obviously for recovery, justin case.
But when I do the other thingsI talked about earlier in this
episode.
Usually we don't need theseemergency recovery type things,
but I always like to have themjust in case, because nobody
wants to run out to the store toget these things in an
(14:41):
emergency if somebody is feelingsick.
So always pack these with you.
Then you're always set in casesomething does come up.
So with a little planning,gluten-free beach trips or road
trips can be very enjoyablepotentially even more fun and
lower stress than it was beforeyour diagnosis of celiac or
(15:02):
before you found out you weregluten intolerant.
And you deserve a vacationwhere you don't have to stress
over every meal and it'sabsolutely doable.
And we have so much fun on ourtrips and I hope you do as well.
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of the gluten-free
engineer.
If you found value in thisstory, please share it with
(15:22):
someone who might needencouragement on their own
gluten-free journey.
For more tips, recipes,resources and even links to my
YouTube channel, head on over totheglutenfreeengineercom.
It's your one-stop hub to makegluten-free living simple, fun
and full of flavor.
And don't forget to subscribeso you never miss out on an
(15:43):
episode.
And we will see you next week.
The Gluten-Free Engineerpodcast is for informational and
entertainment purposes only.
The Gluten-Free Engineerpodcast is for informational and
entertainment purposes only.
I share my personal experiencesand stories about living with
celiac disease and navigating agluten-free lifestyle.
This podcast does not providemedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealthcare professional for
medical questions, concerns oradvice specific to your health.
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