Things Drew Ate

I've mentioned before that Drew recently had some blood work done revealing some significant food intolerances.  Among these are gluten and dairy.  I was very wary about our trip to Europe and whether or not we would manage to actually get him fed. 

Surprisingly, it wasn't as difficult as I'd expected.  We did spend a good amount of time looking for our next place to eat, but I think that's pretty typical during trips.  At least it is on trips with me... I spend a lot of time thinking about food.

Here are 10 things Drew ate during our Adventures in Europe.

London was a good place to start.  Not only could we speak the language and easily read menus, but they have really jumped on board with the gluten-free movement and a lot of places label their menu items as "gluten-free", "dairy-free", or "vegetarian".

1.  Kalamari & Chicken Wings at The Real Greek. 

We stumbled upon this restaurant and as soon as we saw that it labeled it's menu items, we were in.  Plus you know I've never been one to pass up hummus.

It's all Greek to me.

2.  Gluten-free "lunch box" at Leon.

Leon is a chain in London that also labels their menu items and has lots of gluten-free options.  The English love their "take-away" meals and anything labeled as a "superfood".  Leon has jumped on this bandwagon by offering lunch boxes and boxed superfood salads.  We stopped here for lunch and Drew enjoyed a lunch box... I can't really remember which one. 

Boxed Lunch.

3.  Gluten-Free Pizza at Pizza Express.

Pizza Express is another chain found all over London.  They offer an entire line of gluten-free pizzas.  This picture is actually of my delicious gluten-full pizza smothered in cheese.  Drew's pizza is in the background.  He said it was delicious.

Pizza & Wine!

 

4.  Paella de Marisco at the Borough Market.

 

I was so pleased that Drew tried the Paella.  Paella is one of my faves, but is usually made with some sort of animal; in this case seafood.  So he ate up the little sea-critters while I watched.  Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of gluten-free options at the Market.

 

Big Bite!

 

5.  Roast Chicken from Mark & Spencer... eaten in our hotel lobby.

 

Occasionally we would do grocery store meals or snacks while traveling.  Again, the English love their take-away so there were always lots of fresh to-go options at the stores.  I thought it was hilarious when Drew bought a couple of roasted chicken legs on our last night in London.  We ate our feast (I had the best egg-salad sandwich of my life) in the lobby of our hotel.

 

Chicken.  Legs.

6.  Chicken Kabobs & French Fries at some hotel.

Switzerland posed more of a problem as their menus are in German and their diet seems to revolve around cheese & bread.  I was clearly happy.  Most restaurants did offer some sort of roasted chicken served with a side of fries.  Not the most exciting meal, but it did the trick.

Chicken & Waffles french fries.

 

7.  Fitnesstellar in Murren, Switzerland.

 

Something else the Swiss are fond of is what translates to a "fitness plate".  Drew ordered one while we were hiking one day and stopped in a town to eat.  The plate consisted of white rice, salad, and chicken.  Unfortunately the chicken was also smothered in butter.  So Drew spent some time wiping butter off.  I was also busy... eating an entire order of fondue by myself. 

 

For your fitness!

 

 

8.  Salad at Cafe du Marche.

 

Paris presented another challenge because we were confronted with yet another new language to translate.  Luckily most of the cafes had English versions of their menu.  Drew ordered a lovely salad topped with veggies and ham & turkey.

Delicious.

 

9.  Chicken & Fries in Paris.

 

In Paris, it's the law that every restaurant and cafe must post their menu outside.  This came in handy when choosing restaurants.  We could check the menu for Drew-approved meals before walking in.  And seriously, almost every restaurant offered roasted chicken and french fries.  It was a staple in his Europe-diet.

 

More chicken.  More fries.

10.  Fish & Greens at another Cafe.

Drew became a tiny bit adventurous on our trip and ordered grilled fish a couple of times while we were out.  This was a bruschetta-topped white fish with a side of greens.  I told him it was important to squeeze the lemon over the top.  I'm very wise.

Fishy.

So, we discovered that it is very possible, and not too difficult to eat a restricted diet while vacationing in a different country.  I'm not going to lie though... it would have been fun to have someone share in the carb-frenzy and cheese parade I took part in.  But I'm just glad he didn't starve.