We were blessed with an amazing opportunity to vacation with some friends in the Outer Banks. I absolutely love this area! I also happened to have a family friendly beach trip on my vision board for this summer. It's amazing what the universe and great friends generate when we focus our minds on the right energy level. The meals were all done family style with each family taking turns to cook for the crew, taking into account multiple food allergies, intolerances, and preferences. This was a huge blessing and also a great experience to learn how to accommodate for multiple challenges.
During the time on the island, I also wanted to do a little exploring and see what the options were. I used to cover the Outer Banks as part of my territory back in the pharmaceutical sales days, but I never had much of a chance to check out the options and I didn't cover the part of the island where we stayed, so I decided to utilize my Find Me Gluten Free app. The first place I stopped was one that grabbed my attention because of how bright the building was, Muffins and Scones, located in Avon, NC.
They have done an amazing job with marketing to grab customers' attention and provide many options in general. They also recently celebrated their 1 year anniversary. I was thrilled to find out there were options, even this far out off the main land. Unfortunately, my timing for going in was pretty bad. It was shortly before closing and the person working the counter was new. (I believe it might hav been her first day.) She wasn't yet aware of the gluten free options and was confused. She asked another employee from the back to come help address questions. Their gluten free selection varies from day to day. I chose the options they had available the day I went in: peanut butter cookie, chocolate chip cookie, and a macaron.
My daughter and I have different preference when it comes to cookies. I prefer the softer ones and she prefers the crunchy cookies. She was a huge fan of the peanut butter cookie. The chocolate chip cookie, we both thought was ok. There are many versions of gluten free chocolate chip cookies in grocery stores and I bake some regularly, so we're both kind of picky. I also was slightly disappointed that the cookies are approximately the same size as the macaron. Macarons are something we have been incredibly spoiled by with a local bakery that offers a wide variety of options, flavored using essential oils, near us. I know that this one has coconut creme filling, but I couldn't identify the flavor of it. I thought it was good, but just not very flavorful. I think it's fantastic that this secluded section of the Outer Banks now offers some gluten free options! I think that with time and experience, they will likely improve on their options.
One of our trip highlights was seeing the wild horses of the Outer Banks. We had a fantastic experience with Corolla Wild Horse Tours . We're trying to remember our guide's name, but one thing we noticed is how well they all worked together to help ensure the tourists had the best experience, even with different companies. I posted the best picture that I captured at the top of this post. When we got back from our awesome 2 hour tour, we were incredibly hungry and it was an almost 2 hour drive back to the beach house. I pulled up my Find Me Gluten Free app and was thrilled to discover that Pasquale's Pizza right next door to the horse tour was listed as a gluten free option. I asked the staff they understood proper precautions with gluten free pizza. The guy in charge, whom I believe was the owner, assured me with a wave of a special pizza pan they would use.
We ordered a plain cheese pizza and a Hawaiian style pizza, both gluten free. Both pizzas were really good and the three of us enjoyed them thoroughly. We chose this restaurant based off of finding it listed with a 5 star rating on the Find Me Gluten Free app and what appeared to be an understanding of gluten free needs. It was afterwards that I questioned my own protocol and whether or not I asked enough questions. Did they change gloves, use fresh tools, sauce, and toppings? Those are all questions that I wondered a week later. We all felt fine after eating there. Only two out of three of us have to avoid gluten. My guy is very accommodating and goes along with it to make it easier.
Approximately a week after returning from the Outer Banks, I noticed one of my worst DH reactions I have had in quite some time. This is when I realized that I probably had not done my due diligence in asking enough of the right questions. Yes, there were there a couple of items in the family cooking that we couldn't guarantee were gluten free. I was tired and hungry after the horse tour. They allow coolers, but not glass, but with the off road tour, the practicality of snacking and not wearing your food or drink, is a bit challenging. I didn't do my due diligence because I made assumptions that I know better than to make. I also got off of my normal routine for eating. I know this is common for most people on vacation, but I usually still have my two protein shakes a day and other items from my online nutrition company to keep my inflammation down, as I know travel can always have some increase potential for issues. This served as a reminder to me that even on vacation, I can enjoy the indulgences, but I must also do the best thing for my body to keep it on track and eat the nutrition that has made traveling the last 4 years so much easier.
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