gluten-free road trip
There was excitement in the crisp fall air. We were off to Canada’s Gluten Free Market…in a Zipcar! (My car was in the shop and I’ve always wanted to drive a VW Beetle.)
Being new to the “Zipsterhood,” I wasn’t sure how this car sharing would all play out, but becoming a member and picking up the car was a piece of (gluten-free) cake! Literally, you can be sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle in 4 simple steps:
1) Join Zipcar.
2) Reserve a car.
3) Unlock the door (with your Zipcar card).
4) Drive!
You can drive by the hour or the day, with gas, insurance and up to 200 km a day included. Best of all, there was a Zipcar location two blocks away from our house. Off we went on a gluten-free shopping spree to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington!
I pretty much could be the biggest fan of Organic Works Bakery’s Quinoa & Honey Bread. OWB owner Peter Cuddy knows it, but today he couldn’t wait for us to taste his new Buckwheat, Chickpea & Flax Bread. He kindly gave us a loaf to take home and I’ve been enjoying it for breakfast all week long. Note to self: Pick up some more at Gluten Free Garage!
After three samples of Antipastos Kitchen’s lasagna, my younger daughter (who does not have celiac disease) declared: “This is the best pasta ever!” Now that’s a nod of approval! I’m sure she’ll be back at the Antipastos table at Gluten Free Garage for more.
Our best new gluten-free find! Blossom Bakery’s artisanal veggie flatbread pizza—so flavourful, an amazing crust, lovely combinations of toppings. We went home with two savoury pies, which were devoured upon arrival. Wait til you taste these pizzas at Gluten Free Garage!
Girls in the back seat, groceries in the trunk, here we go! Off to the vegan and gluten-free Lettuce Love Cafe and sister bakery Kelly’s XO Bake Shoppe in town.
By this time the girls were calling the Zipcar “our” car (while making quotation marks in the air).
Lettuce Love Cafe on a Sunday afternoon in Burlington is THE place to be! After much deliberation, I ordered the Goddess Bowl (dreaming of it now), hubby had the BLAT sandwich (“bacon”, lettuce, avocado and tomato) and the girls had grilled cheese sandwiches with avocado (made on none other than Organic Works Bakery bread!). Never been to Lettuce Love? At Gluten Free Garage, you’ll have the chance to get a taste of what they do and you’ll see it’s well worth the drive to Burlington! You’ll also get to meet Kelly Childs and Erinn Weatherbie, the inspiring mother/daughter duo behind Lettuce Love and Kelly’s XO Bake Shoppe.
A trip to Burlington without a stop at Kelly’s XO Bake Shoppe is like a trip to the CNE without going on a ride. It is a MUST. Here are just a few reasons why:
The chocolate dip donut. We love us some gluten-free donuts and these babies are the real deal. (Fellow donut junkies take note: The bakery offers them Friday to Sunday only.)
The award-winning Dulce de Leche cupcake.
The Mile High Brownie. ‘Nuff said. No, wait, it should be said that the baked goods at Kelly’s do not contain any gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, lard, casein or artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Say what?!
After a long day with loads of tummy love, gluten-free big sister crashed on top of her little sis on the way home in “our” car. The End.
Zipcar, Organic Works Bakery, Lettuce Love Cafe and Kelly’s XO Bake Shoppe are all sponsors of #GFG2014!
SPECIAL ZIPCAR OFFER FOR GFG PEEPS: Click here to sign up and save on your Zipcar membership!
6 Responses
That time we drove a Beetle from @ZipcarToronto to Burlington @GlutenFreeMrkt @LettuceLoveCafe @KellysBake http://t.co/h22ipgXAdM #roadtrip
#Glutenfree road trippin’ for a whole lotta tummy love! http://t.co/h22ipgXAdM @LettuceLoveCafe @KellysBake @OWBakery @ZipcarToronto
We went on a #glutenfree road trip and here’s what we ate http://t.co/h22ipgXAdM @LettuceLoveCafe @KellysBake @OWBakery @AntipastosGFree
RT @AntipastosGFree: When a child says its the best pasta ever you know its great! MT”@Glu10FreeGarage: We went on a #glutenfree roadtrip h…
That’s Amazing!! Looks like you had a Successful trip to Burlington for the Gluten-Free Expo and Lunch at Lettuce Love Cafe, with a trip to Kelly’s Bake Shoppe for dessert! Thanks for writing about us we <3 You!! See you on Sunday! – Michael and the Lettuce Love Cafe team!
We are soooo looking forward to meeting you and your crew on Sunday!