On the Road in Boulder, CO

Well, we 've been home now a couple of weeks but while it is still fresh in my mind I wanted to tell you about some of our eating experiences in Boulder and Denver. For us, it was a wonderful area to vacation with lots of dining options and at least one Whole Foods in Boulder to help with our picnics and breakfasts.

Some of our hiking days were very long and there was no time to prepare any dinner much less feel like going out after a long day on the trails. Whole Foods provided lots of options from their prepared deli to the salad bar and even just picking up raw salad material and delicious hummus for a simple meal.

On days when we had more time, we enjoyed a meal on the town. Our first restaurant meal was the day we flew in....we walked from where we were staying to a Vietnamese restaurant called Chez Thuy . There was not a specific gluten free menu but many dishes with no gluten ingredients. They have a very extensive vegetarian menu and will make any of those entrees vegan. There was enough food on each entree for at least two meals. We took our leftovers home and had them for dinner on one of our long trail days.

Another night we had dinner at Leaf vegetarian restaurant which I was excited about b/c I had seen the menu on line and they had some raw food choices that I was interested in trying. It is a funky atmosphere and we were a family of four without funky clothes.....so we were seated in a dark corner away from anyone in the street passing by to look in. The food was good, a variety of options for vegetarians, vegans, raw foodists, etc. but a bit overpriced I thought. I ate the raw food special which was a raw zucchini pasta with a cashew Alfredo sauce....tasty.

We did a little overnight to the Manitou Springs area south of Denver and ate in a Greek restaurant called Jake and Telly's. We were excited that they had some felafel sandwiches on gluten free bread and then after we were seated learned that those were only lunch items. They did not seem very comfortable with answering the typical gluten free dairy free questions about menu items but the food was good.

In Denver we had a WONDERFUL time at City O' City, a vegetarian restaurant right next to the  WaterCourse Foods Bakery, specializing in gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free desserts.You can create your own pizza with your choice of crust, toppings including a non-GF vegan cheese and a gluten free raw cashew cheddar, lots of vegetables, and tempeh bacon, veg pepperoni etc. Some of these toppings are not GF but there were plenty of toppings that worked. The crust was homemade and delicious!!! It was a very exciting meal to be able to get pizza with a gluten free crust AND vegan cheese.  YUM. And then to top it off Chris got a gluten free cookie sold in the restaurant but baked next door at WaterCourse. They called it Scout and it tasted a lot like those Girl Scout cookies called Samoa. A total treat.

Ok. Then back to Boulder. A lovely meal at Sunflower with some friends we were meeting. Something there for everyone!! Menu items are listed with a GF for gluten free and V for vegan. Makes ordering so easy. My children and I enjoyed the Bamboo Steamer which came with an array of steamed veggies and your choice of brown rice or noodles, and an optional protein of tofu, tempeh or seitan. A delicious change when you've been eating out so much; very nice to be able to get a simple meal of veggies and rice.

We also "discovered" the Mediterranean Deli (also known as Caspian Deli and Grocery) which makes delicious hummus and felafel (no wheat). Eat in or take out. Located at 2607 Pearl St., Boulder, CO.

Lastly, I should mention the Boulder Farmer's Market, Wed. and Sat., which had many gluten free businesses including 2 Moms in the Raw, and some gluten free breads and fresh pastas.  Udi's Bakery offers a white and a multi-grain  gluten free bread that is delicious if not expensive (name a gluten free food that is NOT expensive), very much like real sandwich bread. The bakery is located in Denver and has a booth at the farmer's market and is also selling in Whole Foods.

We breakfasted once at Walnut Cafe in Boulder. No gluten free menu but certainly some GF options and they did know what we were talking about. Plenty of vegan options as well. Delicious food, and plenty of it.

I've been talking about food but I would also like to mention the FIT people we saw out there. Hardly a woman with jiggly arms!! Not surprising with the great dry weather and plenty of nearby opportunities for activities like rock climbing, strenuous hiking, bike lanes all over Boulder, etc. Rocky Mountain National Park is about a 1 hour drive from Boulder, easy enough to be able to get in a very long day hike. Would love to see it in winter!!!