Drugs...no, not that kind!

Hi y'all,

Just a quick post about the nice Western Family group.... Usually people who know of the The Western Family brand, think of generic, modestly priced food items, such as canned beans, frozen juices or bags of rice. But today I'm talking about their over the counter medications.

The other day, I was in my local Cd'A Super 1 grocery store, (who has a fantastic Gluten Free section) looking for some childrens Tylenol when the Western Family brand, "comparable to Tylenol" caught my eye.

Why, you ask? Because on their packaging, it clearly states "Gluten Free"! I was shocked. A generic company who packages ALL KINDS of items, takes the time to print whether their OTC drugs were gluten free? Unheard of!

Major brands don't even do that! I randomly checked the other kinds of medications Western Family had on the shelves, and most of them stated "Gluten Free". But then I wondered, if the FDA has not put restrictions on what can be labeled "gluten free" and what can't yet, how do I know if I can trust this?

Well, thats a whole 'nother posting... BUT for now, I saw that not all their products were labeled gluten free, but were sporting the new label design.

Thanks Western Family for going that extra step. It makes my life a little bit easier, and I've had no reactions to any of the Western Family "gluten free" OTC's I've tried.

Have a great pain-allergy-sinus relief kind of day, everyone!

Gluten Free Red Robin

So, I don't know how the weather fares in your neck of the woods, but here in the panhandle of Northern Idaho, its kinda toasty. We be poor folk and don't have the fancy air conditioning, so we have fans staged strategically throughout our home near any open windows....

But its still hot. My thermometer read 85 degrees inside today. Ok, yes, I know thats not as bad as some temperatures in parts of the US and the world, but still, I did not want to heat up an already warm home by trying to cook dinner.

We're out of propane, so don't even mention the grill. And no, I'm not a campfire girl, so a bonfire won't work either. So whats a gluten free girl to do? Go to Red Robin of course.

I have long enjoyed the gluten free options available at my local Red Robin and am so partial to one server there, Jen, that I request her tables whenever I patronize this restaurant. I request her because she completely gets my gluten free needs, gets a basket of GF fries started before I even order, and makes sure nothing comes to my gaping maw thats been glutenized. In other words, if I weren't already happily situated in domestic bliss with my hubby, I'd marry the woman.

So its hot tonight, I didn't want to cook and we ended up at Red Robin for dinner. Lo and behold Jen was not there!!! To say the least, I was devastated! Now, I've eaten at the Red Robin in the past without the coddling of said server, Jen, and always I've been dissappointed. But like I said it was hot, and I wasn't going to drag my whining kidlettes back home. So I bit the bullet and hoped for the best.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised! Not only did my order come to me correctly, but I was given a gift from the Gods! The Red Robin seasoning was....GLUTEN FREE!!!! Yes, you heard me correctly, its salty goodness is gluten free! No longer did I have to order my extra crispy fries sans seasoning! It was like the heavens opened up just for me singing songs of joy as sprinkles of tasty herbs and spices showered down upon.... oh, wait, thats my kids misbehaving at the table again.

Anyways... I was thrilled to be able to order food like a normal person again. Thank you Red Robin for helping out us Celiacs to clog our arteries like all true Americans.