I made it to my final destination of Comox British Columbia where my daughter was joining her boyfriend who had been stationed there earlier this year. A very long trip but they organized for an apartment and everything went very smoothly.

While staying in a hotel before they got their keys, we went out for breakfast to Smitty’s (the GF dedicated restaurant in town was too busy to take us which is great for them!) I spoke to the server at Smitty’s about gluten free and she was very knowledgeable. I try to order relatively simply when they don’t say anything on the menu, but have the knowledge. I had eggs over easy, bacon and potato shreds which were all done on the flattop away from any pancakes. I had a very satisfying and filling breakfast!

We were finally able to grocery shop and cook for ourselves which made meals easier in the apartment, but there were still restaurants I wanted to try. We had dinner at a dedicated gluten free restaurant called Off the Hook. Crab cakes are something delicate that I love, but usually can’t have, but at this restaurant I could have them and they were terrific! I also had the fish and chips, which were some of the best. I’m so spoiled!

My daughter saw a gluten free bakery just outside of Comox on the highway, which she thought I’d be interested in. It was not what I expected – from a storefront perspective – but the food I bought was amazing. They had and extensive line of bread and cookies and tarts and buns all gluten free and also with keto and dairy free in mind. I need to discuss this bakery more with Ellen.

My last restaurant stop was at Taco Bandido in Courtney. Most things on the menu could be made gluten free and I was happy when the server said the chef would clean off a portion of the cook top to ensure no gluten came into contact with my tacos. I had the Beef Birria tacos once again to compare them the ones I had in Thunder Bay. Both were great, but these ones were so rich (yummy) that I could only eat half of the order and brought the rest back to the apartment with me.

I’m flying home tomorrow but will be recapping my trip with Ellen on a podcast in the next couple of weeks. If you have any questions for me please email them to acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com.

I’ve loaded some pictures on my blog.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram - @suesgfbaking

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

We spent the next night in Kamloops, and I was lucky enough to have pizza left from lunch, so that filled the spot for dinner. In the morning, we headed towards the ferry terminal south of Vancouver for the ferry to Victoria at 3pm. I wanted to get to the ferry early, which was a good thing as we met so much traffic leaving for the mountains for the long holiday weekend. I decided to get another taco salad from Wendy’s and enjoyed eating it while in the line for the ferry.

We arrived on Vancouver Island and drove to our hotel in downtown Victoria. I decided on an Indian restaurant a few blocks away called Sizzling Tandoor reported to have lots of gluten free options. They did, and I thoroughly enjoyed butter chicken, rice and poppadums which are thin chips usually made from lentil flour that are a great substitute for bread if they are made gluten free.

I have been looking forward to the next morning for so long. It was my opportunity to finally meet Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com whom I have been friends with for years but never met. Ellen made reservations for us to have brunch at one of her favourite restaurants – Six Mile Pub. We sat in the cozy gazebo on the patio, met with the chef and had the best gluten free meal I can remember. We asked the chef for three different dishes, and we were treated to creative steak & eggs, poached eggs and pancakes. Although they sound simple, these dishes were works of art and I savoured every bite. There’s nothing better than sharing an amazing meal with a good friend. Ellen and I could have talked for hours, but Trish and I had to be on our way heading for our final destination of Comox.

Ellen suggested we stop at the town of Ladysmith along the way to visit The Wild Poppy, a gluten free bakery. What a treat – I bought a massive blueberry scone, date square and butter tart. I’m so spoiled.

After arriving in Comox, Trish’s boyfriend met us, and we decided to try a burger place Ellen has raved about. The Big Wheel is worth the hype – no flax in the GF hamburger bun and a separate fryer – Perfect!

We’ve settled in here for a few days until I fly back to Ontario. Now I can try the gluten free options in Comox – more treats to come!

I’ve loaded some pictures on my blog.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram - @suesgfbaking

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

We left Regina on a nice sunny day and headed west. We stopped at Wendy’s (again) for lunch, but this time I had the taco salad – without the corn chips as apparently, they aren’t safe. You get a nice salad, a good portion of chili and some salsa. I poured the chili on the salad and thoroughly enjoyed my lunch in the car.

Cinde Little, the Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet was very kind to invite us for dinner at her home in Calgary that evening. She made a menu card especially for us. All the recipes came from her blog everydayglutenfreegourmet and they were delicious! Cinde even served edible flowers from her garden with the dessert and sent me home with a goodie bag!

Here’s the menu links –

Adobo Chicken
Southwestern Quinoa Salad
with Chipotle Mayo
Steamed Green Beans

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream with edible flowers
Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies

We were actually staying in Airdrie, north of Calgary. We left from there to travel west through the mountains on our way to Kamloops for our next hotel stay. We looked ahead to find a restaurant that might suit as we are travelling with our small dog. We decided on The Turning Point in Golden BC. What a great find – they even had a doggie patio! They had two kinds of gluten free pizza – one had flax, so I was thankful there was another choice of a cauliflower crust pizza. Their pepperoni wasn’t gluten free so I opted for a ham and pineapple with onions and green peppers – Wow, it was amazing and I had enough to bring along with us to heat up later for dinner. Tomorrow we take the ferry to Victoria.

I’ve loaded some pictures on my blog.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram - @suesgfbaking

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com