Enjoying a little baseball

Spring time is not always just about the warmer weather or flowers blooming in our household; it's about the sound of the bats cracking, the sliding in the dirt, the crowds cheering, the talk of baseball on ESPN, and of course opening week at The Ballpark in Arlington because lets face it......baseball season is upon us in the spring time!  My husband and I share a great passion for baseball, especially our Texas Rangers.  All meals, family gatherings, outings, dates and even work around the house is scheduled around their games.  If we are not at the ballpark watching it live then we are at home watching it on TV at home.  

With us living close to the home of the Texas Rangers we spend a lot of time at the games and well, going to the game all the time is great until you start going to the concession stands.  I used to love going and getting my oh so yummy Super Nachos with all the fixings on them or even enjoying a few Dollar Dogs on Wednesday nights but when you have an issue with Gluten you find that your choices are very limited and can get a little pricey.  

Most major league ballparks will allow you to bring in a soft sided cooler filled with food, bottled drinks (sorry nonalcoholic only!) and even your own peanuts.  Our ballpark is one of the ones that not only allows all of that but they also have a section that is Gluten Free and only Gluten Free products.....that's pretty awesome if you ask me!  After finding out that I can no longer have Gluten I found myself depressed until I realized that I could still join in on the fun at the ballpark but it's going to cost me a few pennies.  A GF hotdog at the ballpark is $7.00 where a regular jumbo dog is $4.00.  That's a $3.00 price difference for a hot dog!!  Talk about giving me a heart attack!!  My husband being the supportive one that he is always tells me that it's ok, it's what I have to eat so just get it.....but I refuse to pay that much for a hotdog when I can easily make one myself and bring it into the ballpark.  

With all that said, I have a sample of items I take with me to all the baseball games.  Let me just say that I get some pretty crazy looks sometimes when opening my bag of yummies but when I explain the situation they are all amazed at my creativity.  


Break down of what goes in my GF bag for baseball games:

1 Hotdog made with a GF bun and GF frank.  It is all cooked before hand and wrapped in foil to stay warm.  When ready to eat at the ballpark (I would do it during the first two innings) just head out to the nearest condiment stand and load it up with your favorites.  No need to bring the mustard bottle with you!

1 bag of fruit.  It was strawberries and grapes on Saturday but you can do any of your favorite fruits.  

1 bag of vegetables.  Sliced cucumbers, baby carrots and cherry tomatoes are some of my favorites and I do not need to take dipping sauce for them.  If you do they sell individual servings of ranch dressing at your local grocery store

1 bag of peanuts because no baseball game is complete without peanuts!



I also take in my own bottled water and cokes for us.  This cuts down on the cost of going because I can go to the store and buy cases or water and cokes for a fraction of the costs at the ballpark. Be sure to pack your snacks and drinks in a soft sided cooler and put in some of the reusable icepacks to keep them all cool for you.  If taking a hotdog put it in your purse because no one wants to eat a cold hotdog!!

I hope that this helps any of you that may be challenged at how to handle your GF needs at a baseball game because I know first hand how depressing it can be when the hotdog man is yelling at me to buy one and I can't have it.  We all know that it is rough being Gluten Free so we have to find ways to cope with it, I found mine at the ballpark so I hope I can help you find yours.  If you have anymore suggestions or other items I can take please share them with me!  I'm always looking for new snacks to take with me to the games.  

Happy Spring and Baseball season to all my GF friends!