Traveling with Food Allergies and Italian Sausage and Peppers

I just started a new job and am training in Maryland this week. The interview process took place in the matter of days and in a blink I was off to O’Hare. I didn’t give much thought to what I would eat while I was gone, and WOW, it’s not easy to travel with food allergies without a plan ….office lunches brought in, breakfast at the hotel, you know the kind, waffles, toast, bagels, although they had cereal I could eat, no rice milk, top it off with dinners at the guy’s favorite sports bar. Eating with allergies has been difficult to say the least.

With that in mind, I had to think of a way to work around this… So below are some ideas I put together to ease your travels.

• Bring food from home – you have already done the homework on what is safe, just bring it with you.


• When you get settled, find out where the closest grocery store is and stock up on snacks and dinners safe for you to eat. You might want to bring a can opener and silverware from home in case you can find some of Amy’s soups or allergen free frozen dinners.


• Download our restaurant safety sheet to bring into restaurants. Ask the server to have it follow your order thru the kitchen. It explains your allergies and gives protocol to avoid any cross-contamination issues.


• If you have time to prepare, a little internet research goes a long way, find out where the best allergen free stores and restaurants can be found.


• See if your company can put you in a hotel that has a mini kitchen and cook your own meals, it saves money and you will know exactly what you are eating. I am staying at the Staybridge Suites and they have a cute little kitchen complete with dishes, pots and pans and even a dishwasher to save you time on the clean-up.

It takes a little effort, but you can eat just as well on the road.

On to the eats

Pre-allergens I used to love the Italian sausage at Portillos. Topped with sweet peppers and onions – oh so good. When I went shopping at Costco I came across Premio Italian Sausage which are naturally gluten free. Actually, most of their products are gluten free. So I took them home and started cooking, this is a very simple recipe. If you wanted a great roll to put it in, try Deerfield Bakeries . You can buy Deerfield Bakery products at select Whole Food Market stores (call in advance to make sure they carry) or on Deerfield’s website. Enjoy!
Italian Sausage with Sweet Peppers



1lb Italian Sausage links
2 green bell peppers (seeded and sliced)
1 medium onion (sliced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon oregano
2 cups beef stock


Brown sausage thoroughly on all sides.
Add onions and peppers and sauté 5-10 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer about an hour.
Serve on your favorite Allergen free rolls.