Haley VS Restaurants

Can I make things homemade that are better than restaurants and gluten free?

I don't know about you, but I have always loved going out to eat at restaurants. The atmosphere, the smells, and ultimately the food.

But since becoming gluten free, it has been a lot harder for me to enjoy my experience. I mean, who doesn't want to eat the breadsticks that they offer at Olive Garden!?

So, besides learning how to figure out what is and isn't gluten free at restaurants, I have also been trying to recreate recipes at home.

Now the question is, who does it better; Haley or the Restaurants?

Olive Garden

Like I said earlier, who doesn't want to eat all of Olive Garden's breadsticks? Cause I definitely do.

But in all reality, Olive Garden has a lot of fantastic meals that I have really missed being able to eat.

This was my go to "fancy restaurant" growing up and as soon as I was diagnosed with celiac, it seemed like all my options went out the window. Thankfully, Olive Garden has some gluten free options, but if we're being honest they're just not the same.

So, what do you do when you really want some Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno from Olive Garden but they don't offer it? You make it yourself!

So here is what the ziti looks like from Olive Garden. Looks delicious right?

Here is how mine turned out. Looks pretty similar if I do say so myself!

Not only was it delicious, but because of how many servings you get out of making it yourself, it actually turns out to be cheaper than it would from Olive Garden too!

Red Robin

The next restaurant on my radar was Red Robin. I absolutely love Red Robin. Not only are their entrees delicious, but they get me every time with their fries.

So when I found out the replaced their gluten free Whiskey River Barbecue Chicken Wrap with a non gluten free option, I was devastated.

Not only was I upset, but I was sitting there awkwardly at my table with a wrap I couldn't eat and I had to reorder. #Awkward

But anyways, that's beside the point.

This is a picture of the wrap I wanted to recreate. It was a spinach wrap with chicken, lettuce, cheese, tortilla strips, ranch, and whiskey river bbq sauce.

Here is how mine turned out! Not only was it absolutely delicious, but it was pretty easy to make!

Now I may not be able to wrap it up and make it look as pretty as Red Robin does, but it doesn't affect how great it is.

Panda Express

The last restaurant that I wanted to try and compete with was, of course, Panda Express.

Anytime I have ever walked in or by Panda Express, the smell draws me in so effortlessly. The chow mien, orange chicken, egg rolls, pretty much every single thing they have in their case.

But, sadly absolutely everything at Panda Express has gluten in it. Everything. Maybe even the water from proximity (I'm just kidding of course lol).

One thing I have craved from there is the orange chicken.

When I see this picture, or anyone eating it really, I instantly crave it. So finally after years of not having it, I learned how to make it myself.

Using a fry daddy, I was able to make some orange chicken that was pretty dang delicious. It may not always look as pretty as Panda Express, but taste is what really matters!

Taste Comparison

When it comes to trying to find meals that taste either similar or identical to their glutenous twin, it's pretty hard. They usually just don't taste the same. So that was one of my goals: to make it taste as authentic as possible.

Not only do I test my recipes, but I also have my friends and family taste it as well.

So, how do they all match up taste wise you might ask? Well let me tell you.

Olive Garden

When it came down to taste, my ziti tasted pretty much identical to what Olive Garden serves.

It had the right amount of crispy-ness on top, great balance in the mix of Alfredo and Marinara sauce, and what made it even better is I could have as many servings as I wanted!

Red Robin

Red Robin may have their signature sauce, but I made a great copy cat recipe of their whiskey river bbq sauce that has slightly more of a kick, but it pretty spot on.

On top of that and everything else in the wrap, I'd say it tastes even better than what you can get at the restaurant! Plus, you can put as much of every topping as you want!

Panda Express

Panda Express has my heart, but when I tell you that the homemade almost tastes better, I'm being 100% honest.

I think the only thing that would make it better would be to double fry the chicken so that it's crispier, but the taste was spot on.

Price Comparison

Price was a big factor when it came down to deciding which option is better. Cause why would you want to pay more to make it at home if you can buy it cheap when you go out (besides the obvious point of you can make it gluten free)?

So, I took notes of how much money I spent on all my ingredients, what the total cost was, and then divided it by the serving size to see how the true costs compare.

Here are the results!

Olive Garden

The total cost for the ziti when you are buying it from Olive Garden is $17.94 for a single dinner portion.

When I added up the cost for all of my ingredients, my bill came out to $23.72. So, the upfront cost is definitely higher, but the serving size helps a lot. The recipe makes 8 servings, so when you divide the cost by servings, each one comes out to about $2.96.

Less than $3 for a great Olive Garden meal! That was a win for me.

Red Robin

For a normal wrap at Red Robin, the total cost is $13.99.

When I added up the cost for all of my ingredients, my bill came out to $20.18. Just like with Olive Garden, the initial cost is definitely a lot more, but when I divide it between serving sizes it changes the game.

The cost per serving is only $5.05, another win!

Panda Express

At Panda Express, the homemade cost definitely made me a little nervous at first when compared to the store price. A bowl with a single entree is $7.90 at Panda Express with one side.

When I bought all the ingredients, my bill came out to $24.63. This one is a lot more expensive at the beginning. But when I divide it with serving sizes, it comes out to $3.10 per serving.

Pretty much a $3 meal again, triple win!

And the Winner is.....

When you compare all the costs and benefits I came to the conclusion that....

HALEY WINS!!!

Sorry restaurants, you may be good, but homemade is just a little better.

Do you have any great copycat recipes that you've made gluten free? Message me the recipe and I'll give it a try!