Gluten Free Oklahoma - Tulsa & Broken Arrow
For the second leg of our anniversary trip, Jason and I hopped on our first flight since covid hit and flew into Tulsa, Oklahoma. We were excited to see this part of the country as we had heard many good things about the state of Oklahoma. This trip wasn’t one that was on our radar when we planned our Orlando trip, but God made it very clear to us that we were to go to Oklahoma - and when He places something on our hearts, we listen. This trip is such a huge testimony to what God is doing in and through our family, but we aren’t sharing the specific details just yet.
God will make it abundantly clear when it’s time to let the world in, but for now - I’ll share with you guys the places we discovered on our adventures, the friends we connected with, and share the gluten free goodies that you all have come to know and expect from me when I land in a new city! Now, bare in mind, we had a reason for traveling to Oklahoma… I wouldn’t add this place to your must see bucket list, but if you find yourself passing through, this blog is for you!
It’s worth taking a moment to note that we drove around a good chunk of Oklahoma and hands down the best little town for Gluten Free eating is the main strip in Broken Arrow, OK.
For those who are new here, I make it my mission to enjoy as many delicious gluten free foods and treats whenever we travel! So here’s the Oklahoma run down!
Southern Grounds at Jacksonville Airport
Had to throw this one in… For those who are local to Jax, or flying in from somewhere else - our local coffee shop that I lead our mom group out of at the beach has a location in the airport and it’s delicious! We arrive just in time to load our plane or I would have ordered food - but I did end up grabbing a gluten free muffin while Jason grabbed a coffee for our flight. Some of my favorite Southern Grounds dishes are:
Breakfast sandwich on GF bread with ham, add an avocado.
Grass Fed Brunch Burger - no bun & fries on the side.
Baja ancient grains bowl with grilled chicken
Grits bowl
It’s worth noting that the airport does not have gluten free bread - which is a bummer! On the way home we ended up stopping there and I grabbed an ancient grain bowl with grilled chicken.
When we arrived in Tulsa, our first stop was to find something sweet to munch on. As I was looking in to all of the gluten free options at the airport we noticed an abundance of pizza, donuts and coffee shops. We landed on Big Baby Rolls and Donuts as it was only a couple of miles from the airport in downtown Tulsa. Their logo is a chunky baby eating donuts - we appreciated their honest approach to marketing! When we walked up to the counter, I asked the gentlemen who was serving us what gluten free options were available and he so kindly showed me. Apparently the owner has a gluten intolerance and is mindful about having delicious flavors available regardless of gluten. I appreciated that! Every single donut & goodie that was on a green tray was 100% gluten free! They had donuts, cinnamon rolls, breakfast items and more.
I ended up trying 3 donuts and a cinnamon roll and while I can’t toot their horn for the cinnamon roll (because mine is fluffier and way too good) - I can toot their horn for their fluffy donuts! My goodness they were such a great consistency! I may be just so programmed to expecting GF donuts to be dense when I’m out and about - these were such a pleasant surprise. I will note that the building felt like a hole in the wall place, but the service was amazing and everyone was so kind!
3. Bramble
Jason spotted this cute little brunch spot when we were exploring the town of Broken Arrow, just off the main strip. The building reminded Jason of an old church building with a modern twist and we decide to give it a go! After being seated and looking over the menu, I was shocked to find so many delicious gluten free options. They had all sorts of breakfast items including pancakes! I’m a sucker for any restaurant that offers waffles or pancakes on their menu for gluten free friends!
I decided to go with the blueberry lemon pancakes and I’m SO glad I did. When my order came out and it was a stack of fluffy pancakes 3 high plus scrambled eggs and ham - it was a lot of food. I wasn’t able to finish it for obvious reasons, but it was so dang enjoyable going down. Our waitress shared with me that they make their own homemade batter in house and this specific pancake took them two hours to prep each morning.
We stumbled across this cute farm fresh burger place while walking around Broken Arrow and their building caught my attention with all of their “grass fed beef” signs. We decided to give it a go and I’m glad we did! I ordered a district burger which is a double patty and your usual burger toppings. I did sub out the American cheese for cheddar and added truffle fries as a side. The fries are made in a shared fryer, so there is cross contamination, but I wasn’t affected by it. Fun fact all of the burgers are double patty burgers, making it a nice portion when you’re gluten free and don’t get a bun! I actually prefer my burgers without a bun, so I didn’t even ask if they had gf buns available.
I’m not really sold on the idea of buying tiny chocolates to munch on at stores. I feel like they’re such a tease and I’m left wanting more - but, Jason wanted to check out the chocolate shop none the less. Normally mini chocolates are hit or miss when it comes to gluten free because different chocoateirs add in a variety of ingredients to create fun flavors, but I was pleased to find that there were many options for me to choose from. I landed on a buttery caramel and a crunchy toffee. They were delicious, but also (as suspected) they left me wanting more. Genius marketing angle there, but out of principle, and considering the amount of sugar I had already consumed on this trip, I didn’t go back for more.
This stop was hands down one of my favorite. Your girl is a die hard Italian gelato fan! When we first spotted this dessert area while walking around Broken Arrow, Jason and I had just stuffed our faces with foods and I wasn’t hungry, so I told him we had to make sure we came back - and we did! There were multiple gluten free options, as there normally are with gelato, but I landed on chocolate chip gelato and it was SO creamy and delicious.
Jason got chocolate cake (which is not GF) but he was equally as impressed. Italian gelato is always a win if you find a spot whenever you’re out adventuring! I wanted to go back at one point during our trip, but we ran out of time and room for sugary treats.
7. Apndonlini’s Pizzeria
One of the nights I had a really bad migraine and I was exhausted - travel was catching up to me - and I sent Jason on a solo mission to grab us something to eat. He landed on pizza and grabbed it from Apndonlini’s Pizzeria in Broken Arrow. Side note: we were staying in an Air BnB in Broken Arrow - hence most of our gluten free finds being there! Anyway! Jason brought the pizza home and I hate to say it, but I was not impressed. The crust wasn’t very tasty and I had a hard time chocking it down. It also cost $50 for one gluten and one gluten free pizza, which I think is a little much for what we got. I did see other pizza places in the area, but we didn’t give them a try - so if you know of any good ones, send them my way for my next trip!
Laurannae’s had come highly recommended for us to check out - and it did not disappoint. It’s a cute little coffee shop with pastries and the atmosphere is right up my ally!
When Jason and I walked in, I went straight off the pastry counter and saw gluten free options! I ended up snagging the chocolate pudding parfait, a chocolate chip cookie cheese cake, and crumb cake to try. They were all pretty yummy! The chocolate pudding was my favorite.
I also snagged a chai and sipped on it while Jason and I daydreamed in their cute little courtyard. If we ever come back to Broken Arrow, we will for sure end up here again!
We didn’t discover this hidden gem until it was too late on our trip! Our friends invited us out to a Farm Swap that was being held at the Pure and Simple Market in Coweta the night before we left. It’s a new grocery store with a mix of local, organic, and simple ingredient foods. We walked through the store and oogled at the local raised meats in the freezer, all of our favorite organic staple items that we were searching for at the beginning of the week, and delicious gluten free homemade treats that they sold from local bakers. I know I didn’t get to enjoy it for all that it’s worth, but hopefully you will be able to! Next time we are in Oklahoma, this gem will be our first stop to load up on all of the farm fresh and organic goodies. They also host really great meet ups like the farm swap where local farmers can bring animals they’d like to get rid of and local businesses can offer their services. Jason and I really enjoyed the snow cone truck that was there offering a few dye free options like pina colada and strawberry!
When we weren’t eating, we found ourselves exploring random antique shops and hanging out with our friends, the Tucker’s! Kacy and I had connected online though the homesteading community and instantly hit it off. When we were heading to Oklahoma, I reached out to Kacy to find a safe place to stay and that turned into her inviting us over for dinner. You would have thought we had been friends for years! The internet is weird like that, but we felt like we knew each other so well and just feel into the most real and raw conversations. I know there are some awful sides to social media - but experiences and connections like this really highlight the good side of the internet.
After dinner, we hung out swinging by the fire pit that Jordan had built until it was way too late. The next day we headed to Cowboy Church with the Tucker’s and their sweet little family and we followed that up with lunch out at a local Mexican restaurant. It was such a great weekend and really made Oklahoma feel like home instead of a random dot on the map. The Tuckers sent us away with a half gallon of A2/A2 raw milk and a dozen farm fresh eggs to enjoy. We were so dang grateful to have real food to put in our bellies!
Before we left to return home to Florida, we had one last hang out with Jordan and Kacy at the local farm swap mentioned above. When I shared that we were at the Farm Swap on instagram, I had friends messaging me in asking “how do you find all of these cool things to do whenever you travel” - and my answer is simple… I build community.
I preach on building community all the time, but can you see how valuable it is?! We flew thousands of miles to a place we’d never been before because God called us there and then He provided us with incredible people when we got there to make it feel like home. They included us in their lives and invited us to events that were happening. I MEAN COME ON! It doesn’t get much better than that!
We all have the same access to social media… how we choose to use it will directly impact our lives, so take this as encouragement to start the conversations, send the messages, reach out to stranger friends and build freaking community.
Our trip would have looked a whole lot different if we hadn’t.