Congratulations to everyone who entered the 2-week-long freebie extravaganza! The folks listed below will be contacted via email. If your name is there, please make sure to reply to the email with your mailing address as well as any food allergies you have besides wheat so we can make sure not to send you anything you’ll react to, and so we can include coupons for other items in your package.
Thanks again for participating!
WINNERS (listed alphabetically): Continue reading
Okay peoples, here are a bunch of gluten-free items that I am not going to try eating – some of them contain soy, others just don’t interest me. So, I want to extend them to you. I will send you these items (yes, I’m not kidding) via US Mail (US addresses only, please) so you can try these items FOR FREE and you’ll know if you like them or not. If you want to write a review and send it to me, that’s welcome, but not necessary. I just want to make sure people get to try these things without having to fork out the money. Yes I’m paying for postage. It’s fine. Let’s just do this!
So, leave a comment below letting me know which samples you’d like. Also, go back through the past two weeks’ worth of posts and check to see if there are any items you’d like there, as well. I’ve included links below so you don’t have to go looking for them. I’ve also got loads of coupons that I’ll include in your package. Pretty sweet, eh? And all you have to do is tell me what you want. (If there’s a link, leave your comment on that article, please.) Make sure to comment by December 3rd. Now, ready, set, go get your free samples! (Tell your friends, spread the word – let’s get these items into the hands of people who want them. Please, don’t make me work for this. I’m tired!) Continue reading
Oddly enough (or not), the first thing many people panic about when they learn they can no longer have gluten is not being able to drink alcohol. Now, of course, there are alcohol beverages which are naturally gluten-free, like Tequila (made from agave), Vodka (made from potatoes), and Wine (made from fruit). Now, these are LOGICAL conclusions, but there are of course manufacturers out there who may add gluten to these to make the processing more cost-effective. So it is always important to check the labels. You can find a pretty comprehensive list of gluten-free alcohol, including specific brands, at urban tastebud.
It was interesting to see a few different alcoholic beverage choices at the Gluten Free and Allergy Friendly Expo. It hadn’t occurred to me since I’m also allergic to alcohol. Now, what I found most curious about these beverages is that they don’t claim to be gluten-free, they list themselves as “crafted to remove gluten.” What the heck does that mean, we ask? Continue reading
Well, I was not expecting this. After the amazing and knock-your-socks-off Angell bars, I was expecting Smackers to really wow me. They did not.
I was given two samples – one Caramel Peanut flavor, and one Peanut Butter which is a milk chocolate-covered peanut butter patty. I elected to try the first.
The consistency was more like a sports protein bar than a candy bar, which surprised me. Also, the amazing chocolate flavor of the Angell bar did not happen here. I couldn’t really taste the chocolate or the caramel, and the peanut nougat flavor was very, very mild.
Compared to a candy bar, this was disappointing. Compared to a sports nutrition bar, this was pleasant. I’m really not certain which Betty Lou’s is going for here, so it’s hard to make a determination. Continue reading
After cooking for 15 minutes in a 475 oven.
After tasting the cheese quesadillas daiya offered at the Gluten-free and Allergy Friendly Expo, I had high hopes for their pizza. So, I went out and purchased a Mushroom & Roasted Garlic “with gourmet ingredients” gluten-free pizza. Now, I’m a big fan of dairy, but I have some friends who aren’t, so I figured I’d give this a try to see if it was any good.
At $7.50 for a pizza that, in my humble opinion, offers two servings (they say three on the package, but I beg to differ), I can’t recommend this to people who CAN eat dairy. If you don’t have a dairy restriction, I highly recommend the Sabatasso’s Pizza from Costco. If you don’t have a Costco membership, then I recommend the Freschetta’s Gluten-Free, which you should be able to find anywhere. Trust me, I’ve tried a lot of gluten-free pizza.
So, why do I say this? Continue reading
Just wow. These came out of the blue. I’d heard of most of the foods (and had already even tried many of them) at the Gluten Free and Allergy Free Expo, but Brazi Bites? What the heck are those? Well, let me tell you what they are. They are the most amazing morsels of heavenly bread – yes I said BREAD – that I have eaten in my over ten years of being gluten-free. Okay, they are actually Brazilian Cheese Bread, but I think I like my description better.
I’ve tried so many different breads, including Udi’s bagettes, but this bread – OMG. Now, keep in mind, this is not sandwich bread or slicing bread. These are bread balls. But they would go fabulously with salad or steak or pasta or at parties or for breakfast… Okay, I’ll be quiet now. Ha! No I won’t. Continue reading
I’m becoming an enormous fan of Betty Lou’s. Her energy balls are just great. I’ve tried three different flavors so far: Paleo Java with cacao, coffee and pumpkin seeds, Coconut Macadamia, and the Vegan Protein Plus Chocolate Hazelnut. I have also had something which now confuses me since I can’t find it in the store again; it was like an energy ball but it was filled with creamy hazelnut butter. That was TO DIE FOR. I looked for it again in the store tonight, but unfortunately couldn’t find it. The Sprouts I shop at is a little smaller than some of the others I’ve been to, where I found that absolutely delicious piece of chocolatey heaven.
Okay, enough drooling. Here is my take on the three I tried this week: Continue reading
I’m really not sure how I feel about these cookies. The consistency wasn’t quite either crunchy or chewy, which I was okay with. (They are labeled as “Handcrafted CRUNCHY COOKIE” but I do beg to differ on that.) The flavor was very subtle: neither vanilla, nor honey, nor graham cracker. It was more like a subdued sugar cookie, very light on the sugar. They’re not bad, but they could really use a bit more flavor, whether that be vanilla, or cinnamon, or even ginger. I am feeling very unfulfilled right now.
These cookies are milk free, nut free, soy free, and of course gluten free. They are also non-GMO verified. Even so, with the price of food today, I’ll be passing on purchasing these. This is one time where I am grateful that I received a sample and didn’t have to pay for a box myself. You can also benefit from the one sample I have of this cookie and find out for yourself if you like it. Just leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win this sample.
You can learn more about Enjoy Life’s 7 different crunchy cookies at https://enjoylifefoods.com/our-foods/crunchy-cookies/
These Milton snack chips are certified gluten-free, and are also peanut, tree nut, soy, and egg-free. They are also non-GMO, which is always nice.
I collected three flavors in my gift bag from the Gluten Free and Allergy Friendly Expo: Nacho Cheddar, Red Chili Salsa, and Green Chili Salsa. Needless to say, being an enormous wimp when it comes to spices, I elected to try the Nacho Cheddar flavor.
The fact that they’re baked means they’re nice and light and not greasy. So that was pleasant. Since I don’t normally eat any kind of Doritos-type chip, I didn’t know what to expect. Please, keep in mind, I am NOT normal when it comes to spices and sometimes just the smallest amount can set me off. And these did. I ate a Babybel with them and still my mouth was on fire and my nose was running. I don’t expect these to do that to anyone else. I will say, I ate the whole snack bag, so it wasn’t THAT bad.
You can learn more about Milton’s products at their website, http://www.miltonscraftbakers.com/
Meanwhile, I have some bags of chips to bestow upon you for free! That’s right, I have 2 bags of Nacho Cheddar flavor, 3 bags of Red Chili Salsa flavor, and one bag of Green Chili Salsa flavor. Just write a comment below, and make sure to include which flavor you want. Winners will receive their packages at the end of November. Happy eating!
So, I’ll be honest, I was thinking – gross. I’m going to have to take one for the team and try this stuff. I don’t have a peanut allergy, so this seemed like it would be more of an inconvenience than anything else. But then, I tasted it, and I was blown away.
I wasn’t blown away like “wow, this is so much better than peanut butter,” but in a “wow, this is a taste that I haven’t experienced before, and it’s really neat” kind of way. That, my friends, is SunButter Sunflower Butter. It wasn’t gritty, like I was anticipating when I opened the package. It was smooth, and with a light but memorable flavor that tastes like sunflower seeds, but just a hint different. It was really good, and I can see this being a viable, and tasty, alternative for those who have peanut allergies.
This product is free of the top 8 allergens which include: Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Fish, Shellfish, and Soy. It is also non-GMO.
Now, be advised, the good folks at SunButter don’t actually know they gave me these samples. It was the end of the Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly Expo and they had a bunch left on their table, so I politely asked and then grabbed a handful so I can now offer all you good folks three 1.1 ounce samples of this stuff. Just post a comment below and you’ll be entered to win. I also have some $1 off coupons that I will include with the samples.
If you’d like more information, you can find out about all the different varieties of SunButter on their website.
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