Tag Archives: gluten free prepared foods

Gluten-Free Dole Sweet Corn Garden Soup

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Dole gluten free garden soup IMG_20150311_182017276This was not really for me. I thought maybe there would be chunks or bits of corn and maybe onion in it – but it is basically a straight puree.

It’s certainly easy enough to heat up – 2:30 in my 1100 watt microwave oven for the serving you see in the photo. I included the heels of Udi’s White bread for some substance. They were good for dipping. (Of course, butter makes EVERYTHING better.)

The flavor was okay; I’m sensitive to white pepper – it burns the back of my throat, so I’m pretty sure this contains some. The ingredients are all natural and pronounceable.

130 calories, 1g fat, 470mg sodium, 300 mg potassium, 30 carbs, 4 g protein.

Not bad, but I’d probably only buy it again if I had dental work and couldn’t eat solid food. Since I have two servings of this stuff left, I will probably add some corn and chicken to it and pretend it’s chicken corn chowder. Now that’s making lemonade, eh?

WeightWatchers Smart Ones – Chicken Mesquite

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GF Smart Ones Mesquite Chicken IMG_0385I did some research online and found a number of Smart Ones frozen meals to be gluten-free. Now, these meals are not labeled as such. But if you check the allergens listed at the end of the ingredients on the Chicken Mesquite, you will find it says Contains Milk, Soy. Not wheat.

This Chicken Mesquite is described as “white meat chicken smothered with a smoky mesquite-flavored sauce with ranch redskin smashed potatoes.”

Mind you, I have the absolute most sensitive palette of anyone I have ever met. The first few bites of the chicken were good – hot, tender, tasty. But then the back of my throat started to burn, and that spread to my tongue, the rest of my mouth, and my lips. FIRE! Again, I think the spicy chicken nuggets at Wendy’s should come with a fire extinguisher, so 99 percent of the population would NOT think these are even remotely spicy. But I did. And I’m writing about me. LOL

In any case, the potatoes were really, really awesome. I’m so glad I saved those for last. If you want a meal with a bite for around $2.00 on sale – Chicken Mesquite is for you.

G/F Mac & Cheese Steel Cage Match: Amy’s Brand

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GF amys mac and cheese IMG_2514Last time we talked about SamMills the Corn Master’s Gluten Free Macaroni & Cheese In a creamy Cheddar Cheese Sauce. This time, we’re going to talk about Amy’s Gluten Free Rice Mac & Cheese made with organic rice pasta.

Amy’s costs about 60 cents more, was higher in cholesterol, but lower in sodium. Amy’s is non GMO, too. The stats might make you cringe a little – but come on, it’s mac & cheese! 400 calories, 16g fat, 640mg sodium, 47g carbs, and 16g protein. For those of you concerned with these, it contains calcium – 30% and Iron – 10% of your recommended daily requirements.

You can cook Amy’s either in a conventional, toaster, or microwave oven. Nice. I cooked on high for 3.5 minutes, then stirred it and cooked it for 2.5 more. It did boil over a tiny bit, but oddly enough, there was no splatter.

And let me tell you – DELICIOUS. I was so surprised. And, to make things even more interesting, there was a moose in my backyard having dinner, so we ate together. Mine had gotten cold while I was take pictures and setting up the video camera, but it still tasted really good. The consistency is excellent. Hot and hearty. For more on all the stuff Amy’s makes, go to www.amys.com

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Gluten Free Chex Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

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Chex Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal gluten FreeI am in love love love with Chex Gluten Free Oatmeal. You know those times when your stomach is just a little off and you need something comforting? Or those cold winter days when you want something hot and hearty for breakfast? Well, Chex Gluten Free Oatmeal to the rescue!

I found this gem by accident while looking for the gluten-free granola bars at Wal-Mart. Talk about luck!

For $2.98 you get 2 packets each of three flavors (in the variety box which is what I purchased): maple brown sugar, apple cinnamon, and original. The ingredients are all natural – I can pronounce everything. Oats, sugar, salt, flavor, dried apples, etc. No multi-syllabic, chemical-type stuff.

Calories: 130-170; Total fat: 2-2.5g; Carbs: 24-35; Protein: 4-5g

Today I tried the Apple Cinnamon. I used the packet to measure the liquid and microwaved it for 1-1/2 minutes, stirred, and then 30 more seconds. I don’t like my oatmeal too gloopy. They say you can use 2/3 a cup of water or milk – I used half water and half half-and-half. Very creamy, soothing, and yummy. Unlike Cream of Rice, this didn’t boil over. Yay – no cleanup.

Don’t care for plain oatmeal? They sell boxes of each flavor as well, or you can try my Nutella recipe for plain oatmeal.

I will make certain to always have some of this in the cabinet. So very glad I found this.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Great Value Gluten Free Rice Pasta & Cheddar Cheese Mix

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Great Value gluten free mac and cheese Remember the happy-happy joy-joy feeling you got from eating Kraft Macaroni and Cheese? Remember that feeling going bye-bye when you went gluten-free? Well, you can get that feeling back – believe it or not – courtesy of Wal-Mart.

Not kidding.

I’ve tried other gluten-free Mac & Cheese out-of-the-box mixes and they have been just awful. So when this turned out to be good – I was shocked AND happy. Happy-happy joy-joy, even.

Boil 6 cups of water and add their rice pasta. They say on the box 10-12 minutes, and that’s exactly what it was. No “it says 10 minutes but they mean 40” deal. While the pasta’s draining, mix 1/4 cup of milk with an optional 2 tbsp of butter, and then add the powdered cheese sauce mix.

There really weren’t any ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce, and I did not see any soy.

One package contains 2.5 servings of fluorescent orange, cheesy heaven. 260 calories, a boatload of carbs, 460 mg of sodium, and 6 g protein (I wasn’t sure if that included the milk).

Head on over to Wal-Mart and get yourself some of this in their gluten-free section.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for an unhealthy mac & cheese fix. 🙂

Ian’s Fish Sticks

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148 ians fish sticksThese fish sticks are sort of a conundrum. I’m not quite sure how I feel about them. You could easily eat them as finger food, because they are not all greasy and nasty. Dip them in tartar sauce or cocktail sauce, whatever. They have good flavor – there’s no nasty fish taste. They have the flavor of a good fish stick.

It’s the consistency that perplexes me. The fish is fine – very nice, actually – I’m referring to the crust. Clearly, the crust is made mostly of corn meal. It’s pleasantly crispy, but a little thick and difficult to get a fork through. Hence being perfect for finger food.

I cooked these at the maximum (400 degrees for 15 minutes, flip the sticks, then another 10 minutes) and they did not brown, not unlike many gluten-free foods. So don’t judge their doneness by their brownness. They looked just as yellow when they came out of the oven as when they went in.

These Ian’s Fish Sticks are wheat- and gluten-free, milk- and casein-free, egg-free, nut-free, and soy-free. The crust/breading is made solely with corn and seasonings. If you have a corn allergy, sorry.

My box came with 13 fish sticks. The nutrition facts claim the serving size is 6 sticks and there are 2.5 servings per container. Obviously 13 sticks does not give you 2.5 servings. Just be aware. It’s not a big deal.

This 8 ounce box is normally $6.99 but I got it on sale at my local Safeway for $4.99. 2 servings for that price – you be the judge. They were definitely a nice change of pace.

Amy’s Broccoli & Cheddar Bake

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amys broccoli cheddar bake IMG_9994Amy’s and I don’t have the best of relationships. I find some of their foods a little too “earthy” for my taste. But this gluten-free Broccoli & Cheddar Bake is a winner.

It bursts with robust cheddar flavor and is creamy and smooth. There is always a hint of the broccoli throughout, of course more so when you bite into a floret. And these are nice, bite-size florets – not the “leftover stems or stalks or whatever” pieces you often find in frozen meals.

This dish is certified organic, and has 430 calories, 20 grams of fat, 640mg sodium, 44g carbs, and 16g protein. It heats up in less than 5 minutes and is fantastic comfort food for those cold winter days. Only one thing could make this dish better: meat. (You didn’t realize I was a meatatarian? *sigh*) So I sliced up and heated a hot dog, and then mixed it with the dish. Awesome!

If you love cheese, this is the dish for you. You can always find more information at www.amys.com.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Dannon Creamery Lemon Cheesecake

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905 dannon creameryWell, this was a surprise, indeed. One of the things I miss about being gluten-free is cheesecake. So many recipes have flour in them as a thickener, and if not, they have a glutenous crust. So, when I saw this Dannon Creamery Lemon Cheesecake flavor Dairy Dessert was gluten-free, I grabbed it.

Since it contains active yogurt cultures, and – it’s Dannon, I was expecting … well… yogurt: running, tangy, yogurty. When I peeled back the metal cover, it looked like I was right. Kinda yucky looking, isn’t it? But the smell of lemon wafted up to me and it was just lovely. So I gave it a shot. It’s thick and creamy like cheesecake!

The flavor is very subtle on the cheesecake end – the lemon isn’t that strong, but it does overpower the mild flavor. If you take a bite without the lemon, it’s really delightful. Either way, I’m just happy to be eating something that is like cheesecake, yet healthy at the same time.

180 calories, 6g of fat, 8g of protein, and low everything else. Nice. For more on these yummy treats, check out http://www.dannoncreamery.com/

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Amy’s Teriyaki Bowl

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155 amys teriyakiI’m not sure how I feel about this Teriyaki Bowl made with organic tofu, brown rice, and broccoli. It’s a little spicier than I would like. It was certainly quick and easy enough to prepare – a total of 4.5 minutes in the microwave. And they ask you to remove the plastic for the second half of the cooking – and no, it didn’t splatter all over the inside of my microwave.

At only 290 calories and 4.5 grams of fat, that’s pretty good for a meal. 780 mg of sodium, 12 grams of protein, and 0 cholesterol is also nice. The consistency is good – nothing is hard or chewy or mushy. If it had just a little less kick to it (which is probably not even noticeable to a regular person), this would be a viable dinner option for me at only $3.99 at my neighborhood Safeway.

If you don’t mind your teriyaki just slightly on the spicy side, then this dish is for you. Me? I’ll stick with making my own version of teriyaki – with Worcestershire sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and butter – used in this Tangy Cashew Chicken recipe.

You can always find out more about Amy’s at www.amys.com.

 

Gorton’s Gluten-Free Grilled Salmon Fillets

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672 salmonThank you, Gortons, for this delicious, gluten-free fish. The Classic Grilled Gluten-Free Salmon Fillets are definitely winners. Sure, it would be easy enough to pawn nasty salmon off on those poor Celiac people, but no. Good stuff. Trust me.

Like their grilled pollock, I found it amusing to discover two pieces of frozen fish resembling bricks. (Hmmm… fish bricks and fish sticks?) But I have to admit, these did cook up very nicely. No nasty, fatty veins or slimy, pungent brown sections. Just nice, tasty, pink wild-caught salmon. I like salmon on salad, and when I broke this piece up, I actually found a bone in it. So, yeah, it’s real fish.

I find salmon to be more filling than white fish, which makes these servings quite generous. Each brick has 90 calories, 2g fat, 350mg sodium, only 3g carbs, and 15g protein.

And, I got these on sale for $2.99 a box. That’s an incredibly reasonable per pound price for salmon.

You can read more about these at http://gortons.com/product/classic-grilled-salmon and you can learn about all of Gortons’ gluten-free fish at http://gortons.com/products-browse?category=49&species=All

Enjoy!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

687 gortons salmon