Category Archives: Food and Drink Products

Goodie Girl: 2016 Valentines Day Giveaway

Goodie Girl: Chocolate Lovers Giveaway!!!!

I have become quite the cookie connoisseur in the past couple years and I know a good gluten-free cookie and Goodie Girl cookies are among the best of the best I have tried. Back in July 2015 I originally reviewed a cookie company, based out of the Tribeca Neighborhood in New York City – this company was called Goodie Girl. The thing that makes Goodie Girl cookies special is that they are gluten-free, but do not taste gluten-free.

Goodie Girl takes the cookies we know and love but makes them safe for those with gluten issues. I would have to say that my favorite cookie is still the Mint Slims, the taste is identical to the yearly Girl Scout treat. My second favorite was the Chocolate Chip and it reminds me of a classic chocolate chip cookie and was similar in taste to Famous Amos cookies.

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Send Me Gluten Free Monthly Subscription Review – January 2016

Send Me Gluten Free Monthly Subscription Review and Giveaway – January 2016

I have a confession – when I started this blog I was not the most knowledgeable about the gluten-free world. In the past year and change I have learned so much about gluten, why gluten is bad and why it could enter life threatening levels for Celiacs. This has been an invaluable education and one that while I did not necessarily choose at first it is one that I am thankful for learning about. I have a new appreciation for the gluten-sensitive community, as luck would have it I am also now a sufferer of gluten sensitivities.

It is also nice to know that in combination with the learning, I have been given the opportunity to sample different gluten-free foods and drink products. I am happy to know that somebody is curating a box with gluten consciousness in mind. Send Me Gluten Free’s monthly box is doing just that for the Gluten-Free community. Each month Send Me Gluten Free (SMGF) includes 8-12 full size items to include in their monthly box, which allow’s for greater sampling of the available offerings for those with gluten sensitivity.

Send Me Gluten Free were generous enough to send me the January 2016 box to sample and review and included in the box were the following products.

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Nick’s Sticks 2016 Winter Giveaway

*Nick’s Stick’s 2016 Winter Giveaway*

I have mentioned in the past but Jason is a born and bred San Diego Charger fan and despite the Bolts not making an appearance in Super Bowl 50, we will probably still watch. Just as important as the game and commercials are the snacks. Jason loves meat sticks with cheese so that will be making an appearance at the annual party!

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Crispy Green: Crispy Fruit Big Game Giveaway

Crispy Green: Crispy Fruit Big Game Giveaway!!!

We are football fans around here – San Diego Charger fans. My husband is a born and bred fan, and there was no other team to root for when he was growing up – it is his DNA! Since we are fans that rarely see play-offs, we choose to watch the game in a more passing fashion, but we partake in the snacks. This year we are taking the snacks we love, and exchanging them for variations of things we love.

Back in July of 2015 I reviewed a company called Crispy Green and their product called Crispy Fruit – 7/15 review here.

Crispy Green has seven flavors of freeze-dried fruit including Crispy Apples, Crispy Mangoes, Crispy Asian Pears, Crispy Bananas, Crispy Cantaloupe, Crispy Pineapples and Crispy Tangerine. I tried the Crispy Apples, Crispy Mangoes and Crispy Tangerine and they were so good I knew they would make the snack cut. I love that I can get the benefits of fruit, but not the cholestrol and fatty ingredients.

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Gluten-Free Android Applications Available

Gluten-Free Android App’s Roundup!

5 Different Android App’s: 5 Different Experiences

As I was sitting tonight, Jason and I got to talking about the upcoming Gluten Free Expo and what companies I am looking forward to seeing the products of. This, of course, spawned into talking about gluten-free restaurants as well as the grocery shopping challenge in locating gluten-free products.

As I began looking I saw many summaries online for I-Phone applications, but not many critical lists/reviews of the available Android apps. It is with that thought in mind that I present you with my review and overview of some of the more “popular” Android apps for gluten-free location, as well as my choice for favorite. Be sure to comment at the bottom if you have a favorite!

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Stoneridge Orchards Review

Stoneridge Orchards: Review and Giveaway

As any regular readers will know I love companies that have a unique backstory and original origins. Let’s travel back to 1960’s in Central Washington and the modern homesteading lottery. What this Homesteading Lottery did was to hold a lottery and chose “winners”. The “winners” of this lottery won 160 acres of land in Central Washington. As luck would have it, in 1962 a gentleman by the name of Karl Dorsing had not only entered this lottery but won. This win allowed him to move himself and his family to Royal City Washington.

Today those 160 acres are what is known as Royal Ridge Fruits. The fertile high desert region of Central Washington was the perfect environment to grow their all natural organic cherries, blueberries, raspberries, apple and pears. In 2010 this 3rd generational family owned and managed company created Stoneridge Orchards. Stoneridge Orchards was created for use as a consumer brand. With the creation of a consumer brand came the addition of a berry mix, dried peaches slices as well as Greek Yogurt covered fruits and Dark Chocolate covered fruits.

Stoneridge Orchards was kind enough to send us an assortment of their dried fruits and chocolate covered fruits for consideration of a review.

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Newman’s Own Product Review

Newman’s Own Organic: Product Review and Giveaway

I have a confession – before I started this blog I had an aversion to “organic” products. I believed that they were somehow inferior to their non-organic counterparts. Through the past 12 month of blogging I have discovered that there is nothing “inferior” or “less” about organic products. In fact, many times the thing that makes a product stand out from competitors.

Back about 7 years ago I went to the San Diego Zoo with my now husbands sisters. This was very exciting, as the plan was to drop Jason off at work and meet up with sister #1 at the local park and ride. The plan was to ride with sister #1, and meet up with sister #2 and have lunch and walk around the San Diego Zoo. The first stop was lunch, as none of the accompanying children had eaten yet. The 3 of us had all brought lunch, and sister #2 had brought a bag of “Newman’s O’s” to share with us all. At the time I politely declined because I was happy with my non organic chocolate creme cookies.

Since that day I have gotten to know both my sister-in-laws much better and not only are they wonderful mothers, and family members but they also know their food. Prior to meeting these two, I had not really considered reading the ingredients of packaging. I learned early on that to be in this family, label reading and ingredient awareness matters. This is not a negative in any way, but rather a way that all mothers should adopt.

A brand that was brought to my attention as a good positive company was Newman’s Own Organic. While I was a little bewildered and confused as to why she was such a fan, as soon as I began reading on my own, I realized that Newman’s Own goodness extends beyond just food and into the charitable world.

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Victoria Fine Foods: Pasta Sauce Review

Victoria Fine Foods: Pasta Sauce Review and Giveaway

The holidays are approaching and this is the time of year for company coming for meals, pot luck meals and traditions. I have mentioned in past reviews about Jason and his Italian heritage. I hear stories of holiday of his youth that include many meals, and many variations of pasta with sauce.

Since Jason remembers these meals so fondly, he is very specific in his wishes for sauces. The ideal sauce for our house is made of all natural ingredients such as his Grandma made – he watched the ingredients go into the sauce, ensuring the freshness at a young age. The other quality of an ideal sauce is few ingredients, so that the flavors become distinct and individual. When Jason was young his Grandmother would quiz him on what was in the sauces – he usually guessed in the 90% range.

As an adult he has searched for a similar sauce, since the experience is one in a million in one lifetime, the sauce is the settler. As a review blogger we get opportunities to sample different items, and sometimes those items include pasta sauce. This was the case a couple of weeks ago when we had the opportunity to sample Victoria Foods Pasta Sauce.

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Simple Mills Review

Simple Mills: Vanilla Cake Review and Giveaway

We are coming upon the season of baking and the decorating of the baked treasures. I recall one year I bought a bunch of cookie decorating supplies for a party we were intending to attend. Once we arrived we were told that the little boy had gluten sensitivities and since we could not verify the origins of the supplies we had to err on the side of caution and not decorate.

This particular experience got me thinking, and as disappointed as I was after all my preparations, I began thinking how disappointed that little boy would have been to be left out. I wish I knew then what I know now about gluten, sensitivities and the true holiday spirit.

Since we are upon that season once again, I began looking for companies that were as simple on ingredients as possible, mostly with the goal of not excluding anyone in cookie decorating. I was thrilled when I discovered Simple Mills, and their simple mixes. When I reached out they were generous enough to send me a sample of their mixes, as I still want flavor with my treats.

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World of Munchies Snack Box Delivery Review

World of Munchies Snack Box Delivery – Review & Giveaway

When I was just over 30 years old, I had the opportunity to travel overseas and go to Thailand. I was young, and it was my first time being an entire ocean away that was separating me and my loved ones. It just so happens that I went a mere 5 months after the tsunami hit, that was triggered by the Indian Ocean earthquake. While I never traveled to the tsunami zone, there were plenty of other beaches and coast line’s in Northern Thailand that could have fallen victim. I remember being thanked for traveling to Thailand many times over.

On my first night in Thailand after hotel check in, my travel mates and I decided to do two things: the first was watch the traffic on the busy Bangkok streets and the second was to visit the first convenience store we had any recognition of. Apparently traffic laws are much more lax in Bangkok and despite being on the sidewalk, we were almost hit numerous times. Also, as luck would have it, the corner we were on happened to have a convenience store with the green and red coloring we all knew so well.

I decided to take this chance and purchase some treats and I knew. I discovered many treats that trip that had I not tried them, I would have missed out. Since then, I am always on the lookout for new and interesting boxes and I think I have hit the nail on the head with my latest box find – World of Munchies. World of Munchies was started by the mind of an 11-year-old entrepreneur. I can say when you see the selection and diversity of the snacks included, they are not of an 11 year old palate.

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