Tag Archives: Gluten free

Golden Girl Granola Review and Giveaway

Golden Girl Granola Review and Giveaway

When you generally think of granola a couple of adjectives come to mind: outdoors, natural, healthy and durable. I love having simple granola snacks in my house despite being less than an outdoors person. There is nothing simpler then a bag of healthy tasty granola for an afternoon snack. Granola is just as versatile as it is tasty and this granola from a family run business in Shirley, MA is no exception.

The benefit of review blogging is being given the opportunity to try different types of the snacks and products I already enjoy. All the while supporting a small family run business and product, such as Golden Girl Granola. I was graciously sent 4 bags of my choosing to sample. The ones I chose were Bluesberry, Chocolate Decadence, Home Sweet Honey and Forest Maple. The other flavors I did not choose were Creative Cranberry, Truly Tropical and The Original. A 14 oz bag is available for $7.50 and they also have a 12 pack of 3 oz package’s available for $36.00.

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6 Tips For Traveling and Being Gluten Free

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge in consideration of a post from Glutino/Boulder Brands. This in no way will influence the post & all opinions are my own.

Traveling While Gluten Free

Let’s be honest for a moment, being gluten-free and traveling is nothing short of a frustrating. From finding snack items that are gluten-free at unfamiliar stores, to locating restaurants that have gluten-free options traveling can be a challenge. The struggle then becomes the added cost to the gluten-free menu items or menu changes for gluten-free that might not have been worked into your original budget.

In light of this struggle have compiled some tips to make travel a little easier and hopefully a little less frustrating.

1. My first tip also comes with a fun project that you can have kids help you with. Pre-package snacks in plastic bags, count them out and tie them with cute or color coded ties. This makes for easy grab and go accessibility whenever needed.

How To: I opened each bag and counted out 5 of each flavor. I took 4 plastic bags and cut 4 green and 4 yellow raffia into 5 inch sections. I placed 5 pretzels of each flavor in the bag and the tied the bag with one green and one yellow tie. I chose to place my completed bags into the freezer for a cool easy treat to take on road trips.

2. Do your research and look ahead for gluten-free restaurants in the area in which you are traveling. Many places have a gluten-free menu and are local places are not only unique places to eat but generally care about the food the serve and use the highest ingredients which many times means organic, fresh and locally grown.

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Send Me Gluten Free May Box Review & Giveaway

Send Me Gluten Free Monthly Subscription Review and Giveaway – May 2015 Box

This month has been one of reflection for me, both of my best friends from high school turned 40. The first one occurred at the beginning of the month, the second happened this past weekend. These birthdays forced me to stop, take a breath and think about my own looming day.

When we are young we do not consider the food we eat and the long-term effects included in that food. We believe we are invincible, that nothing can hurt us and we can eat what we want with reckless abandon. As we get older, we wisen up and start thinking about the future. We begin to live our lives with someone and for some bodies that we love, therefore we want to be healthy.

The wonderful thing about monthly subscription boxes is that it opens my mind to products I would not normally sample. Each month Send Me Gluten Free (SMGF) chooses 8-12 full size items to include in their monthly box, which allow for greater sampling of the available offerings for those with gluten sensitivity or those who just want to eat healthier. They were generous enough to send me the May box to sample and review and included in the box were the following products:

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Fit Snack Monthly Subscription – April Box Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of FitSnack.com. This post may have affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Fit Snack Monthly Subscription – April Box Review

The thing I like the most about being a review blogger is the fact that I get to constantly try new things. This concept is overall new to me, as I have always been very brand loyal and not really open to trying new items. The shift occurred when I realized that if I did not expand my palette I might be missing out on something i would otherwise love. I am happy to say that at least once a week I discover a new “must have” and am constantly looking for new things I can not live without.

The bonus about monthly subscription boxes are that each month there is the great possibility that I will find a new must have. Fit Snack was generous enough to send me box and I could not wait to share it with you all. The box is a bright teal, and branded on the front for instant visual confirmation of what you have received. The contents were packed like a tetris game and all arrived safe.

Each box contains between 6-9 items, as well as a couple informational cards. On one side of this months card had an exercise to help get the beach abs women crave this time of the year, and on the other side is the list of what is in the box – the manifest. Also included are a couple other fliers elaborating on information or offers contained in the box.

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Celebrate Celiac Awareness Month with a Glutino Giveaway

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge in consideration of a review from Glutino. This in no way will influence the review to follow & all opinions are my own.

Celebrate Celiac Awareness Month with 8 Tips and a Giveaway

There are many reason’s a person goes gluten-free and they can range from dietary reasons to personal belief reasons. Sadly there is another segment of the gluten-free population that has to avoid gluten or face potentially fatal repercussions. These unfortunate people are suffers of Celiac Disease, which is genetic autoimmune disorder triggered by the ingestion of gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat’s, barley, rye and is the elastic protein that binds pastas and breads together (think of gluten as the glue that holds everything together).

The adjustment to a gluten-free lifestyle can be initially difficult, challenging and sometimes frustrating. I have compiled some tips to make the transition a little easier:

Learning the foods that you can and can not eat can be daunting to say the least, so try to focus on the whole foods you can eat such as vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat and eggs. Try to focus on the items you are able to eat.
Did you know that gluten can be found in some shampoos, body lotions and even some lip balms? Always check the products ingredients for unknown gluten surprises.
If you love to bake try an all purpose gluten-free flour – same as regular all-purpose flour, no gluten included. Also, when storing various types of flour try to store them in color coded Tupperware so you can tell the gluten vs non gluten varieties by sight.
Speaking of color coding, if possible run down to your local office supply store (or Amazon) and pick up some colored labels for a quick differentiation of packages in pantry’s and cupboard, such as these labels (click here).
Join support groups either online such as the Celiac Support Association (click here for more information about CSA) or contact your local hospital system to see what programs they offer in support of your new diagnosis.
Learn to read nutritional labels and ingredient lists. If the item does not say gluten-free or if you have questions call the customer service department of the company. Frequently companies will have their 1-800/1-866 numbers on the outside of the box.
Look online for gluten-free companies. There are many smaller companies that offer gluten-free products that are better than many of the store-bought alternatives.
When adapting a recipe for gluten-free increase the amount of baking powder and baking soda by 25% (take the required amount per the recipe and multiply it by 1.25). Also, due to many gluten free item’s tendency to crumble, think of small portions such as mini muffins and bite size cookies.

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Send Me Gluten Free Monthly Box Review and Giveaway

Send Me Gluten Free Monthly Subscription Review and Giveaway – April 2015 Box

The one thing I have learned is that you can not stop time. Time marches on no matter what we do and how we wish for things to be slower. I heard once that it is called “the quickening” and the longer time goes I think that is the perfect word for the way life passes by. With the march of time comes the passing of months and the quick arrival of a big day in my life, With each day that passes, I reconsider my food choices and the potential benefits of my new choices.

There is something special about knowing that somebody is curating a box with health 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) chooses 8-12 full size items to include in their monthly box, which allow for greater sampling of the available offerings for those with gluten sensitivity. They were generous enough to send me the April box to sample and review and included in the box were the following products.

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Namaste Brownie and Coating Mixes Review and Giveaway

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Namaste Foods. This post contains affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Namaste Brownie and Coating Mixes Review and Giveaway!

Alright, I will admit it: I might be on a healthy eating quest. This previous sentence could be debated by those that love me, but I figure with small changes you can effect big change. If I adjust my diet a little then maybe I will see big results. There is no medical reason for this new-found awareness, just the looming July date that makes me rethink the previous 4 decades of choices.

Despite my desire for calm at times our house is in a state of debate and discussion. The reason for the discussion’s are not medical, financial or emotional, but are about the proper consistency of brownie mix. I was a watery mix girl and Jason was a lumpy mix boy – how we have lasted this long is mystery.

I recently had the opportunity to review a couple of Namaste Foods products. I had the opportunity to review the Gluten-Free Brownie Mix and the Gluten-Free Italian Herb Coating Mix. I am always open to trying new brownies and new coating mixes to add flavor to my foods.

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Mamma Chia Vitality Granola – 3 Flavors – Review

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Mamma Chia. This post may have affiliate links but this in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Mamma Chia Vitality Granola – 3 Flavors – Review

Granola, in my taste, can be a hit or a miss. There are many reasons that contribute to this sometimes off the target snack, such as ratio of items included in the mix and if the dominating flavor is overwhelmingly powerful or subtle. The dominant flavor should be at the forefront but not at the expense of the other ingredients.

In December of 2014 I reviewed Mamma Chia’s Vitality Beverages (see review here). Since that first review they have released a few new products including an Energy Drink and Chia packed granola.

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Canyon Bakehouse Product Review and Giveaway!

Let me start by saying that the products featured in this post were provided to me free of charge courtesy of Canyon Bakehouse. This in no way will influence the review to follow and all opinions are my own.

Canyon Bakehouse Product Review and Giveaway!

Confession time again! There is something about a slice of bread before bed that is oddly comforting, I have been known to knock out loaves of bread on my own and am even trying my hand at making my own breads. I LOVE bread, therefore when I had opportunity to try 4 Gluten Free varieties from Canyon Bakehouse I was excited and more then willing.

I received a loaf each of 7 Grain Bread, Mountain White Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread and a loaf of Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia Bread.

7 Grain Bread: The first thing that I noticed about this bread was the wonderful color! The best way to describe the color is a nice dark caramel on the outside and the lighter caramel color on the inside – baked perfectly. The 7 Grain bread did not have a grainy after taste, but beware once toasted it can be a little crumbier then other breads.

Mountain White Bread: Similar to the 7 Grain Bread this bread had the perfect color on the top and a nice creamy white color on the inside. Again, the downside is that once toasted the bread seemed to become a crumbly version of itself.

Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia Bread: My experience with Focaccia bread had been somewhat limited so I saw this as an opportunity to not only try Focaccia but a gluten-free version. This bread was firm but not “brick” dense, and the texture allows for many different applications from dipping bread to cutting it down for a Panini. My personal recommendation is to cut a portion that you will be consuming for that meal and freeze the remainder. I found that the loaf was large enough for 2 meals.

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Glutino Products Review and Giveaway

Glutino Review and Giveaway

As we get older we do not get gifts as often as we would like on holidays in which gifts are traditionally given. Usually Valentines Day in my house consists of the “I Love You’s”, and the wishes we had cards to trade or chocolates to share, something different. I am always looking for new ways to express my love and show the one I love I do care despite the pathetic Valentines Day we usually have.

One day while sitting planning in my head the best surprise I could think of for my husband I received a box that was all i needed, I just did not know it at the time. As I opened this Valentines Day themed bounty, I was struck by how much it really was my lifesaver.

In the box I received from Glutino I got a 5.5oz bag of each of the following pretzel flavors: Honey Mustard Pretzels, New Buffalo Style Pretzels, Fudge Pretzels and Salted Carmel Pretzels. I also received a pack of 6 Multi-grain English Muffins and 1 Shake and Pour pancake mix.

The Buffalo Style pretzels were spicy but not overpowering for those that have spicy food sensitivities. The Honey Mustard had the perfect blend of mustard and honey – the sweetness and sour was spot on! The Fudge pretzels had a mild but sweet fudge that was not overpowering over the saltiness of the pretzels. The Salty Caramel had a nice aftertaste and the perfect amount of coating and salt. The Multigrain English Muffins were tasty and they absorbed the typical butter/honey regime. If there was one downside to the muffins is that because of the lack of unhealthy ingredients they did not last as long as we would have liked; the upside is that we know we were eating a fresh product. The Shake and Pour Pancake mix made it easy to make pancakes, with little mess but big results!

Gluten’s are the mixture of proteins found in wheat grass. Glutens are typically not water soluble but are what give dough’s the elastic nature. Even without these seemingly needed ingredients the products are addicting and also justifies the somewhat high $5.99 for a 5.5oz bag price.

Now Valentines Day around here usually consists of the same as the day before, but like I said when I saw this box I knew that it was the Valentine’s Day lifesaver I was desperately seeking. I used the Pancake Mix to make my husband Jason heart-shaped pancakes, I toasted a couple Multi-grain Muffin’s and added the required butter and honey. We decided we did not want to brave movie crowds, and with a beach walk we had an assortment bag of pretzels to snack on, with the perfect mix of sweet and savory. With 6 simple items, I was able to turn our normally boring day into a day full of flavor.

I would recommend any of the Glutino products! We plan to purchase these pretzels more often and for special occasions purchase the chocolate/salty caramel varieties.

Now for the best part of any review, the GIVEAWAY!! I have a couple of coupons to give you! I will be choosing 1 person in the middle of March (3/15/2015) to receive 2 coupon’s for 2 free Glutino items of your choice to try (1 per coupon)!!! To enter please email us your email address (jennifer at dealsamongus dot com) or complete the form below and I will use a random generator to choose the winner! Winner will be notified the by the end of March 2015! GOOD LUCK!!

Click here for a full list of Glutino’s line of products

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What is your favorite Gluten Free product? Do you want to try gluten-free items?

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