Snacks

The other day I was out with some friends at our local climbing gym. After a few attempts to reach the top, I was feeling worn out and super-duper hungry. Luckily, when I opened the snack fridge, I happened to find these Gluten-Free Energy Bars. I tried the ALMOND BUTTER flavor, which is made with organic almonds and honey, and other healthy ingredients like pumpkin seed oil, flaxseed oil, and dried whole food powders from organic carrots, bell peppers, apples, tomatoes, spinach, and more. It was like nothing I had ever tasted….and definitely, VERY TASTY indeed!

The next week I contacted Perfect Foods Bar company and they sent me Read More »

The gluten-free food industry is exploding due to increased diagnosis of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Celiac disease is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people, while gluten sensitivity is believed to affect up to 10% of the population. The gluten-free market is one of the fastest growing industries, with 20%+ growth per year with US sales increasing from under $1 billion in 2006 to over $2.5 billion in 2011. With the potential market so large, more and more major corporations are getting into the act.

Smart Balance recently acquired Udi’s Healthy Foods, the industry leader in the gluten-free breads and baked goods category, for $125 million.  This follows Smart Balance’s 2011 acquisition of Glutino Foods, which was at the top of the gluten-free snack industry when purchased. With this recent buy, Smart Balance is fast becoming Read More »

Since I am always on the lookout for a sweet snack that is free of gluten, dairy, and soy, I was happy to receive samples of KURDelights.  So many gluten-free bars/snacks contain soy protein and/or dairy, or they are very high in sugar and carbs and low in protein and fiber, which is not the case with KURDelights.

These bite-sized snacks contain just enough sweetness to satisfy my sweet tooth and they come in three flavors: Brownie, Coconut Cream, and Dark Chocolate Mint.  My favorite flavor is the coconut cream followed by brownie and then dark chocolate mint.  These healthy snacks are: Read More »

OAKLAND, Calif., April 18, 2012 — Add Hidden Valley Salad Dressings to the growing list of foods to clearly call out that they are gluten free.

The makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings have added a “Gluten Free” logo to bottles and dry packets of its signature Original Ranch® dressing as well as much of its Farmhouse Originals product line. Packages with the new logo should appear on store shelves this summer.

The packaging change is designed to help Read More »

Enjoy Life Plentils! An amazing new chip from Enjoy Life made from lentils! These things are darn good and I’ve got a recap of my thoughts for you all!

I entered a giveaway that Enjoy Life had and won! I feel good about eating these chips as they are not only gluten free but also free of the eight most common allergens! Not only that, they are made from lentils. Enjoy Life breaks it down for you:

From ancient times to the present, the lentil has proven to be one of the best sources of plant-based protein. This legume is a staple in diets throughout the world, but leave it to Enjoy Life to capture the essence of its all-natural goodness. This chip’s unique recipe results in a protein-packed, crunchy experience, bursting with flavor as you savor a great-tasting “better-for-you” chip.

Read More »

Gluten-free shamrock sugar cookies are buttery good, easy to make and a charmin’ St. Patrick’s Day cookie.

You will need a small (about 3/4-inch diameter) shamrock cookie cutter to use as a stencil on your cookies. If you can’t find this type of cookie cutter you can make your own stencil by tracing and cutting a shamrock shape on a plastic kitchen mat (available at most stores in housewares.)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

For this recipe, you will need:

• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract Read More »

Valentine’s day is approaching! Instead of spending hours searching for allergy-friendly Valentine’s candy for your loved ones, consider offering safer sweets with Lucy’s cookies.

 

We’re lucky that there are more and more recipes out there that taste just like the real thing. But for many people, it s easier to make some desserts that happen to be gluten-free, rather than gluten-free adaptations of “normal” foods.

Foods that are naturally gluten free avoid the expensive specialty flours. Personally, I am not a fan of spending a lot for specialty flours when I’m sharing with many non-GF folks. This avoids the inevitable complaints of friends or family who won’t even try GF foods just because they’ve decided they won’t like it.

There are a lot of treats which just happen to be GF, or mostly GF. You can find recipes in normal cookbooks, or maybe you have Read More »

I LOVED trying a bunch of awesome Surf Sweets products that I won from a Stuffed Pepper twitter giveaway!

Admittedly, I have not been able to try all the products that they sent (there are a lot!) but I had so much fun trying what I have so far. I probably never would have sought out these products on my own. I could give or take most candy (chocolate is another story…) but now I know just where to turn for something sweet or sour!

This is the entire package I got in the mail. The individual packs are bigger and have multiple servings. The boxes contain smaller packs and are a single serving (I prefer this because it’s easier to control portion size.) When I was
eating the sour gummy worms out of the bigger bag, I definitely Read More »

Earlier this year this Examiner put together a wish list of gluten-free products we would like to see hit grocery store shelves. Some of the items have been developed and will come out at the end of this year, or early next year.  There are also some items this Examiner didn’t have on her list that have been introduced and some items we are still waiting on.

It seems only appropriate as we are drawing to the end of 2011 to recap some of the first-to-market gluten-free products that have hit or are about to hit store shelves this year.

Here are some of my wish list products that are set to hit store shelves: Read More »