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Top Gluten-Free Picks from Expo West 2013

daiya-expo-west-2013There was definitely a lot to take in at Expo West in Anaheim, CA. This year’s event saw record attendance of 63,000 industry members and 2,428 exhibiting companies. Needless to say, that is a lot of ground to cover in three days, but I did my best.

I thought this year I would let you know about my favorite products found at the event, and then follow up with a more thorough article of all of the notable gluten-free products. Here are my top gluten-free picks in alphabetical order:

Big Lots Surprises With Lots of Gluten-Free Products

bob's red mill gluten free brownie mixYou expect to find gluten-free food online and in health food stores and big grocery stores, but you never anticipate finding it in your local discount store. I was recently pleasantly surprised to find, among the curling irons and cat food, many GF products in Big Lots, the largest broadline closeout retailer in the U.S.

Big Lots has recently begun carrying several types of Bob’s Red Mill products, most of them gluten-free, and all of them much cheaper than they can be purchased on-line or in a grocery store. I bought Bob’s Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie Mix and Pizza Crust Mix for 2.90 and a bag of Bob’s Cinnamon Raisin Bread Mix for 3.95. In my regular grocery store, these mixes run from 4.95 – 6.95. Big Lots also carries a few brands of GF pasta, all for under 2.00 per package. And you can always find

Gluten-Free Sample Boxes Delivered to Your Doorstep

Gluten Free Works Jennifer Harris

gluten free sample pack
PaleoPax’s gluten-free sample service. Photo Credit: PaleoPax

There are hundreds of gluten-free products poised to hit store shelves this year, and if you are a gluten-free foodie like me, then you want to try them all without breaking the bank. Not all gluten-free foods are created equally, so we are fortunate there are companies out there ready to deliver gluten-free sample boxes right to your doorstep.

These companies offer monthly, quarterly, and yearly subscription services that save you money and time by taking the guess work out of buying and trying new

Stop & Shop Launches New Health and Wellness Initiatives

Kristen Beals Gluten Free Works

PURCHASE, N.Y., April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC is launching two new health and wellness initiatives this month to address health concerns for all customers and their families. In its ongoing efforts to fight childhood obesity and help kids live healthier lifestyles, Stop & Shop announced that the first issue of its brand new Kid Healthy Ideas, a free health and wellness quarterly magazine, is now available in all stores.

The 12-page, full-color publication, is geared towards kids ages 8 to 12 and features health-related educational articles, games and recipes.

Do You Make Your Own Gluten-free Bread?


Homemade Gluten Free BreadI have often wondered what percentage of people following the gluten-free diet actually make their own bread.  I tend to use mixes to make sweet breads, but I usually buy my gluten-free bread off the shelf, or from my favorite local gluten-free bakery Pure Knead.

Most of us know that gluten-free bread has come a long way in the last five years, so there are a number of great options to be purchased at local health foods stores that don’t contain artificial ingredients and have the taste and texture of wheat-based bread.

Still, there seems to be a rising percentage of people who prefer to make their own gluten-free bread. Some of my favorite gluten-free bread mixes to use are:

Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings Adds Gluten Free Promise to Packaging

Kristen Beals Gluten Free Works

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

Unique Gluten-free Finds at Expo West 2012 – Part 1 of 4

Gluten Free Works Jennifer Harris

Gluten-free Finds at Expo West 2012

This was my second time attending Expo West and this time I attended as a member of the press for Examiner.com.  I have been writing for Examiner.com as their Atlanta Gluten-free Examiner since 2009, so it was very exciting to receive press credentials and attend.

Attending as a member of the press means I had access to the press room to review materials, I was able to talk with the public relations specialist for companies and I got to chat with other journalist to see what they thought of the show.  Overwhelmingly they all commented on the increased number of gluten-free products at this year’s event.

Last year I was completely overwhelmed by the experience, so this year I was more prepared.  I spent the majority of my time in Room E, which housed those vendors with new products.  The room was full of gluten-free products and after four hours of combing the room I still had not seen all of them.  The best part was a large percentage of the new gluten-free products had

Become a Gluten-free Activist

gluten-free-claire-harrison

gluten free activismOn a recent visit to a museum, my husband and I stopped at its cafeteria for a snack. The choices were cookies and cupcakes, pretzels and potato chips, and assorted drinks.  Clearly, the cafeteria didn’t cater to those of us who are gluten-sensitive, lactose-intolerant, and/or weight watchers.

Much against my will, I bought the only snack I could tolerate although it meant throwing my diet out the window: potato chips.  And much against my dislike of being labeled a complainer, I decided to speak up.  “Would you consider carrying gluten-free products?” I asked. “I can’t eat most of what

Kinnikinnick Begins Offering New Mixes in Time for Holidays

Kim Bouldin Gluten Free Works

Welcome to Monday, December 12, 2011.  Only 13 days until Christmas!  For all of you out there (this includes me) who haven’t finished your shopping, it is time to get busy!   Right now I am out running 8-10 miles to help motivate myself to knock out the rest of my shopping later on today.  Not sure yet if that will include in person or online shopping – it depends on how I feel.

With Hannah home sick with the stomach flu, I had plenty of time to catch up on all things online.   I found some great gluten-free tidbits and plan to share one of them now with you guys! Are you ready? Ta-da….

gluten free gingerbread man

 

Kinnikinnick is now offering some new mixes just in time for the holiday season.  These mixes include: