I know what you are all thinking – how can healthy & brownie even be in the same title together? Well, guess what? They can!! I stumbled upon this recipe on Twitter a week or so ago & knew that I had to give it a try. I used Lara’s Rolled Oats in place of the instant oats. I tossed them in the food processor first, as suggested & then removed them to blend up the other ingredients. I have to admit that I was a little concerned at first – bananas and black beans in a brownie? I had heard about black beans. I have used bananas for “soft serve ice cream” and I do like them. I also used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa for my choice of cocoa.

Look how fudgey they look!?!

A tip – don’t eat the brownies warm. While they weren’t bad warm, they were much better when cool. I also had maybe the most wonderful brainstorm while starting to eat my brownie – Artisana Coconut Butter as frosting! I quickly got out my coconut butter, warmed it up & spread a little on top. Pure heaven. I can’t wait to dig into another here shortly. The best thing about these healthy brownies, well, besides the taste, the nutritional stats. Check these out: 85 calories, 1g fat, 16g carbs, 4g protein = per square when cut into 9 squares (coconut butter frosting not included). I may just use one of these for my pre-run fuel for my long run tomorrow!

I have to say it again – H.E.A.V.E.N.

It is no secret that I love sweet potatoes. I am happy to eat them in any shape or form. I was perplexed when I saw them on Kath’s blog in the form of a puff. Well, almost. They puff up in the oven. This is so simple that anyone can make these.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Cut your sweet potato into thick rounds and toss with EVOO, sea salt & pepper (you can use Pam if you are trying to cut back on calories, though olive oil is good for you). Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet & cook for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.

Bump the temperature up to 400 for the next 20 minutes, again, flipping half way through. Total cooking time is about 50 minutes.

This makes them sooooo soft on the inside & a little crisp on the outside – like a puff!

I paired mine with a BBQ Turkey Burger on an Everybody Eats Deli Roll and steamed veggies.

These turned out so good!! I dipped mine in some Trader Joe’s Organic Ketchup. I even have some leftover for lunch because my sweet potato was the size of a small football!

Hey guys – there was a comment posted on this post, where I shared the news that the 365 Gluten-free Baking Mixes were being discontinued. I wanted to make sure that this comment didn’t go un-noticed, so I will share it here. The comment is from Reid Schwartz at Whole Foods Global HQ:

Hi there! Reid here from Whole Foods Market’s Global HQ.

We are so sorry for not jumping in here earlier to provide more accurate information. While it is true that you won’t find Gluten Free Baking Mixes labeled with our 365 brand name, we are transitioning back to the Gluten Free Pantry products that were moved out to make room for the 365 versions. We have worked with the folks at Gluten Free Pantry to deliver the same products at the same size and retail. This is really a label transition and not a discontinuation. You will still have access to the great taste you enjoy today with these gluten free products. We know that the products we sell fill a unique need for gluten-free customers and we are truly sorry we didn’t get out in front of this and explain better earlier. If you have any further questions about this, please feel free to send them to customer.questions@wholefoods.com and we’ll get some answers for you.

Thanks for understanding!

Reid, thank you for clearing up this matter for the gluten-free community.

And, people, this is just another reason why I love Whole Foods. I didn’t email them my post – they found it and responded to it. Whole Foods cares about their customers (no, they didn’t pay me to say that ;). It is true that I can’t afford to buy all of my groceries at Whole Foods, but I do go there 2-3 times/month for specific items and things I know I can depend on Whole Foods to provide for me.

Happy March to you guys!!! I am just happy February was over. Here in Columbus, Ohio, we had the snowiest February on record at over 30 inches!!! I am happy to be past that. Now, I know all too well that we can get snow into March, and even April, here in Ohio, but I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel. Plus, a spring break trip to Atlanta will do wonders for my need for warmth. 😉

Twitter is such a wonderful place. It is literally a wealth of information. I got a great idea for breakfast this morning from Erin at Gluten-free Fitness on Twitter last Friday. She was talking about pancakes & suggested mixing oatmeal & egg whites for a healthy, protein filled breakfast. This morning my breakfast was inspired by that tweet.

Here is what I did:

Ingredients

Pancake

1/2 cup dry gluten-free oats (I used Lara’s by Cream Hill Estates)

1/2 cup of egg whites (3-4 if you are using whole eggs, depending on the size)

cinnamon

vanilla

Toppings

Blueberries

Raspberries

Almond Butter (1 TBSP)

Fruit Spread (Black Cherry – no sugar or sweetener added)

1. Blend all pancake ingredients with an immersion blender until well mixed & fluffy. Heat a pan sprayed with Pam on your stove.

2. Pour mixture into pan & cook until set on the 1st side and then flip. Cook until set on the other side.

3. Top with almond butter, fruit spread and fresh berries.

This breakfast packs in the protein! Just what I need after a workout. There are over 25 grams of protein and between 450 – 500 calories in this breakfast. If you are looking for lower calorie, omit the almond butter and cut almost 100 calories and only 4 grams of protein out.

Thank you Erin for the inspiration to make this awesome breakfast! It was super filling & kept me feeling fueled & full all morning. Make sure to check out Erin’s blog. She is one smart cookie!

A new friend, Sarah, at Celiac in the City, awarded me with an award the other day. Sarah awarded me with the “Prolific Blogger Award“. I am very flattered & honored to be named among these other amazing bloggers. Thank you, Sarah.

This is what Sarah had to say:

Kim @ Gluten Free is Life. Not sure exactly where she finds the time to run, write, review, run, cook, bake, run, tend to kiddos… but she DOES IT! (and she shares the love of coconut M&M’s)

Now, I will share some of the prolific bloggers that are in my Google Reader. Of course, there is Sarah. I have enjoyed getting to know Sarah on Twitter recently & through her blog.

Sam at Operation Jack. Sam is running 60 marathons this year to raise money for autism awareness. Sam’s son, Jack, was diagnosed with autism after her turned 3. I don’t know how Sam does it all – works, is a husband & Dad to 3 kids, travels & runs marathons every weekend.

Joe at Joe is Running for Dom. Joe is running in support of a good friend’s battle with cancer. Joe will be running in this year’s Boston Marathon, as well as Pittsburgh’s Marathon, only 13 days later.

Lauren at Celiac Teen. Lauren, only 16 years old, is wise beyond her years. She is a brilliant cook and baker. Lauren helped raise close to $5000 for Haiti by organizing & compiling recipes for an eCookbook last month.

Elizabeth at Gluten-free Baking 101. Elizabeth is the author of Easy Gluten-Free Baking. She is always cooking or baking up something that makes my stomach growl, even if I have just eaten! I am currently drooling over her Gluten-Free Cake Truffles.

Amy at Simply Sugar & Gluten-free. Amy has got to be one of the busiest people I know. She just started going to culinary schoole (very jealous) and is always creating amazing meals on her blog. I don’t know how she does it all.

Getting excited for the Team USA vs. Team Canada Men’s Hockey Game that is going to be on here shortly. There is sure to be excitement this afternoon in our house.

Here is hoping that with the end of February also comes the end of the snow. LOL! Wishful thinking, huh? I just want to see the grass again. I want to see how much it needs mowed. 😉 I want to see the tulips & daffodils poke up through the soil. I want to not have to wear gloves everytime I go outside. I know, be patient, it will come.

Onto the meal plan –

Sunday – Turkey burgers, sweet potato puffs (thick cut “fries” that puff up & get all soft & gooey in the center), green beans & salad.

Monday -Spaghetti & marinutta, roasted broccoli & salad

Tuesday-Turkey tacos or Mexican Pizza, cilantro/lime rice, refried beans & salad

Wednesday-Holiday Baking Company lasagna (review to come soon!), asparagus & salad

Thursday-BBQ Chicken Breast, Cheese Chili Potatoes (recipe to come this week), broccoli & salad

Friday-Pizza on a new pizza crust to review and salad

Saturday-Leftovers or take out

Baked Goods

Testing out a new bread mix that I will review this week (in the oven now)

Brownies (a new, super healthy recipe – hope to share this week, too)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Weekly Recap:

Several new posts up on the Examiner site – info on Wendy’s new GF menu, P.F.Chang’s rolling out a new menu & an article about Lactose Intolerance & Celiac Disease being confused.

A couple new articles up on Celiac-Disease.com: Quick, weeknight meals, Chicken Finger Breading ideas, and a Review of Shabtai Gourmet Gluten-free Supermoist Brownies.

French Meadow Bakery Coupons

Snikiddy Products Review

Biscottea Cookies review

News & Notes, specifically that today (2/28) is the last day to order your Zing Bars for a $10/box discount: use code gflife.

Amazing Maple Pecan Sables recipe.

Anne, at Gluten-free Musings wrote a very interesting post on a woman she met this past week. The woman she met was a diagnosed Celiac, but went on to explain to Anne that she still had her old gluten-filled favorites once a week or so. Head over to Anne’s blog & read all about it for yourself & make sure to share your thoughts.

Check out the lengths that Heidi, at Adventures of a Gluten-free Mom, goes to for her son Sam. Sam is 6 (I think) and was feeling left out because he couldn’t have lunchables like his friends. Heidi goes above & beyond to solve Sam’s problem. I believe she is getting the “Mom of the Year” award this year. 😉

Don’t forget to check out Orgjunkie for many more menu ideas.

Have a wonderful week!!!

I just happened to glance at the calendar & realize that Easter is coming up quickly – April 4, 2010. Sure, I have seen the Easter decorations in the stores, but since they are typically decorating for Christmas before Halloween, that doesn’t mean much to me. Having a child with Celiac Disease who has to follow a gluten-free diet means planning all functions, celebrations, holidays, meals, etc in advance. Children like to feel like they belong. They like to be like their friends, not stick out like a sore thumb because they can’t eat the candy or treats that the other children are having. I am going to go over some tips for helping your child(ren) have a wonderful Easter or spring holiday and not feel left out.

Easter Baskets

Easter baskets can be filled with whatever the Easter Bunny decides to fill it with. There are plenty of gluten-free candy options out there, so you just need to be cautious. Some of the holiday variations contain different ingredients than their original shapes and sizes. A perfect example is Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts – they contain wheat, while Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups do not and are usually safe for those following a gluten-free diet. Here is a brief list of safe, popular Easter Candy:

• Jelly Belly Jelly Beans
• Starburst Jelly Beans
• Wal-Mart Jelly Beans (says “gluten-free” on the label)
• Peeps
• Snickers Bars (full size or miniatures)
• M & M’s (dark, peanut butter, milk, peanut, almond)
• Skittles
• Reese’s Pieces
• Hershey’s Kisses
• Just Born Jelly Beans
• Cadbury Mini Eggs
• Cadbury Cream Eggs
• Dove Dark
• Dove Milk
• Dove Caramel
• Mounds
• Baby Ruth Crème Egg
• Butterfinger Nest Eggs
• Nestle Caramel Nest Eggs
• Nestle Peanut Butter Nest Eggs
• Nestle Milk Chocolate Nest Eggs
• Pez
• Pixie Sticks
• Pop Rocks
• Rolo
• Sour Patch Kids
• Sweet Tarts
• Three Musketeers

The list can be seen in its entirety here. Candy doesn’t have to be the only “food” item that’s fun for Easter baskets. There are Lara Bars (a General Mill’s product), 100% fruit leathers, fruit snacks (Betty Crocker’s are gluten-free), nuts, gluten-free homemade cookies or granola bars or fresh fruit. I also add other items such as an iTunes gift card or gift card to a popular store or gluten-free restaurant or ice cream shop. Cold Stone Creamery has gluten-free ice cream & my kids love to go there.

Spring Celebrations

If we (or just Jon) are invited to a function or celebration that is going to be serving food (and most seem to these days), I always make sure to bring or send along something he can eat. Some super quick & easy dessert ideas can be created with Betty Crocker’s Gluten-free Baking Mixes. There are many recipes on the Betty Crocker site or you can simply follow the directions on the box. These mixes are priced well & taste so good that no one will even know that they are gluten-free. They have become my go-to dessert when we head out to parties now. If we need ice cream to go along with our cake or cupcakes, I can always count on Edy’s/Dryers or Breyer’s. Both brands will label gluten clearly and have very good chocolates & vanillas.

Now that I have shared dessert ideas for the spring celebrations, what about the main course? What about Easter dinner? If you are preparing it, as I probably will be, here are some ideas.

• Honeybaked Ham (now gluten-free, including the glaze)
• Mashed Potatoes
• Creamy Fried Confetti Corn
• Salad of mixed greens & vegetables
• Fruit Salad
• Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Icing

What if you are invited to someone else’s house? Politely ask what they are serving and if you can bring something to share. If met with any resistance, then mention having to follow a gluten-free diet. Most hosts are more than willing to either accommodate, if they feel they safely can or suggest something that will complement what they are serving. If you are met with a lot of resistance, to heck with them; bring your own meal or eat before you go. No need to risk getting sick!

Being the planner that I am, I like to have this figured out well in advance – at least a week before the function, if not more. Having to follow the gluten-free diet myself, I know what it is like to sit & watch other people eat & have a good time. It is not fun. I do whatever I can to try to avoid having Jon feel like that.

I did a review of some products by French Meadow Bakery a couple weeks back. I adore their Cinnamon Raisin Bread. Since I wrote the review, I have also used the Cinnamon Raisin Bread to make French Toast – boy, was that good!! Perfect with some fresh blueberries & maple syrup drizzled over the top.

Anyway, the point of my post – a survey & a coupon! Ooh! I love coupons! This is a coupon for $2 off any gluten-free retail product or 20% off your online order. All you have to do is go here and take the survey – which took me about 5 minutes.

French Meadow Bakery has a nice variety of gluten-free products available. Here is a list of what they offer:

Brownie Bites

Brownies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Pizza Crust (2 pack or 6 pack)

Sandwich Bread

Multigrain Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Tortillas

Cakes (yellow or chocolate)

Cupcakes (yellow or chocolate)

Muffins (blueberry or apple cinnamon)

Italian Rolls

Some background on French Meadow Bakery:

Heritage

French Meadow Bakery™ began with a purpose, to introduce the world to flavorful, nutritionally beneficial foods using only what’s necessary from the planet’s most natural and abundant sources.
Gazing out onto the pristine fields of French Meadow, Lynn Gordon was teaching a cooking class and pondering a new recipe for bread that would accommodate her macrobiotic diet. The diet prohibited her from eating breads loaded with yeast and sugar (the natural leavening process breaks down complex carbohydrates and the glutens, rendering the bread more digestible and the nutrients more easily absorbed.) Thus, the idea for the all-organic and functional French Meadow Bakery™ was born.

Opened in 1985, French Meadow Bakery™ is the longest continuously-running certified organic bakery in the U.S. Lynn’s early vision for a variety of delicious, innovative healthy breads and sweet goods has blossomed into an extensive and award-winning product line of gluten-free, vegan, yeast-free and kosher parve foods known for their great taste, texture and functionality. French Meadow still uses only natural ingredients and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The bakery is USDA-Certified Organic, Quality Assurance International Certified Organic, Certified Gluten-Free by the Gluten Free Certification Organization, a program of The Gluten Intolerance Group®, and Certified Low Glycemic for Diabetics by The Glycemic Research Institute®.

Lynn’s passion for unique and trend-setting performance foods for all consumers still manifests itself in such popular products as Woman’s Bread™, Men’s Bread™, Healthy Hemp™ Bread, Healthseed Spelt™ Bread, and delectable cookies, cakes and desserts. Fourteen new and trendy products were introduced within the last year. All products are also sold nationally in most supermarkets today.

French Meadow Bakery’s™ founding commitment is to be a sustainable company that educates its customers on the lifelong benefits of organic foods and which supports small farmers continues. The bakery still uses only certified organic grains and non-GMO ingredients that are grown in balance and harmony with nature, sustaining the health of the planet.

After Lynn’s auspicious vision in that now-famous field in 1985, French Meadow’s mission now reaches a welcoming international audience with its new strategic business alliance with Rich Products Corporation.

Want to find French Meadow Bakery gluten-free products in your area? Click here to see where!

I received some complimentary coupons from Snikiddy to go and get a couple bags of their snacks to sample. I was very excited as everything I saw on their website looked like so much fun! Sometimes even us adults need fun snacks. 😉 I was hoping to find the Baked Fries, but none of the stores in my area seem to carry these. I ended up with the Grilled Cheese Puffs & Nacho Cheese Puffs. No complaints here – I love cheese.

Some information on Snikiddy:

Snikiddy® is a brand of great tasting, family-friendly snack foods made from simple, wholesome, and real ingredients.

How Snikiddy Got it’s Name:

Snikiddy® is a shortened (and let’s face it, easier to say) form of the word persnickety, which means choosy or picky. Growing up, Janet (Mary’s mom) and her siblings were known around school as the Snikiddy kids (a badge they wore proudly) because they always ate healthy lunches. Their mom (Grandma), ahead of her time with her passion for good health, would pack their lunch boxes full of locally grown organic produce and very simple foods. A teacher once referred to them as being persnickety and the kids’ version of the word (snikiddy) stuck.

Grandma’s passion for healthy eating was obviously contagious. It was passed from generation to generation and in 2006 Janet and Mary founded Snikiddy®. At Snikiddy®, we are persnickety about our products – whether we’re insisting on top-quality ingredients or simple ingredients such as real cheese, potatoes and corn, we take pride in every product we make and are confident that these snacks would pass the true test…your family’s! We thank you for being Snikiddy® about your snacks too!

We all loved these cheese puffs! They had a great cheese flavor & crunch. Now I can’t wait to get my hands on those baked fries!!! Come to momma!

Find out where you can purchase Snikiddy products in your area. Columbus people – I found the cheese puffs at Meijer in Westerville.

A few weeks back I received some complimentary samples of Biscottea Shortbread Cookies. Here is some information about Biscottea:

BISCOTTEA® is baked with organic and all-natural ingredients and combines the richness of a traditional Scottish shortbread recipe with the health attributes of the teas which are baked into each BISCOTTEA® square.

I was sent samples of the following Biscottea shortbread cookies:

Blueberry Tea Shortbread-White Tea from China’s Fujian province has long been celebrated for it’s cooling properties. High in antioxidants, this tea is mellow, slightly woodsy in character. We combine this Organic White Tea with Organic all-natural blueberry flavor into this gluten free version of our traditional BISCOTTEA® Blueberry Tea Shortbread. These were our favorite cookie of the 3. I loved the subtle blueberry flavor & the texture of the cookie. Just like a traditional shortbread cookie.

Chai Tea Shortbread -Savor the delicate balance of fragrant Chai Spices — cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger and pepper — we combine these all natural spices into this gluten free version of our traditional BISCOTTEA® Chai Tea Shortbread. These cookies tasted a lot like a chai latte. The texture was awesome. Great cookie!

Earl Grey Tea Shortbread- From the Makaibari Estate, known for its outstanding organic teas, this Darjeeling Tea has spicy, floral notes — ideal for this Earl Grey recipe. We combine this “Champagne of Teas”, with the citrus bouquet from the Bergamot fruit into this gluten free version of our traditional BISCOTTEA® Shortbread. This cookie earned a very close 2nd place to the Blueberry Tea Shortbread. Excellent flavor & texture.

Biscottea Shortbread cookies can be purchased at Gluten-Free Mall for $5.45/box of 8 cookies.

Have you tried these cookies? What did you think? Of all the cookies that I miss from my gluten-filled days, I think the shortbread cookie is the one that I miss the most because I have found that it has been the hardest to replicate. These cookies made by Biscottea fill that void. 🙂