Have you guys checked out the new site by General Mills, Live Gluten Freely? General Mills is one of the most gluten-free-friendly companies out there. They now have over 250 gluten-free products!! You can view the list of the products here. I noticed that they have added some products to the list, such as frostings, Green Giant Steamers, a few more soups and yogurt. The site has so much useful information.

I am thrilled to share with you all that I will be contributing blog entries to Live Gluten Freely beginning with the site’s re-launch in March!  I am so excited about this opportunity!  I love what General Mills has done for the gluten-free/Celiac community.

Live Gluten Freely also has a recipe page that they hope to grow to over 100 recipes. There are some great ideas there. I particularly like the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars with Chocolate Frosting and the Brownie Ganache Torte with Raspberries.

You can also follow Live Gluten Free on Facebook. This is a great place to interact with others who are also gluten-free.

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As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I received a coupon for some Eggland’s Best Eggs. I eat eggs daily for breakfast, so I was excited to give the Eggland’s Best a try.

I usually make a spinach, tomato & egg white frittata for breakfast, so these came in very handy. I did notice a difference in taste from the traditional, white grocery store eggs – in a good way. I have also been enjoying them in the form of fried egg sandwiches on gluten-free bread spread with a little hummus. Perfect lunch!

Here is some more info from Eggland’s Best:

Eggland’s Best Eggs Are Now Even More Nutritious

Eggland’s Best now provides even better nutrition for your family. Compared to ordinary eggs, EBs deliver even higher levels of important nutrients like vitamin A, D, E, B2 and B12, along with lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol. All this combined with their delicious, farm-fresh taste, is why EB continues to stand for the very best in quality and value for your family.

If you are like me, you are curious as to how the Eggland’s Best egg is more nutritious than other eggs. Here is what Eggland’s Best has to say about that topic:

Special, Unique Hen Feed

It all starts with the special Eggland’s Best hen feed. Eggland’s Best hen feed is a patented all-natural, all-vegetarian feed that contains healthy grains, canola oil, and an all-natural supplement of rice bran, alfalfa, sea kelp and Vitamin E. The Eggland’s Best hen feed contains no animal fat, no animal by-products, and no recycled or processed food. Eggland’s Best never uses hormones, steroids, or antibiotics of any kind. Simply put, because the Eggland’s Best hen diet is superior, Eggland’s Best hens lay nutritionally superior eggs.

Nutritional Benefits

Eggland’s Best eggs contain ten times more Vitamin E than ordinary eggs, 100 mg of Omega 3, shown to be beneficial to cardiac health, 25% less Saturated Fat, and 200 mcg of Lutein, shown to contribute to eye health. In addition, one Eggland’s Best large white egg contains just 175 mg of Cholesterol compared to 215 mg in an ordinary egg. Proven by clinical studies performed at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, and published in the Journal of Nutrition, and the Journal of Applied Nutrition, Eggland’s Best eggs can be part of a cholesterol-reducing diet when eaten in place of more fatty foods.

Very interesting. I had no idea. Do you eat eggs? Do you buy Eggland’s Best?

What is Fat Tuesday? Here is a little background for you from Wikipedia –

The terms “Mardi Gras”, “Mardi Gras season”, and “Carnival season”, in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after the Epiphany and ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday. Related popular practices were associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. Popular practices included wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.

In many areas, the term “Mardi Gras” has come to mean the whole period of activity related to the celebratory events, beyond just the single day. In some US cities, it is now called “Mardi Gras Day” or “Fat Tuesday. The festival season varies from city to city, as some traditions consider Mardi Gras the entire period between Epiphany or Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday. Others treat the final three-day period before Ash Wednesday as the Mardi Gras. In Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras-associated social events begin in November, followed by mystic society balls on Thanksgiving, then New Year’s Eve, followed by parades and balls in January and February, celebrating up to midnight before Ash Wednesday. In earlier times parades were held on New Year’s Day. Other cities famous for Mardi Gras celebrations include Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Quebec City, Quebec in Canada; Mazatlan in Mexico; and New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States. Many other places have important Mardi Gras celebrations as well.

Carnival is an important celebration in Catholic European nations. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the week before Ash Wednesday is called “shrovetide”, ending on Shrove Tuesday. It has its popular celebratory aspects as well. Pancakes are a traditional food. Pancakes and related fried breads or pastries made with sugar, fat and eggs are also traditionally consumed at this time in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

When I was growing up, we always called it “Shrove Tuesday”, as I was raised Episcopalian. I remember going to church on Shrove Tuesday for a pancake dinner. Mmmm!! We often spoke of what we would be giving up for Lent at dinner that night.

Now that we are gluten-free, I make our pancakes at home. I usually use Pamela’s Pancake & Baking Mix for our pancakes, but today I decided to use my complimentary sample of Jules Gluten-Free Flour. I quickly found an easy recipe for “Flapjacks” on Jules website. This recipe made 9 pancakes for us. I topped them with butterscotch chips & syrup & Jon had a wonderful, snow day breakfast.

I made a couple changes to the recipe:

• I used Instant Non-fat Dry Milk (it was all I had) in place of the Dari-Free™ Non-Dairy Milk
  Powder (or dry dairy or soy milk powder)
• I used skim milk for the milk

While I am a huge fan of Pamela’s Products, I think that these pancakes have got the Pamela’s Pancake Mix beat. They are probably the closest thing I have tried compared to gluten-filled pancakes. I asked Jon which he preferred & he said these, hands down. The texture is key and it is just perfect!

You can purchase Jules Gluten-Free Flour here.  There is also a coupon I posted about yesterday for a free e-Cookbook with 13 of the most requested recipes included!

Will you have pancakes today? How do you celebrate Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras?

I was the lucky recepient of a large box of complimentary samples from Kinnikinnick. I had emailed them inquiring about the newer products in their line – Panko Style Breadcrumbs, Fudge KinniTOOs and Graham Cracker Crumbs and they were more than happy to send samples along. Kinnikinnick has been a company whose products I have been eating since I first went gluten-free over 4 years ago. I remember my first trip to Whole Foods and the nicest young man told me about Kinnikinnick and I bought my first bag of bagels that day. You can read the history of Kinnikinnick here. I especially like their mission statement:

Our Corporate Philosophy
Kinnikinnick Foods is a company focused on our customers. We provide high quality food products to people with special needs. For these people, the choices are limited, often unpalatable and sometimes not available at all. We recognize that for these people the simple act of buying and preparing basic food is difficult at best. The enjoyment of “exotic” foods, like a hamburger, a bagel, a pizza or a donut is sometimes just a fond remembrance. Some children have never tasted a donut until they try one of ours. We take great satisfaction in providing our products to those people with special dietary needs in all regions of North America. Our office receives numerous calls every week simply thanking us for helping them with their conditions and making a difference in their lives.

Kinnikinnick Foods will continue to improve and expand our line of specialty products. We believe that more and more people will enjoy our line of products and view them as healthy and satisfying alternatives to other food lines. We will continue to be one of the leading producers of Alternative Foods in the coming years.

Here is a picture of some of the items that Kinnikinnick sent to me.

They also sent along frozen doughnuts, pizza crusts & English Muffins.

The Chocolate Dipped Doughnuts

English Muffin as a base for a tuna melt.

Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts

Montana’s Chocolate Chip Cookies & KinniToos Fudge Creme Cookies.

Pizza on the frozen pizza crust.

We are thrilled with Kinnikinnick’s products. There hasn’t been one that we tried that we didn’t love. Jon begs for the doughnuts & pizza crust all the time. The cookies, especially the chocolate chip cookies, were very impressive. They had a nice crunch, texture & flavor. The chocolate chip cookies only have 36 calories per cookie.

We still have a few products to sample, but I wanted to get this stuff shared. I am using the Panko bread crumbs to make chicken parmesan this coming weekend, so watch for a post with the recipe next week.

Kinnikinnick’s products can be found in mainstream grocery stores, though they may only have select items. You can also order right from their website. They have a flat shipping rate of only $10.

If you haven’t taken advantage of this fabulous coupon yet, you must do so before the coupon expires! Jules Gluten Free is offering a free copy of Jule’s Baker’s Dozen – a collection of her most requested recipes. All you have to do to get it is click here and enter the coupon code: bakers1 (case sensitive).

If you haven’t tried Jules Gluten Free Flour, you are missing out. I have a review in the process of being written that used her flour & I can’t say enough good things about it.

I received a sample of a Wow Baking Company Chocolate Chip Cookie the other day. The cookie was big, like those I remember buying at the mall in my pre-gluten-free days at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory or Mrs. Field’s. I quickly split the cookie in half & hid my half because I knew that once Jon set eyes on this cookie I had no chance of getting any.

More about Wow Baking Company:

Our home is in the Pacific Northwest, an environment of inspiration for All-Natural products and an area supporting “green” business practices. In 2007 we grew out of our production kitchen. This year we were excited to move into our new offices and production facility built to meet the growing demand for our products.

Susan Howe, our Director of Product Development is passionate about creating the best tasting WOW baked goods. With a true love for baking, Susan spends countless hours mixing and baking until she has mastered the ultimate blend of ingredients. After the WOW team gets a chance to devour her creations, Susan evaluates the comments and refines the recipie to perfection.

At WOW BAKING we are dedicated to creating the best tasting All Natural Wheat and Gluten-free baked goods found anywhere.
We love to hear people say “WOW” when they try our products. Let us know what flavors have you saying “WOW”.

WOW BAKING COMPANY has re-defined Wheat and Gluten-Free Baked Goods.We make our products in small batches with premium all Natural ingredients creating DELICIOUS tasting Fresh baked Cookies and Brownies.

This picture can’t do this cookie justice. This cookie was amazing. I know that I use that word a lot, but I really can’t stress how good this cookie was. Maybe next time I will go with one of these words that just came up in a thesaurus search for amazing: awesome, fascinating, incredible, marvelous, prodigious, shocking, stunning, surprising, unbelievable, wonderful. I actually had to double & triple check the ingredients to make sure there was no gluten in it. Jon wasn’t home when I tried the cookie, so I called him to get his thoughts & he said the same exact thing that I said. I honestly wasn’t expecting them to be as good as they were. I don’t mean that in a bad way, I don’t know why I even thought it. Perhaps it was because the cookie was so big? I think maybe I thought it would be dry & crumbly? It was anything but. The flavor & texture were just as good as any gluten-filled cookie that I remember. I want to know where these cookies have been hiding for all the time that I have been gluten-free.

You can find Wow Baking Company cookies in these locations or you can purchase them online at Amazon.com. If you would like to try these out for yourself, just go here, tell your story & get a free cookie.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!! Are you celebrating in any special way? Aaron & Jon are out of town for a hockey tournament, so Hannah & I will be having dinner with my mom & step dad at one of my favorite restaurants. Not the same as being with the love of my life, but I am looking forward to spending some time with my mommy (and step dad). I did make sure to start my day out the only way you can start out a day that centers around chocolate – with cacao nibs over my rice cakes, peanut butter & black cherry spread! YUM! What a unique crunch that added! I may just have to do that again. I also tossed some in my coffee. I was reading the back of the package while waiting for my eggs and saw a suggestion to add to your morning coffee. No need to twist my arm to add anything like that to my coffee. It added a nice undertone to the coffee and they softened up so they were a bit chewy when my coffee was all gone.

Seems we are in for some more snow tomorrow. I think that mother nature missed my last memo that I had had enough already. I guess maybe that darn groundhog was right afterall. Onto the plan:

Sunday – dinner out!

Monday – Filet Mignon, baked potato, asparagus & salad

Tuesday- Tacos, refried beans, cilantro rice, corn & salad

Wednesday- Burgers (veggie or turkey), sweet potato fries, broccoli & salad

Thursday-Grilled chicken, roasted acorn squash, zucchini & salad

Friday- Pizza or calzones and salad

Saturday-Leftovers

Baked Goods

Chocolate Crinkles

Bagels

Pumpkin Bread

Make sure to check out Orgjunkie for lots of menu planning ideas.

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In case you missed these posts:

Runner’s Review of Zensah Compression Sleeves

Gluten-free Diet – Healthy or Not?

Review: Vino De Milo Salad Dressing

Review: Endangered Species Chocolate

Lentils & a recipe

Also, there have been several recalls this week:

Daniel’s Meat Packers recall turkey burgers

Champ Meatball Company recalls patty mix

Cousin’s recalls Spinach Vinaigrette

Don’t miss this: Columbus people – Gluten Nanny hosting a workshop this week.

Okay, so this isn’t a gluten-free food review, but I had to give this product a shout out because it might just be the best $40 I have ever spent. I had read on many running blogs about the compression sleeves, but hadn’t taken the leap yet. My concern and reason for considering them was my calves being very tight leading up to and after my half marathon in October. This post is what sealed the deal for me & convinced me to give them a try.

I happened to take Hannah to a birthday party right next to Road Runner Sports a couple weeks back, so I ran in to see if they had the Zensah sleeves. They did. Not only did they have them, but they had them in 3 colors – black, purple & pink. I had a rough time deciding between the pink & purple, but I went with the pink. I put them on when I got home, figuring since I ran 10 miles that morning that it couldn’t hurt to wear them. I was pleasantly surprised when I got out of bed the next morning & there was virtually no tightness in my calves at all.

The compression sleeves increase blood flow to the area & help speedy recovery. You can read more information on recovery & compression sleeves here and here.

I have been just thrilled with my sleeves. I have used them for all runs since I bought them and after my runs longer than 8 miles. My calves/shins have never felt better (well, okay, maybe when I wasn’t running at all). They are easy to take care of – just toss in the washing machine & hang to dry. They also match a lot of my running gear. 😉 I hope that these help carry me through my upcoming half & full marathons.

Here is a picture:

I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this review. I bought the sleeves myself, though I would be happy to review any other products that Zensah would like to send my way, such as the cute running skirt. 😉

Once again there were some tweets on Twitter yesterday that got my knickers all in a knot. I love that phrase, “knickers in a knot” and am thrilled that I was able to use it somewhere! Okay, back to my thought process -sorry. It wasn’t what the tweeps (people who were tweeting) were saying, it was information that they had heard & were repeating that had me all riled up. Apparently Dr. Peter Green, Director of The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, was on a show on XM radio yesterday afternoon. Alision, of Sure Foods Living, tweeted the following: “Dr. Peter Green on XM radio today said gluten-free diet is expensive, inconvenient and not a healthy diet. I disagree with the last part!!!“. I have lots of thoughts on this last part regarding the healthy diet. I completely agree with the expensive part and somewhat agree with inconvenient part.

The part I do not agree with at all is the gluten-free diet not being a healthy diet. I tweeted in response to Alison’s tweet “@CeliacFamily @surefoodsliving I think any diet is what you make it. There R plenty of healthy whole grain #gf foods.” See, Dr. Green was saying that the gluten-free diet, when compared to a diet of enriched wheat products, was not healthy. I truly believe that while the gluten-free diet can be unhealthy if you use products that are not made with gluten-free whole grains, it is all dependent upon what foods you choose. Same goes for the SAD (standard American diet) – white bread, fast food, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, etc. However, if you choose healthy gluten-free foods, the gluten-free diet can be very healthy.

What are healthy gluten-free foods? Well, for starters, most fruits and vegetables in their natural form are gluten-free. The same goes for unseasoned meats & fish, milk, beans (including soy), lentils, eggs, nuts, seeds (except wheat, rye & barley) and some yogurt. There are quite a number of gluten-free grains that are extremely healthy for you – here is a list of some of them:

• quinoa
• millet
• sorghum
• buckwheat
• teff
• amaranth
• rice (brown is better for you than white)
• corn

Take quinoa for example. Quinoa is a complete protein – this means that it has all 9 amino acids. It also high in fiber. Quinoa can be used in place of rice or you can find it in flake or flour form. I have also used millet & buckwheat in place of rice or quinoa in many dishes for a change.

The standard gluten-free flour mix contains rice flour, potato starch & tapioca flour. Using only this mix is not the healthiest option. Baking with a mixture of gluten-free flours can maximze the nutritional benefits of whatever you are baking. Amy, of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, has some great posts on gluten-free flours that will help explain all you ever wanted to know about gluten-free flours.

Does this mean that you have to avoid foods with rice, potato starch & tapioca flours in them? No. My whole point is this – any diet is what you make it. You can choose to eat the more healthy foods and then splurge on the “treats” in moderation. I think (and I am just speculating here) that possibly Dr. Green was referring to replacement products. When I am using the term “replacement products”, I am referring to those products that are pre-made, such as bread, cookies, rolls, etc. Some of the gluten-free replacement products on the market are comprised of the white gluten-free flour mixes made up of rice, potato starch & tapioca flours. I have run across more & more replacement products lately that are using some of the more nutritious gluten-free flours, such as bean flours or sorghum. There are even gluten-free pastas on the market now that are made of brown rice, corn & quinoa to add some nutritional value to them.

When I first started on the gluten-free diet 4 years ago, I did go straight to the replacement products that were not as healthy as I adjusted to the diet. There is definitely a learning curve. Now that I have had the time to reserach & learn, I try to utilize some of these healthier gluten-free ingredients. I also try to stick to foods that are naturally gluten-free, eliminating the need for replacement products where I can.

Anyone else care to weigh in on this? I would love to hear some other opinions on this.

I have been following Vino De Milo on Twitter for a while now & I always see these tweets that get my tummy growling. When I was shopping at Whole Foods the other day, I found some of their dressings & picked up the Artichoke & Parmesan one. You can read more about Vino De Milo here.

The Artichoke Parmesan dressing is described as “Creamy, yet low in fat, the parmesan in this dressing makes it a great alfredo alternative, or as a topping for fresh romaine. The delicate flavor of artichokes underpins a smooth texture, enhanced by a light white wine & fresh basil”. I love that these dressings have no HFCS and have a short ingredient list. Nothing that is hard to pronouce and non-GMO canola oil is used.

I paired this dressing with an arugula & cherry tomato salad. What a perfect blend of flavors. Spicy arugula with the cool, creamy Artichoke Parmesan dressing. This is a great low calorie dressing at only 20 calories per serving.  I loved the creaminess & flavor of this dressing.  There is a recipe on Vino De Milo’s site for an “alfredo” using this dressing. May have to give that a try!

There are also 4 other dressings, pasta sauces & brushcettas to choose from on Vino De Milo’s site. I also like that Vino De Milo is handmade & is made in Ohio! I love to support local companies.

I received some complimentary samples of the new & improved organic chocolate bars from Endangered Species Chocolate. Everyone knows how I feel about chocolate – it is the best food on earth. I couldn’t wait to dig into these bars, but I did restrain myself & enlisted help from my kids; both share my love of chocolate. First, some information on Endangered Species:

Endangered Species Chocolate uses the universal appeal of chocolate to spread a positive environmental message. We do this by creating a selection of the highest quality, all-natural, ethically traded chocolate, including certified organic offerings. By purchasing ethically traded chocolate, we guarantee cacao farmers a fair wage that lead to more sustainable farming practices.

Additionally, the Ethically Traded label ensures quality products grown under environmentally conscious conditions. All of our bars are wrapped in appealing packaging that highlights the importance of the Earth’s creatures. Our goal is to educate and inspire those who purchase our gourmet products.

MORE THAN DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE
Chocolate is one of the most universally loved foods. However, like other products, it can have either positive or negative effects on the environment and the bodies of those who eat it.

At Endangered Species Chocolate, we provide exceptionally delicious chocolate made with only the finest, 100 percent all-natural ingredients. We offer organic choices to support human health as well as the environment. Plus, recent studies confirm that chocolate contains flavonoids that help blood vessels work more smoothly, perhaps reducing the risk of heart disease. Chocolate also acts as a powerful antioxidant, reducing dangerous free radicals at a higher rate than vitamin C or green tea. And, combined with exercise, research shows that chocolate works to reduce fat in the body.

Just as important, we see chocolate as a medium to save species, conserve habitat and honor human life. Our cacao beans are sourced and harvested from small family-owned properties and are ethically traded. ESC also pays fair prices for harvested products so cacao farmers can maintain their properties. We add to the impact of each bar by donating 10 percent of our net profits to environmental organizations that work to help endangered species and their habitats.

I don’t know about you, but just knowing that chocolate is actually good for you makes me all warm & fuzzy inside! Now, onto some more about the bars I received & sampled.

Organic Dark Chocolate & Cherry (70% Cocoa Content)
You’ll detect a smooth, sweet cherry flavor throughout this decadent dark chocolate bar. A rather romantic flavor! Peek inside the wrapper for species information that will allow you to become more familiar with koalas unique habits. Your chocolate purchase tastes all the more sweet when you remind yourself that it supports conservation efforts. This bar was only sampled by me. It didn’t last long enough to get to the kids. Sorry, guys. It was awesome and is probably my favorite of the 5. Smooth & dark. Perfection.

Organic Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa Content)
Savor a pure chocolate moment with this 70% cocoa content indulgence. Deep dark organic chocolate – pure and simple. Increase your knowledge of winged-wonders by reading the inside of the wrapper, filled with insightful knowledge about butterfly species. Your chocolate purchase tastes all the more sweet knowing that it is supporting conservation efforts. What more can I say? We all love dark chocolate in this house & this bar did not disappoint. A+

Dark Chocolate & Orange (70% Cocoa Content)
Deeply dark chocolate blends with refreshing orange oil to create an aromatic organic experience. Inhale and savor! Walk away from your chocolate encounter with increased knowledge about zebras courtesy of compelling text inside the wrapper. Your chocolate purchase tastes all the more intoxicating when you remind yourself that it supports species and habitat conservation. Both Jon & I enjoyed this chocolate bar. It reminded me somewhat of the chocolate oranges you can get at Christmas time. Another great bar of chocolate. Hannah was not crazy about this one.

Organic Smooth Milk Chocolate (43% Cocoa Content!)
An experience to savor. This chocolate bar boasts a 43% cocoa content that delivers a deep, rich flavor that will leave you forever spoiled. Walk away from your chocolate encounter with increased knowledge about lions courtesy of compelling text inside the wrapper. Your chocolate purchase tastes even more pure and sweet when you remind yourself that it supports conservation efforts. Smooth & creamy, just like milk chocolate is supposed to be. This was Hannah’s favorite bar.

Organic Milk Chocolate & Peanut Butter (43% Cocoa Content!)
Slightly salty peanut butter is blended throughout this milk chocolate bar, making it one of our most addictive flavors! Better snag a couple more than you planned – this chocolate bar will be devoured sooner than you think. Peek inside the wrapper to read all sorts of interesting facts about gentle giraffes. Your chocolate purchase becomes even more irresistible when you remind yourself that it supports species and habitat conservation. How can you go wrong when combining peanut butter & chocolate? You can’t. I love this bar! So unique. I like that the peanut butter is blended with the chocolate, not a filling inside. Brilliant! A hit with the kids, too.

You can find Endangered Species Chocolate in many grocery stores throughout the US. You can also purchase it right from ESC’s website. Another reason to buy Endangered Species Chocolate – they are certified gluten-free!! As if I need another reason to buy chocolate!