Happy Earth Day! Did you know that Balance Bar Dark Bars are made with 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified™ cocoa? I didn’t!

The Rainforest Alliance certification assures consumers that our cocoa beans are grown on sustainably managed farms that protect people and their surrounding ecosystems of water, soil and wildlife.

In celebration of Earth Day, I am offering one lucky reader a box of Balance Bar Dark Chocolate Crunch Bars.

More about Balance Bar Dark Bars:

Time to tap into your dark side! Balance Bar Dark bars are packed with nutritious protein and fiber, certified Gluten Free and made with 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified™ cocoa—which means they’re good for you AND the environment. Decadent and sweet, each dark chocolate bar is a scrumptious way to get the 40-30-30 nutrition and long-lasting energy you need to outlast the day (or own the dark)!

The Balance Bar Dark Bars are certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). *It is important to note that not all Balance Bars are gluten-free…those that are will be clearly labeled. There are three different varieties of gluten-free bars:

• Dark Chocolate Crunch
• Dark Chocolate Peanut
• Dark Chocolate Coconut

All you have to do to enter to win a box of Balance Bar Dark Bars is leave me a comment telling me how you are celebrating Earth Day. Winner will be randomly chosen on the morning of April 25, 2014. 

*The products mentioned in this post are being provided free of charge for review and giveaway purposes. The thoughts and opinions shared here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything.

It’s been a while since I have posted a weekly menu plan. I can make excuses, tell you all I have been cooking, but the fact of the matter is I have been busy and take-out has become a closer friend than I would like. Hopefully I can get back on track and make some more meals at home this week.

Last week my “baby” boy turned 18! He is officially an adult and will be heading off to college this fall. He will be navigating college gluten-free, so I will be sharing some of that process here for those who may be going through something similar.

Let’s get down to the plan, shall we?

Monday – Spaghetti with marinara and meatballs, salad

Tuesday –  Turkey tacos, black beans, corn

Wednesday – Leftovers

Thursday – Dinner out – belated b-day celebration

Friday – Make your own pizza, salad

Saturday – Breakfast for dinner, fruit salad

Weekly Recap

Holey Bread…What Gives, Udi’s?

California Pizza Kitchen…Beyond the Pizza

Jules Shepard…The Real Story

Have a great week! 

Late last week I discovered Kashi now had two cereals that are gluten-free. I quickly put them both on my grocery list so I could sample and review for you guys. When I was at Meijer on Maxtown Rd. yesterday, I spotted the Kashi Indigo Morning cereal.

I couldn’t wait to dig into this for Monday morning breakfast. While Mondays are usually my day off, they are usually busy and there is nothing like a bowl full of yumminess to help shake off the “Mondays”.  

I poured some Silk Vanilla Almondmilk + Protein & Fiber over the Indigo Morning cereal. I can’t begin to explain how much I like this cereal!  Crunchy with berries and just a kiss of sweetness.  

What is your favorite gluten-free cereal?

It was almost two years ago that I first reviewed The Gluten Free Bar on my blog. Since then, they have added three new bars for a total of six varieties. I was thrilled when I received a box of bars to sample and review.

The new varieties include:

Coconut Cashew Crunch -organic brown rice syrup, toasted cashews, complete protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), organic agave nectar, toasted coconut, organic crisped brown rice, dates, organic sunflower seeds, golden flaxseed, natural coconut flavor, safflower oil, sea salt. contains cashews.

Oatmeal Raisin – organic sunflower seeds, protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), organic brown rice syrup, dates, certified gluten-free oats, organic agave nectar, california raisins, organic crisped brown rice, golden flaxseed, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt.

Dark Chocolate Coconut – dates, organic brown rice syrup, complete protein blend (brown rice protein, pea protein), toasted coconut, organic agave nectar, organic dark chocolate (organic chocolate liquor, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic cocoa powder), organic crisped brown rice, cocoa powder, vanilla, organic sunflower seeds, natural coconut flavor, golden flaxseed, sea salt.

All of The Gluten Free Bars are:

The Gluten Free Bar can be purchased in select stores across the US or online. Gluten-Free is Life readers can use the code: GFISLIFE to receive 15% off of their order.

I have fallen in love with the new bars, especially the Coconut Cashew Crunch and Oatmeal Raisin varieties.  If you would like a chance to win a box of The Gluten Free Bars, leave me a comment below sharing which bar you would most like to try.  I will randomly choose a winner on Thursday, April 17, 2014. 

*The bars mentioned in this post were sent to me free of charge for review purposes. The thoughts and opinions shared here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything. The bars given away to a lucky reader are being provided by The Gluten Free Bar.

Today is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Hannah told me that I was only saying that because I eat PB & J daily, but while that may be true, today is definitely the right day. I wasted no time preparing my lunch and getting down to business.

Udi’s Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread (the large version purchased at Costco), Skippy Natural Peanut Butter and Smucker’s Simply Fruit Strawberry with a side of Snyder’s Gluten-Free Pretzel Twists.You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy PB & J.

Did you celebrate National PB & J Day today?

*PS…Don’t forget to enter to win the Tyson Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets and Chicken Breast Strips giveaway!