Gluten Free Food Reviews

It is nice to be back!

It has been a few weeks without internet access for me and my family. In some ways it enabled me to focus on getting settled in our new Utah home, but I missed writing reviews, checking out your sites/blogs, and reading your comments. I also loved reading your favorite memories and was surprised at how many of them involved pancakes! I am happy to report that we have made chocolate chip pancakes with frosty glasses of OJ three times this last week to  help us feel “at home” in our new house. The move hasn’t been easy for us, and my girls ( and I!) are still adjusting, but I think it is comforting to my daughters to know they are some things that won’t change.

Now, onto the randomly selected give-away winner of a bag of Pamela’s Pancake mix, handy dandy spatula and tasty chocolate chips. Thanks to all who shared their stories!

Congratulations to Lisa Irvine with her comment of:

Isn’t it funny how many memories revolve around food? Anyway, one of my favorite memories is of my grandmother’s house. She used to keep a simple metal bowl of cheese popcorn on her wood stove in the kitchen. The heat from the top of the stove was just enough to warm the popcorn and send the smell all through the house! I can still almost smell the wonderful aroma today. She also was a great baker. She used to make a cookie called a “chocolate jumble” every Christmas. Boy, I wish I had the recipe! Of course, I’d have to reformulate it GF!!!

Lisa, please email me at glutenfreefoodreviews {at} gmail [dot] com with your shipping address.

Also dear readers, don’t forget to check back tomorrow for our free product give-away for July. You’ll be glad you did!

I am moving this week- moving from my fun little College Town of State College PA ( home of PSU- go Lions!) for the hot and dry western state of Utah. We are moving for my husband’s job, and it should definitely be an adventure. As a result, I will be offline for a week or so- and plan to return around July 1st to announce the July free product give-away (and trust me - it’s a good one! You don’t want to miss it).

To give my readers some fun while I am ‘away” I am giving away a prize package that represents one of my favorite memories in my old house.

One of my favorite memories was making chocolate chip pancake for my girls on spring mornings, with sunlight streaming through the windows and a cool breeze meandering through my kitchen. Chocolate chip pancakes and a tall glass of OJ is the all- time favorite breakfast treat at my house,and in the spring it was just a nice way to start our morning with great weather, tasty food, and conversation about what we wanted to do that day. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, just a simple pleasure I hope to continue in our new home.

So, the give-away will be a bag of Pamela’s Products gluten free pancake mix, a spatula, and a bag of chocolate chips. No fancy rules to win, just reply to this post and share your favorite food related memory or tradition in your past- or present- home.

The winner will be announced on this site around July 1st or so, and the announcement will also be emailed to my subscribers.

I can’t wait to hear what your memories and traditional are in your home!

Mary’s Gone Crackers send me a sample pack of their crackers. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to think. I mean, I like healthy foods, but I am not a foodie by any means, even though sometimes I wish I was. These gluten free crackers almost looked too healthy and I was worried they would taste too healthy as well.

Boy, was I in for a surprise! Not only do these crackers look different than a traditional, flaky, starchy cracker, but the taste was completely unexpected. I found these gluten free crackers to be crisp and flavorful with wonderful texture and a strength to hold up under any type of spread or topping. They also did not have an unpleasant aftertaste, as some gluten free products do. My gluten consuming husband even likes them- especially the black pepper flavor.

I sampled three flavors:

Mary’s Gone Crackers Original flavor: A wholesome, hearty, whole grain flavor that pairs well with any spread. A great all purpose crackers that satisfies hunger in a yummy way. Definitely my favorite with laughing cow cheese.

Mary’s Gone Crackers Onion flavor: This cracker looks like the original flavor, but definitely has the aroma and strong flavor or onion blended in. It is good, but I was unsure what to pair it with.

Black Pepper flavor: This Mary’s flavor definitely has a kick- the strong black pepper really shines through and adds a punch for those that like a little something “extra.”

The Mary’s Gone Crackers website describes their crackers as “a crisp delicious cracker with a rich nutty flavor. Wheat-free, Gluten-free and organic. Made of organic whole grain brown rice, organic quinoa (keen-wa: a high protein seed/grain), organic flax seeds and organic brown sesame seeds, with no added fat. Surprisingly satisfying on their own or with your favorite toppings. Always hold their crunch; unlike any other cracker you’ve ever had–they will soon become a staple in your cupboards.”

I agree- these crackers are surprisingly good!

Pros: Whole grain, nice flavor

Cons: onion and pepper can be a bit strong for a more sensitive palate.

Rating: 5 stars

Wanna try these crackers for yourself? Click the link below to check them out and see the ingredients:

Have you tried these gluten free crackers? What did you think?

When visiting my parents, I picked up this 6.2 ounce frozen Glutino gluten free pizza to make as hot and quick lunch. Since I love feta, I was excited. However, I am not a fan of cooked spinach, so I was interested to see how this Glutino gluten free pizza would turn out.

I popped this pizza into the oven for 16 minutes, and let it cool for five minutes before slicing. I noticed it seemed more like a personal size pizza, and sure enough, the packaging indicated this pizza is meant to be a single serving. Which means you don’t have to share, unless you really want to.

This gluten free pizza boasts a thin and tender rice crust that is light, chewy and slightly crisp on the bottom. The flavor is mild and provides a neutral palate for the toppings. The flavors of the ingredients tasted well balanced. The yummy flavor of fresh spinach, feta and riccota cheeses with a touch of safflower oil, came through loud and clear. I liked it alot, which is huge, considering I am not a huge fan of spinach!

On the down side, the crust thickness was inconsistent and somewhat lumpy, resulting in crisp overcooked spots and softer, chewy spots in the pizza. Also, there was a very generous space of crust around the edges. I prefer my topping to cover most of the pizza, and this gluten free pizza seemed to skimp on the ingredients by making such a wide crust. However, that is just my personal preference. Overall, a tasty pizza I would definitely buy again.

PROS: fresh, full flavored, smells wonderful, 10 g protein

CONS: crust is inconsistent, but easy to overlook since the toppings are so tasty, high in sodium (1000mg!), 5 g. saturated fat, skimpy spinach and feta toppings

Rating: 4 stars

You can buy this gluten free pizza from organicdirect.com

Ingredients: Water, corn starch, tapioca starch, spinach, mozzarella-brick cheese blend (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, bacterial culture, salt, microbial enzyme, calcium chloride, cellulose), feta cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, bacterial culture, calcium chloride, microbial enzyme, lipase, salt, natamycin, lactic acid), ricotta cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, lactic acid, salt), safflower oil, evaporated cane juice, glucono-delta-lactone, dried egg whites, salt, guar gum, yeast, garlic, pectin, sodium-bicarbonate, spices, sodium alginate, modified cellulose.

Check out what Racheline and Dr. Gourmet thought about this gluten free pizza product!

Congratulations to Kristin H. from Hallgren. PA with her comment:

My favorite gluten free gadget is my cookie scooper!  I make lots of GF chocolate chip cookies and this makes the job a breeze!!  After reading one of your old reviews on cookie mixes, I tried Pamela’s cookie mix and my kids loved it!  Thanks!!

Kristen is the June Gluten Free give-Away Winner!  Kristen, your gluten free flour items will be mailed within the next week. Enjoy!

The next gluten free product give-away will be July 1st and is utterly amazing! TWO $50 value gift baskets will be given away, compliments of the Bread of Life gluten free bakery. Until then, enjoy a few reviews and let me know what you think of the gluten free products you have tried.

Free Gluten Free Flour!

Yes, my fantastic readers- it’s true! My give-away for the month of June is based on

Kitchen Basics!

I have found white rice flour and sorghum flour fantastic for my gluten free baking needs. I have used white rice flour to make everything from pie crusts, soups, sauces and baked goods. Sorghum flour is something new I have experimented with. I really enjoy the mild flavor and moist crumb it provides. Now, I am not the best cook or baker, but I have found these two flours quite forgiving, especially when blended together in recipes.

Think you could use some in your gluten free kitchen? Here’s how to enter:

The winner this month takes home BOTH of these gluten free flours!

1- full size package of Arrowhead Mills organic white rice flour

AND

1- full size package of Bob’s Red Mill “sweet” white GF sorghum flour

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Here’s how to enter:

1. Reply to this post and share your favorite gluten free kitchen staple- it could be a product, mix, or even a gadget.

(Email submission are OK, bit I prefer you enter via the site so I don’t miss an entry. It is also helpful to include a link to your personal website in case you win and miss the big announcement)

2. If you have not done so, subscribe to glutenfreefoodreviews.com via email.

The give-away winner will be announced via email and on this site. Also, you will receive future product reviews. To subscribe, simply enter your email address at the top right side of my homepage. That’s it! if you have subscribed in the past, you do not need to do it again.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, June 10th!

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Now for the rules:

1. You must complete #1 and #2 to enter

2. Entries must be made by Monday, June 9th 11:59 p.m.

3. I can only ship to US addresses , thanks to the picky and somewhat irritable disposition of my local postmasters. They give me a really hard time shipping food products to other countries- even Canada.

4. One entry, per person please

Good luck!

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Want more information about gluten free flour? Check out these sites while you wait for the winner to be announced!

“A Guide to Working with Gluten free Flours”- Shauna the gluten-free girl

“Tips for Baking With Gluten Free Flour” - Nancy from About.com: Celiac Disease

“Gluten Free Recipes & Tips” - Zoe from Epicurious.com

“Using Wheat Free Flours” - Victoria from About.com: Food Allergies

“Gluten Free Grains 101: the Best Flour Blend” - Natalie from glutenfreemommy.com

Alisa from GoDairyFree.org gave me the heads up that their site is giving away Gluten Free Essentials mixes in June. Please check out their site if you are interested in finding out more.

Curious about Gluten Free Essentials mixes? Feel free to check out my reviews of some of their products

Who doesn’t love a summer cook out? Whether you prefer a juicy burger, spicy bratwurst or a skewer of roasted veggies, there is something for everyone. Thankfully, when I am the host, I can ensure the affair will be gluten free, so I can eat and enjoy without worry.

However, I love my Minnesota brats with all the fixings. And to handle all of those condiments, you need a good, hearty bun. At a gluten free cookout, what’s a girl to do? I found these Kinnikinnick gluten free hot dog buns in the frozen foods section and wanted to give them a shot. I am very picky about gluten free bread, and realized this would either be very good or very, very bad.

To eat these buns, you need to defrost them. I wrapped a bun in a paper towel for 30 seconds or so and it was ready to go. To lightly toast the buns ( to minimize crumbling, and enhance flavor), I baked mine in the oven for a few minutes. Both versions tasted OK- neither one better than the other.

First of all, these buns are hearty big and thick with lots of gluten free bread to support even the largest hot dog. In fact, they are almost too big and can overwhelm whatever you choose to put inside.

The texture of these gluten free hot dog buns is a bit textured and spongy and tasted a bit of the white rice flour. They are also very soft- no coarse crumbs. To me, these buns tasted gluten free, but did what they were meant to do- cradled my cookout meat of choice without becoming a soggy mess when slathered with my favorite ketchup.

The best thing about these gluten free hot dog buns is that they have a whopping 7 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. That was a nice bonus I wasn’t expecting.

PROS: soft, hearty, lots of fiber and protein

CONS: spongy, very thick, you can tell these are gluten free, just “OK”

Rating: 3 stars

To Purchase: Click HERE to get them at WellnessGrocer.com

Ingredients: white rice flour, tapioca starch, water, sugar, poly dextrose, egg whites, dextrose, yeast, sunflower oil ( and/or canola oil), pea protein, sodium carboxy methylcellulose, salt, vitamin blend (thiamine, viatmin B2, niacin, folic acid, iron)

Kinnikinnick has started it’s own blog- “The Gluten Free Insider”

It’s informative and fun- click HERE to check it out!

**Don’t forget to check out my other Kinnikinnick gluten free product reviews!

Yes, these are the Attune bars that I featured in my April free product give-away.  And I think they will surprise you.

The Attune website boasts “Attune’s probiotics help those friendly bacteria and keep your digestive system in balance, which helps strengthen your immune system.  By keeping your digestive system healthy, it can help keep you healthier overall.”

Now, who doesn’t want that?

The Attune website also contains a wealth of information about immunity,  digestive comfort,  and health & wellness.

I tried their chocolate gluten free flavors and really enjoyed all of them. Each bar is approximately 2/3 the size of a Hershey bar, is crunchy, and and has a smooth texture- no gritty or chalky taste. In fact, it’s hard to believe they are good for you! It tastes more like a treat than a health-conscious supplement to your diet.

Each bar has 100 calories and 25-30% of daily calcium. Each bar also contains 6 or 7 grams of fat with l3 grams of fiber. They also contains five times the live active cultures in yogurt. Wow! One important fact to note: these bars should be stored in the refrigerator to maintain their probiotic properties. You might want to let them sit a bit before consuming to soften the crunchiness factor.

Chocolate Crisp: Contains chocolate flavor and rice crisps. It is almost like eating a Nestle Crunch bar, but isn’t a sweet.

Dark Chocolate: (This is the only vegan flavor) This actually tastes like a piece of mildly sweet piece of dark chocolate.

Chocolate Mint: This is exactly like the chocolate crisp flavor, but with a cool minty flavor added. This one was my favorite!

Blueberry Vanilla: This flavor reminded me of mildly sweet white chocolate with a fresh blueberry flavor. Now, I do not like blueberries at all, but this flavor was actually really good.

I tried all the flavors, one each day for 8 days. I did not have any type of negative reaction to them, but I can’t really say how much they helped me. I think I would need to take them for a longer period of time to determine any true benefits from the probiotics.

Want to give these a try?

Buy them online HERE;

or click HERE to find a local store near you.

Read what others have to say about Attune Probiotic wellness bars!

Jessie from GossipMom

April from Fit Fare

Mummy’s Product Reviews

Emily from Iateapie.net