Food Should Taste Good product review...and "LET'S SUMMER" contest!

Most everyone loves a good Tortilla chip and my family is no exception. Food Should Taste Good was kind enough to send me five of their flavors to sample and I have been in Tortilla chip heaven! These chips are All natural, have no MSG, low in sodium, no trans fat, gluten free, Kosher, lactose free, have No preservatives, cholesterol free, and supply a good source of dietary fiber. They make a great snack, go well with sandwiches, taco's, or use as desserts (chocolate variety, kettle corn)

The first variety I tried was the Kettle Corn. This variety had a sweet and salty taste just like the kettle corn you find at fairs, the only difference is it is more crunchy than regular popcorn. I found it hard to put the bag down!
Ingredients: Stone ground corn, High Oleic Sunflower oil, and/or Safflower oil, and/or Canola oil, toasted corn gum, evaporated cane juice, corn bran, sea salt. A serving is 12 chips at 140 calories.

Rating: 5 Stars

Next I sampled the Lime flavor. This was definitely a tart chip which reminded me of a Lime Martguerita from days gone by. I teamed this up with some plain guacamole and a taco for lunch. Great mixture! A serving is 140 calories  for 12 chips.
Ingredients; Stone ground corn, High Oleic Sunflower oil and/ or Safflower oil, corn bran, lime juice, sea salt.

Rating: 5 Stars

Cantina chips: These chips remind me of the tortilla chips most Mexican restaurants serve except they lack all the loaded oils and they are actually GOOD for you. I loved the flavor with some mild salsa. A serving of 9 chips is 140 calories.
Ingredients: Stone ground corn, High Oleic Sunflower and/or Safflower oil, and/or Canola oil, sea salt/

Rating 5 Stars

Toasted Sesame chips: These chips are mild in flavor and lightly salted. You can see whole sesame seeds in each chip, and although they taste good by themselves, I liked them dipped in peanut butter. These would be good also with hummus or salsa.
Serving size is 11 chips at 150 calories.
Ingredients: Stone ground corn, High Oleic Sunflower oil and/or Safflower oil, sesame seeds, corn bran, sea salt.

Rating 4 1/2 Stars

The last variety I sampled was the Chocolate style chips. You all know from my posts by now that I LOVE chocolate. Maybe it is the added saltiness of the chip, or the fact that I like my chocolate to be creamy in texture, but this was my least favorite of the varieties I tried. Although it does definitely have a good chocolaty taste I found this chip more to my liking when crushed over some vanilla ice cream or topped with sliced bananas. It is 140 calories for a 10 chip serving.
Ingredients;  Stone ground corn, High Oleic Sunflower oil, and/or safflower oil, Semi -sweet chocolate powder (sugar-chocolate) Evaporated cane juice, corn bran, Dutch cocoa powder, vanilla extract, sea salt.

Rating: 4 Stars

Food Should Taste Good offers 23 varieties in all, all in healthy versions. There are also recipes to make on the site ranging from dips, salsas, spreads, and pesto for which to accompany the chips.

The company is also sponsoring a "LET'S SUMMER" contest right now in which they are giving away 100 prizes every day so be sure to stop by and enter...No purchase necessary to enter.
You can order from their site at http://foodshouldtastegood.com although you are also likely to find their products in stores in your area.

Until next post...Have a wheat free day!

Better Batter chocolate cake mix review...

Today I have been in a baking mode and made a chocolate cake compliments of Better Batter. The instructions were as easy as any cake mix you will find on the shelves of your local store. I just added
1-1/4 cup of water, 1/2 cup oil and 2 eggs. The recipe calls for 3 eggs but since I always purchase large eggs I only used two in the batter.
There are also recipe instructions on the box for a lower fat vegan version of the cake for those of you who are also Vegan.
The cake came out moist, rich in taste, and delicious. I used two 9 inch cake pans and lined the bottoms with parchment paper. The cake came out of the pans easily and held up to icing very well. 
Now I have always been a Duncan Hines kind of women, and surprisingly this cake mix is head to head in the race in my opinion.
The batter does thicken as you beat it, and becomes similar to a thick chocolate pudding, so if you want a smooth top be sure you spread it very evenly in the pan. Although the top wasn't completely smooth it made no difference as it was not noticeable when iced. 
I chose a Betty Crocker gluten free icing from my local store and the results were something I would be proud to serve guests. I feel I could serve this cake to anyone and they would not have any idea it was gluten free. 
The cake sells for $7.50 and can be found at their site http://www.betterbatter.org or your local grocery store. The mix will make 2-8" cakes, 2-9" cakes, 13x9" cake, bundt pan or 24 cupcakes.
I loved this cake and it is going fast as I type....Oh by the way, there are strawberry muffins in the oven, gotta run...


Rating: 5 Stars

Crunchies product review...

Yesterday I tried two products compliments of Crunchies Food company, their Roasted Veggies and the Mixed fruit.

I love veggies and fruit, but sometimes I just get tired of chewing!!! Crunchies has solved that dilemma for me it seems, with their freeze dried products. A  2.25 oz bag of roasted veggies actually has 2 ears of corn, 1/4 cup of peas, 1 carrot, 2/3 of a pepper and 2/3 of a tomato. All this and only 100 calories per 1/2 cup!  They can be eaten straight from the  convenient resealable bag that’s great for kids lunches, hiking, school, work, or any in-between meal snack on-the-go, or used in cooking or baking. The 2.25 oz bag sells for $4.99 on their site and contains 2 servings.
I made homemade vegetable soup and added the pack of roasted veggies in place of the canned vegetables I usually use. The taste was great. I could actually taste the "roasting" of the veggies. The veggies stayed firm in the broth and were slightly chewy as fresh vegetables should be. The roasted taste was a welcome change to the soup.

                                                                                 
The second product I tried was their Freeze-Dried Mixed Fruit which is 100 % real fruit with a great-tasting mix of peach, blueberry, raspberry, mango, strawberry, and apple. It sells on their sits for $4.99 for a 1.5 oz bag. The fruit bag has 6- 1/2 cup servings. I tried this mixed in with my breakfast cereal and thoroughly enjoyed it. The fruit softened slightly in the milk and I felt as I was eating fresh fruit from the tree. I especially enjoyed the flavors of the berries in the mix.


Crunchies unique freeze drying process is where water is removed in a refrigerated vacuum leaves only the essence of the veggie or fruit with a crunchy texture. Nothing else is added and it is manufactured in the USA.

These products are wheat and gluten free. And while all of the fruits are considered raw, all frozen vegetables are flash-blanched within a few hours after picking. This stops the deterioration of the enzymes and nutrients (and it preserves color) so they are not considered raw. As you probably already know, unless fruits and vegetables are eaten shortly after picking, freeze-dried fruits and vegetables are typically more nutritious than fresh produce. I would recommend Crunchies to anyone, and especially for those who have children who are picky eaters. They offer assorted veggies, fruits and corn snacks. What a great way to get all your servings of fruits and veggies! You can purchase their products at http://crunchiesfood.com Rating for Veggies   5 Stars Rating for Mixed Fruit   5 Stars

Namaste bread mix product review...

I have been looking for that special gluten free bread mix to meet all my needs or a great gluten free recipe, which I have yet to find,  to make in my recently purchased bread maker. The fact is I have tried quite a few bread mixes and although most have supplied many of my needs, they have not quite hit the "mark". I thought I would give Namaste's bread mix a try since they were so kind to supply me with a free mix.
I followed my bread makers directions to the "T", adding all the wet ingredients first, then the dry. The bread filled the room with a warm aroma while baking.
After it finished baking, I let the bread cool completely and cut it in uniform slices on my Presto bread slicing system. I was excited to see how easy the bread was to slice. I noticed very little crumbling or breakage. It was very soft and moist,  with a crisp crunchy crust. So far so good, now on to the taste test.
I made a egg salad sandwich with sliced tomato and lettuce. My mistake was I didn't toast the bread first. I found the bread to be almost too moist, because it seemed almost as soft and gooey as the egg salad itself, although the texture seemed fairly smooth with lots of nooks and crannies.  On a brighter note, the flavor seemed very much like a traditional white bread and held its own a little better when toasted. 

I would rate this bread mix 3- 1/4 Stars

Ingredients:

Brown Rice Flour

Sorghum Flour

Tapioca Flour

Arrowroot Flour

Rice Milk Powder

Evaporated Cane Juice

Millet Flour

Salt

Xanthun Gum

Yeast

To order this and other Namaste products visit http://www.namastefoods.com

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Recipe

2- 1/4 cups (Better Batter) All Purpose Flour
1 teas Baking soda
1 teas Salt
1 cup Margarine
3/4 cup firmly packed Splenda brown sugar blend
1 teas Vanilla
2 Eggs
1 bag (Enjoy Life) Mega Chunks
1 cup roughly chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat margarine, Splenda brown sugar blend and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts and mega chunks by hand. Drop by well rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper flattening slightly with a fork.
Bake for 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for approx. 2 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely. These are a quick easy cookie loaded with flavor, but not to sweet. They are quick to disappear!

The best of two worlds...

Hi all. I apologize for being so slow in posting reviews lately...I have been having computer problems as of late and it keeps kicking me off the web.
Now down to business...Today I figured I would combine two products in one recipe for a review.  I used a All Purpose Flour from one company and Mega Chunks from another to make Chocolate chunk cookies and the results were phenomenal!

Better Batter sent me a All Purpose Flour Mix which I used to make the basic cookie dough and I then added Mega Chunks from Enjoy Life in place of regular chocolate chips. I will post the recipe separately and you will not be disappointed if you give it a try.

First the review for the all purpose flour from Better Batter: 

Better Batter Gluten Free Flour is a truly a cup for cup substitute for regular flour in most regular recipes. It sells for $7.50 on their home site for a 20 oz box, although they also offer other sizes as well, for those who need larger quantities.
I found it to be just as easy to work with as a regular wheat flour would be, only difference is, it is gluten free. The cookie dough seemed slightly softer than a regular chocolate chip cookie dough might be, but it was very easy to work with. The cookies themselves were moist, tender, almost like eating air, and I had a hard time eating just two....well okay four, but who's counting?
I was pleasantly surprised at the texture and taste, they browned evenly and were definitely worth making from scratch. I know this is going to be a cookie that will disappear quickly in our house. Since my husband is a diabetic I did use Splenda sugar mix in the recipe in place of regular sugar so I had to press the cookie dough down slightly before placing in oven, but it was because of the added Splenda blend, not the flour itself. I am anxious to try this flour in other recipes as well.

I would rate this product based on the quality of the cookies it produced 5 Stars.

Better Batter offers several other mixes which include a Chocolate cake mix, Yellow cake mix, Fudge brownie mix, Pancake and Biscuit mix, and a Seasoned flour mix. You can visit their site at http://www.betterbatter.org/

Ingredients for the All Purpose Flour:
Rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, potato flour, xanthan gum, pectin (lemon derivative)
 

Enjoy Life Mega Chunks review:

I LOVED the rich, smooth texture of the Mega Chunks in the cookie recipe. Not only are the Mega Chunks and all of Enjoy Life's products gluten free but they are also free of dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shell fish.

I used the whole bag of chunks for my recipe and there was not a bite that wasn't filled with the rich chocolaty taste of chunks.

I would give this product 5 Stars and it will definitely be a added addition to my pantry.

Enjoy Life has quite a variety of gluten free products which include cookies, granolas, chewy bars, seed and fruit mixes, chocolate for baking, chocolate bars, plentils and cereals.

To view what they have to offer or make a purchase visit their site at http://www.enjoylifefoods.com

I apologize...

Hi everyone! I apologize for not posting this past week as I was away visiting family once again. I would have been home sooner and posted, but my youngest daughter "FINALLY" found a new place to live after months and months of looking, how as a mother could I say no and leave her stranded moving alone?
This has been a week of proving to myself that at even at the age of 62 I am still able to pretty much keep up to those younger than myself, even though I am both physically and emotionally drained at the moment. I believe allot of it is that we were never actually able to sit down and eat, so most of our meals, if that is even what you could call it, were basically fast foods and ladened with wheat and gluten! I personally do not have Celiac disease so it wasn't to big of an issue for me, although I definitely noticed a change health wise almost immediately. I think I even gained a few pounds, ugh, so this week it is back to the grind, and I will definitely be eating more fruits and veggies to get back on track!
When I got home I found products for reviews from several  more companies on my door steps, so I will be pretty busy the next few months sharing my taste test results with you.
I hope you all had a better wheat free week than I did, and I will be posting again very soon. Till next post, have a wheat free kind of day!.....Sharon

Bella Lucia gluten free Italian Pizzelles....review...

This week my husband and I sampled Italian Pizzelles, courtesy of Bella Lucia. Although we only sampled the Vanilla and Saigon Cinnamon flavors the company also makes a Anise flavor as well.
They come in approximately a 10 count package, and although they are gluten free, they are made in a facility that also contains wheat, so the company go beyond industry standards by using ELISA Technology to ensure a gluten free result.
 Although they tended to be slightly thicker in nature than that of pizzells I have tasted  in the past, and I have tasted many, they still maintained that outer crispness of the basic pizzelles nature.
There are no extra additives or preservatives added, and the  pizzelles are made with the finest gluten free ingredients, and the taste proves this to be so.
The Vanilla had a soft vanilla flavor that did not over power the pizzelle, but left a smooth taste in your mouth. The Saigon cinnamon pizzelle had a sweet Cinnamon taste but not overpoweringly sweet. This was my favorite.
All the pizzelle flavors have the same basic ingredients except for the flavoring itself.

Ingredient list:  White rice and brown rice flours, tapioca starch, potato starch, potato flour, xanthan gum, pectin, sugar, canola oil, eggs, flavoring.

*Contain eggs

I found the pizzelle was sturdy enough to dip in a cup of tea or coffee as well as with a cold glass of milk. However you eat them you will be sure to enjoy.

Although a few of the top pizzelles were broken upon arrival, most were not harmed and they are a nice size also.

You can purchase the pizelles online at http://bellaluciaglutenfree.com/ in 3 packs for around $20.99 plus S&H. That's about $6.99 for a 6 oz package. You can also purchase them Half case (6 boxes) and Full case (12 boxes).

If you are lucky enough to live in AZ, CA, CT, FL, IL, MD, MA, NJ, PA you might find them on the shelves of a few select stores in your area. If you  local to a Wegman's store check there first.

I would rate this treat:

Vanilla Pizzelles 5 Stars

Saigon Cinnamon Pizzelles 5 Stars

 Nutrition facts:  Serving size 1 cookie (17g); Servings per container 10; Calories 100; Fat calories 38; Total Fat 4.26g; Trans fat 0%; Saturated fat 7g; Cholesterol, 28.78mg; Sodium 9.53mg; Total Carbs 13.65g; Dietary Fiber <1g; Sugars 6.24g; Protein 1.34g; Vitamin A, 1%* Vitamin C, 0%*; Calcium 0%*; Iron <1%* ; Percent daily values are bases on a 2,000 calorie diet

WOW Baking Company review...

WOW Baking company sent me several products to sample and I am so glad they did. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I LOVE my sweets, and this company did not leave me disappointed.
Over the weekend I had family visit from Pa. and used WOW's chocolate cake mix to make a cake for dessert. WOW....is all I can say. The cake was moist and flavorful and was enjoyed by everyone. I even saw a few relatives go back for seconds. I did not tell anyone it was gluten free and the question was never asked. As the saying goes..."What you don't know, can't hurt you"...
I loved the rich chocolate taste and the moistness of this cake. Although it does use quite a few eggs to bake, 6 to be exact, it can stand up to any other cake mix on the shelves of the supermarket, and definitely wins my approval. It was easy to make and iced well also.
This cake mix contains: Organic crystallized cane sugar, gluten free flour (brown rice, sweet rice, tapioca), cocoa, corn starch, potato starch, salt, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), xanthan gum.

* may contain traces of nuts

Nutritional Facts:

Servings per container 15
Serving Size 1 Slice
Calories 239
Total Fat 10g
Saturated Fat 6g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 66g
Sodium 375mg
Total Carbohydrates 39g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 22g
Protein 3g

Rating: 5 Stars

The second product they sent me was a bag of their Lemon Burst cookies. These cookies are pre-made so this saved me lots of time in the kitchen. Second to chocolate, Lemon is my second all time favorite flavor. I love it in tea, I love it on seafood, I love it in baked goods, heck, I even love the smell of Lemon!
Once again I was not disappointed. The light lemony taste of these cookies was so satisfying I had trouble putting the bag down! It's a good thing there are only 4 servings per bag so I didn't go too overboard. Well I guess that depends on your own personal version of what you might consider overboard to mean.
The cookies had just enough lemon flavor to satisfy, but not to much to overwhelm. They were moist and chewy with just a hint of sugar sprinkled on top. These are a definite must have in my pantry.

Ingredients:
Gluten free flour (brown rice, sweet rice, tapioca), sugar, butter (milk), eggs, cornstarch, potato starch, vanilla, lemon oil, cream of tartar, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt.

Contains: eggs, milk
*may contain traces of nuts

Rating: 5 Stars

Nutritional Facts:
Servings per container 4
Calories 260
Total fat 12g
Saturated fat 7g
Trans fat 0g
Cholesterol 50mg
Sodium 220mg
Total Carbohydrates 36g
Dietary Fifer 1g
Sugars 14g

The next 3 products they sent me were all individually wrapped baked goods. A Chocolate Chip Cookie, Oregon Oatmeal cookie, and a Chocolate brownie. All these products are not only all natural with No trans fats, and were wheat and gluten free, but were also delicious.

The Chocolate chip cookie was soft and loaded with chips. The Oregon Oatmeal was loaded with cranberries and apricots, a combination I would never have thought to try, but was so moist and chewy with just the right amount of spices it made me wish I had more! Well, do I dare say that the cookies are such a generous size that I would have been making a pig of myself  if I had indeed eaten more!
The brownie was so moist and chewy that I savored every last crumb!
I am not going to list the ingredients of these items for the sake of time, but you can check them out at WOW's home site at http://wowbaking.com/ along with all their other wheat and gluten free products that they offer. Chocolate and yellow cake mixes, bakery tubs of fresh baked mini cookies, individually baked wrapped cookies, bagged baked cookies, and for those more adventurous their cookie dough that you can bake yourself, when needed.

I would rate these products:

Chocolate Chip Cookie:
 4 1/2 Stars ...only because I like my Chocolate chip cookies a little more chewy, although the flavor is excellent.
Oregon Oatmeal Cookie:
5 Stars It was sooooo moist and flavorful.
Chocolate brownie:
5+ Stars....You know I love my brownies!!!

Till next time, have a great wheat free day!!!

Namaste Contest Winner!

The Winner of the Namaste bag filled with Namaste Products  is Angela B. from CA.

Angela wrote:
I fell in love with Namaste's Perfect Flour Blend at Thanksgiving. I made bread with it then made that bread into croutons for some fabulous GF stuffing! It also makes a WONDERFUL banana bread! I'm not a huge baker anymore (since going GF), but Namaste has some great products to make it easy again!

Her gift bag and products will be on the way to her shortly. Congratulations Angela, we hope you enjoy!

Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs...

Hello again...Well here is that delicious recipe I promised using the Original bread crumbs from Gillian's Foods. Just to let you know I LOVE homemade sauce, while my husband prefers his from a jar, go figure!!! Anyway, I compromised and used products to please us both as you will see in  the recipe that follows. ( I hope you enjoy )



Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs:

                                   1 lb extra lean ground beef
                                   1/2 cup finely chopped onion
                                   1/2 cup (Gillian's GF Original) bread crumbs
                                   1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
                                   1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
                                   1 tsp dried basil
                                   2 T extra virgin olive oil
                                   1- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
                                   1-23 oz jar GF mushroom spaghetti sauce
                                             (or your favorite flavor)
                                   3 cups water
                                   1 lb GF spaghetti (I used Penne)

In a large bowl combine beef, onion, bread crumbs, cheese, Italian seasoning and basil. Use your hands to mix, mixture will be slightly dry. Scoop out enough mixture, about 2 T each, and form into balls. I used a cookie scoop for this step, which makes it a little easier and you get more uniform sized meatballs.
In a large saucepan heat the 2 T of oil over a med-high heat. Cook the meatballs, turning often, until all sides are browned. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, pasta sauce and 3 cups of water, then bring to a boil. Cover the pan leaving the lid slightly ajar, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally until meatballs are thoroughly cooked and flavors are blended..
Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, add sauce and enjoy!

No Nutritional Information given for this recipe.