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May 18 2013

Review: Larabar ALT Protein Bars

It was only a couple of months ago that I discovered that Larabar had introduced ALT protein bars.  The new bars each contain 10 grams of protein, an increase from the 3-6 grams that typical Larabars contain.

IMG 6397 thumb Review: Larabar ALT Protein Bars

Cinnamon Apple Crisp – Dates, pea protein, peanuts, brown rice syrup, brown rice flour, dried apples, sunflower oil, cinnamon, natural flavor

Lemon Pound Cake – Dates, almonds, pea protein, brown rice syrup, brown rice flour, sunflower oil, lemon juice concentrate, vanilla extract, natural flavor

Peanut Butter Cookie – Dates, peanuts, pea protein, brown rice syrup, brown rice flour, sunflower oil

Pumpkin Pie – Dates, pea protein, peanuts, brown rice syrup, brown rice flour, dried pumpkin, sunflower oil, spice

I was a little concerned about the added ingredients taking away the simple, yet delicious flavor of the Larabars, but it turns out I had nothing to worry about.  I loved all of the varieties, but if you made me choose a favorite, I would have to choose the Lemon Pound Cake.  I am thrilled with the release of the ALT bars and hope that I begin to see them on shelves of my local grocery stores soon.  I have been looking since I wrote the first post about the bars in March and have yet to find them.  I can see these becoming part of my regular rotation of post-workout snacks.

More about Larabar:

It started out as just a hike, no different than countless others I’ve taken into the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Little did I know I was about to come up with a mountain of an idea: Combine wholesome ingredients such as fruits and nuts to create a food product that’s tasty, healthy and convenient.

In that instant, in May 2000, LÄRABAR® was born. After scouring the aisles of grocery stores and noting popular flavors of ice cream and cookies, I delved into my own product development. Natural foods, I believed, should be fun and enjoyable as well as good for you. With friends and family serving as focus groups, I tinkered with recipes until a consensus on yummi-ness was reached.

The next step was to launch a company to market what would initially be five delicious LÄRABAR flavors: Cherry Pie, Apple Pie, Cashew Cookie, Banana Cookie, and Chocolate Coconut Chew. I also assembled a sophisticated manufacturing arm… what amounted to be a Cuisinart™ and a rolling pin. The first batch of bars I produced for retail had to be sealed by hand — all 500 of them!

Thank goodness we have machines for that job today. After all, we’re producing millions of LÄRABAR bars every year! They are a wholesome indulgence you can feel good about eating.

Larabars have been a staple in my house and diet for the past 7+ years.  I love that the company is continually evolving to keep the product line fresh and exciting.

Have you tried the new Larabar ALT protein bars?

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May 17 2013

Review: Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels

It was just a few weeks ago that I found out and wrote a blog post about the brand new Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels.  I checked a few local stores, but was not able to find the bagels in stock yet.  The gluten-free gods must have smiled down on me because I received samples of the new bagels earlier this week. 

IMG 6409 thumb Review: Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels

Plain – Ingredients: Water, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Sunflower and/or Canola Oil, Corn Starch, Cellulose, Fructose, Psyllium fiber, non-Hydrogenated Shortening (palm and/or canola oil), Yeast, Modified cellulose, Salt, Cultured corn syrup solids, citric acid, Vitamin and Mineral Blend(Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron), Enzymes

Blueberry – Ingredients: Water, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Blueberries, Sunflower and/or Canola Oil, Cellulose, Corn Starch, Fructose, Psyllium fiber, non-Hydrogenated Shortening (palm and/or canola oil), Natural Flavour, Yeast, Modified cellulose, Salt, Cultured corn syrup solids, citric acid, Vitamin and Mineral Blend(Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron), Enzymes

Cinnamon Raisin – Ingredients: Water, Raisins, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Sunflower and/or Canola Oil, Cellulose, Corn Starch, Fructose, Psyllium fiber, non-Hydrogenated Shortening (palm and/or canola oil), Yeast, Modified cellulose, Cinnamon, Salt, Cultured corn syrup solids, citric acid, Vitamin and Mineral Blend(Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron), Enzymes

I didn’t waste any time sampling these babies!  I had planned on a veggie burger for a fast dinner, so the plain bagel became my vehicle!

IMG 6412 thumb Review: Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels

Look at that – so bagel-y!  The outside has crisper “skin” and the inside is nice and chewy, just like a bagel should be! Breakfast was a given – blueberry bagel and cream cheese.  Before I show you my breakfast, check out the bagel after I toasted it, before I spread it with cream cheese, it is purple from all of the blueberries! 

IMG 6416 thumb Review: Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels

IMG 6418 thumb Review: Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels

Seriously delicious!  I do believe that this is the first gluten-free blueberry bagel I have tried and it was spectacular!  The bagel was thick, soft and chewy and had a wonderful blueberry flavor.  Simply heaven!  Last, but not least, the Cinnamon Raisin bagel.  It was equally as impressive and tasty smeared with butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.  What a nice treat! 

In addition to being gluten-free, these bagels are also vegan, dairy- and nut-free.  The bagels come 4 to a package and are priced at $5.99/package.  They are currently available on the Kinnikinnick website and will be shipping to their distributors over the next few weeks.  Remember that Kinnikinnick offers flat rate shipping for $10, so make sure to stock up on your favorites.

Have you tried the new Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels? 

*These bagels were sent to be free of charge for review purposes.  The thoughts and opinions shared here are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything.

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May 16 2013

Review: Pamela’s Artisan Flour Blend

Pamela’s Products have been a staple in our house and on grocery store shelves for many years.  I am thrilled to see more products have recently been added to their line-up, including this new Artisan Flour Blend. 

IMG 5991 thumb Review: Pamela’s Artisan Flour Blend

Ingredients:
Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Sorghum Flour, Arrowroot Starch, Sweet Rice Flour, Guar Gum.

Before this flour mix was introduced, I frequently baked with Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix.  There are quite a few differences between the mixes, including the omission of dairy, salt and leavening agents in this new flour blend.  More about the new flour blend:

Delicious scratch baking will be back in your life! This flour blend has no dairy, no nuts, no salt, no leavening, no corn and no soy. It will work perfectly in most of your traditional recipes or with subtle tweaking such as adding more liquid. Now you can bake like you used to!

For recipes to make with this mix, see all of our Artisan Flour Blend Recipes.

Helpful Hints:

  • The Artisan Flour Blend will work in most recipes as a replacement for wheat flour.
  • Due to the subtle flavor of our Artisan Flour, seasoning and herbs will elevate the taste when making gravy, or coating meats and poultry.
  • Batters may thicken as they sit and may require water to thin.
  • For yeast breads, we suggest using 1 tsp dry yeast per cup of Artisan Flour. Additional water will most likely be needed. Add water until dough is a sticky batter similar to banana bread. For a taller loaf, use a parchment collar at least 3 to 5 inches above the edge around the interior of the bread pan.

I used the Artisan Flour for baking and as a thickening agent in gravy and had tremendous results with both!  The flour blend really does look like traditional all purpose flour, but without the gluten. 

Pamela’s Artisan Flour Blend is available now on Amazon.com for $4.60/24 ounces or $11.67 for 4 pounds and should be available soon on your local grocery store shelves. 

Do you have a go-to packaged gluten-free flour mix?  Have you tried Pamela’s Artisan Flour Blend?

*This product was 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.

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May 15 2013

NFCA Webinar: Celiac Disease: Immunology 101 and the Drug Development Process

Celiac Disease is treated one way, with the gluten-free diet.  There are no expensive medications to pay for, just “simply” remove gluten from your diet.  In the grand scheme of things, of diseases and disorders, it could be a lot worse.  The diet can be what you make it – purchasing whole unprocessed foods that are naturally gluten-free is the least expensive way to go, though there are many delicious gluten-free replacement foods on the market these days, but they can get pricey.

What if there were another way?  What if your doctor were able to prescribe you a medication?  The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) has a seminar coming up in June discussing the drug development process.

Announcing NFCA’s monthly Webinar, “Celiac Disease: Immunology 101 and the Drug Development Process,” on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern/5:30 p.m. Pacific.

With their only treatment found in the grocery aisle and not behind the pharmacist’s counter, celiac disease patients have relied upon delicious gluten-free recipes and cooking tips to navigate their medically necessary diet. As research continues to prove the need for a non-dietary therapy and scientists move closer to developing a pharmaceutical treatment, it is important for patients to learn more about the field of immunology, a critical piece to the celiac disease puzzle but one that is often left out of the patient education, as well as understand the basics about the drug development and approval process.

Join NFCA as Francisco Leon, MD, PhD, Vice President of Immunology Translational Medicine at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson; and Ken Kilgore, MS, PhD, Director of ImmunoPharmacology in the Immunology Therapeutic Area at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson explain the basics of immunology and outline the drug development and approval process.

All you need to attend the free webinar is a working computer with internet access.  Register here and follow the instructions that will be sent to you via email. If you are unable to attend, there will be a recording posted along with slides from the webinar posted within 72 hours on the webinar archives page.

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May 14 2013

Mellow Mushroom Kosmic Karma

I love having options when it comes to gluten-free pizza.  Living in a large city like Columbus, we have many chain and local restaurants striving to meet the needs of all sorts of people.  Mellow Mushroom is a chain restaurant, but I love each location’s unique atmosphere.  I have visited several different locations in the chain over the past few years – Columbus (Polaris), Gainesville, GA and Myrtle Beach, SC.  Each location has similarities, but they are all very different.

258344 2128237487636 1296915378 25592 thumb Mellow Mushroom Kosmic Karma

The Myrtle Beach, SC location.

One thing that isn’t different about all of the locations is their knowledge of the gluten-free diet and the gluten-free menu.  All employees have been well educated and know what needs to be done to ensure a safe dining experience.  On my latest visit this past weekend with my mom, I went out on a limb and tried a new-to-me gluten-free pizza: Kosmic Karma.

IMG 6381 thumb Mellow Mushroom Kosmic Karma

The Kosmic Karma pizza – Red sauce base with feta and mozzarella cheeses, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and Roma tomatoes with a pesto swirl.  The crust ingredients include:

Bean flour, rice flour, tapioca flour and starch, xanthan gum, salt, yeast, egg, cider vinegar, sugar, canola oil and calcium propionate

This pizza was fantastic!  My mom doesn’t have to eat gluten-free, but does on occasion and enjoyed this variety.  I love the flavor combination and the pesto is like the icing on the cake!  Fantastic!  I am normally not a huge fan of bean flours, but I would never have know this crust contained it had I not read the ingredient list. 

Have you tried Mellow Mushroom’s gluten-free pizza?  What toppings are your favorite?

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May 13 2013

Jason’s Deli Gluten-Free Spotlight

I first wrote about my experience at Jason’s Deli about 1.5 years ago.  I don’t think about going there much, but that is going to change now.  Yesterday my mom, Hannah and I went shopping and out to lunch to celebrate Mother’s day.  Jason’s Deli was close to the mall and not very busy when we arrived, so we decided it would be a nice choice.  Though I knew they had gluten-free options, I took the time to speak with a knowledgeable employee to ensure that my food would be handled safely.  Not only was I pleased to hear about the precautions in place, I learned of a secret I wish I had known a long time ago.

IMG 6391 thumb Jason’s Deli Gluten Free Spotlight

I know what you are thinking…that isn’t a secret, it says right on the Jason’s Deli menu that they serve Udi’s Gluten-Free bread.  Well, they don’t just serve it, they sell it.  This isn’t your ordinary Udi’s Gluten-Free bread.  Nope.  The bread slices are roughly twice the size of the “normal” sized slices you find in the loaves sold in the grocery store.  Not only that, but there are 11 servings in this package compared with 7 servings in the smaller package (the smaller bread).  The larger loaf of bread sells for $11.99 at my Jason’s Deli location and yes, I left with loaf.

After perusing the menu at length, I settled on a Chicken Salad Sandwich with Baked Lays and a side salad.  The chicken salad is simply mayonnaise, pineapple and almonds and is out of this world!  I have never had chicken salad with pineapple in it, but it is a brilliant combination.

IMG 6383 thumb Jason’s Deli Gluten Free Spotlight

After the gluten-free sandwiches are made, they are wrapped in brown paper before they are passed down the line to avoid possible cross-contamination.

IMG 6387 thumb Jason’s Deli Gluten Free Spotlight

It is so nice to eat a sandwich that was the size of a regular sandwich!  The bread is lightly toasted and serves as a great base for the chilled chicken salad.  I can’t wait to go back and have this again!

If the sandwiches and other gluten-free options aren’t enough to put a smile on your face, then just hold on for dessert.  Jason’s Deli offers free ice cream!  All  – chocolate, vanilla or swirl soft serve are gluten-free (no cone).

jd1 thumb Jason’s Deli Gluten Free Spotlight

Yeah, it is every bit as spectacular as it looks!

jd2 thumb Jason’s Deli Gluten Free Spotlight

My small side salad was created from the extensive offerings on the salad bar.  I did avoid the few items towards the end (sliced almonds and feta cheese) that were close to non-gluten-free toppings to be safe.  The salad bar was very clean, but nuts right next to granola and other gluten containing toppings is a little too close for comfort for me.

Jason’s Deli has a drive-thru window and catering options available.  I recently attended an MIT dinner meeting where Jason’s Deli was served.  They provided a gluten-free baked potato bar for those who follow the gluten-free diet.  The baked potatoes were huge and toppings included grilled chicken, cheese, butter, sour cream, bacon and scallions.

Have you dined at Jason’s Deli?  Please share your experience with us below.

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