Foods & Products

Review: Girl Scouts Toffee-Tastic Gluten-Free Cookies

Last Updated on March 6, 2023 by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 8 Comments

Ever since I heard about the Girls Scouts debuting a new gluten-free cookie in December, I have been excited to sample them. Last week we received our Girl Scout cookie order complete with two boxes of the new Toffee-Tastic Cookies. I don’t think the front door was even shut all the way when I dug into the box, which just happened to be as I finished dinner.

While these cookies cost the same as the regular Girl Scout Cookies, they only have one sleeve per box, so you get about half of the number of cookies. The cookies are phenomenal, though, so I really don’t care about the number of cookies. They remind me of Pecan Sandies, but with toffee pieces in place of pecans. My son agreed that these cookies were fantastic and asked me to find some more.

As you can see above, the cookies do contain milk and soy ingredients.

I have heard that these cookies are no longer available, as in they are sold out, so I hope that sends a message to the Girl Scouts to bring them back on an even bigger scale next year. In addition to bringing them back, I would love to see them in every market and have all varieties of gluten-free cookies available in every market. We didn’t have access to the other gluten-free variety here in Columbus this year.

Did you have the opportunity to try either of the Girl Scouts’ gluten-free cookie varieties? What did you think?

Review: Udi’s Gluten-Free Ziti and Meatballs

Last Updated on March 1, 2023 by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Last fall I shared some exciting information about Udi’s gluten-free adding some new frozen meals to their impressive product line-up. Recently I spotted some of these new products in our local grocery stores and purchased a couple to try them out. Today I am going to review Udi’s gluten-free Ziti & Meatballs that I found last week at Walmart when I ran in to look for school supplies and waterproof boots. I just can’t help wandering around to look for fun, new gluten-free food items.

The Ziti & Meatballs is a frozen, DIY meal that serves two average people or one hungry teenager. Each portion contains 18 grams of protein and goes perfectly with an Italian salad and gluten-free garlic bread (use Udi’s French Baguettes).

I can’t believe how quickly this meal cooked and how good it tasted! The aroma in the kitchen smelled like we had been cooking all day long! Jon fell in love and even though he proclaimed the meatballs to be a little too round, he asked me to buy them again. I like meals like this to help him learn to prepare his own food. The price was roughly $8.00, which isn’t bad considering it serves 2

Udi’s gluten-free Ziti & Meatballs can be found in the gluten-free freezer section of your local grocery store. If you are looking for something specific, check with your store manager.

Have you tried Udi’s gluten-free Ziti & Meatballs? What did you think?

Review: Gluten-Free Special K Cereal

Last Updated on March 1, 2023 by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 7 Comments

After sharing the news last week about Kellogg’s making a gluten-free version of Special K, I kind of made it my mission to find a box or two. I checked my local Meijer and Kroger and didn’t have any luck. Then I spotted a fellow gluten-free Columbus resident who had found the cereal at Giant Eagle, so when I had to run to the library to pick up a book yesterday, I stopped by Giant Eagle to see if I could find it. Success! Found and purchased for $3.99.

Breakfast this morning was a bowl of gluten-free Special K topped with blueberries and almond milk. The cereal tastes fantastic, though I am not positive if it is identical to the original version, as it has been a very long time since I have had it. The flakes have a great texture and didn’t get soggy in the time it took me to eat this bowl. I am so thrilled that I now have another gluten-free cereal option! Each serving contains 180 calories, 1 gram of fat, 5 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein.

Ingredients: Whole grain brown rice, sugar, whole grain sorghum, milled corn, corn bran, soluble corn fiber, brown sugar syrup, contains 2% or less of salt, honey, dried invert cane syrup, tricalcium phosphate, natural flavor, molasses, BHT for freshness.

Check the store locator to see where you can find the new gluten-free Special K cereal close to you. Kudos to Kellogg’s for giving us more options!

Girl Scout Cookies Go Gluten-Free

Last Updated on March 5, 2023 by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Word on the street is that Girl Scouts of America has some exciting stuff going on this year. In addition to cookie sales being moved online, they have added new gluten-free options.

Last year the Girl Scouts tested a gluten-free cookie in a pilot program in certain areas to see how they would perform. It is exciting to see this being taken to another level by having two new varieties being offered this year. The downfall is these gluten-free cookies are part of a limited pilot and are only being offered by participating councils. The two cookie varieties are:

Trios – Made with real chocolate chips, real peanut butter, and certified gluten-free whole grain oats, Trios will be available in a number of test markets this year.

Toffee-Tastic -These rich, buttery cookies are packed with golden toffee bits bursting with flavor everyone will love.

Both varieties are certified gluten-free, though made by different bakers. The Trios are made by ABC Bakers and the Toffee-Tastic Cookies are made by Little Brownie Bakers. To see if either of these gluten-free cookies will be available in your area, check here for the Toffee-Tastic Cookies and here for the Trios.

Have you tried any of the gluten-free Girl Scout cookies? What did you think?

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Gluten-Free Vending Machines

Last Updated on March 5, 2023 by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 1 Comment

Even with the best of planning I still find myself without a gluten-free snack on occasion when I need one. While I do my best not to end up in these situations, I am human and am sometimes rushed, which leads me to be forgetful. Finding gluten-free food in a vending machine is a lot like playing a game of seek and find. Sometimes there are several options, sometimes there are none. Rarely are those options ever something “healthy” that will tide me over until my next meal.

What if that were to change? What if said vending machine was stocked with all gluten-free foods? iBGFree is just that!

Two machines iBGFree was founded by Amy after realizing that there was nothing out there that addressed this need. Amy was diagnosed with Celiac Disease a couple of years ago and after she struggled with snack choices as she traveled for her job, she set out to find a way to solve this problem.

Seeking a gluten-free Solution

Why hadn’t someone addressed this need? Why couldn’t there be a healthy, gluten-free alternative that is easy to access while on the go? That potential ignited a spark inside me, and provided the initial motivation to launch iBGFree.

I set out to provide quality, gluten-free, on-the-go foods that could be conveniently purchased through vending machines. My vision was to place them in airports, schools, malls and anywhere they could benefit those like me: people with a medical need to eliminate gluten from their diet, as well as those choosing to live gluten-free.
However, it’s not just about convenience. It’s also about being part of a social fabric and being able to participate and enjoy the very basic act of breaking bread with others (tough since I can’t eat the bread!). Too often I’ve felt excluded because I am living gluten-free. Through iBGFree, I’d like to do my part to end that reality for everyone who is eliminating gluten from their diet.

My goal is simple – to provide good-tasting, healthful, grab-and-go snacks that everyone can enjoy as an alternative to greasy chips or fattening candy.

Amy hand-picks the gluten-free products that are sold in the iBGFree vending machines. These products must not only meet strict requirements for being gluten-free (and free from cross-contamination), but they have to taste good, too! A list of the products sold in these vending machines can be viewed here.