Be Free For Me Blog

I love a good cup of piping hot tea on a cold winter day. There’s something medicinal about brewing the water, letting the tea bags seep and sitting back in my favorite easy chair to enjoy the aromas and tastes of the tea.

It’s a ritual to be savored and enjoyed.

That’s why I was more than thrilled to find Lifestyle Awareness Tea. Their specialty blends of teas are just perfect for those times you need to relax, or get a pick me up, or become more focused, relaxed or centered.  The Lifestyle Awareness Teas are Organic, Vegan, Kosher and Gluten-Free. They are also fair trade.

Some of the blends that Lifestyle Awareness offers are: Stress Balance (with calming rose petals), Chamomile (to ease tension and support digestion), Peppermint (to support healthy digestion) and Wake Up Now (to promote clarity and focus), plus many, many more varieties!

A total of two (2) BeFreeForMe members will be selected to win two boxes of tea… two (2) packages for each winner!  One winners will be randomly selected from the entries received before Tuesday, January 30, 2018 at 11:59 PM EST, and one more winners will be randomly selected to win from the entries received between Wednesday, January 31 and Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at 11:59 PM. SO – make sure you enter to win two times!

How can you win?
Easy?

Reply to this blog and tell us what variety of the Lifestyle Awareness Tea look the best to you! (Is it the Refresh Now? The Serene Slumber? Or maybe the Organic Ginger Root? Check out all of the varieties here.)

Good luck, take time to sit and sip tea… and as always…

Be Free!

If you are a chocolate lover you are aboslutly going to adore this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

Righteously Raw’s slogan is “the way chocolate ought to be”… and they are spot on. Certified gluten-free, organic, non-GMO, vegan and kosher, this chocolate is also free of the top 8 allergens and contain no refined sugars.

The flavors are also too good to be true. These “adult-like” varieties are super creative and made for the adult palate. Maca, Pure Dark, Goji, Caramel, Acai and my favorite, Rose are all sure to please.

All of these reasons are the reasons why this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Righteously Raw! Congratulations!

I rediscovered Shelton’s Turkey Jerk a few weeks back at a large Natural Food trade show.  Amongst all the sweets and treats that lurked at almost every booth, there was a hidden gem awaiting… a snack that is savory and a bit spicy, that is full of protein and tasty too.

Welcome Shelton’s Turkey Jerky!

This gluten-free jerky is made from turkeys raised without antibiotics. And not only are they gluten-free they are also casein-free too. Plus, all of the Shelton Turkeys are free-range. And besides the jerky, Shelton’s also makes other gluten-free items.

I also LOVE the fact that one .5 ounce serving has only 50 calories!

So this Holiday season, enjoy your turkey jerky style and check out Shelton’s for yourself! Congrats to Shelton’s on being selected as this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

Want to buy Shelton’s Turkey Jerky? It’s available on Amazon.com with FREE Super-Saver Shipping! Check out the link here: Shelton’s Turkey Jerky

When I went to an event in Boston a few weeks back there were was a Luna Bar promotion. As I was walking by the booth, the friendly gals that were working asked me if I would like to try a Luna Bar.

Knowing Luna Bar had been a no-no in the past, due to the ingredient list containing gluten, I disappointingly said I couldn’t because of the gluten.

BUT… much to my delightful surprise the gals came back and told me that Luna has reformulated their PROTEIN  Bars to be gluten-free! (Note: Only the Luna PROTEIN Bars are gluten-free – the regular Luna Bars are not!)

Here is the statement from the Luna Bar website:

At the beginning of 2011 we started to transition all LUNA Protein flavors to be gluten free. To do this, Clif Bar & Company has looked at all aspects of making our bars. Our ingredient suppliers have confirmed that all ingredients are gluten free, so they contain no gluten from wheat, rye or barley. The location where we make our food is capable of making a gluten free food and we test our finished products to confirm that they are gluten free.

Our newest flavors, Mint Chocolate Chip and Chocolate, are all labeled gluten free.

As of March 2011, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cookie Dough, and Chocolate Cherry Almond transitioned to be gluten free, as well. You can tell if your LUNA Protein bar is gluten free by looking at the packaging.

I tried all of the flavors that they were sampling, and my favorite was the Cookie Dough, followed by the Mint Chocolate Chip. They also have additional flavors of: Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and Chocolate Cherry Almond.

Under 200 calories per bar, packed with protein and now gluten-free are all the reasons this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Luna Protein Bars! Enjoy!

The Oskri Organic Bar is another one of my newest gluten-free bar finds.

To be truthful, I originally bought this bar because I was intrigued it was made with quinoa…. One of my new favorite grains since going gluten-free.

There are many bars out there made with oats, seeds and other gluten-free goods, but a bar made with quinoa is few and far between.

But what turned out as a sense of intrigue turned into a confirmation that quinoa in a bar is one mighty fine thing.

Soft, chewy and sweet – the Oskri Organic bars  are filling and a perfect snack. I also like that they are also lactose free and vegan. And of course, organic.

Another added bonus: These bars only have 4 … yes, FOUR… ingredients. You can count them all on one hand, and there’s not many things to eat around today that can tote that claim (The four ingredients: Rice Syrup, Quinoa, Sesame Seeds, Date Syrup).

Simple goodness is the reason in a nut-shell that Oskri Organics Quinoa Bar has been graced with this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

Want to buy? Check out this link on Amazon.com…. Oskri Quinoa Bar, Gluten Free, 1.9-Ounce Bars (Pack of 18)

For the second week in a row we will stay on the theme of good gluten-free Mexican style foods that can be enjoyed at home, so with that in mind this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe goes to Maria & Ricardo’s Gluten-Free Tortillas.

If you’re craving to make an authentic street vendor style Burrito that is bursting at the seams with grilled chicken, beef, guacamole, beans, rice and chipotle seasoning this gluten-free tortilla is for you!

Being from New England, I grew up on fish & chips from the corner restaurant for a quick and easy meal. I never had a burrito until I visited my older sister in San Francisco while she was attending college.  And this experience was one that I will never forget.

Burritos in San Francisco have a cult-like following. On every street corner in the Mission District, are tiny, family-owned burrito shops, called Taquerias, that make the best burritos in the world. Each burrito made is packed with love and good, fresh food.

These burritos are one of the things I miss the most since going gluten-free.  One of my favorite food-bloggers, Dabney Gough, and also one of my sister’s burrito loving buds from San Francisco, describes the love of burritos the way only a San Franciscan could in this fantastic blog post.

I’ve learned since going gluten-free that you have to take eating Burritos, literally, into your own hands. And this, my fellow burrito loving amigos, is where Maria & Ricardo’s gluten-free tortillas come into play!

The Maria & Ricardo gluten-free tortillas are soft, pliable and the perfect tortilla for making gluten-free burritos, soft tacos, or quesadillas at home. Made with sorghum, potato and tapioca flours, these gluten-free rounds-of-joy are great for stuffing, wrapping and rolling.

Currently available in the frozen department of only a handful of Whole Foods and some smaller supermarkets, the quest for these tortillas are worth the while. I have gone as far to ask my local grocers to carry them – and suggest you do the same.

Good ole’ San Franciscan Taqueria-style burritos made in my own kitchen in the heart of New England is the reason this week’s Friday Favorite honors goes to Maria & Ricardo Gluten-Free Tortillas.

Bueno!

Made with Organic crystallized cane juice, organic Vermont maple syrup, and ground ginger root VerMint’s Ginger Mints are one of my favorite mints.

Different than other peppermint or cinnamon mints, these sassy ginger VerMints have a spicy taste that are great for soothing a tummy while traveling, or after a meal.

Made in Vermont with organic ingredients, they are also gluten and nut free. These Friday Favorite mints, that come in fun little tins, put a little sweetness and spice into a great stocking stuffer idea!

Fall is here. Leaves are falling. Soft blankets are being tossed onto beds, and comforting fragrances such as apples, spices, cinnamon and pumpkin are wafting through households everywhere.

Fall is just a great time to enjoy your family, kitchens warmed by goods in the oven, and the joy of baking your favorite gluten-free goodies. But to be honest, I don’t have the time to bake all of my gluten-free goodies from scratch.

This is when I reach for Little Bay Baking products. I like the Little Bay Baking mixes since all the gluten-free flours are already combined, and all you need to do is add a few ingredients to make the moistest, sweet bread, cakes and cookies …and Whoopie Pies!  No fuss, no mess… and no need to mix 5 or 6 types of gluten-free flours. Plus, all of the Little Bay Baking products, when made according to the package directions, are free of casein and lactose.

Also make sure to check out the recipes on the Little Bay Baking website. These recipes show fantastic ways to make family-favorites out of their baking mixes, including: Apple & Spice Bars and Peanut Butter Cookies out of their Cookie Bar Mix; Blueberry Buckle and Pineapple Upside Down Cake out of their Waffle & Donut Mix; and  Whoopie Pies, Snickerdoodles, or Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Glaze out of their Vanilla Cake Mix.

Convenience, ease of use, versatility and made-from-scratch taste are all the reasons I am so excited Little Bay Baking is the sponsor of BeFreeForMe’s WIN-It-Wednesdays for the next two weeks.

Little Bay Baking has graciously offered a total of six (YES 6!) Prize Packages full of their delicious baking mixes. The first week we will pick three (3) winners and the Prize Package will include: a Pumpkin Bread Mix, Corn Bread Mix and a Cookie Bar Mix. The second week we will pick three winners and the Prize Package will include: Ginger Bread Cookie Mix, Yellow Cake Mix, and the Waffle/Donut Hole Mix.

How can you win?
EASY!

Reply to this blog and let us know the one thing you love about the change of seasons (Mine? Taking long walks in the cool weather so I can take the time and focus my attention on relishing the vivid fall colors… all the while kicking up the leaves under my feet!)

Six randomly picked winners will be chosen as winners. Three winners will be selected from all entries posted before Tuesday, 10/06/10 12 midnight EST; and three winners will be selected from the entries posted between Wednesday, 10/07/10 and Tuesday, 10/12/10 midnight EST.

Enter EACH WEEK to increase your chances of WINNING!

Good luck, cherish the changes in the seasons and in your life… and as always…

Be Free!

Without a doubt Chelsea Clinton’s July 31st wedding will be dubbed the event of the year, if not the century.

The wedding was picture-perfect: The bride’s Vera Wang wedding ensemble, and the Oscar de la Renta dress worn by Hillary; the swanky Rhinebeck, New York venue, Astor Courts Estates, which hosted the 500-plus guests; and the absolutely perfect weather for the estimated $3 to $5 million dollar extravaganza, which ultimately proved to me the Weather Gods absolutely, positively, and without a single-doubt have to be Democrats.

Chelsea made some fabulous choices when planning the details of her wedding, but what really caught my eye, and I’m sure had millions of others across the globe pining to find out more, was the gluten-free wedding cake.

From the bottom of my celiac-heart, thank you, Mrs. Mezvinsky.  (That’s Chelsea for those of you that didn’t know her married name).

With Chelsea saying “I Do” to a gluten-free wedding cake, she brought world-wide recognition to the gluten-free diet. The world has been abuzz with this wedding, and having a gluten-free wedding cake being the choice, and in the spotlight, of this former sweetheart of a first-daughter’s wedding, is big time for me, and the rest of the gluten-free set.

This 4-foot tall, nine-tiered, vanilla sponge cake layered with dark-chocolate mousse,  made by La Tulipe Desserts in Mount Kisco, New York, has sweetened the concept of being gluten-free. This famous cake has people chatting about the gluten-free diet and celiac disease; how “everyone knows someone with celiac disease”;  and most importantly, asking question about the disease, the reason why I and over 3 million other folks, just in the US alone, should be adhering to a gluten-free diet – not by choice, or by fad, but by medical necessity.

I am not exactly sure why Chelsea Clinton-Mezvinsky decided to choose a gluten-free cake on the day she said “I Do”, but thanks to her choice of cakes, and the publicity this famous gluten-free cake has garnered, my hope is that those with undiagnosed celiac disease all around the globe will become more aware of the disease, more conscious of the symptoms and have them questioning their doctors that maybe “I Do” have celiac too.

Want to find out more about Chelsea Clinton’s Gluten-Free wedding Cake? Check out this links:
Today MSNBC Article

or video
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It’s that time of year again when the melons are ripe, the price for them is great, and a bit of fruit juice running down your chin after that the first juicy bite is totally acceptable and downright savored.

But after visiting my local farmers market and the supermarket over the past few weeks, I’ve seen firsthand the tons and tons of melon varieties available. It is then that I realized I am a melon bore.

Being gluten-free I have found that my diet, at times, can be quite limited. That’s why I always love to try new foods whenever possible. But for some funny reason I find myself reaching for, squeezing, and only purchasing the three basic melons that have been in my life since my childhood: Watermelon, Cantaloupe and Honeydew.

This summer I decided to “break out of the same old rind”, broaden my melon-knowledge and get myself out of this melon-slump. My goal: To try as many new types of melon as possible. And to assist all of you gluten-free, melon-seeking folks that would also like to partake on this journey I have put together the following “Melon 101”:

Watermelon: The juiciest and most popular melon in the United States, this melon is 92% water (hence, the name)! A cousin to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash, the redder the flesh the sweeter the taste. They come in tons of varieties, including seeded, seedless and even a personal size watermelon. Want to find out some fun watermelon facts? Check out the National Watermelon Board for tons of “everything watermelon” information!

Cantaloupe: To contain the juices avoid cutting into this thick netted skinned melon, until just ready to eat. Very juicy, and so sweet, this melon is a favorite served in fruit salads and breakfast buffets. Not sure when a cantaloupe is ripe? Look for one that is heavy for its size!

Honeydew: There are two types of honeydew melons – one with green flesh and the other with orange flesh. Perfect for those on a gluten-free diet that are watching their weight (ahummm – that would be me!) these low-calorie melons contain no fat, no sodium and are high in vitamin C. I like to cut honeydews in half, scoop out the flesh and use the shell as a “salad bowl” filled with a nice diced chicken and melon salad.

Crenshaw: With a salmon colored orangish-pink flesh, Crenshaw melons make a statement in any salad or dessert. Slightly spice and fragrant, they are a great addition to a fruit salads too.

Santa Claus: This mild flavored melon resembles a small watermelon at first glance. The green flesh is similar to the honeydew melon, but not as sweet. Perfect for melon salsas, chutneys and fruit salads.

Casaba: This pumpkin shaped melon with a thick, hard, grooved rind has a unique mild cucumber flavor. I love this melon chopped in a salad instead of using cucumber!

Canary: With a firm & crisp whitish to light green flesh, this melon is shaped like a football. While it is not as sweet as many other melons, it is still great for snacking and tossing in salads.