Be Free For Me Blog

I had lunch with my God Mother last week which was a special treat.  I haven’t seen her for years, but we started exactly where we left off, chatting and gabbing hours away about everything and anything.

But her presence wasn’t the only treat of the day. She brought along a gift of Tate’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies for me.

For those of you that haven’t tried these cookies yet, you must. These thin, crunchy cookies taste like homemade.  Eating just one is almost impossible. They are just that good!

And best yet Tate’s has more varieties of gluten-free baked goods that I can’t wait to try including,  double chocolate cookies, ginger zinger cookies, and gluten free brownies. All of Tate’s Bake Shop gluten free items are produced in a dedicated gluten free facility and are certified by the Celiac Sprue Association.

Thanks to my wonderful God Mother, Kay, I was bale to discover Tate’s Bake Shop’s gluten-free cookies! All of these wonderful reasons are why this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Tate’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies! Congratulations!

This week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to a company that allows you to get your “apple a day” the crunchy way!

Bare Crunchy Apple Chips are a great way to incorporate fruit into your diet one crunch at a time. The 100% natural apple chips are gluten-free, fat-free and are only 50 calories per pack. And the best part? Each package contains one apple!

I love the way that they are baked, contain nothing artificial, and have no added sugars. The only ingredient: Apples. Pure and simple!

I eat my Bare Apple Chips as a side with my lunchtime sandwich (who needs potato chips when you have these gems?) and also as a mid-day snack.

Perfect anytime, convenient and tasty are the reasons why this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com is awarded to Bare Crunchy Apple Chips! Congratulations!

This week’s Friday Favorite is now one of my favorite mid-day snacks. The Eat Well Embrace Life hummus’ gives my carrot & celery sticks a dip with an extra little kick!

I love all of the Eat Well Embrace Life Hummus’ since they are a healthy and low-calorie. Plus they are flavorful and zesty… not bland and boring. A two tablespoon serving (which is plenty for snack) has only 40-60 calories and is packed with ingredients that you can feel good about dipping your healthy lil’ veggies in.

And ALL of the Eat Well Embrace Life product ingredients are certified gluten-free (Yes… even the gluten free soy sauce!)

And the flavors! Oh! The flavors! No more boring flavors of hummus for me since I found Eat Well Embrace Life! Some of my favorites include the Sweet & Spicy Black Bean, Spicy Yellow Lentil with Sunflower Seeds, Tuscan White Bean with Roasted Pine Nuts and the Zesty Sriracha Carrot Hummus. But make sure you check out ALL of the delicious flavors for yourself… and the great recipe ideas on the Eat Well Embrace Life website.

All of these reasons are why this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Eat Well Embrace Life Hummus. Thank you for exciting and tasty hummus… and for making celery and carrots fun and flavorful!

P.S. Check out the Eat Well Embrace Life Facebook and Twitter pages to find out more about this fantastic company and keep attuned with updates and new products!

Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame is a crunchy, tasty and healthy way to add more protein in your diet… all while enjoying a perfect snack.

These all-natural dry roasted edamame contain only two ingredients – soybeans and sea salt.

And not only are they packed with protein, they also contain all 8 essential amino acids and add no cholesterol or trans-fats to your diet. Plus all of the Seapoint Farms dry roasted and frozen products are gluten-free.

These super snacks are also versatile, since they make a great addition atop your salad or added to your favorite homemade trail mix. Make sure to check out all the recipe ideas on the Seapoint Farms website.

All these reasons are why Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame is this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com. Congratulations!

Want to buy now? Check out this link on Amazon.com

I’ve recently revisited one of my favorite veggies from when I was younger, and I can’t get enough of them! BEETS!

Yes, BEETS! But the only problem is I hate the “tin can” taste of beets from a can. That is why I was so super excited to find Love Beets – Cooked beets that are ready for anything.

When I was younger my Mom would serve them up heated, as a side dish. But recently I’ve discovered that beets are ready for anything and can be enjoyed in many more ways than I could imagine.

Beets are great chopped on salads (my favorite salad to add them to is a Cobb Salad), or sliced and sprinkled with a touch of champagne vinegar and kosher salt. I also love the recipes that are featured on the Love Beets website, like this Grilled Cheese with Beets & Basil Aoili or Quinoa Beet Burrito Bowls with Cumin-Lime Tahini Dressing.

Love Beets are all natural, gluten-free (note that all of the the Love Beets  are gluten-free with the exception of one variety of the Baby Beets… the Honey & Ginger), contain no preservatives, and are Non-GMO. The Cooked Beets come in a 8.8 ounce packages packed with larger beets that are great for slicing or a 6.5 ounce size of baby beets which are perfect for snacking. I however, buy my Love Beets at BJ’s Wholesale Clubs that have a club-sized packages that are perfect for satisfying my new-found and obsessive love for beets. =) If you want to find where you can find Love Beets near you, check out this link.

All of these reasons are why I am so very grateful I have re-found and re-fallen back in love with Beets. Congrats Love Beets on being this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

I loved Sandwich crackers as a kid! And if you’re like me and missing peanut butter or cheddar cheese cracker sandwiches, check out this brand-spankin’ new and innovative product from Lance! (Please note that these gluten-free sandwich crackers are so new they are not even listed on the gluten-free product list on the Lance website.)

These bite-sized snacks are certified gluten-free and egg-free.  And only 150 calories per bag =)

Both flavors are delicious. Nestled between two crisply and buttery gluten-free crackers is either real peanut butter or real cheddar cheese.

For all these scrumptious reasons, this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Lance for their innovation and commitment to making some great gluten-free snacks. Big cheers for Lance for introducing the first ever Gluten-free sandwiches crackers!

P.S. Make sure to check out your local grocer for these little gems that are debuting late Spring of 2015.

You’re going to love this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

Shelton’s Smoke Turkey Snack Sticks are an awesome savory gluten-free snack that is packed with protein and tastes good to beat!

These snack sticks are made from turkeys raised without antibiotics and are vegetarian fed.

Shelton’s turkey sticks come in 3 flavors, original, pepperoni and jalapeno. The sticks are individually vacuum packed in easy open packages and are shelf stable.

I love that these snack sticks are portable, are only 45 calories per stick, and taste good – the reasons why this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Shelton’s Gluten-free Smoked Turkey Snack Sticks!

Want to buy now? Check out the links on Amazon.com:

Shelton’s Original Smoked Turkey Stick

Shelton’s Jalapeno Smoked Turkey Stick

Shelton’s Pepperoni Smoked Turkey Stick

Yup! You heard it right Gluten-Free ORZO! One of things I’ve missed the most since eating gluten-free is Orzo… those tiny little pastas that are excellent in cold salads, soups and stuffed peppers.

I discovered DeLallo Gluten-Free Orzo (and their yummy other gluten-free pastas) at the ExpoWest trade show that I visited in Los Angeles this month.

The DeLallo gluten-free pasta is made with the “the finest raw ingredients sourced from Northern Italy”. They also take special care to make sure the gluten-free pasta, which is a blend of corn and rice, is milled for  full-flavor and the perfect “al dente” bite, that we all know can be so hard to achieve with many other gluten-free pastas.

One of my favorite recipes to make with Orzo is this Olive & Feta Orzo Salad. It is perfect for the first day of Spring!

All of these reasons are why I am so happy to announce DeLallo Gluten-Free Pasta as this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com. Congratulations!

I was thrilled this past week when I found a new gluten-free frozen meal in my conventional grocers frozen case… and it taste good too!

Self Healthy Kitchen frozen meals are developed by Self Magazine whose mission is to help people live a healthy, happy life. According to their website, “For years our readers have expressed a need for quick meals that they can feel good about, so we teamed up with Benevida Foods to create SELF Healthy Kitchen, a line of healthy, delicious frozen foods made with simple, natural ingredients. Each minimally processed entrée contains no artificial ingredients and is huge on flavor.” The meal is also all natural, contains no artificial ingredients, and is minimally processed.

All the varieties of Self Healthy Kitchen are not gluten-free, but the one variety that is gluten-free is the Grilled Drunken Chicken, a dish consisting of grilled chicken topped in a sweet tequila sauce with brown rice blended with kale, cherries and pumpkin seeds. Delicious!

Congrats and cheers to Self Healthy Kitchen’s Grilled Drunken Chicken for being chosen as this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

PS: Want to find out where to buy? Click on this link to find a retailer near you!

Naked Edge Snack’s Veggie-Go’s could quite possible be the absolute best snack-on-the-go.

Portable, tasty and full of all things good, Veggie-Go’s make you feel good about snacking.

Veggie-Go’s are similar to a fruit strip but are made from whole, organic fruits & veggies. They are also gluten-free, Non-GMO and certified organic.

The flavors are unique and tantalizing. Perfect for adults, but loved by kids too. My favorite is the Sweet Potato Pie, a sweet blend of Sweet potatoes, apples and spices, that reminds me of Thanksgiving Day. Other flavors offered are: Mountain Berry Spinach, Cinnamon Spice Beet, Carrot Ginger, and the newest addition, TropiKale, a delicious marriage of tropical fruits of kiwi, guava and mango with nutrient-dense kale, pumpkin, and apple.

Cheers and congratulations for Naked Edge Snack’s Veggie-Go’s for being awarded this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!