Be Free For Me Blog

Jelly Belly Fruit Snacks, made by the makers of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, are a healthier snack alternative that are made with 100% natural fruit juices and real fruit flavors.

I discovered these pop-in-your-mouth-full-of-goodness snacks last month at a trade show, and have been hooked ever since.

Naturally gluten-free and fat-free, a snack sized bag has only 220 calories. These fruit shaped bite-sized jelly-like snacks come in 6 flavors: Orange, Strawberry, Apple, Cherry, Lemon and Berry.

Good tasting snacks that are fun to eat are the reasons why Jelly Belly Fruit Snacks are awarded this weeks Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com.

Slightly spicy gluten-free chicken served with a side of cool lettuce cups and an array of Asian-influenced gluten-free sauces are the oh-so-good reasons this week’s BeFreeForMe Favorite Friday goes to this famous gluten-free dish offered at PF Chang restaurants.

Featured as an appetizer, yet filling & good-enough for the main course, I haven’t meant anyone… gluten-free or not…  that doesn’t just love this dish, one of the many offered on PF Chang’s Gluten-Free Menu.

These Chicken Lettuce Wraps are the type of dish you try, and then, immediately after leaving the restaurant, start planning your next visit.

So, needless to say, this Friday Favorite is a wrap… PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps!

According to the Vita CoCo website, Vita Coco is an all-natural, super-hydrating, fat-free, cholesterol-free, nutrient-packed, potassium-stacked, mega-electrolyte, coconut super water. But to me, it is just a simply delicious and refreshing gluten-free beverage.

Perfect for post-workouts, this coconut water has the ability to hydrate you… fast.

Coconut water has tons of healthy benefits, including having more potassium than 2 bananas and than 15 times the potassium of sports drinks. Vita Coco also comes in five flavors; Pure, Peach & Mango, Pineapple, Acai & Pom, and my favorite, Tangerine.

Good, clean and refreshing hydrating goodness is the reason why this week’s BeFreeForMe Friday Favorite goes to Vita Coco Coconut Water. Go nuts!

It that time of year again when I start digging out those recipes for my homemade stews & soups.

But often time I don’t have the time (or the patience!) to make homemade stocks.  That is when I reach for Kitchen Basic Stocks.

Found in most “mainstream” supermarkets alongside those gluteneous stocks and soups, Kitchen Basics products are all tested to be free of most allergens – including milk, egg, peanut, gluten, soy, tree nut and corn. (Note: all the products are also fish and shellfish free, with the exception of the Seafood and Clam Stocks – which are clearly marked).  They also do not autolyze, hydrolyze, or add or produce any MSG.

Just like the name implies, these broths are basic kitchen stocks I would make myself, if only I had the time, energy and effort during my busy dinnertime hour. I also like the convenient 8-ounce single serve containers, especially when cooking up a recipe that needs a cup or less of chicken, beef or seafood stock.

All these basic, simple and trouble-free reasons are why this week’s BeFreeForMe Favorite Friday goes to Kitchen Basics Stocks!

Soups on!

Summer is over and my beloved herb garden is gone. How I miss the fresh basil chopped and sprinkled over mozzarella and my sassy cilantro that spices up my homemade salsa.

I could go out and buy myself a bunch of herbs from the local grocers produce department, but most times I don’t need such a huge bunch of herbs. And those herbs in the tiny plastic containers are priced so high and they wither and droop before I can use them up.

This is why I was thrilled to discover Daregal Fresh Frozen Chopped Herbs – a gluten and (common) allergen-free product from France, but purchased right here in the states at my local grocer. No chopping, no waste, washed and ready-to-use, Daregal herbs allow you the fresh taste of real herbs year round.

And because they are stored in the freezer, it is easy to have fresh herbs like basil, cilantro and parsley at your fingertips in a snap, which is essential for a gluten and allergen-free foodie like me that loves to cook up meals bursting with fresh flavors.

Daregal Fresh Frozen Herbs also comes in an easy-to-use shaker packaging that fits snuggly in my freezer door shelf; and with the 3 year shelf-life I don’t hesitate to pick-up one of each flavor.

So to all my family and friends that are reading this blog posting… next time you’re helping out in my kitchen and I ask you to grab something off the spice rack… try looking in the freezer door!

This week when I was running out the door for a “big” day jammed packed with meetings, blogs to write and things to do, I was in need of a fast, hot and healthy breakfast to get me on the right track.

That was when I remembered I had picked up a CedarLane Egg White Omelette. After just popping it in the microwave for just 3 minutes, I had what I was craving… and needed… a tasty breakfast that I would have cooked-up myself if I only had the time.

These omelettes are made with egg whites stuffed with uncured turkey bacon, potatoes, bell pepper, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Delicious!

As well as being gluten-free, this fast and easy breakfast is also low in cholesterol. All these reasons are why CedarLane Turkey Bacon,Vegetable & Cheese Egg White Omelettes are this week’s BeFreeForMe’s Friday Favorite! Thanks CedarLane for getting crazy, but important, days going on a great start!

October is Halloween time… and that means time for candy too!

This week’s Friday Favorite is one of my favorite types of candy… Gummi Bears!

These fun little guys are also gluten-free, as well as peanut-free (Haribo products are manufactured in facilities that do not handle peanuts) and casein-free too. For more info, check out all of the allergen info about Haribo candy.

Gummi Bears made by Haribo are also the “original” Gummi Bear. Hans Riegel started Haribo Confectionary in the 1920’s and developed the world-famous Gold-Bear product in 1967.

Haribo Gummi Bears come in five flavors: orange (orange); strawberry (green); lemon (yellow), raspberry (red) and my all-time favorite… pineapple (colorless).

Sweet squishy candy fun makes Haribo’s Gummi Gold-Bears this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

Some Gluten-Free cookies can be ho-hum. Tasteless, not worth the calories, and let’s face it… a true disappointment.

Funny how one cookie can make a gluten free gal like me smile (or should I say Glow!) from ear-to-ear. The cookie I am speaking of? Glow Gluten Free Ginger Snaps, this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com.

Full of fresh, spicy ginger and with just the right sweetness, this cookie is one of my favorites for dipping into my afternoon tea. Baked with natural and organic ingredients in a certified gluten free bakery, these cookies will never, ever again have you pining for the glutenous and dairy-full cookies you once knew.

I love the Glow Gluten Free website too. Clicking and reading through the pages almost makes you feel… dare I say it… Happy to be gluten-free! Just like their cookies, the website is snappy, fun, fresh and tasty.

Jill, the founder of Glow Gluten Free is a fellow celiac, along with her daughter, Stella. Her diagnosis prompted her to seek out the most perfect and scrumptious gluten-free cookie recipe she could bake-up. That is how Glow Gluten-Free was founded. I love entrepreneurial stories like this.

And with her positive spirit instead of making lemonade out of lemons; Jill made cookies out of garbanzo beans! Gotta love it!

Cheers, Jill! And Congratulations on being chosen as this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com.

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!

For many a donut may be a go-to breakfast. But for a lot of celiacs, including myself, Van’s waffles are the go-to breakfast staple of choice. Made of whole grains, flavored with fruit juice, full of flavor, and light & fluffy Van’s are a sure hit with kids and adults alike.

What I love the most about Van’s is the way they think beyond the basic waffle by offering tons of gluten-free varieties. Any waffle house would be jealous of their line-up.

Blueberry, Apple Cinnamon, Buckwheat, the basic Totally Natural, Flax and the kid-sized (or for me, snack-sized) Minis please anyone on a gluten-free diet. Important to note is that all these waffles are dairy & egg free too.

My favorite? The Totally Natural waffle smeared with a healthy glob of fresh blueberry preserves. To me this breakfast is my delicious, healthy and of course, gluten-free substitute to a not-so- missed jelly donut.