Be Free For Me Blog

Sometimes a little fizziness is just what a girl needs. A little bit of fizz in your drink to add some sparkle to your day.

That is why I fell in love with the newest addition of the Honest Tea family – Honest Fizz… a zero calorie, naturally sweetened soda that has no caffeine and is sweetened with stevia. It’s no wonder it is described as “so-da-licious” on their website!

The flavors are great for adults and kids too: Old-time Root Beer, citrusy Lemon Limey, a cherry Professor Fizz and the classic Orange Pop.

Good taste, no sugar, free of calories & caffeine… and full of sparkle…  are why this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Honest Fizz! Congrats on being so dazzling!

Sassy & sweet. Yup… those are the two words I would use to describe the two newest additions to the Kind Bar family. Both of these new additions meld sassy and sweet flavors into one bar to create a perfect taste assembly.

And let me tell you why I love them both…

The Dark Chocolate Chili Almond is spicy and sweet all in the same bite. Just when you catch the sweetness, a little sassiness catches your unsuspecting taste buds off guard. Tricky little bar.

The dark chocolate is pure angel heaven. And the spiciness adds a bit of devilish heat. Absolutely divine.

Then there’s the Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt. I swear the folks at Kind Snacks made this bar with me in mind… a bit sweet, a bit spicy and, yes, even a bit nutty. It’s basically a bit of New England all rolled into one bar. It’s made with real maple syrup, reminiscent of the north woods of New England, that is sea sprayed with the salts of the rugged Atlantic coast.

And, said like a true-Bostonian, “This is a wicked good bah.”

As always, these newest addition to the KIND Snacks family are gluten-free, kosher and perfect for a breakfast on the run or for snacking. Plus, all KIND Bars offer the essential nutrients often lacking in gluten free diets including fiber, protein, magnesium and vitamin B12.

All these wonderful, healthy and tasty reasons are why I am so thrilled that KIND Snacks is this week’s Win-It-Wednesday sponsor on BeFreeForMe.com.

A total of two (2) BeFreeForMe members will be selected to win a prize exclusive for this contest on BeFreeForMe. This prize pack includes twelve bars of EACH of the two newest KIND flavors – Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt and the Dark Chocolate Chili Almond– for a total of 24 KIND bars (retail value of over $45.00). One winner will be randomly selected from the entries received before Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 11:59 PM EST, and one more winners will be randomly selected to win from the entries received between Wednesday, July 31 and Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 11:59 PM. SO – make sure you enter to win two times!

How can you win?
Easy?

Reply to this blog and let us know which new KIND Nuts & Spices Bar sounds best to you… the Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt or the Dark Chocolate Chili Almond. And if you want… let us know something kind that you have done or something kind that someone else has done for you lately (Me? I stopped my car at road construction and handed a bottle of cold ice water to a police officer who was melting standing there in 100 degree heat =)  )

Good luck, remember to be KIND even in a nutty, sassy and sweet kind of way … and as always,

Be Free!

Keep in touch and join me in following KIND Snacks on Facebook & Twitter!

This week’s Friday Favorite is a repeat of a past Friday Favorite honoree. Why? Because it is truly one of my all-time favorite products that I really, really can’t live without! My fruit infusion pitcher.

When there is a heat wave and the temperature is pushing the 100 degree mark, there’s nothing like a tall, cold glass of water. But let’s face it… plain water can be just that… plain old boring.

That is why I snagged myself one of these pitchers on Amazon.com that lets you infuse your own real fruit, herbs and veggies – quickly and easily.

The concept is easy & inexpensive. You cut up your own fruit, veggies, herbs… creativeness at its best… and add them to the infuser section in the pitcher. Within a few hours (but it can take up to 24 hours for some fruits/veggies) you have crisp, flavored water that is super yummy, super healthy (since you have control over the ingredients you put in) and super cheap to make!

I can’t say enough about this pitcher and have been dreaming-up different flavor-concoctions since I got it. Some of my favorites so far? Apple & Mint; Basil-Cucumber; Lemon-Ginger; Strawberry-Kiwi; Green Tea & Tangerine; and Honeydew-Mint. In fact, I like so many mixtures I think I might have to get a second pitcher to have two flavors going at the same time!

The fruit/veggies that I add to the infuser lasts for about 1-week, but I find it helpful to add more water to the pitcher every time I pour myself a glass, to keep the water continually infused and nicely flavored.

I just checked and it is now on sale on Amazon.com for $19.99 (Regular price is $25) and qualifies for free Super Saver Shipping.

It’s not too often I rave about something other than food on my Friday Favorite column, but this pitcher is must-have for anyone trying to drink more water! So this week I lift my glass of fruit infused water and congratulate Prodyne Fruit Infusion Pitcher for being this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

Want to buy on Amazon.com? Check out this link: Prodyne Fruit Infusion 93-Ounce Natural Fruit Flavor Pitcher

This week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com is awarded to Niagara Natural’s Simply Fruit Real Fruit Bites… the perfect grab-and-go snack that is made from 100% real fruit.

I love that these snacks have no corn syrup or sugars, are non-GMO and contain no artificial colors flavors or preservatives. They also have no trans fat or cholesterol.

These nut-free, gluten-free and vegetarian real fruit snacks are perfect for the beach, camp, or snack times.

Congrats to Niagara Natural’s Simply Fruit for being a guilt-free and tasty snack… and also for being awarded this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

Elana Amsterdam is one of my favorite gluten-free cookbook authors. Her last two cookbooks, “The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook” and “Gluten-Free Cupcakes” are two of my most go-to, used and perused cookbooks that I own.

And now Elana has created yet another marvelously, scrumptious collaboration of gluten-free, grain-free and dairy free recipes in her newest cookbook addition – “Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry – Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes”.

I’ve heard a lot over the past few months about Paleo cooking, but was never quite sure what it was all about. What exactly is the premise of Paleo cooking? What can you eat? What can’t you eat? Does the diet allow any baked goods at all? And after reading the first few chapters of Elana’s cookbook I discovered the answers to all of the questions I had regarding the Paleo cooking… plus more.

What I learned is that Paleo cooking is free of gluten, grains and dairy. It takes its cue from our hunter-gatherer ancestors and “consists mainly of all-natural low-sugar, high-fiber, and high-protein real foods like fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, seeds and nuts.” All the things that I love the taste of…  and love to eat!

This cookbook is fantastic for those that have allergies (aka: me!); folks who want to eat “cleaner” and avoid processed foods (aka: me!), or even for those who want to lose some weight  by eating “real” foods that are low in sugar and high in fiber (aka: me!).

After paging through the recipes in this cookbook and already giving several a try ( and can you say delicious?!)  I think I may soon jump aboard the Paleo Diet for a few weeks. I love the way that Elana incorporates almond flour and coconut flour into her recipes to produces high-fiber, soft and yummy baked goods like bagels, Banana Bread, & Blueberry Coffee Cake.

And congratulations to Elana for having this cookbook land on the New York Times Best Sellers List! Kudos to you, Elana!

All of the yummy & enticing Paleo recipes, from one of my favorite cookbook authors, in one easy to read cookbook with fantastic photos and terrific variety are the reasons that I am so excited Elana Ansterdam’s  newest cookbook, “Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry” is this week’s Win-It-Wednesday sponsor on BeFreeForMe.com. Four (Yes, 4!) lucky BeFreeForMe members will be the winner of their very own copy of this cookbook! Two winner will be randomly selected from all comments / entries received before Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at 11:59 PM (EST), and a second winner will be selected from all comments / entries received between Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at 12:00 AM (EST) and Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 11:59 PM (EST).

How can you win?
Easy!

Reply to this blog and send your congratulations to Elana for having this cookbook make the New York Times Best Seller List (I will make sure she receives all of your congrats =) ! Good luck, remember gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free (and allergen free!) can be tasty & scrumptious, AND on the New York Times Best Sellers list!… and as always…

Be Free!