Be Free For Me Blog

This week’s Friday Favorite is one of my favorite condiments that adds a complement to so many of my meals: Boar’s Head Pub Style Horseradish Sauce.

This sauce adds a kick, a spike, and oomph to sandwiches, burgers, chicken, beef and seafood. And the best part about this sauce is “just a little will do ‘ya” since just a bit packs a punch of flavor.

Being gluten-free (in fact all of Boar’s Head’s meats, cheeses, and condiments are all gluten-free!), being only 15 calories per serving and packed with flavor are the reasons why this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Boar’s Head Horseradish Sauce. Congratulations!

Yes… I am coo-coo for cacao. In fact you could dub me a “Super-Chocoholic” since I am one of those people who will find a way to squeeze  some of this superfood’s goodness into my smoothies, snack time and even meal-time too! And if you are a Super-Chocoholic too … this Win-It-Wednesday is for you!

Navitas Naturals, the maker of the finest organic superfoods that increase energy and enhance health, is the sponsor of this Win-It-Wednesday on BeFreeForMe.com.

Navitas makes a whole line of superfood products that are certified organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, kosher, raw and vegan. Some of the products they make are powders for smoothies (can you say “yum” to Pomegranate Powder, Acai Powder or Goji Berry Powder?), dried berries and fruits (you haven’t lived until you’ve tried one of Navitas Dragon Fruit Slices!), trail mixes and snacks.

But, my all-time favorite Navitas products are one’s made with cacao. Cacao (often confused with cocoa) is a pure, raw form of chocolate. And I love it. It is packed with magnesium and one of the world’s best sources of antioxidants. I love the intense, pure chocolate taste of cacao over processed chocolate.

That’s why I am thrilled that for this Win-It-Wednesday, Navitas Naturals has graciously offered the BeFreeForMe Super-Chocoholics a chance to win a super-duper chocolaty prize pack full of their three most popular superfood cacao products: Cacao Nibs, Cacao Powder and the Cacao Goji Power Snacks.

Two (2) lucky BeFreeForMe members will be the winners of this cacao-licious prize pack! One winner will be randomly selected from all comments / entries received before Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at 11:59 PM (EST), and a second winner will be selected from all comments / entries received between Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 12:00 AM (EST) and Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 11:59 PM (EST).

How can you win?
Easy!

Reply to this blog and tell us the superfood product that Navitas Naturals makes that looks the best to you (how easy is that?)! Good luck, remember to be super and remember to be strong… and as always…

Be Free!

Follow Navitas on Facebook and Twitter for news, updates, and special offers!

P.S. Navita’s products are also perfect for those that are on the Paleo Diet too.

I love unexpected surprises. Serendipity at its best.

And that is exactly what I got when I opened one of my Go Picnic Meals this week. What I found was a sweet, savory, crunchy, chewy, sassy and fun snack… Sweet Perry’s Fruit & Nut Mix.

The flavor that I tried that absolutely knocked my socks off was the Baja Blend. The habanera almonds, sweet & salty peanuts, and the mangos and cranberries packed an unexpected punch of flavor that had me begging for more.

All these tasty reasons are why this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Sweet Perry Sweet & Nut Mix! Congratulations!

This week’s Friday Favorite is a product that I currently tried and absolutely love! Nasoya Pasta Zero Shirataki Noodles are a perfect way to enjoy any dish that calls for pasta without all the calories, carbs and fat.

Pasta Zero Noodles from Nasoya Foods are traditional Japanese noodles that are made from the Konjac plant root – which saves you about 200 calories per serving. They are almost tasteless, which allows them to “take on” any ingredients you mix them up with. I love mine with basil pesto tossed with steamed vegetables, or with traditional sauce and meatballs. They come in spaghetti & fettuccini varieties.

They are all-natural, vegan, dairy free and gluten free and they are fortified with iron. The great part about these noodles are that they really fill you up since Glucomannan, which is found in the Konjac plant root, is a water-soluble dietary fiber that helps you feel full.

Found in my Produce Department’s refrigerated section of my local grocer, the key to enjoying any Shirataki noodle is to make sure that you rinse and drain them a few times. Why? When you first open the package the smell of the Konjak plant root can take you by surprise (yes… it is an odd almost woodsy smell!) BUT it is perfectly normal and will go away one you rinse them a few times. =) For other tips on how to use Shirataki Noodles, check out this link on the Nasoya website.

No calories, gluten-free, no fat, so versatile and easy to prepare are the reasons why this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com is awarded to Nasoya’s Pasta Zero! Congratulations!

Sometimes snack time can get so boring. The same-old, same-old day after day. I always try to reach for a healthy afternoon snack – but fruit, veggie sticks, and air-popped popcorn can get so boring.

That is why I loved finding GimMe Roasted Seaweed Snacks.

At first I was shocked to see the words “seaweed” and “snack” together. Don’t get me wrong, I like my seaweed, but historically I have enjoyed it wrapped, rolled and layered around my sushi. But after trying GimMe Seaweed Snacks the words seafood & snacks have been joined together better than peanut butter & jelly or salt & pepper.

Made from seaweed that is grown in an agriculturally protected region of the Yellow Sea, GimMe’s seaweed is gluten-free, USDA certified organic and verified Non GMO. And after checking out the GimMe website I learned that seaweed (which is a vegetable… who would have known?) is loaded with nutritional value and has the highest density of vitamins and minerals of any vegetable on the planet. Good stuff!

The two products that GimMe makes are Roasted Seaweed Crumbles and Sheets. Both are loaded with vitamins and minerals, and are low in calories.

Roasted until nice & crispy, the Crumbles, which come in three tasty flavors (Cheddar Cheese, Sesame and Honey Dijon) are perfect atop a salad, or sprinkled on vegetables or baked fish; while the Sheets (that come in Sea Salt & Sesame) are great for snacking.

All these tasty & healthy reasons are why I am so thrilled that gluten-free GimMe Seaweed Snacks is this 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 a tote-bag packed with an assortment of GimMe Seaweed Snack products.  One winner will be randomly selected from the entries received before Tuesday, August 13, 2013 at 11:59 PM EST, and one more winners will be randomly selected to win from the entries received between Wednesday, August 14 and Tuesday, August 20, 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 flavor of the Crumbles or Sheets sounds best to you… the Sea Salt, Cheddar Cheese, Sesame, or Honey Dijon.

Good luck, remember to snack on those vegetables (and yes, that does includes seaweed!) … and as always,

Be Free!

Keep in touch and join me in following GimMe Seafood Snacks on Facebook!

This week’s Friday Favorite is one of my quick & easy go-to dinners that is perfect when I don’t feel like “cooking” and I’m looking for a quick-fix meal that is both healthy… and tasty.

Harvestland Chicken Burgers are gluten-free and are made from chicken raised with no antibiotics and are fed an all-vegetarian diet.

These chicken burgers are minimally processed and combine all-natural chicken with other natural ingredients to make a delicious burger. They come in three delicious flavors: Cheddar Cheese w/ Jalapenos; Uncured Bacon & Cheddar; and my favorite, Florentine.

The best part is that these burgers are already fully-cooked, so all you need to do is heat-and-serve. I like to fire up the grill and heat mine up for a few minutes on each side. My favorite way to enjoy one is on toasted gluten-free bread that is piled high with avocado and arugula. Delicious!

All-natural good taste and convenience is why this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Harvestland Chicken Burgers! Congratulations!