Be Free For Me Blog

I love baking. The mixing, the blending, the smell of a good gluten-free goodies baking in the oven. I love to make sweets for myself, and for those in my life…  just because.

After all, cake isn’t just for birthdays. Celebrations should happen daily. Got a “B+” on that math test? Time to celebrate! Mom home from a business-trip after being gone all week? Time to celebrate! It’s the little things in life that are sometimes the most overlooked, yet those that bring the biggest joys into our lives. The kind of joys that put a smile on your face, and a bounce in your step.

And to celebrate these tiny joys, cupcakes made from Pamela’s Cake Mixes are perfect.

I love the convenience of adding just a few ingredients and mixing up a batch of gluten-free cupcakes.  Afterward I frost and decorate each one uniquely… for each special someone in my life. I learned early-on the perfection in decorating doesn’t matter one bit. After all, as the old saying goes… it’s just the frosting on the (yummy, gluten-free) cake… so go nutty-crazy with the frosting & sprinkles.

Celebrating every day wonders and joys are the reasons this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com goes to Pamela’s Cake Mixes. Congratulations…and have fun celebrating!

Want to buy Pamela’s Cake Mixes on Amazon.com? Take advantage of FREE Super Saver shipping. Here are the links:

Pamela’s Products Luscious Chocolate Cake Mix, 21-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6)
Pamela’s Products Classic Vanilla Cake Mix, 21-Ounce Bags (Pack of 6)
Pamela’s Products Vanilla Frosting Mix, 12-Ounce Bags (Pack of 6)
Pamela’s Products Dark Chocolate Frosting Mix, 12-Ounce Bags (Pack of 6)

This week’s BeFreeForMe Friday Favorite is one of my all time favorite go-to frozen meals: Amy’s Light & Lean Soft Taco Fiesta Meal.

These meals are delicious… they have a zip of cilantro (which I love), that is  layered with organic vegetables, organic brown rice, corn tortillas and black beans. In fact, it is hard to believe that these meals have only 220 calories. These meals are the perfect trifecta that I am looking for to keep my New Year’s resolutions:  Tasty, low calorie and easy to prepare. Jackpot.

As well as the Soft Taco Fiesta Meal, the Light & Lean Meals also come in  many other varieties, including: Black Bean & Cheese Enchilada, Pasta & Veggies and Spinach Lasagna to name just a few.

This week’s Friday Favorites on BeFreeForMe goes to the Light & Lean Meals since they are all under 300 calories, have less than 5 grams of fat, and are only 6 Weight Watchers points in the Points Plus program. All the while tasting delicious!

These meals can be found in most grocery stores, and will be available SOON through Amazon.com. To sign-up to get notified when this item becomes available on Amazon.com, check out this link: Amys Light & Lean Soft Taco Fiesta Bowl, 8 Oz (Pack of 12)

Congrats, Amy’s!

This is the time of year for appetizers. And my favorite? Shrimp Cocktail. Any way you look at it, this appetizer is a winner hands down. Between it being the perfect finger-food (no utensils required here), low in calories and nutritionally sound it is a real crowd pleaser.

But for those of us with celiac disease and on a gluten-free diet, the “cocktail sauce” can be the culprit since it can include hidden gluten and other allergens. That is why I make my own cocktail sauce. And my secret ingredient… Gold’s Prepared Horseradish.

Gold’s is manufactured by the fourth generation of a  family has been providing quality OU certified Kosher products for almost 80 years, and has quite an extensive list of gluten-free products they manufacturer as well.

My recipe for cocktail sauce is simple and you can find it here. And since prepared horseradish has less than five calories in a one teaspoon, along with virtually no fat and tons of flavor, I plan on using it as my secret ingredient in many recipes for the coming New Year.

Tons of flavor, little to no calories and tons of ways to incorporate into recipes are the reasons this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Gold’s Prepared Horseradish. Cheers & Congratulations!

If you’re looking for a snack bar that is good for you, and just as nutritious as a good piece of fruit, look no further!

I found the ultimate fruit in a bar! Oskri Fig Bars.

I love the simplicity of these bars. The only ingredient = Figs.

These bars are naturally sweet and packed with flavor. Perfect for adults and kids. I love the fact that they have only 131 calories, 5.3 grams of protein and also only 1 gram of fat. They are also gluten-free, lactose-free, nut-free and vegan. This bar is a generous size and fills me up too.

They are the perfect bar to throw in your bag, and have as a snack while on the go.

Simple perfection is the reason the Oskri Fig Bars receives this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com. Congratulations!

These bars are also found on Amazon.com and qualify for Super-Saver Shipping. You can find them here: Oskri Fig Bars

This week’s Friday Favorite goes to a company that makes some of my favorite vegetarian AND gluten free products… Sol Cuisine.

I’ve had many BeFreeForMe members ask me what ‘veggie burgers’ and other meatless (aka: soy based) burgers, sausage, etc. are gluten-free AND vegetarian. For those of you that have been searching for such products, you know that they can be very hard to come by.

Well, I have fantastic news! All of you vegetarian and gluten-free friends (and even those of you looking to go “meatless” every so often) your search is over! Some of the products made by Sol Cuisine are exactly what you are looking for.

My favorite products are the Spicy Black Bean Burger (SO delicious, packed with protein and ONLY 90 CALORIES!) and the Organic Veggie Crumbles (So easy & perfect for recipes or with gluten-free sauce served over pasta).

These products are really fantastic tasting. I even had some of my meat-loving family members try them unknowingly and they loved (asked for seconds-love) the “meat sauce” and had no idea… Obviously, not until now – when they read this blog! 😉

I love the fact that the Sol Cuisine products are also easy to find in local grocers. (Want to find a store need you? Check out this link).

Congratulations Sol Cuisine for making such  unbelievably great tasting and easily available vegetarian AND gluten-free products… and for also being selected as this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com!

This week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe is presented to one of the all-time best books I’ve ever received. Although let me mention…  this is not one of those book that you read like a novel. Instead it is one of those “keeper books” that become dog-eared, flipped through, perused, referenced and depended upon for years and years to come. This is one of those books that become a permanent fixture on your kitchen counter.

This book is a sort of chronicle of each and every department, from the grocery aisles to the wine section, of one of the most popular, fan-based and followed supermarkets in the country, Bi-Rite Markets.

The book is co-written by Sam Mogannam and Dabney Gough.  A team that produces the perfect combination of Sam’s food-entrepreneurial brilliance blended with Dabney’s foodie-genius culinary mastermind.

This book takes you through each department of a grocery store, aisle-by-aisle, answering the questions that we all wonder at some point or another: Q: How do I pick the sweetest peaches? A: The dark spot on fruit are areas of concentrated sugars – not a bruise!; Q: Tips for cooking any meat? A: Some pointers are to let the meat come to room temperature and season well with salt & pepper just before cooking, and lubricate your cooking surface with a neutral oil, like grapeseed oil.

Also, included in this cookbook is close to 100 recipes, many of them dishes that are featured in Bi-Rite’s in-house kitchen. I found that many of these recipes are gluten-free and allergen-free (or can be easily modified to be so). Some of my favorites? Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pistachios and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette; or the Apple, Pear Spinach Salad with Walnuts & Blue Cheese. All delicious.

This book is a keeper. Paging through it gets you excited about shopping, the food you eat, and cooking. It gets you wishing you had a neighborhood market owned by a guy like Sam, and a BFF (Best-Friend Foodie) like Dabney. Cheers to the two of you and a job well done!

All these reasons are why this week’s Favorite Friday goes to “Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food”. (Note: Want to get this book for yourself ? Or how about for a perfect gift idea? A hard-cover book for less than $20… Bonus!) Check out this link here on Amazon.com and take advantage of the Super-Saver FREE Shipping!  “Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food” by Sam Mogannam & Dabney Gough

I admit that I was at first doubtful that these gluten-free ground concoctions of Super Foods would taste good. I know that incorporating flaxseeds into your diet is a great way to add nutritional benefits to my gluten-free diet, and I like flaxseeds well enough. But to actually get “excited” about a flaxseed based product seemed really, really far-fetched to me… that is until I tasted the Linwood’s products.

The concept is simple. Linwood’s has developed a line of Super Food containing products that are like no others that are currently in the market. They have done this by blending ground flax seeds with different combinations of other ground super foods for an unbelievably tasty and versatile healthy product.

Some of the gluten-free combinations that they have come up with include: Ground Flaxseed and Goji Berries; Ground Flaxseeds, Sunflower & Pumpkin Seeds; Ground Flaxseeds, Walnuts, Brazil Nuts, Almonds & Q10; Ground Flaxseeds, Cocoa, Strawberries & Blueberries; and my favorite, Ground Flaxseeds, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Seeds & Goji Berries. Linwood’s also offers Organic Ground Flaxseeds and other products too.

Since getting my hands on a bag of this super Super Food, I have enjoyed it so much sprinkled on the top of my yogurt each morning. It adds a nice crunchy, sweet boost that makes my ho-hum yogurt into oh-yum yogurt. I can’t wait to get my hands on a few more bags so I can experiment with the recipes on the Linwood website, as well as try some of my own gluten-free recipes.

This week’s BeFreeForMe.com Friday Favorite goes to Linwood’s Flaxseed Blends for the simple reason of making flaxseeds tasty and … actually FUN! (Yes… it CAN be done!).  Congratulations!

Note: Made in Ireland this product is now available in the USA and should be in stores shortly… ask your stores for it your next visit. Until then I’ll be getting my “Linwood’s flax seed fix” by ordering mine on Amazon.com. Here’s the link: Linwoods Sunflower Pumpkin Sesame Flaxseed, 15-Ounce

Bakery on Main’s newest addition to their gluten-free line-up is a product I truly love. The True Bar.

And loving these bars so much has prompted me to add my own thoughts onto the phrase “Nothing to hide” True Bar’s  tagline .

My addition: “Nothing to hide… but SO much to seek.”

These gluten-free bars are made with natural ingredients and are a perfect choice for those seeking out a quick on-the-go snack. True Bars are also also a good source of fiber and Omega 3, made with many low-GI ingredients, non- GMO, dairy and casein free. Low in sodium and with no transfat or cholesterol, these bars are also certified gluten free and Kosher Parve.

Chew, yet crunchy, True Bars come in six fun, interesting and tantalizing flavors: Apricot Almond Chai, Walnut Cappuccino, Fruit & Nut, Hazelnut Chocolate Cherry, Raspberry Chocolate Almond and my personal favorite, Coconut Cashew. Nothing boring about these bars!

So seek them out for yourselves and see why this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe goes to Bakery on Main’s new Truebars!

Note: Enjoy FREE shipping on the Truebar’s for a limited time. Individual bars or by the sleeve of twelve for a 25% saving!

This week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com goes to an all-time favorite snack… Snikddy Baked Fries.

Besides making some darn good healthy snacks, Snikiddy is just an all around super cool company. Co-Founded by a daughter (Mary Schulman) and her Mom (Janet Owings) this Mom-Daughter team set-out to develop a line of delicious and fun snack foods that are also simple, wholesome and real. (On another note, I was totally honored to hear Mary speak last week at the Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore…. WHAT an inspirational woman!)

The Snikiddy snacks are made with all-natural ingredients, are gluten-free, have less fat than regular potato chips, and contain no preservatives or corn syrup.

I love the way they have also expanded their product line over the years. As well as offering the Baked Fries and Baked Cheese Puffs,, they have added their newest addition, Eat Your Vegetables.

The Baked Fries come in several flavors including Cheddar Cheese, Southwest Cheddar, Bold Buffalo, Barbeque, Sea Salt, and my favorite Classic Ketchup.

This weeks’s Friday Favorite goes to a business run by an inspirational woman that provides healthy snack the whole family will love! Thanks Mary!

Want to buy Snikiddy Snacks now? Check them out on Amazon.com Snikiddy All Natural Baked Fries, Classic Ketchup, 4.5-Ounce Bags (Pack of 12)

Yummy, melt-in-your-mouth buttery goodness are some of the words that describe Amy’s new Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies.

Shortbread Cookies have always, always been one of my favorites. The sweetness. The smooth and pure taste. Shortbread cookies are one of the things I have missed the most since going gluten-free.

That’s why I was so excited that Amy’s has come out with three new Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies: Classic Shortbread, Almond and Chocolate Chip.

This week’s BeFreeForMe Friday Favorite is a simple and perfect cookie enjoyed all by it’s wonderful self or in your favorite recipe as an ingredient in a scrumptious pie crust.

Thank you Amy’s for duplicating that melt-in-your-mouth goodness… gluten-free! And congratulations for being this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com.