Be Free For Me Blog

We all know the drill. First thing in the morning you have high hopes of getting out of work on time, not hitting any traffic on your commute, and getting home in plenty of time to make a delicious home cooked dinner for your family.

But then reality strikes. We end up working late, sitting in a traffic jam and finally getting home to a hungry gang asking, “What’s for dinner?”

These are the nights that I count on Crystal Farms Simply Potatoes. These mashed potatoes are so quick and easy to make (less than 5 minutes in the microwave!) and taste just like homemade mashed potatoes (trust me… and I am picky when it comes to my mashed potatoes!).

My favorite variety is the Traditional Mashed Potatoes, but they also come in tons of other gluten-free varieties such as Country Style, Garlic Mashed, Sour Cream & Chive, and even a Mashed Sweet Potato.

For convenience, partnered with great homemade taste, this week’s Friday Favorite is awarded to Crystal Farms Simply Potatoes. Congratulations!

I like things simple… pure… natural… and no fuss. That is why I was thrilled to find the new Fruit Bars at my local Trader Joe’s.

Made with just fruit (my favorite the Apple & Mango has just that as ingredients… JUST apples and mangoes) these bars are not only gluten-free, but vegan and raw. They also have no additives, no preservatives, no synthetic colors or artificial flavors.

The other yummy flavors they come in are: Apple & Banana, Apple & Coconut, and Apple & Strawberry.

Best yet… they are only .99 cents per bar!

It’s kinda hard to lug around apples and mangoes in my teeny-tiny purse, so these Fruit Bars do the trick and let me have my fruits – and purse space too! Packed with 2-3 grams of fiber and only 90 calories per bar these are the perfect choice for BeFreeForMe’s Friday Favorite! Congratulations!

The mornings are getting chilly once again. And as my slippered feet pitter-patter their way down the hallway and into the kitchen of my New England Saltbox colonial, I find myself dreaming about the steaming hot cup of Teeccino Herbal ‘coffee’ and Teechia cereal to start-off my day.

As many of you already know from my past blog posts, I love Teeccino’s Herbal ‘Coffee’. The perfect combination of an herbal tea, and a rich creamy ‘coffee’, this dandelion- based coffee alternative “brings the health benefits of roasted dandelion root including its inulin content, antioxidants, and stimulating effects on liver function to your cup” according to the Teeccino website. The Dandelion Herbal Coffee comes in two flavors: Dandelion Dark Roast and, my favorite, Dandelion Caramel Nut.

The health-benefits of the herbs, combined with the rich coffee flavor make this a perfect coffee alternative to start my day. It is also the only certified gluten-free, barley-free & caffeine-free certified organic coffee alternative on the market.

And alongside that steaming mug of Teeccino Dandelion Caramel Nut Coffee on my old oak kitchen table is a big bowl of Teechia Sustained Energy Cereal. The cereal tastes great, and fills you up since it is made up of a delicious blend of six organic super seeds, plus certified gluten-free rolled oats, which are slightly sweetened by using fruit… No added sugar in this cereal! Teechia is a perfect breakfast cereal enjoyed with fresh milk or creamy greek yogurt.

Along with being certified gluten-free, I love that this cereal has no refined sugars, has 28 grams of whole grains and is Non GMO project verified.

This cereal comes in two flavors: Cranberry Apple and, my favorite, Blueberry Date. The nutrient-dense super seeds (chia, flax, quinoa, ramón, amaranth, and pumpkin) in both of the varieties paired with gluten-free oats, fruits and nuts, create a high performance cereal that keeps me energized and satisfied all morning long. It has 6 grams of fiber and 6 -7 grams of protein…  It’s cereal you feel good about eating!

All these glorious reasons are why I am so excited that the sponsor of this Win-It-Wednesday is Teeccino’s!

Ten (Yes…10!) lucky winners will each win a VIP Gluten-Free Sampler prize pack of Teeccino items. Five (5) winner will be randomly selected from the entries received before Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 11:59 PM EST, and five (5) more winner will be randomly selected to win from the entries received between Wednesday, October 1 and Tuesday, October 7, 2014 at 11:59PM EST. SO – make sure you enter to win two times!

How can you win?
Easy!

Reply to this blog and tell which gluten-free Teeccino Super Seed Cereal and/or Herbal Coffee sounds the best to you.

Good luck, always start your mornings with a bounce in your step (even in your slippers!)… and, as always,
Be Free!

Want to hear more about Teeccino’s contest, coupons, giveaways and more? Follow them on Facebook and Twitter!

For this week’s Friday Favorite, we’re going to spice things up a bit! And that spice is organic, gluten free, salt free and non-GMO.

Say hello to Engage Organics Spice Blends! I love that these spice blends are SALT free, as well as gluten-free, since salt-free spice blends that are also gluten-free are very hard to find!

Engage Organics makes a whole bunch of  spice blends that are super-tasty and will put a zip into any and all of your gluten-free dishes. The flavors they have are unique and flavorsome. They include: It’s-A-Dilly (great on fish dishes and blended as a dip); Garlicsaltless (one ½ a teaspoon is worth a clove of garlic!); All Purpose (great on everything!); Go-Grill-A-Rub (perfect for grill-masters); Lemon-Pepper (my favorite on chicken); Mexi-Mix (great for tacos, nachos and more); Sweet Cinn (LOVE this sprinkled on top of my gluten-free muffins before baking!); and the Tuscan-Mix (which is scrumptious blended with olive oil for dipping your gluten-free bread).

All fabulous varieties, all gluten-free and all SALT free! For these reasons Engage Organics is awarded this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com! Cheers!

I found a new snack! And I’m in love! Fresh cut fruit, slathered with Bonelli’s Fine Foods Simply Sesame spreads.

As simple as it sounds these spreads give your fruit an extra special kick that gives you (or your kids!) a reason to get excited about fruit!

The flavors that the Bonelli’s Sesame Spreads come in are awesome too: Pure Roasted Sesame, for the pure taste of sesame; Vanilla with Almond Bits, for a sweetness and crunch that makes a banana and apples extra special; Pistachio with a Hint of Cardamom, that is fantastic generously smeared over pear slices; and last, the Sugar-Free variety, for those that are watching their sugar intake.

These spreads are all gluten-free, all natural, vegan, have no preservatives or additives, no Trans Fat or cholesterol. They are also peanut free.

For all these delicious reasons Bonelli’s Simply Sesame has been awarded this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeFore.com. Congratulations!

Want to buy on Amazon? Check out the link to Simply Sesame products here!

If you are a fan of KIND Bars and love big, bold flavors you are going to flip when you hear about these new bars from KIND snacks.

Aptly named, these STRONG & KIND Bars are full of the wholesome goodness you expect for all KIND Snacks, packed along with big, bold, strong flavors.

These are no boring and blah bars. These bars are savory and special. A bar that breaks beyond the boundaries of being average, and takes gluten-free bars to a whole new level of savory goodness!

The five varieties of these bars are: Hickory Smoked, providing a smoky & smooth taste; Thai Sweet Chili, offering a taste that is bold and exciting; Honey Mustard, that has a blend of sweet and spicy that is paired perfectly; Roasted Jalapeno, a hot pepper lovers delight; and Honey Smoked BBQ, that delivers a real BBQ taste.

The STRONG & KIND bars are made from 100% whole ingredients: almonds, pumpkin & hemp seeds, pea crisps and spices, plus they provide 10 grams of protein per bar that comes from the legumes, nuts and seeds.

These bars also contain no whey, soy, gluten, and are also non-GMO.

All these big, bold and healthy 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 pack of KIND Snacks loaded with 5 bars of each of the five flavors (25 bars total!) of the new STRONG & KIND Bars (Hickory Smoked, Thai Sweet Chili, Honey Mustard, Roasted Jalapeno, and Honey Smoked BBQ).

One winner will be randomly selected from the entries received before Tuesday, September 16, 2014 at 11:59 PM EST, and one more winners will be randomly selected to win from the entries received between Wednesday, September 17 and Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 11:59 PM. SO – make sure you’re a BeFreeForMe member and enter to win two times!

How can you win?
Easy?

Reply to this blog and let us know which new STRONG & KIND bar sounds the best to you.

Good luck, remember to be STRONG… and KIND … and as always,
Be Free!

Back to school is here! And those lunches are being packed once again.

Along with the sandwiches, fruit, vegetables and snacks, sometimes a cookie is just what it takes to make a lunch box packed ever so sweet.

I discovered Nana’s Cookies earlier this year while at a trade show in California and I’ve been hooked ever since. I have always been a fan of Nana’s and have written a couple of blog posts in the past about their amazing Cookie Bars. So, I was more than thrilled to discover that they had a variety of delicious traditional gluten-free cookies too. The flavors are Chocolate, Chocolate Crunch, Ginger, and Lemon. All are delicious and worthy of a special lunchbox treat.

And best yet… all of Nana’s Gluten-Free Cookies are also free of corn, soy, dairy, eggs and casein.

All of these delicious reasons are why Nana’s Gluten-Free Cookies are awarded this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com. Congratulations!

I love a good barbeque sauce. Slathered on chicken, beef and pork; as a topping for juicy hamburgers; and a dipping sauce for fresh-cut fries. There’s always a reason to put use Bar-B-Q Sauce on my plate.

And my all-time favorite Bar-B-Q Sauce is Stubb’s. All natural and all gluten-free, I love Stubb’s Bar-B-Q sauces since they do not contain any high-fructose corn syrup (it’s surprising how many Bar-B-Q sauces do contain high-fructose corn syrup as the first ingredient… YUCK!). I also like that on average Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Sauces have on about 20 calories per tablespoon… making it a guilt free way to add some flavor to grilling and dipping. The Stubb’s Bar-B-Q line-up will have you thinking up creative ways to use Bar-B-Q sauce with all of your gluten-free meals. The varieties are fantastic too: Original, Spicy, Hickory Bourbon, Sweet Heat, Smokey Mesquite and Honey Pecan.

And with the autumn season almost here, I am excited to announce that Stubb’s has come out with a new product… Cookin’ Sauces! These sauces will help you creative flavorful, easy skillet and slow cooker meals, even on the days that time is of the essence and your family is hungry for a good warm meal.

The Stubb’s Cookin’ Sauces are also certified all gluten-free, all natural and contain no artificial flavors, colorings or high fructose cornsyrup. They come in four great varieties, including Bar-B-Q Slider, Chili Fixins, Hatch Chile and Smokehouse Bourbon.

Now Stubb’s make it easy for us all to have yummy gluten-free meals made grill-top or stove-top!

All of these tasty reasons are why I am so glad that Stubb’s is the sponsor of this Win-It-Wednesday on BeFreeForMe.com

The prize is three (3) FREE product coupons for Stubb’s products (two for the core line of sauces, marinades and rubs and one for the new Cookin’ Sauce).  One (1) winners will be randomly selected from the entries received before Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014 at 11:59 PM EST, and one more winners will be randomly selected to win from the entries received between Wednesday, September 3rd and Tuesday, September 9th, 2014 at 11:59 PM. SO – make sure you’re a BeFreeForMe member and enter to win two times!

How can you win?
Easy?

Reply to this blog and let us know the one thing you’ll miss about summer OR the one thing you look forward to in the fall. Me? I’m going to miss summer nights hanging out in my screen house!

Good luck, remember everything’s better with some seasoning, spicy and sauciness… and as always,
Be Free!

Dip into the goodness of this week’s Friday Favorite!

I love my chips, salsa and guacamole, but sometimes I just don’t have time to make my own guacamole. That is why I was so excited to find Calavo Guacamole…  it’s fresh homemade taste will have you reaching to buy a tray every time you shop.

I love  the creaminess (incorporated with chunks of fresh avocado!) and the just-enough spice of the Calavo guacamoles. They are made with fresh ingredients including 100% Hass avocados, and other ingredients such as onion, garlic, jalapeno peppers, tomatillo, serrano peppers and cilantro – depending on the variety of guacamole.

Found in refrigerated producet section of your supermarket, there are  no preservatives in the guacamole, and of course, they are gluten-free.

Congrats to Calavo Guacamole for being this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com! Break open a bag of chips and dip right in!

P.S. Want updates, news, deals, and recipes? Follow Calavo on Facebook and Twitter!

Looking for a quick on-the-run breakfast or snack for your children… or even yourself? If so, you need to check out Happy Squeeze Greek Yogurt.

No fuss, no bother, and no spoon required, this fast and easy pouch contains a fantastic source of calcium and Vitamin D.

The Happy Squeeze flavors are Peachy Keen, Razzleberry, and Super Strawberry. They are all gluten-free, and make sure you check out the allergen chart for all of Happy Family Brand products.

I’ve been a fan of Happy Family Brands for years. I love that they‘re socially responsible, and have sustainable products that are organic, healthy and affordable. And, on a side note, the company is run by a bunch of really cool and nice people who I have had the pleasure to meet at industry tradeshows. =)

In a nutshell, Happy Family Brands is a company that you can feel happy about. And for that reason, they have been awarded this week’s Friday Favorite on BeFreeForMe.com! Congrats!