Be Free For Me Blog

If you love an outrageously delicious, fresh-baked cookie that is made with love & passion, you must check out Ginnybakes Cookies.

The Ginnybakes company was founded in 2010 by Ginny Simon, a gal with a dream to develop the perfect cookie. Her passion for baking, active living and nutrition lead to the development of the GinnyBakes line of baked goods.

I love the conscience effort that Ginny puts into all her cookies. All of her cookies are not only gluten-free (and made in a certified gluten-free facility), but also organic, kosher and Non-GMO.

These cookies are made with “love & passion” because Ginny cares that her customers are getting the very the highest quality ingredients that do not contain anything artificial, and contain no preservatives. I love that the ingredient list on these cookie boxes reads like a list of items I would find in my own kitchen pantry. There is nothing on a Ginnybakes Cookie ingredient list that I cannot pronounce or know what it is.

These cookies taste incredible too, and come in a bunch of awesome varieties that are perfect for adults and kids. Some of the flavors include: Cranberry Pistachio, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal, Ginger Crisp, Double Chocolate, Sweet Cinnamon, Butter Crisp, Chocolate Chip Macadamia, and my two favorites… Chocolate Chip and Coconut Oatmeal Bliss.

Ginnybakes also makes a great line of bake mixes, bars, crumbles (perfect over yogurt or sprinkled on top of gluten-free muffins) and Ginnyminis (tiny bite sized cookies).

All of these reasons are why I have picked up two extra boxes of my favorite Ginnybakes Cookies (Coconut Oatmeal Bliss and Chocolate Chip Love) for the prizes for this Win-It-Wednesday on BeFreeForMe.com.

One (1) winner will be randomly selected to win a box of cookies from the entries received before Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at 11:59 PM EST, and one (1) more winner will be randomly selected to win from the entries received between Wednesday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at 11:59PM. SO – make sure you enter two times to win!

How can you win?

Easy!

Reply to this blog and tell us what Ginnybakes Cookie looks the best to you. Is it the Cranberry Pistachio? Ginger Crisp? Double Chocolate? Butter Crisp? One of my favorites, Chocolate Chip or Coconut Oatmeal Bliss? Or even one of the many others?? (I know, I know… there are so, so many yummy varieties to choose from!)

Good luck, remember to do like Ginny and reach for your dreams with love & passion, and, as always …

Be Free!

Want to buy? Check out this link on Amazon.com for Ginnybakes Baked Goods

What a great plug for gluten-free items & awareness on the Celebrity Apprentice tonight! Team Kotu and Athena had the task of coming up with a new meal and marketing plan for Schwan’s, a company that delivers meals “right to your door with no muss or fuss, making ‘convenient’ seem like an understatement”.

Well, Team Athena (members include: Melissa Rivers – TV Host/Produce, Jesse James – Entrepreneur/TV Host, Annie Duke – Poker Champion, and Brande Roderich – Playboy Playmate) won with the GLUTEN-FREE Triple Play Turkey Meatballs!

When Donald announced the challenge at the start of the show, I thought to myself, “I would market a gluten and allergen-free meal”. Then, before I knew it Annie Duke starts talking about developing a gluten-free dinner! I actually jumped up clapping!

The presentation Team Athena made to the executives at Schwan’s was good, but I thought it needed a bit of a marketing tune-up (and that’s coming from a Gluten-free Marketing Foodie) – but they got the point across about gluten-free being one of the fastest growing segments, and even chatted up wheat/ gluten-intolerances and celiac disease!

Check out the Schwan’s website to see about the Celebrity Apprentice episode and also info on the gluten-free meal – including how to order it.

Oh, and by the way, Mr. Trump and executives at Schwan’s… I think this idea is more than a triple play… the name may have to be changed to “Homerun Turkey Meatballs.

Just two cents coming from a Gluten-free Marketing Foodie.

Watching one of my all time favorite classic movies this weekend, The Wizard of Oz, I realized that Dorothy and her group of friends have so many lessons to teach those of us who have been diagnosed with celiac disease or food allergies.

After my diagnoses with celiac disease I discovered that I wasn’t in “Kansas anymore”. Tragedy will strike us all at some point in our lives, but by no means is a diagnosis of celiac disease or a food allergy a tragedy – it may be life-altering, but by no means life-shattering. This is always, always, very important to remember, and the most important advise I can give the newly diagnosed celiac and food allergic.

The greatest lesson that Dorothy and her friends teach is to always believe in yourself, be accepting of who you are and respect the obstacles that are handed to you.  I know that believing in myself and being accepting of my celiac diagnosis has made me a stronger, healthier and better person, both inside and out.

It also takes brains, courage and a heart to embrace a celiac and food allergy diagnosis:

Brains / Knowledge:
The wizard told the scarecrow, “What they have that you do not, is just a piece of paper”. The lesson to be learned here is to always believe in yourself and your abilities. Having celiac disease or a food allergy makes us savvier when it comes to food. Be smart. Think ahead. Research. Learn. And most importantly share…

Courage:
The Cowardly Lion learned through his journey that the key to success does not lie in the absence of fear, but the ability to embrace your fears, and tackle them headfirst. Face your celiac diagnosis or food allergy straight on. Be brave. Explore. Try new things. Be adventurous. 

Heart:
The Tin Man searched for a heart, knowing that he could not be complete without love. From this we must learn to be enthusiastic about our new lifestyle changes. Give back to others in the celiac / food allergic community. Be passionate and embrace your new dietary lifestyle. Be happy. Keep in mind that some “Ha-ha-ha’s. Ho-ho-ho’s. And a couple of Tra-la-la’s” are always good for the soul!

Through the lessons learned from Dorothy and her gang, we should all realize that everything we need and seek to be healthy and happy while living with celiac disease and food allergies is right inside us all the time.

Welcome to my Blog.

My name is Kathleen Reale. I am the creator of BeFreeForMe.  I am a daughter… a sister… an aunt.  I love to save money whenever I can, learn about food intolerances and allergies, and share my experiences and knowledge with others. I am a serial entrepreneur. I am a celiac.

Whenever I am asked to describe myself, such as in those “10 words or less” get-to-know-you games,  I always describe myself as being a celiac. Having celiac disease means that I have a lifelong intolerance to gluten, a protein found in many grains – including wheat, barley and rye.

I finally asked myself why?  Was this diagnosis really making that big of an impact on my life?  Was it making me connect to others? Connect to myself? I have decided, after a lot of thought, that I describe myself as a celiac because it has made me who I am today.

And who is that? What has a positive diagnosis of celiac disease help me become?

Being a celiac has made me a better person and has taught me a lot about myself, others and the world around me.

Here are a few things that randomly pop into mind of what being positively diagnosed with celiac disease has made me become or made aware of:

I Feel Alive.

After years of living – I finally feel alive after going gluten free. I thought that everyone in life always felt the way I did before being diagnosed with celiac disease. I had no idea what feeling really, really good both physically, but more so, mentally felt like until after living a gluten-free lifestyle.

Letting Go Of Things I Cannot Control.

Since going gluten free, I am more accepting of others around me, as well as myself.

Patience.

I have learned to be patient with other people and also with myself – my body.

Healing takes time.

Enjoying The Little Things.

A hotdog at Fenway Park.
Hot buttered popcorn at the movies.
Splitting a six-pack and a pizza with Sue, my college roommate.
I’ve learned that the little things can sometimes turn into the biggest memories. Hold them close.

Realizing that Talking to Strangers is O.K.

During Sunday morning grocery trips to my local Market Basket, I feel an instant bonding and connection to any other shopper I see that has a variety of wheat free goodies in their cart.  If I notice something atop their cart that I’ve wanted to buy and try, but have been leery, I don’t hesitate to ask them what they think of the product.
A stranger with gluten free in the cart suddenly becomes an instant friend.

Looking On The Positive Side.

There could be a lot of worse things in life to go without besides bread.
Enough said.

Focusing On My Goals.

I now focus on something I am passionate about. Whether it be making a new gluten free recipe. Sending information along to a newly diagnosed celiac. Discovering a new gluten free restaurant. Or starting BeFreeForMe. Being passionate about your goals makes working for them that much easier.

Discovering Food is Powerful.

I had never put much thought into food until I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Now it seems that each and every thought is somehow related to food. Food is powerful. Food is powerful because it supplies bodies with nutrients. But food is even more powerful because it is emotional; a social and cultural glue. It took me awhile to reconnect with myself, and also with the world, when I was first diagnosed with celiac disease.

But now I am back into the world, stuck on being me…gluten free.