Be Free For Me Blog

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and my thoughts keep wandering to sweet treats. Treats that can be enjoyed on a cold winter’s day with a cup of hot tea or cocoa… and yes, treats that can be enjoyed without a worry in the world.

And thanks to Cybele’s Free-To-Eat Cookies everyone on a gluten-free diet or those that are concerned with the top 8 allergens – Dairy, Eggs, Wheat, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish and Shellfish – can enjoy a soft and sweet treat this Valentine’s Day… or any day… worry free.

These cookies are made by a mom of a food allergic family, Cybele Pascal (on a side note… Cybele is a remarkable woman! Make sure you check out Cybele’s blog for some delicious recipes and her “Allergen-Free Bakers Handbook” cookbook for some great allergen-free baking tips and recipes!) The cookies are also vegan – and come in three flavors: Chocolate Chunk Brownie, Chocolate Chip, and my favorite, Oatmeal Raisin. Cybele’s Cookies are also baked in a dedicated gluten-free and allergy-friendly facility.

O.K. – I know by now many of you are also thinking that these cookies must be free of flavor too. But, a-ha, you are wrong my friends. These cookies are soft (like, really, really soft… which I love), moist, full of raisins, chocolate chips & chunks and all the other fixins’. So they are a perfect worry-free, tasty treat for those on a gluten-free diet, celiac disease, or with food allergies. But beware! The non-gluten-free and non-food-allergic peeps in your household will be gobbling them up too… they are just that good.

For being able to enjoy a super tasty cookie that is worry free when it comes to gluten and allergens, is the reason why I am so very excited to have Cybele’s Free-To-Eat Cookies sponsor this Win-It-Wednesday on BeFreeForMe.com.

Two (2) lucky winners will each receive a prize-pack containing one each of Cybele’s Chocolate Chip & Cybele’s Chocolate Chunk Brownie Free-To-Eat Cookies. One (1) winner will be randomly selected from all comments/entries received before Tuesday, February 4, 2014 at 11:59 PM (EST) and one (1) more winner will be randomly selected from all comments/entries received between Wednesday, February 5 and Tuesday, February 11, 2014. So make sure you enter TWO TIMES to win!

How Can You Win?

Easy!

Reply to this blog and tell us which Cybele’s Free To Eat Cookie looks the sweetest to you (Chocolate Chunk Brownie, Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin). Good luck, sweetness to you all this Valentine’s Day, and, as always…

Be Free!

P.S. – Join me and connect with Cybele on Facebook and Twitter!

This Win-It-Wednesday contest on BeFreeForMe is sponsored a delicious and healthy cookie that is perfect for everyone – including those with food allergies, sensitivities and celiac disease.

Not only do I love these cookies, but I also the story behind the cookies. HomeFree cookies are baked with love, and developed by a Mom, Jill Robbins, who understands how important it is for kids with food allergies and sensitivities to feel included during social occasions, where sweet treat are often part of the fun.

HomeFree cookies come in several varieties which are all free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and dairy. Most are also free of gluten and are certified by the GFCO.

The varieties that are gluten-free include: Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chocolate Chip (my favorite!), Oatmeal, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, and the Mini Vanilla Cookies, which are also 70% organic and can tout a few awesome awards including being a finalist in the Best New Food category at the Natural Products Expo East 2011 (the 2^nd largest natural food show in U.S.) and being the winner of the 2011 Best Snack Award by Shape magazine.

The name of these cookies, HomeFree, is so very fitting for what these cookies are – and for what they stand for. HomeFree make cookies are safe, and without problems for those that are on a gluten-free diet, or are concerned with other food allergens or sensitivities.  These cookies are made in HomeFree’s own dedicated facility free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and dairy with allergen sourced and tested ingredients.

HomeFree cookies are also a certified good source of whole grain (trust me… the kids won’t even notice!)  Every cookie (or 6 minis) provides at least ½ serving of the 3 recommended daily servings… amazing for a delicious cookie! Also, all HomeFree products are all natural and non-GMO.

I also like that these cookies come in “mini” sizes… which are perfect for little hands and pack up so sweet in lunch pails.

All these reasons are why I am SO excited that HomeFree Treats is sponsoring the next two week’s WIN-It-Wednesdays on BeFreeForMe.com. Four winners will win a box of HomeFree Gluten-Free Cookies.  Two (2) winner will be chosen from all entries received before Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST and another winner will be chosen from all entries received between Wednesday, November 9 and Tuesday November 15, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST. So make sure you enter to win two times!

How can you win?
Easy!

Reply to this blog (make sure you are a BeFreeForMe member if you want to win) and let us know what variety of HomeFree Cookies sound the best to you (or for your kids!)

Good luck…strive to be on that home free stretch… and… as always…
Be Free!

P.S. Want to Buy? Check out the online store at the HomeFree website!

This weeks WIN-It-Wednesday is sweet for those concerned with multiple allergies, specifically dairy, egg, nuts and tree nuts.

The Sweet Alexis brand of cookies, breads, cakes and muffins is inspired and managed by an enthusiastic Mom that has two children with numerous allergies. Set out on a mission to provide sweets that were safe for her children, these Mom-inspired products are all produced in a dedicated commercial kitchen, on dedicated equipment, where no eggs, dairy or nuts are allowed. The Sweet Alexis products are also free of preservatives and fillers. 

Some of the egg, dairy and nut-free products that Sweet Alexis makes are: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Blueberry Muffins, super-moist Banana Bread, and decadent Chocolate Cake… to name just a few.

I had the chance to chat with Michele, the Mom that founded Sweet Alexis, in great lengths on the telephone. We chatted from everything from our entrepreneurial endeavors, labeling on food products, obstacle those with allergies need to overcome while on vacation and at restaurants, to the kindness and support those in the food allergy / celiac communities offer to each other. What struck me most however, was her positive attitude and optimistic approach for her mission to help others with food allergies.

This woman is truly inspiring.

After our phone call I checked out the Sweet Alexis website and read about how Sweet Alexis came to be. The story that Michele tells is so similar to the stories I hear daily from so many BeFreeForMe members.  Stories that touch your heart and let you know that you are not alone.

One sentence that Michele writes on her website exemplifies her positive energy and spirit:

“Day by day, I am turning something devastating into a positive and that in itself feels really sweet.”

With that encouraging and inspiring thought in mind, two (yes 2!) LUCKY BeFreeForMe Members, will win a Gift Pack of the Sweet Alexis products, full of a variety of egg-free, dairy-free and nut-free cookies, muffins, breads and cake (A $50 value!) Remember the Sweet Alexis products ALL contain gluten… so these products are NOT for you, if you or your child are on a gluten-free diet!

How can you win?

Easy!

Reply to this blog and tell us how you, like Michele, make your days sweeter, even while living with food allergies or intolerances (Me? I remember and remain grateful for the foods that I can eat, rather than focus and grieve over the foods that I can not).

All entries must be received by Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 by 12:00 midnight (We’re extending the deadline this week by a few days due the Holiday Week.)

Good Luck, remember that life is indeed very, very sweet, and as always…

Be Free!