Sunday, November 13, 2011

Sam Mills gluten free foods

                                      Sam Mills gluten free foods


 Hey everyone! It took me quite a while to complete my review on Sam mills products, but now I can finally post my blog review and share with you the excitement I have for this great gluten free company!

These opinions are all my own and I was sent these products free to review and was not paid to do so.

First off I would like to list the products that I was so generously sent for review from Sam Mills. 


  • Corn Fusilli 
  • Corn Cornetti Rigate
  • Corn Lasagne Corte
  • Corn Rigatoni
  • Corn Tubetti Rigate
  • Corn spaghetti
  • Kids corn alphabet pasta
  • Kids corn ducks pasta
  • Corn polenta
  • Corn flour
  • Corn grits
  • Corn Meal



I found all of the Sam mills pasta to be full of flavor and Al dent, just as they claimed it to be. I love the fact that Sam Mills has so many different varieties of pasta and they also make some very cute pasta for kids! My son really loved the alphabet pasta, He is 11 months old so it was the perfect size for him to be able to eat without a problem. 



I love the fact that Sam Mills is healthy and is a very affordable gluten free pasta. The pasta starts at $1.99 for a 16 oz. bag and the grits,flour and corn meal start at $2.49 for a 1lb bag!
I made a macaroni and cheese bake and used corn flour and corn meal to give it a bit of a crunch. It ended up being one of my husbands favorites!


The only con I could find about Sam Mills Corn Pasta is that you can't use put it uncooked in a pasta bake in the oven because the pasta has to be rinsed of the residue left after it is cooked. 

I boiled it and used it in a couple of my pasta bakes and it turned out fantastic and did not become mushy and broken up like most corn pasta. 

I can honestly say Sam Mills Corn Pasta is a new family favorite and we will continue to buy it!

If you would like to learn more about Sam Mills and their other products please check out their website below


& also check out my review on You Tube








Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Erewhon Corn Flakes

                       Erewhon Corn Flakes 






Today I'm reviewing Erewhon corn flakes, I have to say, these taste like your regular corn flake but with a tiny bit more flavor, they did started to get a little soggy after about 3 minutes, corn flakes really don't stand the test of time though in milk. I did add some sugar to my bowl of cereal just because I like a little bit of sweetness to mine. I can't say I was blown away by how much better they taste than your average corn flake cereal but remember, It does truly matter what is inside!

Ingredients

  • Organic milled corn
  • sea salt


 Two simple ingredients. It's nice not to have to worry if your cereal has soy or any  unpronounceable "things" in it. It's great to know there is always the organic gluten free certified corn flake option rather than risking it and eating a cereal that is not certified gluten free and of course the simple ingredients are what makes Erewhon cereal so great. over all I enjoyed these!

I would like to Thank Attune Foods so much for letting me try their cereals to review them, your such a great company!



Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Erewhon Rice Twice cereal review

                                Erewhon Rice Twice cereal review



 

Ingrediaents:
  • Organic brown rice
  • Organic brown rice syrup
  • Organic honey
  • Sea salt




 Today I'm reviewing Erewhon's Rice Twice. I tried this cereal without anything,with milk and also made
rice crispy treats out of it (Or should I say Rice Twice Treats!)  This was also a special treat for my husband because in his opinion they taste just like Smacks cereal, which he can no longer have. Apparently that was one of his favorite cereals that he missed and Attune Foods was able to bring this favorite back to him!

 I loved these because they are not packed in sugar and are lightly coated with honey. when I ate Rice Twice in milk it had the slightest hint of sweetness, but when I ate Rice Twice just by it's self they were much sweeter. These are perfect for eating something healthy when you have a sweet tooth they also lasted a little longer in the cereal without getting soggy like most rice cereal.

 These are defiantly going to become a pantry staple in our household now!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Erewhon Strawberry Crisp cereal review


 Hey guy's! Got another great gluten free product review for you this week! I was recently sent 3 boxes of Erewhon cereal from Attune Food's so that I could review them.


 Today I had the pleasure of trying strawberry crisp, I have listed the ingredients below.
  • Organic Brown rice
  • Organic corn meal
  • Organic evaporated cane juice
  • Freeze dried strawberries
  • Sea salt
  • Natural strawberry flavor

 I really appreciate the fact that the ingredients are simple and pure! I found that there are just the right amount of strawberries and the corn flakes were actually thick and not thin and flimsy like most corn flake cereals. There are some brown rice crisps in the mix as well, so it was full of texture. This is not a super sweet cereal but it doesn't need to be because that would take away from the flavors. I also found that it didn't get soggy when I let it sit in the milk for a couple of minutes and up till the last bite it still didn't get soggy! I didn't end up eating the normal amount of cereal I usually eat because it actually is very filling, which I honestly loved! Thank you so much Attune Foods for letting me try out your great cereals!

My overall opinion of Erewhon strawberry cereal is that it is a filling and very tasty cereal and I felt good about eating it because It's organic and the ingredients are sinple, what a great addition to the gluten free cereal! For those of you who are looking for your favorite gluten free corn flake cereal with strawberries, I think this is it! 

please also check out my video review http://www.youtube.com/user/jthompson1882?feature=mhee

Please check out attune foods website at  http://www.attunefoods.com/
 and also their facebook page http://www.attunefoods.com/

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Celiac disease awareness month

 Hey everyone! It's nearing the end of my favorite month, October! and If you have celiac disease then you are most likely well aware that October is celiac disease awareness month.. My husband and I got some great deals this month on some sales that were going on for a couple gluten free brands, Shar and Tinkyada.

 I did another video on gluten free products to kind of celebrate and help put out the word on some really great brands. So since my husband has celiac disease I no doubt end up eating some gluten free products a lot! I decided a couple months ago that I would love to help those that are newly diagnosed with celiac find their way through the gluten free food world. I figured since I am able to eat wheat and gluten I could do some taste tests on gluten free foods and review them. and let people know which brands are most like, if not just like a non-gluten free product!

 My husband's mother also suffers from this disease so I try to keep her informed of products as well. I will be posting gluten free recipes soon as well as reviews on gluten free products to this blog. I have also shared my gluten free lasagna recipe on my You Tube channel (check out the links below ) also check out my gluten free product review below. If you like my You Tube channel please also subscribe! I look forward to trying new stuff and letting all of you know a non-celiacs opinion!

My You Tube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/jthompson1882?feature=mhee


                                          My gluten free lasagna recipe


                                          My gluten free products review                                                 

Friday, August 19, 2011

Celiac disease: Living the gluten free life

 For a couple of years now I have been researching celiac disease, I myself do not have it but my husband does and his mother as well. It's a very difficult disease to live with at first but it does get easier. Some of my tips for anyone suffering from this disease would be this

  • Research,research,research
  • Study your food labels Very well!
  • Join a celiac disease forum. (this helps with finding out the latest news on the disease)
  • Learn how to bake and cook. (if your not the greatest at it.)

 I do the cooking and baking in my home, so my husband is pretty lucky when it comes to cooking a gluten free meal. It's difficult finding products that taste "normal" and it can get pretty expensive trying out different brands to find the ones you like.

Here is a top list of some of our favorite brands that might really help anyone starting out

Pasta

  •   Schar
  •   Mrs.Leepers 
  •   Barkat
  •   Ancient harvest-quinoa
  •   Ener-G
  •   Sam Mills

Bread

  • Schar
  • Udi's
  • gluten free pantry(bread mix)

Cake,cookies and pancakes


  • Betty crocker gluten free products
  • Pamelas products



That's really all the definite brands that are favorites right now, but that list will still be growing and I will add to it.
 Now on to restaurants! It's always a risk eating out, you stand the chance of cross contamination..You should always do your research before eating at a restaurant. I always look online at the food allergen info on the menu's. Below I have listed some restaurants that a great for gluten free food. Again there is no guarantee that you will not be cross contaminated. It is also a good idea to limit the times you do eat out a month.


Restaurants


Old Spaghetti Factory(GF pasta)
Maggiano's(must call ahead to ensure they have GF pasta available)
Uno Chicago Grill (GF pizza)
Olive Garden(GF pasta)
Mellow Mushroom(GF pizza)

Be sure the server at the restaurant is knowledgeable about celiac disease, if you mention it to them and they look at you like they have no idea what you are saying,ask for a manager or better yet just choose not to eat at that restaurant.


Sunday, June 12, 2011

SLEEP?

 So I have been a little busy the past couple weeks being deprived of sleep and my sanity! Jensynn is teething and it really felt like a nightmare of no sleep and a forever endless screaming baby! I decided to try my wellements gripe water for some relief for him and I both. The results within a day were a calmer more happy baby. I also would like to try the natural teething tablets, I think the key of these products working is the  chamomile in them. I also tried some chamomile tea last night for bedtime, it was an organic chamomile tea with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Either I was just a lot more tired than I realized or this stuff really does the trick. I felt very relaxed and calm before I drifted off. So now I am really interested in trying herbal remedies and aroma therapy.


A girl named Loni (ljewkes)on my youtube channel first got me interested by trying out herbs and aroma therapy and I thought, hey if it is working for her it will probably work for me. So that's where I'm at right now in the journey through mommyhood I look forward to trying new natural ways of coping with stress and natural ways of helping my little man to feel better. If anyone has and suggestions on products please let me know!