It’s no secret around here…my go-to food for…whatever emotion I’m feeling…is peanut butter.
PEANUT-FREAKIN’-BUTTER! When I’m stressed, sad, lonely, hungry, angry, confused, and yes…even happy or content…I have a jar…and a spoon…and I eat all the peanut butter.
Well, that’s not what I set out to do…but that’s normally what happens because when it comes to the creamy, rich, sweet and salty flavor of peanut butter…I sometimes can’t stop myself. Honestly, it would be best for me if I had Cathy hide the peanut butter. This may have to happen.
That being said, this morning I opened up a new dreamy jar of a new kind of peanut butter. My friend Jenn found a jar of PB Crave (my local World Market seems to be the one place locally I can get this!) and was kind enough to pick one up for me. The flavor – Cookie Nookie. As in…cookie flavored peanut butter. And, before you fret, it is gluten-free! It’s been sitting, standing on it’s lid (it’s all natural, so the ingredients separate), in my pantry, since I brought it home from Columbus, Ohio. But the time had come. I didn’t want to wait any longer. That and Cathy really seemed to want the gluten-free bagel thins instead of eggs this morning…and I needed something to schmear on them. Congratulations PB Crave…your time to shine.
I uncapped the jar this morning and got out a butter knife to begin the task of stirring the ingredients together. Hey…I don’t mind working for my peanut butter. Honestly. It smelled amazing…like peanut butter cookie dough, so I couldn’t wait to get it on that bagel. I worked for about 5 minutes, making sure the oil was mixed in well and that there were no clumpy bits. I hate clumpy bits in my peanut butter. Then, I recapped it and got the bagels out to toast in the oven. They were lightly toasted and I was ready to top them off.
PB Crave is the brainchild of Curt Riess, who was raised on traditional peanut butter and (gasp) hated it! But that all changed one day when he tried a combination of peanut butter, raspberries, and chocolate. The new twist on an old classic was what sparked the idea to begin his own peanut butter company. Curt’s Peanut Butter Company was born and soon developed four very unique flavors for their line PB Crave. The company is based out of Cannon Falls, Minnesota, and they believe in quality, citizenship, and innovation. They are not only re-inventing peanut butter (and doing a fine job of it too!), and focusing on quality products, they are setting out to change the world. No joke. Their Web site has a link to Project Peanut Butter, where the company donates a minimum of 2% of the profits from every jar of PB Crave to Project Peanut Butter, a non-profit organization that focuses on treating malnourished children. So, PB Crave is actually setting out to make a difference. You gotta love that!
But, I digress…
Kinda.
So, the gluten-free bagel thins were now dressed up in PB Crave Cookie Nookie Peanut Butter and ready for their first taste test. I handed Cathy her plate and went to clean up a little and pour myself some coffee. As she is fighting off a cold, I didn’t bother to ask her what she thought of it. I always get the same response anyway these days and I grow weary of hearing it every time. So, I settled in with my own plate and took a bite.
Rich. Creamy. And it tastes like peanut butter cookie dough with chcolate chips in it. It’s like…eating dessert on my bagel. Man…it was amazing. And really fantastic with the texture. It stirred together well and just became this smooth spread with chocolate chips throughout. And…that’s exactly what it should taste like. The PB Crave Cookie Nookie Peanut Butter is a delicious combination of chocolate chips, cookie dough flavor, wild honey, and premium peanut butter. So…cookies…peanut butter…chocolate chips…honey…did I die and go to peanut butter heaven? This was one rich, sweet treat to have on my bagel this morning. I fell in love with first bite…and then wanted to lick the plate.
I actually did lick the plate.
PB Crave is crafted using high-quality ingredients and proven practices. These jars of twisted peanut butter gives you the flavor combinations you crave without the stuff you don’t…and that your body doesn’t need. In other words, PB Crave has no hydrogenated oils, no artificial flavors, no syrups, no high-fructose corn syrup, and…yes…it is gluten-free and cholesterol free. PB Crave Cookie Nookie Peanut Butter is an artisan-crafted blend of peanuts, sugar, palm oil, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, whole milk, natural flavor, salt, maltodextrin, soy lecithin, honey, and vanilla.
Nutritionally speaking, a serving of PB Crave Cookie Nookie Peanut Butter is 2 tablespoons. This serving gives you 180 calories and 15 grams of fat. A serving of PB Crave Cookie Nookie also dishes up 130 mg sodium and 5 grams of sugar. You also will be taking in 2 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. Honestly, not bad for a peanut butter.
The problem is keeping yourself limited to that serving size. Because now it’s peanut butter and dessert rolled into one. I’ve eaten peanut butter for dessert…but this is like a whole new level of spoon-licking awesomeness. Spread it on anything. Apple slices…toast…celery…and kick it up a notch. Substitute it in your recipe for peanut butter cookies. When peanut butter is elevated to a new level…it becomes PB Crave Cookie Nookie.
It just becomes PB Crave. And now I want to try all four flavors. PB Crave also is offered in Choco Choco (double dose of dark chocolate with peanut butter and honey), Coco Bananas (tropical blend of bananas, cocoa, honey and peanut butter), and Razzle Dazzle (twisted blend of red raspberry, honey, white chocolate, dark chocolate, and peanut butter).
Sound epic?
You bet your peanut butter craving panties it does!
Time to go on the hunt…or at least place an order online. This is a necessity for the pantry. For always.
Now, pardon me while I go raid the rest of the jar…
For those of you, who, like me, were diagnosed with Celiac later than life…raise your hand if you remember the simplicity, the ease, and the not-really-so-tasty-but-you-thought-it-was days of yore when you could pull something called a Hot Pocket out of the freezer, slide it into a little heat envelope thingy, and nuke the hell out of it…the filling oozing out of the edges and baking to that microwave safe, dish.
Mmmmm…
Yeah…those were the days.
There was, honestly, a time when those were my lunch. Every. Single. Day.
Sometimes dinner.
Those were the days I lived out of my freezer.
Like…I sort of am now because I hit a low point in my life and went on a buying spree of things I didn’t really need…but at the time, apparently had to have…in my freezer…which I had emptied out of processed foods and is now packed full of them once again. This is what happens when a runner sprains her ankle. She falls off that wagon.
That being said…simplicity and ease shouldn’t be eliminated completely. And while I don’t like dining on processed foods, they do play their part.
As I mentioned, Aldi put out a test line of gluten-free products, branded as liveGfree, and spanning everything from cookies to crackers to snack bars to frozen meals to ready-made frozen pancakes (2 flavors even!) to…things like baking mixes. Yes…Aldi has jumped on the bandwagon and has offered those of us who must eat gluten-free a more affordable option than what we get at all the grocery stores and natural food stores where we have to shop.
I won’t lie…I pretty much snagged one of everything when I went into Aldi. Thankfully, I took a stroll around the store and found more items in the freezer section. YAY!! Jackpot. Because in among them were the liveGfree Gluten Free Southwest Veggie Stuffed Sandwiches. Yeah…happiness can be achieved with stuffed sandwiches…because they really don’t exist in the gluten-free world. Well, Glutenfreeda makes a version of them, but none of theirs are also vegetarian. BOOO! So the fact that Aldi’s liveGfree brand has a vegetarian option…hell yeah…that was coming home with me. This was meeting my freezer.
And, as I was going running with my friend Natalie yesterday…I needed a simple dinner to heat up so I could change, slather on some sunscreen, and head through the mess of Louisville traffic to her apartment. We wanted to do something out-of-the-box instead of our normal Monday run. And it meant some ice cream at the end of it (I had Fudgesicle sorbet!). So, I really had nothing already prepared…so I opened up my freezer and spotted the liveGfree Gluten Free Southwest Veggie Stuffed Sandwiches.
Perfect.
I got out some plates, pulled the stuffed sandwiches out of the box, slid them into the sleeve, put them in the microwave for just over 2 minutes…and gave them their quick nuking.
Dinner was served…conveniently speedily.
But was it any good? Well, I served up Cathy first and she was delicately nipping at the sandwich while mine was heating. I asked her how it was. She did the high-pitched, “It’s…okeedokey.” That means…eh….not so good. So, I asked her to elaborate. She found the crust to be dry and the filling to be spicy. She’s a spice wimp. I can’t remember (because it has literally been ages) if Hot Pocket’s crusts were dry to the taste…so I can’t really compare as far as that is concerned. When mine finished up it’s cookery in the microwave, I dumped it onto my plate, cut it in half, took a picture, and then took a bite.
Yes…the crust was definitely dry. In fact…it was distractingly dry. I felt that the stuffing was lacking. I loved the spice and I loved the brown rice and black bean combination, but it was seriously lacking. I felt it wasn’t truly “stuffed,” if you know what I mean. And while rice and beans are great fillers…and filling…these are Soutwest Veggie sandwiches. And I found the veggies to be really lacking on the inside. It was mostly rice and beans. Bummer. Actually, so far…of all the items I’ve tried from the liveGfree brand, this is the one I am least likely to purchase again.
So, let’s talk ingredients. The crust and filling of the liveGfree Gluten Free Southwest Veggie Stuffed Sandwich is made from gluten-free millet flour, water, gluten substitute (rice flour, corn starch, maltodextrin, pea fiber, guar gum), brown rice, salsa (diced tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, diced jalapeno peppers, diced Anaheim peppers, dehydrated onions, spices, dehydrated garlic and citric acid), water, black beans, roasted corn, green chilies, pepper jack cheese with jalapeno peppers, sugar, honey, soybean oil, xanthan gum, dry yeast, deli seasoning, baking powder, baking soda, salt pasteurized dried egg yolks, low moistere part skim mozzarella cheese, southwest style seasonings (spices, red chili pepper, paprika, salt, garlic powder, citric acid, modified food starch (NOOOO!), and cornmeal. As for the topical ingredients, these include BBQ seasoning, fructose, paprika and paprika extract, tomato powder, natural smoke flavor, and spice. These are gluten-free, nut-free, and wheat-free.
Nutritionally speaking, a serving size is one of the two included stuffed sandwiches. This stuffed sandwich will provide you with 270 calories and 6 grams of fat. You will also be taking in 2 grams of saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 440 mg sodium, and 8 grams of sugar. Not impressed. And, you will also be taking in 5 grams of filling fiber and 7 grams of protein. These, surprisingly, were filling…but they just weren’t all that good. LOVED the spice…but it just lacked…flavor.
While I know some of my gluten-free friends have raved about these, I wasn’t as high on them, nor as impressed. I don’t think I’ll spend my money on these again in the near future. I was underwhlemed and a bit disappointed, since these had really gotten me pretty excited when I saw them in the freezer at my local Aldi. A bit of a letdown…but…I am glad I at least tried it.
Aldi liveGfree Gluten Free Southwest Veggie Stuffed Sandwich (not so stuffed…as you can see)
Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Joe Joe’s Chocolate Vanilla Creme Cookies
Product: Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Joe Joe’s Chocolate Vanilla Creme Cookies – $3.99
COOKIES!!
COOKIE MONSTER STRIKES AGAIN!!
It’s been a little while now since I spotted the Gluten-Free Joe Joe’s on the shelf of my local Trader Joe’s. At the time, I had so many cookies in my pantry that I couldn’t justify purchasing them. I’m a cookie monster, for sure, but even I know where to draw the line at times. HA! Or…so I like to tell myself anyway. I am she of no self control when it comes to certain things (Helllllllllllo….peanut butter!). I tend to behave, most of the time, when I know what still waits for me at home.
I was happy to have these though. When my friend, Stacey, threw a challenge at me to make a gluten-free and vegan grasshopper pie…I was short on my pie crust, so I pulled out six cookies, scraped out the filling (which Cathy then snacked on), and then threw them in the food processor…ultimately getting my pie crust amount right where it needed to be. Happiness and joy. But…now I had an open box of sandwich cookies.
Oh…I guess I forgot to mention that. In case you don’t know about Trader Joe’s and their products, they have their own version of an Oreo cookie…called Joe Joe’s. Well, I think around a year ago, they introduced a gluten-free version of these cookies. Sandwich cookies…are amazing. Growing up, I was an Oreo fiend. I would pour a giant glass of milk and grab Oreo after Oreo…dipping them in the milk and keeping it there while that delicious chocolate cookie would grow soft. That’s the ultimate and best (in my opinion…but honestly…it is) way to eat a sandwich cookie.
When I went gluten-free, I thought my cookie eating days were over. Until I realized that the gluten-free cookie industry is BOOMING! Really, if it’s an unhealthy snack, there is a gluten-free version of it somewhere. Some better than others, of course. And my first gluten-free sandwich cookie (of Oreo-like goodness) came from Glutino…thanks to my mom. There are other brands out there that I still need to try (K-Toos for one), but I have stuck it out with Glutino for the longest time. Because…they are flippin’ fantastic. For real! But…there came a moment of weakness during a quick Trader Joe’s stop…where a box of the Gluten-Free Joe Joe’s made it into my basket and then into my shopping bag…and then into my pantry.
So…last night…since the box was now open, I figured this would be an easy dessert. Besides, you give the option of milk (for me almond milk) and cookies to my roommate, and you have a happy roomie. HAHA! It’s the truth. She wanted to have nothing of the other dessert options that I listed off. I said milk and cookies and…that’s what she zeroed in on. And that…was what we had.
I poured her a glass of skim milk and me a glass of my unsweetened almond milk and pulled out two cookies each for us. Suddenly, I was feeling like a kid again. I felt like I was sidling up to the breakfast table at my friend’s house with the entire package and devouring most of said package in that sitting as we just kept dunking and eating and enjoying those tasty, delicious, amazing Oreo cookies. The instant I dunked that cookie into my almond milk and held it there, counting silently to the magic number that gets the cookie all soaked and mushy without it breaking off and pooling at the bottom of the glass (hate when that happens). I carefully lifted it to my lips…and that first bite…pure magic.
These…are fantastic. They are damn good. They might not be up to the level of Glutino, but they are also less expensive to purchase, and it’s been awhile since I even had the Glutino sandwich cookies…so perhaps the comparison is unfair. The chocolate cookie part itself is rich and dark and just…that right amount of crunchy and crumbly. Perfect balance. It didn’t take long for it to soak up that almond milk and get it to that level of sogginess that I love when I eat these sorts of cookies. The creme layer itself is…different. I found it to be a bit dry…and a little on the thin side. As in…I expect these cookies to have a good layer of creme (not double-stuff, but still a good layer!). So, that creme filling was a little lacking. I loved, however, that you could actually see the vanilla bean specks inside the creme. No fake and artificial vanilla flavor here. That’s the real deal. Too bad they sort of skimped out on that filling, eh? But…the cookie is the star and the cookie was amazing. The chocolate flavor just floods your mouth…and I think that’s where that creme layer needed to really be there…to sort of bring a balance. But…it’s something they can consider for the future. If a product is a cookie with creme…give me the damn creme!
Two cookies…gone way too soon. The temptation to get the package and just keep going was definitely there. Oh…to have the metabolism I had as a child…and no knowledge of what the hell a calorie was. Ignorance really is bliss. Sandwiched between two chocolate cookies. *sigh*
Let’s take a look at the ingredients that go into Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Joe Joe’s Chocolate Vanilla Creme Cookies, shall we? These cookies are made from: cane sugar, grain blend (corn flour, rice flour, cornstarch, potato flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, xanthan gum, arabic gum, and carrageenan), palm oil, cocoa powder, expeller pressed canola oil, invert syrup, cocoa powder, egg white powder, sea salt, baking powder, vanilla bean seeds, soy lecithin, natural flavors and ammonium bicarbonate. Not a fan of the canola oil, the carrageenan…honestly. But…I don’t eat these often, so as a treat…
As far as nutrition goes…these are cookies…keep that in mind. A serving size is 2 of the Gluten-Free Joe Joe’s Chocolate Vanilla Creme Cookies. I know it’s difficult…but try to keep to that serving size. This serving will provide you with 130 calories and 6 grams of fat. Additionally, you will be taking in 65 mg sodium and 11 grams of sugar. These cookies are cholesterol free. Finally, you will be provided with less than 1 gram of fiber and 1 gram of protein. Filling…it’s a cookie…it’s not going to be filling. It is going to be a nice sweet treat though.
So…yes…I know these are not clean eating, nor are they healthy. But, you can’t be 100% all the time. And since I can’t eat Oreos anymore…I have to find my alternative. Trader Joe’s does a decent job with their Gluten-Free Joe Joe’s Chocolate Vanilla Creme Cookies! They are packed with flavor…just not with filling. Which, might be a blessing rather than a curse (keeps that calorie count down!). However, let’s face it…the creme is one of the best parts of sandwich cookies…so I want to be aware of it when I binge on these addictive little treats (made even more addictive when dunked…I can’t explain it…but it’s true!). So, I’m not disappointed with this purchase, and would probably buy these again in the future. After all…sometimes you just can’t beat that Trader Joe’s price!
Product: Aldi liveGfree Gluten Free Cheese Pizza – $4.99
The other night, I blogged about the liveGfree gluten-free product line, which was introduced to the market at the beginning of May (also Celiac Awareness Month…so I see what they did there!). They have an entire line of mixes, snacks, pastas, and even some frozen items. I was blown away the day I stopped in at Aldi…and pretty much walked out of there with one of everything (save for the mixes, because I have so many at the moment I need to work through first!).
I walked out of my local Aldi with a lot of food…and all of it rang up under $30.00. This is huge for me because my budget on groceries is ridiculous. Seriously. I am always over budget…but I have to eat and I have to buy specialty foods in order to do so. So, I make cuts other places in order to be able to properly feed myself.
Now, recently, I had been moving away from having a lot of processed foods in my apartment. And that meant I had a rather empty freezer. But that changed. Oh…boy…did that change.
One of the products that I returned home with that afternoon was the liveGfree Gluten Free Cheese Pizza.
I am actually very, very picky about my gluten-free pizzas. You might have noticed. HA! And it is very rare that a gluten-free frozen pizza really intrigues me. There are some that do, and, there have been some that have been really good. Heck, some have been better than some gluten-free pizzas I have had at restaurants. I was actually a little reluctant about cooking this up for dinner…because I didn’t want it to suck. This was dinner, after all. That might have been the reason I baked up some kale chips to have with the pizza. Subconsciously, of course.
Aldi liveGfree Gluten Free Cheese Pizza (frozen)
That being said…I got home from work tonight and pulled out my pizza stone. I arranged the racks in the oven and got my stone in there to warm as the oven preheated. I pulled the box out of the freezer and flipped it open, checking to see how much pizza I would be eating that night. After checking and double checking the serving size (it’s a small-ish box), I realized that my roommate and I were to feast off the pizza over the course of two nights. Two nights! Four servings…two slices each.
I opened up the box and removed the pizza. It was smaller than a standard dinner plate. In fact…it was just small. The pizza itself was on a pale crust. I removed my now warm stone from the oven and took the plastic wrap off the pizza. Barely any crust or sauce was evident under the layer of frozen cheese that was on top. I placed the pizza on the stone and tossed it into the oven to bake. It takes about 10 minutes at 450°F.
Aldi liveGfree Gluten Free Cheese Pizza (baked)
Ten minutes later, I pulled the pizza out of my oven…and was amazed. The frozen cheese had gotten that nice bit of golden color to it, and it had turned all gooey and rich and melty. The sauce was now visible through the cheese. And the crust…had plumped up. WHAT?! No cracker crust??!! A little bit of joy spread through my heart when I noticed that.
I got out my pizza cutter and sliced the pizza into fourths, then cut those into two slices each. I actually was glad I made the kale chips because these slices of pizza were so small! Little-bitty-baby pizza slices. Ah well. I put them on the plate with a healthy helping of kale chips and dinner was served.
Point of interest. The pizza didn’t suck. In fact, it was decent. Cathy compared it to Totino’s Pizza. You know…those crappy, but you love them, frozen pizzas you used to eat?! I haven’t had one in years…so I don’t even remember what they taste like!! But, that’s what Cathy said it reminder her of eating. And she loved how much cheese was on there. I concur. Usually frozen pizzas skimp of the toppings, but the cheese was the star of this Cheeze Pizza. The crust had a bit of thickness to it, and turned a nice golden color. It was soft, not really crunchy…but still good. I appreciated having an actual crust more than anything. The toppings were basic and simple, but they melted and warmed up beautifully in the oven. When it involves gluten-free pizza…it’s all about that crust. And I think the liveGfree crust on the Gluten-Free Cheese Pizza definitely shines.
Ingredients in the crust of this pizza are basic…rice flour, corn starch, whole eggs, water, canola oil, baking powder, sugar, salt, tapioca dextrin, yeast, guar gum, xanthan gum, and sodium alginate. The toppings on the pizza include tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, romano cheese, roasted garlic, and olive oil. Not the best of ingredients, but not a laundry list and not too horrible in the grand scheme of things. And definitely not bad for budget gluten-free frozen food!
Nutritionally speaking, this cheese pizza serves 4 people (small people with small appetites, I guess), with a serving being 2 slices. This serving will provide you with 170 calories and 7 grams of fat. These two slices of pizza also provide 40 mg of cholesterol, 210 mg sodium, and 2 grams of sugar. This serving will also give you 2 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. Trust me…you will not feel full after eating just 1/4 of this pizza.
But…at least it tastes good.
I know…it’s frozen…it’s processed…but it fits my budget…it’s quick…and it actually surprised me…it tasted good! I really hope Aldi keeps the liveGfree line in their stores. They will definitely see me there more often if they do! I can’t wait to see what the other products I purchased taste like!
Two small slices of the Aldi liveGfree Gluten Free Cheese Pizza (served with homemade kale chips and a vegan lemon mayonnaise dipping sauce)
Halo Top Creamery Vanilla Bean All Natural Light Ice Cream
Product: Halo Top Creamery Vanilla Bean All Natural Light Ice Cream – $5.49+
Cookies might be one of my favorite desserts in the world…but sometimes…you just can’t beat the sweet, savory, melty goodness of ice cream. I love ice cream. I love ice cream so much that I take a lactase supplement so I can eat it, as my lactose intolerance otherwise doesn’t handle the dairy well. And, where I can, I keep it dairy-free…sometimes you just want to try something new in that freezer section at the grocery store.
For a while now, I had been eying the Halo Top Creamery All Natural Light Ice Cream at my local natural food store. What really caught my attention, above everything else in that freezer, was that the pints declared that a serving contained 7 grams of protein and only 70 calories. I’m sorry…70 calories!!!!! Be still my ice cream loving heart!
Our local natural food store was having a great sale on this brand a couple weeks back, so Cathy and I gave a little bit of leeway to our budget and purchased two pints. One flavor…the lemon cake. The other…vanilla bean.
I’ve been wanting to dive into these since we bought them, but we had some cookies (ooooh…cookies!) to use up first. And then I made a Vegan and Gluten-Free Grasshopper Pie. But…to celebrate another marathon…we picked up a brownie from Annie May’s Sweet Café in Louisville, Kentucky, with the original thought to take it to our local ice cream shop (Comfy Cow) and have them use it in a brownie sundae. But…with our budget tight due to some traveling for the marathon…I said we could make the sundaes at home. She agreed that saving money was a good idea…but…the sundae had to wait until…tonight. Three days after we purchased the brownie…we finally had a break in our dessert schedule to open up one of the ice cream pints.
The most logical choice, of course, was the Halo Top Creamy Vanilla Bean All Natural Light Ice Cream.
I love vanilla. Vanilla is the ultimate test of how good any ice cream is. Because if you can’t make a good vanilla…you can’t make good ice cream. Whenever I try a new ice cream brand, I usually opt for vanilla first. This is how I judge them. Seriously. I am an ice cream lover from my childhood. I know good ice cream. Halo Top Creamy spares no expense when it comes to making their Vanilla Bean flavor. They use pure Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Vanilla, which is the top of the line vanilla that money can buy. Honestly.
A 1/2 cup serving of Halo Top Creamery Vanilla Bean All Natural Light Ice Cream
So…this is how I utilized the Vanilla Bean ice cream from Halo Top Creamery. I started off by warming up the Gluten-Free Double Fudge Brownie from Annie May’s Sweet Café. I sliced it in half and put one half in each ice cream bowl. Then, I warmed up some hot fudge in the microwave. While that was warming, I scooped up a 1/2 cup serving of the Halo Top Creamery Vanilla Bean All Natural Light Ice Cream and gently placed it on top of the brownie slice. Once the hot fudge was ready, I drizzled it over the top, added some chopped pecans (or walnuts on Cathy’s sundae…as she prefers walnuts and I prefer pecans). And…it was time to dig in.
I was actually surprised with how rich and smooth this flavor was. The ice cream, much like the ice creams made from coconut milk or soy milk, definitely aren’t as soft and pliable when scooped, but the flavor was amazing. It crumbles a little, but that’s the nature of ice cream with very little fat in it. And very little sugar. In fact, one of my favorite aspects of this ice cream is that it has almost twice the protein as sugar. How’s that for epic? The ice cream might be a bit crumbly, but the flavor is outstanding. You want to get good vanilla ice cream, grab a spoon and dig into this guilt-free pleasure. The vanilla is really the star and you can tell that they pulled out all the stops when it came to creating this flavor. I was in love at first bite. And each one that followed, weather it was on its own or covered in fudge and accompanied by some warm brownie.
Are you drooling yet?
So, let’s look at what the Halo Top Creamery Vanilla Bean All Natural Light Ice Cream is made from. The ingredients are milk and cream, cultured nonfat milk, cage-free eggs, whey, erythritol, organic cane sugar, chicory root, casein protein, organic vanilla extract, organic vanilla beans, acacia gum, sea salt, organic carob gum, organic guar gum, carrageenan, and organic stevia. So…it has that damn carrageenan in it…but it’s not so bad otherwise. And the FAQ on the Web site does say that their ice cream is gluten-free and vegetarian! Some ice creams use gelatine. Not Halo Top Creamery!
As for the nutrition information…you’ll love this. A serving size is 1/2 cup. In this big scoop of ice cream, you will be provided with only 70 calories and 3 grams of fat. You will be taking in 43 mg of cholesterol, 89 mg sodium, and only 4 grams of sugar. In addition, you will be taking in 4 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. That’s incredible!
So, yeah…I was excited…and a bit nervous when it came to actually trying Halo Top Creamery’s All Natural Light Ice Cream. I was afraid it would be like…the nastiness that is Arctic Zero. GROSS! But it turns out that, the Vanilla Bean flavor, at least, is fantastic. It’s light and tasty and just…good. While the texture isn’t as creamy as you’d expect, it still works and it still tastes good. It’s one fine vanilla ice cream. And you won’t feel guilty piling it on top of a brownie and coating it with some hot fudge. Well, you shouldn’t at least. Honestly…I was actually pleasantly surprised when it came to the taste, texture, and all around flavor of Halo Top Creamery Vanilla Bean All Natural Light Ice Cream.
Find it. Try it. Indulge. Hitting the freezer has never been so guilt-free and simply delicious.
A Gluten-Free Brownie Sundae made with Halo Top Creamery Vanilla Bean All Natural Light Ice Cream (on a gluten-free double chocolate brownie, covered with hot fudge and chopped pecans)
Product: Aldi liveGfree Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes – $2.69
Thanks to a lot of really good friends and some coworkers, I found out that in the beginning of May (also Celiac Awareness Month…which I had every intention to blog about…and then May got insane and my blog got backlogged with all the traveling I was doing), Aldi was going to be test driving a line of gluten-free products in their stores.
The brand is currently being called liveGfree…and I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I stepped into Aldi that afternoon with my roommate. Almost immediately, we were surrounded by the white boxes that held the gluten-free products. From brownie mixes to bread mixes to snack bars to pastas to baking mixes, cookie mixes, and…gluten-free wraps. It was almost overwhelming.
If you’ve ever bought gluten-free products, you understand that they can be rather pricey at times. Gluten-free convenience foods, prepared foods, baked goods, and (especially) bread can cost up to twice as much as the regular gluten-filled products on the market. So imagine my glee and the happy gleam in my eyes when I noted the Aldi liveGfree price tags. Seriously, a gluten-free budget shoppers dream. I never have bought gluten-free products for these prices. Even more importantly, however, is that the entire line of liveGfree products are certified gluten-free. YES!
But an even happier dance happened after stocking up on some of the boxes and bags of items at the front of the store…because in the freezer section there was more! YES! MORE! And one of those items just happened to be the liveGfree Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking…why can’t you just make your own gluten-free blueberry pancakes from scratch. Well…I can. And I have. And I will again. But this was a new product. I had to try it. I just had to. Even more so when I spotted the phrase “light and fluffy” on the box itself. Hmmm…really? Needless to say, the freezer I had worked so hard to clear out…is back to being full. HA! Same goes for the pantry.
I am not ashamed.
Well, Monday morning came around. And Monday morning is a busy morning for me. Not only do I run bright and early, but I also have a 5:30 a.m. spin class. So, I eat something before I run and then something after spin class. But, there isn’t a lot of time in between getting home from class, showering, and getting to work. The more convenient the breakfast the better. Especially since Cathy (the roomie) is nothing but a slug in the mornings…and really just sits on the couch and reads instead of fixing up something while I shower.
A package of three of the Aldi liveGfree Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes
That being said…this was going to be perfect. There are three ways to cook the liveGfree Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes. Yep. Three ways. One way I can negate because it involves a toaster oven…and I don’t have one. On Monday morning, I decided to cook them up in the conventional oven. So, I walked through the door and tossed my spin stuff to the side, hustled into the kitchen and preheated the oven to 375°F. While the oven was heating, I removed the box from the freezer and pulled out two of the pre-packaged stacks of three pancakes. Wouldn’t you know it…a serving size was three pancakes. Perfect. I opened up the packet and placed the pancakes on a baking sheet. I covered the pancakes loosely with foil and tossed them into the oven while I went to shower.
They were just finishing up when I emerged from my room, clean, clothed and ready to eat. I got out my maple agave syrup and gave it a little warm-up in the microwave. Then, I took the pancakes out of the oven and served them up with a little butter and hot syrup.
I wasn’t sure what sort of quality to expect from Aldi’s liveGfree Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes. But I delivered a plate of them to Cathy, who dug in. I asked her how they were and got the typical, “They’re pretty good!” Which I never know what that actually means. But she was diving in for more, so I took that as a good sign. I settled in with my own plate and gave them a try.
They really were light and fluffy. Seriously. Almost like they were homemade. You gotta love that. They are a bit small in size, but all frozen pancakes are, let’s be honest! They weren’t gummy or gritty. They were soft and light and packed with a buttermilk flavor with a delightful sweetness from the bits of dry blueberries that are incorporated throughout the little pancakes themselves. They were steamy and honestly tasted like I had just pulled them off the griddle.
Fast forward to Tuesday morning. This is a gym morning for Cathy and I. So, I bring breakfast to the office to do up quickly before settling in for a long day of paper pushing. Without the convenience of an oven at work, I was going to try the other way too cook these up – the microwave. For three pancakes, the box said to simply heat on high for 1 minute. Additional time might be needed depending on the microwave, but that’s never the case with the one at the office. Trust me! I heated them up for a minute, gave them the schmear of butter and the drizzle of the syrup…and they were served. I was actually more concerned about how these would taste after being nuked for a minute instead of toasted in an oven. They didn’t have that light crust that I love…but they were soft without being soggy. They remained light and fluffy and didn’t crumble because they were steamed or anything in the confines of the microwave. I was beyond impressed.
I admit…these definitely are not clean eating. But they are convenient. Ingredients in the liveGfree Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes include: water, rice flour, tapioca flour, sugar, soy flour, potato flour, blueberry bits, whole egg powder, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. I have seen longer ingredient lists than this…but you know the blueberry bits contain sugar, rice flour, dried blueberries, corn starch canola oil, fructose, natural colorings from concentrated juices (which include elderberry, watermelon and huito), natural flavor and sodium bicarbonate.
As for the nutrional information…it’s really not too bad. A serving size of liveGfree Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes is three pancakes (1 package). This serving provides you with 210 calories and 4 grams of fat. You will be taking in 40 mg cholesterol, 390 mg sodium, and 10 grams of sugar. Yep…I know…that’s a lot of sugar. You will also be taking in 1 gram of fiber (so they aren’t too filling) and 5 grams of protein.
As this is a trial run of a product line being done by Aldi, I really hope they decide to keep these in stores. With this being my first taste of all the products I purchased that day in Aldi, the liveGfree brand is already impressing me. Great flavor. Easy to make, and fantastic texture. While I prefer to make things from scratch, these are awesome for those busy mornings or evenings when you are in a hurry and short on time. Seriously. And you definitely can’t beat the price.
Aldi liveGfree Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes (fresh from the oven)
Me and Kat crossing the finish line at the Buffalo Marathon – Buffalo, New York. This picture encapsulates everything about the marathon. (Photo Credit: Diane Sardes)
Race: Buffalo Marathon
Place: Buffalo, New York
Date: May 25, 2014
Time:4:32:44*
“When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow or fast, it will change your life forever.” – Spirit of the Marathon
I want to point out the asterisks above, as this race was not one that I was running at my normal marathon pace. Nope. I agreed back in March to pace two of my friends, Kat and Janelle, to their hopes of a sub-4 finish in the Buffalo Marathon. This race was not about me or my goals…this was all about them. And I took this responsibility very seriously, mind you! I trained as I would if I were going to be the one racing…meaning all of my training runs I did as though I were running this race at my pace. I didn’t want to over-train or get cocky and think that I could run more because this race wasn’t going to be done at my “normal” pace. Nope. Like I said…I take my job as a pacer very, very seriously.
I know what you’re doing. You’re looking at that finish time and wondering what went wrong.
Well…I will get to that. And then I will reflect on what this race has taught me, in general, about the human spirit and the spirit of the marathon. But…let me start at the very beginning.
Fridays are usually hectic as it is, but this Friday just put me out-of-my-mind. I had tried to do most of my packing on Thursday, but I still had plenty to do that morning…plus a date with my spinning class at 5:30 a.m. Go figure. As I was racing on Sunday, I went to class, but kept the heavy down and just did what I was comfortable with. I didn’t want to wear out these legs. I had two people counting on me and I wasn’t about to let them down. I thought about skipping my class, but I figured I’d be in a car most of Saturday, so as long as I didn’t put too much resistance on the bike…I’d be fine.
I did manage to get everything packed up and loaded into the car. But I wasn’t Buffalo bound yet. New York was going to have to wait. I had to go to work for the entire day first. Then…then I could start my journey toward my sixth marathon this year. Whew. I headed into the office and made little to no use of my standing desk, once again, trying to keep as much pressure off these legs as possible. I wanted to get to that start line feeling ready and relaxed. It worked. I got through the entire work day without any issues, then packed up and headed out at 4:30 p.m. to head up to Columbus, Ohio. Jenn was going to make this journey with us for the marathon, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. YAY! But…this meant enduring the ride up to Columbus. But first…I stopped off at my local gluten-free bakery to pick up a pizza crust. I promised Kat, back when she was in town for the Kentucky Derby Festival Mini Marathon that I’d bring her one of Annie May’s Sweet Café’s amazing gluten-free pizza crusts. And…while we were there, Cathy and I each ordered a sandwich to go to eat in the car on the way up to Jenn’s. We might have also picked up one of her vegan and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies too. Maybe. Anyway, this plan to grab dinner worked out perfectly. An Annie May’s sandwich might be a new travel after work tradition.
Soon, we were on the road and making good time up to Columbus, Ohio. As we came through Cincinnati, Ohio, I asked Cathy if we were going to stop soon because the unsweetened iced tea and the water I had with dinner had gone right through me and I “really needed to pee.” TMI? Nah. Anyway, she said we’d stop at somewhere up the road…which turned into about an hour wait. Seriously. The information center she had wanted to stop at was closed…and already way further than I had hoped to go before I got my break. So…I was not happy. We finally pulled over at a gas station on the exit you would take if you were going to the Ohio Renaissance Festival. I went inside the BP and took care of business, only to be interrupted by a woman pounding on the door, declaring she had an emergency. Um…yeah…kinda busy…gotta wait. I peed as fast as I could…but she kept pounding and pissing me off. Do NOT piss off a runner who has been tapering. I washed my hands and hurried out of the bathroom, having her blow past me like I was doing it on purpose. UGH!! People suck.
Back on the road…and no more stops until we hit Jenn’s house somewhere around 9 p.m. Cathy and I changed out into more comfortable clothes and then we settled in to talk a bit and eat Jenn’s infamous (but to me it’s famous) Pink Salad. Mmmmm…just what I needed. Hit the freakin’ spot. I knew I needed to get up around 4 a.m. to do a shakeout run, stretch, shower, eat breakfast, and get out of the door in a timely manner to continue the journey up to Buffalo, New York on Saturday morning…so we were turning in earlier than normal.
My alarm went off at 4 a.m. and I immediately dropped my iPhone before I could turn it off. Whoops. I got up and got changed into my running clothes and headed out Jenn’s garage to do 3 very easy miles as a shakeout before my drive up for the marathon. I forgot that Jenn’s roads have storm drains in the center of the road, so those were some fun obstacles at first. HAHA! I finally just got off to the side, and ran a loop around her inner circle until I hit my miles for the day. I actually did it faster than I intended or felt like I was running…so my legs were definitely feeling good. I ducked back inside, shed the reflective gear and went to do my stretching. Jenn came down as I was finishing that up. And soon I was headed up to shower, wake up Cathy, and we were settling in for some gluten-free bagels for breakfast. Topped off with a Garlic and Herb cream cheese of deliciousness. It was like eating garlic bread. The car was loaded back up and we piled in…heading out for the long road to Buffalo, New York.
I was already tired from not sleeping much, so Jenn passed my pillow up and I dozed up until we made our first stop to put in some gas. There was a nice Starbucks attached to the gas station, so we all got one of their refreshers…mine…the Cool Lime (YUMMY!) before piling back into the car and making our way up to Erie, Pennsylvania. That was going to be our stop for lunch. Back when I ran the Hershey Half Marathon, we found a place called Picasso’s to eat dinner at on our way back to Jenn’s. They specialize in very unique sandwiches…and we fell in love with them. This was our lunch destination…and we got there just after they opened. We each got a sandwich and drink and settled in at a table. My Gluten-Free Venus de Milo Sandwich was fantastic. It was a combination of hummus, onions, baby spinach, tomato, muffaletta spread, carrots, avocado, and a roasted red pepper mayo, toasted on gluten-free bread (in the oven to keep it from being cross-contaminated). Seriously…delicious. Then, we ducked over to Wegmans (an awesome grocery store for those not familiar) to grab a few necessities for Sunday…like bananas and water and watermelon. Then…back on the road. Next stop…the Hyatt Regency Buffalo (the host hotel) where we were staying.
I had hoped to meet up with both Kat and Janelle at the the expo, but Kat was there earlier in the day and Janelle, honestly, was leaving as I was pulling in. Dang it. I was seeing Kat later that evening for dinner, but Janelle was not going to be able to make it. So, we all planned to meet up on Sunday morning with the 4 hour pace group. Deal. We pulled into the hotel and valet parked the car, hauling our stuff inside. I went to check in, and as I was running the marathon was gifted with a bottle of Gatorade. I signed a sneaker with how many marathons I had run and my best finishing time, was given two keys to the room (I gave them to Jenn and Cathy to handle…I am a zen runner on race weekends and want no responsibilities). We took our stuff up to the hotel room to drop it off and then headed out to walk through the walkways from the hotel to the expo center. Weirdly enough, there were no signs really directing anyone to where to find the expo…so we randomly followed some people and ended up making our way there. Let’s hear it for the blind leading the visually challenged!
Bart Yasso and me at the Buffalo Marathon Expo – Buffalo, New York
The expo was small. We stepped inside and I got in line to get a plastic bag that contained some race information and my safety pins. From there, I had to wind my way through the vendors and other races there to find the tables in the back where packet pickup was happening. I went over to the side for the marathon (there is also a 5K and a half marathon), and gave my name. The teenager behind the table looked me up, grabbed my race bib and race shirt and passed it over to me. I thanked him, tucked it into the plastic bag and went to meet Jenn and Cathy over at the BondiBand table. HA! They knew I’d want to make a stop there. We didn’t spend too long digging through the BondiBands as I own most of them (it’s a sickness…I know!)…but I found two that fit my personality and I ended up getting those. It’s tradition! You never break tradition. We wound our way back through, stopping off at a few interesting sounding races…all of which are on weekends that don’t work for me…this year…and ended up at Bart Yasso’s talk.
I LOVE Bart Yasso and really want to incorporate the Yasso 800’s into my training…eventually. We listened to him talk, and when he finished up, I went to see if he would sign my book (I brought it with me!) and maybe get a picture with him. There wasn’t a long line…and before long I was up there and talking with him. He remembered me from Facebook (HA!) and just asked if I spelled Karen with a “K.” That was awesome. He was very kind and wrote me a nice message before taking a picture with me and wishing me luck on Sunday. With that…we made our way out of the expo and back to our hotel room, where we crashed until about 4:15 p.m., watching Food Network (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives was on, followed by Guy’s Grocery Games). I took the time to do my evening stretches and some foam rolling so I wouldn’t have to worry about it after dinner and could focus more on getting race morning stuff together and getting to bed at a decent time.
All that did get accomplished before we headed back out to the streets of Buffalo and walked to our dinner destination, Merge, located on Delaware Avenue. We were early. The restaurant hadn’t even opened yet. But, we knew that would probably be the case. We left early to give us time to get lost and all. But at the first sense of us not knowing which way to go, Cathy asked the valet guys and we were immediately on track without the whole wander around town mess. Love nipping something in the bud. At 5 p.m., Kat and Adam (Kat’s boyfriend) arrived and we went inside for our dinner reservation. We were immediately seated and asked if we wanted something other than water to drink. I don’t do anything but water these days as it is…so I stuck with that. Then…it was menu time. I had looked at this menu DOZENS of times before…and I knew there was a gluten-free and vegan pizza option. That’s my traditional food before a race…but there were so many enticing dishes on this menu that I couldn’t get anywhere else…and I get good gluten-free pizza in Louisville. SO…now I was waffling on what I wanted for dinner and everyone else was ready. With the assistance of the waiter, I bucked tradition again and went with the Gluten-Free and Vegan Arugula Pesto Pasta, which was a basic brown rice fusilli pasta with local tomato, red onion, spinach and tossed with toasted walnuts. It was as amazing as it looked. Got a Gluten-Free and Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Spiced Berry Compote for dessert, which I split with Cathy. All of us talked for awhile, not much about running but about other stuff, until we were told they needed the table. So, with that, we parted ways. Cathy, Jenn and I walked back to the hotel room. and I changed into my pajamas, brushed my teeth, put out my race clothes for the morning, plugged in my Garmin to charge, set the two wake-up alarms, and then…went to bed.
My first alarm got me up and I went through my routine before hitting the sack again for another hour. The second alarm rang and I was up and into the bathroom to change into my race gear. I had opted for a tank top, despite the 47 degree weather that morning. I had my homemade arm warmers for the start, figuring I’d shed them sometime in the race. My running skirt, my CEP calf sleeves, my Newton’s. I was ready to run. I put on my sunscreen and got my “epic race hair” done up before stretching. Jenn woke up just before I was to wake up both her and Cathy to get ready…so I just needed to worry about getting Cathy moving. I woke her up and then settled in to eat my cereal (a pre-race tradition for EVERY race). I took my time, relaxed, and occupied my mind with things other than the race. Both Cathy and Jenn grabbed the free granola from the expo and got something in their stomachs and soon, I was grabbing my banana and we were heading down to the lobby and outside to the starting area.
The start area hadn’t been opened to the runners in the full or half marathon yet…so everyone was sort of behind a barrier on the other side of the street. I saw pacers walk by and really wanted to go find my girls, but Cathy was like…”Um…good luck with that!” Which, sort of annoyed me so I was in a huff when the starting area was finally opened. But, she called me back and I settled down. I got hugs and was told to have a good race. Jenn told me that “The Power of Dean [Karnazes] Compelled Me” and not to “pants my poop.” This is tradition. It has to happen. With that, I left them to go find a spot near the start line and I went to hopefully find Janelle (who I hadn’t met yet in person) and Kat.
Kat (green arm warmers), Me, and Janelle (pink shirt) heading out at the start of the Buffalo Marathon – Buffalo, New York (Photo Credit: Jennifer Mariani)
Janelle found me, actually…which was awesome. We were about 15 minutes away from race time. I was so happy to see her. She looked rested and ready to run. Perfect. I asked if she had seen Kat…and she hadn’t. But a few minutes later, miss Bright Green Arm Warmers was at our sides. We attempted to do some stretching in the start area but it was really crowded and moving around was not much of an option. Kat was talking to pretty much everyone…because I really think she knows everyone in Buffalo…and we did our best to keep our legs loose and limber in the chilly morning air. I pointed out that the girl in front of me had her shirt on inside out and we agreed that if it wasn’t three minutes to start time, we might have informed her…but it was too late now. The National Anthem was sung…and we were right in line with the 4-hour pace group. Right where I wanted to start. One moment later…runners were off. And we were making the march toward the start line. Kat doesn’t like to start running until she crosses that mat, so we kept a fast walk until we hit that start gate…and we were off. I spotted Cathy and Jenn immediately, flashed a peace sign…and fell into pace.
Janelle, Me, and Kat love seeing familiar faces around Mile 6.3 in the Buffalo Marathon – Buffalo, New York
We stayed behind the pace group for the first mile, wanting to make sure we didn’t have the “fly and die” technique…wanting to go into this easy and work our way up. Kat and Janelle both liked this plan and that was what we worked at doing. But somewhere before we hit Mile 2, we got ahead of the pace group. I asked my girls how they felt about pace, and both agreed it was good. I told them that whenever they wanted to back off, just to say the word and we would. So, Kat did that every now and again, terrified of going out too fast and wanting to have that 4 hour pace group not too much behind or ahead of us at any time. As both seemed comfortable…we continued on. We hit that 5K mark feeling strong, and I once again checked on the pace. We backed it off a little per Kat’s request and continued on. I ditched my arm warmers somewhere around here as well. HA! Looking at my Garmin…we actually were keeping a very level, even pace for a good stretch of this race. It was awesome. It felt good. We all felt good. Kat gave me a bit of a tour as we were running, as this is where she grew up. I’m a history buff, so I found every bit of this fascinating. And…it made the miles fly by without us really paying attention to them at all. Before we knew it, we were at the 10K mark…feeling good. We rounded a corner, and Kat spotted Adam and went over to see him, but he told her to keep going as she was right on pace. And just a few feet up…was Cathy and Jenn. I spotted the donkey sign! I gave a big wave and a smile. It’s always nice to see familiar faces during a race…and we were only 1/4 of the way done. But…we were feeling amazing. So, on we went.
We kept this great pace (just under sub-9) up through the LaSalle Park area. We hit the waterfront, where the road narrowed quite a bit. The slow-up was welcome though…so we took the break and eased our way through the crowds. The waterfront was gorgeous! Honestly. I loved running this part of the race. Great breeze. Great views. The lake was stunning. We knew as we were going to be leaving the waterfront that photographers were stationed. And we spotted them up ahead. The three of us raised our arms for the shot…and that was when some jackass pushed Kat. Like…literally pushed her. RUDE! So, not sure how that shot is going to turn out. Asshat. We had now hit the 15K mark…and all of us were still feeling good and strong. My girls were rockstars! I asked about pace every now and again, wanting them to feel comfortable with it…and so far, they were.
Janelle, Me, and Kat at the 13.1 mile point of the Buffalo Marathon! Feeling strong. Looking strong!
Kat continued her guided tour as we ran around the Erie Basin Marina and back into town. She was elated when she noticed the course was going to take us past the First Niagara Center, where the Buffalo Sabers play hockey. She has season tickets…so she was glad the new course still ran past there. The sun was up now and there were no clouds in the sky. None. So it was warming up fast. We came through town, loving the shade that the buildings provided, but the heat was there. We hit the halfway point…and were pleasantly surprised to see both Jenn and Cathy standing right at the 13.1 marker to cheer us on. We were powering through that first half, maintaining a relatively even pace…backing off where necessary…and feeling awesome. We were just where we needed to be…right in between the 3:50:00 pacers and the 4-hour pace group. We were right on target.
But as we headed a few miles further in, the heat started to really affect Kat. She came to a walk on a hill around Mile 15, taking out her inhaler. We were ahead of schedule and the walk break was a welcome one on the hill, and once she fueled and took in some liquid, we were back on our way. We knocked out another mile back on our pace, but the 4-hour pace group had caught up to us. We decided to run just behind them for a little while. Good strategy. But as we came into Mile 16, going into 17…Kat slowed again and the pace group moved ahead. She was getting angry and frustrated with herself, but we were still ahead of the pace group so that was of some help to get her focused again. The fuel belt she was wearing wasn’t sitting right on her body, so Janelle asked if she wanted to try holding her bottle with Nuun in it and ditching the belt with her husband at Mile 17. Kat agreed so Janelle ran up ahead to find her husband, dump water out of one of her bottles, and get one ready for Kat. Kat was really struggling here and as we walked a bit through Mile 16.55, with her in tears and angry at having to walk, one of the volunteers checked to make sure she was okay, letting us know where we were in the race and asking if she needed any sort of attention. She waved him off and we both thanked him, and when we hit some road signs, we started to pick up the pace again, maintaining that until we met up with Janelle and her husband near Mile 17. We changed out the fuel pack for the handheld water and we were back on our way.
We were now in Delaware Park, which would last for a mile, where we then would enter back onto the streets and re-enter the park around Mile 20.5. As we were heading up the hill, Kat went to fuel with her Craisins. But they didn’t stay down. The heat was really getting to her…as she hadn’t had warm weather this year to train in. Buffalo was 40 degrees all day on Friday…and Saturday was slightly warmer, but with a cool breeze that made it feel cooler. We had a slight breeze, but the air was hot and the sun was relentless. Kat handed me the handheld bottle and tried to fuel again, this time to keep it down. I gave her one of my bottles on my fuel belt that had water inside. She took it…and this time…it all stayed down. She asked if I was okay holding onto the handheld bottle for her…and I said that was fine. Mind you, I hate running with things in my hands, but this was definitely more important. And…it would help me keep a steadier pace for Kat. But then the 4:10 pace group past and I saw that fight go out of her. She felt defeated, but I did what I could to get her to press on. We could at least try for her next goal of a PR. We came out of the park and it was a run walk method, with Janelle and I just wanting to keep Kat going. Finally, Janelle said she was starting to hurt, so she was going to put on her headphones and head for the finish line. We had tried to get her to do that earlier…but she stuck it out with us for some of it, even giving up her sub-4 finish to make sure Kat was okay. But we wished her luck and sent her on, telling her to let Cathy and Jenn know that we would be behind her.
I did my best to keep Kat going. The heat was really doing a number on her. She was getting dizzy and suffering from a headache. In addition, she said at some points she felt like she was going to pass out. I didn’t want that to happen, so I told her to walk when she needed. We were coming up around Mile 20 when one lone woman was standing on the road, shouting support to everyone. She saw Kat, who was crying, and honed in on her. It made me smile when I heard her say to Kat…”I see you, 890! You look so strong. Come on 890…you can do this. Push through, 890! I know you can do this. I know you want to run.” Kat started crying more, but this time tears of happiness, and her pace…picked up. It was the push she needed…from a random stranger. And as she ran up the hill…the woman said, “That’s it 890! Keep going!!” and other inspiring and motivating words. She was a rockstar. And, honestly, was able to do what I couldn’t. As we came back into Delaware Park, Kat said she had to use the bathroom and maybe that would help. The problem was…there were no port-a-potties on the course winding through the park. So, it was run, walk, run…until we were heading out of the park where there were some port-a-potties. Luckily one was not in use. I waited on the corner while she ducked into one. A minute later, we were back on the road and back to running. She felt better. And we now had just over 4 more miles to go. We were getting there. When the 4:20 pace group passed, she started crying again. And…she handed over her Garmin, saying she didn’t want it on anymore. Is trapped it onto my wrist and we moved on. It was better this way. She had been so focused on that pace and now…her disappointment was setting in. I kept assuring her that her primary goal was to finish…and I was going to get her to that line.
With only a few miles left, we were determined to go without stopping. Kat was determined now, despite the heat. She was sweating out salt, so I was trying to get her to take in as much water and electrolytes as possible. Her compression socks were starting to bother her, so she stopped to roll them down. Only, that felt worse as we started up again, so she pulled them back up. We ran and walked for the next few miles, doing what she needed. I pushed her here and there, telling her what landmarks we would hit and start jogging and picking up the pace…easing back into it. She listened to me…and did as I said…and she’d slow and walk when she needed to. Around Mile 24, she was done with the compression socks. So she pulled over to the side of the road and sat down, taking off her shoes and removing the socks. I ended up tying them to my fuel belt and she put her shoes back on and decided to finish the race without socks on. I told her she’d blister…and she said blisters already happened. Might as well be comfortable. A woman who was cheering on runners across the street asked if she was okay…and we said she was…and within moments, she was back on her feet and we were heading down into the next mile…slapping hands with college boys at the water stop. We walked a bit coming into Mile 25 and I could hear that crowd ahead. The finish line was getting closer. We picked it up…we backed it off…we walked when she needed it. She finished off her Nuun…she took in one last water stop…and we pressed on…walking to the edge of a building I pointed out…and then picking up that pace. We were in the home stretch and she was going to run it in.
We had made a deal to cross that finish line together. I was wrapped up in the excitement and my finisher’s kick was already there. She called me back, saying she wasn’t ready yet. She wanted to see that finish line. So…I fell back and we rounded through Niagara Square. And then…there it was…the finisher’s chute! We picked up our pace and sprinted…as fast as our legs could go. As we neared that finish line, we took each other’s hands…and crossed together. It was…by far…one of the most rewarding and memorable finishes I have had in my life. We hugged tightly and I told her how proud I was of her. And we moved out of the way so that she could try to catch her breath, regain her strength…get her medal…and get some ice from the medical tent.
Kat, Me, and Janelle proudly displaying our finisher’s medals at the finish of the Buffalo Marathon – Buffalo, New York. So proud of these ladies!
After snagging an ice pack to put on the back of her neck, we headed back out, retrieving Mylar blankets and started down the chute. She spotted Adam and her mom and went to talk to them for a moment. And then…we went to get our picture taken for finishing. We moved further down the chute, retrieving water bottles and any snacks needed. She snagged an orange…good choice. And then we met up with Janelle, Cathy, Jenn, Janelle’s husband, Janelle’s dog (Domino), and Adam and Kat’s mom at the very end. We stood around talking for a little while and snapped a picture of the three of us with our medals. But then I needed to get up to the hotel room to shower off and change (as they were not allowing any late check-outs. Nope. Not at the host hotel!). Kat came with us because I forgot to give her the pizza the night before…and she changed while I went to shower. Cathy and Jenn packed everything up and when I stepped out of the shower…we were ready to head out.
Hugs all around and we were off.
So…my official results for the Buffalo Marathon are that I finished in a time of 4:32:44 (gun time) and 4:31: 36 (chip time) (for 26.49 miles). I was 832/1287 finishers overall. I was the 311/548 women to cross the finish line. And I was 64/108 in my age division. I can honestly say that this was the first time I ever crossed the finish line carrying more gear than I left with. HA! First time for everything!
Yes…there was a twinge of disappointment that came with this finish. But it wasn’t with the finishing time. It was watching a goal slip away from a good friend of mine, who worked her ass off to achieve it. Her body wasn’t ready for the heat, as she hadn’t trained in it yet. There were a few other factors as well. And the relentless sun did her in that day. But…she was not defeated. No matter how she felt, no matter how much she wanted to collapse and give up…she didn’t. Kat is a fighter. She’s strong and determined and stubborn as hell. And every time she fell back…I saw that flame in her eyes spark up…and she’d start to move again. There were plenty of tears shed at goals that weren’t reached, but ultimately, she proved not only her strength and her determination, but her worth out there on that course. I was so proud of her at that finish line. There was nowhere else I wanted to be than at her side that entire race, seeing her push through her own doubts. She is a fighter and she fought for this finish. She gave everything she had to reach that finish line. She finished strong. And every ounce of me has been inspired by her sheer determination and will to push through and see herself to that finish line. Her original goals fell to the wayside…but she finished. And ultimately...it’s not about finish times…it’s about finish lines. So often, as runners, we put so much emphasis on a new PR, a better time, faster, better, perfection. Those are all nice to accomplish and to have as goals, but we get so focused on that and sometimes we lose the actual joy of the run. We forget to have some fun. To enjoy it. To just take it in. When Kat crossed her finish line that morning…and when I gave her a tight hug, I told her just how proud I was of her. I still am. Best finish for me…ever.
Thank you, Kat…for inspiring me to push on when my self-doubts want me to stop. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. This is one race I will always point to and say…”She wanted to give up…but she never did.” For that…you are more than an inspiration. You’re my hero!
When you can’t walk, you crawl. When you can’t do that, you find someone to carry you. – Firefly
It had been a long day. By the time I rolled into Buffalo, I had already gotten up early to do a shakeout run while still in Ohio, stretched, did my ab routine, pack, get the car loaded up, and make the seemingly endless drive from Columbus, Ohio all the way up to Buffalo, New York…with one stop in Erie, Pennsylvania for lunch. Getting into Buffalo, I got checked into my hotel, hit up the race expo (I was there for a race, naturally), went back to my room, did more stretching, did some foam rolling, got things ready ahead of time so the evening wouldn’t be as hectic, and watched Food Network.
Because…that’s what I do.
HA!
But, before I knew it…it was time to head out to dinner. I was meeting up with my good friend, Kat, and her boyfriend, Adam, for dinner that night. It was the night before a race, so we wanted to have plenty of options for everyone. Kat requires brown rice pasta…so we narrowed it down to three places, but in the end…chose a place called…
Merge.
Kat was very high on this place when we were trying to make the decision. She said not only can they do a lot of their foods vegan/vegetarian, but a lot can be done gluten-free as well. AWESOME! Sounded perfect. And…the menu was a little different from anything I have down this way, so that was a bonus too. We were to meet for dinner at 5:00 p.m. So, at around 4:15, we set out to walk from our hotel up to Merge. It didn’t take us as long as we expected…so…we stood outside in the slightly chilly air. Right around 5, Kat and Adam showed up…and we stepped inside.
I already liked the place. Dimly lit…with a stage off to the right as you walk in. We were greeted and Kat gave the reservation. We were shown to our table and seated. As it was pre-race, I stuck with just water to drink. I hadn’t been too good about hydrating that day while on the road, so I wanted to make up for that a bit now. The waiter went to retrieve drinks and we sat and perused the menu.
Now, I had looked at the menu numerous times, trying to figure out what I wanted for dinner. Normally, pre-race means a gluten-free pizza. And that was completely available. HOWEVER…there were so many other delicious sounding items on the menu, that I thought, perhaps, to screw with tradition again…and do something completely different, but enough that would fuel up my muscles and top off those glycogen stores for the next morning. I was flip-flopping. On one hand, the gluten-free and dairy-free pizza was one with Daiya cheese, red onion, asparagus…it sounded awesome. But…again…I can get good gluten-free pizza in Louisville. So, it was down to trying the Gluten-Free and Vegan Mac & Cheese that Kat had told me so much about…or the special of the night…the Gluten-Free Eggplant Caponata…or the Gluten-Free Arugula Pesto Pasta.
So…while I was trying to decide, the rest of the table ordered. Kat went with the an appetizer of the Dairy-Free Stuffed Potato Skins ($10.00) which comes with a fresh corn salad with turkey bacon, Daiya Cheese, and a Chipotle Cream and then for an entree went with the Gluten-Free Eggplant Caponata ($18.00). Adam went with the Daily Pizza ($10.00). Jenn chose the Sweet Basil Gnocchi (which included roasted red peppers, red onion, spinach, roasted garlic and a white wine sauce) for her meal ($15.00). Cathy went with the Coconut Lemongrass Stir-fry ($15.00), which is a mix of organic tofu, snap peas, red onion, carrot, and rice vermicelli, served with toasted cashews, bean sprouts, and fresh lime.
And I was still stumped!
I went over my choices with the waiter to get his opinion and to maybe help me make a decision, because I was seriously waffling. Pizza…or something different…pizza…or something different…tradition…or not….AH! The waiter said he highly recommended the Arugula Pesto Pasta. Kat made sure that the pesto didn’t have Parmesan in it (as someone with a dairy allergy…she knows all about the importance of asking about things like that because so many pesto recipes include Parmesan…and being lactose intolerant…I avoid all things dairy before a race). He said that it was vegan…and so…I went with it. Why not?!
There it was…tradition once again bucked…
I went with the Gluten-Free Arugula Pesto Pasta ($15.00), which was brown rice pasta with local tomato, red onion, spinach, and tossed with toasted walnuts. Oooh…I’d get some nice vitamins from that spinach and some Omega from those walnuts. Nice choice. Glad I had some help in making it!
So, we all sat around and talked about various topics, not just running. In fact, running didn’t really come up all that much that night. We were just having a good time and relaxing. Because that is important before a race. Trust me. The atmosphere of Merge is very conducive to that too. It was really, really nice. The appetizer was brought to the table and Kat let me try one of the potato skins. I didn’t put the corn and bacon topping on it since it was real meat, but the Daiya cheese and the chipotle cream were put on the potato skin…and it was phenomenal. Quite tasty. I want to recreate this at home…and just might this week! It was a great way to start off the dining experience.
But, before long our meals were being served up and we were all happily about to feast on our food of choice.
Merge’s Gluten-Free Arugula Pesto Pasta
I actually was quite happy when I took my first bite of the Arugula Pesto Pasta. It was smooth and delicious. I love pesto as it is…but this was really seasoned well. It paired well with the brown rice pasta. And the fresh vegetables that were sauteed and added to the mix just made for a nice break in the texture and a lot of added flavor as well. LOVE. The toasted walnuts were the perfect way to add a bit of crunch to something that would otherwise be very soft. I told Cathy to give it a try and she loved it as well. It’s not every day I get a plate of green pasta (ah, pesto…you’re so much fun on food!) that had so much going on and so much nutritionally sound ingredients added to it. It was just what I think I needed that evening. You could tell everything was fresh. Because this pasta was perfection. So, I broke tradition again…it was worth it for this meal. Trust me.
Everyone else seemed to like their meals as well. Kat’s only complaint was there was too little pasta (she’s carbing up!) in her dish…and Jenn ate around all the vegetables in hers. The rest of us devoured everything in front of us.
The big question of dessert came up. And…we felt it was necessary. They had so many gluten-free and vegan options on their dessert menu…how could I pass up the opportunity?
In the end, Kat went with the Apple Cranberry Cobbler with Salty Caramel Sauce and Homemade Vanilla Soy Ice Cream ($7.00) for her dessert. Jenn and Adam both got the Vegan Carrot Cake with Walnuts and Cream Cheese Frosting ($6.00). And Cathy and I decided to split the Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Spiced Berry Compote ($6.00). I kind of wanted to split the Vegan and Gluten-Free Brownie Sundae…but Cathy is apparently anti-brownie these days. So…that was a no-go.
With our orders in, we eagerly anticipated our sweet reward and end of the night treat. After a short wait, the desserts were brought to the table. They all looked fantastic. Especially the carrot cake. If only that had been gluten-free. Then again, Cathy is anti-carrot cake as well…so it wouldn’t have done any good. GRRRR! Anyway…it all looked delicious and we spared no time digging in.
The Vegan Chocolate Mousse with the Spiced Berry Compote was…different. This wasn’t your usual mousse. It was probably made with cashew cream…which would be the reason for the grittiness to it. In fact, it also wasn’t very fluffy or light. More like a heavy pudding than a mousse to be sure. That being said…the spiced berry compote was beyond delicious. Ultimately, it was my favorite part of the dessert. Cathy agreed. When I think of mousse, I expect something whipped and airy and light…and this just wasn’t a mousse.
Jenn absolutely loved the carrot cake (damn it for not being gluten-free!). Cat and Adam split each of their desserts and both seemed quite happy with their choices. So, that was good.
We finished up dessert and wound up getting caught up in conversations again. And soon, because they are a hot-spot in town, we were asked to leave so other people could have the table. I needed to get back to the hotel anyway and get ready for sleep to be rested up for the morning ahead of me.
All-in-all…a great restaurant in Buffalo, New York. I would happily eat here again without any qualms. Everything I had was good, and sometimes even great. My pasta was the star, for sure. And even if the dessert didn’t wow me…it was still fantastic. Cathy stole a bite of Jenn’s carrot cake and raved about it. The atmosphere was amazing. The food was delicious. And the staff was quite accommodating. I couldn’t have asked for a better pre-race meal.
Merge, when I come back to Buffalo, New York sometime…I hope to come back.
Merge’s Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Spiced Berry Compote
Product: Annie May’s Sweet Café Easter Holiday Menu 2014
I am a little late on posting this blog because…life has been crazy-busy as of late. But…I didn’t want anything to fall by the wayside, especially when it is my favorite allergen-free bakery. Lucky me…it’s in my own hometown. And every year, around Easter time, Annie May’s Sweet Café offers people the chance to have their own individually wrapped items for an Easter basket. This year’s Easter Holiday Menu was enticing. And…I told my roomie to order for me…and surprise me with what she chose for us to try.
This year brought a change to the standards normally seen on the menu. Due to a chocolate shortage at the wholesale level, Annie May’s Sweet Café announced they would NOT be making the chocolate bunnies or chocolate candy this year. Bummer…because that sunbutter bunny I ate last year was beyond amazing. But…with the rising cost and lack of availability, I can’t blame them.
So…the weekend before Easter, Cathy placed an order at the bakery…and I didn’t listen in or anything. I was so excited about being surprised with what I would find inside. The only thing I was aware of was the 1 Dozen Gluten-Free Lemon Bars that Cathy and I had discussed purchasing, because I had been eying these on the menu every time…but they were never in the case. And Lemon Bars are one of Cathy’s favorite thing in life.
Mine too, honestly.
So…
The Saturday before Easter, we stepped into Annie May’s Sweet Café for breakfast. After we ate, Cathy went to get all the goodies for the Easter Basket she ordered. We got a large pink box containing the one dozen Gluten-Free Lemon Bars. But it was the surprises that I was ready to discover.
Turns out, Cathy put in an order for one of everything…save the Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Brownie as that item is always in the case at the bakery. Always. Trust me…our friend Greg always orders at least two of them.
So…here’s a review of everything inside my Gluten-Free Easter Basket of Awesome!
Gluten-Free Lemon Bars – $38.50
Annie May’s Sweet Café Gluten-Free Lemon Bars
One big pink box is what we brought home and immediately stuck in the refrigerator. Because lingering inside was 12 bars of lemony goodness. For real. And these weren’t small bars either. This dozen lemon bars could easily have been split in half and been enjoyed for much longer. But where is the fun in that? Needless to say…Cathy and I didn’t do that. Not at all.
These bars had this delicious shortbread-like crust. Then…the lemon curd in the center. And a delicious sugary crust on top. It was heaven. Heaven with each bite. The lemon was fantastic and refreshing. The curd inside was soft and lemony, without being overwhelming. That sugary crust on top added a bit of texture. And…I think I have declared these the best gluten-free lemon bars I have tasted.
And yes…I have had a few…some from Cherbourg Bakery in Columbus, Ohio…and some from Sinfully Gluten Free in Dayton, Ohio. But these…these from Annie May’s were the best ever. I hope she starts putting them in the case for Saturdays…because I will literally buy them all. Yes…they are that delicious. Trust me…I can’t make this up. I looked forward to dessert for six days straight! Lemony goodness indeed!
Annie May’s Sweet Café Allergen-Free Mini Oatmeal Cream Pie
Allergen-Free Mini Oatmeal Cream Pie – $3.50
Annie May’s Sweet Café is known for their Oatmeal Cream Pies. The thing is…these things are so huge at the bakery…that they can be quite daunting to eat. This is often the treat my guests choose to eat…and then they end up taking more than half of it with them. Oh…they are good. Just…sometimes a bit much.
So, for Easter, Annie May’s Sweet Café downsized them. And this…was absolutely perfect. You know those oatmeal cream pies you’d buy at the grocery store and devour as a child. These are sort of like that…but better. Two soft mini oatmeal cookies surround a thick layer of frosting. It’s sweet…with a hint of that savory oatmeal cookie appeal. I love texture of the cookies and the way they pair well with the filling.
It might just remind you how sweet some of life’s simplest pleasures really are. Like…cookies and icing. Simple…but oh…so good. And since this is one of their signature items…it’s totally worth the purchase!
Allergen-Free Mix & Match Petit Four Pack – $4.00
Annie May’s Sweet Café Mix & Match Petit Fours
Mmmm…little bite-size cakes of goodness. I love petit fours. Before I had to go gluten-free, I was often sent little petit fours at Christmas time from Swiss Colony. So, I totally missed these little one-bite goodies. But…not anymore. Not at Easter. Thanks to Cathy!
Annie May’s Sweet Café did up a four-pack of Petit Fours, two chocolate with a chocolate ganache topping, and two vanilla with a vanilla icing. And…boy, were these ever moist. I actually found that the vanilla was my favorite. Not a surprise. While I am a choc-o-holic, I also find that I prefer vanilla in some cases. Especially when it comes to cakes. I don’t know why…I just do.
I loved how the icing complimented the moist and sweet cake beneath. I enjoyed having a dessert I could just pop into my mouth and not feel guilty about the little indulgence. Not that I ever feel guilty about enjoying a dessert…but you get what I mean. These little cakes made me so happy. They didn’t last long if that tells you anything.
Mmmm…sugar cookies. I never make sugar cookies. Ever. Well, I tried a couple of times. It never ends well. Ever.
So…when I see gluten-free sugar cookies in the wild…you better believe I want one. It doesn’t get much better than a sweet, sometimes a bit gritty (mmmm…sugar!), soft cookie. It is one of the simplest…but most amazing cookies ever made. Almost always, sugar cookies have some sort of decorative flair to them. Last year, Kenna (co-owner of Annie May’s Sweet Café) hand painted Peter Rabbit on the cookies. This year, the cookie was shaped like an egg and decorated with white icing and various designs to make it look like an Easter egg.
I almost hated to cut it in half and devour it with Cathy’s assistance. But, my sweet tooth wins out over the artistic beauty of the cookie in the end. This sugar cookie was soft and sweet, without it being too sweet. Even with the icing, it found a nice balance. And it really was a beautifully decorated cookie. Hands down one of the best, and softest, gluten-free sugar cookies I have had to date.
Gluten-Free Six-Pack Caramels – $4.50
Annie May’s Sweet Café Gluten-Free Caramels
Two words.
Homemade Caramels.
I actually saved these for last. Honestly. I had to. I wanted them to be last because caramel is one of my favorite things in the world. Especially if it’s salted. This wasn’t…but that’s okay. Seriously. Because caramel is the thing that delicious dreams are made of.
Always.
The caramels that Annie May’s Sweet Café put together for Easter were chewy and soft…and sweet. I loved how stretchy it was. But it didn’t attach itself indefinitely to your teeth either. I could taste the sugar, and how it caramelized down into the soft candy. These were so amazing. They practically melted in your mouth when you took a bite.
These were love. Soft, chewy, caramel-y love.
I’m addicted. And the three days I had these in my life were some of my best. More, please!
~*~*~
So…there it is…
Another Easter has come and gone…and for the second year in a row, Annie May’s Sweet Café provided me with a safe and epically sweet and delicious Easter basket. Their Easter menu was out of this world this year. I didn’t even miss the chocolate candies and chocolate bunny.
And seriously…if they ever start putting the lemon bars in that case…I’ll buy them all.
I’m already craving them again.
Maybe I can see about getting these for my birthday this year…
Maybe.
Thank you, Annie May’s Sweet Café, for another fantastic holiday treat. I seriously had some of the best desserts of my life in the comfort of my own home…without having to turn on my oven once.
After a long, harsh winter without much action of the food truck scene…especially for me…because of my food allergies and all…I was so happy when Sweet ‘N’ Savory Food Truck returned from their hiatus (the owners spend the winters in New Orleans, Louisiana). Unfortunately, I didn’t get out to them for a few weeks. I was either out of town or the weather was bad.
But that was not the case this past Sunday afternoon. Louisville was having their Buy Local Fair and the food trucks were out and serving. I went to this event last year and walked away with tons of local products from local businesses and farms. So, I was excited that I would be in town for this year’s event as well. It was a near thing though. I was in Indianapolis the day before for a half marathon…so thank goodness this was a Sunday event.
After an easy time getting to the site of the Buy Local Fair and with no problems parking…I was more than primed to find the food trucks and get my crepe on. Because that…my dear readers…is what Sweet ‘N’ Savory is all about. They do amazing gluten-free crepes, gelato, smoothies, coffee, tea…ahhhh…life’s simple but best pleasures, if you ask me. And you’re reading this…so technically…you are.
Sweet ‘N’ Savory was right on the end of the row of food trucks as we turned the corner. I think I bounced up and down when I saw them…already with a line. YAY! I was so ready for this. My crepe craving has been out of control lately. And despite having a gluten-free crepe place in Columbus, Ohio…and now one in Denver, Colorado…nothing…NOTHING compares to those that are served up by my local food truck, owned by Richard and Ashley Giannini. He mans the crepe stones and she takes the orders and dishes up everything else…including their rich, creamy gelato. But I’ll get to that momentarily.
Richard and Ashley are the two who got me hooked on savory crepes. I never cared for them much before…until they came along. And…still…I hardly order them from anywhere else…because they don’t compare to the flavor combinations that I can get from Sweet ‘N’ Savory. I looked over the menu…and contemplated going sweet. But it was lunch…so…the savory sort of had my attention. I was going back and forth between two of them…and finally settled on…
The Sweet Onion Crepe.
Sweet ‘N’ Savory’s Sweet Onion Crepe
This savory crepe contained caramelized onions, figs, honey, and goat cheese, folded up in the gluten-free crepe and served toasty and warm and…mouth watering. Holy cow. I put in my order and Cathy placed hers (opting for the one with ‘all the meats’ as she never gets to eat meat at home since I am the cook). While we waited, we chatted with both Richard and Ashley about how we’ve been and what’s been keeping us busy. They apologized for missing me the weekend before at The Flea Off Market (severe weather shut it down early and they packed up 10 minutes before I finally arrived…SO not their fault. Just really bad timing!). We laughed about the strange weather and soon…both Cathy and I were receiving our delicious gluten-free crepes.
The seating area was on the other end of the food truck area, so we took a small stroll over to a picnic table and settled in. I quickly took the mandatory food shot for the blog and then picked up my plastic utensils and readied myself for my first bite of one of Sweet ‘N’ Savory’s crepes in a L-O-N-G time.
It was just as good as I always remembered. The savory Sweet Onion Crepe was the perfect blend of everything. You get sweetness from the caramelized onions…plus some great flavor and texture from the chopped up figs that are inside. The honey binds everything together. But the real magic in this crepe falls to the goat cheese. You get this nice balance of saltiness and creamy texture to counter the onion and fig mixture. Heaven. I cut off a piece for Cathy to try and she agreed…it rocked! And her crepe was apparently good too, because we polished them off in record time. For real! The crepe itself was toasted to a perfect golden brown and tucked neatly around the filling. It was heaven on a paper plate. And I was all smiles…in between chewing, of course. I have yet to have something from Sweet ‘N’ Savory that I didn’t like.
As we had been waiting in line, Ashely had mentioned their gelato flavors. She had done up a Brownie Batter Gelato that morning that she said was amazing. Lick-the-bowl good, I believe. She also said that it would pair perfectly with, my personal favorite, Salted Caramel. And they did have the salted caramel flavor. But she enticed me with something else…
A Dairy-Free Raspberry Gelato. So, Cathy and I abandoned our plans to celebrate my fastest half marathon time with our traditional Sundae Sunday at The Comfy Cow…and instead…went for Sweet ‘N’ Savory’s gelato. Cathy got the Brownie Batter. I was enticed to the Raspberry. Ashley served it up…and we happily paid and walked away with our refreshing sweet treat in hand.
Cathy fell in love with the rich, sweet, very-brownie flavor of the Brownie Batter Gelato. I took a spoonful and…WOW! Yeah…it was like eating rich, delicious, dark chocolate brownie batter. REALLY good. But, I was over-the-moon for my choice. Light, airy, and tangy…the zippy flavor of Sweet ‘N’ Savory’s Dairy-Free Raspberry Gelato won me over at first bite. Cathy, who doesn’t even like raspberry, took a taste and said, “WOW…that’s GOOD!” So, we perused the Buy Local Fair, buying products from local farms and businesses, while eating our little bowls of homemade, rich, creamy, light…gelato. I was in a good place. A very, very happy place.
So, I want to take a moment to welcome back my favorite Louisville, Kentucky food truck, Sweet ‘N’ Savory. I have missed you so much. And you totally have brought the flavor-factor back once again this year. I can’t wait to turn up at other events and try other crepes that you create and put together. Honestly…you’ve been missed. And next time…it might be a two-scoop gelato kind of day. Your food is love…and I love your food!
The Celiathlete 