My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Product: My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti – $7.99+
If there was one thing I grew to love when I worked at the coffee shop, it was biscotti. Nothing can top the taste of a crisp, crunchy cookie dunked in something like coffee or tea or even hot chocolate. Absolutely…delish.
So, when my roommate and I were out at our new grocery store (the one that carries the My Dad’s Cookies products), we had a plan to pick up the lemon cookies…
…but they still didn’t have any in stock. As the lemon cookies were the ones that the roomie wanted to try…I told her to pick whatever she was interested in trying for dessert. She wasted no time in choosing the My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti.
Sweet.
So, tonight we opened them up for dessert. And to make it official, I brewed up a bit of decaf coffee for dipping purposes. Yeah…this was going to be good.
Settling in with an episode of Chopped, we ate our dinner (gluten-free pasta with homemade marinara and gluten-free focaccia bread, in case you were wondering!) and then I went to clean up a little and grab dessert. Nothing is easier than opening the little plastic container of My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti. I poured two cups of coffee…and then grabbed a serving of the cookies.
Dessert was served.
My roommate tucked in first. I asked what she thought and she said, “It’s yummy!” That’s always a good sign. That means she really does like it and isn’t just trying to be polite. So, that was a positive note to start on! I settled in and picked up one of the cookies, giving it a dunk into my freshly brewed coffee…and took a bite.
These…are not traditional type biscotti. They are smaller than normal biscotti, and while crisp, they get really soft immediately upon dipping…so don’t let it linger too long. These are more chopped up chocolate chip cookies than chocolate chip biscotti…but I won’t complain. The flavor is divine. The overall vanilla flavor with the sweet chocolate chips scattered…oh…so good. They had a nice crunch to them when they weren’t dipped in the coffee, but got quite soft when they hit the liquid. The flavor profile is amazing, especially if you love chocolate chip cookies…and I do.
As far as ingredients go, these aren’t too bad. The My Dad’s Cookie Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti are made from a gluten-free flour blend (brown rice, potato starch, tapioca flour, and xanthan gum), sugar, organic palm oil, egg, chocolate chips, chocolate liquor, brown sugar, natural vanilla extract, agave, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
As far as the nutrition information goes, this is rather good. A serving of the My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Biscotti is 4 of the cookies. This serving provides 150 calories and 7 grams of fat. In addition, they serve up 15 mg cholesterol, 40 mg sodium, and 12 grams of sugar. Finally, you will be consuming 1 gram of fiber and 1 gram of protein. Not filling…but delicious.
I have become a big fan of the My Dad’s Cookies brand. Everything I have tried has been amazing and delicious. You’d never guess these were gluten-free. Not one bit. Amazing and delicious…another fantastic treat.
Get yourself some of this biscotti and get to dipping. You will also fall in love.
So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Mint Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert
Product: So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Mint Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert – $6.99+
Life’s been tough these past few weeks. Lots of setbacks and a lot of negativity…of my own…to myself. I’m trying to stay positive, but sometimes…it’s freakin’ hard, you know? But…if there is one thing I have learned over the years…ice cream makes everything better! Everything!
And with that being said, I was fortunate enough to receive a special delivery of the So Delicious Dairy Free coconut milk frozen desserts a couple weeks back and have been working my way through these delicious frosty treats. Tonight, I rounded up this journey through ice cream heaven with the final product stocked in my freezer…
The So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Mint Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert.
So, being completely honest here…mint chip is one of my guilty pleasure favorite things in Ice Cream Land. Growing up, it was always my dad’s favorite flavor and we often had it stocked in our freezer. You’d think I’d grow tired of it, but I didn’t…and I still haven’t. In fact, if you put a bit of hot fudge over a good mint chip ice cream…you get something akin to that of the Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies. Seriously. Trust me. I haven’t been able to eat Girl Scout Cookies for three years now, and that is one of the best ways to satisfy the craving when it hits.
Except…that pesky lactose intolerance thing. While I have been known to take a supplement to help me digest dairy…it doesn’t always work or help. So, I’m usually very cautious when approaching real ice cream. But, now I can have my mint chip and eat it too…without worry.
So Delicious Dairy Free came out with a new version of their Mint Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert. Yes. This one…with no added sugars. And I know what you are thinking. You are wondering how ice cream without the addition of a crap-ton-load of sugar (that’s really a degree of measurement, trust me!) would work…or taste for that matter. Well, because of So Delicious’ generosity…I can tell you!
I made a very light, but delicious dinner tonight (breakfast for dinner!) and thought to round it off with a taste of the ice cream. I had pulled it from the freezer as I was settling into my dinner, just to let it thaw a little. Non-dairy ice creams usually need 5-10 minutes of thaw time to make them scoopable. Even more-so when they don’t have all that added sugar. It was the perfect amount of time because after my roomie and I polished off our breakfast…er…dinner…we were ready for that palate cleansing dessert. And the ice cream was now ready and at that perfect consistency for scooping without being too soft and soupy. Seriously!
There is a science to ice cream scooping and I think I have mastered it!
Anyway, I got out my 1/2 cup measure and dished us each up a complete serving. I even drizzled a bit of hot fudge over it, as I had just enough left in the fridge for tonight’s dessert. So, with the So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Mint Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert now in bowls, I carried her dessert over and then went back to retrieve mine. She took a bite…immediately noting the mint flavor. I asked what she thought…and while she preferred the vanilla (and who doesn’t?!), she loved the flavor.
My turn to be the judge. And on first bite I was in love. The So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Mint Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert has a great texture to begin with. It’s creamy, without being runny or heavy. It has this lightness to it. This variety has a great minty flavor to it, that is not too strong and is complimented by the swirls of chocolate throughout the pint. I love that the chocolate is swirled in and not actual chips. This makes the consistency of the frozen dessert work even more. The chocolate itself was delicious…sweet without being too much. Honestly, if you kept it a secret, no one would guess that there was no sugar added to this flavor. Not at all. Absolutely minty fresh and delicious!
With all my food blogs, I try to inform my readers as to what makes up a product and the nutrition information that accompanies it. So Delicious Dairy Free is very open about what they put into their products and display all nutritional information on their Web site. Nothing to hide. Love that.
That being said, the So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Mint Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert is made from organic coconut milk, guar gum, chocolate flake, vegetable glycerin, chicory root extract, erythritol, natural flavors, sea salt, locust bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and monk fruit extract. I am assuming that the mint flavor comes from some of those “natural flavors” as I don’t see it listed anywhere in the ingredients. This flavor of ice cream from So Delicious is dairy free, vegan, gluten free, kosher, made with organic and non-GMO ingredients. WOOT!
As for nutrition, a serving size of the So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Mint Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert is 1/2 cup. In this serving, you will be taking in 120 calories and 11 grams of fat. Again, with all things made with coconut milk, do not panic over that fat count. Coconut milk is a bit fattier…but it’s that healthy fat that’s actually good for you. So, turn that frown upside down! A serving will also 65 mg sodium and only 1 gram of sugar. Yes…that’s it. And I swear, you’d never know that this dessert is virtually sugar free. Seriously! And, finally, you will be taking in 10 grams of filling fiber and 1 gram of protein.
Delicious! Honestly, the So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Mint Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert tastes fantastic. I found it well balanced, very creamy, and a delight on the tongue. So Delicious continues to live up to its name…and continues to make me one happy lactose-intolerant Celiac. Their products cater to me and I continue to eat (or drink) them up. Budget be damned…sometimes you just need to treat yourself to something you love or know you’ll love. For me…that’s a So Delicious Dairy Free product.
Never fails.
A serving of So Delicious Dairy Free No Sugar Added Mint Chip Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert
So Delicious Dairy Free Minis Coconut Milk No Sugar Added Fudge Bars
Product: So Delicious Dairy Free Minis Coconut Milk No Sugar Added Fudge Bar – $5.99+
Happiness is…a special delivery of ice cream. And that’s exactly what happened. A super special delivery from my friends at So Delicious Dairy Free. And every bit of it was ice cream. Delicious gluten-free and vegan ice cream. Pardon me while I do a quick jig of happiness. When life delivers you ice cream, you have permission to dance. So dance and get those pints and boxes into the freezer. Stat!
And then…pace yourself.
It’s just like running.
Except…instead of pounding the pavement, you’re spooning delicious ice cream to your lips and savoring the sweet reward. So…yeah…ice cream is just like running.
Analogy made.
After fixing up dinner tonight, which was a simple tomato sandwich with homemade baked squash chips, it was time to cleanse the palate and get that sweet tooth satisfied. I went to the freezer and, after inquiring with my roommate what she might like for dessert…she immediately chimed in with the response of fudge bars. I couldn’t argue with that. It’s hot outside and a nice, cool treat is just what the doctor ordered.
So, I popped open the box of 4 So Delicious Dairy Free Minis Coconut Milk No Sugar Added Fudge Bars and removed two of them. I handed one to Cathy and settled in with my own. Unwrapping it, I took my first taste.
SO GOOD! Seriously. Okay…maybe I should say SO DELICIOUS! Because, they are. They really, really are. These bars are sweet, with the slightest hint of the coconut flavor from the coconut milk base. The chocolate is rich and creamy. And these bars were melt-in-your-mouth amazing. Honestly. The So Delicious Dairy Free Minis Coconut Milk No Sugar Added Fudge Bars are so good, you’d never guess that they are virtually sugar free. Honestly. They are rich and decadent and just icy chocolate goodness. I savored it as much as I could until it was gone. I licked the stick clean, for sure.
Yeah…I’m hooked!
So, let’s discuss the ingredients and nutrition information of the So Delicious Dairy Free Minis Coconut Milk No Sugar Added Fudge Bars.
The So Delicious Dairy Free Minis Coconut Milk No Sugar Added Fudge Bars are made from organic coconut milk, gum arabic, cocoa, vegetable glycerin, chicory root extract, erythritol, vanilla extract, natural flavors, sea salt, locust bean gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and monk fruit extract. These bars are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, kosher and non-GMO certified. They are also cholesterol free.
A serving of the So Delicious Dairy Free Minis Coconut Milk No Sugar Added Fudge Bars is one of the mini bars. This serving provides 80 calories and 6 grams of fat. A lot of those grams of fat are from the coconut milk. So don’t freak out. That is a healthy fat. One of these bars will also give you 55 mg sodium and 1 gram of sugar. You’d never guess that they have only 1 gram of sugar. TRUST ME!! And, finally, these bars provide you with 8 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein.
Trust me…you’d never even know that these fudge bars have no additional sugar added to them. They are sweet, rich, fudgy, and delicious. And the size is just perfect.
Once again, So Delicious Dairy Free does amazing things for the dessert world. Another delicious product from a company that prides itself on quality…so much that they even call themselves SO DELICIOUS! No lie. It’s the truth.
So Delicious Dairy Free Minis Coconut Milk No Sugar Added Fudge Bar
Oh, great and wonderful and powerful (because you keep drawing me in) Raisin Rack natural food store in Columbus, Ohio. I love you. I love you in so many ways I can’t even begin to count them. And one of the many reasons I love you is that your extensive gluten-free section offers me A LOT of options I can’t get here in Louisville, Kentucky…or anywhere else for that matter. Seriously…there are some items I have never even heard of…and then I head up to Columbus to visit my friend Jenn…and BAM…I am educated on products that are out on the market that I didn’t even know existed.
After making about 10 laps of the gluten-free aisles and filling up my basket (actually, I behaved and didn’t fill it up…no need to Tetris anything this time)…I made one final decision before checking out. And that was for dessert. After all, Cathy, Jenn and I were cooking Italian that night (gluten-free pasta with gluten-free foccacia), so I figured…despite having made a delicious homemade buttermint ice cream…we might as well keep with the Italian theme. So…I went back to the freezer section and pulled the Russo’s Gluten Free Gourmet Tiramisu from the shelf. Into the basket. Up to the register. Into a bag. Back to Jenn’s. I put it in the fridge to let it thaw…and dinner time came and went and I was so ready to dive into dessert. I mean…I don’t get to have tiramisu that often. In fact…I never get to. So this was indeed a nice treat and one I was looking forward to.
I had pulled the box out of the refrigerator to let it thaw the rest of the way while we ate dinner. And when dinner was appropriately devoured…it was time to work on dessert. And I was super excited about the Russo’s Gluten Free Gourmet Tiramisu, which was suddenly on the menu. And I was not alone. Jenn is Italian…and she knows good tiramisu. And I couldn’t wait to get her thoughts on this. Cathy doesn’t do tiramisu too often, so she’s sort of a non-entity in this review…because Jenn is an expert and I’m a fan. So…after clearing the table…I opened up the box, removed the container with the tiramisu…and eagerly and carefully popped the lid.
And…the entire top layer stayed on the lid. Well…crap.
Oh well…I went to Jenn’s silverware drawer and pulled out a knife to see if I could salvage that layer of dusted cocoa. I gave it my best shot, so, the top of the tiramisu isn’t as pretty as it should be…however…as Jenn always says…it still tastes the same. So…I just sort of incorporated the cocoa dusted layer over the fluffy mascarpone cheese layer as best I could…then split the delicate dessert into thirds. This dessert is actually meant for two people, but there were three of us…so we had ice cream with it. HA!
Anyway…the layers were soft and light as my butter knife sliced through it. The dessert itself was easy to lift out of the little plastic container it had been frozen in. A little messy…but workable. Desserts are good to be messy. It’s just means more opportunities to lick the plate clean. We all settled in with our forks and plates with the layered dessert of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, mascarpone cheese and cocoa…and took our first bites.
Cathy, as I said, is excluded from this review of the Russo’s Gluten Free Gourmet Tiramisu as she isn’t a tiramisu person. That being said, she loved the fluffy layer of mascarpone cheese. She said she could take or leave the ladyfingers. EH. Whatever. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Jenn, however, is a tiramisu expert. And both she and I hoovered this slice of gluten-free Italian dessert heaven without so much as a breath, I think. We both agreed that the ladyfingers were moist and soft and good. The mascarpone layer was so light and fluffy, whipped up to perfection. The espresso flavor was sort of lost…we both said that we were sort of looking for that coffee flavor, but overall, Jenn said she never would have guessed it was gluten-free if she hadn’t found it for me in the freezer. HA!
There you go. I’m a huge fan. And now I want to try more and more from Russo’s Gluten-Free Gourmet. And it seems like they have quite a few items I might consider next time I’m at Raisin Rack.
Let’s talk about what goes into Russo’s Gluten Free Gourmet Tiramisu, shall we? The ingredients are gluten-free lady fingers (made from rice flour, corn starch, rice extracts, tapioca dextrin, and xanthan gum) mascarpone cheese, whole eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso, and cognac. Simple ingredients for sure. And I recognize each and every one of them. That’s a plus. Interestingly enough, this is a family owned and operated company that dedicates itself to gluten-free products with exceptional quality. They are certainly doing their job right. This was fantastic.
A serving size of the Russo’s Gluten Free Gourmet Tiramisu is 1/2 of the container (or 4 ounces). A proper serving will provide you with 160 calories and 11 grams of fat. Yeah…it’s worth every gram. You will also be taking in 85 mg cholesterol, 30 mg sodium, and 9 grams of sugar. I’m impressed by the sugar count, as I thought it would be higher for such a decadent dessert. But…it’s actually in a decent range. Finally, you will be consuming 1 gram of fiber and 4 grams of protein.
Honestly, this was one very rich, moist, light, amazing dessert. I am beyond impressed with my introduction into the lineup of products from Russo’s Gluten Free Gourmet. This more than solidifies the fact that I will pick up other items by their company and try them out next time. I’m already thinking dinner will be gluten-free mozzerella sticks. And pizza bites. Yep. Both. Because…why the hell not? Beyond enthusiastic. Beyond surprised. Just…totally blown away by this dessert. Add a bit more of that coffee flavor and it would be absolute tiramisu perfection.
Well done, Russo’s Gluten Free Gourmet. Well done!
My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Product: My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies – $7.99+
Did someone say cookies?
Yes…cookie monster is back with a vengeance. A vengeance, I tell you!
After a couple weeks of feasting off of brownies and ice cream, I needed some cookies in my life. And it just so happened that my roomie and I decided to splurge at Lucky’s again last week and picked up another type of cookie from My Dad’s Cookies. It was actually a tough decision. I had promised her the Lemon Drop cookies…but they didn’t have those in stock this time around. So after a lot of thought and a lot of circling the table…I finally chose…
Chocolate Chip.
Iconic. And a personal favorite of mine. I mean, who doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie, right?
Well, with the brownies and the ice cream polished off…cookies were dessert this week. After dinner, as always, after cleaning up the dishes and the kitchen, I got ready to serve dessert. This time…it was easy. The cookies were on my counter and I just simply popped open the plastic container and fished out a serving for each of us. These cookies are little bite-size morsels that I hoped would be as good as they looked. I walked Cathy’s serving out to her, then returned to the kitchen for mine.
Settling in…it was the moment of absolute truth…
One bite of the My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies…and I was more than happy with this classic choice. No one would even fathom that these little cookies were gluten-free unless you told them. They had just the slightest bit of crunch on the edges and this soft, chewy center. Each cookie was about two to three bites, and each bite guaranteed a hit of chocolate chips and sweet vanilla flavor. There was the right amount of flavor throughout these cookies. The vanilla essence and the chocolate chips gave it that classic, homemade, chocolate chip cookie feel. I meant to warm the next night’s up in the microwave to give them that “fresh out of the oven” appeal, but didn’t. Nevertheless, I was beyond amazed by the quality and taste of these. They weren’t super moist, but they weren’t dry either. They hit that perfect midpoint that gave you both the crunch and the soft center. And…come on…CHOCOLATE CHIPS!
Classic cookies with not-so-classic ingredients. Gluten-free, after all, takes some special flour blends and some TLC. But that’s what makes these cookies even more extraordinary! Let’s take a look at the science and nutrition behind My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.
The My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies are made from a gluten-free flour blend (brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, xanthan gum), palm oil, chocolate chips, sugar, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, agave syrup, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt. These cookies are gluten-free, dairy free, nut free, and kosher.
A serving of the My Dad’s Cookies Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies is three of the bite-size cookies. There are six servings per container. These three cookies will provide you with 150 calories and 7 grams of fat. In addition, you will be taking in 15 mg cholesterol, 60 mg sodium, and 13 grams of sugar. Cookies have sugar…so, while that seems high…it’s a dessert…a treat…COOKIES! Also, these three cookies will give you less than 1 gram of fiber and 1 gram of protein. This is not a filling dessert, but it is…oh, so sweet!
Once again, My Dad’s Cookies proves that it is definitely a brand to be reckoned with on the gluten free dessert market. While I have just discovered these amazing little treats at the newest grocery store in the area, I am glad to have been brave enough to shell out the $7.99 price for each container so far. None have really let me down, and all have been great to eat after a long day and a light meal.
My Dad’s Cookies took on the classic chocolate chip cookie and made it into one delicious, bite-size, gluten-free treat. I will definitely buy these again.
Many of you know, because I make it no secret, that there are certain things in life that I love. Certain foods that I fall in love with and make a staple in my pantry, refrigerator, or even my freezer. Well, that holds true for products made by the Australian company, Freedom Foods. Freedom Foods makes a variety of products, although only a few items are available in the United States at the moment…and most of these include cereals, which, for the record, are made in a dedicated and specially built allergen-free facility in the Riverina region of New South Wales, in Australia. As Freedom Foods was specifically developed to make allergen-free foods, they test every batch made in their facilities, to the most stringent levels possible, leaving no doubt that the Freedom Foods products you pick up will be free of the allergens that are necessary to avoid.
LOVE THAT!
Because we live in a world where it’s not enough to just be health conscious. Now we have to be allergen conscious too. With the growing number of food allergies and intolerances, it is nice to find a company that really proves that it is dedicated to creating products that are safe to consume. Freedom Foods has been around for over 20 years, making great-tasting and nutritious allergen-free food. I can attest to this, as I am a huge fan of the products I have had from them thus far. All of their products adhere to the strict guidelines laid out by Australia’s food industry, meaning all their products are non-GMO. They even test for GMOs just to make sure.
One of my favorite products, mind you, is the Tropico’s cereal, which is a gluten-free version of Froot Loops, but made without artificial colors, ingredients, partially hydrogenated crap…you know…all that bad stuff that Kellogg’s puts into their cereals and people consume freely. I am a cereal girl. I start most of my mornings with a small bowl. A serving. And yes…I do measure. You knew that already though, right?
Well, in my July Cuisine Cube, I had a special surprise waiting for me inside. Because when I opened up the box, I saw that bright red top of a cereal box that meant…it had to be Freedom Foods. I thought for a moment that they just restocked me on my Tropico’s (which my parents mail to me every few weeks so I never run out – as it is impossible to find them around here anymore!). But I was wrong. The box of cereal that awaited me when I pulled it out of the Cuisine Cube was…one I had never seen in the wild before. Not when stores around here carried it…and not at the store that carries the brand in Birmingham, Alabama…where I think my parents buy them out of Tropico’s.
The cereal was Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch Cereal…and it’s basically a chocolate version of Rice Krispies. Chocolate puffed rice cereal? I’m down with that. We all know I’m a chocolate fiend as it is. Give it to me for breakfast and you just won my morning. As I just ran out of Tropico’s…it looked like Monday was going to start with a bit of chocolate. So, I poured myself a serving of the Cocoa Crunch, topped it with a splash of unsweetened almond milk, and settled in to get something more in my stomach (I had a small bite of something before I went for my run, but I still had spin class to contend with…so…fuel, baby, fuel!).
I have had my fair share of puffed rice cereals in the chocolate form before. Envirokidz (Koala Crisp) and Mom’s Best (Crispy Cocoa Rice) both do gluten-free puffed rice cereal. And both are really delicious. So…when I took a bite of this cereal, I was hoping it would live up to those two at least.
It came as no surprise that…it did.
Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch is a chocolaty bowl of goodness and rightness in the morning. Chocolate can make anything better. Even a good morning can be improved on with a hint of chocolate. What makes this cereal really unique, though, is that these chocolate puffs of rice are flavored and colored with natural ingredients and are lower in sodium and sugar than comparable kids cereals. And…the flavor really is great. I don’t want a cereal to be too sweet, because it feels like it’s just a bunch of sugar. And this one strikes a nice balance of rich chocolate without that overkill on sweetness. It was crunchy, and stayed crunchy, as I ate it. And analyzed each bite…which I tend to do each time I try a new cereal. It was decadent without being too much. And, the best part is…the chocolate milk left in the bowl at the end of it. Recovery fuel at its finest! This cereal is total chocolate love without the excess sugar and sodium that other kids cereals have inside.
So…let’s get down to the comparisons and the nitty-gritty of the ingredients and nutritional information, yes?
Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch Cereal contains the following ingredients: gluten-free flour mix (rice, non-GMO corn, wholegrain sorghum flour), cane sugar, chocolate syrup, psyllium, cocoa powder, salt, palm oil, natural chocolate flavor, and…wait for it…vitamins (niacin, thiamine, folic acid). This cereal is free from gluten, wheat, nuts, soy, eggs, and GMO ingredients.
As for the nutritional information, this isn’t too bad for a gluten-free chocolate-based cereal. Honestly. A serving of Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch Cereal is 1 cup (Envirokidz Koala Crunch is 3/4 cup and Mom’s Best is 3/4 cup). This serving will give you 130 calories and .5 grams of fat (Envirokidz – 110 calories; 1 gram fat; Mom’s – 120 calories; 1 gram fat). This serving will also dish you up 85 mg sodium and only 7.5 grams of sugar (Envirokidz – 100 mg sodium; 11 grams sugar; Mom’s – 150 mg sodium and 13 grams sugar). And finally, you will be taking in 3.5 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein (Envirokidz – 2 grams fiber; 2 grams protein; Mom’s – 0 grams of fiber; 1 gram protein). So, Freedom Foods might have a few more calories than the other gluten-free puffed rice cereals out there, but it definitely has them beat on everything else. And you know what? That makes me really happy. The small amount of sugar that is inside a chocolate cereal from Freedom Foods just wow’s me. Honestly. I am beyond impressed.
Between Tropico’s and Smudge…Freedom Foods is really making a name for itself in my pantry. And now…it’s striking a high note with the chocolate lover in me with this Cocoa Crunch Cereal. I can’t thank Cuisine Cube enough for introducing me to this product that I didn’t even know existed. Another great item in my latest box…another fantastic product from Freedom Foods. I am one happy food-loving girl!
Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snack Bar
Product: Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snack Bar – $2.49
As you know, I am always on the lookout for more and different protein bars, as I am an athlete on the go! I usually consume a protein bar on weekends away, or perhaps before a race (with time to digest, of course), and sometimes after I hit up the gym for my weights sessions.
I have my go-to brands…Lärabar, thinkThin, and KIND to name a few. All of them are certified gluten-free and carry a good portion of protein to help rejuvenate me after or before a hard workout. When I’m traveling, they also make fantastic snacks and/or food options when nothing else is available.
So, imagine my surprise and my joy when my June Cuisine Cube showed up in the mail and it included an energy bar as a mid-day pick-me-up snack option. Not just any energy bar…one that was two of my favorite things…Chocolate Peanut Butter flavored! The Cuisine Cube, as I explained before, tends to include products for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and a snack. And every now and again…a bonus. In June, the bonus was the energy bar. And it sounded amazing.
I had never heard of Grab the Gold before, and was quite curious as to what their version of an energy bar would be like. I’ve had some good ones in my time and some really, really bad ones. But, I have come to trust my Cuisine Cube and the choices of products that go inside. I had a run and some weights to do this morning, and my breakfast beforehand was simply cereal. Delicious cereal, but by the time I finished up at the gym, I was ready for something to eat.
I packed my roommate and I each a protein bar. She had her favorite Lärabar (ALT Lemon Pound Cake…in case you were wondering!). I decided to give the one I received in my Cuisine Cube a try. So, that was what emerged from my bag in the car to eat on the way to her family’s house to sort out some (who am I kidding…TONS) of items in the garage. I was going to need reinforcements. So, I unwrapped the gorgeous golden foil wrapper and unveiled an unassuming round bar. Little flecks of oats and chocolate chips were visible. I broke off a piece for my roomie to try and then I took a bite.
You know those amazing no-bake cookies? Yeah…that’s what this bar tasted like. A fantastic no-bake cookie. Talk about a treat! Great texture and taste too. It was chocolatey without being too candy-like. It had that nice hit of peanut butter. The oats gave it that cookie-like texture. The chocolate chips were that little burst of flavor in each bite. And the round shape made for a nice change of pace from other bars on the market.
A little bit of history…the Grab the Gold Protein Snack Bars were created by 16 year old Danielle Ontiveros, who didn’t like typical breakfast food growing up and preferred something lighter in the mornings, since she was never hungry. This was the end of the 80s and there weren’t a lot of choices for protein bars. Most were expensive and didn’t taste good, so Ontiveros told her mother she wanted to make her own bars. She pulled out items from the cupboards and began measuring, mixing, and recording what she was doing. She began to market the bars to friends, family and neighbors and soon her business was born. The reason these bars are round is that Ontiveros was concerned with fairness and equality and wanted to be sure everyone got the same size bars. Cutting them into squares never yielded uniform bars in size and thickness. Then she got the idea to weight the batter into equal parts and put them into a muffin tin. The perfect, uniform, and round bar was born.
So, now that we know how these were made and why they are so good…let’s look at the nitty-gritty stuff. Yep…nutrition and ingredients.
The Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snack Bar is made from organic oats, peanut butter, soy nuggets (soy flour), glucose syrup, cane sugar, semisweet chocolate chips, fruit juice, brown rice dextrins, canola oil, soy lecithin, natural cocoa powder, and vanilla. This bar is gluten-free, cholesterol free, dairy free, vegan, contains no high fructose corn syrup, contains no preservatives, contains no trans fats, and is a sort of high fiber.
As fur nutrition, the Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Snack Bar is right on par, if not better, than other bars on the market. One serving is one bar. This bar contains 193 calories and 5 grams of fat. One bar also provides73 mg sodium 345 mg potassium, and 12 grams of sugar. I admit, it is high in sugar…higher than I normally like. Might be why it tastes like a cookie. But DAMN…it’s worth it. Yum! One bar also gives you 7 grams of filling fiber and 11 grams of protein. You actually will feel full after eating this bar. Trust me!
So, Cuisine Cube sent me another winner! I hope to order some of the Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snack Bars in the near future, if I can’t find any in local stores. As I have never seen or heard of these before now, it’s more likely I’ll be ordering online or from Cuisine Cube’s store. But…I am now completely and forever hooked on these. Like having dessert for breakfast…but one that will last you for a couple of hours.
Well done!
Grab the Gold Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snack Bar (unwrapped)
So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookies ‘N Cream Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert
Product: So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookies ‘N Cream Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert – $6.99+
I have a lot to give thanks for when it comes to delicious things in my life. When most people hear that I’m a lactose intolerant and gluten-free vegetarian, I often wonder if they think I eat grass. I don’t…for the record. Although I do eat a lot of veggies that are green…but not grass. Never grass.
That being said, sometimes I also get the chance to try out some products that fit into my diet. And recently, my friends over at So Delicious Dairy-Free gave me the chance to try out some of their latest products to hit the market. One of these included the previous blogged about So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert…and now…another bit of excitement…
DAIRY-FREE AND GLUTEN-FREE COOKIES‘N CREAMCOCONUT MILK FROZEN DESSERT.
*FLAIL*
Pardon the unnecessary, but highly needed caps lock abuse.
First of all, as a Celiac do you realize that I never…NEVER…get to eat anything that in any way, shape, or form resembles ice cream that has the words “cookie,” or “dough” in it? It’s true. Those have become relics of my past. Ice cream that I used to know. Favorites of mine, left to melt away in my memory…of their flavors and their deliciousness.
Or…so I thought.
Thanks to the good people at So Delicious Dairy Free…that is no longer the case.
*DOUBLE FLAIL*
Ahem.
Oh, you better believe the first pint I dove into was the Gluten-Free Cookie Dough. Growing up, whenever we got ice cream from the store or went to our local ice cream parlor (The Dairy Barn!), I was a cookie dough ice cream girl. That was what I wanted. Oddly enough, I never ate raw cookie dough…but put it in ice cream and…oh…yeah. Magic. We all know I about died when I got to eat the So Delicious variety, having gone YEARS now since having a taste of one of my favorite flavors. And if you are just tuning in, click on the link above and read all about that moment!
But…we come back to the present now…and tonight…tonight it was time to give the other childhood favorite a shot. Another flavor of ice cream I always have to just stare at and dream about eating. But not now…not again. Not when So Delicious comes through and delivers their So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookies ‘N Cream Coconut Milk Ice Cream.
*KERMIT FLAIL*
KERMIT FLAIL
So, while my roomie and I were feasting on dinner, I set the pint out to thaw a little. I find that non-dairy frozen desserts often need about 5-10 minutes of sitting on the counter to make scooping easier. Trust me. Do it. It means you won’t have to go to battle with your pint of delicious goodness. The last thing you want to do is go to battle with dessert. That’s just not…human.
After we finished dinner and doing the dishes, I went to get out the ice cream scooper and serve up the latest flavor of non-dairy frozen goodness from a company that prides itself on their products that they call themselves So Delicious! That’s bold. And I love them for that!
I scooped us each up a serving and settled in to finish watching a Food Network show of our choosing tonight. I was practically on the edge of my seat…anticipating that first taste. I dipped my spoon into my bowl, scooped up a bit of the ice cream…and BAM…everything I missed about Cookies ‘N Cream ice cream came flooding back to me. I might have teared up a little. Amazing.
First of all, So Delicious does not skimp on the fillings. You are getting chunks of gluten-free sandwich cookies in this ice cream. You are getting this rich and luxurious base made form coconut milk that doesn’t overpower. The vanilla is a nice compliment to all the flavors. And those cookies…OH MY GOD…those cookies…they are the things that dreams are made of. Especially for someone like me…who has had to ignore anything with the word “cookie” in it for so long. Dreams do come true and So Delicious truly makes it…delicious. Each bite had that rich sweetness to it…plus the chunkiness of the cookies. You get that crunch with the creamy texture of the dessert itself. Oh…yes. If heaven were a pint of ice cream…I was devouring it at that very moment. A new favorite.
It’s also really good over a warm gluten-free brownie with hot fudge drizzled over it. I’m just throwing that out there. I might have done that too.
So, what exactly goes into a pint of the So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookies ‘N Cream Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert? I’m about to tell you! This ice cream is made from organic coconut milk, organic dried cane syrup, gluten-free creme cookies, chicory root extract, natural flavor, carob bean gum, and guar gum. Not only is this free of dairy and gluten, but it is also cholesterol free, vegan, non-GMO, and kosher.
And…I know it’s a treat…it’s dessert…but I always hit up those nutrition facts. A serving of the So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookies ‘N Cream Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert is 1/2 cup. In this serving, you will be consuming 160 calories and 7 grams of fat. Keep in mind, some of that fat count comes from that nutritious coconut milk! You will also be taking in 50 mg sodium and 16 grams of sugar. Yep…it’s high in sugar…but it’s an ice cream treat. You sort of expect that. And, finally, you will be provided with 7 grams of filling fiber and 1 gram of protein.
Not too shabby for a frozen dessert, right? RIGHT!
Yeah…my love for So Delicious continues to grow every time I get to try one of their products. Stay tuned…because there are more frozen treats from So Delicious in my freezer just waiting for me to pick them next to try. It’s a good thing that ice cream is one of my most favorite things in life. And, now, here’s one I can safely consume!
Oh, So Delicious…how I love you and your magical pints of frozen goodness.
A serving of So Delicious Dairy Free Gluten-Free Cookies ‘N Cream Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert
I want to give a quick shout out to my friend, Rebecca Fifield, a Tastefully Simple consultant and friend of mine since middle school. When Tastefully Simple first put out their new gluten-free products, she sent me a box containing said products and asked me to try them out. Sometimes, I get distracted, but I always get around to it. And while I have already reviewed the Tastefully Simple Gluten-Free Gluten-Free Beer Bread Mix and the Tastefully Simple Gluten-Free Vanilla Bean Pound Cake Mix, I had yet to get around to the (honestly) most important one…the Tastefully Simple Gluten-Free Fudgy Brownie Mix.
Why is this one the most important product? It’s not…I just made that up. Why? Because it involves chocolate. And brownies. And second only to cookies…brownies are my next favorite treat in life. Seriously. And while there are plenty of gluten-free options out there for brownie mixes…let’s face it…they aren’t all great.
Well…I don’t know what convinced me that today was a good day to make brownies. It was 97°F outside…I had just returned from Detroit (I was seeing Queen in concert!) and the World Cup Final was about to begin. Of course, brownies seem logical, yes?
Well, the best part about Tastefully Simple is…how simple their products are to make. So, this took me, literally 5 minutes to get ready to go into the oven. Anything that doesn’t require me dragging out my Kitchenaid Mixer and a bunch of different bowls and ingredients is a good thing in my book. And this…required only two additional items to the mix itself – 2 eggs and butter.
That’s it.
Simple.
Tastefully simple.
So, here I was, moments away from kickoff and I’m preheating my oven to 350°F and getting out a large bowl. I empty the Tastefully Simple Gluten-Free Fudgy Brownie Mix into a large mixing bowl and crack open 2 eggs. I add the melted 1-1/2 sticks of butter to the bowl, grab a spoon, and simply stir it all together. The thick, chocolate batter then is poured into a greased 8×8 baking pan…and into the oven it went. No World Cup missed. And dessert well on its way to being done in 40 undisturbed minutes.
Tastefully Simple Gluten-Free Fudgy Brownies (baked and fresh from the oven)
Near the end of the first half, my timer beeps and I get up and pull the brownies out of the oven. I had been smelling them all during the match and my mouth was already watering. They looked amazing…a little crisp on the edges, but crumbly and flaky all throughout the center. I inserted a toothpick to see if it came out clean…and it did. The Tastefully Simple Gluten-Free Fudgy Brownie Mix was done baking. I placed the pan on cooling rack and got to work on dinner while they cooled.
After dinner, it was time to give my dessert a try. I got out a knife and sliced the Tastefully Simple Gluten Free Fudgy Brownies into 16 squres, as the serving is 1/16th of the package. Math is my strong subject. I eased out two squares, one for my roommate and one for myself. As we are coming off of a mega concert high and World Cup excitement, it was time to doctor these up. I got out my gluten-free So Delicious Coconut Milk Cookie Dough Ice Cream and placed a scoop on top of the brownies. Then, topped it off with a drizzle of hot fudge. Gluten-Free Brownie Sundaes done in time for the second half of the final match.
So…here’s the thing…
The Tastefully Simple Gluten-Free Fudgy Brownie Mix bakes up really rich and fudgy brownies. Oh…my…GOD! These were chocolate heaven. I ended up pushing my scoop of ice cream off the top of the brownie so I could simply enjoy it and all it’s moist, chocolate goodness. Seriously. I wasn’t expecting to fall this in love with this dessert, but Tastefully Simple truly nailed it with these. They have a nice, crisp, outer edge…but the rest of the brownie is ooey, gooey, soft, fudgy goodness. From one bite to the next, I was already anticipating the next rich burst of chocolate. I was just…loving each and every bite and had to stop myself from going back to steal another square. I did, however, pick up all the crumbs from the two pieces I dished up and ate those. Hey…nothing this good should go to waste.
I know, you’re thinking that $11.99 is a lot of money to spend on a brownie mix…but when Tastefully Simple does something…they do it right. And with it being so easy to prepare and bake, you’ll never want to go back to any other brownie mix. Phenomenal flavor…sweet, rich, moist and simply tasty.
Let’s look at ingredients, shall we? The Tastefully Simple Gluten-Free Fudgy Brownie Mix is made up of sugar, rice flour, cocoa, potato starch, tapioca flour, and less than 2% of natural flavors, salt, xanthan gum, and silicon dioxide (anticaking). It is gluten-free and can be made vegan by using vegan butter (like Earth Balance) and using an egg substitute.
As for nutrition? Well…they are brownies. So…remember that. A serving of the Tastefully Simple Gluten-Free Fudgy Brownies is 1/16th of the package. So that’s about a 2-inch square, I think. This serving will give you 130 calories and 0.5 grams of fat. It is cholesterol-free. You will be taking in 60 mg sodium and 20 grams of sugar. Yep…it is high in sugar, but it’s also the first ingredient on the pouch and…it is BROWNIES! Dessert. Hello! This mix also provides 1 gram of fiber and 1 gram of protein.
Thank you Rebecca for introducing me to Tastefully Simple and their gluten-free line. I have a few more products to review, but so far, everything I have been able to try has gone above and beyond all expectations. I think the Fudgy Brownie Mix will never leave my pantry. Ever. Simple and delicious. That’s Tastefully Simple. And they make some of the best gluten-free products I have ever been able to easily make and try.
Make sure you head over to Rebecca Fifield‘s Tastefully Simple page and order some for yourself! You will not be disappointed.
I am going to admit it…cop to it right now…put this out there. I am a chocaholic. There. I said it. If it’s chocolate…I’m going to eat it. Seriously. Especially if it’s dark chocolate. And, quite honestly, being the cinnamon roll fan that I am, I had no intention of even purchasing something else with those on my last order from Katz Gluten Free.
But…then…chocolate happened.
Katz Gluten Free introduced a slew of new products a little bit ago…and as soon as the announcement came, I was online and ordering. Because…it’s Katz Gluten Free. It has to be good. Honestly…it was really a “OMG, THEY HAVE CINNAMON ROLLS NOW I MUST GET THEM OR I WILL DIE FOR REAL!” sort of moment. That’s no exaggeration. I feel that strongly about gluten-free cinnamon rolls. They aren’t very common…and not something I can just go to the store and purchase. So, yes…I do get a little overzealous when it comes to things like…gluten-free cinnamon rolls. Especially from Katz Gluten Free.
Because…they have never really let me down when it comes to products. So, I was getting the Gluten Free Cinnamon Buns into my cart online…and then…and then I saw them:
Katz Gluten Free Chocolate Buns.
Oh. My. Chocolate.
So, yeah…they ended up in the cart. No accident. Don’t believe me if I ever say something chocolate ending up in my clutches was an accident. It most likely was my female brain kicking in and saying…”EAT ALL THE CHOCOLATE!” So…that’s how I ended up with Katz Gluten Free Chocolate Buns in my freezer. (Yes…I giggled at that last line too…)
So, without my bin or much time to bake something this week…I’m living out of my pantry and fridge/freezer. And on my gym morning, I needed something easy to prepare at the office so I can eat after getting my sweat on and not spend a lot of time doing so. After all…I’m at work and should be working. With the Gluten Free Cinnamon Buns already having been devoured, my roomie and I were about to take a leap of faith and give the Katz Gluten Free Chocolate Buns a try.
Super simple. I took the buns out of the freezer the night before and put them in the fridge. After working out and arriving at work, I went into the break room and heated up each of the Gluten Free Chocolate Buns for about 25-30 seconds in the microwave. I served…with clementines. Because…in my world, if you’re going to devour a treat, you gotta have something healthy with it. Adds balance, yes? Breakfast was good to go. And we both settled in at our desks and went to devour (because after a good cardio session at the gym, I’m in starvation mode!) our brekkies.
So…the Katz Gluten Free Chocolate Buns are like…cinnamon rolls on chocolate steroids. Take out the spice aspect of the cinnamon and instead substitute dreamy, rich chocolate with a heap of chocolate glaze. That…that deliciousness is exactly what I was biting into. It was sweet, but it struck a nice balance, regardless of not having some cinnamon to add a bit of spice. It was flaky and crusty and gooey in the middle. I actually found the Chocolate Buns to be less dry than the Cinnamon Buns had been. Which was a surprise, but one that made me happy. Dare I say that I actually preferred them over Katz Gluten Free Cinnamon Buns?!
*collective gasp*
So, now that I’ve gotten you drooling…let’s talk ingredients and nutrition, shall we? Because it should be done…even on breakfast pastries.
Katz Gluten Free Chocolate Buns are made from a gluten-free flour blend (potato, tapioca, sorghum, white rice, brown rice) trans-fat free margarine, water, sugar, eggs, brown sugar, confection sugar, cocoa, vanilla extract, dry yeast, honey, xanthan gum, cinnamon, salt, corn syrup, baking powder, sunflower lecithin, emulsifier, nutmeg, and canola oil. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free.
As for nutrition, a serving is 1 of the Katz Gluten Free Chocolate Buns. This one roll will provide you with 310 calories and 15 grams of fat. I know…that’s high…but this isn’t something you really eat every day. It’s a breakfast treat. Key word…treat. In addition to that, you will be taking in 25 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, and 17 grams of sugar. Which…is a lot of sugar. But…it’s a treat. And finally, you will be consuming 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein…so you will definitely feel like you’ve eaten.
I have so much love for the products that Katz Gluten Free has out. I am definitely going to pick up more of the Gluten Free Chocolate Buns in the near future. Honestly a delicious and sweet way to start the day.
The Celiathlete 