One of my biggest cravings since going gluten-free has been for, believe it or not, cinnamon rolls. Honestly. And it’s not that there aren’t gluten-free options out there. Udi’s makes some pre-packaged cinnamon rolls…which are…eh…okay, but definitely not one of their better products. And I attempted to make cinnamon rolls from a Chebe mix…and that was an epic fail of monumental proportions. Just…trust me on this one.
So, with the smell of Cinnabon lurking…everywhere…I resigned myself to the fact that unless I make my own (no easy task), that I would probably just have to stick with what Udi’s offers. Edible…but not a cinnamon roll in my mind.
And then, as luck would have it, I was in Dayton, Ohio for a chocolate festival. Yes…mock all you want…I am a female and I love chocolate. So the words chocolate festival will bring me to Dayton. Trust me. After sampling and buying a few items at the chocolate festival and doing a bit of antique shopping, my usual partners in crime (Jenn & Cathy) and I headed toward Centerville because, after dining at Sinfully Gluten Free before the Air Force Marathon 10K, I knew I had to go back. And I always will while in Dayton. Hands down.
Well, after placing our food order, I went shopping. Because here I am in a dedicated bakery/café…of course I’m going to buy some of their products. Among the items purchased…Sinfully Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls. Happiness abounded. And it even came with its own little tub of icing. YUMMY!
Of course, as is the case…these weren’t devoured immediately. Nope. They went back to Columbus, Ohio with me first. And then made the trip back to the Louisville, Kentucky area with me, via a cooler. And from there…they went into my freezer. But then…a busy weekend left me with no time to make gluten-free scones for my gym days…so…lo and behold…the cinnamon rolls were about to make their debut.
Sinfully Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls
Sinfully Gluten Free’s Cinnamon Rolls come in a container of 4. Each roll is around 4 ounces in weight. Since I froze them, I pulled them out of the freezer to thaw in the container overnight. After my hard gym workout, I carried it into work with me and settled in the kitchen with two plates and four cinnamon rolls. My roommate received two of them and I received two. I saw that you could just go ahead and microwave the lot of them in the container they came in (minus the lid), but I needed time to ice them and keep mine warm while I took the roomie hers. So…I slid them onto a plate, and put them in the microwave for about 1 minute. They emerged piping hot and ready for a schmear of icing. I topped them off, put the other two for me in the microwave, and heated them up while I delivered the other pair to my roommate across the office.
I returned soon after just as the microwave beeped. Out they came, hot and ready for icing. I topped them off and happily carried them into my office and settled in at my desk with a fork. They looked absolutely perfect. Just like the ones my mom used to make…but better…because these didn’t come from a can marked Pillsbury. With much anticipation building, I slid my fork through one of the rolls, feeling the dough happily give way, how soft it was on the inside, and with that…I took my first bite.
These made me beyond happy. They were a perfect texture, despite being nuked in the microwave. They were gooey on the inside. The icing complimented them, without being too sweet and overpowering. It melted right over the top and into the rings of the cinnamon rolls. The rolls themselves weren’t too dense. They were light, with a little weight from the cinnamon rolled up inside. Sweet. Savory. And just phenomenal. Honestly. I savored each bite for as long as I could, dragging out my breakfast because I didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want to reach that last bite.
But…sadly…like all good things…this did come to an end. One final bite and I messaged my roommate and said, “I wish we had more of those in the freezer.” So, needless to say, next time I’m in or around Dayton, I hope Sinfully Gluten Free has some of those on hand because they have to be the best gluten-free cinnamon rolls to exist in the gluten-free world. Honestly. I have yet to find better. They got it all right and I was totally lucky enough to have the chance to indulge and enjoy.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but they deserve the high praise again. Sinfully Gluten Free…you take gluten-free goodness to sinfully divine levels. This gluten-free girl is one happy customer, always hoping to find herself in or around Dayton…just so I can come by and purchase more of your scrumptious goodies. I hope the cinnamon rolls make it back into my life…and soon!
Two of my favorite things – peanut butter and cookies.
I thank Lärabar every time I open one of their bars and experience the promised flavor on the package. The thing is…they do this with simple ingredients…no more than 9 to a bar. The amazing thing is how much they actually taste like what they are setting out to make the bar taste like.
This past weekend, I took along a mini Lärabar to eat about 30 minutes before the start of a 5K race I was running. I have found this to work. Too often I’ve just had cereal before a race and I end up finding myself starving just before the start or at least a mile in. That’s no good. I want to have energy before a race. These…do the trick.
I grabbed three to choose from and ended up going with the Peanut Butter Cookie variety at chow time. I was pretty pscyhed about this one. Why? Well, as I said…peanut butter and cookies are two of my favorite things in life. And here they were…together…in the form of a gluten-free protein bar that I am able to eat.
The Peanut Butter Cookie Lärabar is made up of three ingredients. That’s it. Peanuts, dates, and sea salt. Seriously. The snack size bar contains only 100 calories and 3 grams of protein. It has 6 grams of fat in it, brought to you mostly in part by the peanuts. But that’s a healthy fat and something your body needs regardless.
So now that I’ve given you the nutritional rundown, how exactly did it taste? Moist. Fresh. And soft. And yes…it was just like eating a very soft peanut butter cookie. The flavor was spot-on! Three ingredients…and Lärabar totally delivered on it. This bar was chewy and tasted like it was fresh off a cookie sheet. The best part was the balance of flavor. While I love peanut butter and could totally eat it out of the jar on a spoon (and do that on occasion, LOL!), I didn’t want this to taste like that. And it didn’t. It honestly tasted like a peanut butter cookie. And it was love at first bite. I devoured it faster than I probably should have…but it was delicious and I was hungry. Therefore…nom.
The Peanut Butter Cookie Lärabar is gluten-free, kosher, dairy-free, soy-free, and vegan. It’s also delicious and now one of my current favorites! Looking for a quick bite on-the-go that is good for you, delicious, and like eating dessert without being a dessert? Try the Peanut Butter Cookie Lärabar. You’ll be hooked like me.
Product: thinkThin Brownie Crunch High Protein Bar – $1.99+
I had just finished running my fastest half marathon yet. And I was in the land of chocolate. Seriously. It was just after the Hershey Half Marathon. I had downed my protein shake in the recovery area and had returned to the hotel to take a shower. But before doing that, I needed to get some further protein into my body before continuing on with the day.
With me, I had packed a thinkThin High Protein Bar. This flavor was Brownie Crunch. While I liked the Chocolate Fudge well enough, Brownie Crunch sounded even more intriguing. So, after a well run race…I tore into my chocolate-coated protein bar with gusto. I mean, in the land of Hershey’s chocolate…you best be eating some chocolate.
First bite…and it was like biting into a tough chocolate-coated brownie. Honestly. I think it was frozen from being out in the chilly weather that morning, but man…my jaw got tired of chewing it after awhile. The flavor was good. No aftertaste of protein on this one. But, it was very chewy…again, I do think much of that was from being out in 43 degree weather for over 2 hours. But after running 13.1 miles…my jaw really wasn’t feeling the chewing. I powered through it though…and gobbled it up.
As far as protein bars go, thinkThin definitely provides a tasty alternative to the other brands out there. What I love about these, aside from being gluten-free, is the 0 grams of sugar in each bar. Do note, however, that the Brownie Crunch is listed as having 12 grams of sugar alcohol. Aside from that, this protein bar will set you back 230 calories and 8 grams of fat. You will get 20 grams of protein, however, in each bar. And that…is fantastic. Especially for someone like me…who is a gluten-free, vegetarian athlete.
Due to the high value of protein in this bar, it does make for an excellent meal replacement. The fiber content is low, so this would also be a good option pre-workout/run. I don’t know if I can do chocolate before a run, but this might be something to experiment with.
So, of the protein bars I have tried, this has been one of the better ones. The texture was a little tough for me, but again, I don’t know how much of that was exposure to cold air. That being said, the flavor was great and I enjoyed bits of almond that were incorporated into the brownie filling to give it a little crunch. Overall, one of the better ones yet. Still not up to the Peanut Butter ones…but this one I’d buy if none of the others were available.
Looking for a meal replacement bar or a boost of protein for pre- or post-workout? thinkThin is definitely the way to go. Falling in love with their bars one trial at a time.
thinkThin Brownie Crunch High Protein Bar (unwrapped)
Traveling is one of the hardest things for me to do and find a place that I can trust to serve me food that won’t make me sick. Honestly. It can be quite nerve-wracking. Put on top of that the added pressure of having a half marathon the next day and the last thing you want to do is eat something that might send your GI track into an unhappy rage.
Well, that was the situation this past weekend. I was heading to Hershey, Pennsylvania to run in the Hershey Half Marathon on Sunday morning. My journey began by going to my friend Jenn’s in Ohio, and then she, my roommmate, and I all headed up to Pennsylvania the following morning. Now, Jenn loves me lots and has a gluten-free pantry shelf of stuff we can eat when I am in town. Good friends are awesome! But, here we are on the road! However, because she loves me, she got on Find Me Gluten Free and found a little Italian place in Hershey, Pennsylvania with what looked like an extensive gluten-free menu.
As I have found that my best races so far have been after I have eaten gluten-free pizza, finding a gluten-free Italian place that has not only gluten-free pizza, but pasta, starters, subs, salads, entrees, and yes…desserts…right where I was going to be running a long, big race was probably one of the happiest finds ever. To top it off, a friend of mine didn’t live far from the resort where we were staying, and she just happened to know the owners of this amazing restaurant. So…we all had plans to meet up and go and enjoy a fantastic, safe (for me), Italian meal.
Let me tell you…with my lunch-on-the-go consisting of Chobani yogurt and a KIND bar, I was ready for some real food.
The place that we selected to eat was Piazza Sorrento, located on Briarcrest Square in Hershey. From what we had discovered online, this was a independently run local restaurant, where the owners and staff dedicate themselves to providing the Hershey area with the finest service, food, and wine at a fair and competative price. While striving to keep the history of the dish and region that it stems from intact, they provide regional and classic Italian cuisine using only premium ingredients. Part of that process is by sourcing local ingredients from the local commerce of the Hershey area. I loved that.
What I also loved was the extensive gluten-free menu that came up on their Web site.
After arriving in Hershey and heading over to Hershey Park to pick up my race packet and walk around the little expo that was attached, Jenn, Cathy and myself headed over to Hershey World to see what was going on, what prices were for things we were interested in doing, and to do some preliminary shopping in the gift shop. That took a little bit of time, so when we finished up, we hopped back into the car, checked into our resort, and just sort of relaxed while waiting on Kathy (yes…another one, different spelling) to arrive so she could direct us to the restaurant the four of us would be dining in. She arrived early…and we were okay with that because we were hungry! Heading out, we met up in the garage of the resort, and she offered to drive to show us the sights of the area. A sort of grand tour if you will. But first…food.
We arrived just a little before 5 p.m. at Piazza Sorrento and headed inside. We were greeted by a very friendly hostess who asked if we wanted to dine in the restaurant or the pizza shop. We weren’t aware there was a difference, but we decided on the restaurant in the end. It took only a moment for them to ready a booth for the four of us, and we asked for one gluten-free menu for me. She happily complied, and went and took us to our seat, letting us know that our server, Lydia, would be with us shortly.
Lydia did arrive rather promptly to the table to see what we would like to have to drink. As I was running, I was all about the water. And it seemed everyone else at the table felt that way too. So, water it was. She came back and went over the specials on the menu, noting that since I had a gluten-free menu, to mention what specials were gluten-free…and this included soups. I loved how knowledgeable she was. It really put me at ease. And the fact that I didn’t have to give my, “I’m a Celiac…” speech was a nice change of pace. She went to ready the bread basket and asked me if I would like a gluten-free roll. I was so shocked that it took me a moment to answer. But I answered correctly. “Yes, please.”
Piazza Sorrento’s Gluten-Free Roll
She returned with the bread basket and two plates of herbs for dipping. The one she set down in front of me was the gluten-free one. All we had to do was add the oil. My roll wasn’t out yet, but my dinner guests waited until it was delivered to the table before they dug into the regular bread basked.
This roll looked fantastic. The plate that it was sitting on came with a tag, marking it as one of Piazza Sorrento’s Gluten-Free Options. I love that they have a labeling system. With oil poured onto my herbs, I reached down and tore a hunk of my gluten-free roll off. A little steam rose from it and it smelled amazing. Fresh. Delicious. I took my first bite without the oil and herbs. I wanted to savor the roll and enjoy it on its own first. Really just draw my opinion from the bare bread itself. It was…fantastic. Very light. Very soft. Warm. Fresh. I wanted to devour it and ask for another one. But, I behaved.
And soon, Lydia was at our table preparing to take our orders. Cathy wanted to get one of their House Specialties, so she asked Lydia if she had to recommend one item on the menu…what would it be. Lydia said she couldn’t limit it to one, but she could tell her some of her favorites and house favorites. Which she proceeded to do and then, left Cathy to ponder for the time it took the rest of us to order our meal.
Jenn went with the small order of Crab and Tortellini ($16.00). Kathy opted for the Chicken Piccata ($18.00). Cathy finally decided on the Pappardelle Bolognese ($17.00). As for me…I needed pizza to fuel my run. So after going back and forth between a couple of the vegetarian, gluten-free options (because…yes…there were lots of options), I settled on the Gluten-Free Old World Pizza ($9.00). Lydia went to put our orders in and we had plenty of time to talk about Hershey, the park, the race, and just get caught up on what was going on with whom and why and it was the perfect little get together. Great setting too.
Piazza Sorrento’s Gluten-Free Old World Pizza
When food arrived at the table it looked absolutely delicious. My pizza was once again marked with one of the slips of paper declaring it to be a Piazza Sorrento Gluten-Free Choice. Food labeling makes me feel at ease. This was the smallest little touch…and yet, it meant the world to me. With our food in front of us, we all just dove right in. Sort of. I had to take pictures and both my phone and my camera were acting up. But…I got it sorted and photographed and then wasted no further time before lifting my first slice of pizza and taking a bite.
The Gluten-Free Old World Pizza from Piazza Sorrento is the classic Old World Style pizza. It is the crust, with a layer of provolone cheese, then topped with tomato sauce and finished off with a sprinkling of Romano cheese and some oregano. I had never tried an Old World-style pizza before and this was one of the House Specialties on the menu…so I figured why not try something I haven’t been able to get anywhere else. I’m glad I did.
The crust on the pizza was a thin crust pizza, probably of a rice flour base. It cooked up crispy…with a little softness to it. So…just right for me. I love a thin crust pizza anyway…always have. Gluten-free pizza crusts are usually quite thin, so this transition has been easy for me. The hard part is finding one that is really fantastic on its own. Piazza Sorrento has a really delicious one. The Gluten-Free Pizzas only come in the 10 inch size, which is pretty normal of any establishment that serves gluten-free pizza. I knew there would be leftovers…meaning my friends and I would have pizza for dinner the following evening…as our resort suite had a fridge and a microwave. SCORE! But I am digressing…
Let’s return to the star of the table at the moment…the food. My friends all really enjoyed their meals. And I happily downed two slices of my Gluten-Free Old World Pizza. The provolone cheese on the bottom was melted to perfection. The sauce over it was packed with flavor. Not bitter at all. The tomato flavor really shined. And the light dusting of Romano and oregano really just topped it off. I probably could have eaten more, but I didn’t want to stuff myself to the max in case…there was room for dessert.
And with us…there normally is. Especially when there are gluten-free options available.
Lydia brought out the dessert tray and went over the what each item was and explained which ones were available as gluten-free. Both Jenn and Kathy opted for the tiramisu (one of the gluten-free options) ($7.00). Cathy went with her favorite Italian dessert…cannoli ($3.50). As for me…I went with the Gluten-Free Ricotta Cake ($8.00). It just looked…really yummy.
The Ricotta Cake is basically a very light sponge cake that was drizzled with white vermouth and topped off with Ricotta cheese and fresh fruit. It is one of the favorites among customers…and now I know why. When dessert arrived…I couldn’t wait to dig in. I picked up my fork and slid it easily through the cake. It was like a hot knife going through butter. So creamy. So soft. So moist. I was already anticipating my first bite. And when I took it…I think I melted. Seriously. This had to be the best cake I had ever bitten into. I had to share a bite with my friends. I honestly did. Because it was that amazing. Had Piazza Sorrento been open on Sunday, I probably would have stopped in just for cake. In fact, my friend Jenn had mentioned doing just that because even she fell in love with it at the one bite she had. We both said that it tasted like cannoli in cake form. Honestly…super good. Just melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
After dining there, I tried to e-mail the restaurant to see about getting the recipe…but the e-mail kept bouncing back to me. I finally settled on messaging them on Facebook…but have yet to receive a response.
There is nothing bad I can say about Piazza Sorrento. Honestly it has been one of the best dining experiences I have had, coupled with one of the best meals I have ever eaten. I didn’t need to worry about if the food was going to react poorly with me, especially before such a big race day. I felt confident in the competence of Lydia and the rest of the staff there. And the food was great…and I didn’t get sick at all.
Whoever said that gluten-free was boring and lacked variety and choices hasn’t been through Hershey, Pennsylvania and tried out Piazza Sorrento. I encourage you, whole-heartedly, that if you happen to be in the land of chocolate…or within driving distance, to check out Piazza Sorrento and see for yourself. The gluten-free menu will blow you away, the service and safety the staff take will astound you. But it will be the taste of the food that will make you wish that you had this place in your own hometown. I envy the people who live here…because this has joined the ranks of one of my favorite places to eat. But when you live in Indiana…it means returning won’t happen too often.
Oh…I also encourage you, should you go to eat at Piazza Sorrento, to try the delicious Gluten-Free Ricotta Cake. It’s worth saving room for…or finding room for. Trust me.
My co-worker and teammate at the office provided me with my first KIND Bar…which I ate without blogging about. Why? Because I didn’t have the resources available to properly document the occasion. And she also provided me with my second KIND Bar…which I also devoured and didn’t take the pictures necessary to blog about it. Silly me.
But, it is because of her that I have discovered this amazing gluten-free snack bar.
So, thank you, Andrea!
As luck would have it, while on my trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, we stopped off at a travel oasis in Pennsylvania to grab something light to eat for lunch. Well, all of the restaurants that were featured at this place didn’t have anything that I would be able to eat. But, thankfully, the attached gas station had a travel center, which I ducked into and started to glance around to see what they had that I could use as a snack for lunch.
And in with the granola and protein bars…there, shining like a beacon of gluten-free goodness…was the KIND Fruit & Nut Delight bar. And I couldn’t have been more excited to see that than I was just then.
And…this was a flavor I had yet to try! Even better.
The KIND Bar that I found was the Fruit & Nut Delight. This snack bar is a scrumptious mix of healthy mixed nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, peanuts and walnuts) with dried apricots and raisins. It wasn’t the ideal flavor that I would have chosen, but it was all they had. It was also gluten-free, so I figured…yes…this would be my lunch.
The KIND Fruit & Nut Delight Bar sets you back 180 degrees for the entire bar and 11 grams of fat, which seems high, but keep in mind that much of this fat comes from the nuts, which are truly a healthy fat. This bar also provides a 5 gram punch of protein.
And…despite not being a flavor I would have chosen on my own…I loved it. The nuts and fruit, with the addition of gluten-free puffed rice and honey and other seasonings, was a perfect blend of salty and sweet. Everything about this bar was delicious. There was the right amount of flavor with the blend of nuts, and it wasn’t overly salty. True, this bar does contain 11 grams of sugar, which I do find high, but much of that probably stems from the honey and the dried fruit. So, I give that a pass.
I really wanted to feel safe eating my food before the half marathon I was running and I knew that I could trust KIND Bars to deliver a safe, delicious, and relatively healthy gluten-free snack. I wasn’t worried about having a bad reaction to it. It is even labeled as gluten-free. And with all the nuts and the protein hit…quite filling as well.
With every KIND Bar that I try, I fall more and more in love with it as a product. Every flavor has won me over..and this was the very first one I had without some sort of chocolate being involved. And guess what…it’s been my favorite.
Thank goodness for companies that put out gluten-free snack bars that are healthy, delicious, and safe for those of us who just can’t grab a granola bar or a protein bar without checking the ingredients first.
KIND Bar…I tip my hat to you in thanks. And can’t wait to try more of your bars in the future!
Oh, my dearly beloved Sinfully Gluten Free in Dayton, Ohio. I wish…oh, how I wish that you weren’t only in Dayton, Ohio. I love everything that I have eaten by your amazing little shop so far. Whether it’s in your café or some of your baked goodies to take home with me, nothing has disappointed me yet. That’s amazing and totally saying something about the quality of your food.
Well, the small loaf of Banana Nut Bread from Sinfully Gluten Free is no exception to this streak of awesomeness.
In fact, the best part about this was how long I have been desperately wanting some gluten-free banana bread. I tried to make my own a long time ago…and I totally disliked it. Every bite of it. In fact, I ended up throwing it away. I don’t like wasting food…but this was just not good. So, when I spotted these little mini loaves at Sinfully Gluten Free the last time I was in town, one of them was going home with me for sure.
Or so I thought. It was accidentally left behind at my friend Jenn’s home. But she saved the day by throwing it into the freezer and telling me that we could take it with us on our trek to Hershey, Pennsylvania for noms in the car should we need.
Well, after a super-early breakfast of my homemade gluten-free carrot cake pancakes…we were pretty hungry around 10 a.m. Eating breakfast early usually means I get hungry a couple hours later. Well, we were totally prepared though with this loaf of bread. All I had to do was split it three ways. Not the easiest thing to do when I don’t have a knife, but I just worked with what I had. My hands.
Immediately, upon unwrapping it from the plastic bag that contained it, I could smell it. So delicious. My mouth was already watering in anticipation. And then…as I pulled it out, I could already tell how moist it was too. Splitting it into three sections was easy because of how moist it was, despite having spent a couple weeks in the freezer. I mean…it was moist without being wet. It was that perfect banana bread consistency.
And the flavor was top-of-the-line. The banana wasn’t overpowering and the nuts were a nice compliment that added some great texture to the bread. Walnuts pair so well with banana bread and that’s exactly the type that was used in this bread. They weren’t hard either. Nor was it overly salty or seasoned. The simple ingredients really got to shine here. And every ingredient was something that I recognized. That is something I love about products like this that are baked fresh at these bakeries.
Sinfully Gluten Free, you have, for the third time, left me in awe of your products. The Banana Nut Bread is now one of my favorite things I have picked up there. I’d buy it again…in a heartbeat.
It’s pumpkin season, in case you aren’t aware. And as many of you know…I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking using pumpkin. I love pumpkin…except in pumpkin pie. I don’t know what it is…but while I have never liked pumpkin pie…I have this strange affinity for using pumpkin in recipes, whether sweet or savory.
I wanted to make something for my podiatrist and his staff as a thank you for repairing my torn plantar fasciitis prior to a half marathon race I ran back in September and somehow turning me into a better, faster, more efficient runner in the process. Since my injury, my speed and endurance have definitely improved and I owe it all to him and his staff.
Being that it is October, I wanted to do something seasonal. I just happened to have a box of Gluten-Free Rice Krispies in my pantry. And I always have pumpkin on hand. I also, believe it or not, always have Marshmallow Fluff on hand too. So…inspired, I decided to make some Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats (with chocolate chips included because…pumpkin and chocolate are an amazing combination). The recipe follows…
Recipe: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Treats with a Chocolate Drizzle
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Treats with a Chocolate Drizzle
5 cups crispy rice cereal (I used Gluten-Free Rice Krispies)
1 cup mini chocolate chips
2 squares semi-sweet Baker’s chocolate, melted
Directions:
Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish (or a smaller dish…as my podiatrist’s office is small, I put these in 2 8×8 baking dishes).
In a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-low heat.
Add the pumpkin puree and continue to cook until it is warmed through.
Fold in the Marshmallow Fluff, stirring frequently until almost completely melted.
Add the vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt, and remove from heat.
Allow the marshmallow mixture to cool 20 minutes or until it is room temperature (failure to cool the mixture will result in soggy rice crispy treats). Add the puffed rice cereal and the mini chocolate chips and stir, using a silicone spatula, until combined.
Press the mixture into the greased baking dish.
Let set for 30 minutes.
In a microwave safe dish, place the bakers chocolate and melt in microwave, starting with 30 seconds and then adding 10-15 seconds to each additional heating until the chocolate has melted. Use a spoon or fork and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the Rice Krispie Treats.
Allow chocolate to harden. Cut into squares and serve.
~*~*~
Honestly…I wasn’t sure what to expect with these. They are, truly, packed with flavor. With only a scant 1/4 cup of pumpkin, these actually taste like pumpkin. I’m glad I added the chocolate chips because it really gives these a kick of sweetness that ties in so well with the pumpkin and spices.
Since I am a vegetarian, I nixed the marshmallows and used Fluff instead. I find that I should probably incorporate a cup less of the Rice Krispies next time as these are not stuck together and ooey-gooey as they should be. They tend to crumble. But, they are still delicious…even if they fall apart. That’s why instead of the usual 6 cups of Rice Krispies recommended for treats, I cut it back to 5 on this recipe. I think that will make for a better binding together of the fluff and the cereal.
Do you love pumpkin and chocolate? Do you love Rice Krispie Treats. Do something seasonal…and give these a go. I love them and hope my podiatrist and his staff do as well.
Product: Love Grown Foods Raisin Almond Crunch – $3.49+
You know what granola goes great with? Yogurt and fruit. Seriously, it’s one of my favorite things to make in the morning. My yogurt parfaits are legendary. But in order to build a beautiful and tasty parfait, you need a solid, delicious base with the granola you choose.
While out grocery shopping the other day, the manager’s special table included a bag of Love Grown Foods Raisin Almond Crunch granola. I had previously enjoyed a bag of their Sweet Cranberry Pecan granola and was pretty excited about this one because of that. Besides, I love raisins and I love almonds…so this had to be good.
On Monday morning, I got to find out. It was a frantic morning already as I took to attempting to caramelize apples for the parfait, get my morning coffee going, and get the gluten-free muffins warmed up and iced for breakfast. Needless to say…I had too much going on at once. However, the bright spot of the morning was I got to try the Love Grown Foods Raisin Almond Crunch.
I tore into the bag and happily reached inside to snag a few of the clusters to eat on their own. This would give me a sense of the flavor associated with it. Let me tell you…this variety of Love Grown Foods granola is fantastic.
The granola mixture itself is a combination of whole almonds, plump raisins, certified gluten-free oats, honey, organic agave syrup, coconut, sunflower seeds, canola oil, flaxseed, pure vanilla, cinnamon, and sea salt. What emerges is one of my favorite granola to date. The whole almonds give this granola a nice crunch to the mix. The raisins are sweet. The coconut is the perfect addition to help tame the sweetness from the hone, agave, and raisins. What emerges is a healthy blend that is filling and just simply…delicious.
Love Grown Foods was created by a couple while attending the University of Denver. Each of the young entrepreneurs brought a knowledge of healthy living, healthy eating and love of an active lifestyle to the kitchen. And why not? What emerged was a perfected recipe for granola that started off with simple sample packs and grew from that into a business. And who can argue with a company that delivers amazing flavor in each handful that isn’t tainted at all by artificial sweeteners or sugar. Their granola is sweetened by either honey or agave.
Their food is produced with love…and that is something that is evident in the flavors and care that goes into their products. The granola is out-of-this-world good. And without all the additional sugars that normally go into granola, this is one of the best ones out on the market. In fact, a serving of 1/4 cup will only set you back 130 calories and 6 grams of fat. There are only 7 grams of sugar in a serving, which is fantastic for granola, which is usually heavy on the sugars. Thanks to the almonds, a serving also provides a hit of 3 grams of protein. Gotta love that.
And I do. For real.
Love Grown Foods is my go-to granola these days. They taste great and are good for you. Baked and created with love…and it shows.
It was at long last that I finally made it to Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt. After hearing all about it from my friend Andy, who loves their banana split, and attempting to have it over Labor Day weekend, only to find the shop closed for the holiday…I was elated to find them open for business (which they are…year round) on Saturday while I was in the Indianapolis area for a Gluten-Free Expo.
I had just shared a gluten-free pizza with my roommate so I wasn’t exactly sure of what we might be getting when we pulled up to the little corner shop in Fishers. You don’t eat inside, mind you. There is no dining room and no tables scattered about the place. The people that were there were taking their treats to their car to enjoy.
But, we had decided to try this banana split that Andy raved about. I mean, it was coming with such high regard and a full endorsement from an Ironman athlete himself. Why not? We’d find that hatch in our stomachs, open it, and make some room. We stepped up to the window and the young man behind the sliding glass awaited our order. We were easy…banana split. Traditional. That meant we took off the dowsing of crushed red maraschino cherries that usually is slathered over the chocolate ice cream and replaced it with hot fudge. That’s how I like it. Traditional.
With the order in…my roommate and I stepped aside and began to watch the construction of our banana split through the window. In a clear plastic tub (no kidding!), we watched as mounds…huge heaping mounds of strawberry ice cream, chocolate ice cream, and vanilla ice cream were piled high in the container. We both looked at each other. HOLY CRAP! That was going to be a lot of ice cream and this banana split was going to be…huge. No dinner for us tonight. Whew. Once the ice cream was scooped out in three massive piles, the next step was the toppings. There was a brief food porn intermission though while our server took a moment to rip into a banana and slice it up into rounds. Then…they brought on the toppings. Pineapple was poured over the mountain of vanilla ice cream. Strawberries went over the strawberry ice cream. And, per our request, hot fudge drenched our chocolate ice cream. Atop of that went a mixture of chopped nuts. The the bananas were scattered throughout the sundae…everywhere they would fit. Finally, an avalanche of whipped cream was squirted on top. No cherry for us as we requested they be left off the chocolate ice cream. And so…it was handed over to us.
The Handel’s Banana Split ($5.75) is truly a work of art…of Titanic proportions. I don’t even know how we managed to find room for all of this…but we found a bench nearby in front of a shop at the strip where Handel’s is located (NO ice cream in my car…ever!) and dug in.
O.M.G. So good. I started with the strawberry, as strawberry ice cream is one of my favorite things in the world. It was really good, but I found the strawberry topping to almost overwhelm the ice cream itself. It was so sugary-sweet and a bit too much. My roommate agreed and we both pretty much scraped off the topping to enjoy the strawberry ice cream below it. The vanilla was a simple vanilla. Nothing outstanding or to make it really stand out from other vanilla ice cream that I have enjoyed. Again, the pineapple topping was far too sweet and we sort of worked it off and enjoyed the ice cream beneath it. The chocolate ice cream was decadent, delicious, and coated in amazing hot fudge. I’m so glad we went with hot fudge because I am afraid if we left the cherries on…we’d be scraping those off too. But the hot fudge was out-of-this-world good and it made a perfect banana split topping for the chocolate ice cream. I’m not a whipped cream girl, so my roommate ate much of that. While the ice cream was good…the real stand out in the banana split was…the mixed nuts. No kidding. They were crunchy, not salty, and just amazing. We raved about them and would seek out bites with the nuts included. So delicious. And the other thing about Handel’s Banana Split is that I love it when places chop up the banana. It’s unconventional, I know, but it makes eating the sundae that much easier. So…that was awesome too.
Now that I look at the Handel’s Web site, I realize that this is actually a small chain, with stores scattered throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Virginia, California and Florida. The Handel’s dynasty has actually been around since 1945, where they make their ice creams and yogurts fresh on the premises every day. The products, equipment, methods, and recipes are exclusively Handel’s…so you won’t have anything like it anywhere else. They operate on the philosophy of using the best ingredients available…and always in abundance. If you saw the size of the banana split…you would see that they aren’t kidding. They don’t skimp on portions, toppings, or flavor. You definitely get what you pay for!
I admire a company that has been around and scooping since 1945. I was kind of sad to see it was a bit of a chain, despite being relatively local and small. I have this love of independently owned ice cream shops…where you only get that kind of ice cream there. Now I know that if I really want Handel’s Ice Cream while in Columbus, Ohio…I can get it. Of course, in Columbus I stick to Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream.
So, while Handel’s did deliver a colossal banana split to my roommate and I…which we powered through and then promptly declared ourselves at max capacity for the day, it wasn’t the best one I have ever eaten. It definitely had it’s moments. The rich chocolate ice cream, the hot fudge, and the nuts being the stars of this banana boat show. But next time I’m in the area, I might seek out one of the locally owned, independent ice cream shops and give that a try. Handel’s was a solid, delicious stop. The toppings were really sweet and too much, but the flavors were awesome. And we definitely devoured the banana split down to the very last bite…which was the strawberry ice cream for me and the chocolate for my roommate. It was good…but I have definitely had better.
If you are craving ice cream that is made fresh every day, packed with flavor, and comes in epic proportion sizes…check out Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt. They are definitely worth a stop, a look, and a taste. Spoonful-for-spoonful…the ice cream was really good…and very filling. So bring a friend to help you get through it all.
Product: thinkThin Chocolate Fudge Protein Bar – $1.99+
I’m a vegetarian and gluten-free athlete. This means I run. I run often. I run hard. I run far. And this means that despite my diet, sometimes meeting specific diet requirements, like the right amount of protein, can be a challenge.
Well, be that as it may, thankfully there are options out there. One such option are the protein bars offered by thinkThin.
This past weekend, I went on my final training run before the Hershey Half Marathon, which I am running on Sunday. That means I needed to clock 10 miles. And I did it…in record time. However, running long often depletes the body of important nutrients. For me, replenishing my protein stores is of highest importance. Chocolate milk is ideal, but I’m also lactose intolerant, and the chocolate soy/almond/rice/coconut milk options don’t have enough protein per serving to help with muscle repair.
So, after my run, I drank down one of my vegan chocolate protein shakes and then tore into one of the thinkThin bars I had in my drawer of fuel for before/after my runs. On that particular Saturday…it was the thinkThin Chocolate Fudge Protein Bar.
thinkThin describes this particular protein bar as a smooth, rich, classic fudge flavor. Well, after tearing into the bar and taking a bite, it definitely is rich and smooth. The classic fudge flavor, however, might be a little bit of an exaggeration. Let’s face it…protein shakes and protein bars have that strange protein-ish flavor to them. And even this bar, as decadent as it is, tastes like protein.
But…this is a protein bar…so of course it’s going to have that bit of an aftertaste. With all that being said, what the bar is is a creamy, chocolatey, rich middle coated in (my personal favorite part) chocolate. Mmmm…chocolate. I am a chocoholic and this…this bar was truly satisfying in that aspect. Overlook the aftertaste and what you have is a chocolate bar with nutritional value. It’s like candy…but good for your body (and soul, let’s face it!).
The thinkThin Chocolate Fudge Protein Bar is packed with 20 grams of protein and 0 grams of sugar. You know what? That’s my favorite part of the thinkThin bars. Lots of protein…no sugar. I love it. I am a sugar addict and as an athlete, I try to cut out as much of it as possible…but I love ice cream and chocolate too much sometimes. So this is a nice change of pace when it comes to a protein bar. This particular bar will set you back 240 calories and 8 grams of fat. These bars are naturally gluten-free and with it’s lack of sugar…pretty much guilt-free too.
The important thing to remember here is that this is a meal replacement bar. I ate mine for breakfast post-run. And it did the job just fine. I was satisfied and full until my lunch that afternoon. So, the flavor is a bit…off. You know what? I can deal with the strange aftertaste. The creamy, rich texture was reminiscent of fudge and the chocolate coating helped provide that illusion. Would I buy this one again? Sure. But only after I exhaust the peanut butter varieties.
If you are an athlete, a diabetic, gluten-free, or just looking for a meal supplement bar, thinkThin is one of my favorite varieties to go with. They are packed with flavor, good with texture, and don’t bulk up their products with added sugar. Gotta love that. Go ahead…indulge. It’s not every day chocolate fudge comes with such benefits to the body!
The Celiathlete 