Product: Pacific Natural Foods Organic French Onion Soup – $1.99+
As I have been a vegetarian for a couple of years now, I’ve learned that a lot of soups are actually made with a chicken or beef base, despite the safe sounding vegetable names…like tomato, vegetable, french onion, etc. And, even more tricky since having to go gluten-free is being confident enough with a soup or restaurant to be able to guarantee that there will be no contamination and that no ingredients contain gluten. Gluten is tricky and shows up in some of the oddest places.
Like in soup.
So, imagine my delight when I came across a version of French Onion Soup from Pacific Natural Foods that is not only labeled gluten-free (YAY!! I wish more places would label), but is also 100% vegetarian. I was so excited and ended up buying a couple of these without even tasting one first. Yeah…I get pretty worked up over food and do spontaneous stuff like that.
I actually have made this soup twice. The first time, without any additions. And it was delicious on its own. Honestly. The soup itself is a broth that is made from filtered water and an organic sauteed onion base, which really highlights the crisp, caramelized flavor of the onion in the soup. It was really good to dip my gluten-free/dairy-free grilled cheese into. Yummy. But, it was boring. Yes…despite all the flavor, it looked like a bowl of…sewer water, to be honest. So, when I made it on another night, I touched it up a little. I cut up some gluten-free bread crusts I had in the freezer and spritzed them with some olive oil, giving them a hint of garlic seasoning. That went into the oven to make croutons. While those were toasting, I caramelized up some shallots to add to the broth. The soup went onto the stove to heat, and in went the shallots. Once heated through, each bowl was garnished with some gluten-free croutons and then sprinkled with some Gruyere cheese, which I then attempted to melt down with my kitchen torch (it worked better in my head than in practice).
However, this really did step up the soup a level. Not only did it give it some body, but it boosted an already flavorful broth into something actually resembling a soup. I still ate it with my grilled cheese sammie, because the soup on its own was only 30 calories, which wouldn’t hold over this tummy for long. Even with the little additions. So, low calorie, flavorful, gluten-free, vegetarian, and delicious…that’s a recipe for success.
And luckily, this soup is readily available at local grocery stores. Finally…a French Onion Soup that even I can indulge in. Thank you, again, Pacific Natural Foods.
Pacific Natural Foods French Onion Soup, dressed up with caramelized shallots, gluten-free croutons, and Gruyere cheese
Crossing the finish line at the Bunny Hop 5K - Hoff Woods Park, Westerville, Ohio
Race: Bunny Hop 5K
Place: Hoff Woods Park, Westerville, OH
Date: April 7, 2012
Time: 25:24
Cheer up sleepy Jean…Oh what can it mean?
Welcome to my tribute race to the late, great Davy Jones from The Monkees. I know what you’re thinking…you’re probably wondering why I dedicated an Easter race to a member of the band The Monkees. Well, there is no method to my madness this time. The answer is simple…I wanted to.
Nothing bummed me out more than coming out of my lunch meeting at my office on February 29 and finding out about the passing of Davy Jones. You see, I was one of those people who never stopped listening to The Monkees. I owned the entire series on VHS…later DVD. I have all the CDs. I’ve seen The Monkees in concert twice. I earned the nickname “Monkeegirl” in high school. So, yeah, I was in a deep funk when I heard about Davy Jones. I wasn’t prepared. And it still saddens me.
So…an idea came to mind to dedicate a race to him. My next race where this was a viable option (aka: not part of a racing series), was the Bunny Hop 5K in Westerville, OH. Why was this a good choice? Well, for one thing I’d be with two friends (my roommate and my awesome friend Jenn) who were also fans of The Monkees. And…because it was a good, little race so nothing would really detract from the meaning of the tribute (despite the presence of the Easter Bunny).
With the idea now in my head, I signed up for the race and got my accessories ready. What accessories, you might ask. Well, my Bondi Band read “Daydream Believer” across it and I (and my cheering section) wore sashes that said “Homecoming Queen” on them. And if you have never heard the lyrics for The Monkees song Daydream Believer, you have either been hiding under a rock or need to get more cultured in music. The chorus is:
“Cheer up sleepy Jean…oh, what can it mean…to a daydream believer and a homecoming queen…”
Get it? Daydream Believer. Homecoming Queen. Brilliant.
So, after work on Friday, my roommate and I hopped into the car and drove from Indiana to Columbus, Ohio, to hang out for the weekend with the amazing Jenn. It was a long drive and we got there in enough time to eat Pink Salad (it’s delicious!), make signs for the following morning, talk, and hit the sack.
Morning came way, way, way too soon. I was still a zombie when the alarm went off. But, I got out of bed, and started to get dressed for the race. Thankfully before leaving Indiana the day before I went back to my apartment on my lunch break to grab warmer clothes to run in. It was freezing that morning and I had originally packed my running skirt and a short sleeve tech shirt. No good on a morning in the very low 30s when frost is on the ground. My pants and running jacket made the journey with me. It had been awhile since I had to break out the jacket. Then again, Columbus seems to know when I’m coming to visit and gets very cold just to tick me off (true facts!).
So, dressed and with a Blueberry Muffin LäraBar in hand, my friends and I headed out to scrape some frost off the car windows and head to the park for packet pickup.
The tribute sign to Davy Jones I wore on my back during the race
It was an easy drive in, despite the need to turn around and grab a forgotten cup for the coffee that would follow the race. Once at the park, we found a good place to park and I went and grabbed my packet. Inside was a gourmet cookie (I gave it to Jenn as I can’t eat it with my gluten intolerance), a water bottle, bunny ears, my shirt, and my race bib (no chip timing!). I got my sash pinned on and my number too. And then I got a sign pinned to me that indicated who I was dedicating the race to. Then the three of us retreated to the car for a little while to warm up. I hate the cold. With about 20 minutes to go before the race, we finally crawled out of the warm sanctuary and I set to stretching a bit before we were directed toward the starting line.
The starting line was over in another parking lot. It was just a short little walk across a path. There was a chalk line drawn across the pavement and a yellow flag was set up to mark the start. Awesome. I stretched a little more, spotted the cameo appearance by the Easter Bunny (it was, after all, the Bunny Hop 5K the day before Easter Sunday), and listened to the announcements. Our lead vehicle was a guy on a “pink Easter bike.” I don’t know what it is about me and park runs and guys on bikes. This is the second one. He was going to guide us on the path. So, after the announcements and a warm up of bunny hopping (for real), I readied my iPod, my GPS watch, and soon, we were off.
Apparently the head of the pack was taking the Bunny Hop 5K pretty seriously because my roommate later told me that the announcer said, “Guys! It’s only a fundraiser!” But some runner types are so serious about every race. And that’s okay.
So, the run was a good one. We wound our way out of the park and down through some residential neighborhoods. It was a relatively flat terrain, with only small inclines. I was really doing my best to keep my usual 5K pace, but I was having some trouble with my Achilles tendon. It was pulled earlier in the week and I’d been doing my best to baby it in preparation for this race, and the upcoming half marathon in a month. So, I started off a bit slower and worked my way up to pace.
The run was fun. At the point where we turned around, the guys directing us saw me coming and said, “Daydream believer and a homecoming queen. AWESOME!” I pumped my fist in the air and smiled. YES!! They got it without seeing the tribute sign attached to my back.
I knew I was making pretty decent time, mostly in part to my GPS watch. LOVE that thing. It really does help me keep on pace and push when I need to. I didn’t push too hard though, not with the Achilles tendon screaming at me. So, I just sort of stayed at my pace, and wound my way back through the neighborhood to the park. We were directed into the last turn and there was the finish line. The big inflatable arch was really hard to miss.
As there was no chip timing for this race, when runners crossed the finish line, we were handed a card. All we needed to do was put our name on it, and they would fill out the rest with our time. Oh, and for the first 50 men and the first 50 females to cross the finish…we also got medals. Awesome.
It was a fun race. But I was cold, in need of my Caribou Coffee, and ready to get some actual food in my belly. As Caribou Coffee has nothing for food that is gluten-free, I brought some gluten-free bread and peanut butter with me, and built a sandwich using pieces of overly-ripe banana on one slice and slices of apple on the other. YUM!
So, the official results are that I finished in 25:24 (that sub-25 minute 5K still eludes me!). On the official results page, my entry is out of order, so I’m adjusting the results to show my proper placement (for the record, they have me higher than I really am). So, with that being said, overall I finished 24/154 finishers and was 9/83 female runners. Not too bad. Not bad at all.
This race was special. I didn’t set a new record. I didn’t run to my full potential. But I had a good time. And I found it to be a fitting and perfect tribute to a musical icon who I admired throughout my life. And that’s what mattered to me that day. Having friends at the finish line is awesome. Having friends at the finish line holding signs with lyrics to Daydream Believer on them…is priceless. My friends rule.
Davy Jones…I hope you appreciated the tribute. Rest in peace. You’re free.
Cathy, me, and Jenn with our tribute sashes and signs to Davy Jones for the Bunny Hop 5K
It is one of my favorite things in the world. I literally grew up eating it. My brother and sister were the same ages as the children of a couple from India who lived just up the street in the neighborhood I grew up in. Often, we would go over to their home and indulge in homemade curry (my favorite!). And their house always smelled divine.
So, having been introduced to the food and the culture so young, I have never fallen out of love with the culinary treats that await. That being said, I have yet to actually cook up an Indian meal on my own. Although, I am so willing to give it a try, if I can ever find a recipe that excites me.
Tuesday nights I often like to go to the park, if the weather is nice, and go for a run. So, having an easy to prepare dinner that won’t wreak havoc on an on-the-move tummy is ideal. While out grocery shopping, my roommate and I spotted these little packaged delights from Tasty Bite. They happened to be on sale, so we stocked up on a few of them. And we were waiting for the ideal time to test them out.
That time came last night. Here’s the best part…these are so easy to prepare. It’s done in 90 seconds, I’m not even kidding.
The night prior, I went ahead and prepared a batch of jasmine rice, which I steamed on the stove top and then packed away for a reheat…just to make life easy. I scooped out a couple servings upon getting home last night, added a splash of water, and microwaved the rice back to warm, fluffy life.
Then, per the instructions on the package for Lentil Magic, I tore a vent of about 2 inches, popped it into the microwave for 90 seconds, and then poured it over the prepared rice. Like I said…SO EASY!!
Of course, the real test came in the consumption of said fast food. One bite, and I knew this really was lentil magic. The lentils were still al dente, so they didn’t turn to mush as I had been concerned about. This particular kind is seasoned with garlic, cumin, and cardamom, all of which made for the perfect seasoning to pair with the lentils. And I absolutely loved that my serving had a whopping 12 grams of protein in it.
These little Indian and Thai meals are amazing…and very low in calories, sodium, fat, and effort. You gotta love that. Even better…in the case of Lentil Magic…they are fantastic. I was blown away by how delicious this was. Not too hot, not too spicy…just the right amount of heat to infuse the lentils with that Indian flair. I absolutely loved every component of this meal.
And coming from a girl who grew up on classic Indian fare prepared by someone from that country…that speaks volumes. I have a few more of these to try, but I’m already set to buy up even more and give them a go. There are a lot of options, most of which are not only vegetarian or vegan, but also gluten-free. Many of the products are also kosher. Lentil magic…was all four of those. Love it.
So, if you are craving a filling, delicious, fantastically spiced Indian meal without having to go to India or the best Indian restaurant in town, you can enjoy the wonderful flavors and ease of Tasty Bite’s Lentil Magic. I’m already a fan.
As is the case with me these days, last night’s dinner was definitely going to be soup. The kind of soup, however, changed three times.
I love soup. I can eat soup year-round. Yes…even in the heat of summer, I often find soup to be refreshing to indulge in. Why? Because of what goes into it. And, when possible, I love stirring a pot over low heat and cooking up my own soup. But, that’s not always possible.
Not to sound too much like Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory, but Monday night’s are soup night for me. It’s the night I go running with a local group at a running store, so something that is filling, but not too heavy is ideal. A bowl of soup and a gluten-free and dairy-free grilled cheese sandwich are my go-to those nights…and it works like a charm for me. But, unless I have time on Sunday to cook up soup for the week, my standby is the canned or boxed variety you find in stores.
Like I said above, however, last night’s soup changed. My roommate had selected Amy’s Organic Light in Sodium Butternut Squash Soup for our dinner on Sunday night, knowing that when we got home from work, we had a quick turn-around time to eat, do dishes, change, and head through traffic into Louisville so I could go for my run. The only problem was, as I was getting breakfast going that morning, I noticed a key ingredient in big bold letters on the can: wheat. This gluten-free girl was very, very sad because…I love butternut squash soup. And now…it was off the menu. When my roommate crawled out of her room for breakfast, I shared that little bit of knowledge and asked her to go pick another one. Amy’s Organic No Chicken Noodle Soup was next off the pantry shelf…and then she said…”Duh…this has noodles!” Therefore wheat and soy were key ingredients, meaning this soup also had gluten in it. No go. Her next grab…and our dinner that night…Amy’s Organic Chunky Vegetable Soup.
This soup was impressive from the moment I opened up the can. The broth was light and tons of chunky vegetables were swimming in it. No skimping on the vegetables here. Not at all. I could see the tomatoes, spinach, carrots, green beans, corn, peas, onion, celery…all organic, by the way, in the broth. Chunky was not an understatement. It’s fact.
I warmed up the soup on the stove top while I got to work on the accompanying sandwiches. Soup and sammie nights are pretty famous in my apartment as I have discovered the perfect way to make grilled cheese sandwiches. Oh…and even my dairy-free cheese melts up to gooey perfection too.
With the sandwiches done, I ladled the warm soup into bowls and settled in for dinner. One spoonful and I could already tell this soup was magic. It had lots of flavor. I could tell it would be filling because of the chunky vegetables that were included (not those anemic little bits in most vegetable soups). The vegetable flavor reminded me so much of homemade vegetable soup. Yeah…it’s that good. The soup was seasoned too perfection. It probably had more sodium in it than I usually would have liked, but…that’s canned soup for you. And this was worth it. Very delicious. I would buy this one again in a heartbeat.
Once again, Amy’s Kitchen proves that it turns out fantastic food no matter if it’s canned, frozen, or shelf-stable. This was my first foray into Amy’s Organic soups, and I was definitely very impressed. Aside from my little lesson about reading labels, which I normally do…I think I just assumed butternut squash soup would be gluten-free…and the noodle thing completely slipped my mind, I can’t find anything to complain about when it comes to this soup. Packed with flavor, packed with organic vegetables, and packed with love that comes out of a company that truly cares. Amy’s Kitchen has definitely become one of my go-to brands I trust.
If you need a quick meal on-the-go…go to your grocery store, and pick up a healthy serving of vegetables in soup form. Find Amy’s Kitchen Organic soups…find the Chunky Vegetable…and see what I’m raving about for yourself.
Trust me…she has plenty of gluten-free soup options available. I have a couple more in my pantry that I’m dying to try.
Like I said…I’ve been cooking with pumpkin a lot recently. I love how versatile it can be in cooking. Sort of like substituting your baking fat with Greek yogurt or applesauce. The same sort of holds true for pumpkin. It’s a healthy way to liven your food. And it’s especially delicious in breakfast foods. As I did a similar take with scones, these pancakes were a synch to make. The only difference is that I used some spices to really enhance the pumpkin flavor.
3/4 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg light brown sugar
dash of ground ginger
dash of ground cloves
Directions:
Combine the ingredients in a large bowl.
Blend all ingredients by whisking vigorously in a bowl until thoroughly mixed.
Let batter stand and preheat a nonstick griddle to medium-high temperature. Lightly oil or spray griddle with cooking or baking spray.
Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle and cook until the top is bubbly. Turn and cook until golden brown. Adjust the temperature as needed.
Top how you wish…margarine, a sprinkle of cinnamon/sugar, or my favorite go-to for pancakes…gluten-free maple syrup.
Enjoy!
~*~*~
The combination of pumpkin and chocolate is killer. These pancakes cooked up light and fluffy and remained moist thanks to the addition of the pumpkin. I don’t even miss the eggs and oil that usually go into these. These were filling without being heavy and that’s what I consider to be a perfect pancake.
Go ahead…give it a try. Maybe add some candied pecans or whatever combination you like with your pumpkin. Have fun with it, but more importantly…make it delicious.
I love pumpkin. Why? Because it is so versatile. It’s flavor is so subtle that, if done correctly, you can add it to anything and not even be able to tell that it’s a component in the list of ingredients. In addition, it makes a fantastic substitute for eggs, oil, and butter. And in the case of these scones, that’s what I did. I removed the egg and the 4 tablespoons of butter that I normally incorporate into the mix and, instead, used pumpkin. The whole intention for this one was to have a pumpkin flavor scone.
Right in line with that…I contemplated what might pair well with pumpkin. I finally decided on some semi-sweet mini chocolate chips. Perfect. And the scones themselves? Moist, chewy, and delicious.
Recipe: Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Scones
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Scones
Servings: 12
Time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix
1/3 cup sugar (I used Truvia)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp pure pumpkin (I used Libby’s)
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (I used Hershey’s)
2/3 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Add the pumpkin and almond milk. Mix together with a fork. Dough will be thick.
Drop large, tall dollops of dough (scones will spread when baking) onto lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake for 15-17 minutes.
~*~*~
One of the best things I discovered about baking with pumpkin is just how many calories it saves you in the end. By replacing the egg and the butter with pumpkin in this recipe, I cute a total of 425 calories out of the entire batch as a whole. That’s amazing!
I think the next time I make these, if going for more of a pumpkin flavor, I’ll add 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, a dash of ginger and a dash of cloves to really bring out some flavor. But, on their own…as they stand…really, really delicious!!
Product: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie Mix – $2.50+
I blame Big Lots.
No, really, I do. But in a good way. Because Big Lots carries a variety of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free baking mixes at a fraction of the cost of grocery stores and natural food stores. And on one particular outing while in Columbus, Ohio with my friend, Jenn…we stopped into Big Lots and I couldn’t resist buying at least one (if not more) of everything they had that was in Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free line of products. Included in this buying spree was a package of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie mix.
It sat in my pantry for awhile. I don’t know why. It wasn’t like the ingredient list was daunting or that they were really going to be difficult to make. Not at all. In fact, all you really need to make these is a mixer, water, an egg yolk, butter, and the mix itself. Nothing could be simpler.
Well, on a mission to go through the stuff in my pantry, I decided that these would be ideal for dessert this week for my roommate and I. After all, I already had all of the ingredients on hand. Might as well give it a whirl.
And that’s what I did last night after a long day of being out and about. I settled into the kitchen, got my roommate to help me separate the egg before kicking her out of the kitchen, and pulled out my KitchenAid mixer and got to work creaming 1-1/2 sticks of margarine (I used Smart Balance). After that, the egg yolk was added, followed by 2 tablespoons of water. Once that was mixed in, I started to add the cookie mixture per the directions on the package…first 1/2 cup, then half of the mixture, than the last bit, allowing it to mix until the consistency was…crumbly.
Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie Mix in it's crumbly, just-mixed state
I think I got that.
From there, I took the crumbly mix and mashed it into a ball, kneading it until smooth. This then got cut in half. Half remained on a piece of parchment paper, while the other was wrapped up in some plastic wrap and set aside. The part that was out was then covered with plastic wrap, and with a rolling pin, rolled out to about 1/4-inch thick. Off came the wrap and out came my cookie cutters. I cut little flowery-star like shapes into the dough, then gathered the scraps, re-rolled it out, and repeated. I did this for both halves of the dough, baking each sheet as I went along. The cookies took about 12-15 minutes to begin lightly browning on the edges. I pulled them out and let them cool on a wire rack while other batches went in. The bag says that it makes 36 cookies, but I managed to get 54 out of it. No complaints there.
Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies
After the cookies completely cooled, I melted down some gluten-free dark chocolate squares and topped off each cookie with a drizzle of dark chocolate. Shortbread cookies and chocolate go hand-in-hand. And this made for a very pretty, very nice pairing.
The shortbread cookies baked to perfection. This is exactly how shortbread should be…light, buttery, flaky…delicious. Bob’s Red Mill got this gluten-free mix down to the last detail. If you are a fan of shortbread (and I am!), then this mix will definitely do it for you. I absolutely loved the mix of buttery flavor with the crumbly texture of the shortbread. And it was so easy to make…which made the delicious reward even better.
Now I need to go buy another bag of the mix…because it’s safe to say…I’m addicted to these gluten-free shortbread cookies.
My applause to you Bob’s Red Mill…for continuing your delicious gluten-free tradition.
Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies drizzled with dark chocolate
Product: Katz Honey Muffin – $5.99; Sample Pack – cost of shipping (varies per state)
Following up with my first free sample review, I bring to you the second product that I indulged in yesterday morning for breakfast. Katz’s Gluten-Free Honey Muffin. Nothing says breakfast to me more than muffins. You gotta love muffins. I know I do…especially the top part where all the flavor bakes up into that perfect bulb of flavor. It’s where it forms that little layer of crust that is just…delightful to bite into. Yeah…muffins sort of rule. But you have to watch it with muffins. Especially the prepackaged sort as you might be biting into more calories than you care to even know about. A lot of times, those little muffins you buy at the store are meant for 2-3 servings. YIKES! Those calories sure add up.
But…never fear because while I found Katz to be a little higher in calories than I prefer, I also knew that it was for the entire muffin. Of which…I only had half. So, that 200 calories wasn’t too hard to swallow.
So, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of the product, yes? This was actually my first time ever having a Honey Muffin. Ever. Not even before having to go gluten-free. So, this was an experience all around. These packages from Katz mostly have to be frozen upon delivery, and much like the cupcake, I hadn’t anticipated breaking into this so I didn’t give it a thaw on the counter, leaving that job to a brief nuking in the microwave. It works in a pinch.
Katz Gluten-Free Honey Muffin
My roommate actually dug into hers first, and as I was warming mine in the microwave I heard her say something about it being…interesting. Now, I’ve watched enough Top Chef to know that interesting can go either way. It’s either good…or bad. I inquired as to which way she meant it and she assured me that it was good…it was just like nothing she had ever tasted before.
I sat down with my own plate of gluten-free breakfast goodness and decided to see for myself.
She was right. It was interesting…but in a good way. These were definitely of a more dense variety than the chocolate cupcake was. It came with a bit of a streusel topping baked on top. The flavor was subtle, but sweet. What really made it was that streusel topping. It was delicious and really kicked up that sweetness you’d expect from something flavored with honey. That being said, I’m also not a huge fan of honey, so having it subtly infused into the muffin was the best way to go to win me over. I absolutely loved every bite of this little treat. And with not having eaten anything similar prior to this, well, I can’t actually tell you how it stacks up, but it is a very filling, very delicious muffin to say the least. It’s not too sweet, but it definitely carries that little tang of honey in each bite.
Katz has just continued to prove to me time and time again the quality of their products. This is why, since I absolutely have to, I don’t mind logging onto the Web site and placing an order. It’s worth it. And the items ship very quickly and arrive 2 days later. I love that kind of turnaround. These muffins usually come in a pack of 6, so the cost is not so bad. A dollar a muffin normally. Hard to argue with that.
If you love muffins, I’d definitely recommend this. But, do as I did…and save the muffin top for last. Honestly…it is the best part.
Product: Katz Chocolate Cupcakes – $5.49; Sampler Pack – cost of shipping (varies per state)
There is this amazing and awesome feature on the Katz Gluten-Free Web site that allows you, for simply the cost of shipping, to receive a sample pack of some of their amazing products. How awesome is that? Well, that being said, my gluten-free life would have been incomplete without it.
I admit, this was actually the first thing I ever got from Katz. But after they introduced the donuts, those took precedence over my sampler. I mean…they are gluten-free donuts of awesome goodness™ and therefore were broken into first. And then more donuts arrived. And then there were the pizza shells (and I had been craving pizza). Oh, and the sprinkle cookies…
So, yes, it’s safe to say that I discovered my love of Katz Gluten-Free without even breaking into the sample pack. And with that being said, yesterday when I finally decided it was time to test some of these products, I was fairly confident I would be impressed with what I found.
I chose two of the items in the sampler to split with my roommate for breakfast. My roommate chose the Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcake and I chose the Gluten-Free Honey Muffin.
Katz Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcake
As I pulled these straight from the freezer, not really having planned ahead on this form of breakfast, I didn’t really give them a proper thaw on the counter overnight, as I do most products from Katz. So, I gave them each a nice heat in the microwave. And it didn’t detract from the texture of flavor that I could see.
Since it was the first thing I bit into, my first sampler pack review goes to the Chocolate Cupcake.
Despite not being able to be given a proper thaw, this cupcake was still fantastic. It looks just like a chocolate muffin. And here’s why – by the grace of the Gluten-Free gods, Katz left them unfrosted. This makes me a happy cupcake devouring girl because I don’t like frosting. I’m actually not even that big of a fan of cake, but do eat it in very small portions. It’s not a weight watching thing…it’s just I’m more of a cookie/brownie girl. Always have been. But, one thing has never changed since growing up and that is that I do not like frosting. I’ve always scraped it off…or given it to my sister or a friend. I’m an odd one, as most people prefer the frosting to the cake itself. So having an unfrosted chocolate cupcake is awesome. You can almost tell yourself it is a muffin.
I loved the taste of these. Rich with chocolate flavor without being too heavy. Especially in the morning, some chocolate products can just be too much and too heavy. I loved that this was had a good flavor balance. I found my sampler to be a little dry, but I think a lot of that can be attributed to going straight from the freezer to the microwave, instead of thawing on the counter overnight. So, I won’t hold that against Katz. If given a proper thawing, I could tell how these would be moist enough that if you pressed on them, they would rise back up and reform. Yeah…this was chocolate goodness.
This is the second gluten-free cupcake I have ventured to eat since going gluten-free a year ago. I liked this one better because it didn’t seem as heavy or as dense as the (frosted) vanilla cupcakes I got from Fresh Market Bakery back in October. Those had also been frozen before I consumed them and I also commented on how they were dry. So…there you go. Normally, Katz chocolate cupcakes come six to a pack, when ordered simply as the product.
When it comes down to it, Katz is on a winning streak with me. This non-cake-loving gluten-free girl was impressed with the chocolate cupcake. I really think Katz can take pride in the products they put out there because, honestly, they put a lot of care into their products and really strive to put out the best.
Hands down…they are achieving it. If you have a reason to celebrate, or just are craving one hell of a gluten-free chocolate cupcake, I highly recommend that you order from Katz. They won’t let you down and you will get simply the best. And if you are a frosting fanatic…now you can just top it off the way you want. No harm, no foul. Just good.
A milestone was set during the race I ran yesterday. Yes. At Mile Marker 8, as I turned into a very strong wind and was nearing the final two miles of the Papa John’s 10 Miler in Louisville, Kentucky…
250 MILES!!
It’s just now heading into April, and here I am at the halfway mark to my goal of running 500 miles this year. Let me tell you, I’m happy with where I stand on that…and extremely proud of the hard work, and runs, that have gotten me here. Whether these miles were clocked on the dreadmill, the road, or a race, they have led me to a fantastic halfway mark.
Here’s what I have gotten out of this so far…several races, new PRs, and that fantastic feeling I get when I lace up my shoes and just head on out to hit the road. Nothing in life makes me happier than the feeling I get when I’m running. I am not the fastest person out there. I don’t aim to be fast. I just aim to meet my goals. And every time I head out, I set one. It doesn’t matter how short or how long the run, how hard or how easy, whether I do hill repeats or just take to the flat lands, I find joy in every run.
After such a fantastic race yesterday, hitting that 250 mile mark is just the icing on my gluten-free cake! I am really doing this. I am really making some great progress and headway. And I’m loving every footfall, every breath, and, yes, even every hill. Because what this all is doing is just…making me better. I can see it when I finish strong. I can see it when I set a new PR. And even when I don’t, I can feel it in my stride, my breathing, everything about how I run.
So, here I sit…halfway there…and I couldn’t be prouder.
For all of you who set your own goals this year…I hope you find your hard work paying off as well.
The Celiathlete 