Gluten Free Snacks for Last Days of Summer & Back to School

The last days of summer are here... instead of mourning them my family chooses to celebrate them with nostalgic gluten free S'mores around our backyard fire pit.  We use Kinnikinnick's tasty gluten free Graham Style Crackers as the perfect delivery system for ooey-gooey toasted marshmallows and melty chocolate bars.  Our goal is to have as many S'more sessions as possible before Autumn arrives!

Speaking of Autumn... it is hard to believe it is almost time to start packing school lunches again, isn't it?  The challenge in my house is providing a variation of gluten free snacks that are both healthy and appealing to my kids.  I hit the "snack jackpot" with gluten free Beanfields Chips!  Made from beans instead of corn Beanfields tasty chips come in four flavors and pack a high-fiber, GMO-free punch!  Our favorite flavor is Pico De Gallo... YUM

Pretzels used to be a favorite lunchbox snack prior to my household going gluten free, but we choose not to purchase the astronomically high priced gluten free pretzels available in the specialty stores.  When Snyder's of Hanover came out with affordable and delicious gluten free pretzel sticks we were thrilled; pretzels were back in my family's lunch box!  Snyder's of Hanover's offers pretzel sticks that are certified gluten free and taste exactly like "regular" pretzels!  Look for Snyder's of Hanover gluten free pretzel sticks in family sized bags and handy 100 calorie snack size packages.

What are your favorite end of summer and back to school snacks?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was not compensated for this review. I received the item/items featured in this post for review purposes courtesy of the product company and/or its PR or publishing company. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions I have expressed are solely my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Cookbook Review: Gluten Free in Five Minutes

Here's a novel idea... being able to whip up a single slice of bread, a single English muffin or a single pancake - all gluten free and made in the microwave!  If you are scratching your head in confusion at this point I don't blame you; I did the same thing when I heard that a new cookbook entitled Gluten Free in Five Minutes offered these mind boggling possibilities (and more)!

Gluten Free in Five Minutes author Roben Ryberg believes that no one should be deprived of homemade gluten free baked goods even if they are busy or simply don't like to bake; her solution was to conjure up super simple recipes - each using only a single gluten free flour - that could be prepared and cooked in the microwave in under 5 minutes.  I like to think of Roben's recipes as "gluten free on demand."

It is no secret that the microwave and baking are not always a great combination, so my kids and I were very interested to test these recipes for ourselves.  We tried the English muffins, flat bread, pancake, blueberry muffin, hollandaise sauce and chocolate cake recipes.  Although it is impossible for baked goods to brown in the microwave all were tasty and moist!

The English muffins didn't taste like traditional English Muffins, but they had good flavor and performed beautifully as a base for our Eggs Benedict breakfast - we also used Roben's amazing recipe for speedy microwave hollandaise sauce and we were blown away at how delicious it was!

For the flat bread I thought it could use some color and texture that the microwave could not provide - the simple solution was to quickly brown it in a bit of olive oil in a hot cast iron skillet.  I topped my flat bread with Greek salad and folded it over to create a sandwich; it was absolutely delectable!

I am really happy to own Roben Ryberg's new Gluten Free in Five Minutes cookbook!  My kids and I are having a blast discovering all of the quick and fun recipes inside and plan to use it for years to come... this unique cookbook is a keeper!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I was not compensated for this review. I received the item/items featured in this post for review purposes courtesy of the product company and/or its PR or publishing company. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions I have expressed are solely my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

GIVEAWAY WINNER: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking Mix Prize Pack

And the winner is:

kelly (comment #3)

Congratulations! You were e-mailed on 6/16/11; please reply to my e-mail (not this post) within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

Special thanks to General Mills for sponsoring this giveaway through MyBlogSpark!

Betty Crocker Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest AND a Giveaway!

Exciting news for all of you gluten free baking enthusiasts! Now through June 30th, visit www.glutenfreely.com/bakerschallenge for the chance to win a Grand Prize of $5,000 in the Betty Crocker Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest. Believe it or not, the grand prize winner will also have the chance to be featured on a Betty Crocker® Gluten Free dessert mix or Bisquick®Gluten Free baking mix package and/or be featured in a Betty Crocker publication!

HOW?

Simply submit an original recipe for your favorite gluten free holiday-themed appetizer, bread or dessert using any Betty Crocker Gluten Free dessert mix or Bisquick Gluten Free baking mix.

All recipe submissions will be judged on taste, creativity, ease of preparation, consumer appeal and appearance. It gets even better... if you’re selected as one of the 10 finalists, you will receive a fabulous Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking gift basket filled with baking items and Betty Crocker Gluten Free mixes. It doesn't stop there... the finalists’ recipes will be featured on www.glutenfreely.com/bakerschallenge and voted on by the Gluten Freely community to determine who the Grand Prize Winner will be!

For wonderful recipe tips, ideas, and helpful suggestions, visit www.glutenfreely.com to help get you started and also learn more about the exciting Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest!

SAVE $ on Betty Crocker Gluten Free Mixes...

Through the end of June, you can save 20% on the purchase of any of the five Betty Crocker Gluten Free mixes. Visit http://www.glutenfreely.com/ourstore to buy your favorites today!

WIN IT:

Betty Crocker is giving (1) Gluten Free Taste of Home FOLLOWER a Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking Mix Prize Pack including all (4) of the gluten free dessert mixes, and a box of Gluten Free Bisquick (see photo above)!

TO ENTER GIVEAWAY (this is a mandatory entry):

Become a Gluten Free Taste of Home follower (must follow PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect in the side bar of this website) AND visit www.glutenfreely.com/bakerschallenge; LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me that you are now following Gluten Free Taste of Home PUBLICLY via Google Friend Connect, AND also tell me what aspect of the Betty Crocker Baker’s Challenge Gluten Free Recipe Contest you find the most exciting. (1 entry)

BONUS ENTRIES: (each entry comment must be entered separately to be a valid entry):

1) "Like" Gluten Free Taste of Home on Facebook and "share" your like with your Facebook friends. (1 entry)

2) Check out GlutenFreely.com and tell me what you liked most about the website. (1 entry)

 3) Follow Betty Crocker on Twitter and tweet the giveaway; LEAVE ME A COMMENT with the link. (1 entry)

4) Blog about this giveaway linking it back to this post AND to www.glutenfreely.com/bakerschallenge Please LEAVE ME A COMMENT with THE LINK TO YOUR POST or it will not count. (5 entries)

 5) Follow me on Twitter and tweet the giveaway; please include the Twitter hash tag #myblogspark in your tweet. LEAVE ME A COMMENT with the link. MAXIMUM 1 tweet/RT per hour please! (1 entry PER tweet/RT)

6) Grab my Gluten Free Taste of Home button and display it on your website/blog (copy the html code in the side bar of my Gluten Free Taste of Home website and paste the code into your website), and LEAVE ME A COMMENT telling me you did it. (1 entry)
*GIVEAWAY OPEN TO US ONLY*

Giveaway ends on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. PST (late entries will not be posted). Winner will be selected by random.org. Winner will be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected; PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR E-MAIL REPLIES THAT ARE SENT TO ME AND NOT RECEIVED IN MY INBOX FOR ANY REASON. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A PROMPT REPLY BACK FROM ME ASSUME I DID NOT RECEIVE YOUR E-MAIL. RE-SEND YOUR REPLY UNTIL YOU RECEIVE A RESPONSE FROM ME WITHIN 48 HOURS (FROM THE TIME I SENT YOUR WINNER'S NOTIFICATION E-MAIL) OR A NEW WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN. LEAVING AN ENTRY COMMENT ON THIS POST WILL SERVE AS ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS.

*REMEMBER... please leave your e-mail address with EACH entry so I can contact you if you win.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was not compensated for this review. Betty Crocker provided me with the product, and information through MyBlogSpark. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Product Review: Udi's Gluten Free Buns and Ancient Grain Breads

Udi's Gluten Free is launching their NEW line of Hamburger Buns, Hot Dog Buns and two varieties of Ancient Grains Breads this month... just in time for your summer BBQs!  I have been waiting for what seems like a very long time for Udi's Gluten Free to make buns; I figured that since their bread is soft, delicious and doesn't need toasting that their buns would be superior to others on the market.  I was right.


My family sampled Udi's new gluten free buns and Udi's new gluten free Ancient Grain Breads and they were a hit!  My daughter enthusiastically announced "I love Udi's Hamburger Buns" at the dinner table after she tried them; I especially liked them toasted on the grill.  I was impressed by how soft Udi's Gluten Free Hot Dog Buns were, although I was lucky to get a taste because my teenage son (who is a hot dog fanatic) ate almost all of them in a matter of days. :)  


Udi's Ancient Grain Breads are moist, full of earthy flavor and although these breads do not need to be toasted to be enjoyed I happen to think they are exceptionally tasty when toasted; it seems to enhance the flavor of the grains.  Udi's Gluten Free Millet-Chia Bread and Omega-Salba Bread offer healthy elements such as protein, fiber, vitamins and anti-oxidants. Try them for yourselves... there is no other gluten free bread on the market like them!  

Udi's is having a big Facebook promotion... If you “like” Udi’s you will get a $1 off coupon and if you tell three friends about Udi’s you'll be entered to win a weekly prize and a $500 gift card!  Woo hoo!

BUY IT:

Click here to find the store nearest you carrying Udi's Gluten Free Foods.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was not compensated for this review.  I received the item/items featured in this post for review purposes courtesy of the product company and/or its PR company. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions I have expressed are solely my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Encourage the Girl Scouts to Offer Gluten Free Cookies - Sign the Petition Today!

I found this link to sign a petition to encourage the Girl Scouts of America to sell a gluten and allergen free Girl Scout Cookie.  I am a former Girl Scout leader and an advocate for my daughter who has Celiac disease; I find it heartbreaking to see her missing out on the simple pleasures of life such as enjoying Girl Scout Cookies with her friends, so I was happy to sign the petition.

Please follow this link to sign the petition... 100,000 votes are needed by the end of May and there are currently less than 500 signatures.

Please post this link to the petition on your gluten free blogs, Facebook and Twitter pages to help spread the word.  Together we can make a difference!

Giveaway Winner: Gluten Free on a Shoestring Cookbook

And the winner is:

edmontonjb (comment #14)

Congratulations! You were e-mailed on 4/19/11; please reply to my e-mail within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

Special thanks to DaCapo Press/Lifelong Books for sponsoring this giveaway!