Crispin Certified Gluten Free Hard Cider

Crispin Natural Hard Cider

As the label states, Crispin Hard Cider are certified gluten free. This particular one is their Artisanal Reserve Honey Crisp. Contrary to what it's name might lead you to believe, it's not made from Honeycrisp apples, but rather a variety of apples. The name is a play on the company name and the fact that it has honey instead of sugar in it. The cider is made from freshly pressed apple juice and is cloudy  because it retains some of the natural apple wine sediment. The manufacturer recommends a "full bottoms up tilt and swirl" to mix that sediment into the cider for full flavor. It is definitely better served cold or over ice. It has a tart apple flavor with a hint of sweetness. I would definitely place it's flavor in the beer range as opposed to wine. I thought it was refreshing, but I was expecting it to be sweeter. I would be interested in trying the other Crispin varieties to see how they stack up.

O'Dough's Bagel Thins

I honestly can't remember the last time I had bagels. They used to be a favorite of mine, but since my food allergy/sensitivity diagnosis a few years ago all things wheat, egg, and dairy are out. I still had to forgo the cream cheese, but these bagel thins were great! They're tasty and soft, but have just enough chewiness to separate themselves as bagels not rolls. They toast up great and keep well in the freezer. I will definitely buy these again! The best part? They're on the low end of the price range for similar products and they're only 100 calories apiece! 

Get more information from O'Doughs.

Pillsbury GF Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

I'll admit I was excited when I saw these little tubs in my grocery. While I shied away from buying them at first, a PMS-prompted shopping trip was all it took to get this container in my cart. They cost $3-$4 for a tub just shy of 1 lb. I wouldn't buy them if I had a need to make a lot of cookies (for a gathering) they certainly did come in handy to squash my cravings. 

I was able to bake up (in my toaster oven I might add) 3 batches of 4-6 cookies each. They baked up better when I used the recommended tablespoon or less and pressed them flat. So how did they come out? They looked good and baked up soft and chewy, but I had a hard time finding a balance between under-cooked and hockey puck. This may have been due to operator error. While they have good flavor, there is a slight gritty texture. The bad news... they do contain soy and "less than 2%" of egg.

Gluten Free Gigi has a great post about this product and lays it all out in a way that's very easy to understand. As she says in the post... without labeling laws, we don't know what's in our food. These are gluten free, but they do have highly refined ingredients and GMOs. 

Nutritional information, ingredients, and allergy information is available on the Pillsbury site.

Gluten Free Lentil Snaps

These little snacks are pretty tasty! I was skeptical at first because I thought they would just be baked lentil pods, which didn't entice me at all. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they're actually light, crisp, and airy. They're obviously made from an extruded lentil dough... like a cheese puff. I also tried their lightly salted Snapea Crisps, but I wasn't as impressed with those. They didn't have as much flavor. The Lentil Snaps have 120 calories per container (3 servings per container), 6 grams of fat, 85 mg of sodium, 5 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fiber. They do warn that they are made in a facility that also processes wheat, milk, soy, shrimp, and fish.

Dole Frozen Banana Dippers

All I can say is, "I love these things!" They come with or without almonds. I prefer the almond. They're like little bon bons without the dairy! I put them in my lunch and pop them in the freezer when I get to work. When it's time to eat, I take them out and by the time I get finished with my lunch they're the perfect consistency. Fresh out of the freezer, they can be a little firm, so you might want to let them hang for a bit before eating them. They are tasty, refreshing, and cheap! They cost about $3 for a box with 6 packs, and each pack has 4 banana slices. You can find them in the frozen fruit section of your grocery.

Go Picnic Hummus & Crackers

www.Gopicnic.com

I have heard about (in fact I've even blogged about), but never actually seen Go Picnic products near me... let alone try them... until recently. I have to admit I was giddy to find these in the Houston airport. Knowing I was going to be traveling for a while, I grabbed one to keep in my bag.

Here's what I like about these snack boxes, they're compact, nutritious, and they list all the possible allergens clearly on the side of the box. I tried the Hummus & Crackers. It comes with individual packets of gluten free Multi-Seed Crackers, Wild Garden Hummus, Power Play (roasted edamame, pumpkin seeds, and watermelon seeds), Baja Blend fruit & nut mix (habanera almonds, sweet & salty peanuts, and mango cranberries), and a piece of dark chocolate with sea salt. 

                          






The crackers are tasty and the hummus was delicious. I shared with my brother and sister during my trip and they were both impressed with the hummus. I had never had watermelon seeds and am not a fan of edamame, so I was skeptical of the Power Play mix. Soy beans just have the tendency to leave a gritty texture in my mouth, but these were toasted nicely and I found them at least tolerable. I was pleasantly surprised by the watermelon seeds. They were like delightful little puffs of toasted goodness. Overall, I preferred the Baja Blend to the Power Play. The habanero almonds were spicy but not overpowering, and the peanuts and cranberries balanced out the heat with some sweet. Now, I'm a huge fan of chocolate and of course I loved the dark chocolate with sea salt. It is a very rich chocolate so I wasn't disappointed that there was only one piece. It was just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.

I appreciated GoPicnic's easy to stow packaging, and their products are high quality & worth the $5-$6 price tag. I would have easily spent more buying little bags of comparable components. I will definitely be seeking these out again!

Udi's Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Visit Udi's to purchase this product.

I've been a fan of Udi's products for a while now, but this weekend I picked up their pizza crust for the first time. I'm always a little hesitant when trying new gluten free products. There's such a wide variety of textures... not good for someone with food texture issues to begin with. As with most gluten free products, the serving size was a bit small (think personal pizza size), but it has a smooth texture and tastes good. I've tried Domingo's GF crust & it has a sweetnesss to it that makes it taste a little weird. Udi's doesn't have that issue. It's a thin crust & bakes up crispy. All in all I was pleased with this product & would definitely buy it again!

Go Picnic - Gluten Free Snack Packs

GoPicnic

I'm really excited about these little gems. I have not yet tried them, but they look promising. GoPicnic have a few different combinations (they also offer non-gluten free products, or "fully leaded" as I like to call them). When eating gluten/allergy free takes so much planning it's nice to know there are products out there for those "grab-and-go" moments. The price ranges between $3 and $5, which isn't much different than the cost for Lunchables. From what I've found on their website, they are mostly carried in Target stores. I'm hoping to find some soon so I can give my opinion on their taste! Please comment if you have tried these!

Immaculate Baking Co. Gluten Free Cookies

All I have to say is, oh my word these are good cookies! This is the first time I have had gluten free cookies that actually made me forget they were gluten free! I'm in love! They are break and bake cookies so there aren't any mixes to mess with. At around $4 a package they're a bit more than the fully leaded type, but worth it!

http://www.immaculatebaking.com/product/gluten-free-chocolate-chunk-cookie-dough/

Fruit Pouches

I am in love with these little guys! My husband and I found Buddy Fruits this summer while preparing snacks for vacation. I wanted to have healthy options available that were hassle free. Since then we've tried a few different brands, and I have to say, they're all really good! The most surprising flavor favorite was Mashups' Orange, Carrot, Mango. The beautiful thing about all of these products is they're not only easy & hassle free, but more importantly, they're made with a conscience! They are all 100% real fruit... no added sugars, colors, flavors, or fillers. Each of these companies believe in providing healthy alternatives without the added "yuck" that some other products use. They're obviously marketed towards kids, but my husband and I keep them on hand to throw in our lunch. They travel well and do not require any utensils. Oh yeah... and they're allergy free (provided you do not have a specific fruit allergy). These little gems are a keeper!

Buddy Fruit

GoGo Squeez

Mashups

Mi-Del Gluten Free Cookies

 On a recent trip back home, my aunt bought me a bag of Mi-Del chocolate chip cookies (among other things). Since everyone else was indulging in comfort foods it was nice to know I had some goodies of my own to indulge in. I have to say, I was impressed. Now, they are a bit on the small side (see below), but they taste just like Chip's Ahoy. Let me tell you, I ate the heck out of these bite-size bad boys! I'm happy to say they even carry them at my local grocery store. They're in the $3-$4 range, which isn't too bad for a bag of cookies... especially gluten free ones!

Schar Gluten Free White Bread

I've passed over Schar's White Bread in the past because it felt like pound cake. On a recent trip home, my aunt had a loaf waiting for me. I couldn't hurt her feelings, so I gave it a try. Like most gluten free breads, it was a small loaf for quite a bit of money (around $5-$6 a loaf). The instructions say to keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 2 days. I'm fine with the storage needs, but I don't know anyone who can eat a loaf of bread in 2 days! I will say that I did not make that deadline, but it was still fine by the end of the week. Straight out of the fridge it's a bit firm, but it makes great toast and it will soften up nicely if you microwave it for a few seconds. It tastes good and isn't gritty, which is a plus. I honestly was just happy to be able to eat toast for breakfast!

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust

I love pizza. I mean, who doesn't? So you can imagine how my mouth was watering when Korry (my husband) came home with leftover pizza from his lunch. Ugh! It looked delicious, smelled amazing, and had my taste buds working overtime just dreaming of eating a slice. I hadn't had "real" pizza in... well forever. So, I gave in and ate a slice. Yeah... I'm still paying for that mistake. Believe me, it tasted AMAZING, but it just wasn't worth the days of bloating and cramping and just feeling yucky.

Thankfully, due to the generosity of Bob's Red Mill, I was given the opportunity to have pizza again, but this time without the stomach upset! I have tried a few pizza crust mixes over the last year and some worked well, while others... not so much. The biggest issue I've had is with the crust sticking when it's baked. The worst of which was my first attempt when I tried to bake the pizza on my pizza stone. Bad move! I had to soak my stone for 2 days to get it off!

Bob's Red Mill's Whole Grain Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix is pretty good! It's the first crust mix I've used that actually started with yeast (take not if you're sensitive to yeast, this is not the product for you). The dough is not difficult to make, although it is a bit tricky to handle. I strongly recommend following their directions. That's what they're there for, right? The most important things to remember are to handle it with wet hands and grease your pans thoroughly! The dough is very sticky (which seems to be a common thread with GF doughs) and will stick to your hands and pan if you don't take these precautions. Also, this is not a dough to be rolled or stretched like a traditional pizza dough. It's just a different creature altogether. You have to press it onto your pan, so if you have a pizza pan with aeration holes you might want to consider using alternate bake-ware. The directions recommend baking the crust for a bit first and then adding your toppings. After handling the dough, I can see why. It would probably end up a bit of a mess if you try to cook the entire pizza at once.

So how does it taste? Very good actually! Korry ate it with me, and he even commented on how good it was. In fact he said it was the best bread product we've tried yet. The crust was crispy on the bottom and edges but soft in the middle. I was able to get 4 small (pie pan size) crusts out of one package. There was no funky aftertaste or weird sandy texture. Bob's Red Mill's GF pizza crust is just a great product. I will definitely use it again!

Sanissimo Corn Crackers

My husband found these Sanissimo Salmas crackers at the grocery store and I was intrigued. These are thin, crispy corn crackers that actually are quite good. If you're expecting a saltine or butter cracker you'll be a bit disappointed. These crackers do not pretend to be anything other than what they are... corn. They have the flavor of a tortilla chip, but the texture of a water cracker. They have a hint of salt, and go well with savory items like tuna salad, chicken salad, pico, cheese, guacamole, hummus, etc... I like that they come wrapped in individual packets. You can grab a pack and stick it in your lunch or bag and off you go! There are 3 crackers to a packet and 8 packets in a box. They were a little pricier than normal crackers. I believe I paid around $4 for these, but I've enjoyed them and plan on taking some with me on my up-coming vacation! The Sanissimo website has information about their products, but good luck unless you can read Spanish. Google Chrome gave me the option to translate it, but a lot of the information did not translate because it was in the form of images, not text.

Gluten Free Noodle Debate

There are a few different gluten free pastas out there. I have tried King Soba, Sam Mills, Thai Kitchen, and Tinkyada brands. Some were better than others and price point definitely plays a part in my decision, but here's what I think about these gluten free options.

King Soba is my favorite spaghetti type pasta. I've tried the brown rice, brown rice & wakame, black rice, buckwheat, and sweet potato buckwheat varieties. Admittedly, the color of some of these can be a little off-putting, but it was fun freaking out my husband with black noodles in our spaghetti! I honestly didn't notice a huge difference in the flavors. Perhaps that was because I had them with various sauces that masked their individual flavors. I can get these noodles for around $1.99 a package at my grocery store (HEB), which is a pretty good deal. These noodles cook up quickly and can be easily overcooked... which turns them to mush, so take care when cooking them.

Sam Mills produces a great corn pasta that is gluten free, egg free, dairy free, cholesterol free, and has a low glycemic index. This line of pasta is my newest find. It has a great texture, especially if you're looking for a good hardy pasta for some comfort food. They offer a variety of pasta shapes and at $1.99 a bag, this brand is a good buy. See my review, "This Pasta is so Corny" for more information.

Thai Kitchen makes two different pastas, stir-fry rice noodles and thin rice noodles. I bought these in a pinch because I was at a store other than my regular grocery, and the only gluten free offerings they had were a box of... well I honestly couldn't tell you the name because I didn't look any further than the $6.00 price tag before moving on and Thai Kitchen Thin Rice Noodles. They're gluten free, dairy free, and vegan.  These noodles cook up quickly and have a nice smooth, firm texture. The only thing I didn't care for was their size. They're about the thickness of angel hair pasta... not my favorite. Angel hair has always been a bit too stringy for me. Their stir-fry noodles are a bit wider (like a lo mein noodle), which I might have liked better. All in all they're a decent, although I'm sure they're better suited for their intended Asian cuisine. I got mine for about $3.00 a box, which is a little pricey for pasta, but they served their purpose, and I was able to enjoy a nice spaghetti dinner with family and friends.

Tinkyada was the very first rice pasta I ever tried and I have to say it is a great product. The packaging states that it is not mushy, and I have to agree... as long as you cook it properly. Like all rice pastas, it cooks quickly, so don't leave it alone for too long. I have had their brown rice spaghetti, but they offer a wide variety of pasta shapes. They even have brown rice vegetable spirals and a brown rice spinach spaghetti if you like colorful pasta. The only drawback I found to this pasta was it's price. At my grocery it cost around $4.00 a package. If you can find it cheaper, buy it.

Taco Bell's Fresco Tacos

Taco Bell crunchy Fresco taco

I started typing this review with the intention of praising Taco Bell's crunchy Fresco tacos. They're free from cheese and sour cream, which is a plus since I can't have dairy, and they're on corn tortillas. Seems like its a win-win for me! No wheat, no dairy... score, right? Well after looking at their Allergies & Sensitivities page, it clearly says that they have wheat and soy in them. 

Loafing Around

I am in LOVE with this bread! I first had Udi's at Willy Burger. I was so excited to have a burger on a gluten free bun, but worried that it would be dry and/or tough like most of the other GF breads I've tried. This was actually good. The bread was soft and yummy! SCORE! A local store had a few products... and a coupon! Woo hoo! As you can see, I couldn't even wait to take a picture before having some. Actually, I've had most of this loaf (sheepish grin). Korry laughs at me because I get so excited when I realize I can have toast or garlic bread, or a sandwich. I am one happy girl, and Udi's gets 5 Happy Bellies! I can't wait to try more, and thanks to their website I now have a coupon for my next purchase!!

This Pasta is so Corny!

Who'da thunk?! I've never seen corn pasta before, but I figured I'd give it a whirl. It has a low glycemic index, is egg free, dairy free, cholesterol free, and GMO free! I'm all for allergy free AND no genetic modification! All that and $1.99 a bag? I was sold! They cook up nicely (I even cut corners and cooked them in the microwave), and I have to admit I was surprised by how good they were. They have a good firm texture. Don't you hate it when pasta is mushy!? I do! Anyway, I thought corn = gritty... but they were very smooth. Pasta d'oro by Sam Mills gets 4 1/2 Happy Bellies. Warning, they're kinda funky if you eat them cold. I bought these at HEB, but you can get them from celiac.com too.

Domino's Gluten Free Crust

I was so excited to find out that Domino's offers a gluten free crust! I'm not sure how long they've had it since it's been years since I ordered from them, but it's new to me. I was a little disappointed that it only comes in one size... small. It also costs $10.99 for a plain cheese pizza on the GF crust, which is $1 more than their regular medium cheese pizza. I got mine with pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, and no cheese. With delivery cost and tax it came to $15 and change. A bit pricey for a small pizza, but the trade off is that I actually got to enjoy pizza with my husband without being sick the rest of the night! 

This was my pizza. Tasted great, but someone needs to learn how to cut a pizza evenly.

A "Chip" Off the Old Lentil

I have to admit, at first I was very skeptical of these chips. They sounded a little funky to me, but I needed a vehicle for my hummus! I was surprised. They were pretty tasty!  They have a puffed, Funyun-ish, texture... and if you don't know what Funyuns are... shame on you! Anyway, they have a satisfying crunch, but there's a shiny sort of finish to them like most rice crackers have. I personally don't really like that type of finish on my food, but I'm willing to overlook that one feature in order to have something different to carry my hummus to my mouth!

Mediterranean Snack Foods makes a few different flavors of these chips, and they have a "special dietary needs" section so you can find the snack that's right for you!

3 1/2 Happy Bellies