gluten-freelicious

Enjoy Life Soft Baked Snickerdoodle Cookies

Hi.  My name is Rebecca, and I’m a sugarholic.  Enjoy Life Soft Baked Snickerdoodle Cookies?  Yum!  Pass the box!  These tasty little bombs are loaded with explosive cinnamon sugar goodness, sure to please any sweet tooth.

I have to admit, I did not have much hope for these cookies.  Enjoy Life products are free of wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, and shellfish.  Call me crazy, but I’d think they’d also be free of taste!  In fact, we’ve tried a few of Enjoy Life’s cereals and cereal bars, and they were just eh.  Not bad for gluten-free, but nothing to write home about, either.  These snickerdoodle cookies, however, are addictive.  One is just not enough.  What gives?

It does not take a detective to figure this one out.  What Enjoy Life snickerdoodles lack in allergens, they certainly make up for in sugar!  The cookies are soft, moist, and packed with my vice in numerous forms (date paste, three fruit juice concentrates, brown sugar, and rice dextrin).  With a heavy dusting of cinnamon sugar on top and crunchy little pockets of cinnamon sugar scattered throughout, this cookie is definitely a sugar lover’s dream.

At about four bucks a box for 12 cookies in our local grocery store, my husband says, “They’re really good, but not worth it.”  Hmm, that’s questionable.  But how about $3 a box on Amazon?  I’m in.

Glutino Pretzel Sticks

Glutino Pretzels are a gluten-free favorite in our house.

When I first saw Glutino Pretzel Twists in the grocery store, not too long after making our home gluten-free, I laughed out loud.  I thought, Gluten-free pretzels?!  Yeah, right. We hadn’t tried many gluten-free snacks at that point, at least not many edible ones, so I was highly skeptical.  I’m not sure how many times I passed them by.  I’d often pick up the bag, ponder the idea of a gluten-free pretzel, and hastily put them back on the shelf.

After a while, I grew desperate.  We’d eaten our fill of popcorn and rice cakes.  Mid-morning, my youngest son would shout, “Hungy!  Hungy!” and shake his head at everything I offered.  We needed some variety.  The next time I passed Glutino Pretzels in the store, I took the plunge, and threw a bag in my grocery cart.

I opened the bag, and, Holy Moly! They look like pretzels!  I took a bite, and, Whoa! They taste like pretzels!  They are light and crisp with a subtle butter flavor and just the right amount of salt.  They are really good!

Pretzels were a missed snack in our house.  My oldest son was thrilled; he loves Glutino Pretzels and often takes a bag to preschool for snack.  His younger brother nods enthusiastically when I offer “petsils” and shoves a frightening two or three in his mouth at a time.  I love to dip them in peanut butter.

That’s the good.  Here’s the bad.  Because they are made with palm oil, they have a higher fat content than gluten-ful pretzels.  This is not an issue for my twiggy boys, but I eat them in moderation.  Now for the ugly.  Glutino Pretzels are expensive at $6-8 a bag in our grocery stores.  I paid $8 for our first bag of pretzels, but now that I know where to find them for $6, I give the $8 bag dirty looks when I pass it by.  It’s unfortunate they are so expensive, but the price of a gluten-free diet is almost always high.

Glutino Gluten-Free Pretzels taste just like the real thing.  They make the gluten-freelicious Top 10!

Bell and Evans Chicken Nuggets

Three cheers for Bell & Evans’ satisfying, delicious, and healthy chicken nuggets!  Hip, hip hooray!

When I decided to make our home gluten-free, this is one food I thought we’d never serve again.  We’d tried a few different brands of chicken nuggets, and they were all spit-it-out-in-the-trash disgusting.  I mourned the loss for my boys, especially my four-year-old, who shed big, fat crocodile tears on our first gluten-free outing to McDonald’s.  How can you have a proper childhood without chicken nuggets?!

Bell & Evans to the rescue!  The light breading of rice and corn flour crisps and turns a perfect golden hue when baked.  And get this…do you know what you see when you bite into a Bell & Evans chicken nugget?  CHICKEN!!  Wonder of wonders!  These nuggets are made with real, tender, juicy, chunky pieces of white breast meat.  You don’t have to squint or hold it mere inches from your eyeball to find the traces of rib meat wedged between nutritionless batter.  If I make these nuggets for my kids’ lunch more than once a week, I don’t feel the slightest trace of guilt.  Bell & Evans chicken nuggets are made with all natural ingredients (no chemical additives or preservatives), and one serving has significantly less fat and more protein than the typical gluten-containing variety.

In fact, when I first made them, I thought, There is no way my kids are going to eat these.  They’re too healthy! Surprise!  My boys gobbled them up and asked for more.  They are gluten-freelicious.  My husband and I agree; Bell & Evans chicken nuggets make a tasty lunch at any age.

Because they are made with whole pieces of uncooked chicken, the nuggets take 25-30 minutes to cook, so plan ahead.  They are not exactly a “fast” food.

Can I get a WHOOP WHOOP?!

Note: The Bell & Evans Chicken Nuggets pictured above are paired with Glutino Pretzel Sticks, another fave in our house.

It’s perfect, right?  I have my breakfast strategically placed on the table so I can take some quick shots for my post today, when a hand slips in to grab a few tasty morsels, proving just how irresistible they are.

Cinnamon Chex Cereal

Alright, maybe irresistible is a bit of a stretch, but they are downright tasty.  Cinnamon Chex is a nice blend of sinfully sweet and wholesome goodness.  The flavor is reminiscent of one of my all-time favorites, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but with less fat, sodium, and sugar, and more protein…oh, and no gluten!

The cereal combines the now gluten-free Rice Chex and Corn Chex.  Some pieces are coated with cinnamon, while others are plain, and the ratio is just about perfect.  Beware, the gratifying crunch does not last long when milk is added.  That, however, is seldom a problem here, as bowls of Cinnamon Chex seem to empty as rapidly as they are filled.

A box of Cinnamon Chex lasts only moments in our house, because it is satisfying at any time of day.  Whether you crave a bowl of sweet cereal with milk in the morning, a dry handful or two to snack on in the afternoon, or a guiltless dessert at night, Cinnamon Chex is there.

Note: Chex now has six gluten-free cereals and a plethora of gluten-free Chex recipes.  I can’t wait to try them!

Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option. -Peter Parker

Spider-Man Chocolate Cupcake

These, my friends, are no ordinary cupcakes.  They were baked with love…and Pamela’s Products Luscious Chocolate Cake Mix.  Oh.  My.  God.  Pamela’s not kidding.  They are moist, fudgy, and, indeed, luscious.

We made our very first batch of Pamela’s gluten-free chocolate cupcakes for my son’s fourth birthday celebration with my husband’s family.  My son mixed and baked the cupcakes with his Gigi, and I decorated them with red and blue butter cream frosting.  I maxed out my artistic talent to appease my son’s love for Spider-Man.  They looked pretty cool, or at least my son thought so.  But how would they taste?  With just one bite, we all agreed; we were in cupcake heaven.  My brother-in-law and his girlfriend did not hesitate to take a few home.

Still, I was nervous.  My son’s fourth birthday party was rapidly approaching.  It was one thing to receive affirmation from a few close family members; it was another thing entirely to satisfy the gluten-craving tastes of a crowd of preschoolers and their parents.  Too intimidated to attempt the Wolverine cake my son hoped for, I decided, to his delight, to have the kids decorate their own cupcakes.  When the big day arrived, I brought out the tray of naked cupcakes and triumphantly passed them out willy-nilly to my son and his friends.  One mom quickly questioned, “Are these all gluten-free?”  The look on her face pleaded, “Please say no.”

“Yep.  They’re good!” I promised, with fingers tightly crossed.

The kids had a blast slathering on icing, sprinkles, and M&Ms and eagerly devoured their masterpieces the instant my son blew out his candles.  If smiling, cupcake smeared faces are a sign of success, then I was victorious.

I encouraged parents to help themselves to the separate tray of cupcakes I’d already frosted.  It may have been my imagination, but they seemed hesitant; word had spread that the cupcakes were gluten-free.  Slowly, cupcake after cupcake disappeared, probably more out of curiosity and politeness than desire, but, soon, the praise began to roll in.  I was pleased to hear the shocked, “This is really good!” and “It doesn’t even taste gluten-free!”  My best friend exclaimed, “These are gluten-free?  Seriously?!  They might be the best cupcakes I’ve ever had!”

Yes.  Yes, they just might be.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Every morning, I ask my son what he’d like for breakfast.  I really don’t know why I bother, because the reply is nearly always the same.  “Umm…waffles.”  Occasionally I’ll try to mix it up a bit and ask, “How about pancakes?”  I’m amused when his face lights up, and he exclaims, “Pancakes!  Yeah!”

I shudder to think what we would do without Pamela’s Products Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix.

When I made my first batch of waffles with Pamela’s mix, oh, so many months ago, I followed the directions on the back of the bag.  They were pretty good…for gluten-free waffles.  They were light and fluffy, and, thankfully, we didn’t detect any unpleasant aftertastes.  I’d read several reviews claiming Pamela’s mix to be the best out there, gluten-free or no.  We weren’t quite there yet.  They were likely the best gluten-free waffles we’d had.  They sure beat the cardboard frozen kind that require half a bottle of syrup to mask the taste and ease the passageway towards digestion.  But the best waffles ever?  Not yet.

With the next batch, I tried a trick we’ve found to improve just about any pancake mix out there, especially those of the gluten-free variety.  I used Aunt Jamima proportions with Pamela’s mix (see below), the main difference being the substitution of milk for water.  The result was absolutely gluten-freelicious.  Yum.  Now that’s what I’m talking about.

With this minor adjustment, Pamela’s mix makes amazing pancakes and waffles.  I’m not sure what makes them so good; perhaps it’s the almond meal.  What I do know is this: I would serve a hot, steamy batch of Pamela’s waffles to all my gluten-consuming friends and family without hesitation, and I would tout them as the best waffles ever.  Yes, they are that good.

Note: I paid $20 for our first 4 lb bag of Pamela’s goodness at our local health food store.  I like to support the locals, but…seriously?  I now have six 24 oz bags automatically delivered to our door once every two months through Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program for $28.77.  Sweet.

Gluten-freelicious Pancakes and Waffles (Pamela’s Mix, Aunt Jamima’s Proportions):

1 cup Pamela’s Products Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 TBSP oil (2 TBSP for waffles)