Product Review: Bakery On Main GF Granola Bars

I picked up a box of Bakery On Main’s gluten-free granola bars in Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, then almost immediately forgot about them. Last week I was low on gf goodies and needed something to tide my over in the afternoon when I spied the box of these on my gf-only shelf. I tore into the box.

The flavor is good without being too strong (think subtle peanut butter with bits of chocolate within a field of crispy rice). They’re lighter than regular granola bars, which is a point in their favor, in my opinion.

Verdict? Pretty good. Not stellar.. but quite good for a take-along breakfast bar or quick snack. I liked them well enough that I ate two in a row and will buy them again to keep on hand.

Bakery On Main

Product Review: Mi-Del Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Sandwich cookies

Last week at the Vitamin Cottage I had a choice - buy the Kinnitoos that I know are awesome, they taste just like Oreos, or try something new. I tired something new.

It was a mistake.

These cookies, although they LOOK like Oreos, are just plain NOT GOOD. The cookie part is very brittle. It is hard to describe - it’s almost like a cross between a hard chocolate candy and a cookie. There is nothing soft or cumbly about it.

The “cream” filling is really more like a sugar paste. It is very grainy, overly sweet and not at all creamy.

Well, you win some, you lose some! It’s good to try new products, but I will never buy these cookies again.

What’s for breakfast?

When I was first diagnosed with Celiac I thought my food life would be pretty barren - no more good things. But I got to thinking about that this morning when I was making my toast. Over the last five years I have discovered a lot of replacements for old Gf items that I thought were gone from my life forever. Take breakfast for example. I have a pretty full breakfast repertoire.

Toast - I have three kinds of frozen bread (Glutino Corn Bread, Kinnikinnick White Sandwich bread, and 8 Free/Deby’s Sandwich bread) I really like and use regularly for toast.

Cereal - there are enough GF choices so that I feel like I can have cereal when I want it. It does a number on my blood sugars though, so I don’t have it often. Some of my top choices are Rice Twice (like Rice Krispies), Panda Puffs, Rice Chex, and Koala Crisp. (I do still miss Corn Pops and Cap’n Crunch and Apple Jacks every now and then.)

Waffles - we use a Bette Hagman recipe,our waffle iron and Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix for fresh waffles. I also use Van’s frozen GF waffles when I just want a quick fix.

Pancakes - we use the Pamela’s mix and have them every Sunday. Can’t get pancakes or waffles in a restaurant, of course, but maybe that day will come.

Crepes - again, we use a Bette Hagman recipe. These are EASY.

Oatmeal - there are a few varieties of GF oats out there. I do miss my Quaker Maple and Brown Sugar though….

Muffins - several companies offer ok to really good frozen GF muffins (Kinnikinnick, Bread of Life, Eragrain and more). I have also made some good ones from a Gluten Free Pantry mix.

Donuts - thanks to Celiac Specialities we now have awesome donuts!!! They come frozen of course, but when you heat them up they taste like they are fresh out of the fryer. Kinnikinnick donuts are ok, too, as are the Ener-g donut holes.

Cinamon rolls - Celiac speciliaties has some great ones. Kinnikinnick’s are ok. Ener-g foods are, in my opinion just plain gross.

English Muffins - have yet to find a good replacement for a sourdough English Muffin and don’t care enough to try to make them.

Biscuits (the nice big southern kind) - haven’t found these yet. May have to try to make some.

Breakfast burrito - I have tried all the GF tortillas (Food for Life, La Tortilla Factory, Don Pancho) I have heard of and none of them are satisfactory for me. I have made breakfast burritos using soft corn tortillas, and that seems to satisfy my cravings.

Bagels - haven’t found a great one yet and am in no way willing to go to all the trouble to make them myself! There are some fine GF choices out there, but for me a slice of toast is just as good. For me I like the Glutino bagels the best when I DO want one.

French toast - ahhhh, French Toast, how I miss you. I suppose I could get brave and try some with my various breads……anyone have success with making French Toast??

Coffee cakes - just found a good mix from the GF Pantry! Very easy to make and very yummy.

Danishes, Long Johns, Bismarcks and other assorted pastries. - definitely MIA.

Croissants - drool drool. Sure do miss those. You can get some premade ones form Valpiform, but they are only “ok” and you really have to pretend that they are anything like a true croissant. I have seen this good looking recipe, but am not brave enough to try to make them. Yet.

So there you have it, a rundown of GF breakfast items and where I/we stand with having them available to us. It’s not bad overall. Some things, like the more delicate pastry items, are missing, that’s for sure, but there are plenty of things that I thought I wouldn’t be able to have again that I now know I can eat regularly and enjoy. One of the biggest things of course, is that you can’t just run out to the grocery store and pick up any of these things, for most of them you either have to make them or order them frozen. I really miss the convenience of food, but overall the GF breakfast situation is a lot better than I ever thought it would be, and it will only get better as the years go by.

What are some of your favorite GF breakfast items?

GF Menu at Mugs Coffee, Fort Collins CO

Good news for those in northern Colorado! The Coloradoan reports that Mugs Coffee in Old Town Fort Collins has added gluten-free and vegan choices to their menu. We haven’t sampled their offerings yet but if you’re in the area, swing by and give them a try. And as always, use caution when dining out.

quick noodle fix

One of my side-dish staples has become gluten-free Thai rice noodles. They are quick and easy, can be found in most grocery stores in the Asian food section, and are cheaper than the GF specialty brands. Don’t expect rice noodles to mimic Italian style wheat pasta. These noodles are a different breed, but I like the light taste and somewhat chewier texture. I usually just boil them and toss them with salt and margarine, but they also make an excellent stir-fry noodle, or you can add a dash of curry power or other seasoning to liven them up.

The Grocery Bill

One of the hard things about having celiac disease, aside from eating out, is how expensive the gluten-free specialty products are. Prices seem to have gotten a little better in the past several years - perhaps due to there being more companies in the market niche to compete for our dollars. Still, paying $5.80 for a loaf of bread is not a thrill. And yet I am very grateful to be able to walk into my local little chain grocery store and buy that loaf.

As groceries products have skyrocketed, one of the first things I cut back on is gluten-free food. Cookies, extra breads, an Amy’s rice crust pizza. I am the only celiac in my household and so I find myself doing without more often than I was.

How about you? Are rising food costs causing you to cut back on your goodies? And which things do you refuse to give up?

Rice Chex

Have you heard? We now have a mainstream GF cereal again! That’s right, Rice Chex are now gluten free! Thank you thank you thank you!

Be sure you get one of the new boxes which are labeled “gluten free” as there may still be some boxes of the old formulation hanging out on the shelves (like at MY store). The gluteny formulation has barley malt in it.

Gluten Free Product Review: Eragrain Mini Brownies

These are delicious and moist bite sized chocolate brownies. Not much more to say than that….. They come 12 to a pack, but they will go fast!

I purchased mine from the Sunflower Market in Boulder, Co but you can also get them on-line from the Gluten Free Mall.

Gluten Free Product Review: T.T. Buds Popcorn

I recently picked up a bag of T.T. Buds Sweet and Salty Popcorn at the grocery store, thinking the kids would like it. At home, I checked the ingredients.. hmm, nothing suspicious. Maybe I could eat it too. Then I saw “Gluten Free” printed in plain view on the bag. I hadn’t even tasted the popcorn and I was already a fan. Any company that makes it that easy for me, gets my vote.

The popcorn itself was delicious. It’s true to its name .. sweet and salty. Unfortunately it’s available only in New England so far. But keep an eye out for it or contact the company directly via their website.

Modified Food Starch

When we were first diagnosed in 2003 modified food starch was always a big GF question mark - and it may be for you too. But remember now, by law in the US, if modified food starch is from wheat, it must state so on the label. It may be identified as modified wheat starch, modified starch (wheat) or it may merely say “modified food starch” but the allergen statement on the product would have to list wheat.

All other souces of modified food starch are gluten free. The other sources are most commonly potato, corn, and tapioca.

So don’t be scared of MFS anymore! Just check the allergen statement. If it does not say wheat or the MFS is not identified as having come from wheat than you are in the clear in terms of that ingredient.

Of course, always remember to always check for other possible gluten ingredients too!