New Gluten-Free Finds

Yummy new products!

Click the picture to see a larger size.

On the left is a box of Dark Chocolate Dreams packets from Peanut Butter & Co.  They are perfect for on the go snacking, or to throw in a lunch box with apple slices.  My mom sent these to me in a care package and I have been taking them to work with me. 

The fig cookies on the right are from Jovial, a new company that I haven't tried before.  I went to a Celiac support group meeting last week at Pizza Fusion in Fort Myers, and received these cookies and some brown rice pasta samples.  Well, I can assure you, if you miss Fig Newtons as much as I do, you will love these!  A little more cakey than true Fig Newtons, but the taste is all there.  I haven't tried the pasta yet but will report back! (Casein-free)

I've been a huge fan of ThinkThin bars since getting diagnosed with Celiac because they are so easy.  I used to always carry one in my bag in case of emergencies, and now they have made it even more convenient!  These are the 100 calorie bite bars.  They have a few different flavors, but I have always liked the cookies and cream ones.

Isn't the Smooze package so cute?  I first had a taste of these at the South Florida Gluten-Free Food Expo in West Palm Beach.  They are creamy little frozen treats with tropical flavors.  I picked up a box of the Coconut & Passion Fruit flavor, and they are delicious.  (Dairy-free)

I was surprised how good these chips are!  They are by a brand I hadn't heard of before, Flamous, and are specifically made for hummus.  The scent is very roasted chickpea-y, and they have serious crunch (but not the kind that rips up the roof of your mouth...ugh, hate that!).  The chips were such a good pair with my hummus today at lunch...I'm thinking about going back and buying the rest of the bags at the store!  (Dairy-free)

And here's the best part...several of these products were bought at my local HomeGoods store!  You can score tons of great gluten-free foods there.  The ThinkThin bars, Smooze, falafel chips, and some agave syrup (not pictured) were all purchased at HomeGoods.  What a deal!

Quickie Post: What I'm Into Right Now

Just a few things that I have been looking into!

Veggies
I have been mostly eating vegetarian lately!  When Matt goes out of town for work, I am just totally uninterested in cooking meat, which has ended up being a great thing!  Stuffed mushrooms, squash soup, cashew fried rice...everything has been so tasty and so much healthier.  I made portobello quesadillas one day that were so delicious that I've been craving them since!

Fruit
Apples, guys.  It's all about apples.  While I try to eat a good amount of fruit (I've always been more of a veggie fan, but I'll never turn down a mango), it's a conscious effort.  I read recently in a magazine (and here in this article) that apples can help prevent colon cancer so I've been eating one a day.  Specifically Pink Lady and Red Delicious!

Books

It's great.  Seriously.  Matt's brother, Graham, recommended it to me and he even refers to it as The Bible.   It is a great reference guide along with cookbook.

I love Filipino food (yum and yum) and this has been a great source of inspiration for me lately.  There is even a recipe for soda adobo.  I am so there.










Blogs
Maangchi
Korean food instructional videos!  Now I am really hungry.

Gluten-Free Dirt Cheap
Just found this one...seems good so far!

http://www.college-masevaux.org/menus.htm  Not a blog but an amazing inspiration source.  This is a menu of the lunches from a school in France.  Use Google's document translator for the PDF.  This will make you cry about America's current school lunches. (If you are further interested in international lunches, like I weirdly kind of am, here is an article from Time about French school lunches and a video clip of a piece from CBS, and a photo list of lunches from 20 countries around the world).

Gluten-free Seafood on Sanibel

 
Yummy! For lunch today, Matt and I went to a new (to us) restaurant on Sanibel Island called Gramma Dots.  It's on a marina and is nearly surrounded by waterfront views. It was on the small side and reminded me of restaurants back home in Pensacola. 

Check out the view!

Watching the boats (impressive-sized yachts and catamarans) come through to the marina while we waited on our food was a treat.  The fried food, of course, is off-limits, which would include their homemade potato chips.  They have chicken salad, lobster salad, broiled grouper, peel-n-eat shrimp (the best kind of shrimp!), and a few other items you could ask to be modified gluten-free.  Here's the menu!

I got the broiled scallop spinach salad, which comes with a ton of veggies like yellow squash and zucchini, and vinaigrette on the side.  The scallops were bite sized and delicious!  And I am kind of a sucker for orchids as garnish.  If you get the chance, stop in at Gramma Dots; you can't really beat the view or the fresh seafood!