Thursday, June 16, 2011

These are a few of my favorite things...

We all have our excuses for not eating right 100% of the time, trust me, my trash can has seen it's fair share of empty pizza boxes in the past couple weeks! These are my top five tried and true favorite things that keep me on the gluten free/dairy free train...

1. VANS gluten free waffles
 They come in a variety of flavors and I've tried almost all of them, but my personal favorite is blueberry! In addition to being gf and df, they're only sweetened with fruit juice, only 5g of sugar per serving! I eat them with a little Smart Balance butter and Joseph's All Natural Maple sugar free syrup. They will definitely be a hit with your kids and perfect for the morning rush!



2. So Delicious Coconut Milk creamer
The flavors come in plain, french vanilla, and hazelnut. I buy a carton a french vanilla weekly and everyone I know that has tried it, loves it! While most coffee creamers are "dairy free" this has no artificial flavors/colors and only 4g of sugar. It's all you need to add to a great cup of coffee! Now if only you could get the kids to sleep in too...
I've also used this in baking...recipes to come!

3. Fork in the Road hot dogs
Who doesn't love a good dog?! The bummer with hot dogs is they usually are made loaded with nitrates and fillers (hey vegetarians, smart dogs contain wheat gluten!). These hot dogs are nitrate and gluten free, made only with spices and pure beefiness! They are also made in the Bay Area, buying local is another check on my list of food criteria. Their website even has a feature that will track the meat you buy back to the farm and processor! Personally kid tested and approved!

4. OrganicVille BBQ Sauce 
I've tried other "natural" bbq sauces in the past so I was a little skeptical when I picked this one up, but we fell in love! In addition to being organic, it's gluten free, vegan, and sweetened only with agave nectar. It's a good basic bbq sauce with a little spice, also comes in "Tangy" and "Hot & Spicy" varieties. I've used this with chicken, as a dipping sauce (i.e. gluten free chicken nuggets!) , or in the slow cooker over a pork tenderloin for last minute pulled pork sandwiches. 
*Majority of OrganicVille items are labeled gluten free, which is often a selling point for people with dietary restrictions like me, but a lesson I've learned with all this is to ask yourself if the item in question would naturally contain gluten. Example, mustard. I'm pretty sure a good percentage of the time mustard is always gluten free. So in this case spending the extra $ on this brand isn't worth it. Sorry OrganicVille! But trust me on the BBQ!
 (post about "gluten free" labeling to come)

5. Whole Kitchen Chicken Taquitos
It's no Albertos, but a girl's gotta live a little! In basic form, a taquito is made with a corn tortilla which should be gluten free. Whole Foods brand is labeled gluten free and made simply with chicken and some spices. Best part is, you can eat five for only 180 calories! So go ahead, eat ten! Not that I've ever done it or anything...


hot dogs, waffles, taquitos...how old am I?! 5?! haha :) I can honestly say that these items are so delicious you will not feel like you're eating cardboard or "hippy vegan crap." AND if you and you're family don't absolutely love these them I will come over and cook you dinner myself!  



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4 comments:

  1. Hi Kendra! Thank you for including So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer in your list of Favorite Things! We're delighted to hear that you're enjoying it so much! And please feel free to grab some money-saving coupons for your next purchase: http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/prod_user/prod_coupons/coupons.php

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  2. We will be trying the bbq sauce! Are the hot dogs organic? We will try the coffee creamer. Love your blog!

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  3. I'm not positive about the dogs...but they are pasture raised, uncured, and nitrite/nitrate free!

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  4. The coconut milk creamer is my favorite! I wish I could order a coconut milk mocha at Starbucks... Maybe they will catch on someday! And I've been hooked on the OrganicVille BBQ sauce ever since you recommended it. Yum!

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