What Moms Love Weekly: Gluten-Free Favorites

It can be hard for anyone with food allergies, celiac, or gluten sensitivity to find good wheat alternative foods and snack that taste really good. It can be even more of a challenge to find gluten-free food that kids like.  Here is a list of some of our favorite mom & kid friendly gluten-free products.  Some of them are also dairy and egg free too for those of you dealing with multiple allergies like myself.

1. Liz Lovely Vegan & Gluten-free Cookies– Wow!  My sister introduced me to these and they are amazing!  My favorite are the chocolate chip which (to me) taste like chocolate chip cookie dough.  The chocolate fudge are a close second with their brownie-like flavor.  These cookies are the BEST gluten-free cookies I have tried (and I’ve tried a whole lot).  I love that they are vegan as well because they will work for anyone with a dairy or egg allergy.  These cookies can be pricey at $2 per cookie ($3.99 for a pack of 2) but they are really BIG and thick and so good that they are worth it for a special treat.  You can buy a case and save some money on these.

2. Betty Lou’s Gluten-free Fruit Bars–  These bars have long been a favorite of mine and my kids.  They are not only gluten-free but also free of the 8 top allergens including eggs and dairy.  They come in different fruit flavors like cherry, strawberry and blueberry.  These bars are high in fiber.  They are not too sweet and make a filling snack. Check out Betty Lou’s other gluten-free items as well.

3. Pamela’s Products Baking & Pancake Mix– I love the light and fluffy pancakes that this mix makes.  Yes, you can make your own mix and save a little money but in a pinch or wanting a sure thing, this mix will give you great results in recipes.  I like to use it in brownies too.

4. Glutino Pretzels–  Even my wheat eating kids like these pretzels.  They often ask for them and say they are better than the “wheat-filled” kind.  I like them because that are a quick snack that tastes good and they are kid friendly.

5. Chebe Bread– My whole family likes Chebe bread.  The mix is quick to prepare or you can find frozen dough you just pop in the oven.  Chebe is light and tastes so good!  Try the pizza crust too!

6.  Late July Organics Gluten-free Multi Grain Snack Chips– These chips are amazingly good!  I especially like the Mild Green Mojo flavor.  At Late July they do flavor well! These chips are not wimpily covered with seasoning, but rather doused in it.

7. Against the Grain Gourmet Baguettes– Miss eating a good baguette?  These baguettes almost make me forget about wanting the real thing. They have a great crunchy texture on the outside and soft on the inside.  They make an amazing sandwich! You can’t buy these online but look for them at Whole Foods and if you don’t see them ask them to order them for you!

Most of these things can be found in Amazon’s Gluten-free section as well if you are willing to buy them in bulk.

Have any other favorites?  I’d love to hear yours!

NurturMe’s "Be My Valentine" Apple Rice Crisp Treats Recipe


Have you heard of NurturMe? NurturMe is the first and only certified-organic, all natural and gluten-free baby food made from nutrient-rich, quick-dried fruits and veggies.  Now it’s quick and easy to add fruits and veggies to recipes, hide it in mac n cheese, or throw it in a smoothie.  How great is that?  Here is a recipe to try out:
NurturMe’s “Be My Valentine” Apple Rice Crisp Treats
Yields 15-20 Mini-Valentine Hearts
Kid Friendly- no heat required
Ingredients:
3 cups brown crispy rice cereal
1NurturMe Crisp Apple pouch
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix brown rice cereal with peanut butter
In another bowl, add 3-5 tablespoons of water to crisp apple pouch
Stir honey and vanilla into the puree
Pour into the dry ingredients
Mix well
Press into one large or two small glass trays
Have fun and shape into mini valentine’s day hearts!
Optional: Decorate with frosting, powdered sugar, red sprinkles…be creative!!!
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Enjoy! 

What Moms Love Weekly: January 27th

What do you love as a mom?  Sunshine, deep breaths, exercise, and little hands are at the top of my list this week.  Here are a few finds that I am loving this week:

 I recently came across The Honest Co.  It is a company that Jessica Alba founded.  My top 2 reasons for including them this week is that they are making things really easy on moms and really safe for babies.  Their diapers, wipes and baby products & cleaners are formulated to be safe.  The diapers are chlorine free and made with plant based materials and the shampoos, soap and other products are non-toxic.  What could be better than that?  They ship them to you in a monthly bundle giving you one less thing to worry about.  You can check out prices and what is included here. For a Free Trial (just pay shipping) go here and fill in your info.
 Shabby Apple has adorable clothes!  Did you also know that they have a great line of Maternity clothes?  I love this green dress.  You could wear it in so many ways and it looks stylish and comfy.  Use this link and get 15% off any Shabby Apple Purchase until 1/31/12.
Wittlebee is a service that, for $39 a month, will send you a box full of basic clothing for your little one.  You order, have a consultation with a stylist, then wait for your goodie box to arrive. One less thing to do = more time to play!

LoveFeast caught my attention last October with their ubber cute velvet pumpkins.  This LoveFeast™ HeartGram™ Set is pretty cute too. They are a Valentines decoration that you could pull out year after year.

Do you know of something moms would love to know about? I’d love to hear about it in the comments and feature some of them (and you if you’d like) during the week.

What Moms Love: Weekly Linky

What do you love as a mom?  Snuggles, quiet moments, sweet scents and being organized are at the top of my list this week.  Here are a few finds that I am loving this week:

I heart this site!  It is my new favorite blog!  At iheart organizing you will find wonderful organizing tips, free printables and lots more!  A very Pin worthy site! ;o)

I have used and enjoyed a few Skip Hop diaper bags during my diapering days and I am loving the new Jonathan Adler designs.  They are so fashionable!
 
Giggle has this really cute Green Sprouts Owl Cool Calm Press. Use it to soothe little ones’ bumps & bruises.  It’s non-toxic, PVC-free, and even hypoallergenic.
Love & Toast makes some amazing natural bath and body products.  I am in love with the Mandarin Tea Perfume!  My tweens and teen also love these perfumes and I was happy to let them use them because they are light, fresh scents and Love & Toast uses great ingredients and leaves out the yucky stuff.  Try the Clementine Crush Body Lotion

Do you know of something moms would love to know about? Have a giveaway or a review on a product that you think moms will love?  Link up here. 

The Best Spill Proof Sippy Cup Award Goes To: Tommee Tippee

After 13 years of having babies (6 of them to be exact) and countless dollars spent on finding a truly spill proof sippy cup, I have finally found the one that lives up to it’s claims.  Tommee Tippiee Sippy Cups are my new favorite sippys.  

We have used and abused these sippy cups and they simply do not leak.  I so wish these were around way back when to undo all of the leaks and spills onto carseats, couch cushions, carpet floors and nice clean outfits.  Ugh!  Just the memory of all of those leaky sippy cups is frustrating. 

We started using Tommee Tippee Sippy Cups just about a year ago and I have not gone back since.  I love the easy to remove and easy to clean inserts.  As long as they are inserted correctly they are easy to drink from and don’t leak at all.  The cups are big and have grips of them which makes them easy for little hands to hold.

I highly recommend these Sippy Cups.  If you are tired of leaky sippys try them out and let me know what you think.

Have you tried Tommee Tippee Bottles?  Are they as great as the sippys?

Find Tommee Tippee Sippy Cups at Babies R Us, Toys R Us and Amazon.

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation for this post.  I just really like these cups.  Affiliate links are included in the post.