Email Gluten-free is Life kim@glutenfreeislife.com
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In the very cold month of February I received a nice, comforting package from Elizabeth at Purely Elizabeth. In the package were complimentary samples of the Perfect Pancake & Blueberry Maple Muffin mixes. I couldn’t get the muffins made soon enough! I was anxious to taste these warm muffins, so I made them right away! I even had all the additional ingredients I needed on hand.
To the Blueberry Maple Muffin Mix I added:
- applesauce
- olive oil
- blueberries
- maple syrup
- water
- vanilla
I couldn’t believe how easy these muffins were! I had them mixed & in the oven within 5 mintues. The hardest part was waiting for them to be done!
Don’t they look good? These muffins were so moist! They even stayed moist for a couple days on the counter & then when I froze half of them and took them out a week later. I also fed these to gluten-eaters and received high compliments! A hit from Purely Elizabeth!
Do you see those blueberries? I love the ingredient list on these muffins!
Next up, the Pefect Pancake mix. I started to whip these up this past weekend after my 12 mile run. Aaron took over so I could help Hannah shower. I couldn’t wait to dig in.
Look at those berries I topped the pancakes with? I also added a small bit of maple syrup. To be honest, I don’t know what it was about the pancakes, but I didn’t really care for them. At first I thought it was the teff flour, but I eat teff flour tortillas all the time. Jon, however, loved them and ate them with no syrup or topping! It was as if he was eating a cookie! LOL! Just goes to show you how everyone’s tastes differ.
To this mix we added:
- 1 egg
- almond milk
- agave nectar
- olive oil
You can view the ingredient list here.
The story of Purely Elizabeth:
Since childhood, I was naturally a healthy eater, yet had one major downfall…
…homemade baked goods. I never drank soda, ate chocolate or liked salty chips, but homemade baked goods were a different story. Moist, sweet and baked with love, these treats nourished my senses.
Fast forward to 2007, when I pursued a new career as holistic nutrition counselor at Institute of Integrative Nutrition. There I learned about the connections between what you eat and how you feel; how sugar, wheat and dairy (the key ingredients to my favorite treats) can negatively impact health. I could no longer enjoy my childhood favorites with the same enthusiasm. Instead, I wanted to create a solution that both I and my clients could enjoy. My mission, to recreate homemade baked goods using healthy ingredients that were not just “healthy” but actually beneficial for the body, filled with vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
In September 2009, I launched purely elizabeth, a line of gluten free baking mixes using nutritious whole grains and superfood seeds (hemp, flax and chia), free of sugar, dairy, wheat and gluten.
I hope you enjoy,
Elizabeth
The mission:
We are committed to improving the health and happiness of those around us.
eat purely. live purely.
We believe that good health begins with what you put into your body. When you eat better, you feel better. It’s that simple, you are what you eat. That’s why we are passionate about using the highest quality natural and organic ingredients loaded with health benefits and free of the bad stuff. But it doesn’t end there. In order to be healthy we also need a clean environment, which is why we are committed to a sustainable planet. We hope you enjoy our natural foods and snacks made from the purest ingredients around.
Purely Elizabeth also makes mixes for an Ultimate Cacao Muffin and an Apple Cinnamon Muffin. You can find out where to find Purely Elizabeth’s products here or you can order online here.
Thank you, Elizabeth, for sending samples for us to review. I still have a couple muffins in my freezer!! They are currently being used as my pre-run fuel! 
Has it warmed up where you live? It sure has here! It is supposed to hit 60 at some point this week! I am excited about that. I was able to get outside for my long run on Saturday and while it was a little chilly, the sun was out & it was nice to not be running on the treadmill!
P.F. Chang’s debuts it’s new gluten-free menu today – who is heading out to try it this week?
Onto the menu:
Sunday – Rotisserie Chicken, baked sweet potato, steamed broccoli & carrots and salad
Monday – Burgers on Everybody Eats buns, baked steak fries, asparagus & salad
Tuesday – Eggplant Parmesan, Tinkyada pasta, steamed green beans & salad
Wednesday – Pizza – make your own, broccoli and salad
Thursday – Mexican pizzas, corn, refried beans & salad
Friday – Salmon, coconut baked brown rice, zucchini & salad
Saturday – Breakfast for dinner
Baked Goods
Pumpkin muffins or cookies
Bread of some sort
Zucchini Muffins
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Weekly Recap:
Whole Foods to offer a gluten-free tour of the Dublin store.
T. Marzetti recalls veggie dips.
Review of Mariposa baked goods.
Gluten-free chocolate chips.
I made healthy, gluten-free, vegan brownies.
I had some fun with my sweet potatoes.
I made an awesome protein pancake!
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Hope you all have a great week! Don’t forget to check out Orgjunkie for lots more menu ideas!
I was the lucky recipient of a package of complimentary baked goods from Mariposa. In the package was:
The package smelled amazing upon opening it. It had mild sents of garlic that wafted up from the delicate foccacia bread that was packaged in the box. I couldn’t wait to dig into these products! From Mariposa:
Our mission is simple — create gluten-free baked goods that are indiscernible from the finest, high-caliber gluten-based products available.
We knew that to achieve our mission we would have to use the finest ingredients. We know that we have made quality choices when we look around us as we bake and see glistening bottles of fine, fragrant orange oil; giant blocks of rich, elegant chocolate; sweet, locally grown walnuts and fine Italian roasted espresso. We use organic where we can: sparkling crystals of organic unrefined cane sugar and tender organic brown rice flour that blend beautifully with our fresh, hand-cracked eggs and grade AA creamery butter.
We produce in small batches — it’s our way of preserving the craft of artisan baking.
Mariposa Baking began creating artisan-crafted gluten-free biscotti and brownies, arising from founder Patti Furey Crane’s gluten allergy.
Patti discovered her gluten allergy shortly after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Eager to take a proactive role in managing her illness, she began exploring a nutritional approach to living with MS. As a first step, Patti wanted to eliminate allergens from her diet. Of particular concern were foods containing tomato. For a number of years she had suffered from what she believed to be a tomato allergy, since she always became ill after eating foods containing tomatoes, such as pizza, pasta dishes and salads. However, following long overdue tests, Patti discovered that tomatoes were not to blame after all. Rather, the crust on the pizza, the pasta beneath the marinara and the croutons in the salad – all containing wheat gluten – were the real culprits.
Once her gluten allergy was identified, Patti banished gluten from her diet. One of the difficult aspects of doing so, however, was giving up desserts. The gluten-free baked items that she purchased were grainy and lacked the texture and flavor of their wheat-based equivalents.
Rather than accepting “less than the real thing,” Patti took to baking her own gluten-free creations, using only the highest quality ingredients. After input from local pastry chef Kyoko Hiramatsu and extensive experimentation Patti developed several flavors of biscotti and brownies that mirrored the flavor and texture of “The Real McCoy.” In fact they were so delicious that her husband, Jason, encouraged her to take her creations to market to be enjoyed by others who are gluten intolerant and those who simply enjoy indulging in delectable baked creations.
Patti Furey Crane launched Mariposa Baking in the Fall of 2004 with a small team of artisan bakers. Her products have been met with great fanfare by all who have sampled them.
Mariposa Baking is committed to being a good citizen of this earth. A percentage of our annual profits are donated to charitable organizations that benefit our community and world.
Now, what you have all been waiting for – how do the products taste? We were very impressed with the products from Mariposa.
The coffee cake was claimed by Jon as soon as he saw it. He ate it for breakfast the past 2 days & declared it to be the best – EVER! He is so funny! He also enjoyed the truffle brownie – I was able to grab a bite of that & was in chocolate heaven. The crostini works well as croutons & has a nice garlic flavor that is not overpowering. The almond biscotti goes perfect with a cup of hot tea. The foccacia bread was very good with our lasagna dinner last night. We toasted it in the toaster oven to crisp up the outside a little bit. I have yet to try that coconut lemon square, but that will be mine, all mine. Jon is not a fan of coconut, so too bad for him!
You can see the foccacia below with the lasagna:
Thank you, Mariposa, for sending us these samples to review. They were great!
Mariposa has a couple of locations in California. Click here to find out more. Here are some other places you can find Mariposa’s products, including ordering online. I am thinking of ordering some of the bagels & pizza crust next. They look so good!
I love chocolate chip cookies, as does everyone in my family. I have a favorite recipe that I use that I am going to post below. However, every once in a while I like to change things up & use chips other than the semi-sweet variety.
Here are a list of verified gluten-free chips from Nestle:
- milk chocolate chips
- semi sweet morsels
- chocolate chunks
- semi sweet mini morsels
- milk chocolate morsels
- premier white morsels
- peanut butter & milk morsels
- milk chocolate & peanut butter swirled morsels
- semi sweet & premier white swirled morsels
***The Nestle butterscotch chips are not gluten-free.
If you are looking for a butterscotch chip, Hershey’s are gluten-free, as are these others:
- Special Dark
- cinnamon
- semi sweet
- milk chocolate
Enjoy Life makes a gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, tree-nut free, soy free, egg free and casein-free chocolate chip.
Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ Gluten-Free
Ingredients:
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
2 sticks of butter (1 cup), melted
1 large egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 ¼ cup GF all purpose flour (I use a mix of rice flour, tapioca & potato starch)
2 tsp. Xanthan gum
1 tsp. Baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ package (I used 6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Nuts (optional, however many you want)
GF Oats (I used Lara’s ~ I only used about ¼ cup or so, but use your judgment) optional
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix sugars, butter, egg and vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff)
3. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts and/or oats
4. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto un-greased cookie sheet (**I did Pam my sheets)
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool Slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.
I know what you are all thinking – how can healthy & brownie even be in the same title together? Well, guess what? They can!! I stumbled upon this recipe on Twitter a week or so ago & knew that I had to give it a try. I used Lara’s Rolled Oats in place of the instant oats. I tossed them in the food processor first, as suggested & then removed them to blend up the other ingredients. I have to admit that I was a little concerned at first – bananas and black beans in a brownie? I had heard about black beans. I have used bananas for “soft serve ice cream” and I do like them. I also used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa for my choice of cocoa.
Look how fudgey they look!?!
A tip – don’t eat the brownies warm. While they weren’t bad warm, they were much better when cool. I also had maybe the most wonderful brainstorm while starting to eat my brownie – Artisana Coconut Butter as frosting! I quickly got out my coconut butter, warmed it up & spread a little on top. Pure heaven. I can’t wait to dig into another here shortly. The best thing about these healthy brownies, well, besides the taste, the nutritional stats. Check these out: 85 calories, 1g fat, 16g carbs, 4g protein = per square when cut into 9 squares (coconut butter frosting not included). I may just use one of these for my pre-run fuel for my long run tomorrow!
I have to say it again – H.E.A.V.E.N.
It is no secret that I love sweet potatoes. I am happy to eat them in any shape or form. I was perplexed when I saw them on Kath’s blog in the form of a puff. Well, almost. They puff up in the oven. This is so simple that anyone can make these.
Preheat your oven to 350.
Cut your sweet potato into thick rounds and toss with EVOO, sea salt & pepper (you can use Pam if you are trying to cut back on calories, though olive oil is good for you). Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet & cook for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.
Bump the temperature up to 400 for the next 20 minutes, again, flipping half way through. Total cooking time is about 50 minutes.
This makes them sooooo soft on the inside & a little crisp on the outside – like a puff!
I paired mine with a BBQ Turkey Burger on an Everybody Eats Deli Roll and steamed veggies.
These turned out so good!! I dipped mine in some Trader Joe’s Organic Ketchup. I even have some leftover for lunch because my sweet potato was the size of a small football!
Hey guys – there was a comment posted on this post, where I shared the news that the 365 Gluten-free Baking Mixes were being discontinued. I wanted to make sure that this comment didn’t go un-noticed, so I will share it here. The comment is from Reid Schwartz at Whole Foods Global HQ:
Hi there! Reid here from Whole Foods Market’s Global HQ.
We are so sorry for not jumping in here earlier to provide more accurate information. While it is true that you won’t find Gluten Free Baking Mixes labeled with our 365 brand name, we are transitioning back to the Gluten Free Pantry products that were moved out to make room for the 365 versions. We have worked with the folks at Gluten Free Pantry to deliver the same products at the same size and retail. This is really a label transition and not a discontinuation. You will still have access to the great taste you enjoy today with these gluten free products. We know that the products we sell fill a unique need for gluten-free customers and we are truly sorry we didn’t get out in front of this and explain better earlier. If you have any further questions about this, please feel free to send them to customer.questions@wholefoods.com and we’ll get some answers for you.
Thanks for understanding!
Reid, thank you for clearing up this matter for the gluten-free community.
And, people, this is just another reason why I love Whole Foods. I didn’t email them my post – they found it and responded to it. Whole Foods cares about their customers (no, they didn’t pay me to say that . It is true that I can’t afford to buy all of my groceries at Whole Foods, but I do go there 2-3 times/month for specific items and things I know I can depend on Whole Foods to provide for me.
Happy March to you guys!!! I am just happy February was over. Here in Columbus, Ohio, we had the snowiest February on record at over 30 inches!!! I am happy to be past that. Now, I know all too well that we can get snow into March, and even April, here in Ohio, but I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel. Plus, a spring break trip to Atlanta will do wonders for my need for warmth.
Twitter is such a wonderful place. It is literally a wealth of information. I got a great idea for breakfast this morning from Erin at Gluten-free Fitness on Twitter last Friday. She was talking about pancakes & suggested mixing oatmeal & egg whites for a healthy, protein filled breakfast. This morning my breakfast was inspired by that tweet.
Here is what I did:
Ingredients
Pancake
1/2 cup dry gluten-free oats (I used Lara’s by Cream Hill Estates)
1/2 cup of egg whites (3-4 if you are using whole eggs, depending on the size)
cinnamon
vanilla
Toppings
Blueberries
Raspberries
Almond Butter (1 TBSP)
Fruit Spread (Black Cherry – no sugar or sweetener added)
1. Blend all pancake ingredients with an immersion blender until well mixed & fluffy. Heat a pan sprayed with Pam on your stove.
2. Pour mixture into pan & cook until set on the 1st side and then flip. Cook until set on the other side.
3. Top with almond butter, fruit spread and fresh berries.
This breakfast packs in the protein! Just what I need after a workout. There are over 25 grams of protein and between 450 – 500 calories in this breakfast. If you are looking for lower calorie, omit the almond butter and cut almost 100 calories and only 4 grams of protein out.
Thank you Erin for the inspiration to make this awesome breakfast! It was super filling & kept me feeling fueled & full all morning. Make sure to check out Erin’s blog. She is one smart cookie!
A new friend, Sarah, at Celiac in the City, awarded me with an award the other day. Sarah awarded me with the “Prolific Blogger Award“. I am very flattered & honored to be named among these other amazing bloggers. Thank you, Sarah.
This is what Sarah had to say:
Kim @ Gluten Free is Life. Not sure exactly where she finds the time to run, write, review, run, cook, bake, run, tend to kiddos… but she DOES IT! (and she shares the love of coconut M&M’s)
Now, I will share some of the prolific bloggers that are in my Google Reader. Of course, there is Sarah. I have enjoyed getting to know Sarah on Twitter recently & through her blog.
Sam at Operation Jack. Sam is running 60 marathons this year to raise money for autism awareness. Sam’s son, Jack, was diagnosed with autism after her turned 3. I don’t know how Sam does it all – works, is a husband & Dad to 3 kids, travels & runs marathons every weekend.
Joe at Joe is Running for Dom. Joe is running in support of a good friend’s battle with cancer. Joe will be running in this year’s Boston Marathon, as well as Pittsburgh’s Marathon, only 13 days later.
Lauren at Celiac Teen. Lauren, only 16 years old, is wise beyond her years. She is a brilliant cook and baker. Lauren helped raise close to $5000 for Haiti by organizing & compiling recipes for an eCookbook last month.
Elizabeth at Gluten-free Baking 101. Elizabeth is the author of Easy Gluten-Free Baking. She is always cooking or baking up something that makes my stomach growl, even if I have just eaten! I am currently drooling over her Gluten-Free Cake Truffles.
Amy at Simply Sugar & Gluten-free. Amy has got to be one of the busiest people I know. She just started going to culinary schoole (very jealous) and is always creating amazing meals on her blog. I don’t know how she does it all.
Getting excited for the Team USA vs. Team Canada Men’s Hockey Game that is going to be on here shortly. There is sure to be excitement this afternoon in our house.
Here is hoping that with the end of February also comes the end of the snow. LOL! Wishful thinking, huh? I just want to see the grass again. I want to see how much it needs mowed. I want to see the tulips & daffodils poke up through the soil. I want to not have to wear gloves everytime I go outside. I know, be patient, it will come.
Onto the meal plan -
Sunday – Turkey burgers, sweet potato puffs (thick cut “fries” that puff up & get all soft & gooey in the center), green beans & salad.
Monday -Spaghetti & marinutta, roasted broccoli & salad
Tuesday-Turkey tacos or Mexican Pizza, cilantro/lime rice, refried beans & salad
Wednesday-Holiday Baking Company lasagna (review to come soon!), asparagus & salad
Thursday-BBQ Chicken Breast, Cheese Chili Potatoes (recipe to come this week), broccoli & salad
Friday-Pizza on a new pizza crust to review and salad
Saturday-Leftovers or take out
Baked Goods
Testing out a new bread mix that I will review this week (in the oven now)
Brownies (a new, super healthy recipe – hope to share this week, too)
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Weekly Recap:
Several new posts up on the Examiner site – info on Wendy’s new GF menu, P.F.Chang’s rolling out a new menu & an article about Lactose Intolerance & Celiac Disease being confused.
A couple new articles up on Celiac-Disease.com: Quick, weeknight meals, Chicken Finger Breading ideas, and a Review of Shabtai Gourmet Gluten-free Supermoist Brownies.
French Meadow Bakery Coupons
Snikiddy Products Review
Biscottea Cookies review
News & Notes, specifically that today (2/28) is the last day to order your Zing Bars for a $10/box discount: use code gflife.
Amazing Maple Pecan Sables recipe.
Anne, at Gluten-free Musings wrote a very interesting post on a woman she met this past week. The woman she met was a diagnosed Celiac, but went on to explain to Anne that she still had her old gluten-filled favorites once a week or so. Head over to Anne’s blog & read all about it for yourself & make sure to share your thoughts.
Check out the lengths that Heidi, at Adventures of a Gluten-free Mom, goes to for her son Sam. Sam is 6 (I think) and was feeling left out because he couldn’t have lunchables like his friends. Heidi goes above & beyond to solve Sam’s problem. I believe she is getting the “Mom of the Year” award this year.
Don’t forget to check out Orgjunkie for many more menu ideas.
Have a wonderful week!!!
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My son and me, November 2000. This is before we were gluten-free/diagnosed Celiac.
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