Gluten Free Cracklebred from Natural Nectar

I've done reviews for gluten free crackers, and some for gluten free breads, but today is a first for GFPR! Today I get to do a review for something that is neither bread nor cracker, but something in between. I found Gluten Free Cracklebred from Natural Nectar in my mom's pantry. It was something I'd never seen before, so you know I had to try it!

Chocolate Tortilla Chips from Food Should Taste Good

My husband does the majority of the grocery shopping in our house. This created a new adventure for me when we agreed that he would pick a random gluten free product from the grocery store each week for me to try for GFPR. A lot of what comes home is a variation on other brands I've tried. We've tried a plethora of gluten free crackers, crusts and cookies. I was a tad surprised when I asked for the latest find and was handed a bag of chocolate flavored tortilla chips.

Yes, Chocolate Chips! I looked sideways at the bag and said, "Seriously?!" He just shrugged and replied, "You said to be creative." About that time, D.D. walked into the room. Her eyes completely lit up when she saw the bag. Right there she decided that since they were chips, they didn't fit under the candy rules, which meant she could have as much as she wanted :)

I checked the nutrition information and had to agree with her when I saw that there were only 4 grams of sugar per serving. We decided that these new chocolate chips were a great addition to the popcorn for Family Movie Night. I made D.D. wait until then to open the bag.

Ease of Use

As easy as a bag of chips should be! The bag is thick enough that the rattling didn't even detract too much from the movie soundtrack.

Appearance

The chips look a lot like the picture on the bag. They are thick and have an uneven texture. The bag, I must say, is very stylish.








Taste and Texture

First, the texture: Chocolate Tortilla Chips from Food Should Taste Good have a great texture. They are thick, textured and crunchy. The sea salt is visible on each chip and creates an extra demension to the snacking.

Now for the flavor: Oh my! These gluten free chips have a rich dark chocolate flavor that is hard to resist. It is a sweet and salty snacking combination worth repeating!

Versatility

I'm sure we could find a million and one uses for Chocolate Tortilla Chips, but I can't keep them on hand long enough to find out what they are. I would love to hear the uses that you have found.

Overall Value

The bag of Food Should Taste Good Chocolate Tortilla Chips can be bought for under $3. Unfortunately, The chips don't last very long- I'm honestly not sure if that is due more to the small quantity in the bag, or D.D.'s chocolate addiction. Whatever the reason, our bag didn't make it through the whole movie :)

Rating

I recommend that everyone try these chips at least once.

Tropical Traditions Organic Hulled Millet

Since changing to a gluten free diet, I have been more aware of my nutritional needs. Before, I was one of those rare fast food junkies that always opted for the whole grain breads and chips in the stores. It was very depressing to me that going gluten free not only meant a lot of tasteless spongy food, but most of it was pure sugar as well.

I started exploring the food available to me in my new gluten free life (hence the gluten free product review blog) and have found some great stuff out there. Reading those labels began to take it's toll, though, and I knew I could do better than I ever had before to offer my family good nutrition. I began to study the other grains that were available to me. It was very encouraging to discover that there were a lot of whole grain, healthy options out there, even for people who can't eat wheat.

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when I received the bag of millet from Tropical Traditions to try. As stated, I've done the research and I know how healthy millet is, but buying a loaf of gluten free bread made of millet is a lot different than just eating the millet itself.

D.D. had a nervous reaction as well, "Mom, that's what I feed the birds!" I replied with, "Well, if it's good enough for them, then we may like it too." We swallowed our nerves and tried the most basic recipe for millet I could find. I'm glad we did! This was another learning experience that I am more than happy to share with all of you.

Ease of Use

Tropical Traditions Hulled Millet is pretty easy to prepare. It can be made on the stove, or in a crock pot or a host of other cooking options. The cooking methods and times are very similar to brown rice.

Appearance

These little grains are pretty! They have a pearly sheen with a tan color. I had to talk D.D. out of playing in the bag because they feel neat in your hands. Once cooked, the millet looked a lot like couscous.







Taste and Texture

The cooked millet from Tropical traditions had a nice bite to it. It was a little like brown rice, but with more texture due to the smaller grain size. It has a great mouth feel. The flavor was mild, but delicious. I was very pleasantly surprised by both the flavor and texture that this gluten free whole grain offered.

Versatility

Honestly, I'm going to say that this is the best part about the millet from Tropical Traditions. You can use it for anything! It can be used at breakfast as a hot cereal, at lunch as part of a salad and a side dish or main course for dinner. It can be mixed in to any dish to add texture and flavor, it would be a fantastic substitute for barley in soup... The list goes on! Those of you who are industrious enough in your kitchens to have a grain mill can even make your own whole grain millet flour.

Overall Value

My jaw just about hit the floor on this one- A five pound bag of organic, whole grain hulled millet from Tropical Traditions is only $8.88! Get a ten pound bag for $15.54. I get very excited about low prices and with this kind of versatility, this is a LOW price! (Not that I'm suggesting it should be raised :)

Rating

I love the stuff! I'm very glad I tried it and I can't wait to find many more uses for it.

The Giveaway

If you are familiar with Tropical Traditions or GFPR, I'm sure you saw this coming- Tropical Traditions will send one lucky reader a five pound bag of millet to try for themselves. Before we get into that, though, we have to see the legal stuff:

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, 

and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation 

to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. 

Back to the fun stuff! To enter to win a five pound bag of gluten free whole grain millet from Tropical Traditions, you must first use this link to sign up for their newsletter. After you've done that, come back here and celebrate the versatility of this product by leaving a comment telling me your best use for the millet. It can be a recipe, or just the name of a dish, but make it fun.

On Wednesday, April 28, 2010 D.D. is going to pick her five favorites from the list. Out of the top five, we will draw a random winner out of a hat. If you need a little inspiration, check out the recipe section of the Tropical Traditions site.

As usual, please make sure that there is a way to contact you within your comment. Good luck to all who enter!

This giveaway has been completed, Thank You!

Schar Gluten Free Table Crackers

Back in the days of my gluten innocence, one of my favorite snacks was cheese and crackers. Not just any cheese and crackers, though. I had to have the gourmet crackers with garlic and herb cheese spread. Luckily for me the cheese spread is gluten free, but I've had a hard time finding gluten free crackers that would hold up to the spread and create the flavor I was looking for...Until now.

Ease of Use

Inside the main package are two smaller cellophane wrapped packages. They are easy to open, but keep the gluten free crackers nice and fresh.

Appearance

Schar Gluten Free Table Crackers are large and golden. They have slightly raised edges on the top which makes them perfect for any kind of toppings.

Taste and Texture

Both the flavor and the texture of these gluten free crackers are a bit complex. They are dense and crunchy, yet light and crispy at the same time. The flavor is slightly pungent and bold, but not overpowering. They are the perfect gluten free crackers for strong cheeses and pate, but a little too much for soups and basic uses. For me, they are more of an indulgent treat than an every day snack.

Versatility

Schar Gluten Free Table Crackers would make a delicious crumb topping or a flavorful surprise crust for certain casseroles. As with most crackers, the possible uses seem to be endless.

Overall Value

At $6.29 per package, the cost per cracker is about 30 cents. That's not too shabby!

Rating

I recommend Schar Gluten Free Table Crackers for those times when you need bold flavors or something a little extra special.

Gluten Free Houston Sandwich Rolls/Hamburger Buns

For our gluten free product review today, we're going back to gluten free breads. More to the point, gluten free rolls :) These rolls from Gluten Free Houston can be used for just about anything. Three out of the four that got sent to my house were commandeered by my daughter to make mega-egg sammiches. It takes quite a bun to stand up to the sausage, bacon egg and cheese sandwiches that D.D. loves, so this was a great test.

Ease of Use

These gluten free buns are not split when you get them. They cut cleanly and easily with any kind of serrated knife. The cut is not so clean with a butter knife, however, as evidenced by the amount of crumbs left behind when D.D. tried.

Appearance

Gluten Free Houston does not skimp on the portion sizes when it comes to their gluten free rolls. The buns are large enough to make an impressive sammich.





Taste and Texture

The first thing I should point out about these gluten free rolls is the smell. Right out of the package they have a fresh baked smell, with not a hint of strangeness.

They taste great! The flavor is very fresh and tasty. It is also versatile enough to compliment any type of sandwich. The only issue that I had was that they are dry. Not a crumbly, grainy type of dry (which is common) but more like a day-old baguette. On the other hand, it is probably the texture that makes these gluten free rolls so spread friendly. The bread doesn't absorb moisture the way that a lot of gluten free breads do. The lack of sogginess makes for a better sandwich experience overall.

Versatility

I could not even begin to list all of the possible uses for these gluten free rolls! The flavor is such that they are good for anything you can imagine needing gluten free bread for.

Overall Value

You can get a 4-pack of Gluten Free Houston Hamburger Buns for $6.95. I wouldn't call this a bargain price, but it's not completely extravagant either. The value of this product fits into my "sometime indulgence" category.

Rating

Gluten free Hamburger Buns/Sandwich Rolls from Gluten Free Houston come recommended by both D.D. and I. 

Gluten Free Beauty Facial Moisture Serum

I was super excited a couple weeks ago when Kristen Campbell from Gluten Free Fox sent me a message to tell me about the new Gluten Free Beauty line she was starting. The new line will be completely natural as well as cruelty free. As of yet, there is no "organic" claim on the label, but once everything is properly registered there will be. I love the fact that there seems to be no corner cutting on this gluten free product, even the labels are being done just right.

I was even more thrilled when Kristen offered to sponsor a giveaway so one of my lucky readers could try her new Facial Moisture Serum for themselves. Having tried this product myself, I can tell you that this will absolutely make someone's day! Keep reading to learn more about this new gluten free product and how to get your own for free!

Ease of Use

All it takes are a couple drops of this Facial Moisture Serum to feel the difference in your skin. It is very easy to get those couple drops since this lovely oil is in a dropper bottle. There is a downside- It takes a bit of practice to make sure you don't get too much each time because the dropper holds much more than you need.

Appearance

The bottle itself is very pretty. The Facial Moisture Serum it contains is a foggy amber-gold color.






Scent and Texture

Gluten Free Beauty Facial Moisture Serum has almost no scent. There is a slight hint of herbs when sniffing the bottle, but not much fragrance is left on your skin.

The serum is pure oil, and feels that way when you put it on. It takes a little while to absorb, but when it does... My goodness your skin will be soft! I noticed a difference in the way my skin felt with the very first use. Now, after using the Serum for almost two weeks, I see a difference in the appearance of my skin as well. My complexion has evened out and has a softness and suppleness that I love.

Versatility

Facial Moisture Serum is made only for the face. I'm okay with that because any other use would be a waste :)

Overall Value

Gluten Free Beauty Facial Moisture Serum is $45 for a one ounce bottle. It is comparable in price to most of the beauty creams I have seen and will last a very long time.

Rating

I love what this product has done for my skin. No opinions from my daughter to report here since she still has perfect skin and I won't share this with her :)

The Giveaway

By now I'm sure you're convinced that this is a must-have product, so let me tell you how to get your own! I will hold a random drawing to select the person to give one bottle of Gluten Free Beauty Facial Moisture Serum to on Monday, April 19, 2010. The drawing will be completely random (think names in a hat). To enter the drawing, leave a comment below telling me why you want to win. A good story won't improve your chance of winning, but it will make us all smile :)

*Important* Make sure that when you leave your comment that you also leave a way for me to contact you when you win. This can be done by selecting the name/URL option for "Comment as", or by any other means that will be easy for me to use. While you're at it, why not click the "Subscribe by Email" link as well, that way you're always in the loop.

Good luck to all who enter!

This giveaway has been completed, Thank You!