mmmm Lasagna!

Yes, it's been a long time since I've had lasagna.
About 3 years as a matter of fact...I could never find lasagna noodles and although I tried other pasta type concotions...it turned into baked pasta which just isnt the same as good ol' garfield would be proud lasagna.
Well this week when I wasn't really looking...I found THESE of course, by Tinkyada

Delish! We followed the recipe on the back which incorporated all sorts of yumminess like zucchini, roasted peppers and mushrooms, lightened up the fat content with skim ricotta and fat free shredded cheese...then added some smoked mozzarella and artichoke sausage (mmm) and the hub said... "no more of that boxed lasagna s^*t...coz that's what they've eaten since I've been gluten free.

The noodles are fantastic. Just the right consistency, hold their shape and texture and taste phenomenal and the sausages are great too...we'll try them on the grill next time.

Once again, I have no picture of the finished product because we consumed it too quickly...definitely worth making and easy too...my 13 year old simply followed the package directions and dinner was ready when we got home from work!

Dangerously Good Cookie!

Warning: These cookies are SO good in order to save my waistline they will NOT be a regular staple in my house.

Yes...these cookies are amazing...and the manufacturer knows it!

Banner ad from Pamela's Products

But shouldn't we all have an amazing cookie every once in a while?
By the looks of the offerings on their website, those onces may happen more often!

These mini chocolate chip morsels went too great with a big ol' glass of skim milk.
They have a crunchy texture and just the right amound of chocolate chip per cookie.
I'll definitely buy them again when I have a hanker for a cookie!
Next time, I may try the package suggestion of  making mini ice-cream sandwiches with them

Risotto Ramsey Would Love

Do you watch Hell's Kitchen? If you do you've probably noticed that Risotto is always on the menu. Last season's offering was an interesting bright green color that made my family wonder how good it could be but it got rave reviews even if it did look radioactive!

While perusing my favorite shelf stickers at the grocery store I came across Lundberg Risotto Florentine with Spinach & Mushrooms and decided to give it a go! It's very reasonably priced at $3.50 a box and went wonderfully with the chicken scaloppi and asparagus I made for dinner last night. My daughter called it "restaurant worthy!"

She is right! The risotto cooked up perfectly and was not sticky or mushy at all. We garnished with parmesean cheese and rosemary (as per the box suggestion). Following package instructions was a snap and this side dish cooked up in 20 minutes.

I steamed the asparagus with a bit of lemon zest and tossed the chicken in cornstarch with a bit of seasoning prior to cooking in just a bit of oil for 8 minutes on each side. I served the chicken atop the risotto with some capers spinkled on top.

Oh how I wish I had snapped a picture ... it was restaurant worthy :)

NatureCrops Quinoa Nutrition Bars

A friend of mine turned me on to NatureCrops and the company sent me 3 of their Quinoa Nutrition Bars.

Now if you've never tried Quinoa...you should! Even if you aren't Gluten Free Quinoa is an awesome addition to any diet and adds great variety to dishes typically served with rice, potatoes or pasta. It's a grain, but it's also very high in protein and the amino acid lysine. I love Quinoa because it takes on the flavors of whatever you cook it with. I've eaten it as a breakfast cereal with bananas and cinnamon, or as a burrito stuffing with jabaneros and black beans!

I was very excited to get these bars...someone wanted my opinion...and my kids thought I was pretty important too (but that didn't make them clean their rooms any quicker!)

I was pleasantly surprised by their texture. I thought they would be hard and crunchy but they are chewy. They are sweetened with organic brown rice syrup and organic honey and come in 3 flavors: Quinoa, Almond & Sesame seeds, Quinoa & Strawberry, and Quinoa & Prunes.

Unfortunately, I wasn't at all crazy about their taste...they were too bland for me.  As I said, Quinoa takes on the flavor of what it's prepared with and there's just not enough of the other flavors to make this bar tasty :(

I do have high hopes for the company though!
NatureCrops bars are produced in facilities that guarantee they are gluten-free, vegetarian, Halal and Kosher. They also take their social responsibility seriously  by paying fiar prices for organic quinoa and buying from local cooperatives in the Andes mountains that support the farmers.

These don't make my list of tasty take-a-long treats,  but I will be keeping my eye on NatureCrops for future offerings! You can too check them out http://www.naturecrops.com

Sticker Mania

When I was a kid I LURVED me some stickers!
I still have 3 or 4 albums full of stickers from the 80's ...I'm hoping they'll fund my sabbatical when I'm ready to start writing my novel...
Stickers!
Puffy, scratch and sniff, garbage pail kids, and unicorns out the wazoo

I have a new favorite sticker.
It makes me dance in the aisles at the grocery store....really, just ask our stock manager Brandon!

See that little blue dot with GF?
It's my new favorite sticker.


I even found a cute little lemon sticker!



A month or so ago I noticed these little blue dots on the shelves of my local Publix store. They make it easy to spot Gluten Free products while shopping. Now, the product has to be labeled GF in order to get a shelf sticker, but it sure helps when something new comes along! Like the awesome Dairy Delight Yoplait Parfaits! Lemon is definitely my favorite so far!

I remember many a very long trip to the grocery store reading labels only to be frustrated with the handful of items I could put in my cart.

These little blue stickers make grocery shopping more fun and even inspire spontaneous aisle dancing!

**I still always check ingredients on a label, companies can change ingredients and or distributors which can impact their GF friendliness so be sure to double check!