Product Review: Attune Foods Erewhon Cereal

Not too long ago I was offered the opportunity to try Attunes line of Erewhon cereal.  Their cereals are organic and made in nut free and dairy free facilities.  Both of the cereals we tried are also gluten free.   

I have never been a huge breakfast eater, especially as a kid.   My kids, on the other hand, LOVE breakfast and especially cereal.   The minute their feet hit the floor in the morning they are looking for breakfast.  One of the challenges is finding cereal they will like that is still healthy.  So far we have been pretty successful at keeping the junk cereals out of the house but they get tired of the same old thing. So we are always on the hunt for something new, tasty, and healthy.  They were just as excited as I was when our box of cereal arrived in the mail.  We got to try the Rice Twice and the Strawberry Crisp. 

Even though I have never been a huge fan of cereal, as I have gotten older I have found that there are a few types that I  really like. I have pretty high standards and won't eat just anything. Actually, I am super picky about cereal.  I don't like super sugary cereals, or ones that get soggy quickly. I want my cereal to be healthy, but to not taste like cardboard. See?  High standards.  

The first box opened the morning after it arrived was the Strawberry Crisp.

I was especially excited about this one because it is similar to an old favorite of mine that happens to contain dairy. (Why would corn flakes with strawberries contain dairy anyway??  That doesn't make sense to me.  But I digress...)
 My Middle One was the first to dig in to her bowl and she gave it Two Thumbs Up.  That's our rating system for food, by the way.  If something gets two thumbs, it's really good!

 We also tried the Rice Twice cereal.  We gave that one to the Littlest One.

This still sleepy little monkey also loved her bowl of cereal.

Of course I had to give it a try too, so I had a bowl of the Strawberry Crisp with  almond milk.  It was so much better than my old favorite!  The flakes stay crispier, and there are a ton of the strawberries. I seldom finish a bowl of cereal, but I certainly finished this one.  Sadly, I have already eaten the entire box.  I am still on the hunt for it at my local grocery store but have not had much luck.  As soon as I find it I will be stocking up!

 I have been wanting to make a batch of homemade granola and I had found a recipe that called for crisp rice cereal as part of the ingredients. I will be sharing that recipe soon, but I will tell you that this worked perfectly!

I will also be using the Rice Twice to make those marshmallow treats for the kids from now on. 

As a Mom, I am thrilled to find a wholesome, great tasting cereal that my kids love.  As a dairy free consumer, I am so glad there is a company out there that is catering to the needs of those with food intolerances.
For more information visit the Attunefoods website.

Product Review: Trader Joes Gluten and Dairy Free Homestyle Pancakes

I have not been keeping up with my product reviews and I apologize for that. So I will try to be better about keeping up with these.

I know I have mentioned it before, but I will say it again- I LOVE Trader Joes! Between getting our food from local farms, BJ's, and Trader Joes I have not stepped foot in a large grocery store chain in quite some time. And that's the way I like it. I like that every time I go into Trader Joes I leave with some new Dairy Free treat to try. This time I found their gluten free, dairy free home style pancakes. I am always looking for a quick and easy breakfast, especially since my mornings start at full speed every day. I need something that is healthy, dairy free, and that I can pop in the toaster. Not easy to find! But these fit that perfectly.




They came in individual packs of 3, which I LOVE! Cuts down on freezer burn if the box doesn't close well.


I'm not a huge fan of maple syrup, so I usually find something else to put on my pancakes or waffles. Today I decided on these:
Trader Joes Superfruit Spread, and Earth Balance.


Since I was very hungry this morning I decided to throw couple Trader Joes hashbrown patties in the oven as well. I love these, probably too much. And I am well aware that this breakfast was totally carb loaded but I was starving!

Don't judge;-)

As for the review:
On a scale of 1-5 I would give them a 4.5. They have a great texture, they actually tasted like pancakes (let's face it some dairy free items don't taste like they should!), and the portion size was perfect for one person. They aren't as good as homemade, but not far from it. If you're looking for a quick, easy breakfast I highly recommend trying these. Let me know if you agree!

More product reviews coming soon!

What are some of your favorite dairy free products?

Product Review: Second Nature Wholesome Medley

When you can't (Or choose not to) eat dairy, it can be a challenge to find a satisfying snack. I usually snack on a handful of almonds, but I do get a craving for something sweet every now and then. When I was pregnant with our 3rd child I had a bit of a sweet tooth, but I was determined to eat healthy and not gain any unnecessary weight ( it's just so hard to lose!) One shopping trip to BJ's Wholesale Club we happened to come across the most perfect, tasty, and satisfying snack for me. The Second Nature Wholesome Medley is a mix of almonds, cashews, peanuts, dried cranberries, dried cherries, and dark CHOCOLATE- So good! And it is completely dairy free! And even better- since we buy it from BJ's it comes in a large bag that is half the price of anything made by Planters (and so much better!)


The perfect afternoon snack: Half cup of the Wholesome Medley and a cup of Rooibos Tea.




**If you have a BJ's nearby, I really recommend trying them out. We've been shopping there since our 1st daughter was born 7 years ago. They offer a good selection of Organic products, and have a lot of variety They also have a great baby aisle- but we use Eco-friendly diapers and they don't sell those there.

Product Review #2 Thai Kitchen Tangy Sweet and Sour Rice Noodles with Sauce

Since I can't just run through the drive-thru ( not that I would anymore even if I could- ewwww) I like to have things on hand that are easy and quick to make in case I need to eat on the run. Today was one of those days that I didn't have time to stop and eat. I had both girls' school Christmas parties back to back, so all I had eaten was some pomegranate applesauce and my morning coffee. By the time I got home I was STARVED. On the way home all I could think of was the yummy noodle meal in my cabinet. I had picked it up at the store last week. It was a vegan meal, with basic ingredients and NO DAIRY (or fish products). I followed the directions and got ready to finally sit down and have some lunch (by now it was 3pm). But... it was DISGUSTING. It was so bad that no matter how hungry I was I just couldn't eat it. The noodles were mushy, the sauce didn't have a good flavor at all- I can't even describe it. Way too much garlic mixed with too much soy sauce, and then made sticky somehow. My expectations weren't overly high for a meal out of a box, but this was beyond bad. It ended up in the trash and I ate a pretzel rod instead.
So my rating scale doesn't even count on this one. Because on a scale of 1-5, it was a Zero hands down. (And I'm still hungry...)

Off to scrounge for something tasty.

Product Review #1: Amy's Kitchen Gluten Free Non- Dairy Spinach Pizza

I am going to be adding product reviews to my blog along with the recipes. My cheese-eating husband will also be helping with it by giving his opinion on dairy free products I try. This will ensure a non-biased review of a product. So often I have been so excited to find something that is a dairy replacement, only to be disappointed when it turns out to be awful. And since most of these products are more expensive, it can be a waste of money to buy something that turns out to not be edible or enjoyable.

My rating scale will be 1-5. 1 Being "a waste of money, totally unlike the real thing, not at all enjoyable" and 5 being "Can't tell it's dairy free".

I'll rate it based on:
Appearance
Texture
Taste

Over all score will be an average of these 3.

The first review is of Amy's Gluten Free, Non-Dairy Spinach Pizza. I LOVE pizza and I miss pizza so I have been trying to find a substitute to satisfy that craving I get every now and then. My local grocery store recently stocked this product (they carry a lot of Amy's Kitchen, but I haven't seen this pizza there before).

On Appearance I give it a 3. The cheese doesn't melt very well, and the crust burns easily on the edges.
On Texture I give it a 2. The crust is too soft and crumbly. It's almost mushy in spots. The crust seems to absorb too much moisture from the spinach mix.

For Taste I give it a 4. It actually has a very good flavor- the spinach mixture tastes almost like a pesto and I can taste a flavor similar to parmesean cheese. The soy mozerrella cheese has very little flavor but the spinach makes up for that.

Over all I give it 3.5. I give it the extra half point because, surprisingly, my very picky 4 year old loves it. She had 2 helpings. It's good for kids because it's not too cheesy so it's not a choking hazard, and the sauces aren't overpowering so it's easy for them to eat.

It's not like the real deal, but it's not bad either.