Product Review: Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro Gourmet Olives

I never used to be an olive person. I believe it's one of those acquired tastes, like blue cheese, or wine. It took me an incredibly long time to warm up to them, but if I had these olives before, circumstances might have been different.

Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro Gourmet Olives are heavenly. They are marinated in wine...that's right...Napa Valley merlot or chardonnay, depending on the variety.

I have never had an olive that beats out these guys.
If you have no problem with garlic, I highly recommend the Garlic Stuffed Olives, because that's what got me hooked on this brand. My belly no longer likes garlic, but go grab yourself a jar, eat 1 (or five!), and then go give your love a big garlic-y kiss!

If you're not into the garlic (or the garlic-y kisses), I also discovered that they've got Jalapeno Stuffed Olives, which are marinated in the Napa Valley Chardonnay!

Also delicious! They're not that spicy, if you are sensitive to that kind of thing. The jalapeños add just enough kick to that already perfect base of spices.

Find them at your local Safeway, and serve them at your next dinner party.

Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Devil's Food Cupcakes.

OH
MY
GOD.


I made these cupcakes for a celebration I'm attending tomorrow, and I don't know if they will make it.
I bought a Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake Mix a while back and never ended up using it for its intended purpose. Tonight I pulled it out, hesitantly (as I always am with new GF products). Wow

These cupcakes make me cheat a little on other allergies--it requires 3 eggs to bake---but since my egg reactions are so minor, I cheated on this one. Make your own decisions on whether or not you can do this. You know your body!

I followed the recipe on the back, with the following exception:

Instead of 1 cup WATER- I used unsweetened almond milk!

That's the only difference I made! I baked them at 325F(+) for 23 minutes exactly.

I topped them with a classic buttercream icing- again substituting almond milk for milk/cream. Delish!

I'm not kidding when I say this mix is amazing. Pretty sure I (unintentially) closed my eyes the entire time I ate my cupcake. I was that happy.

PS. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of my completed work for you all to see. I decorated the cupcakes with a tiffany blue icing and they were beautiful AND delicious. I served them to people at this celebration, and one woman came up to me and said "Is this ACTUALLY gluten-free? Because, gluten-free stuff is not this good".

Others, who had no idea the cupcake was gluten-free, complimented me on how delicious they were.

Product Review: Lander's Australian Macadamia Shortbread

So the time may have passed for shortbread...if you only eat cookies during Christmas! I say, cookies all year round!

In my stocking this year I found a box of Lander's Australian Macadamia Shortbread. Boxed gluten-free goods, you say? I'm always skeptical. I waited to open the box for a week or so before one night my sugar craving was so intense I tore open the box hoping to find greatness on the inside.

Sooooooooo yummmmmmmmmy........

I could easily eat 5 of these cookies if I didn't hold myself back. So deliciously buttery, and a texture just like traditional shortbread. They DO contain dairy, so if you're exceptionally allergic to dairy, unfortunately you can't eat them. I'm not sure how much--- I really don't find myself reacting to them at all.

I haven't seen them anywhere except London Drugs. They were sold out at one location, so it appears that others may have discovered the greatness of these cookies. They come in at $4.50 a box. London Drugs carries a fantastic amount of gluten-free goods--from cookies and crackers, to cereal, to flours! It's an awesome place to check out for a little bit of grocery shopping! The London Drugs on Georgia/Granville has a much larger grocery section than the one on Davie/Cardero. I haven't been to others in town.

Panne Rizo-- Vancouver

Panne Rizo is a place I avoided for a long time. It's a rice-based bakery in Kitsilano that is absolutely 100% gluten-free.

The words "rice bakery" just scared me to death. I have had some awful experiences with rice-based goods...I just imagined everything would be dry, dry, dry. I was afraid to go, and be sad with what I found. Isn't it wonderful to have your expectations blown out of the water?!

I'm so sad that it took me so long to go. This place is glorious. The food is WONDERFUL. I've tried a few different products, and am absolutely in love.

They always have a variety of samples available, which is awesome...you get to try before you buy! Who doesn't love samples?!

Products I've tried:

Chia Bread- Absolutely delicious. I eat it lightly toasted, and the taste reminds me of an english muffin/crumpet. It's become a staple in my house. I buy two loaves at a time, and keep them in the freezer. It's vegan, so NO eggs! That's tough to find in gluten-free bread. It's the only vegan bread loaf in the bakery as far as I know.

Multigrain Loaf- This was a good multigrain loaf. I prefer the chia....bread is more of a 'treat' now for me, so I don't really care if there's seeds or different grains in it. It's less moist than the chia bread.

Breadcrumbs- SO GOOD. I need to go buy some more immediately. I made breaded fish, chicken, yam fries, zucchini, and more with this product. Homemade chicken strips....I thought I was dreaming! Definitely something to keep in the house.

Gingerbread Men- I bought these at Christmastime. They were spicy, and delicious. You would never know the difference between these and "normal" gingerbread men. The package was so cute with a family of 4- two big gingerbread men, and two babies!

Pfeffernussen- This is a type of German Christmas cookie that I discovered through Panne Rizo. They are like little snowballs. They're similar to a ginger cookie, but covered with powdered sugar. Lightly spiced, and absolutely delicious. Between my boyfriend and I, we went through about 2 dozen!

Foccaccia- When I first tried this, I said, "It's actually foccaccia". You won't be disappointed in this one. Careful though, it's heavy on the garlic (delicious, but my tummy was unhappy with me...I'm not supposed to do garlic). I couldn't resist.



I'm slowly discovering more and more of their products, and have not yet been disappointed. Everything's been a wonderful discovery, and I will forever be a loyal customer. It looks like you can order their products online- I'm not sure if they ship!

It also looks like a variety of stores also carry their products including:
Whole Foods (Lower Mainland)
Urban Fare
Planet Organic (Victoria, Coquitlam)
Nature's Fare (Langley)
Edible Flours
Tamaringo's Cafe (Langley)
Good Nature Health Foods (North Vancouver)

I haven't seen them there, but would love to know if you have! Leave me a comment below!

Protein Powder and Favourite Smoothies!

With so many different protein powders on the market- it's hard to pick which one. I've had great, good, average, and terrible protein powders, and with all my allergies it's tough to find one that works!

I discovered Organic Rice Protein by Prairie Naturals through a friend, and absolutely love it! It comes in 360 and 720g versions, and in several flavours! It's organic, and vegan-- which I think is tougher to find on the market. Most protein powders have whey- which is milk-derived. It's 100% gluten-free, and is made from sprouted brown rice.

There are 24 grams of protein per serving, and most importantly, it's delicious.
I've tried only the French Vanilla favour, but it also comes in Café Caramel, and Natural. You can find information on all of Prairie Naturals protein products here.

I bought the 360g one, but found that between me and my boyfriend, we ZOOMED through the whole thing. I'm much happier with the 720g, but it's harder to find! In Vancouver, you can find the 720g at Body Energy Club for the best price of $38.99. Whole Foods sells the 360g flavours, but not as good of value.

Here are some smoothie recipes I've created, and have daily! They fill me up, and none of that "they really fill you up" diet lies--I mean it!

Awake Smoothie Recipe:

1 medium banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
Splash of juice
4 ice cubes
1 chunk of cucumber (about 2 inches- skin and all)
Small handful of kale
2 Scoops Organic Rice Protein
1 tsp Macha

Blend until smooth!


Simple Vanilla Smoothie:

1 medium banana
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 scoops Organic Rice Protein

Blend until smooth!


Cucumber is a great addition to a smoothie- it's a low-calorie, neutral vegetable that can go undetected in your otherwise fruity smoothie! Great way to get your greens!

Yummy Product Review: Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss

Alright people. We are talking about a serious topic here. Ice Cream.

More importantly, we are talking about Soy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan (aka. Dairy-Free) Ice Cream.

I had heard about this product through the grapevine, and had been dying to try it. A little while ago at my local Whole Foods, this product was on sale, and I grabbed the VERY LAST carton of it.

The one that was left was called "Naked Coconut"- and even though I'm not a crazy coconut fan, I decided I had to try it.

This stuff is unreal. Although pricey, it is so rich in flavour that you'll find yourself only eating a little at a time (and still being entirely satisfied).

This Naked Coconut flavour was rich in coconut flavour, with little pieces of actual coconut mixed around inside. This is something you'll eat right out of the carton.

I'm looking forward to trying some of their other flavours, including Naked Almond Fudge, Vanilla Island, and Cappuccino. Based on their website, it looks like they have 10 flavours of ice cream, and 2 flavours of ice cream bars available in Canada.

I've seen this product sold at Whole Foods, and Choices Markets so far.
If you love your ice cream, like I do, go out and try this! I highly recommend it!