January 2015 Love It, Like It, Leave It

Life's been busy here in Flint, Michigan. And looking back I realized I haven't done a "Love It, Like It, Leave it" since the end of September. That means I have 4 months of new products to highlight! Don't worry, I won't write about them all. We all have better things to do with our lives. :)

Love It

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pastas
I've tried lots of gluten free pastas in the past decade, and these may just be my favorite. Unlike most other pastas that are just a base for a sauce, these actually have a delicious flavor all on their own. They come in many different shapes, and we've tried the shells, linguine, and Veggie Curls. The Veggie Curls are extra fun as they are tri-colored. I've used the shells to make Mac and Cheese, the linguine to make chicken pomadoro, and the tri color Veggie Curls make a beautiful side pasta.
I managed to find all of these at Big Lots for $2 a box, so I stocked up.

They're usually much more expensive than this at any regular store, but you really should try them. They're worth it! 

BFree Brown Seeded Rolls
Photo from BFree Foods website

I first learned about BFree products at the Chicago GFAF Expo back in April 2014. I tried their wraps then, but wasn't overly impressed. I found these rolls at a specialty store in E. Lansing and they remind me of what I remember whole grain bread tasting like. They are by far not cheap, but for a special splurge, they're worth it.

Sam Mills Buckwheat and Millet Strawberry and Almond Granola

Photo from Walmart website
While certified gluten free oats are safe for some, they make me terribly ill. As more certified GF oat products pop up in the market, finding a granola without oats is getting harder to do. When I found this granola with oats and WITH buckwheat, I was super excited. Totally delicious and nutritious, it's great on its own, in milk, or on top of yogurt. It ranks slightly higher than Larabar's new Renola (which I also LOVE), simply because it's cheaper. Sam Mills products are made in Romania and are lower in cost than many other gluten free items. I don't think there has been anything from this company that I haven't liked. :) 

A few other things I've loved in the past few months- Simply Nature Kids Broccoli Bites from Aldi's, Blue Diamond Honey Mustard Nut Thins, evol Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese, Beanito's White Bean Nacho Cheese Chips (not to be confused with their Pinto Bean Better Cheddar, which are not tasty)


Like It

Rudi's Multi Grain Hot Dog Rolls- The reason I "like" these hot dog buns is that they really seem less like hot dog buns and more like hoagies. We used them for coney-style dogs, and they were delicious. My biggest complaint is that they are not already split. Word to the wise, if you're going to warm them in the micro for 10 seconds, keep them whole before splitting them.
We're having them today with leftover meatballs from the Super Bowl.
***Be warned, Rudi's Bakery makes GF AND non GF products. Make sure you're picking up the right item.



Mi-Del Candy Cane Cremes-
I'll be honest- I bought these because I was feeling sorry for myself. So many of my fellow bloggers were posting pictures of the new Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joe's, and I was wanting some pretty bad. Then I was in my local Meijer store and came across these! It was like a gift from God! They were tasty, and really good dipped in white chocolate. But in all honesty, now that I've had them, I think my craving will be permanently satisfied.





Thai Feast Garlic Black Pepper Chicken-

I wanted to mention this product because it's Michigan made and can be found at my local Kroger store. I also want to mention it because the family that makes this product also catered for Clint Eastwood when he was in Michigan filming "Gran Torino." Their business card has the coolest picture of the owner's mom next to Clint. Major awesomesauce. Plus, I love that this only has 300 calories per package.

Other products I've liked in the past few months- Kinnikinnick Soft White Bread, Edward & Sons Onion & Garlic Rice Snax, Russo's Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Aldi Live GFree Fusilli pasta

Leave It
Gillians's Homestyle Stuffing
I made this for myself this past Thanksgiving. I was majorly disappointed. It was very dry and not the flavor I was looking for, I guess. I'm better off making my Bob's Red Mill cornbread and making my own stuffing from scratch.

Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Crab Cakes


The Crab Cakes are to the far right of the picture
These are just a "no." I was originally so excited when I saw these at Foods For Living in East Lansing, MI. My husband has an shellfish intolerance, and these "crab"cakes were shellfish and gluten free. When we baked these up at home, they tasted bland and didn't remind me of crab at all.

Udi's Jalapeno Chicken Apple Sausage Breakfast Burrito
I was really excited when they Udi's burritos came out. But when I tried this burrito, I was less than enthused. Maybe one of their non-breakfast burritos will be better. In all honesty, I haven't found a frozen GF burrito that I've liked yet, so maybe I'm just really picky. And just now looking up the product URL, I never noticed that the "Jalapeno" on the package. I now see it was written in little letters and not in the main title.





Wholesome Cravings Banana Chocolate Chip Protein Baking Mix-
Bought this at "And That," without reading the label really well. Made them and then realized it said GF oats. My husband likes them, but they're not something I would buy again. Read the Celiathelete review here- she wasn't impressed either.


So there you have it. Four months of new food adventures wrapped into one blog post. I'll try to stay more on top of things this month, I promise. :) 

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