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Gluten and Allergen Free Expo Recap: Sweet Treats Edition

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I hope I’m painting a clear picture for you of my experience at the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo I attended in Phoenix. The Chicago Expo is coming up soon and I heard it’s even better. Today I’ll share a few of my favorite Sweet Treats from the Expo. I can’t possible mention all of the great vendors, and while all of them were gluten-free many contained other allergens that I can’t give to my son with multiple food allergies. As always carefully read labels to make sure any food recommended is appropriate for you and your family.

Gluten and Allergen Free Expo Sweet Treats

Pascha

Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate

One of the first booths I visited was for Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate. Let me tell you why I love Pascha!

  • In addition to be organic Pascha’s ingredients are non-GMO and fair trade
  • Made in a dedicated allergen-free facility (free from peanuts, nuts, dairy, soy, wheat, gluten, and egg)
  • They taste great!

I sampled two products, the 55% cacao and 70% cacao; the 55% didn’t taste like dark chocolate, it tasted like milk chocolate. The 70% taste like perfect dark chocolate, not too sweet or bitter. I’m a dark chocolate light-weight but I could eat this regularly. I didn’t taste the other varieties but I’m sure they are fantastic.

Pascha is available at select stores, on their website and even on Amazon.

HomeFree

HomeFree

I brought a sample of HomeFree Chocolate Chip cookies home for my kids to try, they loved them. Many HomeFree products are vegan and organic. They use a dedicated facility so their products are free from peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, wheat and gluten; additionally they use non-GMO ingredients.

I think these cookies are perfect for lunch boxes and road trips. We enjoyed our sample at the park. You can find them at select stores, on their website or Amazon.

Enjoy Life

Enjoy Life

I mentioned Enjoy Life in yesterday’s Savory Snacks recap but they are probably better known (and loved) for their Sweet Treats. They have a lot to offer in the Sweets category. We enjoyed their Crisp Sugar Cookies and Vanilla Honey Graham Cookies on our last road trip. I haven’t tried their Soft Baked Cookies yet.

I’ve been a HUGE fan of their Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips and Mega Chunks for years. I have a feeling their new Dark Chocolate Morsels will be life changing.

All Enjoy Life Foods products are certified gluten-free and are non-GMO. I easily find their products in most stores but they can also be found on Amazon.

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There were many other wonderful companies at the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo. Coming up, I’ll share some of my new favorite pastas, my favorite lipstick and more.

I used Amazon affiliate links in this post. 

Gluten and Allergen Free Expo Recap: Savory Snacks Edition

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This week I’ll finish up my recaps of the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo. I know this was just a 2 day event but there was a lot to see and taste.

way better snacks

Way Better Snacks

I regularly get emails from readers who see nachos in my Meal Plan or Chips and Salsa and are surprised that we still eat chips. I tell them that not all chips are created equal, Way Better Snacks easily proves this point. Their tortilla chips are made from sprouted grains and seeds. Additionally they are non-GMO and certified Gluten-Free (plus they are nut-free).

Way Better Snacks tortilla chips have a wide variety of flavors including Simply Unbeatable Blues, Simply Beyond Black Bean, Simply So Sweet Chili (my favorite) and No Salt Naked Blues. They have a clean and pure taste that avoid the greasy feel of the junk food chips you gave up.

Nacho

Beanfields

I’ve been a fan of Beanfields chips for quite a while. When I first learned about my youngest son’s allergies we started eating their Sea Salt Chips. I loved them, I’ll even admit to hiding them so I didn’t have to share. At the Expo I was able to sample several flavors but the one that stood out the most were the Nacho flavor. Beanfields gave me a sample to take home and everyone in my family LOVED them including my teenager! All of the chips are crisp and full of flavor!

Today they announced two new flavors Barbecue and Ranch. I have yet to taste these but I’m looking forward to it.

Plentils

Enjoy Life

If you have been around this blog or my kitchen you know I love Enjoy Life products. When I see the Enjoy Life label I’m confident that my son can eat safely. They have a life of chips called Plentils. Like the other two companies mentioned there were constantly people lined up at the Expo asking for these chips. I’m pretty sure they ran out. I didn’t get a chance to sample all of these so I don’t have a favorite flavor but if you are looking for an allergy-friendly chip give Plentils a try.

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If you missed my recap of local (Arizona) businesses and organizations that attended the expo click here. This week I’ll continue to share more about my experience at the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo. I can hardly wait to share my favorite pasta companies and some of the sweet treats you don’t want to miss.

Plant-Based Diet Ebook

Meal Plan Monday: Is it Spring Yet?

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If you live somewhere cold and icy let me say, I am sorry. Today’s Plant-Based Meal Plan will help you out. Maybe you too are asking, “is it Spring yet? More likely you have other choice words about the weather. I wont brag about our weather today, it actually rained this weekend which pretty much freaks everyone in Arizona out. It’s not the apocalypse, it’s called rain, time to send the kids outside to play.

Yesterday I was freezing all day, I think it had to do with the fact that I grew up in North Texas and Southwest Oklahoma and it is FREEZING there. I took a look at their temps last night and my bones started to ache. A friend mentioned something about an earthquake which led me to a very disturbing/interesting website about earthquakes. Apparently there are earthquakes in Oklahoma all the time.

I digress.

I’m still cooking for cooler weather, for the most part so even if you are snowed in you can take some inspiration from this Meal Plan. A few weeks ago I wrote a Snowed In Meal Plan that might be helpful if you have a moderately stocked fridge and pantry and can’t (or don’t want to) leave the house.

Meal Plan Monday

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

Warm breakfasts please!

Lunch

When I cold it is more difficult to eat raw veggies. I admire all of you raw foodies. Soups and stir fry’s are my favorite way to eat veggies when it’s not quite spring.

  • Leftover Stir Fry veggies on rice, noodles or potatoes
  • Leftover Soup
  • Veggie Noodle Soup
  • Black Bean Quesadillas loaded with onions, peppers and Faux Cheesy Sauce
  • Baked Potatoes topped with steamed broccoli and carrots

Dinner

I ask my husband what kinds of foods he wants to eat each week; this week he said, “soups and stuff in the crock pot.” That sounds good to me.

Do you still needing warm, comforting food? I’d love to hear what you are eating this week. Follow me on Instagram for more food pic’s.

Phoenix Gluten and Allergen Free Expo Recap Part 1

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Last week I was incredible blessed to attend the Phoenix Gluten and Allergen Free Expo. If you missed it don’t worry, there are 5 other stops throughout the year and the next one is in Chicago!

Gluten and Allergen Free Expo Highlights

Phoenix GFAFExpo

There were so many highlights I’ll need to spread them out over a couple of posts. I was on the “Blogger Team” for the expo which was a huge honor. I loved talking to brands, authors, other bloggers and people who attended. I met one lady who flew in from Colorado just to attend we swapped stories while waiting for a free chair massage from AFC Physical Medicine and Chiropractic Centers.

The Gluten and Allergen Free Expo was well-organized (and even color coded). The companies the left side (and with a red backdrop) were also made in a dedicated peanut free facility. Companies on the left (with the blue backdrop) could contain nuts. Each table had a “pop-up” sign that listed common allergens that could be found in their products. That was very helpful because I could tell after a quick glance if a product contained dairy and keep moving. There was also medical staff on site in case of injury or illness.

The expo is very family friendly but I chose not to bring my kids for three reasons:

  1. I was “working”
  2. My kids are crazy and I didn’t want to worry about them misbehaving (and driving me crazy)
  3. My 3 year old has a lot of food allergies and I knew he wouldn’t be able to eat most of the food there.

There were kids of all ages. I heard one mom tell here gluten-free son, “you can eat any thing here”. That really pulled at my heart-strings because I know how difficult it is when your kid can’t eat what everyone else eats.

Today I want to highlight some of the local (Phoenix) companies/brands who were at the Expo!

Celiac and the Beast

Many times when I would talk to people and mention I was a blogger they would say, “oh, you know Erica”. I can’t tell you how many times I heard this. It turned out they were talking about Erica Dermer, author of the book and blog Celiac and the Beast. Now I get all of the hype because she is FABULOUS! I bought her book (and you should too) and got it signed. It’s not only informative but hilarious. I also bought the Pink Cupcake Shirt! I missed Erica’s (yeah we are on a first name basis now, I’ll just pretend we are BFFs) presentation but she kindly posted it to YouTube, Gluten-Free 101: First Timer Mistakes.

Local Eateries

I also found a few local restaurants that have gluten-free options. Many of these are not plant-based or nut-free so research them for yourself before visiting them.

Spinato’s Pizzeria is a local company that I’ve heard friends rave about. They have been in business for close to 40 years and recently began serving gluten-free sandwiches and pizza. I’ve never eaten there but I hope to soon!

Jewel’s Bakery and Cafe is a dedicated gluten-free bakery and cafe but they are not plant-based. They had samples of their creations at the expo and one was vegan. If you are looking for something special call ahead and see what they have that will suit your dietary preferences.

Gluten Free Creations is a dedicated  gluten-free bakery that offers a wide range of gluten-free baked goods including breads, donuts, cupcakes, bagels, specialty cakes and more. Many of their baked goods are also nut-free and vegan but I encourage you to ask before you buy or order.

Household Needs

Lady Bug Pest Control is a local company that uses natural and organic products to help control or eliminate pests. I’ve been wanting to find an eco-friendly pest control company so I’m going to have them come over and take a look at my home. I know that some bugs are good but others  aren’t safe for my kids (or our garden).

Support

I didn’t realize there were so many support groups in my area. Even if you are not in the Phoenix area you may be able to find similar groups in your town. If not, start one yourself. These groups offer local support and activities.

Arizona Food Allergy Alliance

R.O.C.K. Raising Our Celiac Kids

Celiac Disease Foundation (Phoenix Chapter)

Stay tuned for more Gluten and Allergen Free Expo Highlights. I can’t wait to share some of my exciting finds which will include pasta, chocolate, oats, tamari, bread and more!

Meal Plan Monday: Gluten-Free Expo

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This past weekend I attended the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo in Phoenix. It was a great experience and I have tons of new products to try. I’ll be sharing more about that this week. Many of my favorite brands were there like Enjoy Life Foods but I found plenty of new products to covet like Red Apple Lipstick.

Meal Plan Monday

Plant-Based Gluten-Free Meal Plan

Breakfast

I loaded up on one of my favorite cereals this weekend at the expo so we will eat cereal most days with a few other things added in.

  • Pro-Teen Crunch Cereal
  • Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
  • Chia and Oat Cereal
  • Granola
  • Leftover Soup (I’ve been eating leftover soups and casseroles for breakfast a lot lately)

Lunch

I’m hoping for lots of leftovers and wraps this week.

  • Veggie Wraps
  • Sunbutter and banana wrap
  • Leftover soup
  • Quinoa and Bean Burrito
  • Baked Potatoes with Steamed Broccoli and Steamed Asparagus

Dinner

I have a feeling I wont want to cook much this week so I’ll use my crock pot when I can.

I have loads of fun gluten-free snacks to try. I’ll share more about them later this week.

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

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Do you want to know two words that make me swoon? Well I can think of several words but the two I’m referring to are cilantro and lime! I love them both but paired together they can take any dish to a new level. I’ve used the lime juice in the plastic lime and frozen cilantro and it was good but nothing compares to using fresh limes and fresh cilantro.

cilantro lime quinoa

I think the biggest reason is the fresh lime zest. My favorite zester is the Better Zester, it has a zest “catcher” that also measures the amount of zest. I’ve scraped off with zest off with a knife but my zester makes it much easier. I have more recipes coming that use a zester as well, here is a hint: Gluten-Free, Vegan, Lemon, Cake. I don’t want to be too obvious. 🙂

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 2 cups uncooked quinoa
  • 3 1/2 cups of water (you may need a little more, have 4 cups available)
  • 2 limes (you’ll use about 1 Tbsp zest and 1/4 cup lime juice)
  • 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro

Do

  1. Rinse your quinoa well then cook it in a pot with 3 1/2 cups of water over medium heat. Cover with a lid.
  2. While the quinoa is cooking zest limes then squeeze the juice into a cup or bowl. You will want to remove any seeds the squeeze out. Also chop cilantro, I prefer to use only the leaves because I don’t like using the stems. Set all of this (zest, juice, cilantro) to the side.
  3. After about 15 minutes check on the quinoa. When it is mostly done and all of the water has been absorbed pour the lime juice, zest and cilantro into the pot (add salt if desired) and stir well. Cover with the lid and let it cook for about 5 more minutes. Use more water if needed.

Serve

I love Cilantro Lime Quinoa with Unfried Black Beans and fresh salsa but you can use your imagination. If you think the quinoa is drying out too fast feel free to use more water, I thought it soaked up the lime juice better by using less. This recipe is difficult to mess up.

This post is shared at Plant-Based Potluck Party Link Up