I have a love/hate relationship with Costco. If I can get there on a quiet weekday with my hubby, it's heaven! If I am forced to go on a busy weekend it's pretty much my definition of hell. I hate crowds and people that leave their carts in the middle of the aisle while they browse. I hate that I fall in love with a new product and then Costco stops carrying it.
For the most part though, Costco has some rocking good deals and they (sometimes) carry a nice variety of gluten-free products. Some you won't see anywhere else, and some are just a much better deal than buying them elsewhere.
My most recent gluten free purchases:
Crunchmaster Gluten Free Crackers
I have bought them in the small bags at Save On/Sobeys for around $3-$3.50/bag. I recently bought the club size at Costco for a little under $7 and its probably equal to about 6 of the normal bags! I love these crackers dipped in herb and garlic cream cheese.
Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips
I used to buy these before long before our family went gluten-free. They are delicious! We use them for making nachos or dipping in salsa (Newman's Own Mango is my fav). $6 for a very large bag. Great deal.
Mrs. Mays Almond Crunch Bars
I find it hard to find gluten-free snack bars that taste good and don't break the bank. These are a fairly new product that I have not seen anywhere else. They come in a bulk pack of 3 different flavors. I can't remember the price. These bars are crunchy, filling and all the flavors are delicious. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and kosher.
Suzie's Whole Grain Thin Cakes
I pack these in the kids lunches, we eat them for breakfast with peanut butter on them. Yummy thin brown rice/quinoa/flax cakes. I haven't seen them sold in Sobeys or Save On.
Silver Hills Gluten Free Omega Flax Bread
I will admit that I did not love this bread. I have been spoiled by Udi's. This bread is very dense and nutty tasting. However, my son is egg allergic and can't eat Udi's products because of this. He will eat this bread toasted with butter/cinnamon sugar or jam on it. It comes in a package of 2 loaves for around $7. Much cheaper than buying gluten free bread at your typical supermarket.
I really hope that Costco will continue to carry more and more gluten free options. As we know eating gluten-free is quite expensive and anytime we can find quality products at a discount, that is a very good thing!
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Boston Pizza
Eating healthy can be a challenge. Eating gluten-free even more so. It takes, time, energy and a lot of careful planning. Some days you might just want to throw it all out the window. Today I'm having one of those days. My husband is not home for dinner tonight. I'm not feeling well. My daughter came home from school sick so I didn't make it to the grocery store. My son is being a bit whiny. I'm not in the mood to cook. So, I stood in the kitchen and stared at the fridge and pantry hoping a meal idea would pop into my head.......
Nada....
So I ordered from Boston Pizza. We've tried their gluten free pizza before and we don't really love it. In a pinch it is edible. I think the crust is too thick and every time we order it it seems to get a bit burnt around the edges. We ordered some anyways. Beggers can't be choosers.
This time I also ordered the gluten-wise pasta (fusilli with pomodoro sauce). I ordered cheese baked on top and a side of grilled chicken breast. The pasta was good! Really good actually. I will definitely order this again. The downsides: the chicken breast was burnt and they sent a side of garlic toast (which I am positive is not gluten-free).
All in all we are fed with minimal effort and dirty dishes and there are even leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Don't forget Boston Pizza's disclaimer: *All of our GlutenWise items are prepared with gluten-free ingredients. However, due to the open nature of our kitchens, where gluten is present, and the hand-made preparation of our recipes, cross contamination can occur.
Can anyone recommend a better gluten free pizza delivery? I think we'll try Pizza 73 next time we're in a pinch.
Nada....
So I ordered from Boston Pizza. We've tried their gluten free pizza before and we don't really love it. In a pinch it is edible. I think the crust is too thick and every time we order it it seems to get a bit burnt around the edges. We ordered some anyways. Beggers can't be choosers.
This time I also ordered the gluten-wise pasta (fusilli with pomodoro sauce). I ordered cheese baked on top and a side of grilled chicken breast. The pasta was good! Really good actually. I will definitely order this again. The downsides: the chicken breast was burnt and they sent a side of garlic toast (which I am positive is not gluten-free).
All in all we are fed with minimal effort and dirty dishes and there are even leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Don't forget Boston Pizza's disclaimer: *All of our GlutenWise items are prepared with gluten-free ingredients. However, due to the open nature of our kitchens, where gluten is present, and the hand-made preparation of our recipes, cross contamination can occur.
Can anyone recommend a better gluten free pizza delivery? I think we'll try Pizza 73 next time we're in a pinch.
Monday, 11 February 2013
Dining Out - Press'd The Sandwich Company
Sherwood Park has a new Sandwich shop at Emerald Hills Centre (#510, 5000 Emerald Drive). It's called Press'd The Sandwich Company.
I am extremely impressed with the variety on their Gluten Free Menu and they made some really tasty sandwiches and salads. They use a parchment paper around the sandwich to protect it from cross contamination when they put it on the press.
Gluten free bread tends to come in smaller slices so the "half" size is actually 2 full slices of gluten free bread (Kinnickkinnick) and the "full" size is 4 full slices of gluten free bread equalling 2 small sandwiches.
I personally love the Club Press'd (Black Forest Ham, Smoked Turkey, Bacon, Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo). My daughter says the kids Grilled Cheese is the "best ever".
The owner and staff are very accommodating. My picky son (who has outgrown a dairy allergy but doesn't really like cheese) gets ham instead of cheese on his "grilled cheese".
It's fresh, hot and a great place to stop if hunger strikes while out shopping!
I am extremely impressed with the variety on their Gluten Free Menu and they made some really tasty sandwiches and salads. They use a parchment paper around the sandwich to protect it from cross contamination when they put it on the press.
Gluten free bread tends to come in smaller slices so the "half" size is actually 2 full slices of gluten free bread (Kinnickkinnick) and the "full" size is 4 full slices of gluten free bread equalling 2 small sandwiches.
I personally love the Club Press'd (Black Forest Ham, Smoked Turkey, Bacon, Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo). My daughter says the kids Grilled Cheese is the "best ever".
The owner and staff are very accommodating. My picky son (who has outgrown a dairy allergy but doesn't really like cheese) gets ham instead of cheese on his "grilled cheese".
It's fresh, hot and a great place to stop if hunger strikes while out shopping!
Friday, 8 February 2013
Quick and easy dinner
I'm fairly new to the gluten-free world. Our family been doing it for a few months and so far I'm seeing some pretty nifty results. I'll delve into that another day. Up until now I've been in research mode - reading blogs and books and everything I can get my hands on. There is a great website called Gluten Free Edmonton that I have learned a lot from. I live in Sherwood Park and don't always get into the city so I thought I would do something similar for the community which I call home.
I enjoy searching for new recipes for my family (Thank you Pinterest!) and I enjoy cooking as well. I don't enjoy the clean up though and as a busy Mom sometimes I just want a simple wholesome meal with minimal dirty dishes!
I recently discovered these delicious soups made by Happy Planet. I found them at Save On Foods in the deli section.
These soups are gluten free, preservative free and use organic ingredients whenever possible. Just heat and serve! We've tried the Mediterranean Minestrone and it was excellent. Tonight we are having Tuscan Tomato soup with the addition of Tru Roots gluten free pasta (Save On or Costco) to make the kids happy. Pretty yummy stuff. I seriously can't wait to try every flavor!
On the side (and in the soup) we had Glutino Table Crackers (found at Walmart and Sobeys) which are a pretty decent replacement for the old Premium Saltines that we loved. We also had Maple Leaf Naturals Salami slices and slices of cheddar. We made little sandwiches out of the crackers, meat, and cheese.
I think this would make a pretty decent school lunch for my with the addition of some fruit on the side!
I enjoy searching for new recipes for my family (Thank you Pinterest!) and I enjoy cooking as well. I don't enjoy the clean up though and as a busy Mom sometimes I just want a simple wholesome meal with minimal dirty dishes!
I recently discovered these delicious soups made by Happy Planet. I found them at Save On Foods in the deli section.
These soups are gluten free, preservative free and use organic ingredients whenever possible. Just heat and serve! We've tried the Mediterranean Minestrone and it was excellent. Tonight we are having Tuscan Tomato soup with the addition of Tru Roots gluten free pasta (Save On or Costco) to make the kids happy. Pretty yummy stuff. I seriously can't wait to try every flavor!
On the side (and in the soup) we had Glutino Table Crackers (found at Walmart and Sobeys) which are a pretty decent replacement for the old Premium Saltines that we loved. We also had Maple Leaf Naturals Salami slices and slices of cheddar. We made little sandwiches out of the crackers, meat, and cheese.
I think this would make a pretty decent school lunch for my with the addition of some fruit on the side!
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