Category Archives: Reviews and Giveaways
Have a great allergy product or allergen free product? I would love to review it, and share it with my blog followers!
WholeLife Expo and Sephira, Cirque of the Soul Show
What a fun, educational, and interesting day!! Unexplained tummy tingles, guardian angels, and a beautiful cirque were the highlights! I have shared quite a few pics of the cirque so you can see how amazing it was!
Yesterday Lizzie and I went to the WholeLife Expo in Schaumburg, IL, as official bloggers. We were given tickets for entry to the expo, tickets to two of their workshops, and tickets to Sephira, Circque of the Soul show. The Expo ran from May 31 through today, June 2nd. We could not attend on Friday or Sunday due to previous commitments, but Lizzie and I attended Saturday. When we arrived, there was some confusion getting our tickets, and one of our workshops was cancelled, because the speaker had a car accident on Friday. :0(
A lot of the content of the expo was spiritual healing, meditation, angels, eco-fashions, metaphysical jewelry and stones, clairvoyants and psychics, chiropractic wellness care, and natural products like volcanic ash and essential oils. There were 10 stages located throughout the expo with demonstrations, classes, and music. There were yoga demonstrations, and speakers who spoke on everything from channeled healing meditation, dreams, organic alternative products, inspirational music, whole body nutrition, planetary shifts, and a lot of speakers that discussed how to empower your life through mediumship, meditation, and metaphysical healing.
One of the workshops available on Saturday, that Lizzie and I thought would be really neat to attend was the Karen Paolino-Correia workshop called Meet Your Guardian Angels. Karen is an angel messenger.
This was a two hour workshop, where she discussed that everyone has two guardian angels watching over them, who want to guide us in our lives, and also who want to help us achieve our goals. She did a deep meditation session and taught us how to connect with our guardian angels. She also gave out one card before the workshop and one after the workshop. They were supposed to convey a message.
My first card was friendship, and my second was break free “Try different ventures and experiences as a way to grow and learn.” My own interpretation of the cards was that since I started this blog with Lizzie, that I have delved into a world of things I have never tried before. I am learning so many things and experiencing things like this expo that I probably would not have even considered attending before.
I learned quite a bit about therapeutic-grade essential oils. There are so many uses for them. I will leave that for a whole separate post, because I could go on and on!
I did purchase a Magnetite magnetic bracelet from Magnets and More. Magnetic bracelets are used to alleviate a range of conditions. There are several benefits of wearing a magnetic bracelet, including enhanced endorphins, releasing pain and discomfort, faster diffusion of ions and gasses through cellular membranes, i.e. lungs, circulatory system, etc., increased lymphocyte production, increased circulation, up to 80 percent reduction in muscle soreness after major workouts, boost the immune system, maximize the brain’s ability to function. The brain has minute particles of Magnetite, which causes the neural synapses to fire. Augmenting this Magnetite Field allows for the optimum usage of the brain increasing focus, clarity, and improved memory. I have heard several athletes have begun wearing them also, so I thought, why not?
Lizzie tried a Reiki. If you are unfamiliar with Reiki, it is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. Lizzie said she felt good and energized afterwards!
We both agreed to try a reality shift, by David Jepsen from Gadflyshifts. He did each of us separately, and asked us both what we would like changed or made clear. You may think we are crazy, but as I was sitting in the chair, I got this weird feeling in my stomach similar to pins and needles or a tingling feeling. I looked at Lizzie with this “what the hell?” look and David said, “I am in your abdomen now making adjustments”. He then said he was going into other parts of my body, and although I did not feel anything like the stomach thing, it was really trippy! I did not tell Lizzie what I felt, and she went next. When we were both done, she said experienced this tingling/pins and needles someplace else and THEN he told her that he was there too. As you can see we were sitting in a folding chair, just like the one he was sitting on. As Lizzie was sitting up there, I kept looking for some explanation as to why I would have felt the tingling inside my stomach. I saw the rubber mat we were sitting on, but even with some kind of machine that would have caused vibrations, there is no way to explain only feeling it in certain parts of our body, and the feeling was internal, not external. Yes, it was a very neat, but freaky, experience!
We walked the entire expo a couple of times, and watched a few of the other speakers on the stages, but since our other workshop got cancelled, we were left with some spare time, before the Circque. It was dinner time, so we decided to take the free trolley from the convention center to the Woodfield Mall. I had never been on a trolley before, so this was a fun new experience for me! We walked around the mall for a little while, and got some dinner while we were there, then took the trolley back to the convention center. It was great, because it was pouring and the trolley offered door to door service!
Then it was time for the Sephira, Cirque of the Soul. It was an AMAZING show! The acrobats were amazing and the things they did were even more amazing. We were both riveted to our seats watching all their talent! It was a beautiful end to a nice day!
Disclaimer: We were provided with passes to all of the things mentioned above, but were not compensated financially in any way. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Review: Nonuttin’
Right off, I love the name!! Nonuttin’ says it all! Their products are free of ELEVEN allergens!! Yes, 11! Their products are dairy free (including all derivatives such as casein and whey), egg free, fish free, certified gluten free, mustard free, peanut free & tree nut free (including employees signing a contract that they do not eat peanuts/tree nuts before work or bring them into any area of the No Nuttin’ facility), sesame free, shellfish free, soy free (including soy lecithin), no sulfites, wheat free, AND since the USA lists coconut as a tree nut, no coconut either!
Are you allergic to latex? No latex gloves are used on any Nonuttin’ production line either! Avoiding refined sugar? They only use evaporated cane sugar! So their products must taste like cardboard right? It can’t be free of all these things, and actually taste good, right? WRONG! Their products are delicious! Nonuttin sent Lizzie and I a bunch of their products to try and they were all delicious! Our kids loved them all!
The first thing we tried was their Nonuttin’ All Natural Granola. The girls loved putting it in their yogurt or just eating it plain. Bean loved the Vanilla Cinnamon, and Bubbles favorite fruit is blueberry, so she really loved the Blueberry Maple.
The next thing we tried was their granola bars. YES, they have granola bars! AND they are peanut free granola bars! Can you tell how excited I am about this? If your child has a peanut allergy, you understand my excitement. I have not found ANY safe granola bars for Bean at any of the stores around here. They are always “made on the same equipment” or “may contain”. Well these contain No Nuttin! Their granola bars come in four varieties – Apple Cinnamon, Raisin (both pictured below), Chocolate Chip, and Double Chocolate Chunk. Their granola bars are soft and chewy, and you can actually see the apple and raisins in them! Definitely a favorite here!
Next we tried their oatmeal! They come in these great little cups, with lids. Just add boiling water (I just used really hot water), pour it up to the line in the cup, put the cover back on for a couple minutes and TADA, the perfect cup of oatmeal! I was really leery of these at first. I really thought they would be soupy, and I really dislike soupy oatmeal, but they seriously turned out perfect! There are four varieties – Daily Hug (apples and cinnamon), Morning Mojo (apples, blueberries, apples, raw sunflower seeds, and cinnamon), Pacific Coast Morning (blueberries and cranberries), and Sunny Start (cranberries, raisins, and raw sunflower seeds). We tried the Morning Mojo and Daily Hug. Bean had the Morning Hug and loved it. Bubbles tried the Morning Mojo, but was not thrilled about the sunflower seeds. I like it though and finished it off for her!
Lizzie came over for a cookout, and we had to figure something for the kids to have for dessert. The dessert had to be gluten free for Lizzie’s kids, peanut free for Bean, and dairy free for Bubbles. It is always so very difficult finding a snack that all the kids can enjoy. Often, we find a product that is allergen free OR gluten free, however these are the best of both worlds, and allowed all of our children to enjoy them! They loved them, and even the dog wanted some! LOL Lots of smiling faces, and no one was left out!
Nonuttin is a great treat for field trips, on the go, as a quick snack, also they are great for kids to bring in as a safe treat for school for birthdays or for snack day. All the kids could have these! They are soft and chewy and sooo good, especially the Double Chocolate Chunk, and all the kids will love them!
Disclaimer: Nonuttin’ sent us the products pictured above to review, in exchange for our honest opinions of their products. We were not compensated in any way, and all of the opinions were our own and not influenced in any way.
Review & Giveaway – Two Fat Guys Gourmet Barbecue Sauce!
While at the GFAF Expo, we tried Two Fat Guys Gourmet Barbecue Sauce. Lizzie and I agreed that it was so delicious! We were thrilled about doing this review. Two Fat Guys Gourmet Barbecue Sauce is made with all natural products like tomatoes, garlic, brown sugar, honey, and other good ingredients that I know and can pronounce! There is nothing artificial, and is free of nuts, eggs, and dairy. It is also gluten-free and contains no high fructose corn syrup! We avoid high fructose corn syrup, so I was really happy about that. Two Fat Guys Gourmet Barbecue Sauce comes in four varieties – Mild, Smoky, Spicy, and Lava Hot. It is also made right here in our home state of Illinois!
So Lizzie and I planned a date, and we sure did have perfect weather for a barbecue! We decided to make chicken breasts, shish kabobs, pulled pork, and corn on the cob. Everyone wanted to try different flavors of the sauce, so we decided to grill everything and then put the sauce on ourselves afterward.
I am not a big fan of spicy food, but I loved the Mild and Smoky flavored sauce. The kids preferred them also, with the Mild being their favorite.
However some like it hot, and Lizzie, her hubby, and my hubby preferred the Spicy and especially the Lava Hot! All of it was so very tasty on the kabobs, and the shredded pork. It has to be some of the best barbecue sauce we have tried. We were all so full after the kabobs and pulled pork, that we only tried a small piece of chicken in the sauce, but that was delicious too!
Two Fat Guys Gourmet Barbecue Sauce is available at many stores. You can find out if it’s available at one near you by clicking here and selecting your state or clicking purchasing it online!
HOWEVER, we just can’t keep Two Fat Guys Gourmet Barbecue Sauce to ourselves though, so we are doing a giveaway, so you can try it too! With Father’s Day right around the corner, this is the perfect gift for the man who loves to grill! The giveaway includes the following items:
You can enter the giveaway by clicking on this link a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: We were provided with the sauces and mugs shown in the first picture of this review, in exchange for our honest opinion of their barbecue sauces. We were not compensated in any way, and all opinions are our own.
Review: So Excited about Sun Cups! (Nut free, Gluten Free, Certified Kosher)
Annie’s Allergy Review:
I was standing in line at my local grocery store, waiting to check out. I looked over and saw a package of Sun Cups. It said they were made with Sunflower Butter and Milk Chocolate. I got so excited that a product that was safe for my daughter was actually available at my local grocery store. I looked all over the candy section that lines the checkout, but it was the only package. I actually loaded my groceries back into my cart and went in search of them in the store. I asked someone working in the grocery department where I could find them. I was told in the gluten free section. I found the box and decided to purchase two packages. Each package comes as a two pack of cups. When I got home, I was thrilled to tell my family about my find! We opened them right up, and all tried them. My severely peanut allergic daughter and the rest of our family loved them! They were really good and JUST like real peanut butter cups.
Other than tasting fantastic, I was thrilled to see on the packaging that these are nut-free, gluten-free, Certified Kosher, AND made with all natural chocolate, using cacao from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. That means the chocolate in Sun Cups comes from farms that look out for their workers and the planet! I was also happy to see that they are made right in Boulder Colorado, AND their packaging has been created from home-compostable film, certified to OK Compost’s Home Composting Standard. I had to know more, so I went to Sun Cup’s website.
I was thrilled to find they had more varieties like Sunflower Butter and Dark Chocolate, Caramel Cups, and Mint Cups too! I emailed them telling them I was thrilled to find their product in my local grocery store, but that they only carried one variety. They were so very nice and sent us two of each of each flavor for Lizzie and I to review!
Every one of these were fantastic and are just like a real peanut butter cup. The shape, the packaging, even the taste, except they are SAFE! The caramel cups were a HUGE hit, and was Bubble’s favorite. Lots of gooey caramel in the middle of the chocolate. Sooo good. I love dark chocolate, so the Sunbutter and Dark Chocolate ones are my favorite. The Sunbutter and Milk Chocolate, and the Mint were Bean’s favorite. The mint Sun Cups taste just like a peppermint patty, but a little more gooey! Mmmmm! Can you tell, I loved them all? I cannot wait for my store to start carrying more varieties, and will be putting in a special request for them. In the meantime, they can be purchased online at Sun Cup’s online store.
Lizzie’s Gluten Free Review:
Oh my gosh!!! We could not say enough about how amazing these were. Annie sent over a sample of each flavor and we cannot wait to buy more. We were not very happy about sharing! The mint are a great minty gooey amazing concoction of goodness. Bear and Bee decided that the caramel was the best. Nice and gooey and a very generous amount of caramel. The milk chocolate ones were pretty good as well. But, my favorite by far was the dark chocolate sun cup. Amazingly rich dark chocolate combined with that slightly salty roasted sunflower seed flavor of the sun butter. Just. The. Best. These are definitely going to be a staple in the mommy treat drawer. I’m usually not stingy but the dark chocolates are gunna be mama’s only! We love that they are organic and compostable as well. It makes it even better that they are not only gluten free but also nut free! My kids have quite a few friends with nut allergies and its so nice to have something that I can serve everyone. Thanks for an amazing product!
Disclaimer: Sun Cups sent us all of the products pictures above in exchange for our honest reviews. We were not compensated in any way for this, and all opinions are our own and were not influenced in any way.
Udi’s Easy Lunch Roll Ups
My daughter is not a big fan of bread, but she loves tortillas. Here is a super easy and quick lunch idea! Start out with Udi’s gluten, nut, soy, and dairy free plain tortillas. Place two slices of lunch meat on the tortilla – my daughter loves bologna, so that’s what we used this time. My other daughter loves honey ham, so we use that for her. Top with cheese, and roll up like a taco. One daughter loves them just like this, my other daughter likes them warmed up (15-20 seconds) in the microwave so the tortilla is softer & so the cheese melts. We have also put Wowbutter or Nutella and jelly in them and rolled them up. Just be sure to fold in the end or the jelly drips out.
Disclaimer: I was provided with Udi’s tortillas. I was not financially compensated in any way.
Review: Kid-E Tags
Kid-E Tags have multiple products to let people know people know that you or your child has a medical condition! It can be life threatening food allergies, or any other medical condition. All of the tags can easily be attached to almost anything, and can easily be changed from one item to another. These tags are great for children or adults with any medical condition. Kid-E Tag sent me their tags to review.
My favorite item from Kid-E Tag is the refrigerator magnet. This is a must have! It is a dry erase fridge magnet, where you can easily write your emergency contact information.
This product allows anyone at your home, to have medical information at their finger tips! It is great to have for your sitter, relative, or even just to keep on your fridge for emergencies. In many cases when someone calls 911, they are panicked and scared, and forget necessary information. Your sitter may live across the street, but will suddenly forget the address. When calling 911, minutes can mean everything. Also, if ever something happened to me, and my child had to call 911, she can see our address too. She knows it, but in an emergency, will she really remember it off the top of her head? Probably not. Also, since it’s a dry erase magnet, you can write any information you want on it. For my sitter, I could write, “severe peanut allergy, Epipen on counter, bedtime at 8, no snacks after 6pm”. Then I can erase it and write something else for the next time.
Another neat product is the shoe tag. It attaches to any lace or velcro shoes. The child’s private information can be written on the backside, and then covered by a clear label. The red stands out and alerts everyone that your child has a medical condition. Great idea for school field trips!!
Another great product is the Kid-E Car Seat/Bag Tag. It also can easily be attached to anything! It can be attached to back packs, strollers, overnight bags, or car seats, just to name a few. The car seat idea is fantastic! If in a serious accident, this tag will alert medical response personnel to any medical condition your child has. The back is blank and has ample room to write medical conditions, phone numbers, etc.
Last but not least, is the Key Tag. It has a lobster claw, so it can attach to anything. It can be attached to keys, coats, or purses. I think this idea is fantastic for adults & children alike. I like this idea for elderly people, like my grandmother. She can keep it on her keys, and it will have medical info and emergency phone numbers if needed.
These are really great products for anyone with a medical condition, not just a food allergy! All of their products are VERY reasonably priced, and available on their Facebook store. You can order their products here
Disclaimer: I was sent the above shown and mentioned products from Kid-E Tag to review. I was not financially compensated in any way, and all of the opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Review: Sweet Alexis (peanut, nut, dairy, and egg free) plus discount!
I received a package from Sweet Alexis, and what an amazing package it was! It contained two decorated cookies, chocolate chip cookies, ginger cookies, pumpkin raisin bread, and banana bread. All of their products are peanut, egg, dairy, and egg free! Sweet Alexis was developed by a mom whose daughter, Alexis, has multiple “life threatening” food allergies to the following: All dairy products and derivatives of dairy, eggs, shellfish, all nuts, including tree nuts and peanuts, mustard and cherries.
She also has environmental allergies and is asthmatic. She is so severe that three separate doctors have refused to perform skin tests on her for fear that she would go into anaphylaxis. These products are made by a mom who KNOWS all to well the battle of trying to keep our children safe from their allergens. She has had a long, scary road, and battles every day to stay safe. You can read her story here.
The first thing my girls wanted to tear into were the beautifully decorated cookies. My one daughter loves pink, so she chose the Heart Cookie. My other loves blue, so she chose the Patriotic cookie. My girls said the cookies were so delicious! They wouldn’t let me have a taste, so I have to take their word for it.
Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, so I dug right into those. I took a bite, and it was one of the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever tried! I can honestly say, I have a new favorite cookie! They truly are delicious! They are soft and have large chocolate chips. I hate to admit, but I gave my girls and hubby one to try, and ate the rest of the bag myself! It took me three days to eat them, so luckily the bag is resealable. They stayed fresh and soft, even after I opened the bag repeatedly. My family agreed that these were some of the best chocolate chip cookies they have tried. There will be people who say, they are just chocolate chip cookies, how good could they be? Once you have had a Sweet Alexis chocolate chip cookie, all the rest will fail in comparison.
I am not a big fan of ginger cookies, and my husband is not a big fan of sweets, but he opened the bag, had one, and said, “Wow, these are good!”. I tried one and he was right. They are good! They have just the right amount of ginger to make them taste good, but not be overwhelming. The texture and consistency of the cookie is great too. Both of my girls thought they were yummy too! Both cookies were the perfect size, and tasted like fresh-baked homemade cookies! I cannot say enough about how great these cookies are!
We then tried the breads! Both were amazing. The banana bread rivals my home-made banana bread. Both breads are soft and moist, and very tasty! I love pumpkin, and never considered putting raisins in it, but it was really good and tasted like a spice bread. The tops were soft, like when they are home-made. I honestly, cannot find one thing bad to say about any of their products. They were just downright GOOD! I was amazed that they are peanut free, nut free, dairy free, AND egg free! I would have never guessed.
Mother’s Day is right around the corner and Sweet Alexis is offering a 15% discount right now, promo code: spring13
Disclaimer: I was provided a with the above shown products, in exchange for my honest opinions of their products. I was not financially compensated in any way. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Review: Hope Paige Medical ID Marketplace
I am a firm believer that Medical Bracelets are necessary for any child with a life threatening food allergy. Any allergy doctor will tell you that, and there are so many benefits to having one. I honestly cannot think of a reason for a severely allergic child not to wear one. It is one of the only ways for people, medical or not, to be alerted to Bean’s severe peanut allergy in case she cannot speak. If, God forbid, Bean accidentally ingested something with peanuts, and had a severe reaction due to her asthma, and could not speak, she can always point to her bracelet to alert people of what is going on.
Bean will be eight years old in July, and is in second grade. She is my little fashionista. She worries about her clothes, matching outfits, wearing matching shoes, and trying to accessorize her outfits. More and more she has been asking if she HAS to wear her allergy bracelet. The type she has been wearing, since she was 18 months old, is a plain stainless steel one. As a toddler and preschooler, she loved her medical alert bracelet. It was shiny and she felt important and special wearing it. As she is getting older though, she tells me it’s ugly, doesn’t match with her outfit, or it’s boring, and she doesn’t want to wear it. I find myself constantly telling her that she MUST wear her bracelet. It is a medical bracelet, and it’s not meant to be fashionable or pretty. It is there for a specific reason, not as an accessory!
Then Hope Paige Medical ID Marketplace came along! They sent Bean a Pink Aluminum Design Bracelet to try out. Pink is Bean’s favorite color! When she first saw it, she was thrilled that it was pink, and told me she “LOVED IT!!” She asked right away to put it on. She has not complained about wearing it, and has been wearing pink every day to match it. I asked her what she likes about it, and she said, “I love the cool design on the chain. It looks like a pretty bracelet, not just a medical bracelet.”
When it arrived, the first thing I thought was that the container it came in was a great idea! It is a great place to keep her bracelet if she does have to take it off. Currently, her old bracelet is being stored in it, while she wears her new bracelet. I like that it has the Hope Paige label on the top and it is easily identifiable as a place to hold her bracelet. No throwing it on her dresser, on a counter, etc. She knows to put it in the container, if she does take it off, which is rare, and it has a secure lid, so it won’t get lost.
The clasp is a lobster claw, and I had some reservations about it getting caught on clothes, or accidentally opening, however so far, it has not opened up or gotten caught on anything. I am happily surprised. Bean went to gymnastics practice, and she is not allowed to wear her medical bracelet there, and it was so simple to get the clasp open and take off the bracelet, and put it back on when practice was done. I have told her repeatedly that although it is easy to get off, she needs to keep it on and wear it all the time. Her response was, “I know Mom. I don’t want to take it off. It’s pretty!”
The outside plate is not engraved, and just has the medical alert symbol, however the backside that sits against her wrist is engraved, and has 3 lines, with up to 22 characters per line. When looking online, the site does not specify which side of the bracelet would be engraved. I assumed it would be the front, where everyone could see. However, when it arrived, the underside that sits against her wrist was engraved. My husband pointed out, if the front were engraved it would get all scratched up and might be difficult to read, while the underside against her wrist will not.
The backside says:
Severe Peanut Allergy
The most important thing to me is that she is safe, and that she wears her medical alert bracelet. Since she loves this one, I don’t have to argue or discuss why she needs to keep it on. She wants to wear it all the time, rather than she has to wear it, and that gives me peace of mind that she will keep it on.
Hope Paige Medical ID Marketplace offers several options for children, teens, and adults. They even have a design a bracelet options to make your own fashionable medical ID. They also offer Text ID which is a neat idea too! Looking for a discount? Here ya go!
Disclaimer: My daughter was provided a medical alert bracelet, in exchange for our honest opinions of their products. I was not financially compensated in any way. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Review: Amanda’s Own REAL chocolate (dairy free, nut free, egg free, gluten free, sesame free, fish/shellfish free)
Amanda’s Own Confections makes dairy-free, nut-free, sesame-free, egg-free, fish/shellfish free, and gluten-free chocolate. This candy is made by someone who knows what it’s like to have a child with a food allergy. Their daughter, Amanda, has a life-threatening food allergy to milk, so they developed this natural chocolate especially for her! At first sight, their packaging is pretty and decorative. I was sent a chocolate bar and a Fancy Squares Box. The Fancy Squares Box was so pretty I didn’t want to open it, however I gave in to my overwhelming love of chocolate.
The next thing I noticed is the ingredients list. The chocolate is made with real, pronounceable, natural ingredients! You cannot get more simple than that! This is REAL chocolate! No artificial preservatives, additives, or ingredients!
I have never had real chocolate before, so when I bit into a piece of the candy bar, it tasted like dark chocolate, and I actually looked at the packaging to make sure it wasn’t dark chocolate. If you are expecting a milk chocolate taste, REAL chocolate does not taste like that. I love dark chocolate though, and really liked the taste of this chocolate. I remember thinking, this is the first time I have tried REAL chocolate! My daughter’s both tried some of the candy bar and they both really loved the taste too!
The Fancy Squares were also super yummy. As you can see the chocolate has a much darker color, and also the consistency is harder than milk chocolate. These are very yummy, but I would not recommend them for small children. My five-year old had a hard time eating this. Her little jaw was not strong enough to bite through it. I cut it up for her, and she ate it just fine, and loved it, but I do not recommend giving this to a child whole. A decadent chocolate treat, exclusively just for Mom or Dad? Sign me up!
Also the prices on the site are extremely reasonable! The Fancy Squares Box is on sale for only $5! The bars are only $2.35 every day! Not much more than the price of a chocolate bar at the grocery store, and MUCH cheaper than a bar at other specialty sites or stores! They also make chocolate chips, bark, jellybeans, gummies, lolly pops, and special occasion candy!
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, so why not give Mom a special decadent Mother’s Day Lolly? Only $2.20! Let mom know how sweet she is!
You can also like their Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amandas-Own-Confections-Dairy-Free-Chocolates-Candies/173118496057846
Disclaimer: I was sent a candy bar, and a Fancy Squares Box of chocolate to sample in exchange for my honest opinions of their products. I was not financially compensated in any way. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.
Review: Dr. Lucy’s Cookies
**I was provided free product in exchange for my opinions. I was not financially compensated for this review. The opinions here are all my own and have not been swayed by a third-party.**
Who doesn’t love cookies? I know my family does, but I also know that in order to keep them safe having cookies usually means quite a bit of work for me. Not that I mind, of course. But every now and then it would be nice to be able to go to the store and just grab some. That is why I was so happy to find the Dr. Lucy company. This company was started by a mom, who also happens to be an M.D. She is a mom of a child with severe allergies and was always looking for safe foods that tasted great, but had a hard time finding them. So, she created her own! And they have a ton of great bonuses. All her treats are made in their own carefully controlled bakery. They are gluten free peanut free, tree nut free, milk free and egg free. Plus, they test for trace amounts of milk, egg, gluten, peanuts, almond, and hazelnut. I love that they do all this, and I can feel confident that these are going to be safe for my family. And, just when you think that these treats could not get any better, they are also certified vegan and verified non-GMO!
Just waiting to be eaten!
While I was super excited at how allergen free these were, I was a bit skeptical on how they would taste. Based on past experiences, I know that a lot of times things that are so safe are often lacking in flavor. Luckily, I was happy to find out that this was not anywhere near the case!
Cinnamon Thins
The first ones out of the package were the Cinnamon Thins. They were fantastic! Perfectly sized and a great texture! We tried them first with a nice glass of Almond Milk and they held up great for dunking. The kids were very fond of these. I could not believe that these were free of so many allergens with how great they tasted! They had the perfect amount of cinnamon and just the right amount of sweetness. This package definitely did not last long in my house! I will be buying some more of these. These are going to be the perfect thing to use as a base for pies, with no worry! While I have not done it yet, because we ran out of cookies, it is going to be very easy. Toss the cookies in a zip top bag, smash them up ( let the kids help!) and then mix with a bit of melted butter and press into the bottom of your pie pan! Look for a blog post in the near future with the complete recipe.
Ginger Snaps
Next came the Ginger Snap cookies. Here again, I was a little hesitant, not being a huge fan of ginger. Surprisingly thought, they were not at all overbearing, like other ginger items that I have tried. They had a great ginger flavor, and just a bit of an underlying kick to the finish. Nothing spicy, just a nice burst of flavor. My daughter actually preferred these to the cinnamon thins. My son also liked these, but he said the cinnamon ones were better. My husband and I enjoyed these as well. While I am still working on a recipe that incorporates the ginger snaps, my husband gave me a great pairing. He had suggested pairing the ginger snaps with a nice cup of hot herbal tea. I prefer Tulsi tea and so I made a cup last evening. I sat down with my cup of tea and a couple of the ginger snaps. What a great combination! A little dunking into the tea, a little nibble followed by a sip of the tea…anyway I paired them was fantastic. These are a great way to wind down the day!
I would love for you guys to check out this company and see all of the other great products that they offer. I can guarantee that we will be frequent purchasers! Check them out on their website! They are also on Facebook. I would also like to give my personal thanks to Dr. Lucy Gibney for taking on a great project and helping out all of us with allergic children!
Allergy Warriors & Gluten Free Living 