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!

Product Review: Bakery on Main Oatmeals

I am very happy to introduce you guys to Bakery on Main!!   They are a great company located in Connecticut.  They began as a small bakery, making all of their products in small, careful batches.  They started with the simple idea that those with gluten issues should not be restricted from delicious foods!  They have since expanded their company, but still hold true to their original ideas, making yummy gluten free foods in small batches, with amazing results!  All this brought to you with great prices and an easy to navigate website (click their logo to visit!).  On their page you will also find their store locator, or, you can order products directly from them, with a really easy to use order form!

I was invited to try their line of instant oatmeals, and I was super excited!  Oatmeal is always a favorite here… especially with the little ones.  Living a gluten free lifestyle usually means that oatmeal that is safe, is typically hard to come by…and good luck if you want something instant!  Bakery on Main has managed to solve both of these problems!  An awesome array of flavors that are made with a blend of Chia, Flax, Amaranth , and Quinoa.  They are also free from dairy, casein, wheat, gluten, and on top of all that are NON-GMO!! Mix that with the fact that they only take 60 seconds in the microwave and you really have a great find!

All the yummy flavors!

The company was kind enough to send me a total of 6 flavors:  Apple Pie, Blueberry Scone, Maple Multigrain Muffin, Strawberry Shortcake, Traditional, and Carrotcake.  Four of the flavors are currently available and can be purchased either in stores or on their website.  The two that are no currently in stores (but will be soon) were the Carrotcake and Blueberry Scone.

We tried the Strawberry Shortcake first, and it was amazing!  You could taste the strawberries, the nuances of the shortcake, and it had just the right amount of sweetness.  The Apple Pie was equally amazing, and tasted remarkably like the real thing!  My husband even commented that he felt like he should put ice cream in it!  Maple was also really good, and we loved that it was just the right amount of maple, while still being able to distinguish that nice multigrain taste.  Carrotcake was very true to flavor, and tasted just like a carrot cake.  I was very surprised, because any time I have tasted other Carrot cake items, I have been very disappointed with the artificial type taste they have all had.  That is why this one was so different, and I will definitely be buying this once its available!  The Traditional was another great option.  I am one of those people who love to add fresh fruits, nuts, and other things to my oatmeal, and this was a great way for me to do it!  I divided it in half, added a nut mixture to one half, and a fruit mixture to the other.  The oatmeal flavor stood up well against the mixtures that I added and worked as a great base.  And I can only imagine how great this would be a base for some Gf oatmeal cookies!  And last but not least…. our favorite…..

Blueberry Scone!! THE WINNER!!!

The Blueberry Scone flavor!!!  There were plentiful pieces of blueberry that were perfectly sweet and ripe. I seriously felt like I had just tossed in some fresh picked ones from my garden!  That is an amazing flavor to get in an instant oatmeal.  On top of that… there was a great undertone of scone flavor…something I miss very much since eliminating gluten.  It reminded me of sitting at my favorite coffee shop, bakery treat in one hand and a coffee in another.  The kids also loved this one, and for both of my kids to actually agree on a flavor is a feat in itself.  I promised them that as soon as this flavor hits the stores, we will be purchasing it, more than likely in large quantities!

This review was one that I had a lot of fun with, and Bakery on Main is a company I would trust again and again to provide my family with great tasting food that I know is safe.  Check them out in the links below and help support a company that knows what it means to our community to have safe and great tasting foods!

Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/BakeryOnMain

Twitter – https://twitter.com/BakeryOnMain

Instagram – @bakeryonmain

Pinterest – https://pinterest.com/bakeryonmain/

 

**Disclaimer**  Bakery on Main provided me with free product in exchange for my honest opinions in this review.  These opinions are my own, and I was in no way financially compensated for this review.