No gluten free pregnancy would be complete without an indulgence in some gluten free pastries. Honestly, all pregnancy we haven’t taken too many trips to my all time favorite and really only all gluten free bakery/cafe in the area. So last week while in route running errands the other day I decided to stop in and treat myself to a couple of new sweets.
If you’ve never been and are in the area you absolutely have to check out Wildflour Bakery/Cafe. They offer tons of different gluten free treats from sweet and savory crepes and sandwiches to smoothies and tons of different desserts, check out their full menu to get the whole picture. I personally always have a hard time choosing which items I’ll try that day, mostly because you’ll never see those items again anywhere else. For this particular stop in I decided to of course start with my favorites, the Gluten Free Pink Smoothie along with some Gluten Free Brazilian Cheese Puffs. Needless to say these didn’t survive too long post purchase but I have managed to snap some pictures of these in the past so make sure you check them out. The Pink Smoothie is just delicious and didn’t bother my acid reflux too badly, or maybe that was the cheese puffs that helped out, either way I was a happy mommy drinking down my strawberry banana and almond milk smoothie. But the star of every one of my visits to Wildflour are the Brazilian Cheese Puffs which are light and airy, moist and cheesy, and just a perfect bread treat that is so uncharacteristic of typical gluten free breads.
Wildflour Bakery/Cafe Gluten Free Treats
Okay, so I obviously indulged in some of my regular snacks but what did I try out that was newer? Well, I did manage to snag two other sweets that I hadn’t seen there in awhile, the Gluten Free Cheesecake Brownie, cheesecake portions swirled through a delicious brownie, and a Gluten Free Chocolate Cream Puff, fluffy puff pastry stuffed with sweet cream and covered in chocolate which I’ve reviewed before. Both were equally as delicious and brought many smiles for the days that followed.
The last three desserts were new to me so since I don’t get to the bakery too often I decided to pick them up and try them out for blogging purposes of course. Can I just say that each and every single one of these desserts were divine. Starting on the left is a gigantic Gluten Free Apple Turnover that was so light and doughy and stuffed with just enough, but not too many, cinnamon apples. While the filling was superb, what always surprises me with every tasty treat from the bakery is just how perfect the breads and pastries are. They’re spot on with just how the regular version of their treats should be in both texture and taste and we all know that’s no easy feat for a gluten free anything.
Next up was the Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bar which was absolute perfection. Light and fluffy cheesecake with chocolate chips scattered throughout, you can’t get any better than that. And lastly, the Gluten Free Strawberry Tart, a pastry tart filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with fresh strawberries, a great treat for this Spring and Summer. The tart was moist and held together perfectly to envelope the sweet, but not too sweet, cream and strawberry filling.
Thanks to this impromptu visit, myself and baby were happy for many days to come. Quite honestly, by first glance I probably could’ve finished off several of these much more quickly but I paced myself to spread out the goodness and I’m so glad I did. A huge thank you goes out to Wildflour’s for consistently making me one of the happiest gluten free mommies in the area. Can’t wait until my next visit!
After a number of years living gluten free and trying countless gluten free products, I usually tend to steer away from pre-packaged cookies since my past has taught me that the higher price and ease of convenience doesn’t necessarily guarantee a better tasting product than homemade. Since my early days living gluten free though, times have changed and more and more fantastic gluten free products are appearing on the shelves and certainly warrant a taste test. Being a gluten free blogger I’m more than happy to oblige and give these products a test run and share the good, run out and buy immediately products, and also the bad, not worth the extra money items, with all of my fellow gluten free folks.
In my gluten free phase of life, I can definitely say that Schar has become one of my favorite brands, most of the time loving every bite from their line but some of the time hating their break apart $5.99 loaf of bread. Despite their low points though, I have been and will always be a Schar follower, after all no brand is perfect, and am willing try any and all of their products that pop onto the shelves. I’ve dabbled mostly in their bread products and crackers with an occasional sweet endeavor, but not too long ago Baby #2 gave me an extra push to dive into the sweets side of the shelf again. One of the first boxes of cookies that caught my eye were their Gluten Free, Wheat Free Chocolate-Dipped Cookies. The picture drew me in immediately and before I knew it the box of cookies had jumped into my cart, okay or maybe I was so excited I hurriedly shoveled them in!
Schar Gluten Free Chocolate- Dipped Cookies
I’m happy to report that Schar’s Chocolate-Dipped Cookies were for me love at first sight and then bite. They were just divine, very reminiscent of my mom’s favorite Milano cookies that she used to let us try from time to time. When I say these remind me of a Milano cookie I mean in every way possible from texture to taste; the crisp sweet cookie has just the right amount of a perfect chocolate bottom and could fool any non-gluten free eater any day. Pair these cookies with a cold glass of milk or Silk and you’re in for a few minutes of pure bliss. My only wish is that there were more in a package because this mommy-to-be surely couldn’t stop at eating just one!
In the gluten free world, it’s not incredibly shocking to have to search high and low for your favorite items and then spend more on your groceries than a non-gluten free shopper. Gluten free living is work but I’m happy to report that I was able to pick up a 5.5 oz box of these cookies for about $4 at my local Shop Rite. They were a tad bit pricey but for a specialty cookie and one that tastes as good as this one the price is more than worth it and is comparable to a package of Milano cookies, in price and delight. So treat yourself and pick up a box of these amazing Schar cookies, and maybe an extra too to send over to this expecting mommy because I’m all out!
Glutino is of the biggest gluten free companies out there! They offer tons of different gluten free groceries that fill each and every nook and cranny of your diet. Thanks to them, I’ve been able to add a few unique items back into my diet, somethings I thought I’d never taste again since going gluten free. Some of the most unique products by Glutino, and some of my personal favorites, include their Chocolate Covered Pretzels (and a yogurt version too!), Parmesan Garlic Bagel Chips (these are perfect in my favorite appetizer, don’t worry I’ll introduce you one day soon), Vegetable Crackers, and drumroll please for the last one, Toaster Pastries, that’s right their gluten free version of Pop Tarts. (more…)
The last night of our family vacation was finally upon us. It was a fantastic trip with a few hiccups along the way, that I honestly could’ve done without, but also some great memories that we’ll never forget. Every time my husband and I, and now my daughter too, take an adventure somewhere I realize just how much I love my family. They truly are my world and my reason for being and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This week was another incredible adventure for our family, filled with lots of smiles and laughs and a few tears along the way (from mommy and baby). My little girl is growing so quickly and just seeing this little 1 year old baby truly love her Disney family as much as she does is amazing. So I couldn’t think of a better way to end this trip than to say hello one last time to a few of her favorites at Cinderella’s Castle.
After an afternoon of swimming and relaxation, our little one was dressed in her Snow White outfit and ready to dine with some of her favorite princesses. We arrived a bit early for our reservation but they were incredibly accommodating and were able to seat us within a few minutes, which was great because we were all very very hungry after an early lunch that day. Cinderella was out to tea when we entered the castle so we were seated first and met the rest of the princesses while we dined. Literally as we were sitting down Snow White, my little one’s favorite, approached and couldn’t get over the miniature Snow White that was walking towards her waving and smiling. My little girl embraced Snow White with a huge hug and turned back with a big smile and wave at her mommy, a moment that just makes me tear up thinking about. Each princess that followed was equally as exciting and I think was the icing on my little girl’s trip.
Between all of our visitors, the chef came out to review the menu with me. I decided to order the cheese plate for an appetizer, the steak for my main course, and a cookie sundae for dessert. I was a bad blogger again this dinner, but in the midst of the princesses stopping by I forgot to photograph the dishes that came out. But anyway, the cheese plate arrived with a blue cheese, a brie cheese, and a few others along with a plate of gluten free rolls that were heated to perfection. After little one nibbled on cheese, grapes, and bread and Dan and I ate some of our appetizers, we were then escorted to go meet Cinderella.
With the room all to ourselves, Cinderella came over to greet my little one and walked her back to her seat hand-in-hand. She spent a good ten minutes talking and playing peek-a-boo with her, getting some great smiles. Nothing beat her face though while Cinderella gave her a warm hug!
A Cinderella snuggle made her dinner!
Little one scooted down off of Cinderella’s lap to be on the move again and then turned and walked back to start talking to her as she then sat down on the floor to be beside her. We’re so grateful that she could spend so much time with Cinderella, a rarity when you’re doing the meet and greets. Someday, when my little girl is all grown up, I’ll be able to share all of these pictures but also the memories that went along with them of how she would wave frantically saying hello to each character only to run up when it was her turn to give a huge hug, when she walked hand-in-hand with Snow White at her wishing well and Cinderella at her castle, talking to both, only to be snuggled a few moments later, and finally my favorite, when she met Mickey and friends, greeting each with a running hug! Such great memories!
With her last princess met, we headed back upstairs to finish our dinner. After a little while longer, our main courses were being delivered. My steak was cooked perfectly but my favorite on the dish was the gluten free creamed spinach. I love creamed spinach and can rarely order it when eating out, so it really stole the show for me. Only moments after our final bites of our meals did our desserts arrive. They were out of the gluten free cake that I had wanted so I ended up with a gluten free cookie and ice cream sundae, which I did happen to remember to take a picture of.
Cinderella’s Royal Table gluten free ice cream and cookie sundae.
It was pretty good, and although I really wanted to try the cake, it was nice to enjoy a substitute of some kind. All together, our dinner at the castle was a great ending to our trip, both in experience and food. As far as my gluten free dining experience, I consider any meal a success when the chef meets any request that I have and can give me an appetizer, entree, and dessert that nearly match their description on the menu. The chefs at Cinderella’s Royal Table did a fantastic job, and this gluten free mommy is looking forward to returning again!
After our dinner we hopped on a few more rides before picking out a spot on Main Street to catch the last Electrical Parade of our vacation. While I sat and occupied our little one, Dan went to retrieve a few snacks for us. My daughter loves the Mickey pretzel, I think probably more for its shape, but she did seem to love nibbling on it too. Sadly, the Mickey pretzel is not gluten free, but some of my favorite gluten free Disney snacks are the Dole Whip (This is actually by far my favorite when I’m in a sweet mood!), the roasted nuts, the chocolate and nut covered banana, and the popcorn, each of which I enjoyed on this trip thanks to our dining plan! For our last night, I decided to go with the popcorn, which as always had just the right amount of butter and salt on it!
Soon enough, the lights dropped down, the music started, and the parade turned the corner as my little girl began to clap. As I held her and bopped around to the music she waved to all of the passing characters and floats. Goofy, Minnie, and Fairy Godmother blew kisses to her but being dressed as a little Snow White attracted some extra special attention from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
As Dopey led the gang he waved and played peek-a-boo with little one as she waved back (melts my heart). Quickly following, Snow White danced with a couple dwarves behind her and as she danced to the opposite side of the street, she turned around and ran over to our little girl and gave her a huge kiss on her cheek, causing a huge eruption of cheers from the crowd behind us! The dwarves that followed all blew kisses to the little Snow White in my arms, truly topping off our trip. As the parade came to a close, exhaustion settled in and little one was not too keen on the crowds of people swarming around her, so we tried to scoot over to an emptier space to take a picture of the kiss before she wiped off too much of it. And here you go!
A Snow White kiss for my little Snow White!
What a way to close our last night in Disney! Soon after this picture, little one was strapped into her stroller and passed out in about 5 minutes; so although we didn’t get to see any fireworks this trip, I don’t think it could get any better for her, and us, then to meet all of her friends and get kissed by Snow White during the parade!
After spending the next morning in Magic Kingdom, we found ourselves back at the airport, with the magical vacation having come to a close. It was an amazing trip to say the least, and even though I could’ve done without my little girl and my sick days, it just makes all of the happy and smiley moments that we captured that much more magical!
I first met Enjoy Life foods many years back when we found out that my dear little nephew suffered from severe, life threatening allergies to some of the top allergens including dairy, egg, wheat/gluten, nuts, shellfish, and a few other more minor allergens. Little did I know that I myself would be enjoying Enjoy Life foods several years later but I must say that I truly do enjoy their products. The best part about Enjoy Life products though is that they are free of the 8 most common allergens, which makes people of ages, especially little ones like my nephew, extremely happy to be able to safely enjoy snacks and treats.
One of my now favorite products that I just stumbled upon at Target are the Cocoa Loco Baked Chewy Bars. My favorite part about purchasing these products is that their allergen information is clear and concise on their packaging, leaving no mystery as to what is contained within that product. In fact they include symbols as well, which always makes identifying allergy free products easier, that indicate a product being free of the 8 top allergens. Check out their extensive list of allergy free products here and pick your favorites that you’d like to try! Also make sure you print a 55 cents of any Enjoy Life Product coupon to save on your gluten free goodies!
