Udi's Gluten Free - Review

It broke my heart-literally-when the doctor told me I had to give up gluten. I love bread. I have tried numerous brands of brea worthy. I was not impressed. Brown rice bread...ehh. Then I discovered Udi's. The Udi's company was beyond generous and sent me some things to try!



First things first. Breakfast. I made my eggs, bacon and toast using Udi's white bread. I put a little butter on top and took a bite. I cried. Like a baby. My husband thought something was wrong, I said "taste this!" He took a bite and said "It tastes like regular bread" I was elated! "EXACTLY!!!" I exclaimed. No weird aftertaste or texture... IT WAS WHITE BREAD! And it tasted like WHITE BREAD! I couldn't wait to try the other goodies in the box!




The next morning I was so excited to have a bagel. The white bread had been so good, these bagels smell SO good (Mighty Bagels), and they are really good for you too. 8 grams of protein, packed with fiber! They are made with cranberries and have lots of seeds, but I will tell you, they smell AND taste like cinnamon raisin. I like a very well toasted bagel, and these toast very well. I put some cream cheese on it, and I was on top of the world!


One thing I will say, which I neglected to do, is put your gluten free goodies in the freezer or refrigerator. This will help preserve their shelf life. I didn't do that, not sure why, but I left my hot dog rolls out and they went bad, so don't make my foolish mistake!

In my goodie box, I also received Dark Chocolate Brownie Bites, and Double Vanilla Muffins. They were so moist and tasty! The brownie bites were such a nice treat and I couldn't believe how moist they were. Before going gluten free, I had bought pre-made brownie bites from the grocery store and a lot of the time they were dry and crumbly and sometimes didn't even taste good. The double vanilla muffins reminded me a lot of a vanilla cupcake. These are very filling and sweet. A good idea for them is, if you are having a birthday party and a child there needs gluten free cake, snag these muffins and put some frosting on top. I could only eat half a muffin at a time because they are so large and so filling (and thats saying a lot...I can throw down some food!). My kids even liked these! They put a little bit of Jif chocolate peanut butter on theres, and ate them up!

When you are gluten free its not always "simple" to just "make" something to eat. You usually have to plan ahead what you are going to have, and lots of times its not something you can just grab out of the cabinet or fridge. Well, on a Sunday afternoon, my husband had picked up some luncheon meat at the grocery store, so that we could try the Omega flax and fiber bread. I was a little hesitant with it because I wasn't quite sure what the taste would be. I toasted it, but you don't have to, it is a very moist bread. I toasted mine, and added mayo, roast beef, and cheddar cheese, and a pickle on the side. Everyone else had ham and cheese on theirs. My kids ate it! No questions! I loved it too and was quite impressed that it packed 6 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein into my meal plus all the omegas and good stuff for you! It tasted like a wheat bread? Very light taste, nothing overpowering. And the best thing of all-IT TASTED LIKE BREAD!!! Yummy!!!



I was lucky to receive a package of pizza crust from Udis. This was nice because when my family wanted to order pizza, they could without feeling guilty that mommy couldn't have any. So while my husband picked up a pizza for them, I popped my pizza in the oven. It is a nice flat crust, not crumbly. One suggestion, don't overload it with sauce. I did-oops! Still tasted great but I needed a fork to eat it because of all the sauce I put on it. I am a plain cheese kind of girl, I don't usually like toppings on pizza. So with the first crust I loaded it with sauce, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. I really like cheddar on my homemade pizzas, I think I get that from my grandma who taught me to make a pizza out of anything and use whatever cheese you had on hand. I baked it at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. It was so good! The crust really held up under all the sauce I poured on it. The packs of crust come with 2 each. So with my second crust (on another night), I used Sweet Baby Rays barbeque sauce and Perdue shortcuts. Stirred those two ingredients up in a bowl, spread over the pizza crust, and topped with cheese, and I had a barbeque chicken pizza! SO good! (with the bbq pizza, my battery died so I didn't get a snapshot of that, but just know it was ah-mazing!)

Pizza Crust

Pizza!!!!

I received a nice big bag of granola too! Sweet and fruity cranberry granola. Very crunchy and satisfying. I've been snacking on it right out of the bag! My husband too! I topped everyones yogurt with it, it was a nice treat on top! I've also been looking for recipes on how to make your own granola bars, and using this granola would be ideal for that!

If I haven't exclaimed it enough, I am super happy about this gluten free find! I am ever thankful that this company took the time to perfect these delicious foods, just for the gluten free (and some dairy free) community. You don't have to eat food that tastes like cardboard. You can enjoy everyday meals with your family and eat what they are eating. Their food is so good that kids don't know the difference, so if you or your child is new to the gluten free community I highly suggest trying Udis first! This way you won't be discouraged and won't be pouring out money into things you won't like. Thank you SO much Udis!!!!

Visit Udis website!

Breaking Up With Bread

So, I'm a bread kind of girl. Okay, let's call it "starch" that I'm in love with. Bagels, Italian bread and butter, muffins, sandwiches. I could do without cake and cookies, but I LOVE the other stuff. Why am I telling you this? Well I was diagnosed with Celiac. I've suffered from this for apparently a long time and just wasn't aware. Gluten did horrible things to my body. I thought it was just me, I couldn't lose weight even though everything that I put in my mouth came right back up because it hurt my stomach so bad, and I've thrown up for so long that I have gastroparesis (my stomach no longer "works" correctly). I've got keratosis pyloris down my chest and back and a rash on my face. Been there for years, nothing will make it go away. I'm told this is also a reaction from having celiac. My bones and joints ache. This is because I have a severely low level of vitamin d-a side affect of having celiac. When I was first given the "celiac" diagnosis, I went gluten free. I gave up on it within WEEKS, because its a very hard diet, a very COSTLY diet. I didn't see any "Immediate" results in how I felt, so I gave up and went back to eating the same foods before. My body decided to retaliate just a little more... I now have a positive ANA (anti-nuclear antibodies), my rheumatologist told me that my body is fighting itself and I no longer have the "choice" of being gluten free. I HAVE to be gluten free. It's hard, expensive, and not always great. I still don't feel any immediate changes, except for the bloated belly. My belly is no longer hard and pregnant looking. I still don't feel good, but they told me that I have been putting gluten in my body for almost 29 years, its not going to fix the affects of that overnight or even in a few months, its a long term thing and eventually I will feel better. In the process of going gluten free, I am trying lots of new things. I find that I can't just "have a snack" out of the cabinet, and the treats that are gluten free, are so expensive that you really have to learn portion control and ask yourself 'do I really want this right now, or later', its frustrating, I seem to be eating a lot of grilled chicken and spinach salad. Nothing wrong with that, its a go to that I know I like and know I can eat. As I continue this journey I will post little reviews about my gluten free finds!

....but I'm thankful

Today hasn't been the greatest day. My goal was to get up this morning, throw a load of wash in the washer, clean my kitchen and have a decent day. The reality of it was, I woke up early to crying because the tooth fairy forgot to show up (oops), I went to bed with a migraine and had hoped by morning it would subside so I didn't have to use a migraine pill. You have to decide if your migraine is worth the migraine pill because they only give you so many a month and no one can afford to buy them outright, or I would. So after I took the kids to the bus stop, I took my prilosec, and some Robitussin cold and flu and crossed my fingers. My youngest and I snuggled up and took a nap in hopes mommy would feel better and the medicine would have worked its magic. It didn't. So I took the migraine pill. It took around 3+ hours to kick in, but my migraine went away! Now it is past 4, dinner is almost done and I am just starting to feel a little better when my bones start to ache. I have Vitamin D deficiency and they think this may be what is causing the pain and the only remedy is taking a lot of vitamin d and building it back up, so I have to deal with the pain. So, through all this, I really just want to get back into bed, say forget the rest of the day, we have tomorrow, but I cant. And I shouldn't. And when I am thinking of what a lousy day I am having I think...but I'm thankful.


I'm thankful I woke up this morning and was able to walk my kids to the bus stop.

I'm thankful that my three children are fighting over what program is on tv...because them fighting means they are here, healthy, and for that I am always thankful (even though some days they drive me to the edge of insanity lol, I would never for one second change it)

I'm thankful that I am able to get on here and complain. I have a computer, my fingers type, there is an Internet full of people reading things and for that....I'm thankful. Someone listens, whether they give a shit or not lol.

I'm thankful that I am continuing to be successful in kicking my Pepsi habit. It's been 23 days without Pepsi. I am getting used to unsweetened tea. It doesn't make me feel any better, but I know I'm not doing more harm to my body with the Pepsi... I do miss it though. 

I'm thankful that I have such a great husband. And no, not the kind of great husband that women get on facebook and profess the wondrous man they married and in reality he's a d-bag. My husband is really great. He knew I was sick last night, so he brought me home my favorite soup. He is at the store right now picking me up some claritin because I'm hoping it helps. He plays and has fun with our kids and wants to hear about their day as soon as they walk in the door.
There are so many other reasons , but just know, I got myself a good one. And for that, I am forever thankful.

I could go on and on, but you know, I got dinner to make, clothes to wash, etc. so let me get off of here.

Love. 

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Getting rid of cable was the best thing we ever did!

I grew up with cable and then when I got older my parents switched to satellite. When I had kids I couldn't wait to watch Disney and Nickelodeon with them. Here is the kicker... Cable tv, is expensive. Who can afford to pay $60-$99 a month for TV. You know you don't watch all the channels. Why pay for them all? Well where we live, we don't get a choice of who our cable provider will be. The cable companies have designated areas that their customers come from. Our complex doesn't allow satellite because you would have to drill holes in the walls or something? I dont know. Well, our provider gave us what we thought was a "great deal". And after a year of this great deal, you are obligated to pay full price.. which jacked up the cable bill to over $100. My husband is a former marine and we live on his paycheck from his current job, along with having three young children. I said absolutely not. Called the cable people to come get their box and remotes. Adios cable. That was all well and good for like a week. Then we said lets get the Antenna thing that everyone is talking about, we will get local channels, thats good enough...turns out, its not. I don't want to watch "The View" everyday...or ever. I liked "the talk" but then they kicked my favorite person off and I rebelled by not watching to show them. (I mean seriously, I don't like Julie Chen on that show, its her show and she makes sure you know it... kind of rude in my opinion). Anyways, so we decided to try out Netflix. We already owned a Playstation 3, you got a free trial of it... why not? Then...we were amazed. There are tv shows - WITH NO COMMERCIALS, no waiting a week for the next episode, movies and shows for the kids.... AND they add new stuff every week! What's not to love about that? It costs like $7 a month! WHHAAAATTT!!! Then we said, let's get Hulu, they have more up to date, and its only $8 a month, together that is still cheaper than cable! So we got it! And it's great (I recommend Hulu ONLY for its television shows, its movie selection kinda sucks..). A year or so later my mom got this little box she called a "Roku". You pay for the box, then if you have netflix, hulu, whatever subscription you have, you can pretty much use it on the Roku! You can get one for each room and it is STILL cheaper than paying for cable! The Roku has a bunch of different selections to choose from (box wise) I think ours cost like $70, but it is ours forever and we never have to pay for it again. 
With all this, the only thing we are missing is The Disney Channel. Its a little bummer, but not too bad as there is so much for the kids to watch and I can monitor it. Getting rid of cable was the BEST thing we ever did! 

Goodbye my dear love...

Okay, so... I am a recovering Pepsi addict. No lie. It has been 2 weeks since I have been clean. Its really hard. Quitting smoking was easier. But I have found an alternate to hold me over till I go full on water only drinking. Thank goodness for Lipton Unsweeted tea. I put a little agave in there and I feel a little better. The first week of no Pepsi was ridiculous. I haven't been told I couldn't have something since I was a kid. And some psycho babble says that I love Pepsi so much because my father would drink it in front of us kids and make us drink water...blah blah blah. I don't think it is that so much as... Pepsi is amazing. Have you tasted Pepsi? Diet Pepsi? Its... the greatest drink on Earth. But, health issues have stemmed from things and drinking so much Pepsi (I was at almost a 2 liter a day kinda girl), wasn't helping. I don't feel any better, and I sure do have to run to the potty more frequent with all the tea and water I drink but... hey Let's see if this works! Don't fret Pepsi, the doctor says after this month I can have 1 can of you a week (or something like that) you will always hold a place in my heart ;). 

Sweeties Sweeps!

Just another quick reminder to check out Sweeties Sweeps at least once daily. Give yourself an hour and fill out or play as many instant win games or sweepstakes you can within that hour. You can't win if you dont play...thats what they say right? Ive been fortunate to win a couple small prizes here and there, and I find it fun and relaxing. If you dont want spam in your inbox, create a separate email address that is specifically for sweeps and instant win games. Have fun!!!

Click Here to visit Sweeties Sweeps!

Country Bobs All Purpose Sauce - Review

About time I do this right? Country Bob's generously sent me All purpose sauce to review, and it has taken me over a month to do so. Believe it or not, I didn't cook any red meat during December. I didn't do it on purpose, it just occurred to me that I hadn't. When I tasted this sauce, I knew it would be best on a steak or a burger and that's what I was holding out to make. FINALLY though, here is the review I have been promising.

When I received my Country Bob's package, I was very excited! First when I took the bottles out of the box, I noticed that they were made of plastic. This is a great thing. Why? My hands don't always work well and I am known to drop a few things here and there. At that moment my kids were eating chicken nuggets and my middle child (who loves "sauce" to dip things in) asked if she could try it. I said why not? I opened the sauce, poured a little on her plate and dipped a nugget in myself to try. It was a party in your mouth I tell ya! A sweet steak sauce that left you with a little kick. My daughter only asks for this on anything she would usually use ketchup on. No kidding! A couple days ago I made chicken strips and she asked for her "Bobs Sauce" and its all gone so she couldn't have any. She was very very disappointed that she had to use ketchup. Its pretty tough being five years old.... :)
So, I finally bought some steaks. Just the small thin ones. I pounded them out with my cool meat hammer that my husband bought me. sprinkled some McCormick Season All on each side. Then, I put them in a bowl I had filled with Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce. I put olive oil in the skillet (these would have been great on the grill, but my development doesn't allow grills.. bummer!), let it heat up, and then put my steaks into the skillet. You could smell the aroma of the sauce. I cooked them a little on each side, and then they were done! I paired the steaks with redskin mashed potatoes, a little Country Bob's sauce on the side, and dinner was served. 
I plated everyones and sat down to eat. I was very excited, as I love steak (see, I really don't know how I went a whole month without buying any type of red meat at the grocery store!). Before I knew it, my kids plates were empty and they were asking for seconds. This really impressed me because I have such picky eaters. My husband loved the sauce as well. He said it could use a little more heat to it though. I told him that's why Country Bob's also makes a spicy sauce as well. He can't wait to try it. 
I thank Country Bob's for giving me the opportunity to review this great sauce. Hope everyone is enjoying their new year!

Finished Product