Ardenne Farm Gluten Free Chocolate Cookie Mix Review & Giveaway

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty nervous to try these Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies because I've had some not so great gluten-free box mix experiences before. They seem to really be a hit or a miss. But I am SO glad I gave them a chance because there's a reason Ardenne Farm has award winning mixes.

"Ardenne Farm's mission is to help those living gluten free by offering a better tasting and affordable option. Created using an innovative blend of high-quality, gluten free flours, you'll love our taste, texture, and how easy our mixes are to make. Our award-winning Gluten Free baking mixes produce irresistibly satisfying delights that are all natural, vegan, and produced in a peanut and tree nut free facility. We are certified gluten free and carrry the GFCO's GF symbol. Every batch is tested to ensure that all our mixes contain less than 10 ppm gluten." 

I do have to admit that they turned out nothing like I was expecting. Ardenne Farm has proved that gluten free no longer has to mean gritty and flavorless. The cookies flattened out a lot more than I was expecting, but they were nice and soft and they had great flavor. They almost tasted like a soft brownie cookie. I have found over the years that a lot of gluten free mixes lack flavor but these have a great chocolate flavor. I will buying more because I want to bake some for my sister who eats gluten free. 

Here's what they look like all rolled and ready to bake!

These yummy Chocolate Cookies are certified gluten free and made with an exclusive flour blend, brown sugar and cocoa. They are vegan and contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. This box mix is supposed to make 20 cookies but I was able to make 23 fairly decent sized cookies.

So even though they didn't turn out like I was expecting. they were surprisingly chocolately and flavorful! I love that you cant even tell they are gluten free. I was really happy with these cookies and I can't wait til I get the chance to try something else from Ardenne Farm, next I want to try their muffins mixes!

Thin yet sooooo good.

Follow Ardenne Farm on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google+, and Pinterest.

Order your own Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookie Mix from the Ardenne Farm website!

One lucky I'm No Domestic Goddess reader is going to be lucky enough to win their own Gluten Free Chocolate Cookie Mix from Ardenne Farm! Enter using the Giveaway Tools form below, all terms and conditions are listed on the bottom of the form.

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Disclosure of  Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." I do use affiliate links on my site so please assume that all links used are affiliate links!

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Lola Granola Bars Review and Giveaway {CLOSED}

I had first heard about Lola Granola Bars in a Huffington Post article (read the article here). Lola Granola Bars were created by Mary Molina when her family hit hard times. Her story is so incredible; her and her husband were struggling to provide for their 4 young children and were relying on public assistance and food banks.  Her husband was eating junk food to save money so Mary made him nutritious granola bars to save money, making sure they were gluten and soy free due to her children's allergies, and he loved them! The kids loved the bars, and so did her husband's coworkers, who asked to buy some and Lola Granola Bars was born.

My husband has taken two granola bars to work everyday for years now and I feel so much better now that he is taking Lola Granola Bars instead of the other junk filled "granola" bars. Lola Granola Bars are not only gluten-free but also GMO-free and organic! Lola Granola Bars are the only bar sweetened with just honey and gluten free oats and expanding nationwide.  The snack bars are packed with all natural proteins, fiber and omega 3's, are low in sodium and contain absolutely no GMOs. Lola Granola Bars ingredients are locally sourced including Massachusetts Cranberries, New Jersey Blueberries, New York Honey and Gluten Free Oats. Each of the 5 flavors contains 8 core, all natural, non GMO ingredients. Unlike many bars on the market, Lola Granola does not add any rice, wheat, corn or soy fillers, hydrogenated oils or refined sugar.  All bars are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, and kosher.  They taste great and kids love them in their backpacks.

I'm always excited to try gluten-free foods so I was really excited to try these. We received two bars of each flavor: The Enzo, The Nathan, The Ruby, The Ellie, The Lola-- each flavor bar named after Mary's children and her nephew. I usually dont like granola bars but I love the taste of these! They are chewy and have unique flavors. My favorite is The Enzo-- with cashews and almonds! Yum!

Mary Molina explains: “One of the questions that came up is how I came up with the flavors: The first flavor I created was Cranberry and Almond (mostly because it was what I had in my cupboards at the time).  I named it Lola because, even though I made it for Ernie, I made it so that Lola could eat it too.

When I realized my kids also like Lola Granola Bars, I created flavors for them as well. Next came Ruby, she's younger than Lola so I took out the nuts and it had beautiful red cranberries for my Ruby. After that Enzo, my daring son is nuts, so his bar is just nuts, almonds and cashews. Finally for my daughter Ellie who is sweet as a date and very caring (as the oldest she helps out a lot too) is made with dates and cashews.”

I love supporting companies like Lola Granola on my blog. In fact, when I think about the companies that I want to support with this blog, Lola Granola is at the top of my list.  Their bars are organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, its a woman/mom-owned business, they support local food anti-hunger programs, and they are incredibly affordable!

Connect with Lola Granola on Facebook and Twitter. You can find where to buy Lola Granola Bars here!

One lucky I'm No Domestic Goddess reader will win the same sampler of Lola Granola Bars that I received (two of each flavor)! Continental U.S. entrants only. Previous winners of Lola Granola Bar giveaways are ineligible.

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Disclosure of  Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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No-Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

No-Flour Peanut Butter Cookies were a favorite in my house growing up! They are cheap and really, really easy. I let my 3 year old help me and she can almost make them by herself. Yes, they are that easy and so incredibly yummy!

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg slight beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Throw all ingredients in a bowl and mix until well blended.
Roll dough into balls and place onto an ungreased baking sheet (check out my baking mat review).
Flatten the dough with a fork in a criss cross pattern (or just flatted with the bottom of a glass)
Sprinkle them with sugar (or seasalt)
Bake them 8-10 minutes.
Let them stand on cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Be careful not to overbake these cookies! They are meant to be soft.

I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does! 

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Tasty Bite Review

My sister (Erin) and I are both gluten-intolerant so when I was asked to try some GF Indian dishes from Tasty Bite, I just knew that this was something the two of us would enjoy together. Erin loves Indian food and eats it all the time whereas I have never had it before so this was a completely new experience for me. I was also happy that her boyfriend, Joe, showed up in the middle of it all so he could join us for not only a male perspective but for a non-GF perspective as well.

Before I tried the food, I wanted to get to know the company a bit and I love what I found! Tasty Bite was started in 1995 and currently offers Indian entrées, Asian Noodles, rice, and meal inspirations. I have so much respect for this company for its efforts to help their communities and for trying to better the world we live in. Tasty Bite is a shining light among the greedy companies we see in the world today and I am proud to have them on my blog.

From their website, “Tasty Bite has a disaster relief program, where food is moved to provide relief in the case of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the Asian Tsunami and the earthquake in Haiti.  Tasty Bite also has unique programs in energy and agriculture.  Today, 80% of the energy used in the Tasty Bite factory comes from renewable sources such as sugarcane byproducts and food and crop waste.  Also, the Tasty Bite farm is used as a demonstration farm to educate community farmers on high yielding, sustainable agricultural methods.  As we work toward delivering great-tasting flavors of the world to you, we strive to make a difference in our own community as well.”

Erin, Joe, and I were lucky enough to try (6) 1-Step Entrees from Tasty Bite! I love that each one is all-natural and contains nothing artificial. I was also pleasantly surprised at how authentic each and every one of the dishes tasted but out of the 6 entrees and rice packages we tried, I think my personal favorite was the Bombay Potatoes; they were the tastiest potatoes I've ever eaten. The flavor was just exquisite and they tasted great with brown rice but I imagine they would taste awesome in a tortilla shell with some cheese on top!

Erin said her favorite was the Channa Masala and although it wasn't my favorite, it was still very good. Erin usually doesn't like lentil but she tried the Madras Lentils anyways and we both agreed that it tasted really good mixed in with rice but it definitely needed the rice for a texture boost.

The day after our Indian feast, I saw a post on the Tasty Bite facebook page about lentil and cheese on top of a tortilla chip and it looks amazing! I will buying more of the Madras Lentil so I can try that!

Joe had shown up after everything was already made and was surprised when we told him it was all microwaved; the food tastes so authentic that he thought we had made it from scratch! His favorite was the Ginger Lentil Rice and he even said, “I could just eat a whole bowl of this and be good.” Ha! We all agreed that we love the bold flavor of the Ginger Lentil Rice and it was gone within minutes.

I think the most surprising one to me was the Thai Lime Rice, it had such a delicate, light flavor. I actually really enjoyed it even though I wasn't very excited to try it. I think it would be a really great side dish for a bold flavored entrée.

Overall, everything tasted delicious and the flavors were astounding. We all decided that these are completely worth the money and we would gladly buy them. You can buy them online at their website for $3.29 a piece or you can buy them at any major retailer! I have seen them at my local Walmart!

You can find Tasty Bite on Facebook, Twitter, and their website.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I was provided samples to review and all opinions belong to Erin, Joe, and I.

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Let's Talk About Eating Gluten-Free & The Best Gluten-Free Brownies

I don't think I've mentioned it yet but recently I found out that I have a gluten intolerance (the correct medical term is "non-celiac gluten sensitivity"). As defined by the NFCA website, "Non-celiac gluten sensitivity has been coined to describe those individuals who cannot tolerate gluten and experience symptoms similar to those with celiac disease but yet who lack the same antibodies and intestinal damage as seen in celiac disease."

It has surprised me how many people are misinformed about what a gluten-free lifestyle means. Eating gluten-free is not a fad diet by any means and you should not expect to lose weight from eating gluten-free unless you pretty much cut out all processed foods (most contain gluten) and eat clean (fresh fruits, veggies, and meats). I personally struggle every day with eating gluten-free. My love for [processed] food makes it downright miserable sometimes. Even though I wouldn't say I eat gluten-free every day, I feel much better when I do.

Gluten-free or not, let's talk baking. I LOVE baking. I'm all for baking from scratch as long as it tastes better than the packaged stuff. Enter Namaste Foods Gluten-Free Brownies. These brownies are by far the best brownies I've ever had, gluten-free or not! Of course because they are gluten-free, the price is double what you can expect to pay for gluten brownies but it is soooo worth it.


A newer mix is Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Brownies! I was so excited to try these and they were just as good (if not better) than the regular Betty Crocker brownies! I'm so excited to see Betty Crocker stepping up and realizing there is a need for more gluten-free choices, I only wish the GF price would be comparable to the gluten brownies.


Please note that just because these brownies are amazing, does not mean that all gluten-free brownies are amazing. I've tried some other gluten-free brands and some just don't live up to my expectations. In fact, one brand tasted like chocolate was missing from the recipe, had a very odd aftertaste, and a really grainy texture. There is no excuse for that! Gluten-free doesn't mean that we have to give up our flavor and yummy foods!

In conclusion, not eating gluten is really hard (at least for me!) but if you're going to do it, don't make your tastebuds suffer! Namaste Food Gluten-Free Brownies helps make the transition to gluten-free so much more delicious!

I bought my Namaste brownie mix at my local Meijer, you can click the "where to buy" tab on their website to find out where it's sold near you or just buy it on Amazon! Keep up to date with Namaste Foods by following their Facebook and Twitter pages and keep an eye for giveaways they post!

Do you have a gluten sensitivity? Have you tried any gluten-free brownies?

I was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are entirely my own.

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