Snack / Energy Bar

OK, so I admit I became somewhat addicted to Larabars after my trip to camp. Problem is it isn't a cheap addiction to feed. So I came home and googled recipes for making your own Larabar type energy bars and surprisingly came up with several options. Camilla from enlightenedcooking had several recipe variations. I also found another recipe on cleaneating. Then I found my mini food processor and was ready to whip up a batch.

I decided on my own variation of things I had in my pantry. The kids loved it and it satisfied my larabar craving (at least for today).

Tropical Snack Bar

1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts
14 pitted dates
1/4 cup finely shredded unsweetened organic coconut

Pulse macadamia nuts until chopped well and set aside. Pulse dates until they form a ball. Add macadamia nuts and coconut and pulse until nuts and coconut are incorporated. Dump onto plastic wrap and use wrap to form bars. Makes 2 large or 3 average sized bars.

Food for the Road

I joined my kids at summer camp this past week. I made sure before camp that the kids had their food for each meal of every day and I will post their choices in a different post. With limited time and energy (after packing up the kids), I decided to bring along one Larabar for each meal plus some extras for snacking. Thinking I would be able to get fruit and maybe some vegetables at camp, I was fairly certain I would get enough to eat. If nothing else I thought I could live off Larabars. I took every flavor I could find locally. I had only tried the apple pie flavor once, so I was hoping the other flavors were good. I have to say that I didn't find a lot at camp that I could eat, but that was OK, because I was enjoying trying all the different Larabars! They really are great. Mind you, I do not eat sugar, so this was like eating dessert. They are gluten free, dairy free, soy free, no added sugar, non gmo, unprocessed, raw, vegan, kosher, and made in the U.S.A. Now to see if I can come up with a recipe to make my own. With only 2-6 ingredients in every bar, it can't be that hard.

Thank You Amazon

I have found that the prices on all of my gluten free staples are much cheaper when I purchase them from Amazon through their subscribe and save program. It is much cheaper than buying things locally at the health food store or grocer. I have had such good service from Amazon that I have become an associate. Visit my Amazon Store to see my favorite gluten free products.

Gluten Free Vitamins

Follow the advice of your physician regarding the use of supplements. Advise your pharmacist of any over the counter supplements you may be taking as they could interact with prescription medication. Always check the ingredient labels as formulas change.

Balance Point Natural Medicine (Dr. Christine Doherty)

Blue Bonnet

Country Life (certified gluten free)

Freeda

Gluten Free Mall (Pioneer and Health from the Sea)

Hero Nutrionals

Pioneer

Shaklee
Received the following reply from Shaklee regarding their products:
Shaklee Products that contain gluten:
Herb-Lax Dried malt powder from barley
Iron plus Vitamin C Barley flour
Zinc Barley powder
Vita-E 400IU Plus Selenium Wheat germ flour
Cinch Berry Almond Crunch Meal-In-A-Bar Oat flour
Cinch Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Meal-In-A-Bar Oat flour
Fiber Plan Daily Crunch Oat bran
MoodLift Green Oat extract
Enfuselle Skin Care Products (exception of Calming Complex, C+E Repair, which does not contain beta glucan.)
Other personal care products
Most do not contain gluten-containing ingredients. However, such products
as lipsticks and cleansing bars contain ingredients from oats and/or wheat
. If you are severely sensitive to topically applied products that
contain gluten, please examine the ingredients listed on product packaging.

Household Cleaning Products
Do not contain gluten-containing ingredients

Vitacost

Vitamin Life

Youngevity (Lana is familiar with which of their products are gluten free. She tells me, "everything in Youngevity is gf except for a couple of powder packets to make drinks/shakes..")

Gluten Free Food Assistance Program

I was reading a blog yesterday about a gluten free support group in Palm Beach county,FL. that developed a gluten free food assistance program and it sparked my interest. I began to wonder what was out there help those in need of assistance during this difficult "economic crisis". My search took me to a nation-wide, not for profit, faith based organization called Angel Food Ministries. They accept cash, money orders, and food stamps. Their menu plan includes an "allergy free (gluten free) box" that can be supplemented with a fruit & veggie box to round out a meal. Granted, the allergy free box is mostly kid fare with chicken tenders, wings, nuggets, patties, and steak fingers, but I was impressed they even had a gluten free option. They do have another regular meat or seafood box (not prepared meat) that non-vegan adults might prefer ( I would ask about the gluten free status).

Shopping Bags - Celiac Awareness

Reusable shopping bags to help raise funds for celiac awareness are available from the Celiac Sprue Association.

Gluten Free Awareness Wristbands

Found these today and thought they were neat. I like to tell others about celiac disease and the gluten free diet. Wearing one of these could be a way to get the conversations started. The gluten free diet can help others, not just those with celiac disease. Order yours today at http://switch2glutenfree.com/gluten-free-wristbands/ and start your own campaign for celiac disease/gluten free diet awareness.