Review: Barbaras Bakery Strawberry Bars

Hey all,

Just a quick note to let y'all know that I haven't dropped off the blog.  Quite the opposite, actually.  I went to the FoodBloogForum Conference at Disney World in Orlando over St. Patrick's Day Weekend and I was so inspired. I have so many great ideas for this blog and my other blog, Scoops of Sunshine.

There has been some behind the scenes work going on for both of the blogs and I have several posts in the works, including a recap of FoodBlogForum Orlando.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a quick product review of these strawberry cereal bars from Barbara's Bakery(affiliate link).

One of the main things we struggle with is having easy, portable, and Porphyria-friendly snacks for Tara so that she can grab them for work or have something quick at home.

That's why I was pretty happy when I saw these bars and checked out the ingredients. Most importantly, it has no soy. I got so excited about a soy free "grain" product that I initially overlooked the slightly less than stellar ingredients like red cabbage and canola oil.

They can be a little hard to find. Only one of my local grocery stores carry the strawberry bars. Whole Foods carries a few different flavors, but that's not always convenient for everyone.

On a final note, Barbara's Bakery has several different type of bars, some of which contain soy, so be careful if you are strictly avoiding it.

TCV Quick notes

Pros: Portable, good amount of carbs, low fat, low protein, quick, convenient, dairy free, soy free, tastes good

Cons: Has a few iffy ingredients, can be hard to find.

Verdict: I would definitely buy these again.
 

Have you tried these bars?

Review: Enjoy Life Very Berry bar

When Tara and I started to get serious about her diet and the carbohydrate requirements associated with AIP, we realized that Tara was skipping the most important meal of the day - breakfast.  Of course, eating breakfast is important for everyone, but it's doubly important for those living with AIP.  People with AIP should eat regularly and not fast, so eating breakfast (break fast) is crucial.  Well, in effect, Tara was fasting for 12+ hours in between dinner and her next meal.  The problem, though, is that she's one of those people who gets nauseous if they eat too soon after waking.  So we had to find portable breakfast items that she wanted to eat while driving to work.  Initially, we tried rice cakes, but we had to nix those as soon as she got her braces.  We had some success with a variety of snack bars (Kashi was pretty popular)...until we started eliminating foods that contraindicate AIP.

Enjoy life Very berry

Enter the company Enjoy Life. Their mission is "to make great-tasting allergy-friendly and gluten-free foods that nearly everyone can eat freely without worry." (source)  All of their foods are free of the Big 8 allergens; they are also made without casein, potato, sesame, and sulfites (big bonus for folks with AIP).  Check out their website to see all the allergen friendly goodies they have.  I can't wait to try their trail mixes.  Also, I've purchased and tasted their soy free chocolate chips (tastes just like the "real" stuff) but I have yet to use them in baking to see how they hold up.  These are the only chocolate products I have seen that do not have soy!

I first found these all the way on the bottom shelf at Whole Foods after desperately searching every single breakfast bar variety in the section.  I have since seen the Cocoa loco variety at both Publix and Walmart.  In addition to the Very Berry and Cocoa Loco flavors, they also have Caramel Apple and Sunbutter crunch. So far, we've only tried the Very Berry.  Tara thinks they are a rather bland and dry, especially when compared to regular breakfast bars.  I'll agree that they're a little dry, but I rarely eat breakfast bars and I find these to be plenty sweet.  Plus, I enjoy the crunch of the rice flakes.  I probably won't buy them regularly, but that's because I really have no need to - I eat cereal or oatmeal every morning.  If my needs suddenly changed, I would definitely buy these, though!

Do y'all have any recommendations for breakfast-y type foods that are AIP-friendly?

Reader Spotlight: Call for submissions!

When I first started this blog, we had just started our restricted diet.  At the time, I was only able to find a few pre-packaged, convenience foods that fit within our restrictions.  If I ever saw an allowable snack, which was infrequent, I picked it up immediately to taste test it.  Now, only a few months later, it seems like there are so many more allowable items and I actually have to limit what I can buy, both for my wallet and my waistline.  All the same, I'd like to continue to include reviews on the blog because this diet-revamping process can be frustrating and overwhelming; I think it's important to let y'all know about products that can make it easier for you.

Source

Dear reader, this is where you come in.  I want to open this blog up to you because I need some help reviewing all the goodies out there.  Also, I'd love to have some recipe submissions or suggestions.  So, I've decided to start a READER SPOTLIGHT series!  You don't need a blog to participate, but if you have one, I'll link up to it.  You can either do an official write-up (preferred) or you can just send me your thoughts on a particular product or recipe and I'll do the write-up.

Here's some guidelines to keep in mind:

• Obviously, the recipe or product has to be AIP-friendly.  By that, I mean no ingredients that are on the Foods to Avoid section of the Restricted Foods List and minimal inclusion from the other sections (although, I won't be too strict on that).  Also, while they don't need to be vegetarian or vegan, the emphasis should not be on animal protein.  In other words, nothing that is heavy on the meat, poultry, etc.  
• For a recipe write-up, I'd appreciate a photo - no worries if it's not stellar; have you seen mine?!  Just make sure it's in focus and the lighting is pretty decent.
• For product reviews, I'm looking for reviews of any allowable convenience foods out there.  You can purchase these items from anywhere (online, health food store, etc.), but I'd like to pay special attention to what's available at the supermarket. 
• Include a little personal info about yourself; this doesn't need to be much.

If all this sounds good to you and you're interested, shoot us an e-mail at TheCulinaryVampire [at] gmail [dot] com.  I'll do my best to make sure that as many submissions as possible get published.  I'm looking forward to seeing what y'all come up with!

[Hat tip to (never home)maker for the inspiration.] 

Review: Annie's Homegrown

Tara recently discovered a new source of Porph-friendly snacks, Annie's Homegrown.  Tara initially found these at Whole Foods, but I was pleased to learn that my local Publixes carry them, too!  We've tried several of their products, so I thought I'd do a review.

According to their website, "Annie's offers delicious organic and all-natural alternatives to traditional comfort foods and snacks."  They make a variety of pasta meals, cookies, crackers, cereals, and fruit snacks; they also have a small gluten free line (of which some contain soy).  Peep the catalog for all of their products.    

(All photos courtesy of Annie's.)

The Cheddar Bunnies are Annie's version of  Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers.  There are several different varieties, including organic and white cheddar, but we only tasted the regular Cheddar bunnies.  They were very mild tasting and took some time getting used to, especially when compared to the goldfish crackers.  Thankfully, the box has a lot of crackers, so I was able to really develop a taste for them.  The crackers could use a bit more salt and maybe a little more richness (fat?).  That said, I liked them and I would buy them again.

Update: Now that I've had them a few times, I think the salt/fat level is perfect.  Clearly, my taste buds needed to get used to not having all those fillers and fake flavors.

Bunny Grahams are Annie's answer to Teddy Grahams.  I really, really liked these, but I'm also a huge fan of cinnamon graham crackers.  Tara, who is not so much a fan of graham crackers or cinnamon, thought these were pretty good for graham crackers; she actually complained when I finished the box.  The bunny grahams come in a variety of different flavors; so far I've tried cinnamon and honey.  The honey is very mild compared to the cinnamon, but I liked it.  If you are being super strict about avoiding soy, steer clear of the chocolate chip flavor which contains soy lecithin; curiously, the regular chocolate flavor does not have soy.



FYI, Costco carries a large box (36 bags) of the multi-variety, 1oz snack pack size of the bunnies - perfect for lunches or quick snacks.

The Bunny Classics Buttery Rich crackers are similar to Ritz crackers.  Naturally, they aren't as rich as Ritz, but they were pretty good.  Tara thought they tasted a little plastic-y, but I think it's just because hers were a bit stale and stored in a plastic bag (hello).  I'd get them again if I had a hankering for a cracker.  These also come in a few different flavors.  I'm itching to try the saltine variety.







Tara also bought two varieties of their boxed macaroni and cheese, but we haven't tried them yet.  FWIW, Kraft mac and cheese is technically acceptable on our restricted diet right now. Who knew?

Note: I did not receive any compensation for this review, nor did Annie's contact me to do the review.

Salty treats: A review

After my Cheater's homemade pita chips post, I wanted to do a review of some salty snacks that I was able to find at my local grocery store.  You will certainly find more options at Whole Paycheck or any other health food type store, but my intention here is twofold: (1) not everyone has access to a health food store and (2) you'd be surprised at how many products at Whole Foods contain items on the Restricted List.

Check the ingredient lists; you'll find all good stuff.

First up: Kangaroo Pita Chips

Tara thought these were good, if a little plain and needing a bit more flavor.  They were a little softer than some of the other ready-made pita chips we've tried; soft is important to Tara since she recently got braces.  Also, she thought they were a little "fun" when you got the square ones because they had a puffiness about them.

I don't know if I would buy them again, because, quite frankly, my homemade ones are better and cheaper.  (I recently checked the price of the Toufayan pitas and they are only $1.29; these pita chips are about $3.)  These might be good for an on-the-road snack or when making your own pita chips isn't an option.

Second: Sensible Portions Pita Bites

I mentioned these already in the Cheater's homemade pita chips post.  I gotta say that I really, really liked these.  When Tara first tried them, she thought they were glorified matzoh crackers; however, after she had a few, she realized that they were pretty good and flavorful. 

It's hard to explain why these are so good, but they just have a nice flavor - kind of like a really good loaf of plain bread.  I will definitely continue to buy these. 

Third: Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps

These were surprisingly good.  I picked these up because they were in the deli section next to all the other snacks that I bought, not even because I was looking for pretzels.  It's a good thing, though, because when I checked the ingredients of the pretzels in the regular chip section, they all had at least canola oil, if not soy oil or other things. 

We don't eat pretzels frequently, but when we get a hankering - I like to dip them in my homemade tuna salad - we'll definitely buy these.

Final notes:  You should be able to find all of these at your local grocery store's deli section.  I don't claim to have checked out all the selections in the regular chip section of the grocery store, but almost all the ones that I have checked out have ingredients on the restricted list.  Furthermore, those that are OK are undoubtedly not super healthy - think Lay's plain potato chips, Frito's, and Tostito's (plus, Tara's sensitive to corn).      

Make sure to always check the ingredients of whatever you're trying to buy.  Companies change ingredients and formulations occasionally.

Also, be wary of multi-grain and flavored selections.  The mult-grain varieties may have soy or seed flours and the flavored varieties usually have way more ingredients, often on the restricted list.

Have you tried any other salty treats that didn't have restricted ingredients and were tasty?