Beanitos Gluten Free Snack Chips

As a Celiac and type II diabetic, I am always looking for foods that I can eat without getting sick from the gluten, and that don’t have too much sugar. These chips fit that description.  The things that make Beanitos so healthy and delicious are real ingredients, nutritious calories, and beans. Beans are naturally loaded with health benefits such as vitamins and minerals.  Doug and Dave Foreman,  the owners of Bean Brand Foods, say “Beanitos is a nutritional powerhouse: a corn free, gluten free, low glycemic, 100% whole bean snack chip packed with Omega 3’s, protein and fiber.”   They are also high in fiber and contain 2 1/2 times the protein of corn or potato chips. I say, they are quite tasty and filling as a snack.

Beanitos come in two varieties: Black Bean and Pinto Bean with Flax Seeds. The Black Bean flavor has 5 grams of fiber and 140 calories in a 10 chip serving.  To get the same amount of fiber from potato chips, you would 75 chips with 750 calories. And potato chips offer no Omega 3’s at all!

I tried the Black Bean flavor by itself as a between meal snack. The recommended serving size of 10 chips was plenty to fill me up and satisfy my hunger. They have a very pleasing flavor, and I think they would be good with cheese dip or as nachos.

Beanitos suggested retail price is $3.99 for a 6 oz. b and can be found in many stores nationwide, including H-E-B and Whole Foods.  If you can’t find them at your favorite local store, visit the Beanitos website to download a product fact sheet to give the manager nex time you go.  Order them online at Snack Warehouse.

Ingredients: Whole black beans, whole grain rice (brown and/or long grain white, pure vegetable oil (one of the following: canola, sunflower, safflower), guar bean gum, sea salt.

Calories per serving: 140    Carbohydrate content: 15 grams  Protein: 4 grams

Vistaprint Business Cards

I know you have probably seen the emails or ads on the internet for Vistaprint . They usually say something like “free business cards, you just pay shipping.”  Well, a few years ago I decided to give them a try. I wanted some business cards that looked a little more professional than what I could print at home. I wanted something that would be get my personality across, but look like I really meant business. This is the design I came up with:

I think I actually ordered the first business cards before I ever had a blog, which I started in 2006. The lifestyle that my husband and I lead involves meeting new people all the time–most full time RV’ers have a “calling card” to exchange with others, and I wanted one, too.Also, after I started writing my first blog, I started interviewing people at places we went for stories I wrote. I always handed them a business card when asking them to answer a few questions about their business or about themselves, and almost 100% of the time, that simple gesture opened them up for me to get a better story. I think the design, even though it is one of the standard ones offered by Vistaprint , is fresh, it includes my love of flowers and the outdoors, but is not too cutesy. The first ones I bought were free except for the shipping, because they included a Vistatprint add on the back of the card.

All of the subsequent orders I have placed have had my own “advertising” on the back. I pay a little extra to make my cards work for me instead of for the company who printed them. I can order news at any time, and change the message on the back, change my address and contact info on the front, and there is no extra charge to change things.

This time I ordered two new to me products. The window decal above also matches my business cards. I have installed it on the back window of my truck:

Yeah. I know. I’m a geek! Just wait until next time when I order a door magnet! This time I also got 200 return address labels:

I have been very pleased with all the merchandise I have ordered from  Vistaprint , and will continue to get my business cards and other stationery from them.  My last order included 250 business cards with my own advertisement on the back; 200 return address labels, and 2 window decals. They all match, and make me at least feel like I am a little more professional than I was before. the total for this order was $32.09, and that included shipping.

Southern Recipe Pork Rinds

I have always liked pork rinds, but since I started eating gluten free, they have become one of my “go to” snacks. They are naturally gluten free, and taste good, too. High in protein, low in cholesterol and carbohydrate-free, a serving of pork rinds has approximately 80 calories, 9 grams o protein, 10 mg of cholesterol, and 5 grams of fat, most of which is unsaturated fat. That means a serving of pork rinds is higher in protein and lower in fat than a serving o peanuts! And, they are gluten free, which is the #1 thing I look for in snacks for myself.

Southern Recipe Pork Rinds were created from a family recipe at Rudolph Foods in 1955. Since then, Rudolph Foods has grown to be the world’s largest producer of pork rinds. In blind label consumer testing in four cities, pork rinds from Rudolph Foods were preferred by a wide margin over other brands because of their taste and appealing crispness.  I wasn’t a part of those tests, but I agree that these pork rinds are better tasting than others I have tried. They don’t taste “greasy” or heavy at all. They just have a crispy, crunchiness that I love.

These pork rinds come in five flavors–Sweet BBQ,  Bar-B-Q, Salt & Vinegar, Spicy Hot, and Original. While I am not so much a fan of hot things, I love the Original and the Salt & Vinegar flavors. My friend, Rob, tried the Spicy Hot and Bar-B-Q flavors and says they are great, too!

Ingredients (Original flavor): pork rinds and salt

Calories per 1/2 oz serving: 80     Carbohydrates: 0

Ingredients (Hot & Spicy flavor): pork rinds, salt, dextrose, spices including chili pepper, torula yeast, maltodextrin, paprika, msg, onion powder, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, yellow # 6 lake, natural flavor, carmel color, red 40 lake.

Check out the fun Man Cave website for some interesting recipes using pork rinds and a chance to win a T-shirt.

Applegate Farms Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

If you are a someone who eats gluten free, when was the last time you had some chicken nuggets? For me, it has been since April 2007. That changed yesterday when my samples of Applegate Farms Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets arrived.

These nuggets are delicious! Even my non-gluten free husband enjoyed them. And they were so easy to prepare: Just pop them in the oven for 12 minutes, turn them over one time half way through the cooking time, and they are done. They can also be cooked in the microwave. The package says “Our gluten free chicken nuggets are ready to heat, so you can spend more time tickling your kids.” Don’t you just love that?

Applegate Farms Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets would be a perfect choice for hot hors d’œuvres  at a party, as an after school snack, or served with vegetables for dinner. I served mine with a homemade honey mustard sauce, and sides of steamed spinach and potatoes.

These chicken nuggets are all natural, contain no nitrates or nitrites, no fillers or preservatives, no artificial colors or flavors, and no MSG. They are produced from vegetarian grain fed chickens, and no antibiotics are used. All these healthy details have created a delicious, good for you chicken nugget that you will be able to feed your family with confidence.

Ingredients: Chicken, water, cornstarch, salt, extract of oregano. Battered and breaded with: water, rice flour, tapioca dextrin, cornstarch, salt spices and spice extractives including extractive of paprika and extractive of turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, ground celery. Breading set in vegetable oil.

Calories per 7 nuggets: 170  Carbohydrate: 11 grams  Protein: 12 grams

For more information on Applegate Farms products, check out their website. You’ll find lots of information about their products, a store locator, some great recipes, and a printable coupon for $1.00 off any of their products. Some of their products DO contain gluten so be sure to read all label information carefully.  Suggested retail price is $6.59 for an 8 oz box containing approximately 18 nuggets.

Jungle Grub Snack Gluten Free Snack Bars Give Away

The makers of Jungle Grub Snack Bars sent me a sample pack recently, and I have to say, these little snack bars are yummy!  As a gluten free grandma, I am always looking for good things that I can eat that I can also share with my non-gluten free grandchildren.  I like to serve them healthy foods when they come to visit. Jungle Grub Snack Bars are not only delicious, they are also very nutritious, and gluten free.

These snack bars are organic, just 100 calories each, provide 20% of recommended daily allowance for vitamin C, 15% of recommended daily allowance for calcium, and only 14 grams of carbohydrate. All that with less sugar than a glass of milk! Formulated by a nutritionist, they are a great alternative to the many junk food items out there.

One thing I noticed as soon as I opened one of the Berry Bamboozle flavored bars was the enticing aroma—it really smelled good. And I wasn’t disappointed—it really tasted good, too.  Peanut Butter Groove and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough are the other flavors offered.  I know I’m going to be keeping them in my snack cabinet!

Ingredients:

Berry Bamboozle:  Organic evaporated cane juice, organic soy protein, organic maltodextrin, organic yogurt coating (organic sugar (evaporated cane juice,), organic palm kernal oil, organic non fat yogurt (milk), organic soy lecithin, lactic acid, salt and organic vanilla), organic soy protein crisp (organic soy protein concentrate, and organic rice flour), organic date paste, organic canola oil, organic sweetened cranberries, (organic sliced cranberries, organic cane sugar, organic canola oil)natural flavor, water, calcium carbonate, organic soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, xanthan gum.

100 calories, 14 grams carbohydrate in each bar.

You can find the ingredients for Peanut Butter Groove and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavors on the Jungle Grub website.

Allergen alert: this product contains the following: Soy, Milk. This product is produced in a facility that also processes soy, milk, egg, seeds, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and fish.

You can purchase these yummy snack bars at Amazon.com and at Shop Organic.  Suggested retail is $4.99 per box.  Amazon.com sells 6 boxes/5 count for $28.52 (3 flavors and a variety pack) and right now Peanut Butter Groove is on sale for $25.41

If you’d like to win some, Organic Nutrition, Inc. is sponsoring a give away. You have three ways to enter, for a total of 3 chances to win:

1. Go to Organic Nutrition’s website, then come back here and leave a comment letting us know what you like best about Jungle Grub.
2. Follow Jungel Grub on Facebook, then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did.
3. Tweet about this give away, then come back and leave a comment to let me know you did.

The give away will be open for entries until March 8, 2010, United States winners only. I’ll pick a winner at random. If I don’t hear back from the winner with mailing address for the prize in 48 hours, I’ll pick another winner. Please make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.

Wellgate for Women Braces

When I was asked to try out a  Wellgate’s for Women Ultra Lite Knee Support, I gladly said “YES!”  I have trouble with my knees when I walk or stand a lot, so this was something I have been thinking about for a while. With spring coming up, there will be more opportunities to get out and exercise, and this knee brace will help me keep at it.

Wellgate’s Ultra Lite Knee Support is more than functional. It is made for women, and is somewhat attractive for a product of its type. It is made of a soft, breathable fabric that makes wearing it more comfortable. The Queen size is truly a fit for larger women like me, and fits women up to six feet tall and 270 pounds.

The Wellgate for Women Ultra Lite Knee Support has a control top for a smooth fit on the upper thigh, and has a non-slip band on the inside so it doesn’t slide down like some other braces do. It doesn’t feel constrictive or too tight like some other braces I have tried. I was able to wear it all day without feeling uncomfortable.

In addition to the Women’s Ultra Lite Knee Support (available in regular and Queen sizes), the line includes Women’s High Performance Knee Supports, Women’s Slimfit Wrist Support, and Women’s Slimfit Ankle Supports. The Women’s Ultra Knee Support retails for about $17.

If you would like to try one Wellgate for Women product of your choice, you can win one!  To enter the give away go over to MomGadget for the rules.

The give away will be open for entries until March 1, 2010 at 11:59 p.m.

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