Barilla Chickpea Rotini

 

I like chickpeas. I like pasta. I liked this chickpea pasta. It wasn't amazing but it certainly wasn't horrible. I like the consistency but there wasn't any taste to it that I could tell. 

 

I also liked that this wasn't sticky at all, in fact I was shocked that it wasn't sticky. I almost assume gluten free pasta will be sticky and just clump as leftovers. This did not and that is a pleasant surprise. 

 

I definitely recommend you try this pasta and if you do let me know your thoughts on it.

 

Wegmans Plant Based Burgers

Imagine my shock when I found a plant based burger that was gluten free. So many are made with wheat or gluten but Wegmans came through with a gluten green plant based burgers.

I did get these for free from a Wegmans newsletter coupon and honestly I would easily pay for these. I really liked these burgers. It is has been 20+ years since I ate beef but this reminded me so much of beef burgers from way back when. I loved the "spice" and the texture after cooking was very good.

Full disclosure, I thought the burgers looked and smelled like dog food when I opened the package. So I was very very skeptical BUT once cooked up these burgers looked good and tasted sooo good. So don't let your first impressions get in the way :) I look forward to adding these to my meal rotation.

Gluten Free Mint Oreos

Stop the presses!!! I found the elusive gluten free mint Oreos!!! And they are incredible!!! 

Mind you I LOVE mint and I already loved the regular gluten free Oreos. This is cookie heaven to me. 

Someone mentioned that these taste like Girl Scout Thin Mints and I agree for the most part. Although I like the chocolate covering on Thin Mints and that is obviously missing here but the flavor is there. 

I also love that these have more filling than regular Oreos but less than the double stuff. I think they are perfectly filled and I wish the regular Oreos would use this same filling amount. 

These will become a regular in my house for sure. I happened to get these on sale for $3.33 at Giant Food Stores but I’d be willing to pay full price. I seriously love these cookies.

Wegmans Cauliflower Bites

 

Not bad. Not great. Not crisp enough on the outside for me but if I had them again I might investigate how to make them crispier. 

And I would have them again but only on sale or with a coupon which is how I got them in the first place. I was shocked they were gluten free since they were breaded. So I had to try them at least. 

We enjoyed them with ranch dressing and also tomato sauce for dipping. Although the bites were fine on their own with the breading having some nice seasoning. 

It was only enough for the two of us to have an appetizer/snack as there is not a large amount of bites in the box. I wouldn’t think one box would work for a party or larger get together more than two people :)

If you try them, let me know your thoughts.

Katz Cinnamon Rolls

 

Much smaller than I expected but oh so tasty. In fact I’d say, such big taste in a little roll. The icing was just sweet enough and the cinnamon wasn’t overpowering. 

I was confused by the directions. It states to leave frozen until ready to eat but then it states to microwave for 5 seconds if thawed. 

The first set I microwaved for 20 seconds from frozen and it thawed them ok and the second set I did for 5 seconds from thawed and I’d say they turned out the same. Next time I’ll thaw them fully regardless of directions and try them that way. 

But they still tasted great. Katz has impressed me with their offerings lately. I recommend trying their items and let me know what you think. 

Schar Panettone

 

I have been wanting to try Panettone for a while now. I could never find the brand that I would see on other gluten free blogs but then Schar announced they would be baking one. I was very excited as I enjoy Schar gluten free items. I was even more excited that I found the last 3 at Wegmans over Thanksgiving weekend!! I grabbed one and then waited until closer to Christmas to try it.

I am not a fan of raisins in baked goods but I knew they would be in this. Well, I now like raisins in Panettone :) This was delicious. Pleasantly spiced, tender and baked well. It actually felt like a lovely surprise with how much I enjoyed this. I understand now why people like to have this for their Christmas holiday. It seems like a nice savory opposite to all the sweets we have at this time of year.

I don't know if Schar is the best gluten free Panettone out there but I am grateful to them for creating it this year and my ability to find it. Yum

 

Feel Good Foods - Three Cheese Bites

 

I’ve read from a few people about how much they like these bites. It took awhile to find them but a Wegmans came through. 

I really wanted pizza tonight but I didn’t feel like eating a large amount of pizza. These were perfect! Amazing pizza taste but a simple and light meal. So very good.

There were 10 pieces in the box so it was 5 pieces each which was just right. I can’t believe it was cauliflower for the crust. I would never guess it. I liked the sauce and everything about these bites.

I definitely would buy these again without question. I wish I had more already. 

Katz - Gingerbread Donuts

 

Not as good as the pumpkin spice donuts but these were quite yummy. 

I expected the ginger pieces on the donuts to be overly gingery and possibly burny as ginger can be but they weren’t at all. In fact I wondered if they were ginger after all. 

I would rather the pumpkin spice donuts but I wouldn’t turn these down if I found them again. 

Feel Good Foods - Potato, Egg and Cheese Pockets

Not bad but not great. Definitely does not look like the photo at all. 

These cost $6.99 at Wegmans and I would not spend that again but if they were on sale, I might purchase them again.

I followed the "best" cooking option: 1 minute microwave into a preheated 450 oven for 12-16 minutes. They looked good but when we bit in to them there was not enough egg mixture inside in to offset the pastry outside. But the flavor was good.

I was more hopeful as to my overall liking of this product but again it wasn't bad at all, just not as great as I wanted it to be.

Lucky Spoon - Lovely Lemon Cupcakes

 

Soooooooo much better than the strawberry ones we had. Seriously, it was like a whole different company made these. Perhaps something was wrong with the pack of strawberry ones I had. These lemon ones were even on clearance and were so much better.

The lemon cake was soft, light and delicious. The icing was a little stiff but I assume that might be due to the clearance situation... I bought them on their expiration day date at Giant. Even still, these were so good. I would completely buy them full price without question. I even thing there was a little lemon icing between the top icing and the cake. 

Writing this right now, makes me want to go back and eat the other ones. Yummmm

Daiya Pumpkin Cheezecake

 

On that same Wegmans trip that I got the Katz items, I also was able to get this item. We recently had the regular Daiya Cheezecake and really enjoyed it. So I was confident this would be just as good.

And it was, maybe not AS good as the regular one but I wouldn't turn this down if offered to me and I would buy it again.

I love the size of this cheezecake. It is perfect for two people and two forks ;) Yes, we did eat this all in one sitting! It was well worth the calories. The crust is delicious and only on the bottom so it doesn't overwhelm the actual cheezecake or the flavor. I found it to be the correct balance between the two.

I will also admit we didn't follow the defrost instructions properly and we still loved it. I should really get another one and follow the actual defrosting instructions to fully review the item ;) I guess a trip to Wegmans might be in order, although will there be any left there. They were there when I went back for the Katz items but I didn't get one then...hmmm perhaps not the best idea I had.

Katz - Fall items

For the first time EVER, I was able to get the Katz Fall items. I have wanted to try them for the past couple of years but kept missing out in the stores. Finally this year, I got to Wegmans in time and was able to get all 3 of the Fall items they released.

Working from least favorite to favorite BUT realize they are all yummy and good.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes: Delicious and great apple taste. I will say I am not of fan of the apple pieces on top due to texture issues BUT it all tasted so good. These were best counter defrosted.

Pumpkin Creme Cakes: yum yum yum. A gluten free Twinkie but pumpkin. Not as light and fluffy but still totally yummy. Good pumpkin taste and again best when counter defrosted.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Glazed Donuts: BEST EVER! Oh my goodness these are addicting and sooooo good. Seriously this is the taste I have been wanting for a pumpkin item and even for a glazed donut. I wish I had bought tons of boxes of these. When I went back a week later, everything was gone :( These were good both counter defrosted and the 10 second (I did 15) microwave defrost.

Again all 3 were great but I definitely LOVED the donuts the most. If you get a chance to try any of these, I definitely recommend them. Then come back and tell me your thoughts.

Cape Whoopies - Whoopie Pie

 

Yummmmmy

Perfect really. 

Not too sweet. Not too dense. 

Light, chocolatey, tasty cream and just the right size too

Found at Wegmans for $4.00. Definitely a good price for what you get. 

Definitely will pick up again when I’m there. 

Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Cheese Ravioli

I tried to get these last month but they were not in stock. I lucked out this trip but now I kind of wish I hadn’t. 

I usually love Trader Joe’s gluten free items. These were …. Terrible. I hate even writing that but it’s true. I would never buy these again. 

No taste, and all but one exploded in the pot. It was basically a pile of gluten free pasta with some type of cheese trying to be ricotta all over it. 

I followed the instructions and they were well within their best buy date. 

I was so sad. It was good they were only $4.49. Let me know if you had a different experience with these. 

Gluten Free Bakery Girl

 

We were in Bethany Beach Delaware and one of the coffee shops 3BB Cafe had these gluten free baked goods for sale. 

We had the brownie as a dessert and the bakewell as a breakfast item. They were both delicious. I wish I had bought two of each so we didn’t have to split each one 🙂

The brownie was not overly sweet and the balance of chocolate and peanut butter was perfect. It was savory and so yummy. 

The raspberry almond bakewell was perfectly baked and the raspberry was sweet and just enough filling. The almonds on top were crunchy and tasty. 

The bakewell was $7.50 and while it was delicious, I think that is way too expensive. The brownie was $5.50 and that seems more reasonable and worth the price. For a special vacation treat and supporting a local business, I have no complaints.

You can find Gluten Free Bakery Girl online and order for shipping. I do notice the bakewell is significantly cheaper online, more than just a mark up cheaper but again I’m happy to support a local business and have vacation treats. I might consider an order in the near future and try some of her other items.

Let me know if you have ever had her treats and what are your favorites.

O’Doughs Wild Blueberry Muffins

 

First things first, 

NEEDS.MORE.BLUEBERRIES!!!

Delicious but no where near enough blueberries. 

Soft, sweet, large, yummy. 

I’d buy them again but I hope there will be more blueberries. 

Maybe they are called wild blueberry muffins because the blueberries are so wild they don’t stick around to be in the muffins. They are out somewhere being wild. LOL 😆 

Banza Four Cheese Pizza

 

I won’t lie, I didn’t have high hopes for this pizza. But I’m tired of cauliflower crusts and I like chickpeas. 

I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t spectacular but it was not bad at all. I would most definitely buy it again. 

It was a little softer than I like for a crust but the taste was good overall. Good sauce and yummy cheese. We added some chicken and it was a good match. 

I did worry that it seemed too small for a pizza for two but it ended up working and not being over filling as bigger pizzas can be. And the size also makes the calories doable for half a pizza. 

This pizza was $8.99 at Wegmans and I had $1 back from Ibotta. It was worth this especially since frozen gluten free pizza prices have only increased through the past two years or so. There is a roasted veggie option that I would also like to try. 

Tell me of any other gluten free pizzas I should try that I haven’t written about yet. 

Tattooed Chef Cauliflower Crust Cheese Pizza

 

I decided to try this pizza when I needed to spend a certain amount of money in frozen foods at Giant. I believe it was $9.99 at the time. 

It was not bad but it wasn't great either. I wouldn't turn it down if it were offered to me but I don't think I will buy it again myself unless I need to spend the money and there is nothing else to try.

I think I'd rather gluten free "traditional" crust instead of cauliflower crust. I just seem to prefer the taste of "flour" crust than cauliflower. But again the pizza was good, just not great. It was crunchy which I like and it was a good size for two people to eat in one sitting.

It is worth a try if you are seeking different pizzas to try but if you have something you love, I am not sure this will beat it BUT everyone has different tastes.

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins

 

I am not sure there were chocolate chips in the one I had but it still tasted amazing. Unless they are melted chocolate chips. I was expecting a crunch of a chocolate chip but there was none. BUT that does not mean these are not excellent chocolate muffins. I am quite happy with them.

So light and airy. I am sure there are no calories in these muffins either ;)

It is a soft chocolate taste and while I expected an overwhelming chocolate, I am actually happy that it was a lighter touch. It was almost refreshing as it wasn't a heavy muffin at all and that is hard to do with chocolate.

Also $4.99 for 4 like the coffee cake muffins, which I think is a great deal.

 

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins

WOW
WOW
WOW

Oh my goodness, these are sooooo good. So soft. Soooo delicious. Perfect flavor. 

Great price too at $4.99. Dangerously good. 

So glad Trader Joe's is far away and these will just be a treat and not an all the time food... although I would definitely love that.

Definitely add these to your next Trader Joe's shopping list. You will not be disappointed, at least I wasn't.