Pizza at Papa Murphy's

                Pizza.  It truly is one of my favorite foods.  Despite my love of pizza, I had never been to Papa Murphy’s before.  I had driven past different locations, but I had never been inside one of their establishments.  Then someone told my mom they had gluten-free pizza.  After we heard this, we knew we had to give Papa Murphy’s a try.           

                Before we could try Papa Murphy’s gluten-free pizza we had to research the crust to make sure I could eat it with my allergy.  I was very happy to discover they were using pizza crusts from Udi’s.  They are a great gluten-free company and I knew that with their crusts I would be okay.

                My mom and I decided we would get one of the vegetable pizzas on the gluten-free crust.  Since I had never been to Papa Murphy’s before I did not know what to expect.  I must say the pizza was good.  It probably would have been even better if we had fully read the directions on how to bake it.  That’s something to note.  When getting a pizza from Papa Murphy’s, make sure to read ALL the instructions before baking in order to get the pizza just as you like it. 

                As great as it is that Papa Murphy’s has gluten-free pizza crust, there are some things to be aware of. First, the gluten-free pizzas are prepared in the exact same space as the regular crust pizzas. There isn’t any separation between the two which does create a risk for cross-contamination. Also, it is possible that not every location will have the gluten-free pizza crusts. I suggest calling ahead to make sure that particular establishment has them. Questions about the gluten-free pizza crusts and how they are handled are available on the Papa Murphy’s website, www.papamurphys.com.

Gratify Gluten Free Pretzels: Sesame Seed Thins

                 The snack market is being flooded with little containers of food that you can take anywhere.  One of our favorites is a pretzel chips and hummus dip combination, but it is not a gluten free alternative for snacking.  Fortunately we have found a solution to this dilemma.

                The solution is Gratify Gluten Free Pretzels: Sesame Seed Thins.  Not only are these pretzels gluten free, but they are also lactose free, egg free, and made from Non-GMO ingredients.  You can pair the pretzel thins with your favorite hummus to create your own pretzels and hummus snack.

                Gratify has gluten free pretzel products other than the Sesame Seed Thins.  They can be found on the company’s website www.gratifyfoods.com.  We found the Gratify Gluten Free Pretzels: Sesame Seed Thins at Woodman’s.

                Happy Snacking.

Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chips

               My mother loves chips, so I never know what new chip is going to walk through the door.  Not all of the chips she brings home I will try.  Sometimes this is because of the flavor, other times it is because of the ingredients.  There are certain flavors that no matter who makes the chips I will not eat them.  When it comes to the ingredients, with Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chips I have little cause for concern.           

                The makers of Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chips take great care in their products.  Not only are they gluten-free, but they are also Kosher.  Many of the chips have been verified as not having GMOs (genetically modified organisms).  These are just a few of the benefits of these chips.  When you look at the bags you will find a lot of symbols letting you know exactly what kind of product you are getting.

                There are a lot of different flavors of these tortilla chips.  I wouldn’t be surprised if there was one to fit every mood.  There are original flavors, cheese flavors, spicy flavors, even pumpkin and kettle corn flavors.  They are all listed at www.foodshouldtastegood.com.  The Cheddar and Olive flavors my household is currently enjoying, amongst others, were purchased at Outpost.   

Schar Cookies

           Sometimes you just want a cookie.  You aren’t really sure why, but you want that crisp bite of sweetness.  Schar has several gluten-free ways to satisfy that craving. 

Schar has shortbread-style cookies, sandwich cookies, and wafer cookies.  We tried the Chocolate-Dipped Cookies.  This was a shortbread cookie with a chocolate coating on the bottom.  It had a good balance of the cookie to the chocolate.

I have seen Schar cookies at Outpost Natural Foods, Woodman’s, and Pick ‘n Save.  Be advised that not all kinds of cookies will be at all locations.  www.schar.com

Cheerios

                I swear I could live on Cheerios.  For awhile I practically did.  With so many flavors to choose from it’s hard not to fall in love with one of them.  Now that many are gluten-free, it’s even easier.       

                Cheerios has come out with five flavors that are gluten-free: Original (Yellow Box), MultiGrain, Honey Nut, Apple Cinnamon, and Frosted.  The great thing about these flavors is they will always be gluten-free.  Just as with Chex, there will not be any comparing of boxes to determine which one is gluten-free and which one is not.  Every single box of these flavors will have a seal declaring it gluten-free.  There is one warning, though.  These boxes with the gluten-free seal are fairly new so some of the old ones may still be on the shelf.  While in the end you won’t have to compare boxes, for now make sure you see the seal before purchasing.

                Since going gluten-free is a new endeavor for Cheerios, they have put a great informational section on their website (www.cheerios.com).  In animation they explain the entire process from the farm to the cereal box of how they were able change their product to make it gluten-free.  At various points through this explanation, you can click on different videos to get further information on certain topics.  There is also a Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom.

                Cheerios are a product that can be purchased practically everywhere.  Most grocery stores and stores with grocery sections (such as Target) carry them.  I have purchased Cheerios at Pick ‘n Save, Sendik’s, Woodman’s, and Sam’s Club.

TERRA Chips

           Nearly every food regimen tells you to eat several portions of fruits and vegetables every day.  Now here’s the problem: most people don’t like vegetables.  Fortunately, I have found a cure.  It may not be a complete cure, but it is a fun way to eat your vegetables.

TERRA Chips are chips made from a combination of potatoes and other root vegetables.  There is a large variety of chip flavors and each falls into either the category of Exotic Vegetable Chips or Sweet Potato Chips.  Two of my favorite flavors are Spiced Sweets and Sweets & Beets.  Both are gluten-free.  In fact, most, if not all, of the other flavors are gluten-free as well.  When you find a flavor you’d like to try, check the back of the package to make sure it is gluten-free.

These chips can be found at most food stores. I have purchased different flavors of TERRA Chips at Sendik’s, Outpost Natural Foods, Woodman’s, and even Sam’s Club. All the flavors, and other information about TERRA Chips, can be found at www.terrachips.com.

Boar’s Head Deli Meats

              It’s probably a little odd for me to write about meat since I eat so little of it.  However, I do eat turkey and chicken and it’s nearly always from Boar’s Head.  They have a large variety of flavors that I can get cut to the thickness I want at either the Cermak Fresh Market or Sendik’s Food Market deli counters.  Every flavor is gluten-free.

                The way I use the meats is usually in sandwiches, but I have also had them in salads and on top of pizzas.  For more variety on how to use the meats, the Boar’s Head website (boarshead.com) has a great deal of recipes to choose from.  You can even break the listings down to the difficulty level of the recipe or how long it takes to make.

                With so many different flavors, there really is one for everyone.  I have a tendency to go towards the more bold such as the Salsalito Roasted Turkey and the Chipotle Chicken.  However, as I was looking at the different flavor options, I noticed a Tuscan Brand Roasted Turkey that might be interesting to try.  I’ll have to see if I can find that one in our local stores as I have never looked for it before. 

              Aside from the recipes, the Boar’s Head website lists all their available flavors along with the benefits of each one. Some are certified as heart healthy while others are categorized as having lower sodium. Also included are the nutrition facts and a short back story, including ingredients, about each flavor. With all this information, it’s easy to decide whether or not a flavor is right for you.