New Gluten-Free Products at ALDI Grocery Stores

I first visited an ALDI grocery store after I had graduated from college and was living in my tiny little first apartment. It was perfect for me because I was BROKE and I needed affordable groceries. I lived off canned and boxed foods at the time and ALDI was a perfect fit. Tons of cans of vegetables for less than .40 a can, I made a lot of vegetable soups and had lots of canned fruits along with rice, pasta, and even fresh veggies for incredibly good prices. ALDI was a lifesaver for me, especially when my budget incredibly limited before I was married.

I stopped frequently shopping at ALDI when I went gluten-free in 2007 mainly because they didn't offer many gluten-free items other than naturally gluten-free foods.

HOWEVER, I found out this week that for a LIMITED time ALDI will now be selling an incredibly diverse line of gluten-free products. The supply is limited and you should probably run out and grab these items before they are gone. IF you really enjoy the products, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go to ALDI'S website and leave them a message saying you'd LOVE to have these products available ALL the time. I get the feeling that many of these products are name brands we pay big bucks for in a regular grocery store.

Over the next two weeks I hope to test out these products I picked up on Monday night to let you know what I think of them and how they worked out. If you try any of the products I didn't pick up (like the dessert baking mixes or the frozen products, I'd LOVE to know what you think of them! PLEASE send me an email or a comment on this post to let me know what you tried and what you thought of it!

THE BEST thing about these great products SO FAR, quite simply is the GREAT prices (and the fact, I'm pretty sure they are name-brand items just re-branded by ALDI.) Below I've listed what I paid for each product. These products are at least half the price if not 1/3 less expensive than what you would pay in any other grocery store for gluten-free products.

Gluten-Free Penne Pasta (like Heartland brand) $1.29 (10-12 servings) for 16 ounces

Gluten-Free Multigrain Snack Crackers (like Crunchmaster) for $1.49 for 4.25 ounces

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix for $2.99 for 16.5 ounces (makes 1 large pizza)

Gluten-Free Baking Mix (like Gluten-Free Bisquick) for $2.99 for 16 ounces

Gluten-Free Rice Pasta & Cheddar Cheese Mix (Like Kraft Mac & Cheese) for $1.49 for 6 ounces

Gluten-Free Rosemary & Olive Oil Multigrain Snack Crackers (like CRUNCHMASTER brand) for $1.49 for 4.25 ounces

GLG Disclosure: 

I purchased these gluten-free products from ALDI on my own dime because I wanted to try them out. I was not compensated or given free product by ALDI grocery stores or asked to do a review.  

The opinions and photography in this post are completely my own.

Product Review: Cybele's FREE-to-EAT Oatmeal Raisin Gluten-Free Cookies

Product: Cybele's FREE-to-EAT™ Oatmeal Raisin Vegan & Gluten-Free Cookies

I bought a box of these cookies at my local Food Lion grocery store a few weeks ago. I bought it on a shopping trip to replenish my desk drawer at work. I always try to keep a few gluten-free options in my desk for that inevitable 3 pm snack attack!

I was excited to find Cybele's cookies in my local grocery store. We don't exactly live in a gluten-free abundant area, so whenever I find a new snack that fits my dietary criteria it's fun to give it a try.

My first thought about these cookies was the box was quite small (which really isn't that unusual for gluten-free baked goods). It has about 12-13 cookies in it and suggests 2 cookies per serving. The box of cookies cost $4.59, which in my experience really isn't too bad a price for gluten-free products. This means the cookies were about .38 a piece.

Nutritional Info: 

• Calories: 110 (for two)
• Total Fat: 4 grams
• Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
• Sodium: 85 milligrams
• Total Carbohydrates: 20 grams
• Dietary Fiber: 1 gram
• Sugars: 11 grams
• Protein: 1 gram

Ingredients:  Gluten-Free Oats, Raisins, Brown Sugar, Organic Palm Oil Shortening, Gluten-Free Flour (Brown Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Flour), Evaporated Cane Juice, Water, Fructose, Golden Flaxseed, Brown Rice Syrup, Grap Juice, Rice Dextrin, Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Xanthan Gum, Sea Salt, Sunflower Lecithin, Cinnamon.

I have to tell you that when I tried the cookies, I wasn't sure what to expect. MOST packaged gluten-free cookies are very hard and crisp... which generally I don't mind. I like a crisp texture now more than I did in my pre-gf days... however it's nice to find a soft cookie.

THESE cookies were truly fabulous! 

They were soft and chewy! The texture was really good for a packaged cookie! The cookies were perfectly moist and the raisins, big and delicious. I felt like the company didn't skimp out on the fruit, which was nice. You had a bite of raisin with nearly every bite! You can taste just a hint of cinnamon in each cookie and they were definitely sweet, but not overly sweet.

I love that Cybele created this recipe using oats and flaxseed, along with being dairy-free AND egg-free! Quite a feat for a GOOD gluten-free cookie! These cookies are ideal for kids with food allergies because they are "top 8" free, so no peanuts, dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, tree nuts, fish, or shellfish. SO a great option to take to school functions and for weekly lunches! They are also baked in a dedicated gluten-free facility so you can rest assured they are free from cross-contamination!

If you wanted too, I think you could easily microwave the cookies for about 5 seconds to give them a warm, "fresh - out - of - the - oven" flavor.

They were really pretty cookies and they looked homemade, not like a store-bought cookie.

I will definitely buy these cookies again, I think they would be great to have at home in the back of the cabinet for a time when you have unexpected company and need a nice dessert!

GLG Disclosure: 

I purchased these cookies on my own dime because I wanted to try them out. I was not compensated or given free product by Cybele's FREE-to-EAT Inc or asked to do a review.  

The opinions and photography in this post are completely my own.

Country Church Photography: St. Johns Free Will Baptist - Goldsboro, NC

One of the little things I love in life is small country churches. I grew up in a small church and I have a lot of fond memories of running around on the big lawn and church suppers and vacation bible school!  This post begins a series I hope to continue of sharing photography of some of the small country churches I find on our travels in and around eastern North Carolina.

This lovely little white-washed church is St. John Free Will Baptist on NC Hwy 111 S. I asked Michael to stop as we were on our way to one of our favorite state parks Cliffs of the Neuse, located several miles outside of Goldsboro, NC.

The day was so beautiful and bright that the church was nearly washed out in the photography, but as with many things I like the imperfection of the pictures. I love the yellow flowers in the wreath on the door and the way the red brick of the addition pops over the green grounds and next to the white chapel.

Lovely, lovely place!

Charlie says hello

Happy Sunday!

Recipe Review: Gluten-Free Goodness' Divine Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cheryl is a dear friend. a wise counsel, and a darn good cook! She shared these cookies last week on her blog and I had to try them! I love using lower glycemic, gluten-free (or even grain-free) flours for making baked goods for myself. My husband prefers "regular" gluten-free baked goods, but I need to keep an eye on my carbohydrate intake, so I enjoy making treats like this that I can enjoy and not feel guilty about eating! 

These cookies were SO easy to make and they are just so tasty. 

Cheryl's recipe is unique for several reasons:

• Instead of using butter, palm shortening, or even coconut oil or butter... Cheryl gets creative and uses homemade macadamia nut butter for the fat. It works just beautifully and adds a rich and creamy and even BUTTERY (with no dairy!) texture to the cookies! Check out how to make the macadamia nut butter on Cheryl's blog post!

• Instead of chocolate chips (which I did use, just because we had them), she suggests using a 70% or higher content chocolate bar chopped up for the chocolate bits in the cookies. I have to admit, I prefer cookies made with a chopped up high quality chocolate bar, than using chocolate chips, they just seem to have a more gourmet flair and seem to taste better! 

• NO refined sugars! Cheryl uses maple syrup to sweeten the cookies and I have to say, I was skeptical at how well that would work. And I can tell you, it works perfectly! I loved the sweetless level and amazingly it doesn't really impart a "maple" flavor to the cookies. 

• Cheryl also suggests using ground vanilla beans, or vanilla bean paste to create the cookies and I WISH I had some on hand, because both give SUCH an amazing flavor to cookies, much more deep and vanilla-y, than just extract! If you have ground vanilla beans or the paste on hand, definitely use them!

So please hop over to Cheryl's blog and check our her recipe! Tell her I sent ya and let me know what you think about these cookies! Cheryl additionally has a great collection of recipes, along with wonderful posts about self-care and learning how to become who you really are. I value her friendship and her guidance more than she'll ever know!

(And if you have time to make her red lentil dal, cinnamon apple millet, celery in chestnut sauce, OR her sweet potato pie... oh you MUST! They are wonderful and just a few of my favorite recipes from her lovely site!)