Below is a beautiful infographic all about a favorite culinary subject… sauces! A great sauce can take a good meal and make it great or a great one and make it legendary. Enjoy! – Joi
Low FODMAP Recipes, Restricted Diets, Cookbook Reviews, Gluten Free Recipes...
By Joi Sigers
Below is a beautiful infographic all about a favorite culinary subject… sauces! A great sauce can take a good meal and make it great or a great one and make it legendary. Enjoy! – Joi
By Joi Sigers
… that is, until I tried a new brand a few months ago. I haven’t picked up another brand of gluten free since.
What is the magic brand that finally got it all right? KROGER! That’s right… Kroger Brand Gluten Free White Bread is the best gluten free sandwich bread I’ve ever eaten. Sandwiches are soft and fresh-tasting again. Those of us who eat gluten free have a solid understanding with gluten free bread – you have to toast it for anything remotely delicious.
Until now.
Kroger’s gluten free bread is soft enough to make a great, “normal” sandwich and you can leave the toaster on the shelf.
It’s soft, delicious, and even “folds.”
If you aren’t familiar with gluten-free bread, just trust me on this one… if you find one that actually folds, never let him go!
Problem is, most gluten free bread does NOT fold. In fact, if you even dare to try and fold it, it’ll fall apart right in the fold. I once told my cat that I think it’d be easier to fold a graham cracker than a piece of gluten free bread.
After I found Kroger’s Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread, I stopped buying any other brand. Kroger’s tastes better, looks better… it folds… it’s even cheaper than the rest.
One day I wheeled right up to the spot and the white bread was sold out. They had a few loaves of Kroger Gluten Free 7 Grain Bread, so I bought a loaf.
It’s as good as the white sandwich bread – seriously, it’s out of this world good. Actually, I think I like it even better.
And it folds, too! The 7 Grain Sandwich Bread is sheer perfection with peanut butter, chicken salad, and tuna fish.
I 110% recommend both of these gluten free sandwich breads – they’ll blow you away.
By Joi Sigers
The quick and easy Monday Morning Cheese Grits recipe below is my Weekday Morning “go to recipe” – I love them any day of the week, of course, but on Monday mornings, I reallllly sing their praises. So quick. So simple. So easy.
By Joi Sigers
I’ve always loved the saying, “What a great time to be alive!” – its enthusiasm and happy disposition are so contagious, how could you not love it? I often borrow the phrase in my daily foodie life these days and say, “What a great time to eat gluten free!” If, like me, you have to eat gluten free OR like so many others choose to because doing so makes you feel better – I’m sure you echo my sentiments.
Lance Gluten Free Cheese Sandwich Crackers are yet another reason to shout our proclamation…. even if it means showering everyone within reach with cracker crumbs when we do so.
Here’s what’s whackadoodle – I never was a huge cheese and crackers fan, before I had to give up gluten. It was Lance’s peanut butter and crackers that I was nuts for. Yet, here I am, completely unable to get through a day without these delicious little Cheese Sandwich Crackers. They are even better than the non-gluten ones, in my opinion. I love the tiny size, too.
I haven’t tried them yet, but Lance also has Gluten Free Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers. I just found the little guys on Amazon and have already thrown a few into the cart.
Click through any of the links for more information. I’ll let you know how the PB Crackers are in a week or so. If they’re anywhere near as good as the Cheese crackers, I’ll have two new addictions.
By Joi Sigers
Fortunately, I soon learned that this new world wasn’t such a bad place. In fact, it’s downright delicious! Glutino is one of the names that helped me the most in the transition and they’ll always have a special place in my gluten free heart for that.
Their Toaster Pastries are out of this world and do more than just taste delicious – they give a nostalgic little nod to bygone days. Frankly, I love nostalgic little nods to bygone days. There’s something familiar and comfortable about these beautiful and outrageously tasty pastries.
I’ve had the frosted blueberry (Amazon link), apple, and strawberry and have gotten them both frosted and un-frosted – it all depends on my mood… that and what the store has on the shelf. At least, it used to depend on what the store had in stock. Now that I’ve found them on Amazon (also available in a variety pack – Amazon link – no less!), I can stock up. Before Meijer came to town, Wal-Mart was the only place I could find these little beauties – now I have options.
Options are the bee’s knees.
Glutino’s Toaster Pastries make delicious snacks, quick and light breakfasts, and desserts when warmed and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The Apple variety begs for the dessert approach!
Look for these delicacies the next time you’re in your favorite store or head over to Amazon and stock up. They are even more delicious than the toaster pastries they give a nostalgic little nod to.
By Joi Sigers
So I did.
I’ve always made mashed potatoes from real life, honest to goodness potatoes straight from the bag. If I do say so, myself, and I do… my mashed potatoes are the best there is. Whether I make them traditionally or get jazzy with sour cream, cream cheese, garlic, and/or chives…. I make a mean pan of mashed potatoes.
So, there you have it. I know how to make mashed potatoes and even love to make them. When I’m making mashed potatoes as a side dish for holidays or for weeknight dinners, I break out my potato peeler and have at it the old-fashioned way.
And, yet… you’ll find me regularly throwing a few instant potato packets into my grocery cart.
What’s up with that?!
By Joi Sigers
If it were a secret, it’d be the WORST kept secret in the world… vegetables are good for you. Eating more vegetables improves your health greatly while reducing your odds of sitting in a doctor’s office as she tells you the name of the medical monster you’re up against. It may seem like over-simplifying, but MORE veggies = FEWER monsters.
But even I (the queen of tossed salads) know that you can only eat so many salads before you’re ready to hurl the French Dressing out the back door.
This is why I’m over-the-moon in love with my Spiralizer and with spiralizer-based meals. Spiralizing opens up a whole world of opportunities. When I was sent a Spiralizer cookbook (150 Best Spiralizer Recipes – Amazon link) to review, my Spiralizer and I both got pretty darn excited.
This cookbook has opened my eyes to the possibilities with a Spiralizer. I, admittedly, had been limiting mine to zucchini, cucumbers, and squash. Seeing all the other options has my brain falling all over itself trying to decide which fun new recipe to try next.
I love the fact that the authors include an introduction to Spiralizing, along with descriptions of foods that are best for your spiralizer and a page of “Quick Tips for Best Results.” As someone who has to eat gluten free, I also love and appreciate the fact that an entire section is devoted to Gluten-Free Recipes, followed by a section for Paleo Recipes. The fact that these two sections make up the bulk of the book shows just how healthy these recipes are!
Recipes Include:
{Review Continued Below…}
One of the simplest options is substituting typical wheat pastas in a dish with zucchini noodles. Quick, healthy and easy to make and so satisfying! 150 Best Spiralizer Recipes has many more delicious and creative dishes to explore, including updated versions of classic favorites.
There are recipes for vegetarians, gluten-free diets and low carbohydrate diets but also a wide variety of dishes for meat, poultry and fish lovers.
The 150 recipes feature some of these delicious offerings: Thai Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing; Pancetta and Lentils with Zucchini Pasta; Curry Beef with Sweet Potato Noodles; Tuna Noodle Casserole; Spanish Shrimp and Scallops with Butternut Squash; Spaghetti alla Carbonara; Spicy Shoe String Jicama Fries and Sweet Potato Pizza Pie.
16 pages of color photographs feature stunning food photography as well as the many ways you can maximize your spiralizer.
For a new twist on healthy cooking and more tantalizing ways to eat more vegetables and fruits, spiralizing is the answer.
About the Authors:
Jennifer Williams is the author of the bestselling 150 Best Breakfast Sandwich Maker Recipes.
Marilyn Haugen is a food blogger and co-author of Jams and Jellies: Preserving By the Pint in Minutes.
{Review Concludes Below…}
150 Best Spiralizer Recipes
This beautiful cookbook is filled with easy-to-make recipes with ingredients that couldn’t be simpler to find (most are in the produce section, which I LOVE). Something I always notice about cookbooks is whether or not they’re “Calendar-Friendly” cookbooks. When doing cookbook reviews, I love to be able to tell my readers that the recipes can be used “year round.” 150 Best Spiralizer Recipes is definitely a “Calendar-Friendly” cookbook because there are recipes for both summer, spring, winter, and fall.
What’s more, the recipes are healthy! When I find a cookbook that’s filled with delicious, easy-to-make recipes that are also healthy, I feel like I hit the lottery. I absolutely recommend this beautiful cookbook to anyone and everyone – those who have to or choose to eat gluten-free, the Paleo crowd, vegetarians, vegans, meat-eaters, people trying to lose weight, people who never even think about their weight… everyone!
See 150 Best Spiralizer Recipes (Amazon link) for more information. You’re going to love this cookbook.
By Joi Sigers
150 Best Meals in a Jar
As a self-confessed Queen of Mason Jars, I got uncommonly excited when I first saw the cookbook 150 Best Meals in a Jar (Amazon link). I got even more excited when I was sent a review copy.
I use jars in the kitchen on a daily basis. I put everything in them from smoothies to homemade French Dressing and from Kefir to iced tea. They’re just too convenient not to love PLUS they go in the dishwasher like champs.
With 150 Best Meals in a Jar (Amazon link), author Tanya Linton takes the Mason Jar and makes it even more useful with a book filled with wonderful recipes…. all of which go right into a jar.
The meals are fantastic for serving at-home.. which is exactly what I do. As someone who works from home, my lunch commute can be measured in inches. However, a lot of people (who work outside the home) are waking up to the realities of unhealthy fast food and are taking their lunches with them to work. The recipes in this book are invaluable for this very thing. I mean, how simple is it to pack a mason jar with you? If it’s a recipe that needs to be dumped into a bowl or onto a plate, simply put one of those in your bag as well.
{Cookbook Review Continued Below…}
{More About Meals in Jars Below…}
Smoothie in a Jar
Pictured above is a smoothie I made this morning – I used my Raspberry Bliss Smoothie Recipe but substituted blackberries for the raspberries (making it a Blackberry Bliss, I’m guessing???). As you can see, even my smoothie glass is a jar (this one happens to have a handle). I have a wide variety of jar lids (Amazon link) I got off of Amazon, so they’re ideal for taking anywhere I want to take them – whether it’s a trip to the store or a walk around the yard.
I even have drinking lids that fit on jars (Amazon link) that I love, too. They even make lids for jars that come with their own straws (Amazon link)!
As you can see, I’m more than a little into jars.
Benefits of Meals in a Mason Jar
{Book Review Concludes Below…}
I love the size of the cookbook, the size of the print (I’ve gotten to where I’d rather toss a book than squint!), the ease of finding the ingredients called for, and the fact that both metric and U.S. conversions are given. I’ve often wondered why more cookbooks don’t do this.
About the Book: Canning jars are perfect for a healthy and delicious salad. The dressing goes on the bottom, with heavier or harder ingredients making up the next layer(s), perhaps topped off with some fresh leafy greens. Everything stays crisp and separate until it is time to toss the salad in a bowl ready to serve and enjoy.
When made ahead these 150 tempting and innovative recipes last for days in the fridge for almost a week’s worth of lunches and/or dinners. These “grab and go” salads are ideal on those harried weekday mornings or busy weekends. Tanya Linton includes creative snacks and breakfasts as well as a chapter devoted to rice bowls and even desserts.
Lettuce-based salads like Italian Salad (chopped salami, spicy green beans, white beans and Pecorino), Green Goddess (sugar snap peas, proper peas and edamame with hoisin chicken) or Sweet and Salty Salad (arugula, figs, buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto) are great for the whole family.
For something more hearty, there are also noodle and grain/legume based salads like Pasta Carbonara Salad (pasta, cooked eggs, cooked pancetta, baby arugula), Chicken Soup Salad (noodles, carrots, celery, chopped kale and chicken) and Layered Tabbouleh Salad (couscous, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, onion).
About the Author: Tanya Linton is Director of Original Production at Home and Garden Television overseeing some of its most successful shows. She’s an accomplished writer and producer who is able to work across a variety of genres. She is also the co-author of The Ice Cream Bible.
I highly recommend 150 Best Meals in a Jar (Amazon link)- whether you or someone you love carries a lunch to work or school with them or you eat everything at home, this is a cookbook you’re going to love.
Bonus – Breakfast Burrito in a Jar (Recipe from Page 13)
See 150 Best Meals in a Jar (Amazon link) for more information!
By Joi Sigers
Bang Bang Shrimp
I have a confession to make – I’ve never had Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill, the restaurant who put Bang Bang Shrimp on the map. Given this fact, obviously, I am not trying to call this a “knock off” or “copycat” recipe. When I’ve worked with this particular recipe, I never judge it by how I think it “should” taste in comparison to anyone else’s Bang Bang Shrimp – I only measure it by the last time I made it – as in, Where could I make this even better?
Below are some tips I’ve picked up over the times I’ve made this dish. I made it yesterday and it was the best batch I’ve ever made – the recipe is below the tips, but the real “meat of the matter” is in the tips.
*** My Bang Bang Shrimp is pictured in one of my red Rachael Ray Stoneware dishes. You can find a wide assortment of her stoneware on Amazon (below). I, legitimately, use mine on a daily basis.
By Joi Sigers
As you’d imagine, I try to work the thrillsome threesome into my life as often as possible. My Applesauce Raspberry Parfait recipe is a quick way to get my raspberry and chia seed fix, as is a smoothie I have on a regular basis – my beloved Raspberry Bliss Smoothie. It is, of course, just as delicious with other berries – strawberries, blueberries, blackberries… just use whichever berry is your own personal obsession.
This smoothie all begins with a cold bottle of SlimFast – if you have to/choose to eat gluten free, be sure you check the front of the bottle or case for the magic words GLUTEN FREE. You can experiment with the flavors, but I usually go with Vanilla (unless Strawberries are the star of the day, then I go with Strawberry).
Pour the cold SlimFast into your blender and add:
Blend until you have a beautiful smoothie staring you in the face.
{Health Benefits of Raspberries Below}
Given the rich antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrient mixture found in raspberries, it’s not surprising to see studies showing raspberry benefits in cancer prevention. Chronic excessive oxidative stress and chronic excessive inflammation can combine to trigger the development of cancer cells in a variety of human tissue. By providing a rich supply of antioxidants, raspberries can help lower risk of oxidative stress, and providing a rich supply of anti-inflammatory nutrients, raspberries can help lower the risk of excessive inflammation. When combined, these results mean decreased risk of cancer formation. In animal studies to date, the cancer types most closely examined in relationship to raspberry intake are cancers of the breast, cervix, colon, esophagus, and prostate. – WHFoods.com (Click the following link to read more about the health benefits of raspberries!)
As you can see in the picture above, I use The Raw Food World Organic Chia Seeds (Amazon link) – you can find them for a great price on Amazon. Naturally, any Chia Seeds you have will be awesome. You could even leave them out if you wanted to… though I’m not sure why you’d do that. They’re healthy, delicious, and… let’s face it.. fun to eat.
You could also throw in a little flaxseed for extra nutrition. It doesn’t alter the flavor and, although I didn’t this particular time, I often do sprinkle at least a tablespoon in.
Mr. Coffee Iced and Hot Coffee Maker (Amazon link)
1. Easy measuring system: The integrated measuring system makes it easy to brew the perfect ratio of water and coffee and ice, for coffee that is always bold and flavorful—never watered down; the magic is in the measurements
2. All the extras: Includes a reusable tumbler, lid and straw, a reusable coffee filter, and a dual-sided scoop
3. Flavorful iced or hot coffee in minutes
Contact me through e-mail at joitsigers@gmail.com and/or connect with me through social media (see above). ~ Joi (“Joy”)
I do not claim to have taken all of the photographs on this website. I did not take any of the “product” or “affiliate” merchandise photos, nor do I claim to own them. If you are a photographer that sees something you want removed, simply e-mail me!