Showing posts with label australianglutenfreeliving;. Show all posts
Showing posts with label australianglutenfreeliving;. Show all posts

Monday, 13 July 2015

Our own domain!

Hi everyone;
Sorry for missing our weekly post and lack of social media updates lately. I have been busy, establishing a new home for the site.
It has been a good but slow three years since I started the site and I have decided that it is time to take things more seriously. Over the week, I will slowly move all the content on this site to our own domain which can be found at www.aussiecoeliac.com.au.

Please be patient as I fill the new site with all the great facts, tips and content that you absolutely love reading and we should be up and running  by Friday for hopefully our post on the July Gluten Free Box.

Thank you for following the blog thus far and I hope to see you at the new address.

Ashlee; The Aussie Coeliac.

Friday, 19 June 2015

AGFL "The Box" - June

My June box arrived on Wednesday 17th, this is my third box from "Australian Gluten Free Life".
You can find my previous box reviews listed here.
The box as previously mentioned ships in the third week of the month.

If this is your first time reading about the Gluten Free Box from AGFL the prices are; $30AUD for one month or $80AUD for 3 months including shipping.
If you wish to order the July box, the cut off date for payment is 5pm on Sunday the 12th of July. The box should begin shipping the following Monday.
The recipe in this box was Hot Cakes with Maple Glazed Bacon and Whipped Butter, yum.

With the formalities all complete, we shall begin.
Once again the box arrived with my cursive name tag and addressed envelope. I opted out of taking a photo this time around as by now they all look very similar.

In this box there were only six items in the box compared to the eight items in the May box and the nine that arrived in the April box. However when totaled these items were worth the most out of the three boxes I have purchased.


The first thing I noticed in the box was a product I did not imagine i'd see in the box.
Bioglan Probiotic Digestive Balance tablets, a box of 30 capsules.
The card and box both announce the fact that it helps to relieve bloating, gas and abdominal discomfort.
I haven't used this specific brand but I do use Digestive tablets that relieve my glutened symptoms when they unfortunately occur. These tablets can be quite pricey and as the Bioglan tablets do not need to be refridgerated and have a shelf life until September next year these will be added to my 'emergency and accidental glutened kit' to help relieve my discomfort should it occur.
At Priceline pharmacies this specific size package will cost you $29.99AUD; however Chemist Warehouse can offer it to you for $19.99AUD so that is the price I will use when tallying my box contents.


The largest item in the box is another item from Simply Wize that I have had the pleasure of trying before. The Almond Bread is absolutely delicious. They are low in fat, fructose friendly and contain no artificial flavours. The pack is a full size at 150g, I've seen these before at Woolworths and Coles however at the moment I cannot find them on their online shopping options. You can find them online at Absolutely Gluten Free for $6.75AUD.
For those who are curious these are hard and crunchy but they also melt in your mouth with a wonderful buttery and nutty flavour; as well as absolutely moreish, if given the chance I would eat the entire packet in a sitting with a hot chocolate.



I've had many corn thin slices, however I can say that I can recall seeing the brand that we got in this months box. We got a foiled pack (I'm not entirely sure if this is a sample pack, travel pack or If inside the larger pack that is sold in stores the corn thins are wrapped into slices of four) of four slices Real Foods Corn Thins. I received the original flavour, however in the small pamphlet that was neatly tucked away in our envelope, there are also; Tasty Cheese, Sour Cream and Chives, Sesame,Soy, Linseed and Chia, Multigrain and Wholegrain thins.
I'm not sure if everyone received the same flavoured pack.
The 100g pack can be purchased from Woolworths for $2.00AUD, this foiled pack therefore is worth roughly 0.44 cents.


Usually for breakfast I have a smoothie, or a slice of gluten free toast with a egg when I can be convinced to spend the $7 for a loaf of bread. I think you have to be raised on Porridge or Weetbix and since I couldn't eat either I have honestly never tried them. I will however try the Brookfarm 'Porrij' sample that came in the box. My first ever taste of Porridge.
The sample doesn't have a weight on the packet so using my trusty scales I've weighed it at approximately, 50g.
The back of the packaging claims, high protein, no added sugar, fruit free, soy free,FODMAP friendly, Cholesterol free, Organic supergrains and ready in 90 seconds.
The ingredients list; organic brown rice, organic millet, almonds, organic quinoa, organic amaranth, organic golden flaxseed, macadamias and cinnamon. This product does contain tree nuts.
A 400g packet from the Brookfarm website will set you back $11.17AUD, resulting in this 50g sample being worth roughly $1.40AUD.



The trail mix we got this month is from Paleo Pure, I received the Mixed Berries variety. This will be another mixed that I blend up to use in my morning smoothies, with a selection of nuts, seeds,
coconut chips and in my version, goji berries, dried blueberries, cranberries and maple syrup. They are; grain free, gluten free, dairy free, vegan friendly, organic, hand made and low carb.
This pack from the Paleo Pure website will cost you $12.95AUD





The final item in this months box was a protein bar from Carman's Gourmet Kitchen. This protein bar is produced in a completely gluten free facility.
The flavour I received is Greek yoghurt and mixed berries. The bar contains at least 10g of protein.
You can purchase a 5 pack of these bars at Woolworths for $5.93AUD, resulting in our single bar being worth $1.19AUD.





The total cost of the products inside this box is estimated to be around $42.72AUD, so far our most expensive box.
I must say, I do miss the chocolate chip cookie style food that we received in the April box and hope that sometime in the future we are provided with more opportunities to try sweet foods as well as just the healthy stuff.

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook, for real time updates. If you received the Australian Gluten Free Living box, let me know if you got any different flavours, or what your thoughts on the products we go this month were.

Ashlee xx.

Tuesday, 19 May 2015

AGFL "The Box" - May

We moved into our own home over the weekend and yesterday. Yes, this 23 year old and her partner of 25 can say they own their own home and it feels great. Amongst all the moving and unpacking, my May gluten free box from 'Australian Gluten Free Life' arrived.
This is my second box, you can find my first box opening and first impressions here.
The cut off for the May box was Sunday the 17th and I received my box at work this morning.
I also received the second of my subscription boxes the Fortune Cookie Soap Box which you can find the review for here.

Again prices are $30AUD a month or $80AUD for 3 months. The cut off date for the June box is 5pm on Thursday the 11th of June. Boxes generally start shipping the third week of the month.

With all those details out of the way, let's get on to the box.










Once again, it came with a hand written tag and envelope.
There were eight items inside this months box and all but one were full size, the recipe card inside the envelope was for ANZAC biscuits.
I will edit this post later to give some further descriptions of what each product was like.


The first item that I pulled out of the box, I have decided I will eat for lunch tomorrow.

This is an instant All Natural Green Curry Soup. This soup is made with Konjac noodles, which are derived from an Asian root.
These soup cups will set you back $1.99AUD from Woolworths or Coles.

The soup itself was a tad watery, I would recommend not adding the boiling water to the line and perhaps just a little under it, if you want a thicker and fuller flavour.










The Brookfarm macadamia power food, this product is gluten-free and Paleo, it is also great for those on vegan and ketogenic diets according to the information card.

 The size of the packet is 500g and this packet from the Brookfarm website will set you back, $16.95AUD

I personally am not a big muesli or trail mix person, but this goes really well in a smoothie. At the time of editing this section in, I've had it in my morning breakfast smoothies for a week or so. It adds a lovely coconut and nutty flavour and also a bit of texture to my otherwise bland banana and greek yoghurt smoothies.






We also has in the box two packets of the Simply Wize, Barbeque CornCrunch.
These are roasted corn kernels in BBQ flavour. I have seen these in the shops previously but have never bought them.

You can't buy these 30g packets individually, however you can find the 150g box, containing 5 packets for $4.18AUD. 

I didn't like these on their own, the texture was a bit unusual for my liking, however I added them to my rice cooker with some rice, ham, sesame oil and soy sauce to make an incredible BBQ steamed 'fried' rice.


We got another breakfast bar, this one I enjoyed a lot, I love fruit bars that are essentially all natural fruit roll-ups.
The brand is The Australian Superfood Co.
I received the Ancient Rainforest Berry, raw bar.

This fine bar will cost you $4.50AUD which personally is a bit pricey, so I don't think I'll be repurchasing this product.






The sample sized product we received was from Stoney Creek. We got a small Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal. The brochure it was attached to contained, ways to use the Flaxseed as well as information on how to store it, how it was produced and other tid bits of information.
The card suggests using this over your morning cereal or gluten-free muesli.
You can get 1KG from their website for $11.30AUD



The Fever Tree Ginger Beer, looks appetizing. I've never had ginger beer before, Mr. B swears that it is the worst thing he has ever tried. I'll decide for myself.
It was difficult to find pricing for this one. The website only has wholesaler contacts and they didn't have a website. I did find that from Dan Murphys you can pay a 4 pack for $6.90AUD, which puts them at around $1.73AUD each

I can't wait to find a time to enjoy this.








The final product in the box is a very interesting item. The Virgin Coco Cocoarolls were something i had to try instantly. They are nutty, sweet and coconutty all at once. Both sweet and savoury as well. It isn't a surprise that the box is almost half gone between myself and Mr. B.

I was unable to find a price for this box, but we could estimate it based on similar products at around $5AUD a box, that may be being generous.



All up, the box was certainly worth it this month. Those Cocoarolls, were something I would never have heard about if it wasn't for the box, same with the Fever tree company.
This box was a little harder to price but I estimate its worth ot be somewhere between $29 and $31AUD.

Until next time.
Ashlee.

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook
I post real time photos on there and you can let me know if there are any products you have tried or would like me to try.

Friday, 24 April 2015

AGFL "The Box" - April

As a Coeliac, when it comes to testing out new products, I personally am a bit hesitant. Not because i'm fearful that i may accidentally gluten myself, i've certainly had enough practice at reading labels these past seventeen years. It's because of the price tag and the fact that gluten free food doesn't always have the best taste. I would hate to spend money on a product, only to find out I don't enjoy it. Especially when the price is marked up for Gluten-Free.

In Early February, I found the Australian Gluten Free Life magazine at my local newsagent, I was instantly enthralled and bought a copy. The magazine comes out quarterly and they are currently up to Issue 4; If you are an Australian coeliac then you probably know it.
While I was reading that issue there was a lovely advert for their venture the AGFL "The Box", the first ever Australian gluten free subscription box.
That caught my attention. I hadn't heard of it before.
The box can be purchased month to month for $30AUD (including shipping) or as a 3 month subscription for $80AUD (including postage). You can find both box options and the option to subscribe to their magazine on their website.
Unfortunately, I couldn't afford the March box but I did manage to snag an April one; for my first box I just purchased a one month to ensure that I liked the box before committing to three months of it. After opening this box I can definitely say I will be subscribing to the three month option.

The box arrived today while I was at work and it took all my effort not to open it then and there. However I managed it; you can find photos and details of the contents of the April box below.

The box was in white, with a small blue sticker in the top corner and a gorgeous hand written tag. It's so cute. On the top inside of the box there was a welcome note, with their Instagram and facebook link. You can also hash tag your box pictures with #agflthebox for your chance to win another box.

On top of the baby blue tissue paper was an envelope with the same calligraphy font. Inside there was my product card, a promotional card for one of the products and a recipe card that used one of the products in the box.


There were nine samples in the box, all full size; I've tallied their prices and provided you with links to each of the companies, where you may be able to purchase the products and the product card descriptions. 



 Anathoth Farm; Sweet Chilli Relish.
"From a weekend market in New Zealand to supermarket shelves in Australia. Anathoth Farm has certainly grown over the last 26 years. Their Sweet Chilli Relish was awarded 2015 Relish of the year at the Australian Product of the Year Awards."
Stocked at Coles for $4.83AUD for 420g.

I had to taste this the moment I saw it. It is slightly spicy, but with a nice natural tang of sweet. Absolutely delicious.



 Blue Dinosaur: Paleo Bars, Ginger Nut.
"Made from just five ingredients (apricots, almonds, coconut, coconut oil and ginger) there are no hidden nasties in Blue Dinosaurs Paleo Bars. Not only are they preservative free they're also free from gluten, dairy, soy and have no added sugar"
You can by these online in packs of 12 for $47.40AUD.

 Cobs Popcorn; Slightly Salty and Slightly Sweet
"Cobs Natural Range is made from 100 percent wholegrain corn and is free from anything artificial. The 30g bags are the perfect cure for 3.30-itis"

I am not sure about these 30g packs, but you can buy the 80g packs for $2.85AUD from Woolworths.

 La Zuppa; Tom Yum Soup
"For a super simple gluten-free snack all you need is boiling water when you have La Zuppa in the pantry. The new Just Add Water range is available in five delicious flavours"

I'm not sure if there were other flavours sent out but I managed to get Tom Yum soup.

You can buy these packs that contain two servings each at Woolworths for $2.99AUD.
Spotted Cow Cookies;Triple Chocolate Fudge
"What's a cuppa without a good biscuit to acompany it. The Spotted Cow Chocolate Fudge Cookie is a chocolate lovers dream. It's made with pure couverture milk and white chocolate pieces"
This was hands down my favourite product, with the relish coming a close second. I adore chocolate and this cookie was moist and fudgy.
Sadly there aren't many stockists in Victoria, they have a list on their website, but you can also buy them in packs of 12 on sale at the moment for $24.75AUD
Pukka, Incredible Organic Herbs; Tea Samples
"Put the kettle on take five with a delicious herbal tea from Pukka. Their teas are certified organic and are made from ingredients that have been sustainably harvested"
There are three samples;
Love: Rose, Chamomile and Lavender
Peppermint & Licorice: Self explanatory really
Revitalise: Cinnamon, Cardamon and Ginger

As far as I can see, you can only buy these online at their site for $7.95AUD for a box of 20.

 Lucky Nuts: Almond Meal with Chia.
"Almond meal has long been a staple of gluten-free baking. Now thanks to Lucky you can enjoy the same great tasting almond meal with added health benefits in Lucky Almond Meal with Chia and Lucky Almond Meal with Quinoa"
I believe both of these products which are new on the market were sent out in the boxes. I received the Almond meal with chia. This is a product I will definitely use.
As a new product I can't find a price but the traditional almond meal is $10.99AUD.

When taking into the considering the size of portions and full size products the total of the box is $27.88AUD.
For the $30AUD including shipping I think that this box is totally worth it. I do enjoy tea, I loved the cookies, I love baking with almond meal. The relish was insane and I love both the popcorn (from previous experiences) and i have had great experiences with the microwaveable tub soups from La Zuppa. I am not a big fan of health food bars and it is probably not an item I will purchase for myself but I am definitely willing to give the blue dinosaurs a go.

I will be subscribing to the box again.; so you'll see a whole new unboxing blog post next month.

Ashlee xx

Don't forget to check us out on Facebook
I post real time photos on there and you can let me know if there are any products you have tried or would like me to try.