Cure the chocolate cravings, cheap!

If you are like me, you enjoy sweet things.

There comes that point in the late afternoon or evening when those cravings take over.

Unfortunately being a Coeliac and craving a sweet hit tend not to go hand in hand.

This is where the new range of the Aldi exclusive brand Dairy Fine $1.00AUD chocolate bars can help.

Yes, you read that right, $1.00AUD chocolate bars, better yet; they're gluten free.

There are a variety of flavours, including some that are hard to find gluten free versions of. 

The bars are produced in:

• Caramel
• Strawberry
• Dark Chocolate and Cherry Coconut
• Honey Comb
• Rice Puff
• Peppermint
• Milk Chocolate and Coconut (Not Pictured)

Caramel

The milk chocolate casing breaks down to reveal a sweet caramel filling. A sweetened condensed milk type of caramel bursts out. The filling has a buttery fudge appearance. The taste lingers in the mouth without being overly sweet.

Strawberry

The strawberry is far sweeter than the caramel counter part. It has a creamy baby pink filling and a potent strawberry flavour. If you consume too many pieces, even to a sugar fairy like myself, it is sickly sweet.

Dark Chocolate and Cherry Coconut

Punchy and bitter dark chocolate surrounding a creamy cherry filling. There is a tiny after taste of coconut. I never had the pleasure of consuming a cherry ripe, however mummah coeliac has informed me that the dark chocolate and cherry coconut bar from Aldi has the same basic flavour without the same texture. It does not have the chunky solid filling of a cherry ripe, instead it produces a smooth fluid filling.

Honeycomb

Milk chocolate with small chunks of honeycomb pieces adds enough texture and sweet honeycomb flavour without being overpowering. Unlike the solid chocolate covered chunks of honeycomb that can be tooth achingly sweet; this bar finds the medium ground. 

Rice Puff

I have only had a "crunch" bar once, a long time ago. Back then they were one of mummah coeliacs favourite things.

These as far as I can remember taste pretty much the same. Without the bloating side affects.

Rice puffs provide a wonderful texture, with plenty of dispersion through the chocolate.

Peppermint

If you are looking for a refreshing tingle to finish your evening, the creamy mint center of this chocolate bar could be your next favourite thing. The filling is strong but not overly sweet and leaves a fresh sting of peppermint on your tongue. 

Each $1.00AUD bar, weighs 100g. There are three pieces in each row which make them a bit hard to share but then again, why would you want too.

As previously mentioned you can find these at Aldi supermarkets.

This is not a paid review, simply my opinion as a chocolate lover.

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If there is a product that you think I'll enjoy, that you enjoy or that you'd like for me to review, leave a comment below!

Until next time.

Ashlee xx.

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.

Product Review: Dynamite Hot! Chilli with Beans.

Today I posted on my Instagram a photo of my lunch which I had picked up from Woolworths for $3.25. It was the Stagg Chilli “Dynamite Hot” Chilli with beans. I am not a fan of canned lunches, however when I noticed the big yellow exclamation bubble It sparked my curiosity, a quick check of the back to ensure I could in fact eat it and it was in our basket.

The can is 425g and is supposed to contain 2 serves. It claims to be “Ignited by Habanero peppers” which made me more eager to try it out; I definitely enjoy the habanero flavour. Serving the product is simple, you can use a stove top or a microwave. I used the microwave at work and just popped the contents of the can into a bowl and microwaved for 2 minutes on HIGH.

The chilli contained lots of beans and was meaty enough for my standards, with chunks of mince meat in a thick sauce. At first I didn’t seem to taste any heat and I was more than half the way through the bowl before it began to feel hot. Rather than being a sharp sting the chilli had a flavour and the heat built as you ate. The product left a nice tingle in my mouth and on my lips. On the last bite I did notice my nose get a little runny however it was nothing more than a few sniffles. If you were only having the recommended serving size, you probably wouldn’t feel much heat at all. To me it was delicious but just the same as any regular Bolognese that I make at home. On a scale of 1 to 15, where 1 is tomato sauce and 15 is my too hot to handle, I’d place this at a four.

Disappointingly, it was nothing spectacular, however I would purchase again if I needed a quick lunch with just a bit of a chilli hit. It was definitely delicious and the ratio of meat, tomato and beans was decent. The small amount of heat that did hit me lingered for at most ten minutes, with the tingly feeling in my mouth and on my lips lasting for at least five. If you’re like me and a bit of a chilli freak and looking for a nice burn, then it’s probably best to give this one a miss. It will fill you but will not result in sweats, tears or coughing.

The product is not fructose tummy friendly; it contains at least both garlic and onion. The product ingredient list is gluten free and has no cross contamination statement (a bit of a risk on my part in case they do manufacture in the same factory and just don’t list it), for obvious reasons it is neither vegan or vegetarian.

Until next time.

Ashlee. xx 

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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.

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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

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Please stop, you’re ruining my life!

No I’m not talking about my coeliacs, I’m talking about the mass wave of fad dieters.

A world becoming obsessed with eating healthy and clean eating is supposed to be a good thing, isn’t it?

To me and the many other coeliacs around the world it is ruining our lives. I’ve done many rants like this on my personal Facebook, they always end up with people telling me I am over reacting, but I’m not.

Being a part of an active community, I have several ‘health nuts’ let’s call them on my Facebook. For the past year I have had to see them put up posts and photos about their new Gluten free diets and I have to bite my tongue. I make my position on this subject extremely clear and am finally writing this post to explain in further detail why the gluten free fad diet is ruining my life.

I’d like to say before I start that I have nothing against those who are trying a gluten free diet for medical reasons. I personally know that you don’t have to be medically diagnosed to know something doesn’t agree with you. I can’t eat too many apples, they make me feel sick but I don’t have a fructose intolerance.

I also am not having a go at anyone who wants to live a healthy lifestyle. Eating right and exercising daily is important to your wellbeing not only physically but mentally as well. My problem is with those who treat gluten free like the next biggest weight loss secret, or a miracle diet that will keep them alive longer. It’s not; it is a horrific upheaval of lifestyle for most people.

Coeliacs, gluten intolerance and gluten-sensitivity are a life challenge that we have to get up and face everyday; it’s simple, we eat any amount of gluten and we end up incredibly ill. It costs us hundreds of more dollars than ‘normal’ people for us to eat. I pay $6AUD for a loaf of bread when my partner can buy one for $1AUD. I pay an extra $5AUD for pizza and on average have to pay an extra $3AUD in a restaurant for gluten free pasta. We can’t just go to the bakery and get a muffin. I have to travel across town buy meat pies, which cost $7AUD each!

The fact is that the Gluten free fad dieters belittle and hinder the problems we have to face.

You are probably asking how does it do that? Or  if more people are eating gluten-free, doesn’t that mean that a larger amount of gluten-free products will come out on the market, making it easier for you to eat?

Yes, yes it does but it creates its own whirl wind of problems; It’s simple. As the number of people cutting gluten out of their diet as part of the latest diet trend, thanks to celebrities and healthy living personalities increases, people forget that coeliacs is a larger issue. They forget that cross contamination like chopping my bread and normal bread on the same chopping board will leave me in bed for days because they don’t take me seriously anymore! When I ask for a gluten free option at a restaurant most waitresses roll their eyes believing I’m one of those fad dieters. How can I be sure that they aren’t just going to give me a normal meal and claim that it is gluten free? I’ve once had a chef when we complained that there was pasta in our GF rice dish tell me to take my complaint about my make up disease to some one who cares. This is what you are doing to us!

It has become so much harder to eat out at restaurants now then it was three or four years ago. Our gluten free options are being stuffed in the same display windows as the wheat filled food, sometimes touching meaning we can’t eat them due to cross contamination.  All  because no one thinks of Coeliacs as a life threatening allergy. It’s true that we don’t need an epi-pen and that our symptoms may not be instantaneous but our disease or allergy is serious. We are being belittled in the face of those wanting to be on trend and I’m sick of it.

Another result of these fad diets is that my bread is becoming harder to buy, the fad dieters are snapping it up because they think it is healthier for them. Please, I beg you to stick to the whole wheat breads instead of taking away the product that myself and others rely on as our only available option.

There are healthier ways to live and trust me it isn’t a gluten free diet because I am no super model and I have to eat that way. Please stop helping creating the illusion that coeliacs is a joke and help myself and the others out there that medically need to avoid gluten at all costs stay safe in the world.

This was a bit of a longwinded post but it is something that I am extremely passionate about. I am sorry if I have offended anyone but we can’t live in a world where our allergies are made a laughing stock.