by Jason | Jun 17, 2010 | Blog
In this, our second of five reviews for Enjoy Life Foods Cookies, we sampled the Snickerdoodle Cookies (affiliate link)
. When my son (6 yrs old) saw the box, he asked me what was that word. I told him it was Snickerdoodle. He asked, “What is a snickerdoodle?” I fumbled over a definition. A better definition comes from Wikipedia,
“A snickerdoodle is a type of sugar cookie made with cream of tartar and rolled in cinnamon sugar. It is characterized by a cracked surface and can be crisp or soft depending on preference”.
I knew about the cinnamon. I had no idea it was made with cream of tartar. A quick review of the ingredient list on Enjoy Life Foods website did not show any cream of tartar. I though the absence might be because it contains one of the common allergens that Enjoy Life Foods avoids. However, a little research indicated that Cream of Tartar is actually the common name for potassium hydrogen tartrate. It is obtained by half neutralizing tartaric acid with potassium hydroxide. Apparently, grapes are the main source of tartaric acid and is obtained from sediment in the wine making process. Chemistry is fun! Long story short, I’m not sure why it is not included in the Enjoy Life Foods Snickerdoodles.
My son took his first bite and exclaimed, “Mmmm, Cinnamonny!”. My daughter (9 yrs old) stated, “Yeah, it has Cinnamon. I like the Double Chocolate Brownies better.” My son agreed. Their statements were not meant as a dislike for the Snickerdoodles but simply a declaration of preference. I thought the cookies were excellent. They contain just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar and the texture is nice.
According to the Enjoy Life Foods website, Snickerdoodles are their most popular cookie flavor. One of our readers, Elizabeth from onespotallergy.com likes them as well. This is another Enjoy Life Foods Cookie to add our snack food/dessert/road trip food rotation. Which Enjoy Life Foods product is your favorite?
Quick disclaimer, Enjoy Life Foods did not provide me with any product or other compensation for these reviews. I purchased these items at our local Publix Grocery Store.
by Jason | Jun 16, 2010 | Blog
As mentioned in our one-month anniversary post, product reviews will become a new addition to Peanut Free Life. Our first review is also a first in a series of reviews of products from Enjoy Life Foods.
Quick disclaimer, Enjoy Life Foods did not provide me with any product or other compensation for these reviews. I purchased these items at our local Publix Grocery Store.
Our family thinks it is important to support, when we can, local companies and restaurants, as well as those that support causes important to us, food allergies for one. Enjoy Life Foods is one such company. Their dedication to creating a product that is safe for those with food allergies is admirable and one that we as a family and food allergy community should support.
I brought home several boxes of the different varieties of Enjoy Life Foods Cookies for lunch today. My son (6 years old) immediately asked, “What are those for?” I told him that we were going to try some of these and I wanted him and his sister to tell me what the though of them. I asked both my son and daughter (9 years old) which one they wanted to try first. They both immediately agreed on the Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies (affiliate link)
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I opened the box and gave one to each kid. My daughter’s first comment was, “It’s kind of dark, in a chocolate way.” She was right. The cookies do have a dark chocolate overtone I think is great. I think she was surprised by the taste and meant it in a negative way. Nevertheless, she ate the whole thing and was eying another one. My son simply said, “This is yummy, can we try another one?” and “I can barely eat this in one bite.” My wife Cindy came in and tried one and said, “This is good; we need to get more of these.”
The texture for the cookie was surprisingly good for a cookie that is wheat free and egg free and you could see and taste the chocolate chips in the brownie. In addition, the brownie fully satisfied my current craving for sweets. As a result of the family’s semi-unanimous approval, this snack is now a new addition to our snack food/dessert/road trip food rotation. If you have tried these, what do you think of them?
by Jason | May 26, 2010 | Blog
I was reading a blog post today on VickiesIckies (a great blog by the way) about how some parents bring cupcakes to school for birthday celebrations which the kids with food allergies cannot eat leaving them excluded from the celebration. Sometimes the treat is brought at the last minute or without being the teacher’s prior knowledge leaving the parent of the allergic child little or no time to bring a substitute treat. The school’s answer was, “the allergic child needs to learn to deal with it”. I starting thinking about how amazing it has been in our experience (and perhaps in yours too) that kids are often much more compassionate than adults about another child’s food allergy.
For example, my daughter has a friend who became upset with her father (a good friend by the way who shared this story with us) for eating peanuts in the car because she was worried that our daughter might accidentally be exposed to the peanuts during a carpool sometime in the future. The 8-year old girl became so insistent that her father eventually pulled over and threw away his peanuts. When our child was much younger her preschool teacher once told me that from time to time, parents would send in peanut butter into their nut free classroom and the children would immediately take the “offending item” directly from their lunchboxes to the teacher saying, “I can’t have this here”. These children were three! We have heard parents tell us that their kids did not want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch because they would be playing with our kids later in the day. Maybe we are just fortunate that we have sweet friends, but I think there is something more to it than that.
I think kids are generally concerned about their food allergic friends because they love them and don’t want them to be hurt. Avoiding a particular food around their food allergic friend is their way of showing them that they love them. Parents sometimes, myself included, often look for the most convenient course of action. I will say, we are very blessed to have many adult friends that frequently bend over backwards and go far beyond the call of duty to accommodate our kids’ food allergies at their parties, for soccer snacks, etc. But, we are wondering if you have had the same experience with kids showing great compassion as it relates to your child’s food allergy?
by Jason | May 15, 2010 | Blog
Our newest list, Candy, is now posted on our Safe Food List Page. When we compiled this list for Camp Riverview for Girls. I was really surprised at the variety of options available and it is a great list to give to friends and family for Halloween candy ideas.
We posted a link on Twitter to the Tootsie Company’s allergy statement where they state all of their products are peanut, tree nut and gluten free. What a great thing to remember when buying candy and their products extend beyond Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops.
Remember this list is only a guide and that you must read the labels of everything you buy. Our hope is that the list gives you some additional options to consider. Did you find anything on the list that surprised you? Are there any we missed?
by Jason | May 13, 2010 | Blog
Our camp partner Riverview Camp for Girls, provided us with a wonderful link from Kellogg’s which allows you to search for products that are free of the following allergens: Wheat, Soy, Milk, Egg, Peanut, and Tree Nut.
Here is the link: Kellogg’s Nutrition Search Tool.
Do you find any safe items that surprised you?
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