Namaste Sugar Free Muffin Mix

I meant to get the muffin mix with sugar, but instead I grabbed the sugar free mix. It was around $4 at the Shop'n'Kart in Chehalis, WA. (picture found here)

I followed the recipe, but added a banana and vanilla and a bit of cinnamon and sugar on top. The batter was pretty normal, and it tasted all right. I cooked it, and they rose beautifully. The bread was soft and fluffy. The only thing I regret is not adding more vanilla (or not getting the mix with sugar). It was a little too bland for my taste. I really want to try to bake them again or the mix with sugar!

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Baking Mix

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Baking Mix was also $2.99. (picture found here) A good price, and it made about six big pancakes.

My husband (gluten/wheat eater) made them for us. He followed the directions, but added chocolate chips. The batter was runny, but they cooked really well. I've had a few gluten free pancakes that took FOREVER to cook, but these took just as long as regular pancakes. They tasted just as great, too! We had them with butter and syrup, then I heated them up the next day. Just as great :)

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Brownie Baking Mix

So, I've decided to post a few reviews on the baking mixes I got in Tacoma!

First up is Trader Joe's Gulten Free Brownie Baking Mix. It was $2.99, a pretty good price for gluten-free products. (picture found here)

I looked around and found a few different reviews with mixed opinions. Taking some other people's advice, I used melted butter (smart balance light) instead of oil and baked them in a muffin tin. They baked after about 10-15 minutes, and they were great! They're very chocolatey and a little bit gooey, but I loved the texture. The only thing was they got really hard really fast. About two hours after coming out of the oven, they were like little hockey pucks. It was good, I recommend it for anyone!

hitting the jackpot

This weekend, my family and I went to Chehalis, WA. My parents were attending an Officer's Christmas Party for The Salvation Army at Great Wolf Lodge. Chris and I didn't stay at the hotel, we instead stayed at my Aunt LeeAnn's house. We all visited my grandma and grandpa and had taco soup and watched a slideshow of pictures Chris and I had from Europe.

The driving - about 5 hours - was not very good on my joints. I was pretty stiff the next morning, but I got along all right without tylenol. We went to Beit Hillel, a synagogue in Tacoma, then we went to Trader Joe's, where we hit the jackpot!

Trader Joe's is a chain in the Western US with organic and alternative foods. It's WONDERFUL!

I got...
1) Trader Joe's Brownie Mix
2) Trader Joe's Pancake & Waffles Mix
3) Two packages of brown rice pasta
4) Cream cheese substitute
5) Veggie & flaxseed chips
6) Two things of Kettle Korn (the best I've ever had)
7) Some tortillas for Chris

....all for only $23! For gluten-free and dairy-free substitutes, that's great.

We made our way back to Chehalis and hung out at the hotel for a while. They had an indoor waterpark, an arcade, and lots of other places where parents could spend hundreds of dollars on their kids. I went down this crazy water slide with Bethany, Grace, and Nancy.

Chris, David, and I then went to Shop'n'Kart looking for vegan cheese. Unfortunately, all the soy/rice/almond cheese they had STILL had milk products in it. Quite the disappointment. http://followyourheart.com is a completely vegan supplier of mayonnaise, chicken, and CHEESE. There is no milk enzymes, proteins, etc - which is exactly what I'm allergic to, not the lactose. We're going to try again today in Walla Walla, a town about 45 minutes away.

But while we didn't gtt cheese at Shop'n'Kart, we stumbled upon a HUGE gluten-free section.

I got more!
1) Namaste Muffin Mix
2) Two Mac & 'Chreese' boxes (no wheat, no dairy, no potatoes!)
3) One Penne % Alfredo 'Chreese' box
4) Four 'Chreese' packets for cheese sauces
5) Two loaves of Tapioca & Rice Bread (very good, tastes just like real bread, but a little more dry)

I am in heaven. I have so much stuff to try!

I woke up sore this morning, probably from the 5 hours on the way back home last night. I popped two tylenols and I'm feeling better. Hopefully I won't have to take any tomorrow morning!