Avocado with chilli powder

Tasty and healthy

There are lots of delicious gluten free breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes out there but how about when you fancy a wee snack? Whether at home or travelling we all like to nibble. These are a few of my favourite gluten free snacks which are great at any time of the day. They are also things which you can find to eat almost anywhere in the world.

Natural yoghurt with blueberries. I love yoghurt, especially the natural stuff because then I can add whatever flavour I want to it. I think yoghurt tastes best once it’s been open for a couple of days. It has a thicker, creamier consistency at this point and it tastes great with all sorts of toppings. Blueberries, raspberries or blackberries are probably my favourite. Sometimes I add a spoonful of peanut butter too.

Avocado with chilli powder. Avocados have to be one of the best vegetables out there. They are filled with lots of great vitamins and nutrients and they work great as a spread (a healthier alternative to butter), in salad, as an accompaniment to almost any meal and even on it’s own as a snack. If I’m nibbling an avocado I almost always shake a little chilli powder on first.

Rice or corn cakes with peanut butter. I love peanut butter, especially brands that are simply 100% peanuts with no added nonsense. I eat it on it’s own straight from the jar but sometimes when I start eating it this way it’s hard to stop, it’s so tasty and addictive! I also like to spread it on plain rice or corn cakes as a healthy, energy filled snack.

Edamame. I buy frozen edamame and just boil it in some water when I want to eat it. It’s great to eat on it’s own or with a little salt.

Cereal. As you know I’m a huge cereal fan so I think gluten free cereal is a great snack for any time of the day. Envirokids Peanut Butter Puffs or Gorilla Munch are probably my favourites when I’m in the mood for something sweet. Cinnamon or Honey Nut Chex are also great if you’re in the US or Canada or Dove’s Choco Stars if you’re in the UK.

Dried fruit and nuts. A handful of dried fruit and nuts is a great gluten free snack if you’re feeling a bit peckish between meals. Sometimes these types of products are made on shared equipment with wheat, etc, so double check that the brand you’re buying is safe.

Boiled egg. Whether you’re at home or off gluten free travelling, boiled eggs are a great, simple gluten free snack which you can eat anytime, anywhere.

Asparagus with olive oil. Cook some asparagus and drizzle it in a little olive oil for a delicious, healthy snack.

Fruit. Something which can be found anywhere in the world and is naturally gluten free. Fruits such as bananas, apples, pears, peaches, grapes and berries are great if you’re on the move and others like melon, pineapple, mango and kiwi fruit are better suited to when you are a little more stationery.

Gluten free bars. There are a whole bunch of gluten free bars out there to choose from. Protein bars, breakfast bars, energy bars, fruit and nut bars, seed bars. I carry a couple of bars with me wherever I go so I’m never without a quick bite of energy.

What are your favourite gluten free snacks? I’m always looking for new ideas! Share your favourites in the comments below…

Great for nibbling

GF snacking when you're out and about

Think Thin Bars

I received a box of Think Thin bars last week. All of their bars are gluten free and contain varying amounts of protein. Personally I enjoyed their crunch bars the most but their whole selection is pretty yummy, especially if you’re looking for a good tasting bar which also has lots of protein. Their protein bars come in at around 230-240 calories per bar and the crunch at around 190 calories.

Over the past few months I have tried a whole variety of different protein bars (Who knew there were so many gluten free protein bars out there?) but these ones I would eat again. I have never understood why some people doing endurance events waste all the calories they are burning on bad tasting protein snacks. If I’m running a marathon and I’m going to burn 2500 calories I’d much rather save those calories for something delicious and worthwhile rather than wasting them on 10 bags of gooey protein. I have trained and run one full and three half marathons so I know protein is important but this doesn’t mean it has to taste bad. This is why I’m thankful for tasty protein bars like Think Thin. They of course don’t compare to a huge plate of post run chilli cheese nachos with spicy salsa and guacamole…MMmmm…but as far as pre or post race protein snacks go, these are pretty damn good.

The Chunky Peanut Butter is probably my favourite of their protein bars. It tastes like a scoop of peanut butter covered in chocolate and with some protein added to the mix so pretty much what it says on the label. You can tell there has been something proteiney added to the peanut butter but it’s still really tasty. The Chocolate Fudge Protein Bar is pretty yummy too.

Of the Crunch Bars, I really enjoyed both the Caramel Chocolate Dipped Mixed Nuts and the White Chocolate Dipped Mixed Nuts. I was particularly happy to see that Think Thin do white chocolate bars as well as milk chocolate as many of the gluten free bars (protein or otherwise) which I’ve tried in the past have gone the dark chocolate route which I am not a huge fan of. White chocolate on the other hand is something I haven’t found myself enjoying much of since going gluten free so it was a pleasant change to enjoy the creamy taste of white chocolate again.

On a side note I’m so happy that lots of different gluten free bars have decided to add peanut butter to the mix with delicious results.

Pure Fit Protein Bar

A couple of weeks back I received another box of protein bars to sample. I’ve never eaten so many different protein bars in my life! This time it was Pure Fit protein bars. Five different flavours. Granola Crunch,  Chocolate Brownie, Almond Crunch, Peanut Butter Crunch and Berry Almond Crunch. I was impressed primarily by the fact that all of their bars are gluten free and not only a selection. This is not the norm but it’s something I’m very happy to see as it takes away contamination worries. All of these bars are gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, vegan and kosher…That’s a lot of things but the question is do they taste good?

Yes they do, they’re pretty good. Once again, as you know I’m a fan of peanut butter related things so I was impressed by the Peanut Butter Crunch and the Almond Crunch, the taste of which could easily be mistaken with nibbling spoonfuls of peanut or almond butter out of the jar. Crunchy and tasty.

Like most protein bars they are around 200 calories per bar making them a good snack for before or after a medium to long run. Personally I’d rather save my calories for half a bag of Haribo or a couple of handfuls of jelly beans but this isn’t because these bars don’t taste good, it’s just that I love Haribo and jelly beans! If you’re looking for a quick fix of protein then these bars wouldn’t be a bad choice with 18g of protein per bar which sounds like a lot to me. Perfect for munching before or after a gluten free run to provide you with or give you back some of your energy! Again they contain gluten free certified oats which I don’t seem to be having any issues with so far and as mentioned on the packaging they indeed do not melt so you don’t need to worry about keeping one in your purse for later if you live in a hot climate.

Chocolate Peanut Butter..yum!

Lots of Zing!

Zing sent me a box of their nutrition bars to try..6 different, amazing sounding flavours…Chocolate Peanut Butter, Almond Blueberry, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Orange, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Coconut Chocolate….sounds great right?

All of the bars contain certified gluten free oats. I had not yet tested myself on oats prior to receiving these samples but the fantastic sounding flavours were so tempting that I figured I’d give oats a try. After munching my way through all six flavours (not all in one sitting just in case that’s how I made it sound) I felt great so it looks like oats (when they are certified gf) are back on my safe list

Zing bars are definitely one of the best tasting protein type bars around. The strong flavours come through as you nibble your way through..especially in the case of the peanut butter ones! With 200 calories per bar for me they are the perfect snack for after a long run or for just carrying with you in your purse in case you get peckish.

My favourites are the Chocolate Peanut Butter and Coconut Chocolate as they are covered in chocolate which in my opinion makes them tastier than the others. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip is pretty yummy too..I’m a big fan of peanut butter as you can probably tell.

Zing Bars gave me a coupon code which will give you 15% off products in their online store. When you get to the checkout just enter the code “gfadventures” and click apply to get the discount.

Zing Bars only gave me samples of their product and nothing more. My opinions on this product (like anything I review on this site) come only from my taste buds.

Skippy

Welch's Grape Jelly

I was craving a PB & J sandwich as I hadn’t had one in a while. Which popular peanut butter and jelly brands in the US are gluten free and safe for celiacs? This is an important question so I was on a mission to find out the answer…

Which popular Peanut Butter brands in the US are gluten free?

Jif (from a phone call to JM Smuckers): A recorded message told me that “JM Smuckers use label disclosure of potential allergens and when protein is present from an allergenic source, we disclose the presence of milk, peanuts, tree nuts, soy beans, egg, shell fish, fish and wheat.

Their website doesn’t mention whether their products are gluten free but from looking at labelling it looks as though all Jif Peanut Butters are.

Skippy (from their website):  All varieties of Skippy peanut butter, Skippy Natural, Roasted Honey Nut, and Reduced Fat peanut butter spread are gluten-free.

Peter Pan (from their website): All varieties of Peter Pan Peanut Butter are made without adding any potential gluten-containing ingredients such as wheat, rye, barley, and oats.

Arrowhead  Mills do a peanut butter which is gluten free and on which gluten testing has been performed.

Kroger do a variety of peanut butters which are gluten free. They have procedures in place to lessen the threat of cross contamination in gluten free products.

Of all the peanut butters here in the US is Santa Cruz Organic Peanut Butter has to be my favourite. There is no added sugar like many of the popular brands, leaving it all natural and delicious. It comes in both light and dark roasted and both creamy and crunchy. I love them all and they are all gluten free. Laura Scudders Peanut Butter, which is part of the Smucker group, is also just 100% peanuts and also comes in smooth and nutty. I’m a big fan of this one too.

Peanut Butter & Co have a wide variety of interesting peanut butter flavours, all of which are gluten free. Crazy yummy sounding flavours include cinnamon raisin peanut butter and both white & dark chocolate peanut butters as well as the usual smooth and crunchy varieties.

Which popular Jelly (jam) brands in the US are gluten free?

Smuckers (from a phone call to JM Smuckers): The same as Jif above. Looking at labelling it looks as though Smuckers jelly is gluten free although their website doesn’t specifically mention this.

Welch’s (from their website) All Welch’s products are gluten free.

Kroger do gluten free jellies and jams and as with their peanut butter they have procedures in place to lessen the threat of cross contamination in gluten free products.

What’s your favourite brand of gluten free peanut butter or  jelly? Let us know!

Smucker's

Peter Pan