Upcoming Review on CSN Stores

I was contacted by a representative from CSN Stores. She asked if I would do a review a product from their store on my blog, and of course I said, Yes! You would not believe the merchandise that they carry. They carry a little bit of everything, from home decor to bread machines and more. Check out their Le Creuset Cookware Collection.

Here is a set I like.

I decided to do a review on this convection bread machine. It has a gluten-free setting, which is what I need for my gluten-free lifestyle. I can't wait until it comes so that I can tell you all about it.

 

In the meantime, check out CSN Stores, you can click on their website for a full list of categories they carry. Happy Shopping.

 

So check back with me in a few weeks for my review on Lisa's Gluten-Free Advice and Healthy Living.

Pastini Pastaria Restaurant Review

I had the opportunity to eat at The Pastini Pastaria Restaurant at the NE Broadway location in Portland, Oregon. There is over 30 main pasta dishes that they will substitute the pasta for a penne pasta, which is their gluten-free pasta.

The restaurant is easy to get to, there is bus access and bike lanes. If you are going to drive there make sure you give yourself a little extra time because there is only street parking. Also the restaurant is close to The Rose Garden and The Coliseum. You can eat dinner there and then head on over to The Rose Garden to watch The Trail Blazer's play a basketball game or go to a concert.

My family and I had a great time there. We were warmly greeted. They took us to a table to sit down at. There was music playing in the background. The restaurant is very pleasant to the eyes and is kept very clean.

Yvette, The Director of Kitchen Operations gave me a tour of the kitchen. Yvette is terrific, she showed me where the gluten-free pasta is stored. It is stored in the refrigerator all wrapped up and kept separate from all the other food. Then she showed me the cooking area. The kitchen is kept very clean. She explained to me that the gluten-free pasta is cooked in a separate pan from the regular pasta and they use a tong that has a black rubber end. The tongs used for the regular pasta has no rubber end, so they can tell the difference. And the tongs are kept in a different area from each other.

The meat for the main dishes are kept wrapped up till they are ready to heat them up in a different pan from all other meats. They do a very good job of guarding against cross contamination. They educate there staff very well about celiac disease and gluten intolerance. When you order and tell them that you are gluten intolerant they touch the wheat free and gluten-free buttons on their computer to ring it up. When you get the receipt is says wheat free and gluten free right on the receipt.

 

Now I will tell you what we ordered. We ordered The Antipasto Platter off there Antipasti (appetizer) menu. Picture showing above. It is a spread of soprasetta, mortatdella, provolone, Italian olives, roasted eggplant spread, fresh mozzarella and marinated tomatoes with mixed greens dressed in balsamic-red wine vinaigrette. We dug into it. It was very delicious. A very good appetizer for the gluten intolerant.

 

Then for the main dish we ordered The Fusilli alla Roma from their Pasta Con Il Pollow (pastas with chicken) menu. It comes with gluten-free penne pasta tossed with grilled chicken, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms and roasted garlic in a parmesan cream sauce. Oh talk about good, the pasta tasted very good, you would not know that is gluten-free. A very good gluten-free dish. Between the appetizer and the main dish we had plenty to eat. We ordered The Spaghetti Marinara off their kids menu for our son. My husband and our son are not gluten intolerant, I am the one who is gluten intolerant. So the guys did not have to have the gluten-free pasta.

For our beverages we ordered water of course and milk for our son. Coffee for my husband and I ordered the Strawberry Italian Soda. They have a terrific wine list.

Then for dessert we ordered Chocolate Tartufo. They separated it for us. I got the ice cream and the guys got the warm triple chocolate cake with a chocolate truffle center with whipped cream. Very decadent, yum. Yevette told me that they are working on getting gluten-free bread and gluten-free desserts to add to the gluten-free menu.

I give Pastini Pastaria5 stars out of 5. I highly recommend this restaurant for when you want to got out to eat. Everything was excellent and the waitress did a wonderful job. Everything was clean. You don't have to worry about cross contamination at this restaurant. Pastini Pastaria has eight locations in the Oregon area. There are four locations in Portland. The other locations are located in Tigard, Beaverton, Bend and in Corvallis.

Thank-you Pastini Pastaria for the wonderful food and the amazing dining experience. Everything was excellent.

For more Gluten-Free Restaurants, I have a Gluten-Free Restaurant list on the top left hand side of my website.

Organic Bistro & Helen's Kitchen Review

I was sent some coupons to try out Organic Bistro Whole Life Meals and Helen's Kitchen Simple Health Meals.

I love the Organic Bistro Whole Life Meals.
They taste so good and they are very filling. My favorite one that tried is The Chicken Citron. (Lemon Chicken over Herbed Quinoa and Sundried Edamame). It was so good, I love Quinoa. Made with Organic Veggies and Whole Grains. And best of all it is Gluten-Free.

I highly recommend Organic Bistro for those times when you just don't have time to fix a meal. I have tried allot of gluten-free frozen dinners and in my opinion these are the best tasting gluten-free meals.

This is what Organic Bistro says about their company.

The Organic Bistro, supported by dietitians nationwide, offer a wholesome range of gluten-free frozen meals as well, balanced with the very finest sources of lean protein, sustainable seafood, fiber-rich whole grains, organically-grown vegetables and healthy fats. These easy-to-prepare, single serving meals are made with organic ingredients, low-glycemic, unprocessed, and free of salt and artificial flavorings.

Gluten-free varieties include:

• Wild Salmon


• Savory Turkey


• Ginger Chicken


• Salmon Cake


• Chicken Citron


• Spiced Chicken Morocco


• Pasta Puttanesca


• Jamaican Shrimp Cake

You can purchase Organic Bistro Meals at their website or at your local store.

I got a couple of boxes of Helen's Kitchen Meals.

The I tried The Cheese Enchiladas in Red Sauce with Tofu Steak's. It was good. A little on the spicy side for me, but it was a good meal all in all. And the other meal I got was The Indian Curry over Rice with Tofu Steaks. It was also very tasty.

The meals that I tried are Gluten-Free, GMO and Trans Fat Free.

Note: Not all of Helen's Meal's are gluten-free, so be sure and check the box to make sure it says gluten-free on the box.

Here is what Helen's Kitchen says about their company.

Helen’s Kitchen, a family-owned brand specializing in organic and vegetarian frozen entrees and meat alternatives, offers the following gluten-free meals, each of which are meat-free, made of nutritionally superior natural and organic ingredients, and completely free of trans-fats, MSG and GMOs. In addition, Helen’s entrees feature the brand’s original tofu steaks that provide a source of complete whole soy protein, Isoflavones and antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

• Garden Steak


• Vegetarian Chicken Steak


• BBQ Tofu Steak


• Thai Red Curry


• Thai Yellow Curry


• Cheese Enchiladas


• Hearty Bean Chili


• Indian Curry

You can purchase Helen's Kitchen meals at their website or at your local store.

I encourage you to try Organic Bistro and Helen's Kitchen to see what you like the best.

Have a wonderful week from Lisa's Gluten-Free Advice and Healthy Living.

Jolly Llama Sorbet Review

I recently got to try out Jolly Llama Sorbet Squeezeups.

The sorbets are so yummy. They taste just like the fruit they are made from. I also shared the sorbets with my parents and they really liked them too. I love that fact that they are all natural and are gluten-free. You just squeeze the bottom and the sweet and yummy sorbet comes to the surface so that you can eat more. I would recommend these to families who have allergies to food and to anyone who wants to have a healthy snack or dessert to eat. They are a great frozen treat to share with your friends and family, especially with the summer months coming up.

The Jolly Llama Company wants people to be able to enjoy the simple pleasure of enjoying a frozen treat without all the bad stuff. Jolly Llama cares about the earth so all the packing material is sustainable and recyclable.

Here are some are some great points of Jolly Llama's Sorbets.

• Their sorbets are are from sun-ripened real fruit


• Come in Five Flavors, Strawberry, Blueberry, Mango, Acai Berry and Raspberry.


• Come in 3oz. fun squeeze tubes.


• They are also All Natural, Dairy Free, Gluten Free and Allergen Free.


• They contain no GMO's and no artificial flavors.


• Low in Fat and Calories


• Fortified with Vitamin A and C and Fiber.


• Naturally sweetened with pure cane sugar, no genetically modified corn sweeteners.

Scott Jacobson is the founder of Jolly Llama. He is a classically trained chef. He launched Jolly Llama Sorbets in 2009. Jolly Llama donates a portion of their sales to organizations dedicated to end global hunger.

The Jolly Llama Sorbet Company is located in California. Where can you buy them? Here is a link for store locations, Where to buy Jolly Llama Sorbets. You can by the sorbets by the case from Jolly Llama. Jolly Llama Sorbets are currently available in over 150 retail stores.

Please try these great all natural sorbets.
Have a wonderful week.
Lisa
http://www.lisasglutenfree.com

Gluten Free Bread Review

I tried Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Home Made Wonderful Bread Mix last night. It was very yummy. It does have sugar in it, in the form of evaporated cane juice. And it seems to stay nice and moist. It is not real dense like allot of other Gluten Free Bread's that I have tried so far.

I am getting to a funny part, which did not seem so funny at the time.
I was letting it cool on the counter top. I was busy on the computer and the next thing I know I look-up and my four year old had feed half of the bread to the dogs. Ohhhhhh. It was so good too. LOL. I will just have to get more later.

How many of you have funny stories like that about kids and dogs?
I would love to hear your stories.

I am going to make my home made chicken vegetable soup tonight. I will tell you how it turns out later. I will take a picture of it too to show to you.
It is very good.