Let’s Celebrate: ADSG 5th Birthday!

While getting ready to celebrate this milestone year for ADSG,  I thought back to the start of my blog + online presence as breezygfreezy. Dragging myself to my weekly mini-course seminar — “The Rhetoric of Blogging”– at the University of Michigan in frigid Monday night temperatures, I had no clue what this would become.

I also remember the first time a company contacted me about my then-assignment, now-blog, asking if they could send me some goodies in the mail. Me? You want me to write what I think?

Fast-forward and this week marks my 5th anniversary of this beautiful mess. With many brand partners, multiple conferences attended, lots of delicious {and yucky!} products tested along the way, and a whole lot of learning from those who have been doing this even longer than I have, I’m proud to celebrate with all the people who have made ADSG and breezygfreezy what it is today.

Okay, enough emotional time.

How about some ways to celebrate with me?!

5th Birthday Celebration!

Take a peek at the schedule below; we’ll be partying all week long!

Monday {that’s today!}: My friends Kevin and Kara over at Sun Krunch {my go-to breakfast and only granola I eat} are sponsoring a giveaway of their paleo, grain-free, low sugar, gluten free deliciousness! Check it out on my Instagram. {running until Mon. 2/5}

 

Tuesday: Looking for something fun to add to your dinner routine? Look no further than the bright box of Banza. This chickpea-based brand from Detroit {proud to support as a former SE Michigan dweller!} was started by a couple of young guys and now fill shelves and pantries all over the country with their near-replica of regular pasta {so I’m told}, just plant-based, high-protein, and low-carb! Roll into this giveaway of their new-ish wheels over on my Instagram {3 winners!}. {running until Tues. 2/6}.

 

Wednesday: After I determined eggs were making me extremely ill, finding a brand of gluten free breads that fit the egg-free bill was tough. Enter: BFree. I’m reviewing their whole line on the blog today with chances to win 1 of every product {2 winners!} Read the whole review and enter to win here. {running until Wed. 2/7}

 

Thursday: Another favorite in my routine of grain free options is Simple Mills with their almond flour crackers {yep pretty sure they meant the whole box was one serving!} and fun almond-based cookies. I know this line gets a bit pricy, so I’ve got a giveaway coming ‘atcha! Check out my snack idea and enter to win on my Instagram. {running until Thurs. 2/8}

 

Friday: As most of you know, I’m a huge zoodles fan. But, in this spiralizing craze, did you know there are fruits and veggies from A to Z that you can spiralize? I’ve been a proud owner and user of Ali Maffuci’s original spiralizer design, The Inspiralizer, for a long time. I whipped up a quick, tasty lunch from one of her dozens of free online recipes {okay, I also was a sucker and bought her cookbook too!}– it’s over on my Instagram today. Ali was sweet enough to sponsor a giveaway of her new Inspiralizer Lite! I bought one of them and it has just as much power and takes up a portion of the space {great for small kitchens!}– be sure to enter! {running until Fri. 2/9}

 

Saturday: Out and about? Me, too. When I’m running around getting hangry and need a boost, I always reach for a MadeGood Foods granola bar or bag of bites! Made with purity protocol oats, in a nut free facility, with added vegetables snuck in, and 20% of your daily vitamin D, how could you go wrong? Enter to win some for your purse, backpack, or gym bag over on Instagram {3 winners!}. {running until Sat. 2/10}

 

Sunday: Ladies, this one is for you as you get ready to conquer your week ahead! My beautiful virtual “family” over at Red Apple Lipstick has completed every outfit– casual or fancy– I’ve worn in the last several years and they wanted in on the party! Check out my full review of their lipsticks, eyeshadows, bronzer, and more with a chance to win a lip care set for yourself {2 winners!} {running until Sun. 2/11}

 

Phew, okay. Here’s a quick TL;DR —

Mon: Sun Krunch IG Giveaway HERE

Tues: Banza IG Giveaway HERE

Wed: BFree Review and Giveaway HERE

Thurs: Simple Mills IG Giveaway HERE

Fri: Inspiralizer Lite IG Giveaway HERE

Sat: MadeGood Foods IG Giveaway HERE

Sun: Red Apple Lipstick Review and Giveaway HERE

*All giveaways will run for one week from posting + additional ways to win on Twitter!*

 

Again, to my amazing community: thank you for supporting me as the voice behind ADSG and breezygfreezy. I cannot wait to see what the next 5 years bring. Let’s celebrate!

Take it easy, but take it always.

Brianna

Cookbook Review: Eat Dairy Free — Alisa Fleming

Today, I’m stepping away from my typical product/restaurant reviews and recipes to focus on an exciting milestone for a long-time food blogger and friend of mine, Alisa Fleming.

Alisa has been known for her online presence at godairyfree.org since 2004 and has taken the leap to publish her second cookbook— Eat Dairy Free!

She was generous enough to send me a pre-order copy {and it’s shipping to the public NOW! Click here for a non-affiliate link}.

The imagery from the front cover to the back cover is absolutely exquisite.

EDF Cover - smaller

Alisa’s second cookbook, Eat Dairy Free, is particularly focused on everyday eating— the type of cooking I’m most likely to do! If it has a long list of ingredients and lots of cookware, I’m out. Luckily, Alisa has everyone covered with simple and delicious meals, snacks, and desserts for the whole family.

The introduction of her cookbook even includes full meal plans and quick snack ideas!

But, my favorite feature of Eat Dairy Free is the first page of each chapter:

Every single recipe in Eat Dairy Free has alternatives for gluten free, egg free, peanut free, and soy free in addition to dairy free.

This full-color masterpiece is sitting prominently on my countertop with a handful of other favorites. In an age of digital search, Alisa has masterfully crafted a cookbook that is not only visually enticing but also suitable for many food restrictions.

Some of the recipes in her cookbook that I cannot wait to try are: Chocolate Banana Split Muffins, Impossible Vegan Quiche, Crispy Italian Polenta Fries, and Korean Beef with Bok Choy! Don’t those sound just delicious? I mean, just look at this adorable muffins Alisa has created!

Banana Split Muffins - smaller

I couldn’t be more excited for Alisa and the GoDairyFree community. Thank you to Alisa for taking the time to ensure her cookbook is special for people with all allergens.

Again, you can get a copy for yourself now by visiting Amazon here.

But…want to win a copy?! Of course, you do. Enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Take it easy, but take it {with a muffin in hand!},

Brianna

Gluten Free Vegan Almond Butter Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

*All opinions are truthful and my own. This post was generously sponsored by Pascha Chocolate & I am an unpaid ambassador for Barney Butter*

While I’ve been gluten free since I was diagnosed celiac almost 20 years ago, but my inability to eat peanuts {non-anaphalactic} and inability to eat eggs {also non-anaphalactic} came along in the last handful of years. Between those restrictions and my often-unattended-to lactose intolerance, making– and eating!!– delicious desserts often isn’t the first thing people think I can do.

Well, I’m here today to tell you that’s just plain incorrect!

I love my Barney Butter Bare Butters {smooth and crunchy} by the spoonful and after polling all of you on my Twitter, it’s apparent that regardless of the kind of nut butter, you all love your chocolate, just like me.

That’s why I’ve partnered with Pascha Chocolate, an extremely allergy-friendly, pure chocolate brand, to showcase their baking chips {made with rice milk!} as we chug along through the wintry baking season.

They have extensive certifications, are free from the top 8 allergens and more, and are dedicated to providing safe chocolate options that are forward-thinking, like baking chips!

Their baking chips come in milk and white chocolate options and, due to the low boiling point of rice milk, are best melted in the microwave {not a pain-in-the-behind double boiler!}

Despite their unusual milk choice for chocolate products, they taste entirely like their allergen-full counterparts. The first microwave attempt, I used my melt function. Bad idea, folks. Just use your microwave on 50% power in 30-60s intervals, stirring in between, and it’ll melt beautifully.

As a reminder, Barney Butter makes non-GMO, vegan, certified gluten free almond butters, flour, and meal using a blanching technique on California almonds. Their blanching results in a beautifully smooth {non-gritty, finally!} almond butter that is safe for those with peanut allergies! Though I go through at least a jar a month, if I’m being conservative, I love to bake with the flour and butters; I made gluten free/vegan/paleo almond flour pancakes last month!

With my new-found love for {and the ease of} using Pascha baking chips, I knew it was time for a match made in heaven: Barney Butter Bare Smooth Almond Butter Cookies with a  Pascha Chocolate drizzle.

Gluten Free Vegan Almond Butter Cookies

For the almond butter cookies: I adapted a recipe from Spice Up the Curry to make it peanut, dairy, egg, and gluten free!

For the chocolate drizzle: I don’t have any fancy piping bags so I put the melted chocolate into 2 Ziploc bags and put a teeny cut in the corner! In sweeping strokes across the cookies aligned on a baking sheet, I got the perfect drizzle!

See below for the recipe and get baking!

And, how about getting some Pascha baking chips for your own creative kitchen adventures?! Use the link below to enter on the blog + additional entries on Instagram and Twitter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Take it easy, but take it.

Brianna

Print
Gluten Free Vegan Almond Butter Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

Yield: 14-18 cookies

Gluten Free Vegan Almond Butter Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl-- set aside.
  • Beat softened coconut oil/butter in large bowl until smooth.
  • Add white and brown sugar; beat until smooth.
  • Add almond butter; beat until smooth.
  • Add milk; beat until combined.
  • Add flour mixture; mix until incorporated and don't over mix!
  • Put dough in fridge for 30+ min.
  • Preheat oven to 275 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Using ice cream scoop/tablespoon, place balls of dough 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
  • Using fork, make traditional cross-hatch pattern on top.
  • Bake for ~15 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack!
  • Move to cooling rack and allow to finish cooling.
  • Melt one flavor of Pascha chocolate baking chips in microwave-safe bowl and transfer into double Ziploc bag.
  • Cut corner of bags and use sweeping motion to drizzle across cookies.
  • Repeat with other type of chocolate, if desired.
  • Put cookies in fridge/freezer to harden and serve.
http://adifferentsurvivalguide.com/2017/12/gluten-free-vegan-almond-butter-cookies/

 

Fudge-Striped Turkey Cookies — GF/EF/PF

*This post was sponsored by Goodie Girl Cookies; all opinions are my own, as always*

Whether you were diagnosed celiac or with a food allergy/intolerance, I guarantee you can imagine the Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies. Remember them?

I always wondered: why are gluten free, allergy friendly cookies as cute as their gluten counterparts?

Well, thanks to Goodie Girl, now they are! They recently released their fudge striped cookies which are gluten free, egg free, and peanut free {they contain dairy and soy, but not soybean oil– so they’re safe for me}.

Goodie Girl Fudge Striped Cookies

And they’ve made the commitment to purity protocol oats for their oat flour in the Fudge Striped {and the rest of their cookies!}. Hallelujah.

According to Alyssa, their social media coordinator:

“Yes, our supplier uses Purity Protocol.  Avena Foods has documentation on how they practice Purity Protocol when growing, milling and transporting the oats used in our products.”

For those interested in the ingredients:

Goodie Girl Fudge Striped Cookie Ingredients

So, I set out to make an adorable, 3-dimensional treat for a Friendsgiving I recently attended. Everyone exploded with smiles– the best part of sharing a meal.

Gluten Free Fudge-Striped Turkey Cookies

Alright, here’s your to-do list:

  1. See below for the simple recipe {always check ingredients for the other parts of the recipe!}
  2. Stop by your local Walmart to snag these bad boys…ahem girls…or order them online where they’re 15% off until November 30th!
  3. + as always, I’m running a giveaway over on Instagram so you can create some holiday treats! Perhaps some melted snowmen cookies or reindeer or menorahs? Get creative!

Take it easy, but take it.

Print
Fudge-Striped Turkey Cookies — Gluten Free/Egg Free/Peanut Free

Yield: ~20

Ingredients

  • 1 box Goodie Girl Fudge Striped Cookies
  • 1 box Cella's Chocolate Cherries {or any turkey body you like!}
  • Melted baking chocolate of choice
  • Candy Corn
  • White + Black frosting pens

Instructions

  • Slice off bottom of each cookie to make a flat edge.
  • Use melted chocolate to adhere Cella's candy body, align to center of flat edge.
  • Use melted chocolate to adhere candy corn, point side toward flat edge {hold in place until dry!!}
  • Put in fridge for 30 minutes to cool.
  • Remove from fridge and dot white, then black, at top of candy corn for eyes.
  • Keep in fridge until serving!
http://adifferentsurvivalguide.com/2017/11/gluten-free-fudge-striped-turkey-cookies/

 

Paleo/Vegan/Gluten Free Almond Flour Pancakes

Disclaimer: I now serve as a Barney Butter Ambassador. BB provides me with product only, in exchange for use in my daily life. You all know I’ve been obsessed with BB for years, so I’m excited to begin my ambassadorship with them!

Okay, for someone who has to eat gluten free, egg free, and low carb, pancakes are far from the simplest breakfast option. FAR FROM.

However, when BB sent me their almond flour to play with this quarter, I knew one of my first attempts would have to be delicious fall pancakes that are not only GF/EF, but also don’t have any added fruit purees that wreck havoc on my morning BGs.

And folks, I’m proud to say I’ve done it.

My family has a tradition of pancakes on Thanksgiving morning while we watch the parade. For the last couple years, I haven’t found anything worth eating or sharing. This year, I’ll be stacking these high and reigniting our tradition.

Paleo/Vegan/GF Pancakes

Print
Paleo/Vegan/GF Fall Pancakes

Yield: 3-4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond flour {I used Barney Butter Almond Flour, made in a peanut-free facility!}
  • 1/2 cup cassava flour {I used Otto's}
  • 1 1/4 cup almond milk {I used Califia Farms}
  • 2 tbsp. almond butter {I used Barney Butter Smooth}
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. baking soda
  • Ingredient of choice to continually grease the pan
  • Berries, or topping of choice

Instructions

  • Combine flours.
  • Add remaining ingredients + baking soda and stir until well combined.
  • Grease the pan well + drop pancakes when hot {it took me 3 batches in my pan to use all batter}
  • Flip when edges turn brown {don't wait for it to bubble, because it may not!}
http://adifferentsurvivalguide.com/2017/10/paleo_vegan_gf_almond_flour_pancakes/

Take it easy, but take it.

Brianna

PS- These are delicious with some maple syrup for that fall flavor {Cary’s makes a great sugar free syrup!}