Not Nuts! from Enjoy Life

So, you know the issue with trail mix? It's always got chocolate chips with milk or milk fat in them, or yogurt balls, or nuts in it. Often it will have gluten, be soaked in soybean oil, and just be down right NON allergen friendly!

So you can always finagle a mix by yourself, but we all know that is annoying, and if it sits longer than a day it's usually stale and gross. Or, you can pick out or eat around the parts you can't have, and that's no fun, and certainly not safe at all if you are anaphylactic.

So what can you do? Well, no matter what your allergy is, I know exactly what you can do... You can eat Enjoy Life's Not Nuts! Seed and Fruit mixes!

We got to try Enjoy Life's Not Nuts Seed and Fruit Mixes, and I can certainly tell you that they are de-lish!

Now, I'm personally not really one for eating your everyday trail mix. There's just something about it that makes me slightly gaggish. But, I did agree to try Not Nuts! So, I did. I expected to chew it with a funny look on my face, and choke it down, and then stick my tongue out and say "Ick" when I was done... but none of that happened! (this is a true story) I was so pleasantly surprised at the great texture, the yummy seeds, and the mild fruity flavor, that I took another handful. Then another. Then another, and you know how it goes...

There are two wonderful flavors. They both have a mixture of yummy seeds, dried fruit, and the Mountain Mambo flavor has lots of yummy Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips!

Allergen free AND tasty!! That's something we can all enjoy!  Check out the info from the Enjoy Life website, and don't forget to like them on Facebook!

Made with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), fruit and chocolate chips, our nut-free trail mix is both wholesome and delicious. Great for people with nut allergies, people who don’t like nuts or for school-safe classroom snacks.

Ingredients:

Raw Sunflower Kernels, Roasted Hulled Pumpkin Seeds (Sunflower Oil (Sunflower Oil, Citric Acid), Salt), Raisins*, Dried Apples*, Chocolate Chips (Evaporated Cane Juice, Chocolate Liquor, Non-Dairy Cocoa Butter), Cranberries* *Sulfite-free

Allergen Info

NO TRANS FAT, NO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS, VEGAN, KOSHER PAREVE, GLUTEN-FREE, CASEIN-FREE

A yummy medley of sunflower kernels, pumpkin seeds, dried pineapple, apricots and cranberries. It’s a snack-tacular treat at the beach, on the trail or on the go. Perfect for people with nut allergies, people who don’t like nuts or for school-safe classroom snacks.

Ingredients:

Raw Sunflower Kernels, Pineapple*, Roasted Hulled Pumpkin Seeds (Sunflower Oil (Sunflower Oil, Citric Acid), Salt), Cranberries*, Apricots*

Allergen Info

NO TRANS FAT, NO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS, VEGAN, KOSHER PAREVE, GLUTEN-FREE, CASEIN-FREE

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!

Thank you to everyone that participated in the Milk Free Kids 500 fan giveaways!

We had two fabulous grand prizes on the blog, and a few smaller prizes on the facebook page. All packages will be mailed as soon as Monday provided I have everyone's address.

Punchtab was a great experience for me! It chose my winners for me, collected up all the entries, organized the lists, etc. It made my life soooo much easier for the grand prizes.

I hit the "choose a winner" button twice and the two winners chosen are:

Ladies, you have received an email notifying you of your win. Please respond back via email or through the Milk Free Kids message section of the facebook page.

I wish I had enough to give to everyone, but there was only so much to go around. I hope to do more giveaways in the future! Maybe when the facebook page reaches 1,000???

Thanks again! Oh, and happy April Fools Day, though this is no joke. :)

Giant Milk Free Givaway!

First and foremost I want to thank EVERYONE that reads Milk Free Kids blog, has fanned our facebook page, and has emailed or commented. I appreciate knowing that I have been able to help so many parents with their struggle to live dairy free.

Next, I want to thank ALL of the vendors that were able to participate in this giveaway. They all generously sent me their products to share with you. I was also able to try a few with my family to write reviews for you. All of these products are foods that we buy regularly for our family. We are so lucky to live in a day and age where so many food producers are offering foods that are safe for kids and others with food allergies.

So now I present you with our official 500 Fan Giveaway. It's just my way of saying thank you to everyone! We've got two grand prizes for 2 lucky winners, and multiple small prizes that we'll be giving away through the next two weeks.

Our Giant prizes have a little something from all the vendors. ALL the food is 100% dairy free. Most of it is also gluten free, nut free, soy free, etc. PLEASE be sure to check the labels on all of them if you have food allergies other than dairy to be sure they are safe for you!

Prize Pack #1 Includes:

1 Box of Enjoy Life Crunchy Sugar Crisp
1 Full Size can of Vance's DariFree milk replacement powder
1 10 Pack of Home Free mini crunchy chocolate chip cookies
1 Full sized bag of Enjoy Life Chocolate Mega Chunks
2 Bags of Amanda's Own foil wrapped chocolates in heart and snowflake shapes
1 Free Tofutti Product certificate
1 Free Philly Swirl certificate
2 Bags of Mrs. Mays freeze dried pineapple bits



Prize Pack #2 Includes:


1 Box of Enjoy Life Crunchy Double Chocolate Cookies
3 Pouches of Vance's DariFree milk replacement powder
1 10 Pack of Home Free mini crunchy vanilla
1 Full sized bag of Enjoy Life Double Chocolate Granola
2 Bags of Amanda's Own foil wrapped chocolates in heart shapes
1 Free Tofutti Product certificate
1 Free Philly Swirl certificate
2 Bags of Mrs. Mays freeze dried pineapple bits

Before you enter to win one of these prizes, please head over to each of the vendor's facebook page and "like" them if you haven't already. Don't forget to tell them Milk Free Kids sent you!! 

Here's a list of the vendors with links to their websites and facebook pages:

Enjoy Life Foods Website

Enjoy Life Foods Facebook

 

Amanda's Own Website

Amanda's Own Facebook Page

Tofutti Website

Tofutti Facebook

Home Free Treats Website

Home Free Treats Facebook

 

Vance's Foods Website

Philly Swirl Website

Philly Swirl Facebook

On to the main entry area. You already get one entry just for liking Milk Free Kids! You may have to click through it on the entrance form, but it will be recorded in there. If you don't connect or enter your email through the entry for below though, it won't be counted as an entry. The form tracks and chooses the winners for me! The giveaway is limited to US and Canada only. I will not be responsible for customs charges for Canadian winners.

Earn one entry by connecting with facebook or entering your email.

Earn one entry by tweeting about the contest.

Earn one entry by answering the question.

Earn one entry by being a facebook fan.

Earn up to 5 extra entries per person who signs up through your shared link via twitter and/or facebook.

Wow! That's a lot of entries!! You can manage them all through the widget below. To check your total entries, or grab your share link at anytime just connect to the widget with facebook or re-enter your email address.

Giveaway ends April 1st.

Thank you again, and good luck! Watch the facebook page for more chances to win other great prizes from these vendors and myself!

~Andrea

Enjoy Life Crunchy Cookies Review!!

I recently posted a review for Enjoy Life's new Chocolate Chunks and Chocolate Granola. They then sent us 4 boxes of Enjoy Life's Crunchy Cookies! which I couldn't WAIT to try! We dug right into them when they arrived and WOAH are they good!  They are available in 4 delicious flavors, Double Chocolate, Sugar Crisp, Vanilla Honey Graham, and  Chocolate Chip. 

If you have been following along with my story, then you know that I struggled with finding yummy foods during my 1 year of dairy and soy free breastfeeding. I know this is a dairy free blog, but I've kind of been turning towards more general allergen free posts as I realize that a lot of my readers have multiple allergies and intolerance's.  Enjoy Life's line of treats are free of the top 8 allergens, gluten free, and made on dedicated equipment in a dedicated facility!! 

So back to me... while I was dying for cookies and chocolate, I discovered Enjoy Life, and I have been hooked ever since! I love their soft baked snicker doodles like it's nobodies business. My little man loves the soft baked chocolate chip cookies. So of course we are excited to talk about the Crunchy Cookies that Enjoy Life now offers, and were double excited to get to try them out. 

When they arrived in the mail, we ate them fast as a family. I especially loved the Vanilla Honey Graham flavor, and my little man gobbled up the chocolate chip ones saying "Those my favorites." The double chocolate is, well, anything that is chocolate in chocolate can't go wrong in my book! The sugar crisp ones were a real treat. They went very well with my morning coffee. 

They are nice and thin, crispy but not hard as a rock, have a tendency to be a little melt-a-way once they hit your tongue, and perfectly sweet is an understatement. They lack for nothing.   

The chocolate chip flavors are just chock full of Enjoy Life's mini chips, which just happen to be my #1 favorite chocolate chips in the whole world. They are smooth and creamy and super sweet. There is none of that gritty chocolate chip feeling to them that other brand's large chips have. 

Knowing that I can always grab a box of anything from the Enjoy Life line and not have to worry about reading the ingredients, is really a big help in my hectic life. We are lucky in this day and age that a company like Enjoy Life exists. I appreciate everything that they do, and hope they never stop creating new and delicious foods for us to all enjoy! If you haven't tried them out yet, you should aim to make it a top priority!! Find a store near you here. I get my Enjoy Life treats at Whole Foods, and some of their items are even carried at my local grocery store, which is great for us!

So check them out at http://www.enjoylifefoods.com or on their Facebook page. Give their facebook page a "like" and let me know what YOU think of the Enjoy Life product line! 

We are currently only 6 facebook fans away from the start of the Milk Free Kids giveaway, and there will be Enjoy Life treats to win!! I'm getting really excited!! See you soon!

Amanda's Own Confections- A truly delicious milk free treat!

Have you ever had a piece of chocolate that was so rich, creamy, smooth, and delicious that you finished it and got really sad that it was all gone? 

Have you ever had a chocolate so good that when you were going to get some more of it, you got excited in anticipation? 

Have you ever had chocolate in your house that got fought over and vanished when you weren't looking? 

I have.  I have because I have had Amanda's Own Confections -  Not only are they all completely dairy-free, but they are also all tree nut-free, peanut-free, egg-free and gluten-free!

These aren't just chocolate bars! They offer loads of fun seasonal shapes, packaging, and loads of options!

We got to sample the gold bunny box, and a sitting bunny. We sampled them so fast, that I didn't get to even get one photo of them! They are just the right amount of sweet, and so reach and creamy. PLUS they are solid chocolate! None of that hollow bunny scam that you remember from childhood! 

The GREAT NEWS... They are shipping Easter treats all the way until March 27th! It't not too early to order for your Easter baskets and eggs!

Check out the whole assortment of Easter treats HERE.

Sitting Bunny - Photo from Amanda's Own Website

Gold Bunny Box - Photo from Amanda's Own Website

Look at how incredibly adorable the foil wrapped bunnies are... 

 

Not only do they offer loose, boxed, and foil wrapped chocolates, but they also have a wide selection of lollipop chocolates which includes ballerinas, trucks, dinosaurs, sports, and more!

There's even non-chocolate selections! Plus, if you live in a warmer area, or are ordering in the summer you can have your chocolates shipped in a special container so that they won't melt! I swear, they've thought of everything!

We got a chance to sample devour a bag of sour gummy worms, and they were AMAZING! They were sweet and sour, and chewy, and just plain awesome! So awesome in fact, that I was talking about this post, trying a few more samples of this amazing chocolate, and my teen said "Hey, are you getting more of those gummy worms, Mom?" and he never asks for candy, ever!

So check out the FAQ if you need to know more. Like their facebook page to get a head start on the Milk Free Kids 500 Fan Giveaway. Then give them a try! Order right online and have them shipped to you in time for the Easter Bunny, or any other occasion you might need a great dairy free chocolate for!

What about this Milk Free Kids 500 Fan Giveaway?? Well....


The day we hit 500 facebook fans, the prizes are going to start rolling onto the blog here and on facebook... YOU might be one of the lucky winners! Just liking the facebook page will get you your first entry. Keep checking back for more chances to win too! Loads of prizes are coming your way if you are one of the lucky winners!!

The following Amanda's Own Chocolate treats will be part of the upcoming Milk Free Kids facebook giveaway! 

Enjoy Life - It's so good!

I was recently asked to sample and review some of Enjoy Life's new products. Of course I said YES!! Yes I will! I'm so happy that I did!

If you are unfamiliar with Enjoy Life, it's a line of allergen free specialty treats. They make everything from candy bars, to cookies. You can safely enjoy their foods without fear of gluten, dairy, soy, etc. Discovering Enjoy Life foods has been a life saver for my little guy who can now eat chocolate chip cookies safely at home when I use Enjoy Life baking chocolate. 

So Enjoy Life sent me their new Double Chocolate Crunch Granola, and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks. Me and my guys dug right in. The granola is just divine. The right amount of crunch, mixed with the smooth and creamy Enjoy Life chocolate chips makes this granola AH-MAZING!! Like every Enjoy Life product I've personally tried, this one does NOT disappoint, not at all.

When I first discovered Enjoy Life's semi-sweet mini chips, I was just in disbelief at the creamy deliciousness of those little mini chips. They fill cookies and other treats with such a huge punch of chocolate. Now that they have come out with Mega Chunks, we are doing the happy dance over here at Milk Free Kids! The Mega Chunks are all that I would imagine them to be and a whole lot more. Not only are they still rich and creamy like the mini chips, but they also have a unique shape that really compliments baked goods.

We made a batch of Cheeky Kitchen's coconut oil double chocolate cookies and this time I was able to feed them to my little man with the addition of Enjoy Life's Mega Chunks.

Enjoy Life products are available at health food stores and Whole Foods Market. They don't stop at granola and baking chocolate either. They offer chocolate bars, chewy bars, cereals, crunchy cookies, and soft baked cookies!  Their ENTIRE line is allergen free, and delectable! Say "good bye" boring, flavorless safe foods, and say hello to "Enjoy Life"!!


Stop on by the Enjoy Life Facebook page and like them. We're getting ready to giveaway BOTH of these products in our 500 fan giant giveaway over on Milk Free Kids facebook page. So liking both pages now will help you get one step closer to a win! 

I've pulled some info from the Enjoy Life website. Click below the titles to go to the product pages for more info.


http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/granolas/double-chocolate-crunch/ 

Our newest granola flavor is made with brown rice flakes packed with our decadent Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips. Delicious for breakfast or any time snacking!

Ingredients:

Brown Rice Flakes,Chocolate Chips (Evaporated Cane Juice, Chocolate Liquor, Non-Dairy Cocoa Butter), Evaporated Cane Juice, Brown Rice Syrup, Water, Rice Bran, Rice Crisps (Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Raisin Juice Concentrate, Honey, Salt), Natural Process Cocoa Powder, Inulin (Chicory Root Fiber), Ground Flaxseed, Natural Chocolate Flavor, Honey,Vanilla, Expeller-Pressed Vegetable Oil (Safflower Oil and/or Sunflower Oil), Salt, Rosemary Extract

Allergen Info

NO TRANS FAT, NO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS, VEGAN, KOSHER PAREVE, GLUTEN-FREE, CASEIN-FREE

Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamins and Minerals: Magnesium, Iron, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Zinc, Thiamin (Vitamin B1), Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5), Folate, Vitamin B6

http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/chocolate-for-baking/mega-chunks/ 

Make your own blondies with our Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks that are dairy- , soy- and gluten-free!

Ingredients:

Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Chocolate Liquor (non-Alcoholic), Non-dairy Cocoa Butter

Allergen Info

MADE IN A DEDICATED NUT- AND GLUTEN-FREE FACILITY, GLUTEN-FREE, CASEIN-FREE, VEGAN, KOSHER

and the winner is....

Thank you everyone who participated in the HomeFree Treats giveaway. I have used random.org to choose the winner, and here is the result....

Congratulations, Melissa!!

Please email me your address to milkfreekids@gmail.com and HomeFree treats will send you your prize!

Thank you again to everyone else. I hope to do more giveaways for you in the future. I promise a big one when the Milk Free Kids page reaches 500 fans!

Andrea