Wednesday

Product Review: Mi & Stu




I recently had the opportunity to sample some gluten-free treats from Mi & Stu. If you reside outside of Quebec, you may not be familiar with this cool little bakery. I think it's time for that to change, don't you? Mi & Stu is located in LaSalle, Quebec and run by the lovely Mimi and Stephanie. You can find their products in select grocery stores, restaurants and on major International Airlines such as Air France, Lufthansa, KLM, Qatar. It's comforting to know that safe gluten-free food is available when traveling by air.

Mi & Stu is more than just gluten-free. They also avoid using nuts, casein, and whey in their products. This allows those with one or more dietary restrictions to enjoy the products.

Sunday

Quick Guide To Canada's Gluten-Free Tax Credit



Did you know that in Canada, there is a slight tax break available for those who need to consume gluten-free food? The Canadian Revenue Agency allows a tax deduction for the purchase of gluten-free goods. This is really helpful as we all know how ridiculously expensive the gluten-free diet can be.




Who Qualifies

  • You must be diagnosed with Celiac disease and requiring a gluten-free diet by an authorized medical practitioner 
  • You need to have a note from your physician on his or her letterhead, confirming diagnosis 
  • Total medical expense must exceed 3% of net income


How It Works


There is a fair bit of effort involved

  • Keep receipts for gluten-free items purchased throughout the year
  • You will need to calculate the incremental difference between GF and non-GF items on an item by item basis
  • This is done by subtracting the cost of a non-GF item from a GF item


Example per Canada Revenue Agency website


1. Item: bread
2. Number of items purchased: 52
3. Average cost of non-GF product: $3.49
4. Average cost of GF product: $6.99
5. Incremental cost (line 4 minus line 3): $6.99 - $3.49 = $3.50
6. Amount to claim (line 5 multiplied by line 2): $3.50 x 52 = $182.00

 

Tips



  •  Highlight the gluten-free items on your receipts or keep gluten-free purchase separate from non-GF purchases
  • Keep your receipts organized in a folder and away from the sun
  • Use a spreadsheet to itemize and calculate
  • If you add to your spreadsheet with every gluten-free grocery shop, you will save time and avoid a headache
  • Save a copy of the spreadsheet for your records
  • Be patient



Thursday

Product Review & Contest: Inspired by Happiness Gluten Free Cakes


Cake is almost always part of an important, celebration - birthdays, weddings, graduations, holidays and the like, cake is there. Sometimes even just because. 

For someone with Celiac, this can be synonymous with being left out.That doesn't have to be the case thanks to Inspired by Happiness and their gluten-free line of cakes! These cakes are certified gluten-free by the Canadian Celiac Association's Gluten-Free Certification Program. That extra level of trust makes my heart happy.


Inspired by Happiness uses only the highest quality ingredients




Natural flavours
No artificial colours
No artificial trans fat
Kosher


I sampled the two cakes below

Cravin' for Cookies & Cream Layered Cake







This cake is for those who want to indulge in an old-time favourite. It's covered with a dark chocolate ganache and swirls of white chocolate. The layers of melt-in-your-mouth light shortcake, cookies and a silky vanilla cream mousse will leave you wanting more.


Dreamin' of Chocolate Dark & White Chocolate Layer Cake





This cake was designed with those who love chocolate in mind. Belgian white chocolate mousse is layered between dark chocolate sponge cake and topped off with a chocolate ganache. 


As someone who has indulged in her fair share of gluten-free cakes, I can happily say that Inspired by Happiness knows how to make great gluten-free cakes! You will be pleasntly impressed with how light and moist the cakes are. With just the right amount of sweetness, they avoid being overly rich. Even the gluten eaters in my family were left wanting more. 

You can connect with Inspired by Happiness on social media through 


*I received complimentary product for review purposes. All opinions are my own*


You can find Inspired by Happiness cakes at select locations below:





Want to try these cakes? Inspired by Happiness was kind enough to send me some coupons to give away!


One Winner will receive FIVE free product coupons for one package of  Inspired by Happiness gluten-free cake.

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Monday

Product Review: Oven Fresh Bakehouse

How do you feel about having fresh gluten-free baked goods delivered right to your door? Personally, I think it's an incredible idea! If you live in the GTA (greater Toronto area) or Durham Region then Oven Fresh Bakehouse is your new best friend. Check them out and let me know what you think!


Gluten free fresh delivery service



Oven Fresh Bakehouse is a new company based out of Mississauga, Ontario. The products are 100% gluten-free and dairy-free. There is a minimum order requirement of $40 and delivery is via courier at a $12 flat rate with a max weight of 10kg. 

Also worth noting:

"Ingredients are all responsibly sourced from fully audited suppliers, as an extra layer of food security every ingredient used to produce your bakery goods are independently tested to ensure 100% gluten free status."

The product range is pretty great. You can order everything from sliced bread and bagels to pound cake, pancake mix and muffins. Another highlight, everything is baked fresh to order. That bakery fresh smell is divine.

How the products stack up


I sampled various items, including buns, dinner rolls and sliced bread. Not only do these products taste phenomenal, the texture is impressively similar to that of gluten based bread's. They are light, fluffy and not at all crumbly. On a side note, they freeze and thaw out immaculately! I had some of the products in my freezer for well over a month. When I wanted one to enjoy, I simply took it out of the freezer and left it in my pantry to thaw out. No need to heat, toast or nuke in any way! Impressive, right?!


Overall, I am quite happy that I was introduced to this brand. Keep an eye on the Oven Fresh Bakehouse website for delivery expansion updates!


If you like keeping up to date with gluten-free companies on social media, you can follow Oven Fresh Bakehouse on facebook here.



* I received complimentary products for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Thursday

Easy Gluten-Free Black Forest Cake

This blog post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thanks for your support.

I have been wanting Black Forrest cake for what seems like FOREVER. It was a favourite of mine when I was growing up before I was diagnosed with Celiac. To put things in perspective, I have been navigating the gluten-free waters for well over ten years now. Enjoying some black forest cake, gluten-free of course has been long overdue.

Chocolate Cupcakes


What's a girl to do when she can't find a ready-made gluten-free version of her most favourite cake?! 


Make It At Home

Don't worry I am by no means a super amazing baker, which means you can totally pull this off too! Short-cuts and hacks are my best friends in the kitchen and I used a couple in this recipe.

You Won't Believe How Easy This Is


Seriously, it's a piece of cake.

All you need for the cupcakes is a boxed gluten-free chocolate cake mix. I used Betty Crocker because I love how moist and fluffy the final product turns out. But, you can use any boxed mix which you prefer. 


Ingredients

Chocolate Cake Mix

Whipping Cream
Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Maraschino Cherries
Chocolate Sprinkles
Red Sugar Crystals


Homemade Whipped Cream 

1 1/2 cup Whipping Cream
2 Tbsp Sugar 
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Place above ingredients for homemade whipped cream in a large bowl. Stir to combine. That's it for now, but ensuring everything is cold is super important. 
Place the beaters from a hand mixer in the bowl and cover with saran wrap. 
Put bowl, in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Once chilled, beat with hand mixer until stiff peaks form.


Whipped Cream
Stiff Peaks

*Follow directions on chocolate cake mix box to make the cupcakes.

Once the cupcakes come out of the oven and cool, they are ready to be transformed. 


First up - deconstructed black forest cake... a trifle of sorts. 

To do this, I cut a cupcake into four layers. I then alternated between the following components:
cupcake slice
whipped cream
chocolate sprinkles 
red sugar crystals
maraschino cherries

Chocolate Cupcake


For my more traditional cupcakes, I used the OXO 1261080BK GG Cupcake Corer. It literally cores your cupcakes with little to no effort at all, leaving room for a surprise filling. Once I had created room for a filling, it was time to assemble. In the cupcakes vacant centre, I layered the whipped cream, maraschino cherries, chocolate sprinkles and red sugar crystals. The top of the cupcakes a capped off with a swirl of whipped cream, sprinkles, and sugar crystals. A single maraschino cherry completes this sweet treat.



Valentines Day Dessert
Just Look At That Goodness 


Have you created anything inspired by a favourite dessert? Let me know below.




Disclosure

This policy is valid from 23 February 2013

This is a personal blog written and edited by me. All opinions are that of my own. I am not a healthcare professional or an expert. All information presented in this blog is purely that of my own experience and or opinion. Please consult a medical professional before making any changes to your diet.

I write this blog as a hobby that I am passionate about. From time to time, I may receive monetary compensation for a sponsored post. I only work with brands that I trust and would use in my own home.

This blog accepts complimentary products for review. The opinions I have of a product will never be swayed by a company sending me an item(s) for free. I take into consideration the opinion of family members who are gluten-free due to Celiac Disease and I also value the opinions of non-gluten free family members. Taste is a matter of personal opinion so please use your own discretion and don't take my opinion as a gold standard.

Any ingredient or gluten-free claims should be verified with the restaurant/manufacturer as things can and do change.

For questions about this blog, please contact: sandra@glutenfreedoll.com

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