Product Review: S2 Soaps Ltd

I've always had very sensitive skin.  Many store-bought soaps would make my skin break out in awful rashes, so my mom was always very careful in what she bought to use.  If it caused me to have a reaction, she wouldn't buy it again.  I think we'd hoped that eventually I would outgrow the sensitivities, but, sadly that never happened.  I'm very particular in what soaps I use.  In fact, I haven't actually used store-bought soap for my bath soap in several years.  Previously, I'd bought from a local vendor out of Vermillion, SD who sold their wonderful line of soap products under the name of God's Green Earth at our local farmer's market.  Through visiting with the owners of this line, I was able to gain a couple of new friends, as well.  I liked their products because they used high quality ingredients and no gluten ingredients, which is very important to me.  Marije, the creator of these soaps and lotions, also used her own products for herself and her family, so she stood behind her work.

Autumn Equinox soap by S2 Soaps Ltd

But, alas, they moved to the West Coast and I lost my friend and soap supplier.  Though I did purchase quite a lot from her before they left.  I've been looking for a new soaper ever since, though.  Enter S2 Soaps Ltd, an Etsy Shop created and owned by Kallie Smirnov based in Colorado.  Full disclosure - over the past few years, Kallie has become a very dear friend of mine, though we have only met via the internet.  She, however, does not know that I am writing this review of her products, which I have purchased from her Etsy Shop, nothing was given to me in exchange for a review.  Though she is my friend, I do promise to give a completely honest product review.

Christmas soaps from S2 Soaps Ltd cut and curing.  Scented in crisp juniper.

Whipped soaps from S2 Soaps Ltd

Kallie has quite a line of products available.  Items from bars of soap, bath bombs, travel soap kit, jelly soap, sugar scrubs and more can be ordered from her shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/S2Soaps  My first order I placed with her, I purchased bars of the 

Life's a Beach, Pink Flamingo and Coffee with goat milk glycerin soaps, as well as the Wanderlust Collection Travel Soap Kit.  I've used the Life's a Beach bar and have now been using the Pink Flamingo bar.  The fragrances are bold and crisp and really help wake me up in the morning.  While I like the scent of the Pink Flamingo bar, I have to say that the Life's a Beach is my favorite so far.  Every time I walked into my bathroom I could smell this lovely, clean fragrance and it had a calming, soothing effect on me.  Each bar is cut thick so they last a long time.

Life's a Beach by S2 Soaps Ltd

Coffee with Goat Milk glycerin soap and Pink Flamingo soap by S2 Soaps LTD

One of the things I hate about store-bought soaps is that so often, they tend to leave a soapy film on your skin that feels like you can never get completely washed off.  Ugh, I absolutely hate that feeling!  With the products from S2 Soaps Ltd, I don't have that.  My skin feels clean and soft after use.  That is saying a lot because of my extra sensitive skin.  While the prices for homemade soap products are more expensive than store-bought soaps, in my opinion, the quality is worth the price.  I know that high quality ingredients have gone into these products and, for me, it is a relief to be able to shower and know that I'm not going to break out in a rash from my soap.

Pink Flamingo soap by S2 Soaps Ltd

On a recent overnight trip I took with my mom to attend a high school musical performed at my old high school, I had my first opportunity to use the Wanderlust Collection Travel Soap Kit.  Yes, hotels most often provide small bars of soap for their guests, and this hotel we stayed at is no exception.  It's always bothered me, though, the waste of the majority of even a small bar of soap.  The majority of the bar of soap gets thrown away.  Not to mention, that I never know if it is a soap that my skin will react badly to.  So, this time I used one of the slivers of soap you get with the travel kit.  It was the perfect size for a single time use!  I had enough for my shower and the small bit that was left wasn't enough to use a second time - minimal waste!  I love that.  I had never heard of this kind of travel soap, but I think it is a great idea.  It worked nicely for me.  The Prospector travel soap that I purchased is an unscented soap by S2 Soaps Ltd.

Prospector unscented single use travel soap in the Wanderlust Collection by S2 Soaps Ltd

I've just recently placed a new order that I am excited to receive.  I'd never heard of jelly soap before, so I decided to try the Jack Frost Jelly Soap this time.  I've also ordered one of the White Tea Pear bath bombs, the Basil Activated Charcoal soap and a bar of the Autumn Equinox soap.  I enjoy that she includes seasonal scents in her product line.  She has new scents coming out soon for Hanukkah and Christmas!  I will add to this review once I receive my next order and use the jelly soap and bath bomb.  

Basil Activated Charcoal soap by S2 Soaps Ltd

White Tea Pear bath bombs by S2 Soaps Ltd

Jack Frost Jelly Soap from S2 Soaps Ltd

Hanukkah soap by S2 Soaps Ltd

I'm very proud of the creativity of my friend and the high quality of her products.  I hope you'll check them out.  In addition to her Etsy Shop link posted earlier in this review, you can also find her on Instagram @s2soaps

11/20/19 I received my latest order from S2 Soaps Ltd today!  I think I like th Autumn Equinox fragrance even more than the Life's a Beach!  Looking forward to using these!!

Product Review: Heartland Gourmet brand Funnel Cake Mix

My mom and the daughter of a friend who was visiting from college at the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa

When I was growing up in Northwest Iowa, county fair time was one of my favorite times of the year.  My hometown of Spencer, Iowa is the home of the renowned Clay County Fair, also known as “The World’s Greatest County Fair”.  So many fun rides, interesting vendors, concerts and, of course, fair food!  Attending the fair each year, my favorite fair treats were Tom Thumb Donuts and funnel cakes!  Who could resist the sugary fragrance that called to you from across the fairgrounds and pulled you to their kiosks to purchase the warm, doughy bites of heaven?

Tom Thumb Donuts at the Fair

Just a few months before I finally got my diagnosis of Celiac Disease, my mom and I attended the fair, which always falls around her birthday.  We went to the concert that night, which included a hometown boy, Casey Muessigmann who appeared on Season 3 of tv’s The Voice.  Casey is also the son of a high school classmate of mine, which made the show that much more fun.  The headliner was Scotty McCreery, whom my mom and I had enjoyed watching and rooting for on tv’s American Idol.  When we arrived at the fairgrounds, our first stop was at the Tom Thumb Donut kiosk to purchase a couple of bags of the mini donuts to munch on while we walked around the fair.  We purchased two more bags before the show and then after the show we ran into a couple of high school classmates and friends of mine, who told us that the kiosk was actually still open.  So, we purchased two more bags before heading to our hotel room.  Neither of us have over-indulged like that before, but when I got my Celiac diagnosis a few months later and realized that was the last time I would ever be able to enjoy one of my favorite treats I didn’t feel so bad about that particular over-indulgence.  We stopped by the fair the next day before heading home and split a large funnel cake with whipped cream and strawberries.

For nearly 6 years I thought that I would never get to experience either of these special treats again.  Then I found a gluten free funnel cake mix made by Heartland Gourmet.  This is a local company based out of Lincoln, NE that offers a variety of mixes, including organic mixes and gluten free mixes.  And I LOVE to support and promote local companies that do gluten free right!  To start out, let me tell you that this is not a sponsored review.  These are products that I have purchased with my own money, so I didn’t receive any free product or any other compensation in exchange for my review, though I have done that in the past and probably will again in the future.  This, however, is not sponsored content. 

I have used many of the Heartland Gourmet mixes, including their cornbread, red velvet and

carrot cake mixes.  None of them have disappointed, so I assumed that my experience with the funnel cake mix would be the same.  The mix couldn’t be any easier to prepare.  All you need to add to it is 2 cups of water.  Heat 2 cups of canola oil in a deep pan, I used a pasta pot that I had to prevent splattering and it worked just fine.  Now, I have never made funnel cake before, so mine didn’t turn out pretty.  The only funnel I had on hand was too small to be useful and the pastry bag I had was an inexpensive one that didn’t work out very well, either, so I did a makeshift “funnel” and put the batter in a plastic sandwich bag and cut a hole in one corner to squeeze it out into the oil.  I didn’t do a very good job with shaping it, but in my defense, again, this was my first time.  The entire process, though messy because I didn’t have the right tools, was easy and fun.  My mom was there helping me with it because she loves funnel cake and, though she doesn’t have Celiac Disease and isn’t gluten free, she enjoys trying my gluten free cooking and baking.  And, I wanted to have the opinion of someone who doesn’t have to be gluten free, as well as my own.  

The texture and flavor of the funnel cake was just how I remembered regular funnel cake tasting like.  It was light and just the right amount of doughy in the center.  I think you could even use this batter to make mini donuts and they would not disappoint, either!  My non-gluten free mom and hubby both liked it.  My mom said she thought it tasted even better than funnel cake at the fair!  My husband, Dave, had never had funnel cake before.  Really!  I know - shocking, right?!  He tried it and asked if there was more, which is a very good sign!

Heartland Gourmet is a family operated business in Lincoln, Nebraska.  As stated before, they offer many mix options, including organic mixes and gluten free mixes.  According to their website, they’ve also just teamed up with Gluten Free Mama and have added her line of gluten free products to their company.  I’ve used many Gluten Free Mama products in the past few years, as well and can speak to the high quality of those products. 

If you are in the Sioux City, Iowa area, the Hy Vee on Gordon Drive sells Heartland Gourmet gluten free mixes in their Health Market section.  The mix prices are comparable to other gluten free mixes also sold there and the quality of these mixes is worth every penny.  I dare anyone, gluten free or not, to be able to taste the difference between the Heartland Gourmet gluten free products and their non-gluten free counterparts.  If you can’t find their mixes in a grocery store near you, you can order directly from their website here.

Until next week, happy baking!

Gluten Free Baking - GF Mixes by Better For You Bakery

Before I begin this post about the new products available from Better For You Bakery in Jefferson, Iowa, I wanted to take a moment to address something that is heavy on many of our hearts and minds: Hurricane Harvey Relief. When natural disasters hit it isn't only healthy people who are affected. There are always people with special dietary needs affected as well. Here is some great information from Gluten Free Watchdog on how you can donate gluten free non-perishables to Celiacs and people with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity who've been impacted by Hurricane Harvey. #hurricaneharveyrelief #glutenfreewatchdog  To find out how you can help, click here.

Recently Better For You Bakery released some new products available online here as well as in selected grocery stores in Jefferson, Carroll and Sioux City, Iowa and at Gud n Free in Sioux City.  Not all of these new products are available in Sioux City, however.  Gud n Free restaurant, for example, does not carry the Nut Granola because they are a nut free establishment.  However, all of these products (as well as previous mixes by BFYB) can be found at the Better For You Bakery Website.

(Labor Day Special from Better For You Bakery: This offer will end after Labor Day so shop now by following the link below. Delicious starts with our Gluten Free bakery mixes! Get yours now in this SHIP ONLY special limited time offer here: 

https://betterforyoubakery.net/product/better-baking-box/

BFYB Gluten Free mixes and Granola are made in our dedicated Gluten Free Peanut Free facility from NON GMO sourced ingredients and include dominant whole grains. Have other food allergies? Did you know our bakery mixes can ALL be made to avoid any of the other 7 other major food allergens? Granola does include tree nuts. Shop now and share the news with others.)

Tina, founder, owner and entrepreneur of Better For You Bakery sent me each of her new products to test out and review.  Unfortunately, I've had some technical issues in the past few weeks with my laptop and then my cell phone (on which I had many of the photos for this blog post) completely died and I had to send it in to get a replacement phone - after first being instructed to do a full factory reset to make sure it really was a faulty phone.  Due to the factory reset, I lost all of the pictures that I hadn't already sent to my laptop.  UGH!  Frustration!  And, yes, it was the phone that was faulty.  So, this blog post is long overdue.   

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and I had a baking day.  Basically, it was a cookie day!  I used BFYB Sugar Cookie mix (and Tina provided me with the recipe for her amazing frosting, which I will share here).  Tina had also provided me with her recipe for a Pecan Coffee Cake, but I haven't had time to make that, yet.  When I do, I will share it (and her recipe) here on the blog.

Better For You Bakery Sugar Cookie Mix

Anyone who has enjoyed BFYB's decorated sugar cookies either directly from the bakery or through Gud n Free restaurant is going to love this mix!  The cookies were so easy to make and they are just as flaky and delicious as if Tina had baked them herself.  I shared with both my mom and husband as well as the ladies I work with, none of whom have to be gluten free.  They were all amazed by the taste and texture and I had several surprised comments of, "These are gluten free?!"  and "Does everything gluten free taste this good?"  The answer to that last question, unfortunately, is no.  These mixes are truly an exception.  Between the reasonable price of the cookie mix and the added ingredients, these are so worth it!  I bought two more packages of this mix from Gud n Free in the last couple of weeks so that I can make more soon!!!

I didn't have any cookie cutters, so I simply used a canning
ring as my cookie cutter

These were medium sized diameter, but I made them a bit thicker than the instructions on the package

I thought I was completely prepared ingredient-wise, but I was missing one thing - food coloring for the frosting.  So, my cookies may not have turned out very pretty, but boy did they taste great - and they didn't last long!!

Of all of the new products out now from BFYB the one I am the most excited about is the new All Purpose GF Flour Blend!  Used cup for cup in substitution for regular flour, there are so many possibilities for this product.  Tina shared with me her recipe for Pecan Coffee Cake, which I haven't had a chance to make, yet, but when I do, I will share it on here.  I promise!  What I chose to make was plain and simple chocolate chip cookies, a staple of pretty much every American childhood.  I used the Nestle Tollhouse Cookie recipe from the Nestle website, though I made it with the BFYB gluten free AP Flour blend and I chose to use organic coconut sugar in place of refined white sugar.  The coconut sugar gave the cookies a bit darker color and a slightly different taste than what I think of with chocolate chip cookies, but it was really tasty and the texture was perfect!

Since Mom was helping me bake, I thought it only fair to invite her to stay for supper.  Of course, I used the new pizza crust mix from BFYB.  Unfortunately, I don't have any of the before/after baking pictures of the pizza crust without toppings because they were among the pictures that I lost with the reset of my phone.  Very disappointing.  But the pizza was not!  I'm sure, like me, you've searched high and low for a gluten free pizza crust that doesn't taste like cardboard.  Not an easy task.  Look no further than the pizza crust mix from Better For You Bakery.  This is much the same mix as the French Bread mix, however the pizza crust mix contains the seasoning as well.  I got one large round pizza pan crust out of the mix plus enough for a smaller pizza crust out of one mix.  I like my pizza crust a bit thicker.  The taste and texture of this pizza crust was so savory and amazing!  My mouth is watering for it now just thinking about it!

I made this pizza for 3 very different people with 3 very different likes, so it was topped in thirds.

Good to the last crumb!

 The last of the new products is the Nut Blend Granola.  I haven't used it to make anything yet, though I do plan to make some apple crisp using it in the topping - again, recipe will appear on the blog when I do make the apple crisp.  This tasty treat goes well with so many things.  Currently I've been using it to mix in with my Greek yogurt for a hearty and delightful snack at work.  YUM!

This nut blend gluten free granola has so much flavor and crispy almonds, walnuts & pecans, along with sunflower kernels.

Now, as I promised, Better For You Bakery's sugar cookie frosting recipe (this is for the full batch as Tina makes it for her customer orders.  You can either adjust the recipe in half or use what you need and freeze the rest for later use.

Ingredients: 

1 bag of powder sugar (2lb)

2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)

1 cup shortening (Tina's suggestion - Holsum brand, though Crisco works fine). 

1 tbsp of vanilla extract

2-4 tbsp of water this is depending on how thick or thin you need frosting. 

Cream softened butter with shortening on medium speed.  Add half the powder sugar then start on low then medium to mix in then add other half bag and vanilla and 2 tbsp water mix on low then when it's mixed in turn on high and mix for about 5 minutes add the extra water in this case you'll need it.  **Helpful Hints: The two biggest mistakes people make with frosting is not creaming shortening and butter till creamy and not mixing powder sugar long enough till it's fluffy frosting and if you don't it will be gritty.  Also lots of people use cheap and salted butter but good butter and no salt makes better frosting.**  You shouldn't need more water for cookies, however, you may need more for cake frosting if you are spreading it.  If you want chocolate frosting you add 1/4 cup cocoa and another tbsp or so water.  Mocha is tsp espresso plus cocoa.  

If you are looking for high quality, great tasting gluten free mixes, check out Better For You Bakery's website https://betterforyoubakery.net/ for more information on all of her products and recipes that you can use these mixes for at home.  

Until next time - have a safe Labor Day!

Siouxland Celiac 💚

God's Green Earth

Photo Credit: God's Green Earth Facebook page (used with permission)

In 2016 I had the privilege to meet Alafia and Marije Wright at their booth at the Sioux City Farmer's Market (which opened for the 2017 Summer Season today, by the way).  The Wright's produce a skin care line, which includes soaps, lotions, lip balm and much, much more, under the company name of God's Green Earth.  It was the name of their company that first caught my eye.  I tried their soap and hand lotion and quickly became a regular customer!  

    Tea Tree soap                                    Facial Scrub

     Facial Lotion             Lavender Hand & Body Cream

These are just a few of the products I've purchased and used from God's Green Earth.  The Tea Tree Soap is my favorite.  I love that the fragrance helps wake me up in my morning shower - especially since I am NOT a morning person at all.  The soap is gentle and leaves my skin soft and without a filmy residue that some store bought soaps leave behind - yuck! The Facial Scrub was a different experience for me.  I haven't used one like it before.  The texture is what you'd expect for a facial scrub, gritty.  It doesn't take very much product to work gently into your damp face and then wash off with warm water.  It exfoliates really well and leaves me feeling fresh and clean.  I've gone through a couple of bottles of the Facial Lotion.  Again, it doesn't take a lot to cover my entire face.  I use it in the morning under my make up and at night after I've washed the make up off.  The lotion doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy, but smooth and silky soft.  I've had dry skin most of my life, but since using the products from God's Green Earth, my skin feels hydrated and soft, not rough and scaly!  Probably my very favorite products are the Lavender Hand & Body Cream and the Lip Balm (not pictured).  I use the hand & body cream on my hands, my rough (not anymore) elbows and calloused feet.  I'm amazed at how smooth using this cream has made the roughest, most dry areas of my skin.  The lavender scent is very relaxing and calming.  I like to use the cream especially at night before going to bed because of its soothing qualities.  The lip balm really surprised me the most.  I can't stand to have dry, chapped lips.  It drives me crazy.  I always carry lip balm and put it on a lot through out the day.  The lip balm from God's Green Earth I can apply once at the start of the day and my lips stay moist and hydrated all day long.

I asked Marije to give me a little information about their business and the inspiration behind it.

"God's Green Earth was established in 2014 by husband and wife team Alafia & Marije.  After their children had been diagnosed with eczema, asthma and food sensitivities to Gluten, Soy and Lactose they were on a quest to find natural remedies.  The prescribed medications for eczema are full of steroids and were causing undesirable side effects.  Alafia & Marije tested many recipes for soaps, lotions, toiletries and household cleaners before being confident in bringing them to market for sale.  Alafia & Marije have a commitment to produce their product lines toxic-free with as many natural, organic, GMO-free, dairy free, soy free and gluten free ingredients as possible.  They only use a small amount of preservative for their lotions because they grow bacteria and get rancid quickly, which would make them unsafe.  They source their ingredients from reputable companies and try to buy as many ingredients locally as possible.  At God's Green Earth nothing gets made that Alafia & Marije wouldn't use themselves for their family of 7.  They are committed to providing toxic free products that you can be confident are safe and enjoyable to use in your household.  Alafia & Marije offer products that are allergen friendly, meaning that they create their products in a manner where they are safe to use for people with sensitivities and allergies to gluten, soy and dairy.  At God's Green Earth we know our skin is our largest organ and we want to help our customers take care of their skin in a healthy and safe way.  We strive to produce all our products without gluten so that anyone can use them.  The only soy that is used by God's Green Earth is in the candles and wax melts; soy is a common allergen because it's one of the highest GMO crops in the nation and it is used in a lot of beauty products, we leave it out of our products that are applied and used on the skin.  God's Green Earth does not use dairy in their general product line.  If you have a bovine protein allergy, Alafia & Marije recommend you stay away from their ...And It Was GOAT line of products because Goat milk may contain some of the same proteins as cow milk.  Sometimes a specialty soap is created which contains some dairy and it gets labeled very clearly.  All the beeswax Alafia & Marije use comes from local (within 200 miles of Vermillion, SD) sources, and is in its rawest form when it gets to them.  This means the only processing that has been done to the beeswax is a filtering to get out large particulates and the heating to produce our particular product.  Alafia & Marije believe in transparency with labeling so even on their handcrafted soaps you will find an ingredient list.  All the products created for God's Green Earth are made in small batches which ensures quality control and it reduces the risk of contamination with ingredients that are not desirable.  Alafia & Marije are committed to providing products you love to use, they are willing and able to create custom formulas for individuals with specific needs or to make available wholesale.  They are available to answer questions about their products if you have specific needs or allergies and can match you with a product or make a special one for you."

Contact information:

Alafia & Marije

God's Green Earth

Vermillion, SD 57069

605-202-9126

GodsGreenEarth57069@gmail.com

www.mkt.com/GodsGreenEarth

www.facebook.com/GodGreenEarth

Better For You Bakery

Happy Monday!  I'm really excited about tonight's post!!  However, I have to be completely honest and tell you how intimidated I have been these past couple of years by the thought of gluten free baking.  I haven't had trouble adjusting to gluten free cooking, but gluten free baking is another animal altogether!  This weekend I had the opportunity to turn my kitchen into a test kitchen for some new gluten free mixes on the market and was reminded how much I love to bake.  Not only am I excited because they were delicious and easy to make, but I am REALLY excited because they are made and marketed by a local, dedicated gluten free commercial bakery called, Better For You Bakery LLC.  Owned and operated by Tina Meseck, Better For You Bakery is located in Jefferson, Iowa.  The recipes and products have all been developed by Tina, herself.  

Tina Meseck (used with her permission)

I'll give you some more information about Tina's business and her new website later in this post.  First, let's talk about food - a favorite subject of mine, as my waistline will attest.

I received the four mixes Tina currently is marketing, French Bread, English Muffin, Multi-Grain Bread and Chocolate Cake - all 100% gluten free!  While Tina, herself, does not have Celiac Disease, she states that she does have a food allergy and preservative/chemical sensitivity, thus, her products are also free from preservatives, which is another major plus in my book.  Tina is a firm believer in *"offering products that include more gluten free whole grains and flours versus all starches, very little whole grains or a lot of sugar."

I invited my mom over to help me on Saturday and it brought back good memories having the two of us working in the kitchen together.  We started out with the French Bread mix.  I don't have a traditional French bread loaf pan, but that's not a problem, because you can use regular loaf pans - or the dough can be used for pizza on a round pizza pan!  I love the versatility of her mixes.  This isn't the only mix that can be used multiple ways.  All of the mixes were really easy and fun to make.  I actually had almost all of the extra needed ingredients in my own kitchen already!  The texture of the French bread was a bit more dense than what I think of French bread being, but the taste was exquisite!  I used a packet of gluten free dry Italian dressing seasoning (yes, Italian in French bread!) with the mix and the flavor exploded in my mouth!  Very good served warm with a tab of real butter.

Next up was the one I was looking forward to the most - the English Muffin mix!  I LOVE English Muffins!!  I couldn't believe that there was a gluten free English Muffin mix available!  Tina told me that she did some checking and hers is the only gluten free English Muffin mix on the market.  There are frozen gluten free English Muffins available, but hers is the only mix.  It can be made into English muffins or baked in a loaf pan.  I chose to try to make them into muffins.  I don't have an English Muffin pan, so I made them according to the directions on baking parchment paper on cookie sheets.  This worked just fine.  The taste and texture of these English Muffins did not disappoint at all!  They were perfect!  I've been eating them every morning for breakfast since I made them - almost gone :-(  Looks like I'll have to get some more!  Next time I'm going to try adding cinnamon and raisins!  Mmmmmm...

 I used some homemade jam that I bought at our local Farmer's Market from my favorite booth - C. Brown Gardens

Don't you wish you had some???

My stand mixer has a short in the cord and doesn't work very well, so we had to use my hand mixer for everything.  The Multi-grain was not easy to do this with, as it is a thicker dough that needs mixed for a longer time - Mom and I took turns to get it completely mixed together as needed.  The result was so worth the effort!  This gluten free multi-grain bread is so soft and the flavor has a mild sweetness due to the added ingredient of honey.  Oh my!  I've been eating it without even putting anything (not even butter) on it - the flavor is that good!

After all that baking on Saturday, I decided to take a break and finish it off on Sunday with the Chocolate Cake mix.  Tina is a woman after my own heart!  One of the added ingredients for this mix - COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh yeah!  This girl is a happy camper!  The additional ingredients also included unsweetened applesauce. Per Tina's suggestion, I also added coffee to the frosting I made to go with the cake (frosting ingredients are not included in the mix - you make your own, or - maybe don't!  The cake is that moist and good!)  My non-GF hubby (who doesn't even care that much for chocolate cake, unless it is German Chocolate) enjoyed a slice last night.  He said it was really good.  That's saying a lot for him!  :-)  I took the rest of the cake (after a slice for me, my mom and another friend) to share with my co-workers today.  I also took samples of the French Bread and Multi-Grain Bread for them.  The cake was gone!  It was a big hit with my non-GF co-workers, who also enjoyed the two breads.  No, I did not share any of my English Muffins - mine!  All mine!!!!

I'll never win any cake decorating contest, but when the cake tastes like this - who cares?!

I asked Tina for some information about her goals with Better For You Bakery LLC.  She told me, "All the mixes are made from NON GMO sourced suppliers, however not every ingredient in my bakery is non GMO, just every ingredient in the mixes."  She went on to say, "I'm a dedicated gluten free facility.  My business is not a traditional retail storefront because commercial locations in our town are not a viable or sensible investment when I was looking and still aren't so I bought a house and it's my bakery location only I don't live there.  I use a lot more gf whole grains in my baking and make changes to traditional sugars and fats to adjust the amount to less and swap out other options.  I wan't people to be able to eat gluten free in a better and more inclusive way so when they take something of mine or make one of my mixes their gluten loving friends are still as excited about sharing it with them as they would if it were gluten version."  That certainly was my experience today when I shared with my co-workers.

Tina has been working on getting online shopping cart ordering available on her website.  She is hoping to have this up and running by Sept. 1st.  However, at this time, you can browse her "made to order" options, learn more about how she got started, get great gluten free baking tips and more.  Remember, Better For You Bakery is not a "stop and shop" storefront.  You need to place your order for pick up ahead of time.  You can learn more about Tina and Better For You Bakery at www.betterforyoubakery.net or you can contact Tina to place your order by calling 515-391-9549  You can also follow Better For You Bakery LLC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/betterforyoubakery/  

Happy Baking and Eating!

Tina in her bakery (used with her permission)

*From the "About" section of www.betterforyoubakery.net