Breakfast at Freeda's? Glutenfreeda!

May has been a super busy month in the food allergy world. We had World Asthma Day on May 6th, Food Allergy Awareness Week May 11-17th and the entire month of May is Celiac Awareness Month. Talk about a great way to begin the warmer months- becoming even more prepared and helping to prepare others around us. Finding the right information and products to share is just a small part of what we need to get others to become more knowledgeable but it's a start.

For me, each and every day is a new start. A brand new set of hours to learn more, find new products and continue on the path of helping other people. (Well, that and just a tad bit of coffee!) Most often, I am asked what people can safely use on-the-go or while traveling. We have become such a busy society that not many of us even have the luxury of sitting down to a home cooked breakfast each day. And if you are a true follower of what I do, I always ALWAYS stress how important a good breakfast is to get your brain awake and functioning.

I was flipping through a magazine and my attention was caught by these sweet little Gluten-Free Instant Oatmeal containers produced by Glutenfreeda. They come in convenient paper containers (yay, can we say recycling is a plus?!) and they are just large enough for a good breakfast yet small enough to pack into any purse, lunch bag or piece of luggage.

I do want to point out that not everyone is able to eat gluten-free oats, even if they are gluten-free. As always, my intent is to share all information for those that are able to use it. Please use caution, read labels and contact the company directly for any question that you may have.

Cranberry Apple with Walnuts & Cinnamon- My first taste-testing was on a chilly morning. In my mind, I had could have had a fast breakfast bar or tried a warm bowl of gluten-free oatmeal....guess which one I went with. When you look at the comparison, is there even a choice really? Look how sad the small breakfast bar looks next to the steaming bowl :) Upon tasting, I can honestly say that the consistency is perfect and it's identical to that familiar oatmeal that you may have been used to as a child. The oats were not too large and it was chock full of cranberry, apple and walnuts without seeming to have too much. I will suggest that you consider adding a touch of something as I thought  it seemed just a tiny bit bland. That being said, I am also a person who tends to always add a bunch of extra ingredients into my cereals so it could very well just be my taste buds.

Blueberries, Strawberries & Brown Sugar- Now this flavor was closer to my usual hot cereal pick. The flavors were still not very strong but still really, really good. Again, a perfect amount of fruit and the consistency was just as good. I do recommend that you begin by adding less water and then adding more as needed. You can always make the cereal looser but you can never fix it if it's too mushy. Especially since most may be using this for on-the-go and may not have an extra to add more gluten-free oatmeal too.Nothing is worse than accidentally ruining your breakfast. Am I right or am I right?

Brown Sugar & Flax- My personal favorite out of all of the varieties. I am not sure if it was the yummy ingredients, the touch of banana slices or what but this tasted just like homemade muffins or bread. Absolutely delicious! Don't get me wrong- all of the flavors are definitely good but this one just had that special something for me. It was almost like a morning treat as opposed to breakfast. I was nice and shared some with my husband but for the most part, I hovered and ate.

Golden & Brown Raisins with Almonds- If you are an almond lover, this is the flavor for you. I found it to have a bit of a stronger almond flavor and (again) a tiny bit on the bland side. I don't mean that to be a negative at all- these gluten-free oatmeals all tasted very, very fresh. I'm just trying to explain my thoughts for those who have not gotten them yet. I absolutely recommend that you give all of the flavors a shot as everyone's tastes are different. To me, the most important factors that I was looking for in a fast, gluten-free breakfast were met- good consistency, easy to prepare and ingredients that are trusted.

I would like to thank Glutenfreeda for allowing me to sample their products. I encourage all of you who are able to consume gluten-free oats to take a look at what they do at glutenfreeda.com as well as their Facebook page. I think most of you will be impressed by the lengths they go to make sure their products are free from gluten as well as making sure they are using the best ingredients. They also have additional information on their website such as recipes, sign ups for great news & specials and they are asking everyone to show their support during Celiac Awareness Month.

For details, visit http://www.glutenfreeda.com/supportceliacawareness/ and make sure you become a part of helping to raise awareness to others. After all, it could be as simple as sharing your breakfast with others~

 I do need to warn you that they also produce items that contain tree nuts, dairy, eggs and soy.