Of Corn and Computers

Breaking news of the day: I ate corn! A friend dropped by to visit this afternoon and brought with him a bag full of freshly picked corn on the cob. It had occurred to me on the drive up here that the opportunity would probably come up to try corn again, and it did. I just couldn’t resist giving it at least a little try.

Fresh corn

My allergist had advised me to cut out corn for several months in hopes that it would lessen my sensitivity to it. Since it had been about that long, I figured that now was as good a time as any. It doesn’t get any better than eating it hours after it was picked! It was SO good!! So far I’ve had no problems. I’m maybe a little itchy around my chest and arms, but nothing major. It’s hard to tell if that’s only my imagination. I think I’ll give it a few days and try it again before we head home.

My corn

In more important news: Jesse finally has his new computer! We have been planning this purchase for quite a while now, he was so excited when it was finally time to go to the apple store.

Purchase

We have been watching our budget very closely these days. We are working very hard to save money and not spend money spontaneously. Our goal was to get ahead a little in the business account and then earn enough on top of that to pay cash for the new computer.

BoxOpening box

With all the programs Jesse usually has to have running at once, the laptop would often have a hard time keeping up with him. I know he was frustrated with being slowed down by his computer, but he was determined to stick with his goal. He wanted to prove to himself that he could be wise with his money unlike he used to be.

New computerHappy Jesse

I’m so proud of him for EARNING his new computer before purchasing it. I had one very happy Jesse after making that purchase. We decided it would best if I drove home from the store so that he could play with it on the way home.

Jesse's office

It turned out to be great timing that we were able to make the purchase right before coming to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. He’s been able to set up his entire office here and work like he would have at home. Plus that means the taptop is now free for me to be able to use. Good work Jesse, I’m glad you’re happy with your new purchase.

Enjoy Life Foods: Crunchy Cookies

Enjoy Life Foods is still one of my most favorite brands. Their products are so good, you would never know you were eating something completely gluten and allergen free. I also love that they keep coming out with new items to try. I once thought my days of enjoying delicious treats was over… now it’s hard to decide between all the yummy choices that Enjoy Life Foods offers.

I was overjoyed when Enjoy Life Foods contacted me again to try out some more of their brand new products… crunchy cookies! I had seen them talking about their new cookies on their Facebook page and seen them on their website, but they hadn’t shown up in my local nutrition store yet. They sent me all four of the fantastic new flavors: sugar crisp, vanilla honey graham, chocolate chip, and double chocolate!

Cookies

Before trying them for the first time, I examined the ingredients label carefully (as I always do now) and found a few ingredients and flavorings that I was unsure about because I hadn’t tried them before. One flavoring I was initially concerned about was the vanilla since it’s difficult to find it without added corn syrup. However, I found a very helpful ingredients page on the Enjoy Life Foods website that confirmed that their vanilla and other flavorings were corn free and safe for me.

As you can imagine, I had a rather difficult time picking which box to open first. I finally landed on the sugar crisp first, mostly because many of the products I usually choose are chocolate-y and I wanted something different. I brought them to game night at my parents’ house to test them out on my family. We all thought they were great! They have the perfect sugary-sweet taste without being too much.

Sugar crisp cookies

Next I tried the chocolate chip. Who doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie? These did not disappoint! I could have eaten the entire box if I wanted to.

Chocolate chip cookies

Then I went for the vanilla honey graham. What can I say? Also great! They really reminded me of graham crackers. As kids we would use leftover frosting between two graham crackers to make frosting sandwiches. I decided I’d try the same thing here. It was so yummy, I couldn’t resist making myself a second one. You have to try these this way.

Vanilla honey grahamFrosting sandwich

Last, but certainly not least, I dove into the double chocolate. When the entire cookie is chocolate with more chocolate in inside, it’s hard not to love it. I really expected these to be my favorite, but I have to say I’m not sure I can choose a favorite. They were all so good!

Double chocolate cookiesMe eating cookies

These cookies are so similar to cookies I would have eaten before food allergies. I really like the soft baked cookies that Enjoy Life Foods makes, but honestly these even more yummy. Just writing this post makes me think I should go give some of these cookies another taste. I will definitely buy these again in the future. Many thanks to Enjoy Life Foods for all of their fabulous products for people with food allergies… especially the great, new crunchy cookies!!

Namaste Foods: Chocolate Cake and Frosting

Before last night, the last time I had cake was in October. I remember because I had just finished my month of food challenge testing after my allergy testing revealed several food allergies. Someone had brought some leftover cake into work and I took a piece. I took all of about five minutes for me to feel terrible. I remember that I was so upset that I wasn’t going to be able to go back to my normal diet again. It just wasn’t worth it to feel so bad for so long just for a couple mouthfuls of yummy-ness.

I’ve had my eye on the Namaste chocolate cake and chocolate fudge frosting for quite a while now. I had seen it on their website, but never in any stores and I couldn’t bring myself to pay more for shipping than the cost of the product. Then last week it was on the shelf at my Nutrition S’Mart!

Namaste mixes

I was more than pleased with the cake mix. It tasted very chocolate-y and came out very moist. I even cut out one of the three eggs the recipe on the package suggested (since too much egg bothers my stomach) and it still turned out fluffy enough. The cake was great!

The frosting… not so much. I’m sad to say there is now a Namaste product that I am not head over heels about. It was very difficult to make. It just would not mix! I found myself beating it with my electric mixer forever and it kept getting stuck as a big clump in the beaters. By the end I had added way more water than the package called for to make it come out at all, I almost gave up on it. Since I’ve loved every other Namaste product I’ve bought, I didn’t think to check any reviews on it. After having problems with it I went online and found that I was not the only one. I didn’t really care for the taste too much either… can you believe I didn’t even lick the beaters clean?! It was really hard to spread it on the cake too because it was drying out faster than I could use it. Such a shame since this is the ONLY frosting I’ve seen that is corn free.

Leftover frosting

My cake still did turn out great though. I added some Enjoy Life chocolate chips to disguise my bad frosting job. Luckily, it didn’t scare anyone away from trying it.

Finished cake

Oh… the cake was great! The frosting tasted much better on the cake than it did plain. My chocolate-loving family even approved. I like to get others’ opinions because sometimes I think I can’t have as honest of a review anymore now that I really don’t have many options to compare it with. They agreed that it was as yummy as I thought it was. I can’t wait to finish off the rest of the cake!

Cake!

In the end, I guess I would still buy it again when I really “need” cake again. However, the Namaste brownies are just as good and a LOT easier to make.