As this is my first Thanksgiving sans gluten, I had been pretty nervous about how to approach the meal planning. Then, a couple weeks ago I got the best little package from Udi's. The company graciously sent a huge pack of full value coupons for me to review their products. Udi's opted to send the coupons in lieu of packing the foods (which need to be frozen) in dry ice, which is not so environmentally friendly. (Good call, Udi's!) I was then prepared to attack my holiday menu, and what is prepping without a little taste-testing?
There are several stores around my area that carry the brand, so the kiddo and I set out. All in all, we came back with pizza, cookies, bread, rolls, buns, and muffins. My freezer is packed - enough said. :)
We are a roll-loving kind of family, so when I saw that Udi's had some, I quickly snatched up the Whole Grain Seeded Dinner Rolls. These are loaded with chia, sunflower, and flax seeds. I added a shmear of butter, and the pure goodness just melted in my mouth. I knew these would be perfect for our holiday dinner!
My resident picky-eater is the Kid. He was quite skeptical when I made him a PBJ on Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread. We've tried a few gluten-free breads in the past that were very hard/brittle, and Udi's was soft, just like its gluten-full counterpart. I think I actually got an "oh my gosh!" after the his first bite. Out of the mouths of babes, right? That's when I decided the Whole Grain Bread needed to be used for our Thanksgiving dressing and stuffing. In our family, we are pretty serious about stuffing/dressing. (Dressing is cooked outside the turkey, stuffing is cooked inside the turkey.) We make both, because there's never enough! As long as I can remember, my mom always had a traditional recipe for her stuffing. Our family enjoyed this recipe year after year. I'm beyond happy that I can carry on this tradition, and I can actually eat the dressing! Thanks, Udi's!
Snickerdoodles are by far my favorite cookie. Admittedly, I was unsure about a frozen, gluten-free cookie; I've only had a gluten-free snickerdoodle from a local bakery. I was beyond pleased with Udi's cookie. Honestly, the package was opened with a few cookies missing before we even made it home. I cannot say whether I devoured cookies in the car, or not. I will say, I had to tell the kiddo to quit eating all my cookies. Yes, my cookies. :) Udi's Snickerdoodle Cookies are now a staple in the Piece, Love, and Peanut Butter household. Now, my plan is to use these cookies to make a crust for my cheesecake. Perfect!
We picked up a few other Udi's products, that clearly were not for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and would not even have made it that long in my house. :) The Three Cheese Pizza was crispy, with melty-cheesy-goodness! I love a crispy crust and the box had topping suggestions to help personalize your pizza. Am I the only one who is enamored by companies that put little messages and suggestions on their packaging? Anyhow, through this I realized I had chicken breast strips in my freezer. Those immediately went on my half of the pizza (the Kid usually eats his plain). It was great and perfect for a lazy night.
I'm not usually a HUGE granola fan - I'll add it to yogurt, etc. A package usually lasts me quite a while. At Whole Foods, I picked up a bag of the Gluten Free Vanilla Granola. Holy moly! To be honest, I have been munching by the handfuls on this stuff. It doesn't even quite make it to a bowl of almond milk or yogurt. I've added it to my oats a few times, to give my breakfast a little crunch and kick. It was a perfect bowl of hot vanilla-y crunchy oats. :)
Udi's has a ton of products that would be perfect for holiday festivities or lazy days (perhaps to recover from holiday cooking?). Between the French Baguettes, Cinnamon Rolls, and Classic French Dinner Rolls, there's plenty of choices for you and your guests for a gluten-free holiday season.
I bet your hungry reading this, because I am from just writing it! :)
