OMGoodness Rating: This rating means the product and/or experience raised our eyebrows and got a, "Oh my goodness, this is good," response from us. These products or experiences are not to be missed.

So now armed with this knowledge, read on... 

Dairy-Free Ice Cream   

Coconut Secret brand ice cream 

I like the fact that Coconut Secret brand offers some unique coconut based product options. They have a coconut aminoes which can be used instead of Tamari sauce for a gluten- and soy-free "soy sauce" experience. When I saw this ice cream by Coconut Secret, I was excited but have to say that I was quickly disappointed. Usually coconut ice cream is rich and creamy. This one was not and doesn't hold a candle to Coconut Bliss Dark Chocolate or Tempt hemp based ice cream. This coconut based ice cream by Coconut Secret gets a thumbs down rating from us.

Find at: Whole Foods Market 

 Living Harvest Tempt hemp based ice cream

This hemp based ice cream gets a OMGoodness rating from me. Both Sammy and I loved it. The chocolate mint is especially lovely. They also have a chocolate fudge variety. With non-dairy ice cream options like this, who needs cow milk based ice cream. Be careful...it's addictive.  

Find at: Raley's 

King Arthur Flour (KAF) Yellow Cake Mix

I've always loved KAF products. Every gluten-free KAF product I've tried has been awesome. This new gluten-free yellow cake mix is no exception. The only problem...I couldn't stop eating it. P.S. Their chocolate cake mix is also one of my "picks."

Find at: Whole Foods Market, possibly Draeger's and Sprout's

French Meadows Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake - I thought this mini sized gluten-free cake would be the perfect solution to birthday parties. I imagined keeping it in my freezer for the occasional celebration that pops up. As it turns out, this cake was dry and boring. Sammy wouldn't even eat the frosting (and that's bad).

Find at: Sprout's and Safeway 

FreeFrom brand - This is a new line of allergy friendly cookies at Sprout's Farmers' Market in Dublin. They are gluten, egg and dairy-free. Not all the cookies offered by this brand are dairy-free though so be sure to read the labels. This particular version, Supreme Golden Crunch, reminds me of the Trefoils (shortbread) Girl Scout cookies. This brings a little tear to my eye as a former Girl Scout and Girl Scout leader.

Find at: Sprout's 

Earth's Sweet Pleasures Gourmet Fudge Bar - This gluten- and dairy-free fudge bar was awesome. One would never guess it was dairy-free. 

Find at: Draeger's  

So Far brand gluten-free cakes and sweets -  I met the owner of this company at Whole Foods. She is a lovely, sweet lady who makes awesome gluten-free goodies. She can also do special requests such as dairy-free and vegan  (dairy and egg-free). She will bring samples to our November support group meeting. The lemon poppy seed cake is sinful. She also offers a lemon bar and zucchini loaf. 

Find at: Whole Foods  

King Arthur Flour gluten-free brownies - These brownies lived up to the King Arthur reputation but I have to admit that I've never had a bad gluten-free brownie. Maybe it's because brownies are typically better when they're dense which can be the nature of many gluten-free baked products. I added Enjoy Life chocolate chips to these and the brownies were awesome. I took them to a party and left with a empty plate.

Find at Whole Foods, Sprout's, Draeger's

Almond Pops with Blueberries - I found these little rice cake type crackers at Costco. They looked really good but tasted a little fake to me. No one in the house would eat them. I should have taken them back. Costco is good about returns so hang on to your receipts.
Find at: Costco


 
Grindstone Quinoa-Millet Bread - This bread is very dense whole grain bread. According to the company's Web site the bread is prepared by, "The ancient method of slow, cool natural fermentation that we have recreated increases nutrient availability from the grain to the body by neutralizing enzyme inhibitors (that interfere with digestion) and phytic acid (that blocks mineral absorption) and predigesting or completely breaking down the gluten. It has also been shown that the acidic environment of our natural fermentation produces a lower Glycemic Index bread." It is gluten-free, yeast-free and vegan which can be hard to find in a bread. This bread was not my cup of tea but it's probably worth trying if you need to avoid gluten, dairy, eggs and yeast. It does have a fermented taste to it.
Find at: Whole Foods

GF Cereals by Orgran - I ordered these cereals from Gluten-Free Mall. It's a great resource for hard to find products. I was not fond of these but Sammy liked them. The Quinoa O's were baked unevenly so some pieces where more browned then others. The taste of both, in my opinion, was bland. I give it an "okay" rating since Sammy likes them.
Find at: Gluten Free Mall (online)

Crunchfuls - I was excited to find this cereal. If my memory serves me correctly, it was engineered by a local mom with the intention of providing more protein, fiber, less sugar and overall more nutrition in her child's breakfast cereal. It's made with lentils. They offer both caramel and chocolate flavor. Unfortunately, it did not go over well in our house. It left a funky aftertaste in my  mouth. Sammy would not eat these.
Find at: Draeger's

Amy's Kids Meals - Baked Ziti - I'm not big on processed foods but Sammy is always asking for a kid's frozen meal (probably more curosity than any thing). I found this gluten, soy and dairy free kids meal at the new New Leaf market in San Jose. While Sammy didn't end up liking it, I thought the taste was pretty good for frozen processed food. I had several bites and did not have any kind of digestive disturbance as I usually would with frozen meals. I think this kid's meal deserves an "okay" rating.
Find at: New Leaf Community Market, possibly Draeger's and Sprout's

Amy's Gluten, Dairy and Soy Free Vegetable Lasagna - Again, I am not big on processed foods but to have a quick alternative meal handy, this was pretty good. It is made with Daiya dairy- and soy-free cheese. There are several varieties of Amy's lasagna so be sure to get the box that reads, "with Daiya cheese."
Find at: Draeger's and Whole Foods 

Rudi's Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Tortillas - My quest for the perfect GF tortillas is never ending. The best I've had is homemade but hand patting my GF tortillas on Mexican Fiesta night is not something I'm going to do on a regular basis. Meanwhile, Rudi's new GF tortillas are too bad. As you can see by Sam's turkey roll above, it was little more pliable than other brands on the market. I also made him a quesadilla with Daiya cheese and he loved it.  While French Meadows gluten-free tortillas are still my "pick," these new GF tortillas by Rudi's get a thumbs up.
Find at: Whole Foods 

Rudi's Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pizza Crust - I was surprised to find Rudi's GF pizza crust at Safeway. Sam loves the Udi's GF crust so I thought I'd give this a try. It was quite different than the Udi's pizza crust. The Rudi's crust is more like a thick cracker like consistency. The crust had a hard time browning while in the oven. The cheese began overcooking so I took it out and the crust was pale and seemed under cooked. It was not horrible but I probably will not buy it again.
Find at: Safeway