Friday Food Allergy-Friendly Supermarket Find: Cybele's Free-to-Eat Cookies! Top 8 Allergen-Free, Gluten-Free and Yes, Delicious!

Cybele's Free-to-Eat ™ Cookies are now available in many grocery stores!

Finding food allergy-friendly foods at the supermarket is an ongoing struggle, but things are starting to change for the better. So I've decided to share "Nut-Free Supermarket Finds" during Friday blog posts. I hope you'll check back often!

Now onto this week's nut-free supermarket find: Cybele's Free to Eat ™ Cookies! If you’re among the growing population of people seeking top 8 allergy-free and gluten-free cookies, you’ve probably had pretty limited options, especially regarding what you can find at your local stores. However, the food landscape is changing--in a good way. Allergy-friendly chef, cookbook author and all around good-eating guru has recently launched a line of delicious cookies, “Cybele’s Free to Eat.” Cybele’s Free-To-Eat cookies are available in three delish flavors: Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chunk Brownie and Oatmeal Raisin.

I recently had the chance to sample these cookies (being the nice mom that I am, I let my daughters do most of the sampling). Just an FYI: Due to my daughter’s severe allergies, we follow a nut-free diet, but do not have to omit any other allergens for medical reasons. So my kids are used to eating things with butter, eggs, wheat, etc. In other words, they are used to “regular” cookies so I never know what they will think when they try a new product free from so many traditional ingredients.

It’s challenging to create delicious “traditional” recipes without using traditional ingredients -- though if you’ve read Cybele’s two cookbooks, she’s taken on that challenge and nailed it. Her amazing cookbooks offer beautiful, delicious recipes FREE of the top 8 allergens and gluten. Visit her web site for more info on that.

So now, back to the cookie tasting. Of course, my oldest the chocoholic went for the Chocolate Chunk Brownie, first. After sampling those and the Chocolate Chip, she said (of Cybele): “These are so good. That lady is a genius!” That’s a big endorsement from a self-described cookie monster.

My youngest had the typical “little sister” problem of discovering that very few of the Chocolate Chip and Chunk Brownie cookies remained after big sis got ahold of them. While not a fan of Oatmeal Raisin (one of my favorite cookies, so believe me, I’ve tried) she decided to give them a go one cold day after school.

To my surprise, she LOVED them and took that box over for herself. Wow. She’s already asking me for more. If you can get my kid -- not a raisin fan -- to eat an Oatmeal Raisin cookie that is also free of so many allergens and wheat flour -- you ARE a genius.

The look, taste and texture of these cookies is like homemade, so no wonder my kids went for them in such a big way. Plus, Cybele clearly cares about food that tastes good and is also healthy. I feel very good giving my kids these cookies as a treat because they are not only nut-free for my daughter, but they are made from, wholesome, natural ingredients. The cookies are made in a gluten-free, nut-free and top 8 allergen-free facility, so no worries there. They are also GMO free, kosher and vegan.

Cybele’s Free-to-Eat ™ cookies are rolling out to many stores, especially Whole Foods, so check your local Whole Foods stores to find them. As far as online availability, stay tuned with the company as they plan to be available on Peanut Free Planet shortly. You can also keep track of stores in your area that carry them by visiting the Cybele's Free-To-Eat web site or e-mailing inf@cybele’sfreetoeat.com for more information.

Thanks to Cybele Pascal for creating such a tasty, quality product that everyone can enjoy -- allergies or not!

FTC Note: Received cookie samples for this review, ideas are my own, no other compensation.

Looking for ONLY nut-free cookies? Made in a nut-free facility, Skeeter Snacks offers
several yummy cookie varieties.  Skeeter Snacks is a supporter of this site.

 

Having Trouble Finding Nut-Free Items at the Supermarket? Online Resources to the Rescue

Zipping around to too many supermarkets in search of nut-free foods?
Online resources might be the answer.

Grocery shopping for a growing family takes up a fair amount of time, but shopping with specific food allergies in mind is even more time-consuming and often frustrating. Higher cost and limited accessibility to certain nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free or other "free from" foods can result in multiple shopping trips that might leave you empty-handed. It's true that foods specifically created to accommodate food allergies and intolerance are becoming more common in U.S. grocery stores, but they are still not readily accessible in many cities.

A recent trip to the Southwest to visit family, along with trips to a new and different supermarket in a completely different part of the country (I'm Chicago-based) got me thinking about the availability of peanut and tree nut allergy-friendly foods for all of us nut-free parents out there. I don't know about you, but it's not really worth it to travel to Whole Foods and use the gas money just to buy my favorite brand of nut-free trail mix that my kids love, only to discover that the store no longer even stocks it.

Now for the good news: Online retailers are increasingly meeting the needs of shoppers in quest of nut-free (and other free-from) foods.

Tasterie is service that has cropped up to meet the needs of food-allergic and intolerant customers. Created by a pediatrician and mother of kids with food allergies, this company sends you tailor-made boxes of allergy-friendly snacks and treats. Working with a nutritionist to keep things healthy as well as a peer board, this company takes the guesswork and legwork out of allergy-friendly shopping and the cost is surprisingly reasonable. If you are a busy parent--and who isn't--this could be a real time saver for you. Visit Tasterie's web site for more info.

Amazon is another convenient resource for allergy-friendly foods and baking items. Check Amazon to see if your favorite brands are offered and order in bulk to save money and time. I like to order my holiday baking supplies via Amazon -- it's easy and the delivery time is quick.

Of course, if you want certain items available at your local grocery stores, you can always ask your grocery manager to stock and/or order these items for you in bulk. You should be able to save money if you buy non-perishables in bulk. Asking your local grocery to stock certain items is a good idea because unless you ask, they won't necessarily know that these items are in demand. Customer demand brought 4 varieties of SunButter sunflower seed spread to my local grocery shelves, along with Enjoy Life Foods granola and Boom Choco Boom bars, among other items.

In fact, customer demand has brought nut-free cookie company Skeeter Snacks to many store shelves including Costco. Currently, you can also find Divvies nut-free, egg-free and dairy-free treats at Wegmans and other select grocery stores.  Of course, you can also order these treats online (click the links to visit their company websites) but when you can just swing by the store for your nut-free treats, that is a huge convenience.

Reading grocery labels can be confusing, too, so I devoted an entire section on how to decipher food labels and deal with customer service concerns in my e-book, The New Nut-Free Mom. Click the link for more information on the e-book and how to get it.

How do you find nut-free or other free-from treats and snacks? At the store? Online? What works best for you?