Legitimate Online Reward Sites

I know that lots of people with Fibro, CFS, & many, many other chronic conditions find themselves with more time on the couch or bed than they want & little or no means of holding down a normal job. If you're anything like me you have - & possibly still are - scoring the internet for online jobs & means of earning money. But HOLY HECK where do you start? & who can you believe??

I haven't had any luck with the who Online Personal Assistant stuff as I had initially hoped. I found several sites but they all had you competing with people from around the world for the jobs & there were 100s of people competing for much fewer jobs. So as a new person to the site with no experience - well I'm sure you can see how well that would work out. Despite the set back so far an online job where I could choose my own hours would be perfect. I'm open to any suggestions if anyone has something that has worked for them.

Another approach many have probably heard of are online surveys. These sounded great to me, until I got started & realized that if you were a single, white chick with no children & no Latino or Hispanic ancestry - you didn't stand a chance. I would spend 30 minutes or more sometimes on a survey; I'd get all the way to 75-80% completion & then - the disqualification screen would come up. ARGH! For almost all sites you get absolutely nothing for all of that time because you were disqualified. Not cool.

While lots survey sites stand alone, offering only surveys, many sites are popping up that provide a number of ways for you to earn - usually points or cash - by completing offers, doing tasks, taking surveys, & just using their site to search the net!

I tried out several over the years, most I walked - or ran - away from. However I have found 2 that work for me - i have used them both for several months & received all rewards as promised. The 2 i use are Swagbucks & Cashcrate.

Swagbucks 

[URL=http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/GiselleRider][IMG]http://prodegebanners.sitegrip.com/images/swagbucks-468x60Alt5.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I have had this one the longest & have all good things to say about it. You earn points, "swagbucks" that you redeem for prizes, such as gift cards. I prefer Target, Walmart, & Amazon.com for my gift cards but there are tons of other choices. I've lost track of all the awesome things I've gotten using this site - we're talking books, movies, kitchen appliances - I love it!

They have the traditional Survey, Offers, Tasks options; but they also have a daily poll, videos you can watch for points, a toolbar, you can win random points from doing searches, & lots of other ways to earn points - plus they have a referral system so you can earn points when people you referred earn points!

Now, that being said, some warnings. There are tons of offers available - & they do have filters, so you should use them - but be careful, read the description they give you so you know what exactly is required to get the points. Some of the offers will lead you to pages filled with other offers & if you aren't careful you end up doing tons of stuff on a completely different site that gets you no points at all. Learned that 1 the hard way :)

Lots of offers are for downloading - I do NOT download anything, it's a personal rule of mine & Swagbucks is "not responsible" for their partner sites which means if an outside side downloads a virus they have nothing to do with it. So download at your own risk, or don't to be safe.

They do monitor your IP address & are very strict about the rules they have, creating more than 1 account is strictly forbidden. They will delete both accounts no questions asked.

Cashcrate

http://www.cashcrate.com/3314053

The way Cashcrate works is they mail you a check, checks are mailed out on the 1st of each month & you are eligible for a check once you have reached $20. They have a points system too but i honestly don't use it.

I've been a member for about a year & a half - although I know that I often forgot about the site or just didn't bother with it for months at a time. The money doesn't expire so don't worry on that score. The site keeps track of when you joined & how much you have earned total during that time - I think its nice to go back & look at what I've earned, reminds me its worth it & to put more effort in :)

Like it is similar in many ways to swagbucks, there are surveys, special offers, & cash tasks. You can "check-in" once a day 3 cents, if you check-in every day in a month at the end of the month you get a 50 cent bonus. You can also do 10 searches from their site a day, earning 1 cent for each of the 10 searches - there is a bar so you can keep track which i think is awesome.

sometimes they have videos you can watch for 2 cents a video, there is no way to tell when they will pop up - but if they do you can sometimes reload the main page & watch the video several times, this doesn't always work but I've earned a lot extra by always trying.

They have a toolbar - sometimes I think you can get points for installing it but mainly the toolbar is useless - no special codes or anything like; at least not at this point.

Also - unlike swagbucks you don't get anything for failed surveys, which is a draw back for me since i so rarely ever qualify for surveys.

Still you can put in minimal effort once a day & earn a few cents that will slowly add up if nothing else. its fun to get that little check in the mail & know that all you really did was surf the net!

Bing/MSN

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9778718&rrid=_4775aeac-bad5-41e9-18fb-2d5e329e2dca 

I only just found this one & have yet to earn enough for a reward. it seems simple enough though. It is not a full fledged reward site like Swagbucks or Cashcrate - this is only for searches. You can get 1 point for every 2 searches you do  -  I think it said there was a 20 point a day limit, but that is a darn lot of searches! They offer several rewards the 1 that caught my eye was for 330pts you can get $3 to amazon. Seems simple enough & no pressure so I figured why not give it a try? 

Things to Remember

Remember that most survey & rewards sites are free, so if they are trying to get you to pay for membership it is more than likely a scam.

Below are a few sites I have had bad experiences with or have read really bad reviews about. Let me know if you have any I could add to the list!

http://www.surveyscout.com/
http://www.awsurveys.com/
http://www.vivaresearch.com/
http://www.pandaresearch.com/
http://www.vindaleresearch.com/
http://www.cashfiesta.com/
http://www.surfjunky.com/

Better Batter - Better than Betty!

Better Batter - Better than Betty!

Some of you know that I have been sick - & getting sicker - for a good 5 yrs now. I haven't held down a "real" job in a long time so money is below tight. When a friend suggested I looked in going Gluten Free I scared, sad, intimidated, but desperate to feel better. So, research lover that I am, I started searching the web - & got mommy (yes I still call her mommy at this age because I am just that awesome) to bring me all the books she could find from the library. 

It became obvious immediately that I every single 1 of my symptoms could be attributed to gluten; so I took the plunge - I should mention that when I say plunge I mean I MENTALLY plunged... physically I just sort of put my toes in. 

I didn't/don't have the money to just trash a whole kitchen & start over so that was NOT an option - instead I ate GF when I could, forced down gluten filled "death" foods, or just flat out skipped meals. Needless to the mom was not pleased with my strategy... So for my birthday she took me to Shoprite & stocked me up! Of course seeing as how it was her money I couldn't - in good conscience - fill the cart with sweet treats. 

I have since jumped the rest of the way in - which is so not the norm for me, at the pool I go in step by step & slowly adjust (yes I am totally a big baby). I started cooking meals - again if you know you are shocked, awed, & amazed by this - & low & behold I didn't die (here is where I become shocked & amazed...)! 

I used to LOVE baking - I could never cook to save my soul, but baking, well that's another story :) - I really wanted to get back into baking but my initial research was terrifying! I was seeing 6+ types of flour listed - some of which I still don't what they are (does anyone know what Teff is??). Now I may love baking, but don't get me wrong I was a Betty Crocker girl all the way. I rocked the heck outta those boxed cakes though! 

So I turned to an old friend  - who has been GF for several years - & begging. She took pity on me - I can be SUPER pathetic when the mood strikes me - this super awesome someone went WAY beyond the typical bonds of friendship. I had hoped she might lend me a recipe, or some such. But no; she turned to a brand she knows & loves & sent me a sample box with 6 different flours in it!! I'm not ashamed to say I cried when I opened - & kept crying as I put them away. 

That package of love arrived this afternoon. I mixed up the Fudge Brownie mix as fast I my little fingers - & feet of course - could manage! Apart from the parchment paper debacle - which is a WHOLE nother story - it was smooth sailing.

A little water, a little oil, some eggs, & some elbow grease - we are not going to talk about the parchment paper for which I still harbor a grudge - and that was all she wrote! The batter looked - & tasted... - like anything I was used & since my friend liked I was confident as I tucked the pan into the oven - praying the paper didn't somehow combust - you may laugh, but only if you don't know me;  if you do you are probably just nodding in agreement at the likely that I could somehow pull that off...

My pan was a little big so I only put the brownies in for 25 min instead of the 27-30 on the box. but at 25min the toothpick was clean as a whistle so i took em out - next time I think ill leave them in a bit longer to see if they get more cake like. Here is where the parchment redeemed itself; the brownies lifted right up outta the pan like a magic feather! SO AWESOME! I let them cool - which was not easy caused they smelled great. The plan was to wait until after dinner to try them out.... but I wanted to a picture for the blog & well how could I properly report if I haven't even tasted them yet?! Obviously you can't so I no choice put to a respectable slice & give it a try. 

The first thing that popped into me head was "Betty Crocker who". The brownie was sweet - without being nasty fake sugar sweet - they were that omg I'm in heaven kind of sweet - & soft! not the the crumble to bits soft but utter perfection. The plan was to share these brownies with my roommate.... bu I might have to say that they are terrible & hope my roommate doesn't read this blog before I've had the chance to eat them all....

This mix doesn't just compare to the mixes of my gluten filled past - it surpasses them. I would crave these brownies if I had no idea what gluten was!

I don't know who I want to thank more, the friend who sent me this wonderful gift, or the people who make it!! So I will just send out a Super Huge - I LOVE YOU! - to all concerned :)

Is it too soon for another brownie?....

Letter to No One

I'm having a really hard time of it today - & I've only been out of bed for an hr - in all honesty the deck is rather stacked against sanity today. Its cold, grey, & raining; there are other things going that add to mess but those are not things to be discussed in a public forum.

Part of me knows it will pass but - it always does - in the mean time my brain is filled with negative & hopeless thoughts. Things I'm always aware of but that my positive brain is generally able to ignore - or more successfully distract myself from - for now I'm alone in a darkened room listening to the clock ticking & watching the rain drip down the window.... it sets quiet the scene actually.

I haven't really worked in about 5 years - since I really started getting sick, but that's another story - so as you can imagine I don't have much in the way of money. You make due, & you constantly learn how to make do with less & less. You are also forced to lean on those around you. Its a horrible feeling. The last thing you want is to be a burden to those you love - which thanks to the depression you already feel like any way. They try to offer helpful advice & encouragement - "If you had a car you could..."; "If you had a job you could..."; "Everybody feels like that sometimes..."; "It's not as bad as you think".... All of which makes you want to either pull your hair out or throttle someone - but does NOT make you feel any better, more often than not it makes you feel considerably worse.

So you pull away, you don't want to ask for help, you don't want to talk or see anyone, don't want to fill their time with your pain & problems. Unfortunately this only isolates you further giving the depression a stronger, deeper hold.

It's a vicious cycle isn't it. I've circled the drain more times than I could ever begin to count. For me it first started in high school, & I can remember episodes from all stages of my life after that - although it took several years to figure out (ain't hindsight grand). By now I'm VERY familiar with the signs of depression; I can see it coming a mile away, I still have NO idea how to stop the wave from crashing into me though. Postpone it sometimes sure, ultimately though all you can do is wait for it to be over - or for some miracle to pull you to shore.

One of the biggest regrets of my illness is the damage done to my friendships. The more sick I got the more I withdrew from people. Sure I'd come back from time to time, emerge from my cave, show traces of humanity - but all in all I haven't been a very good friend. One of the reasons this is all going into my blog is that I knew i needed to get it out. I thought of the people closest too me; tried to think of the people who I felt I could talk to, only, no 1 really came to mind. They all have busy lives; families, children - something else it feels like my illness robbed me of. (If any of my close friends read this I truly hope you don't take it personal, there is NO ill will attached to the thought.) I can't bring myself to bother them - I suppose there's also the fear that I will make the effort, reach out, only to be ignored because they just don't have the time. Sending messages asking for help, knowing the message was received, & then having weeks go by with no response... kind of leaves you skittish, even if you understand the "real" reasons.

If you have or have ever experienced depression you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you haven't there's probably nothing I can say to help you truly understand. Again I don't mean for that to be insulting but in my experience trying to explain to someone who has never lived it is like talking to a wall - only the wall can't talk back & (intentionally or not ) insult you. I've lost track of the number of times I did try to talk to someone, try to explain, try to get help... more often than not I felt worse after the attempt & decided that it was better not to try for help if that was the help I could expect.

I know they didn't mean to make it worse, didn't mean to hurt me; they thought they were helping. But knowing is only half the battle & knowing dosen't make it hurt any less.

Illness & depression are be different for everybody, some are stronger & last longer or fight harder, while others lose the fight far sooner. For me the result of years battling depression & years of illness has resulted in extreme isolation not just friends, but from the world. It finds me in a position I wish I could escape; trapped in a pitch black cave feeling, slowly, along the walls in hopes of discovering some way out. All the while trying to convince yourself not to give up searching, & wondering "how long I can last?"

I have a feeling there are a lot of people out there who can relate my story, who can relate to the sadness, the pain, the fears. Others might wonder why I would share such personal - & depressing - information; the answer is, because I know there are people out there who can relate & maybe knowing that I'm out here too will help them, even if only just a little. Maybe, by sharing, I can help them to feel less alone.

My Name is Rachael

My Name is Rachael, & this chapter of my story begins when I started experiencing depression, fatigue, joint pain, & brain fog; symptoms at the time I thought were Lyme's Disease... little did I know...

Over, roughly, the past 5 yrs I have been treated for &/or diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, CFS, Peripheral Neuropathy, & Depression; not counting the number of illnesses & conditions that were considered & discarded just to get to that point! Each of my "conditions" was ultimately researched by me & then brought to my Dr's; because they were clueless & completely UN-helpful - 1 even tried to put me on cholesterol pills when I went to him for joint pain, while proceeding to completely dismiss the actual list of symptoms that had prompted the visit!

I have never been a fan of "fake food" or "pill popping" there was even a time I considered myself to be healthy, fit, & active! I tried on & off over the years to eat healthy - switched to whole grains, avoided sugar "alternatives", Tried protein shakes, flirted with juicing, vegetarian & veganism; but nothing I tried made me feel better in any way. I would get discouraged, assuming I must be doing something wrong & either give up or let someone talk me out of it. Like so many people out there I knew that I should eat better, knew that I was hurting myself by not. But those brownies looked SO good & surely 1 Big Mac & fries couldn't do that much damage, could it?

Given my record of struggles its not surprising that when I got sick it didn't take very long fat all or me to become so tired & so sore that nothing mattered any more. I stopped caring about eating healthy or exercising; I was more than willing to take pills if only they would make me feel better, give me my life back. Unfortunately, there was no magic pill. No one understood Fibro, where it came from, what caused; they barely knew what it was let alone how to treat it. To treat my pain & fatigue they prescribed me anti-depressants.... which did nothing for the pain or the fatigue. They did make it impossible to wake up in the morning & they did remove any & all sense emotion. I could try another type or a different dosage or course; but was the "gain" worth it? Seeing as how I wasn't actually seeing a gain I decided no & gave up on the anti-depressants.

Time passed, I didn't seem to get better or worse for several months. Then all of a sudden i developed a new symptom. It started off slow, my hands & feet were more sensitive, holding things & standing became uncomfortable. A month later standing was painful & my hands & feet would tingle & burn. I assumed it was the fibro & there was nothing I could do about it but soldier on... until I happened to see a link posted by a group on Facebook, the link was about Peripheral Neuropathy - nerve damage. Some people accept this as simply being part of fibro, but I wanted more. I wanted to understand why. Why all of a sudden was I experiencing this new pain? What was it? What did it mean? So I began to ask question & search the web for any clues.

Once again an article posted by a friend on facebook offered up an answer. not just any answer but the first real glimmer of hope I'd seen in years. Gluten Intolerance. 

I'm only just starting out on this new journey; but already diet has taken on a more important place in my life than ever before. Every single symptom I have suffered over the years is linked to CD. Most I never would have thought could have anything to do with gluten - after I figured out what exactly gluten was. The first hurdle was knocking down all the falsehoods surrounding GI - both for me & my family. The more I read the more I feel like I just stumbled across the Yellow Brick Road. I truly believe that giving up gluten & taking my diet back to nature - away from boxes & cans - is the key to health.

Although the exact solution is different for every person, for me personally 1 thing stands out above all others; changing the food you put into your body WILL change your life. You cannot depend on Drs to find the answers for you & you certainly cannot depend on them to suggest that something as simple as food could solve your problems. Modern food is toxic. The snacks & treats we love so much are killing us. The Diet drinks people guzzle down believing they are doing themselves a favor are not only making them gain weight, the chemicals in those products are actually KILLING BRAIN CELLS!

Everything I post is about my quest for life; it's about being happy, being healthy: about taking your future into your own hands, learning about your ailments, & learning healthy treatments for them! I welcome advice from people with more knowledge & experience than me & I look forward to where the journey will take me. That's not something could say a month ago :)

Sweet Snacks

I have long been a sugar/chocoholic, I've alternated between hating this fact & not caring at all; at the moment I'm somewhere in between but leaning more towards leaving fake processed sugars behind. In the mean time I tried a number of GF snack brands with mixed results.

In order of best to worst here are 5 from this past week.

1. Made in Nature - Tree Ripened Plums

These are hands down the best thing I have ever tasted! I bought them on a whim, I wanted to have something healthy in the house to encourage me to eat, & snack, smarter & holy cow did it work. I willingly passed up chocolates & cookies & grabbed these instead. My only regret is that I ate them too quickly! Next time i get 2 bags... or maybe 10....

2. Glutino Gluten Free Dream Cookies - Chocolate Vanilla Creme

I was so thrilled with how these tasted I had to let my roommate try 1, he was shocked they were gluten free. They might be slightly less creamy than oreo's but it's been a long time so I'm not even sure about that. Either way these are absolutely fantastic!

3. Glutino Covered Pretzels - Fudge

 

 

Chocolate covered pretzels are 1 of my ALL time favorites snacks & I was THRILLED with these, they taste exactly like "normal" chocolate covered pretzels. So good I would never otherwise know they were gluten free! 

I have to say that so far Glutino comes in right with Udi's for my go to gluten free brands.

4. Schar Cocoa Wafers

Wafers of many flavor choices are another fav snack choice of mine. I like that they are light & crispy - it somehow makes them feel... less bad for you... lol. These weren't amazing, they were ok. I'm not certain yet if I would buy them again but there's a good chance I would. The wafers were nice & crispy but the overall taste was very muted. Sill the chocolate flavor not being strong enough is my only complaint about this product & I would suggest that its worth trying for yourself.

5. Annie's Cocoa & Vanilla Bunny Cookies

I was a fan of Annie's products long before I knew what gluten was. That being said these left me feeling underwhelmed. It was only just yesterday during my continued research that understood why. These cookies are made with rice flour, which I have learned tends to give its baked goods a gritty feel. 

The cookies weren't bad. The chocolate flavor was good & the cookies were crisp. It was only the grittiness of them that turned me off.

I've tried a few other snacks of the salty or none sugary varieties but I'll leave that for another post.

Glutino BBQ Chicken Pizza

Last time I went to the store i picked up a bunch of frozen food options to test out. Among them was a Chicken BBQ Pizza with a Brown Rice Crust made by Glutino.
                                                 

 

I LOVED it! I have nothing bad to say about it at all. Just lay it on a cookie sheet & ur good to go. They warn you on the box that ovens vary & this is a good warning. It takes 30min to cook on a recommended heat of 375. I set the timer to 20min & when I checked on it the crust was already getting too dark for my tastes so I rotated it, & turned the temp down to 350. Even so I ended up taking it out 3min early. I'm SO glad i read all of the instructions :)

The crust was crispy, without that break your teeth feel to it! And the BBQ sauce was awesome! There was a thick layer of it - they did not skimp on cheese either - & the sauce was both sweet & tangy.

It was just the right size, when I was done i felt satisfied - with just enough room left for a little chocolatey goodness to round it out the meal - because of course no meal is complete without chocolate :)

I almost forgot to mention the nutrition label! This little gem has 14g of protein! How awesome is that? There are only 41g of carbs & 25% of your calcium needs - which I'm paying close attention to since I have reached an age where I am no longer growing new bone & my Dr pointed out that I am at a high risk of osteoarthritis...

The pizza does contain eggs & milk, & may contain soy. I am lactose intolerant - or I am now any way - but I have noticed that for me personally small amounts seem to be ok & I have so far suffered no ill effects.

This is most definitely going on my list for next time!!

Adventures in GF Shopping

The Adventures Continue: Level 2 - Erie, PA
Begun March 2013

When I first began my GF journey I was living in assorted parts of New Jersey, shopping primarily at Shop Rite. (I did try the local Walmart but they didn't have a GF section & the employee I asked was so rude he was borderline hostile!) Where I am in Erie there aren't any Shop Rites so it was back to the drawing board - or the internet in any case :) I found that there were 3 options within acceptable distances from the house (because lets face it we spend almost as much on gas to get to the store as we do buying the food!). My choices were Giant Eagle, Wegman's, & .... Walmart. 

 

(Just 1 more example of how "Special" the Walmart experience can be.)

Needless to say I was less than eager for a repeat of my previous visit to a Walmart, however it is very close to the house & a preferred shopping option of my much beloved roomie :) It has taken 1 month & 3 separate trips but we are beginning to locate GF options in the Walmart. We have yet to locate an actual Gluten Free section, but randomly interspersed you can - if you look REALLY carefully - find a few items. On the whole it has proven a headache & half to shop for GF items at Walmart; also the fact that they mix everything together rather bothers me - do they not understand the concept of cross-contamination? (on a side note, is it just me or does anyone else feel like GF are located near all of the bakeries? - I swear I have to walk through walls of baked goods each time I go shopping!)

(I don't have permission to plaster my roomie's face across the net so I "borrowed" this image from photobucket - we LOVE the beach; but she wouldn't be caught dead in pink.... lol)

My roommate is BEYOND amazing, I could not ask for a better, more understanding (read Patient - with a capital "P") friend! She asked where I would like to try next, & pointed out that Wegman's was likely to have the best selection (even though it's the most expensive & farthest from the house) of the 3 options. SO off we went, into the wild blue yonder...... 

I've been sick for a while & unable to work so money is - well non-existent for the most part, although I do qualify for $200 a month from SNAPS (aka food stamps with a snazzier name).  I think most people would agree that Wegman's has a reputation for being expensive, worth it from what I'd heard - but "worth it" only gets you so far on a limited budget. In the past I avoided the temptations of Wegman's, but I did NOT want to drag my friend all over tarnation in search of the elusive gluten free beast so off went, again. lol.

Additional cost aside, can I just say i LOVE Wegman's! They have multiple aisles of Gluten free food! You get to choose from more than 2 brands!! Also the Wegman's brand pancakes are really tasty :)  Most of the brands they sell are new to me so there is lots of trial & error in our future - I will attempt to share as many of these experiments with you all as possible. That is assuming I don't fall victim to the dread Mind Killer (also known as memory fog)!

(This is a demonstration of my thoughts being lost in the mists of Fibro Fog - many of you understand this all too well)

Now even though I love Wegman's, Giant Eagle is closer to our house - & as previously discussed, cheaper; so we have also checked it out in hopes of scoring a few items cheaper whenever possible.  Sadly options are limited (read pitiful), we couldn't even find my Coconut milk! 

When it comes to GF grocery shopping in Erie, PA I rank Giant Eagle #3, Walmart #2, & Wegman's #1. If anyone knows of other options in the Erie area please share! 



Adventures in Gluten Free Shopping: Level 1 - Burlington County, New Jersey
Begun January 2013

 A blog I read called Gluten Free Mom suggested Udi's as the brand to try, so I took their advice & looked for it at my local store - Shoprite. On my first attempt at GF shopping I managed to stumble across the GF section when picking up some Ensure for my Opa. I found lots of options but no Udi's :(  So I picked up a brand of bread called Ener-G.

I had been told that it was best to toast GF breads as they tended to be rather dry; so that afternoon I eagerly popped my bread in the toaster on 1 (I like my breads very lightly toasted), & proceeded to make a sandwich to go with my tomato soup. Well the Ener-G wasn't bad, it had a good - kind of nutty - taste to it. However, it was SO dry that I soaked chunks of the whole sandwich in the soup & STILL thought the bread was too dry! I was determined to make the best of it though because - at the time - I assumed Shoprite must not carry Udi's - I decided that next time I would use extra mayo & soaked it even longer in the soup as well as experiment with various levels of toasting.

The following week during 1 of my bi weekly shopping trips my shoe came untied - which is super rare with my hiking boots - so i stopped at the end of the fridge section to tie it. As I stand up I realize I am staring at a full ridge display of none other than Udi's! It had never occurred to me to check the fridge or freezer sections!!

And what a magical sight it was, I found myself staring at breads & muffins I had thought I would never get to eat again! I couldn't believe the selections - blueberry, lemon streussel, double chocolate chip muffins... I think I almost cried as i reached in & grabbed the chocolate muffins & a loaf whole grain bread.

 

I store both in the fridge - since that's where I found them. The muffins were AMAZING! They were soft, moist, & wonderfully chocolatey; I never would have known they were GF if they hadn't been labeled as such.I have not tried microwaving or toasting the muffins yet but I've been told that I don't know what I'm missing :) so I'll be giving that a try tonight.

As for the bread, I had bought the Whole Grain Bread which looks & tastes something like artisan bread. It has a light airy center & dark thick crust. I have been toasting it every time i eat it but I just read that you can eat it without toasting it & it still tastes amazing. I also recently found a recipe for french toast with this type of bread! I'm super excited because french toast is 1 of my favorite foods in the world - up there with mac n' cheese! - & a another recipe for grilled cheese! needless to say I am beyond thrilled. I can't thank the people at Udi's enough, I love everything of there's that I try & I plan on trying everything that they have! although this is likely to take me a while seeing as how I'm broke - my mom bought me some of the chocolate muffins as part of my birthday present because I liked them that much!

Any way, if you have Celiac, GI, or just plain want to get away from wheat I HIGHLY recommend you try Udi's, they are now the standard that I compare everything else to!