Let's talk about gluten-free fritters!

For someone who used to avoid going to the grocery store at all costs, it still amazes me that I can entertain myself at even a regular grocery store - if I have the time for it.  You've probably noticed all the gluten-free signs popping up at even the basic grocery stores, not to mention Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe's and Earthfare.  And you've probably also noticed that there are products with those tags that are not gluten-free and many more items that are gluten-free with no such tag.

The only way to find something new when at the store is to be looking for it, to pay attention and lots of it, so that you don't miss anything exciting!  This brings me to the how I found gluten-free apple fritters when I had no idea they existed.  While I love many Katz products, all of which are gluten-free, I have honestly been cutting way back on processed carbs like bread, waffles, bagels, pizza and pasta.  So while perusing the freezer at Sprouts, actually looking for the amazing small gluten-free apple pie from Katz, I spotted their apple fritters.  I also found their mini pies which I decided to try as well.  For some reason, the mini pies weren't for me....they're nothing like the small pies from the same line.

*Image courtesy of Katz Gluten-Free

The apple fritters are shockingly delicious.  One might even say they're magically delicious!  Amazing, unbelievable, scrumptious, incredible - these things are the absolute "bomb"...lol!  For best results, you need to heat them minimally - it's very important not to overheat them - in the microwave.  If you get it right, you'll think you just dumped the fritters out of the gluten-free fryer!  If you like ice cream, adding a dollop of vanilla to the fritters take this treat to a whole other level!

   

       

Sprouts flourless chocolate cake review

Many specialty grocery stores (in our area) have individually sized gluten-free desserts in the bakery case.  When looking for such a treat at our Sprouts Market, I found a flourless chocolate cake with a Sprouts label.  It was very small and $2.99, but that is actually pretty reasonable for gluten-free treats.

Since the cake was cold, I let it sit on the counter for a while before trying it for dessert.  One bite was all I needed to decide it wasn't great and my husband wasn't overly impressed with it either.  We put the rest of the cake in the fridge and decided to taste it again later.

The second taste test involved heating the cake slowing in the microwave which greatly improved the taste and texture.  However, it's a much better value to buy the larger Trader Joe's flourless chocolate cake, cut it in small slices to freeze and pull out as needed.  And the TJ's cake is extremely delicious cold, warm or at room temperature to boot!  It even beat out the killer Godiva cheesecake (my personal fave!) at our holiday partly last December for number of pieces scarfed down ;)

Sprouts review - Peachtree Corners

The Sprouts Market in Peachtree Corners opened back in August and I was able to get there on the day of the grand opening.  There was not a line to get in, which was great, but it was overly crowded so it was hard to get around even with the smallest shopping cart they have.  The observations I was able to make are listed below.

There were some frozen and and refrigerated gluten-free breads available including some items I like and some I don't care for.  I thought there were be more options for some reason, but I guess I'm comparing their options to those at Return 2 Eden and Natural Foods Warehouse which might not be fair.

There were some brands of cookies and muffins I'd never seen and a good friend of mine tried some of them and thought they were either really great or pretty good.  Since I was on the Whole 30 challenge during my visit, I didn't buy anything off plan.  That means nothing except meats, veggies and fruits made it into my basket.  Oh, I also picked up some bars for an upcoming trip (after my Whole 30 was finished) and some coconut butter...the latter seemed very overpriced, but I didn't have time to comparison shop for the product.

Overall, Sprouts Market did not strike me as a place for my go-to gluten-free specialty items, but I was impressed with the produce and the variety of items they offer.  Eventually, I hope to try the fresh lemon poppy seed muffins, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cupcakes.  "Fresh" is a key factor in getting me to part with my money for gluten-free treats.  I plan to go to the Johns Creek store as soon as it opens and surprisingly, that location will be larger than the store in Peachtree Corners! 

Sprouts Market is coming to Johns Creek!

It's exciting that Sprouts Market opened in Snellville recently and I've heard it's a great store if you can get into it (according to the husband's co-workers, there is apparently a traffic issue at that location).  I missed the blogger sneak peak for that store since it was in the middle of a work day and on the other side of town to boot.  But I know from bloggers elsewhere that Sprouts Market is a VERY gluten-free friendly place to shop.  That's why I've been excited about the company expanding to this area ever since I spotted the coming soon sign near Trader Joe's in Norcross.

I thought that the (yet to open) store over there would be the most convenient to us, now that we moved out of Gwinnett county.  However, as I was on 141 last weekend, I noticed that the space vacated by a massive shoe store recently is being renovated to be a Sprouts Market!  Let's see...if I drive pretty slow, the Sprouts Market over here is about a five minute drive from our house!  This is seriously exciting news since about a month after we moved, the Natural Foods Warehouse on 141 closed down.  It's a short distance to the NFW location on N. Main Street, but with weekend traffic it can be a bear to get there.

The grand opening date for this location is set for September 17, 2014.  Check out this page on the Sprouts website to see where more new stores are opening in the near future.  

UPDATE:  The open date for this location is being pushed out so it will not open on September 17th.  I'll announce the actual opening date when I get one I think is legit ;)