THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY KNOW FOODS
The large, white cardboard box from KNOW Foods was delivered last week, left on our doorstep like a present from the food allergy Santa. I knew it was en route, thanks to an email from the CEO of KNOW Foods, and I was excited at the promise of gluten free, dairy free, low carb food.
The neighborhood kids spied it on the doorstep.
“So … what’s in the box?”
“Bunch of gluten free, dairy free, superfood-y foods. Want to try some?” I asked. “I am writing about it for a diabetes magazine. You’ll have to give me your opinions, if that’s cool.”
We opened the box and spied the double chocolate cookies immediately. “Yep, we’ll give you our opinions, no problem,” the kids agreed, wooed by cookies.
We moved into our current neighborhood about three years ago and over the last few years, my neighbors have gone from “those people who live over there” to becoming good friends. With that friendship comes trusting them with some of my personal health information, like the type 1 diabetes I’ve been dragging around for the last 31 years, and the fact that I do some writing about diabetes.
They also know about all the slightly unusual food issues in our house, as well. I avoid gluten, my son is gluten-free for the next few months, my husband avoids dairy, carb counts are always welcomed, and we usually don’t drink our calories. (Phew!) Which made the arrival of a box of healthy foods, and the fact that I was planning on writing about them, seem par for the course instead of peculiar.
To celebrate the arrival of the KNOW stash, my neighbors came over to taste test. In total, we had five adults, one teenaged boy, three girls between the ages of 7 – 11 (one with celiac), and my little baby boy sampling the goods.
And it was a delightful, messy circus.
“Oh! Let’s try the waffles first!” The kids tore into the bags, ignoring the fact that the waffles were made of almonds, egg whites, flax seeds, coconut flour, and chia seeds, and instead focusing on how fluffy they were. I’ve had a lot of gluten-free bakery items in the last few years and these waffles were honestly amazing. Kids agreed.
My friend’s daughter, who has celiac disease, was thrilled at the very concept of a bunch of muffins, donuts, and breadsticks that she could eat. “They’re all safe?” she asked, repeatedly.
“They are,” I confirmed. And she ate a donut, the grin on her face illustrating the delight of a proper donut taste when you’re used to the gritty, crumby texture of most gluten free foods.
My son really enjoyed the sliced bread (the best thing since… itself, I guess?) and I found it to have a nice, slightly banana-breadish consistency. My friend – an avid runner and also gluten-free – thought the KNOW better bars were amazing and she gobbled one up happily. The croutons were a hit with my neighbors, and everyone liked the crackers. (We had a chart going at one point in the night, using a dry erase marker and a white board, but structured process gave way to grazing, with kids shouting preferences on occasion. “YES! These muffins are awesome!”)
But the biggest universal successes? COOKIES. The shipment came with two kids of cookies – chocolate chip and double chocolate – and they were amazing. Truly. Giant, chewy cookies made of healthy ingredients that you can almost forget about since they taste like legit cookies. Straight from the package? Awesome. Slightly warmed? Awesome. Every kid at my house loved them and now there aren’t any cookies left in my home because they were stolen for next day’s lunches.
And that’s kind of the point – this food tasted like food. Despite being gluten free and low glycemic index and free of so many allergens, it still tasted like something a kid would grab off the counter and stick in their lunch box. There was something for everyone in that sample box, hitting the mark on taste, allergy needs, and texture alike.
“Thanks for trying this stuff with me, you guys!” I said as everyone was leaving (cookies in hand and crouton crumbs on their shirts).
“Hey – will you quote me in your article about the food?” asked the neighbor’s kid.
“Nope.”
I have a loaf of bread made from KNOW bread mix currently cooling on my counter, and my friend had another Better Bar before heading out on her run today. Superfood for the win! Thanks to the folks at KNOW Foods for letting my friends test out their treats, and for contributing to a healthier, tastier snack buffet in my house.
Disclosure: I received sample KNOW Foods products for review purposes and was asked to write this article for A Sweet Life. But my opinions remain my own and they didn’t ask me to invite my neighbors over and make a taste testing chart. This is a sponsored post.
