Chex is Gluten Free!

I'm currently on the gluten free diet and Chex has become one of my morning staples (along with fruit and Silk). I highly recommend their new gluten varieties. So far I've tasted the Honey Nut and Chocolate, both are yummy and good for the body. I look forward to trying the rest. For a complete list of Chex cereals click here.

Enjoy!

Morningstar Farms Veggie Buffalo Wings

I've been eating these since high school. They're so good!

Dipping sauce ideas...

• Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce.
  
• Ranch dressing.
  
• Sweet & Sour (you can make your own or get some packages from McDonald's).

They're so delicious you can eat them plain! Avoid cooking them in the microwave though, they tend to get a little soggy. Toaster oven or conventional oven make them all nice and crispy on the outside so you can enjoy the zesty breading.

Purely Decadent

I really want to try this! Anything made with coconut milk is a major draw for me.

Pumpkin Spice Silk

This is so good! Be sure to pick up some for the holidays.

[photo Laura Brady]

Very Vanilla and Vernors

Try this new mix I came up with: Very Vanilla Silk soymilk and Vernors.

It may sound weird at first but once you try it, you'll understand why it makes a sweet blend.

Fill a glass with 2/3 Very Vanilla Silk and 1/4 of the glass with chilled Vernors. Stir, serve immediately and enjoy.

If you're feeling extra adventurous you could substitute Vernors with root beer, to give the drink a root beer float taste.

*Note: don't let the drink sit too long because the Silk and Vernors will start to separate.

Toaster friendly veggie burgers

Want your veggie burger crispy but don't want to wait to heat up the oven when the toaster oven is already in use? Look no further than your friendly neighborhood toaster.

Place frozen veggie burgers in toaster to highest setting and push down to heat. It usually takes two rounds on the high setting to toast mine, but toasters vary so play with it.

Also, remember to clean the crumb tray at the bottom, after the toaster cools down to avoid a build-up.

I've got my Chai, who could ask for anything more?

In the battle of Chai Royale, one cup of liquid yummy stands above the rest...

The challengers: Starbucks, Caribou Coffee and Beaners.

I was on a quest to find the best cup of Chai Tea in the Great Lakes state. My first thought was that Starbucks would walk away with the mucho yummy medal, but like a good Rocky movie, the underdog rose to the top.

Starbucks Chai came off flat. It was watery and didn't have enough spices. I've tried their chai tea several times and in several different locations and it never gets any better. But at least this chain gets an 'A' for consistency.

Caribou Coffee Chai comes in second place. Its chai tea is smooth and full of flavor. Plus, this unique Michigan chain has the most comfy atmosphere including a fireplace in the middle of the room. It's hard to beat a place where you feel like you're snugly in a log cabin in New Hampshire. Caribou get the best atmosphere award by a long shot.

Drum rolls please--and the winner of the Chai Battle Royale goes to...Beaners. Their chai tea is dreamy! It's like your sipping on something Heaven-sent, my tongue felt so delighted it wanted to do backflips. I ordered mine with soy milk and the fresh aroma of chai spices made my nose feel like it could fly or do something fantastic.

Who needs coffee when you can chai it?

*Hat tip to my brother for taking me to Beaners and treating me a Caribou.