OOh you're gonna like THIS giveaway.

Oooh you're gonna like this giveaway, friends.

Why?

Because we're giving away FOOD!
Gluten free, dairy free, vegan, food!



Cookies and rice treats and granola, oh my!

Look at the pile of cravings that showed up at my doorstep!

I'm not going to lie, I was heartbroken to hear that all of Smart Treat's goodies contain fructose (usually in the form of brown rice syrup, brown sugar, dates, or molasses), but still- it was like a foodie Christmas for the rest of my family.

Lets see what we got, shall we?
I felt a giant font was appropriate.

Lemon Smart Bites: Little lemon drop cookies, both gluten free and vegan. Our kids can't do citric acid (so obviously lemon cookies are out), but Christopher can! We've had the cookies a week, and theres 3 left. His description was "a little grainy, but *crunch crunch mumble mumble* pretty good! I bet if I could have tried them, I would have loved them. I love lemon cookies. I love lemon anything. And heres something random... would you believe I've never had a lemon bar? Ever? Not that I can remember at least.

Dark Chocolate Smart Bites: Um, these are gone. Charlie ate them all. We went on a shopping trip to Target, mid day, which we never really do (ya know, we have a strict schedule, we're those people). We had grabbed the package of chocolate cookies before we ran out the door, and as we shopped... they disappeared. I didn't eat them. Eleanore didn't eat them (ok maybe she had like three). Christopher didn't eat them. No- Charlie ate them. He ate them all. So they must have been good, right? Oh yeah, and those were gluten free and vegan too.



Banana Coconut Granola: Again, this was both gluten free and vegan too, so... thats rad. Christopher had it set in his head, after watching an episode of Paula Dean (I was looking for inspiration), that he would use this to make a parfait. Well- sorry honey, but we don't eat yogurt. We looked for some soy yogurt when we were at the health food store, but the little place that we go to is poorly stocked, and there was none. So even though he didn't get to eat this the way that he would have liked to, his final verdict upon eating it raw, was "Its crunchy like granola should be. Yeah I like this *continues eating*. But I'd like it better if I had put it in a parfait". We're saving the rest of it until the health food store gets their soy together, so that he can have his beloved parfait, haha. What a baby.

Mellow Krispie Bar: GF & V. These aren't like the rice crispy treats that come to mind when you think of a "krispie bar". These are thinner, and much much crunchier. Krispie bar is right. They're all crunch. So this wasn't good for Charlie, but Eleanore loves them. They keep well, just sitting there in their plastic container on the counter- and because they're thin, we can give her two at a time, and she thinks shes getting more than she really is, haha. She loves how they taste. She likes how they're crunchy. They're much less messy than the homemade rice treat bars we make. Win win win. We like these.

Apricot Raspberry Krispie Bar: These are like the adult version of the krispie bars above. Just like their name describes, they have raspberries and apricots in them! Christopher is usually a fan of traditional, but happily snacked away on these fruit filled crunchies. Yummmmmm.

Cranberry Walnut Bread: This one was gluten free and dairy free, but not vegan. We used this to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Or, for Charlie, almond butter and jelly. Since hes proven to be newly sensitive to peanuts (rad). Hubby said he didn't really get a "walnut vibe", but he definitely tasted the cranberries, and liked them. And the best part, the part that every gluten free foodie out there is wondering... yes, the bread held together well. We keep it in the fridge, unlike the other Smart Treat products that we keep out on the counter. The texture does dry out a little bit, but.. it holds together! No broken off crusts, no split down the middle. None of that. All it needs is a little smart balance, or a fruit spread, and its good to go!



Flax Millet Bread: This was our favorite. Gluten/Dairy free. One day when I was having a heck of a morning, I looked up, and there was Christopher- home for lunch early. I hadn't yet made anything (a heads up text would have been nice), the kids were running circles around me- it sucked. I opened the fridge, and saw the Flax Millet Bread in the fridge, and rejoiced.



Usually I make my own bread, but on this occasion, when I had none of my own, the flax-millet was my life saver! I got out the fixins for grilled ham and soycheese, turned the stove on, and was so pleasantly pleased with the results.



Yeah, it looks good, right? I know. It grilled up like a dream. It browned in my mixture of smart balance and olive oil very nicely. It didn't fall apart, it kept its form, you could actually pick it up and eat it! And how do you think the family liked it? ...



Sasquatch approved.


*******
Smart Treat Giveaway!
3 winners, each with their choice of 4 Smart Treat items.
Yessss!

So here are the rules...
And you don't have to be gluten free to enter. Or vegan. Maybe you know someone who is. Or maybe you'd just like to try something new! EVERYONE can enter.

-Go to Smart Treat's website (that was a link, in case you didn't quite catch it), and window shop! They've got cookies, and breads, and treats, and ... so much.

-Come back here, and tell us which 4 items you'd like to try if you win. And also, maybe tell us who in your house will eat them? Why are you gluten free or vegan? Make your comment fun! (additional entries will be listed below)

-Leave your email. I don't want to have to track you down if you win!

-Giveaway is open to US residents.
-Giveaway ends next Saturday, October 9th.
-Winner will be randomly chosen (by Christopher, most likely, random number generating) and notified by email.

*Additional Entries*
Leave a separate comment for each additional entry, please.
-Twitter: Tweet "Win gluten free/vegan food! Visit http://tinyurl.com/25ulcgb
for details. #GF #Vegan #Giveaway @TiaColleen". This is worth 1 additional entry.

-Facebook: Facebook it! In your own words, something along the lines of "Holy crap theres a giveaway for gluten free food that actually tastes good!", and link back to this post. This is worth 1 additional entry.

-For 3 additional entries: Blog about this giveaway, complete with pictures. You can use our pictures, or you can use the photos from the Smart Treat website. Be sure to link back to this post. And be sure to leave 3 separate comments.

Thats it, friends! Now go get yourself some yummy treats!

If you would like to sponsor a giveaway on our blog, details can be found at the top of the page under "sponsor". We do giveaways for our readers every Saturday, and we still have open days before the holidays!