Our favorites from the Gluten Free Food Allergy Fest
My family was recently able to attend the Gluten Free Food Allergy Fest in Portland Oregon.
We have never been to a food festival before and did not really know what to expect. We had a wonderful time! Thank you Gluten Free and Food Allergy Fest for sponsoring our families visit. We hope you will be back next year!It is really easy to get in a food rut especially with food allergies and intolerance. Finding new food options for the entire family was very exciting! There were about 80 vendors at the festival. I wanted to share a few of our families favorites.
Favorite Products:
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something through my link, I may get a small share of the sale. I appreciate it!Enjoy Life Foods – We tried different cookies and snack bars from the enjoy life booth and all of them were delicious. But the best part is our entire family was able to partake. There products are free from gluten, wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish. Check them out!Happy Baby Organics – While not every product they carry is allergy friendly they were one of the few that I chose when I first began introducing food to my munchkin. They have quite a few food pouch and snack options and the baby approves.Namaste foods for everyone - This is another company that is free from the top 8 allergens. We were able to sample a few products and I look forward to trying more.Coconut Bliss - When my husband made the switch to dairy free one of the things he knew he would miss was ice cream. Until we found Coconut Bliss. This ice cream is gluten free, soy free and vegan. Not to mention it is truly delicious! If you can not have dairy and want to fix your ice cream craving grab yourself some of this creamy goodness.
Vtopian Artisan Cheese – Most dairy free cheese I have tried left little to be desired. This cheese however left me wanting to go back for more. It had great texture and flavor. They are only sold at a limited amount of locations but once the word spreads I think you will start seeing them all over!Red Plate Foods – When my daughter had her first birthday I wanted to make a delicious gluten free and vegan dessert from scratch. But her birthday weekend was also the weekend of a family wedding. There was no way I was going to have the time to make a dessert for her birthday party, thankfully I found a three pack of chocolate Red Plate Food muffins. It was perfect. One muffin for each of us. Their facility is free from the top 8 allergens as well as sesame, mustard and celery. They are a family owned Oregon based company and I am so happy I found them.LivBar – We were able to sample these bars at the festival and they were awesome. They are gluten, soy, dairy and GMO free. My favorite flavor was the cacao + cayenne. This is another Oregon based company. They can also be found on amazon.
Sinful Confections – If you have tried your hand at gluten free baking then you know it can be tricky to get your recipes right. Julie Middelstadt, owner of Sinful Confections, has mastered not only a delicious gluten free cupcake, but also soy free and vegan! She is located in Tigard Oregon so if you are in the Portland area you are in luck.New Cascadia Traditional – This is a dedication gluten free Portland bakery. They also have vegan option. I tried the baguette and nearly cried. I miss baguette!!! Now I know there is a place to go for my baguette fix. You can visit for breakfast and lunch as well.
Resources:
Gluten Intolerance Group – This is a group dedicated to helping those with gluten allergies and intolerance. You can visit their website to find a local group or to find out how to start your own. Oregon has 5 branches located in Portland, Salem, McMinnville, Lincoln City, and Eugene.Generation GF - This is a branch of the Gluten Intolerance Group that is dedicated to young people. I was able to talk to the group leader from Generation GF of Portland and this sounds like such a wonderful resource for kids and parents alike. There is also a Generation GF branch in Southern Oregon. If you have been searching for extra support and community related to your gluten free lifestyle I highly recommend looking into these resources.