Betty Lou’s Gluten Free Snacks Review + A Giveaway!

Being gluten intolerant makes it extremely difficult to snack while traveling, so I’m always on the lookout for on-the-go snacks that are not only gluten-free, but also healthier than the typical snack foods that are available in most stores and gas stations. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I was recently contacted by the folks at Betty Lou’s Inc. to see if I’d be interested in sampling some of their gluten-free and vegan products. If you’re not familiar with Betty Lou’s, let me introduce you to an amazing company.

Betty Lou’s started 32 years ago when she decided to start making healthier food for her family. She began by removing refined sugars and built her recipes from there. Since kids are known all to well for their brutal honesty, she made her sons the taste testers. Soon their friends started coming over and everyone loved the tasty treats she made. They chose “Just Great Stuff… and Plenty of it!” as their motto because it truly reflects the dedication they have to the quality of their products. They always use the best, healthiest, cutting edge ingredients because they believe that they taste better and make you feel better. I agree, and strongly believe in the saying, “You are what you eat”.

The product line at Betty Lou’s is very unique. Every product contains:

• no wheat
• no refined sugar
• no trans fats
• no GMO’s

They also carry products that are Corn-Free, Dairy-Free, Low-Fat, Low (or No) Cholesterol, High Protein, and Vegan. How many companies out there can make that claim? Trust me, very few!

Betty Lou’s generously sent me a huge assortment of their gluten free products to review, and my family and I had a tasty time munching our way through them. I received 2 flavors of Angell bars, 3 flavors of Betty Lou’s Fruit Bars, 4 flavors of Just Great Stuff Bars, 5 flavors of Nut Butter Balls, Powdered Peanut Butter and a Vanilla Protein Shake! While we enjoyed all of the products, there were a few that really stood out for us, and I will definitely be buying them in the future. Our favorites are highlighted in yellow.

“Angell Bars” This was by far our favorite out of all of the snacks we sampled. The Angell Bars come in 3 different flavors, and are their version of a candy bar. We got to sample the Snow Angell, and Dark Angell flavors. Oh my goodness were these good! We loved them both, but the Snow Angell was our favorite. White chocolate covering a coconut filling… pure decadence. I seriously wasn’t expecting it to taste that good, and was really pleased with it. The Dark Angell one was really good too, and I will definitely be ordering these to have on hand for a special treat.

“Fruit Bars” My whole family really enjoyed these too. They reminded us a lot of a nutrigrain bar or fruit newtons. They weren’t to sweet, and had a great fruit flavor. The ratio of fruit to breading was perfect too, and had just the right amount of moisture. No dry, crumbly breading in sight. We got to try the strawberry and apple cinnamon flavors and liked them both. It made a filling snack too, and kept our hunger pangs at bay until meal time. These will be making an appearance in my pantry as well.

“Nut Butter Energy Balls” My family liked these too, but not as much as the Angell Bars and Fruit Bars. We sampled 5 flavors of them, and our favorites by far were the Coconut Macadamia, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. They are tasty little balls of nut butters rolled in additional chopped nuts. They weren’t overly sweet, and made for a filling snack. While I probably wont be buying these to keep in the house, if we needed a quick snack, and they had them available in the store we stopped at, I would definitely buy them.

“Just Great Stuff Bars” These kind of reminded me of an energy/meal replacement bar, and were the least favorite of all the snacks I tried. While they are loaded with good for you fruits and veggies, I just wasn’t a big fan of their taste. I tried all 4 flavors just to give them a fair chance, and while they weren’t horrible, they just didn’t do it for me.

“Powdered Peanut Butter” If you’re like me, you’ve never heard of powdered peanut butter before. This is one of their newer products and my whole family and I really liked it. While I was skeptical at first, I went about it with an open mind and tried it. It was extremely tasty. This certified organic powdered peanut butter is made of just three ingredients: organic peanuts, sea salt, and sustainably harvested coconut sugar. BIG bonus points in my opinion. But why is it powdered you ask? For one, by being in powdered form, it allows it to have 85% less fat than traditional peanut butter. The second, it makes it ideal for use in smoothies. Anyone who has ever made a smoothie with peanut butter can tell you it’s not the easiest thing to mix in. Not a problem when it’s powdered. It also comes in a chocolate flavor too, for even more great flavor options in your smoothies. I tried it both in smoothies, and mixed with water to dip celery sticks in, and loved it both ways. This is another one of Betty Lou’s products that I will definitely buy again and keep in my pantry.

“Vanilla Protein Shake” While the shake has some really good points to it, like being low glycemic, high protein, and includes probiotics, I was unable to drink the whole shake, since I have an intolerance to rice, which it contains. I did take a drink of it though, so I could give you my opinion on it. It had a rich and tasty flavor, wasn’t too sweet, and would make a great on-the-go breakfast. No milk needed, just add water. It also comes in Chocolate and Orange Cream flavors, which I didn’t get to try, but have heard from others that they are really good too. So while I wont be buying this again due to my issue with rice, for those who are looking for a tasty, protein rich shake, this one is a winner.

All in all I was really pleased with Betty Lou’s products, and found some really delicious snacks to add to my repertoire. One of the only complaints I have is that it can be difficult to find their products, they’re not widely available at your local corner store. You can order from their Website, and also find their products at select Health Stores, which you can find with their handy store locater. They can also be purchased online at Amazon.

Betty Lou’s is offering one of my readers the opportunity to win a Gift Basket worth $70, filled with Betty Lou’s Products! This would make a great Easter basket for that special, gluten-free someone in your life, or keep it and enjoy all of the delicious snacks yourself. Enter by using the Rafflecopter widget below. Increase your chances of winning by coming back each day to Tweet about the giveaway!

The Fine Print:
Open to US residents only.
You must be 18 or older to enter.
This giveaway is not affiliated or endorsed by Facebook or Twitter.
Winner will be announced on April 1st, and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you ever tried Betty Lou’s products before?

*Disclaimer: I received these products for free to sample and review for my blog. I was not paid for my review and all opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review, and your experience may differ. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising

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april

April is a dedicated wife and mother of five, as well as Mamaw to two adorable grandbabies. She resides in Southern Indiana, along with her husband Joe and their daughter Melissa, and enjoys the quite life on their 3 acre homestead. She enjoys blogging about her adventures in frugal and healthy, grain-free cooking, gardening, household tips, and her family. April is also the owner and writer of The Secret Recipe Club, the fun Secret Santa of the food blog world.

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