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KIND Bars Give-Away!

Amy — Mon, 14 May 2012 02:01:27 +0000

Today I’ve got KIND Bars to give you! I’m always excited to share products with you when they already make their way into my shopping cart on a weekly basis.

It was actually Joe who started bringing them home en masse. He showed me the package and said, “These are healthy, right?” Of course they are! KIND Bars are perfect for stashing in your purse (or diaper bag) for a snack when you’re out running errands in the middle of the day. I pack them in Joe’s lunch, too, and he eats one as a late afternoon pick-me-up.

Here’s what you can expect from KIND Bars:

They’re made whole foods including nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.
KIND Bars are gluten-free.
Nearly every bar is refined sugar free. (The bars with chocolate and yogurt have sugar in them.)

Give Away Details

Three (3) SS&GF readers will win a KIND Bar Combo Cube which consists of:

One package each of:

Peanut Butter Whole Grain Clusters – these also just won an award in Prevention’s Healthy Food Awards
Maple Walnut Whole Grain Clusters with Chia & Quinoa

Two of each of the following bars:

To Enter

Leave a comment!

Bonus Entries

Follow SS&GF on Twitter and/or Facebook
Follow KIND on Twitter and/or Facebook

Give Away Details: This give-away is open to continental US residents only. Contest closes on Sunday, May 20th at 11:59 pm CST.

This give-away is sponsored by KIND Bars.

Happy 3rd Birthday SS&GF!

Amy — Sun, 06 May 2012 13:00:39 +0000

It feels like my blog should be older than three.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s not that I don’t love blogging. It’s just that so much has happened in three years.

It’s humbling to look back at how SS&GF has grown. And, really, how I’ve grown too because this little blog is an extension of who I am in so many ways.

I still remember writing my first post, pushing ‘publish,’ and wondering if anyone would read it. (No one did.) And, Joe often reminds me how excited I was when I got my first comment and when Linda from The Gluten-Free Homemaker invited me to join her linky party.

He reminds me, too, how I thought that I’d hit it big when I finally had 100 subscribers.

I never dreamed I’d write a book, co-found a popular, collaborative blog or a food blogger conference. Nor did I think I’d have the most supportive, loving circle of girlfriends. (Love you ladies so very much!!!!!!)

I most certainly didn’t think I’d ever be so moved by the love and support of my readers. You continue to touch my heart in a deep way.

For obvious reasons, my blog birthday sends me into thoughts of gratitude.

Will you help me celebrate my 3rd year by sharing three things you’re grateful for?

I’ll start:

Nate, my love, my heart and soul
I get to be a work-at-home mommy
My devoted husband who is also the most involved and supportive father

Wishing all of us many more years of sharing and growing together!

Much love,

Amy

Blueberry Breakfast Cake for Attune Foods

Amy — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:00:36 +0000

We’ve had a lot of changes in our home lately all stemming from the arrival of one tiny little bundle of joy. We’d spent months getting ready for him. We took birth and parenting classes, read books, decorated the nursery, washed all his baby clothes, and searched to find the perfect pediatrician.

We thought we were prepared.

Oh, were we wrong. So very wrong.

As a new mom every day brings something new. My nights are sleepless and the days are filled with cute baby smiles, feedings and dirty diapers. The only constant is that all normalcy has been thrown out the window. Permanently.

Like my husband often says, there’s not a book in the world that can prepare you for this. And I wouldn’t change a thing.

Out of everything we did, the one thing that I’m positive will have an real impact on his life are the changes in my diet.

Before I got pregnant, my diet was healthy. I ate whole foods and mostly organic. But it was ‘just me’ I had to think about. There were times when I was ok making a dietary compromise.

Hop on over to the Attune Foods Blog to find out the dietary changes I made and to get this yummy, easy-as-pie recipe!

Meet Nathaniel Joseph Green!

Amy — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:00:12 +0000

If you’ve been wondering what I’ve been doing for the last eight weeks, the answer is so simple…loving this little angel!

Nathaniel Joseph Green was born on Thursday, February 23rd at 7:36 pm. He was 7 pounds 3 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long.

Once we figured out that Nate likes the water about 100 degrees instead of 90, he absolutely started loving his baths. This was his first bath at home. He was so very tiny.

We take pics of Nate every day…ok more than one a day. It’s amazing how much he changes and how quickly it happens. Here he just started to fit into his newborn clothes. He hasn’t quite outgrown them yet but he’s so close. I’m not ready for that.

I think our little guy is an old soul. He’s got the most thoughtful expressions. He’s at the age where he’s started the social smiles which is a lot of fun. And, he’s making all those really cute baby noises too. I could just sit and stare at him all day long!

Nate is a happy baby. He only fusses when he’s hungry or tired. He loves, loves, loves to be with Mommy and Daddy. We don’t mind at all.

Life is different in a very good way. Joe and I are so very blessed. I got a card from Maggie that sums this all up perfectly. It says:

“Just when you think you know love, something little comes along to remind you just how big it really is.”

And it is bigger than I could have ever imagined.

I’m Off to Nourished!

Amy — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:00:26 +0000

I’m off to Chicago for Nourished!

Jen and I were reminiscing this week. Neither one of us can believe that we had this little dream to start a conference for all of the specialty diet bloggers and it not only happened but SOLD OUT and has had so much support from the gluten-free, niche blogger community and gluten-free brands.

Really, we wanted a better way for bloggers to see their dreams realized.

We know how much time and energy it takes to blog. We know the passion and creativity it takes to make a splash in today’s blogosphere. We know the late nights, the failed recipes, fumbling through food photography disasters, the crazy joy when one is successful. And we also know that feeling of wanting more from our blogs…more money, more connections, more recognition, more opportunities. Even more freedom. (Part of the dream is not to spend all day and night behind our laptops.)

So we gave birth to Nourished. And today all 100+ bloggers who were lucky enough to get tickets will get to network with other bloggers, meet influential brands, learn how to improve their blog, and yes, eat really good food.

We have an incredible speaker line-up including Cybele Pascal, Silvana Nardone, Susan Voisin, Dianne Jacob, Karen Morgan, Peter Bronski, Mary Fran Wiley, Melissa Jennings, Ricki Heller, Cara Lyons, Lauren-Lucielle Vasser and more.

Our sponsors, well, they shocked us. They showed up and they showed up BIG. If I learned anything, it’s that the gluten-free companies believe in the power of the on-line blogging community. My hope is that Nourished can help bloggers and companies work together for their mutual benefit.

If you weren’t able to make it, follow the buzz on Twitter. Our handle is @NourishedFBC and our hashtag is #NFBC. Make sure to follow us, too!

You can also keep up with conference updates on Facebook.

I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I get back.

Nourished 2013 will be even better – so look for next year’s location and date announcement soon!

And, yes, I know I owe you a post about the other little guy I gave birth to. He is the love of our lives. Quite honestly, I haven’t been able to pull myself away from him to blog. Even if I wasn’t his mom I would tell you that he is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen! He’ll make an appearance here very soon.

Don’t worry – I have some recipes coming your way soon, too.

Much love,

Amy