Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Namaste Review and Giveaway!

By

Yay! The lovely Sally from Namaste Foods (Cool name, huh?) was so kind and sent me some baking mixes to try and review!

Sugar free Waffle and Pancake Mix, Sugar free Muffin Mix, and some fantastic recipe cards!

Sally was so generous and helpful! She sent me a hand-written note and various papers with sticknotes that shared her thoughts about the company which specializes in Gluten-free baking. Sally (and I) encourage you to visit the FAQ section of their website to learn more about how the company is trying to make gluten-free foods more accessible to those with Celiacs Disease.

Namaste is a small company based out of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Is it a coincidence that my little cousin who has Celiacs lives very close by? Anyway, according to the company, The word “Namaste” (pronounced “Naa-Maa-Stay”) is an ancient Sanskrit word with no literal translation. They say it means, “The Spirit within me honors and respects the Spirit within you.” The word “Spirit” in this context has no particular religious connotation. You could substitute the word “Heart” or “Soul” if you like. The essence of the phrase is simply that the best part of me wishes you well. And we do wish you well. In seeking to offer you delicious allergen-free foods, we nourish the body. In nourishing the body, we hope to help nourish the mind and the spirit so you can enjoy optimum health.

First, I decided to try the waffle and pancake mix because I had been craving pancakes the last couple weeks.

Sizzling on my cast-iron skillet

What can be better than a big stack of piping hot, fresh pancakes?
My pretty plate with cherries
Ha! Forget the Pretty! I'm smothering mine in homemade applesauce!

The pancakes were super easy to make. Just add some water, a tad bit of oil, and an egg (or egg substitute). Stir and Voila! I made some plain (for my picky little brother), some blueberry, and some cinnamon blueberry. The package makes two batches, and the picture shown above is just one batch (That is a whole lotta pancakes!)

But how did they taste? When my dad, the harsh food critic, says the pancakes are really good; then the pancakes must be good! And in my opinion, they definitely are! I couldn’t even tell that they were gluten-free! Great Job, Namaste!

Next up, the muffins.

Close up and smeared with butter

I had been craving poppyseed muffins lately, so I decided to go with my craving and stir some poppyseed to the mix. The mix was once again easy to make with the same oil, water, egg requirements. They add fresh vanilla bean to the mix, so I can see little black specks of the vanilla, how sweet is that? It made 12 muffins (six of which I made lemon poppyseed, and the other six almond poppyseed. This was so by adding orange juice and lemon peel to one batch, and almond extract to another).

How did they taste? My mom and I both liked them. It was a denser muffin and reminded me a lot of brown rice mochi because it had a kind of sticky inside. I loved it smeared with almond butter, and it was perfect to pack for breakfast the next day (which I spent on the airplane). They did not crumble in the little plastic bag I brought them in, nor did they crumble while I sat on the plane.

Verdict: Namaste is such a great company! It is perfect for those with celiacs disease, but still incredulously yummy for those who do not have gluten allergies. My dad couldn’t even tell that they were gluten free!

And to show how they can be even more kind and generous, they offered to give away a Namaste package to one lucky reader! (Within the United States, please, due to shipping costs. Sorry!) The giveaway would contain a Namaste Tote with perhaps a pasta mix and a baking mix, coupons, literature and assorted goodies.

To win this wonderful assortment, there are multiple ways to win:

  1. Blog about this giveaway, and link back here to tell me you did so.
  2. Follow me on Google Reader, and comment here to tell me you did so. (If you already follow me, then comment as well, and you will get an entry!)
  3. Tweet, facebook, or do whatever else (sorry I’m don’t know all of the social networkings out there!) about this giveaway, and comment back here to tell me you did so.
  4. Lastly, leave a comment here telling me about your favorite pancake, waffle, or muffin add-in. (Mine has to be blueberries right now!)

Each of the above will give you one entry into the contest. So, if you do all four bullet points, you will be entered four times! The giveaway will end one week from now, and I will post the winner’s name (and email him/her), so that they can receive their reward! Good Luck!

Once again, thanks so much, Namaste, for allowing me to do this!

P.S. Don’t forget to send in a Picture or blog about your favorite food for the Food Lovin‘ Post! August is almost up!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. O’my gosh How I LOVE PANCAKES!! My favorite mix in would be any kind of berry. I also love to eat them plain with a smear of peanut butter and then pour hot syrup on top! Man, I need to get in the kitchen NOW!! Awesome giveaway.

  2. I’m reading this and smelling the fresh green beans that are cooking in my kitchen! I quick-fry a few pieces of bacon, then pat out the grease (don’t need all that fat!) and throw a mess of fresh green beans on top while the bacon is still sizzling. Then turn the heat down, add a cup of water, split a purple onion and put it on top, and then cover and simmer till the house smells good all over! YUM! Salt and pepper to taste, and this makes a meal all by itself! – MJ

  4. i definitely will agree that blueberries have been my favorite addition to baking. my fav muffin has always been blueberry but since ive had many delicious ones over the years i think the best add-ins are blueberries with banana and chocolate chips!!!! <3

  5. Those look yummy. My favorite pancake add in is apple sauce with cinnamon. When you bite into the pancake you get a nice warm bite of applesauce and pancake.

    • Hi! Are you suuure you don’t want to be entered? Hehe.

      I would love to cook for you sometime, Katie! I could do something chocolate for you…but it might include 100% dark chocolate because I have found a chocolate bar that doesn’t add any sugar. It is called Ghiradelli 100% cacao baking chocolate. It is soooo good! I love dipping a square in peanut butter ๐Ÿ™‚

      Are you excited to go back to school again? Wait….I think you still go to college, right?

      Ciao!

  7. I would love to win this! My favorite things to add in to my panakes and muffins lately are healthy little sprinklings of flax seeds or hemp seeds.

    Thanks for the chance to win. Lesliedoll at hotmail dot com

  8. My favorite add in is bananas…yum:) If I win, I am sending this to my cousin’s family. Her husband is gluten sensitive and I would love to surprise them with this!

    Thanks so much!
    Angie

  9. Pecan and bacon (together, yes!) are my favorite waffle mix-ins.

    Thanks for the chance to win!

    –Liza

    ejm6x (at) yahoo (dot) com

  16. Personally, I love love love love love lemon poppyseed muffins.

    I like the taste of blueberries in muffins, (the blue stained bits of muffin, yum), but hate eating the cooked blueberries themselves, XD

  17. We love adding Sweet Potatos into our pancakes and waffles right now – a good way to sneak vegies in for the kids. Thanks for a great giveaway!

  19. I shared a link to this giveaway on my Facebook page. My profile is private, but I’d be happy to share it with you so you know I did share with my friends.

    My daughter is autistic and we’re trying the GFCF diet, this would help a lot!

    My favorite additive to any mix? Bannanas. Adds sweetness and nutrition ..plus my kids are addicted to the darn things ๐Ÿ™‚

  25. So happy you got a response from Namaste! I’ve been trying to contact them for months and had no luck ๐Ÿ™ They are most definitely my favorite GF baking mixes!! Their brownies are killer! I mix mine with a little bit of Kozy Shack Chocolate Pudding (GF) and they come out like fudge…unbelievable! I’m going to do the other things on the giveaway so I can be counted!

    ~Alyssa

  36. I have to agree with you on the blueberry add in. For oatmeal it’s a totally different story, but pancakes and warm pockets of blueberry goodness bursting with flavor… mmm. No match for that deliciousness ๐Ÿ™‚

  38. We love the pancakes with blueberries and huckleberries that we get to pick from farms around us! Nothing like a freshly picked berry to add to a buttery yummy pancake. We’ve also tried the chocolate cake mix and brownie mix…..Preeetty good, but there still is a bit of “grainy” texture and taste to it. The spice cake mix is better, especially made with applesauce. But, what am I saying? This is a sugar-free site and here I am, blabbing about cakes and brownies!!! hee hee hee

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