Summer may be winding down as kids and teachers have gone back to school, but that doesn't mean the fun of summer has to be over.

Well, maybe a little.  I mean, we can't just continue to stay home because we want to. :) 

BUT, we can definitely still enjoy some of the great flavors as we sit by the pool or BBQ this weekend.  Maybe even a little treat for yourselves tonight?  I say, go for it! 

As I've shared before, I'm loving the joys of Pinterest.  It's completely addicting (at least for me).  Have you been sucked into the world of pinning yet?  If not, let me know and I'd be more than happy to send you an invite. :)  If not, that's ok too.  But, you may find some of these pins I'm about to share just too enticing!

In honor of summer, I wanted to share some refreshing treats with you today. 

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First up we have, peach popsicles.
Gluten free AND refined sugar free!  Yum!

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Next, a fun blueberry, basil lemon water.
This may sound a little different, but check out the the ingredient list.  Simple and delicious!

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Another icy treat.  This time, blackberry frozen yogurt. 
Added bonus for this one is that it only has three ingredients.

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Lastly, I just couldn't resist adding this one for all you margarita lovers.  Watermelon Margarita.
I'm sure this will be a BBQ favorite for many of you!

***NOTE:  As always, double check any ingredients you are using to insure they are gluten free.

Enjoy!  As always, we'd love to hear of you've tried any of these or if you have a different, favorite refreshing treat for the summer.

At least, that's the claim coming from Omission Beer.

Indeed, they do have quite the catchy title, but what's the truth behind this beer?


You see, Omission Beer contains barley & hops yet it's also deemed "gluten free." Hmm, how does that work? Well, according to the company, the beer goes through an extensive fermentation process that removes the gluten to where it's tested at 20ppm or below (what is required to label a product "gluten free"). In fact, as I was looking over their website I found an option under "test results" that allows you to find out how your specific bottle of beer tested. Kinda cool!

Here's a little more info about the masterminds behind this beer:

"Few people know more about gluten-free beer than Terry Michaelson and Joe Casey.

Michaelson, the chief executive of Craft Brew Alliance (A-B InBev owns a 32 percent stake in the group), was diagnosed with celiac disease 12 years ago. Casey, brewmaster at Widmer Bros., began formulating gluten-free beer recipes shortly after his wife was diagnosed with the disease in 2006.

"My wife missed the flavor of beer," Casey says. "She tried a wide variety of gluten-free beer, and they were missing what she described as beer character. It helped drive me to keep looking for a solution."

Michaelson says: "Joe deserves the credit for all the work he put into that — having a gluten-free beer that actually tastes like beer. I wanted to make sure if we did something, we delivered on the flavor that other beer consumers were experiencing and enjoying."

Omission will stick with its Pale Ale and Lager styles for now, but Michaelson says the line could expand.

"We want to continue to give people with gluten sensitivity the option to try different craft styles, which hasn't really been an option for them," he says. "The great thing about Omission is, you don't have to be a celiac to enjoy it."

Read more: Finally, A Gluten Free Beer that Tastes Like Beer

Omission's beers are currently only in Oregon, but they will begin to show up nationally starting next week.

My questions:
I wonder how their flavor will compare to other gluten free beers?!? Right now I like Bards over Redbridge!

What's your beer preference? Would you try Omission's?



Rachel aka Gfreegal

I'm not a beer drinker myself, but for those who are gluten free and enjoy beer, this is a sad finding.  Apparently due to new testing they're finding that some beers labeled "low gluten" are actually not!  So crazy!  Luckily the testing and labeling seems to be getting better and better, but man do we really have to stay on top of our research before consuming food/drinks.

For me, I will continue to stay away from beer...

Read on for more about the beer misinformation.
Some beer mislabeled...

Ok, so I saw this headline that wheat paste is used in some wine barrels?  WHAT!?!?  NO!  Haha...I probably sound like a real wine-o, yet in reality I am more of a sipper.  I enjoy the taste of wine, but that's it, just the taste.

A good wine, like gewurztraminer (thank you google for the spelling) or moscato is just so yummy!  But seriously, you should see the wine glasses I bought us...my parents laughed because they were tiny glasses for hard liquor! Ha!

Anywho, back to this whole wine and wheat fiasco.  I did some further investigation of the article and this is what I found.  Gluten in Wine? article

I'm very curious about the findings here and the "maybe...possibly" presence of gluten.  I've never considered much about the idea of gluten being in my wine.  I always look the the bottle for any ingredients listed (as has become second nature when shopping), but I've never researched much beyond that.  I think it's definitely time I start.  Luckily, it will likely be a month before I sip another glass of wine, BUT I'd like to be sure I'm not poisoning myself as I do so.

So, a question for you...

Anyone have other findings on this issue?