That's all very Well and Good

The last 8 weeks in our house have been a whole lot of CRAZY to say the least.

We have had mad LEARNER DRIVER practise, Gymnastics, Taekwondo, Netball season starting, Footy season starting, THE Practical Driving Assessment (third time's a charm 😉), wisdom teeth extractions, teenage recovery from aforementioned wisdom teeth extractions.. 

5 year old tantrums from time restrictions placed on electronics 😖 and for the 8 year old - a Rapid Maxillary Expander Appliance thrown in just for good measure. Good times. I'll just tack on the end here, the majority happening whilst the husband has been away for work. But you know what?  I have come to realise that this is OUR kind of normal.  It's all or nothing in Casa Hart. (Usually weighing heavily on the ALL end of the scale) Sound familiar?  Not whingeing (OK maybe a little bit).  

I know it's a lot of families' kind of NORMAL these days - more of an explanation of why things have been quiet on the old blogging front. Apologies. 

I have however, managed to road test a couple of superb products from the lovely people at 

Well and Good in between ORGANISED CHAOS and am here today to tell you about them. 

In my opinion the individual products stand on their own merits but hey I'll let you be the judge. ENJOY!

CRUSTY BREAD MIX

This is photographic proof that the mix produces an excellent result.  I was REALLY impressed with this product.  It was very user friendly and bucking the system in my usual haphazard manner, I used my mixer against recommendation (to which I only discovered recently - oops! Pays to actually read instructions..) Well what a brilliant result.  Good Friday saw me making pumpkin soup which killed 2 birds with one stone so to speak (with one wisdom teeth impaired individual in the house).  

The bread complimented the soup perfectly.  It was crusty & delicious on the outside and soft in the middle.  True to their word, Well and Good have delivered an excellent product here.  

                 GLUTEN FREE SELF RAISING FLOUR

This gluten free flour fortified with Quinoa and Calcium produces an excellent baked good.  It comes in a resealable 1kg bag and is not only gluten free but dairy free & nut free as well.  I have road tested the merits of this flour in some Hart family favourites several times. Several times because the baked results don't seem to last very long around here so I keep baking more just to make sure. You know. Purely for quality control.  

My theory is, if it tastes good they'll eat it.  

If there is added nutritious stuff concealed in there and it gets eaten just as heartily, WIN WIN. 

Nice one Well and Good. Mothers everywhere will love this sneaky tactic 👍

For those wondering, the Gluten Free Plain Flour is an equally quality product. It has been used frequently in my kitchen and I would purchase both again without hesitation.

Easy Chocolate Brownies

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Mmm.. Chocolate Mousse

Mmm.. Choccy Cake

Imagine having them both at the same time.. in one cake! Imagine no more! Well and Good have made this dream a reality. Good Grief. Do we really need this? Don't be ridiculous. OF COURSE WE DO.

This scrummy delight is from Well and Good's NEW range of gluten free products that contain a twist of superfood without compromising on taste.  In this case raw Cacao - organic and cold pressed added to the mousse topping.  The mousse is rich and decadent and perfectly compliments the moist chocolate cake base underneath. If you're looking for the WOW factor with the convenience and ease of a cake mix to whip up and seriously impress..

My teenage son tells me that the SALTED CARAMEL PUDDING IN A MUG was also pretty decent (Those of you that have teenagers will know, this is a POSITIVE affirmation).
Apologies for lack of photographic evidence of said pudding but due to immediate and ill-mannered consumption of dessert I will take this as a BIG thumbs up.  Also, the fact that he could follow the 2 step instruction on the reverse of pack (1. Combine milk, oil and pudding mix in mug 2. Cook in the microwave for 50 seconds) - a monumental achievement.
GMO free. Gluten & Nut Free and containing no artificial colours or flavours. With Gooey Chocolate Pudding and Spiced Banana Cake varieties also available, I'd say this little gem will appeal to many.




Well and Good is a proudly Australian owned family business. All of their products are made in Melbourne in a strictly Gluten, Dairy and Nut Free environment. You will find their products in Coles, IGAs and health stores throughout Australia.  Products are also available online ($4 postage Australia wide). Try their handy STORE LOCATOR HERE

You will also find an excellent recipe resource available via their website HERE and if Youtube is your thing, they have that covered as well.  With step-by-step tutorials using the Well and Good range of  baking mixes and recipes.

Well and Good sent me the above products to sample

All opinions expressed are my own.  
I was not paid for this post.

New & Improved from Lifestyle Bakery

Aren't we lucky that we have such an array of gluten free products available to us nowadays?  Especially bread.  I shudder to think of the gluten free selection (or lack of..) of days gone by..

You may have noticed a familiar face in the bread aisle recently.  Lifestyle Bakery are no strangers to gluten free.  They have provided us with a soft and tasty range for some time now and I am very happy to report that they have developed a NEW AND IMPROVED range of Soft 'n' Light gluten free bread.  

The range includes a Super Soft White Loaf - New Thicker Slice, Multigrain with Red Quinoa, Super Seed with Chia Seed and a Spicy Fruit Loaf made from 100% Australian grown fruit.

Super Soft White with it's improved taste and new thick-cut slices was a popular choice in my house. Toast was a hit this morning at brekky and both my younger children happily skipped off to school with a fab new sanga made with the same loaf. Only one child is Coeliac but let's not split hairs.

The Superseed is my fav.  Naturally kids are going to be kids when it comes to bread with 'bits' in but for me, I embrace the bits. With a combination of chia, red quinoa plus amaranth and teff seeds, it's loaded with essential nutrients but I just love the taste. In fact, this afternoon, I lightly toasted a couple of slices, loaded them up with thick chunks of vine ripened tomatoes, added a sprinkling of salt and pepper and it was lunchtime perfection. It's the little things..

The new range was launched on 3rd August 2015 and has replaced all previous Lifestyle Bakery Soft 'n' Light Gluten Free loaves.  RRP $5.89.  Available NOW in Woolworths WA and selected Woolworths stores in SA and NT.  

Alternatively, products can be purchased online at  www.lifestylebakery.com.au 

Lifestyle Bakery sent me the above products to sample.

All opinions expressed are my own.  I was not paid for this post.

Lifestyle Bakery have done it again :)

When I read recently that there was a new soft white roll available from Lifestyle Bakery - I went weak at the knees.

OK so.. that was totally a lie but OMG how awesome!! - I was excited and I couldn't wait to try them.  I mean, I love their bread and so the rolls had to be unreal right? YES! and you know what?  Not just rolls people.  

Soft white delicious rolls with no weird gluten free aftertaste and they don't fall apart when you bite into them.  HALLELUJAH!  Yeah that's right - there's a serious contender in the bread aisle.. and that's not all.  Free steak knives? Nuh Uh.  WAY better..  Soft, white DINNER ROLLS.  NO!!!!!! OH YES!!

I can hear the Oohs and Aahs..  Don't fight it.  Feed your excitement.

I could feel a burger night coming on.  Home-made burgers are the Bomb.. and they are certainly well received in our house. A flavoursome pattie, a little lettuce, a slice of tomato, a cheeky slice of cheese, a splash of sauce.  Dynamite.  Not a peep at the dinner table - Golden moments indeed.

Yes the Lifestyle Bakery Soft'n'Light range has been extended to include white rolls, dinner rolls and pizza bases.  They really are deliciously good and I should know.  I've unashamedly tried them all.

What's more, all the products in the Soft'n'Light range are PRESERVATIVE FREE, low in saturated fat and 100% Australian owned.

My little people are under the weather today and so I knew appetites weren't at their hearty best however they still needed some sustenance in their wee tummies.  So although cheese and tomato isn't going to win me any Masterchef accolades, I knew this little combo would be eaten.  There is something to be said for keeping things simple sometimes.  I decided to use the Lifestyle Bakery Dinner Rolls instead of plain old sandwich bread - nothing wrong with a sanga but they have that every other day..

Who says you have to keep dinner rolls purely for a dinner accompaniment anyway?  These are perfect for little hands!

I used a cute little gingerbread man cookie cutter for the cheese.  It's about making things look appealing and fun for little tackers.  You want them to eat it don't you! 

While I was putting these together, it suddenly occurred to me that these cute  little dinner rolls would make the perfect platform for some awesome sliders.. YESSSS.  Oh the possibilities.  A post for another day..

Find a retailer HERE

Lifestyle Bakery sent me the above products to try out.

All opinions expressed are my own.  I was not paid for this post.

LifeStyle Bakery

LifeStyle Bakery is not a new name in the gluten free world.  We have been enjoying their bread for a while.  In fact, did you know they have over 10 years experience making gluten free bread?

I was fortunate enough recently to receive a box of the new gluten free offerings from LifeStyle Bakery.  Fortunate indeed.  I am a big fan of this bread.  I love all of the new loaves.  They are tasty. They are delicious. They are soft.  The new Soft'n'Light range includes Chia & Quinoa, White, Fruit & Soy Linseed and I can happily report that I have devoured them all (with a little help).  Whilst the Chia & Quinoa loaf is my preference & the fruit loaf remains a firm favourite in my house, the outright winner has to be the white loaf.  Why?  Simply because this bread enables my Coeliac daughter to have a normal looking (and feeling) sandwich at school.  The school sanga is important stuff.  It's important for kids to fit in and feel like part of the crowd.  So thank you LifeStyle Bakery but alas.. I still have to cut off the crusts! Pfft.. kids!



Chia & Quinoa - providing antioxidants, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and all 8 essential amino acids (this product contains soy and egg)

White - gluten free, dairy free, wheat free, preservative free, high in fibre (this product contains soy)

Fruit - gluten free, dairy free, wheat free, preservative free, high in fibre (this product contains soy and egg)

Soy Linseed - great source of protein and essential fatty acids, gluten free, dairy free, wheat free, preservative free (contains soy and egg) 

and for those of you worried about the egg component.. don't despair!  LifeStyle Bakery advised recently that they are currently working on a new product which will be yeast, gluten, dairy, egg, soy, preservative and casein free. Until then they will continue to supply the current gluten free multigrain loaf which is egg and yeast free.  Good on you LB :)

Need more information? Want to see an ingredient list?  Check them out here LifeStyle Bakery

100% Australian owned - gotta love that! 

Livwell Bread Rolls & Pitta Breads

ALL coeliacs or gluten intolerant persons will tell you that gluten free bread is 'generally' pretty ordinary to say the least..

In early December 2011 I discovered 2 new products in the bakery aisle of my local supermarket.

What was I doing in the bakery aisle you may well ask.. lost perhaps.. dazed and confused by the vast array of gluten laden delights displayed before me.. and there they were.. beckoning almost..

A packet of 4 individually wrapped small white bread rolls that actually looked like REAL bread rolls and nearby a packet of 4 white pitta breads. GLUTEN FREE. Hallelujah! I couldn't wait to get home and tell all and sundry about my find.

The bread rolls taste great. I find the bread rolls are at their optimum if zapped in the microwave on full power (as recommended on the packaging) for 10-15 seconds and then filled with whatever gluten free gastronomical delight that takes your fancy. They look and taste very similar to real bread. Abbey takes one to kindy every day for lunch and just blends in with all the other kids. It's so important for little people to feel part of the crowd.

I made the mistake of trying to fill the pitta bread without heating first, resulting in a crumbled mess. It is recommended to place under a preheated grill for 1-2 minutes, turning once to warm and produce a pocket. I think the pitta bread would also be great as a naan substitute when having a curry. Worth experimenting.


I found both products in Coles. I was advised in December that the bread rolls were available nationally from Coles and pitta breads only at selected stores. Check them out.

Alternative Bites

We visited Alternative Bites yesterday for lunch. I love going there. Despite the fact that EVERYTHING on the menu is gluten free, the food actually tastes great and there is so much to choose from.

They offer everything from great coffee, delicious cakes, pies & sausage rolls, burgers, quiches, salads to toasted sandwiches, foccacias and hot chips.

Alternative Bites is located at Winthrop Village Shopping Centre, Somerville Blvd, Winthrop

www.alternativebites.com.au