Monday, September 21, 2009

Go Without Gluten

UPDATE (9/21/09): GoPicnic is offering 20% off orders at its online store through October 31 with the use of a promotional code. Just type KIWI in the coupon code box at checkout. Thanks to reader Dina for the info.
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Among the foods my older son tried for the first time at Camp Celiac in August was a ready-to-eat boxed meal from GoPicnic. GoPicnic's founders developed the concept of the shelf-stable "picnic" meal in 2004 for a major U.S. airline. Recognizing the benefits such shelf-stable meal programs could bring to others, the company's founders expanded on the original concept, creating meals for different types of diets, including those who eat gluten free. GoPicnic works directly with manufacturers to develop single-serving sizes of interesting products.

The company makes three kid-friendly MightyMunch gluten-free meals: ExploreMunch, SafariMunch and SportsMunch. ExploreMunch includes an Old Wisconsin turkey stick, a Copper Cowbell white cheddar cheese slice, Calbee baked Snapea crisps, Mrs. May's sunflower seed crunch, Sweet Perry Orchards natural strawberry apple sauce and Surf Sweets all-natural gummy bears. SafariMunch contains Salba Smart organic tortilla chips, Ortega mild salsa, Sheffa zesty snack mix, Mrs. May's sunflower seed crunch, Sweet Perry Orchards natural strawberry applesauce, and Enjoy Life snickerdoodle cookies. The SportsMunch variety includes Bridgford turkey pepperoni slices, Sensible Portions cheddar multigrain crisps, Mrs. May's pumpkin seed crunch, Sweet Perry Orchards natural cinnamon applesauce, and Enjoy Life chocolate chip cookies.

Three other varieties are geared toward adults. The GoTrek box includes Jack Link's beef steak nuggets, a Copper Cowbell Swiss cheese slice, Sheffa zesty snack mix, Mariani cranberries and pineapple blend and Swiss Delicato milk chocolate. The AnywhereBreak meal includes Jack Link's beef steak nuggets, Corazonas Squeeze of Lime tortilla chips, Ortega mild salsa, a Copper Cowbell white cheddar cheese slice, Mrs. May's cashew crunch, Mariani dried cranberries and Swiss Delicato dark chocolate. ZestyBreak contains includes Bridgford turkey pepperoni slices, Copper Cowbell Asiago cheese spread, Mary's Gone Crackers whole-grain crackers, Sheffa zesty snack mix, Mariani Ultimate apricots, Lärabar Apple Pie fruit and nut bar and Swiss Delicato dark chocolate.

I recently ordered direct from the company two MightyMunch Gluten-Free Samplers, which contain each of the three different Munch varieties. The meals have come in handy for lunches at my son's school and for a quick bite before late-afternoon Little League baseball games. He doesn't like every item in each box, but there's enough other food in there that sates his appetite.

GoPicnic donates 5% of all sales of gluten-free meals (which range from $4.99 to $6.99 each) to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research. New customers can sign up for the company's newsletter to get a 10%-off coupon code for use on their first order. Shipping is free for orders over $99. Several varieties of GoPicnic's gluten-free meals are also available for online ordering at Costco.
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