Namaste Foods Review and Giveaway...

Cool For School Giveaway #11

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Namaste Foods, we recently had the opportunity to review some really yummy allergen-free meals.

A little about Namaste Foods:

Hello and Welcome to Namaste Foods!
We are a small (but growing!) manufacturer of fine foods that contain no wheat, gluten, corn, soy, potato, dairy, casein or nuts. In business since 2000, we continue to strive to be the best at what we do so that you can enjoy all the foods you’ve known and loved all your life. We truly believe Namaste Foods products are the best-tasting allergen-free products on the market! (Be sure to check out our new Pasta Meals in three delicious varieties!)
Our approach has always been very "grassroots" in nature. While we do limited advertising, we have always relied much more on all the wonderful word-of-mouth advertising our customers continue to do for us. It’s the biggest compliment anyone can give us and we appreciate it more than you know.
So, what do we offer you in return for all you do for us? Well, four things come to mind:
Worry-free products – Our facility contains no wheat, gluten, corn, soy, potato, dairy or nuts. It is our attempt to try to eliminate any chance of cross-contamination so you can enjoy Namaste Foods products worry-free.
A better value – We know that gluten-free products are expensive. In an effort to make them more affordable for you, we try to give you more for your money. You will find that most Namaste Foods mixes have a significantly higher yield than our competitors’. For instance, all our cake mixes make TWO rounds as opposed to one. (Who ever heard of a one-layer birthday cake anyway?!)
You deserve the best – in customer service. So, we invite and welcome your questions and comments about anything that is important to you. If you contact us, we promise to get back to you promptly and offer you outstanding customer service. In addition, your suggestions for new products are always welcome so we know what to be working on next!
Truly delicious food! - That goes without saying yet bears repeating. We work diligently to try to offer you products that make your mouth water and your face smile!
What does Namaste mean?
Many people ask us what the term "Namaste" means. We will do our best to explain it here.
The word "Namaste" (pronounced "Naa-Maa-Stay") is an ancient Sanskrit word with no literal translation. After many hours reviewing all the different translations, we decided we like this one the best.
"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.

What we thought: We were lucky enough to get to try two items from Namaste Foods, the Waffle and Pancake Mix and Pasta Pisavera. First up, the Waffle and Pancake Mix...Because I tried to make pancakes first thing in the morning one day, I made the mistake of following the waffle directions. Of course in the waffle directions your batter is a little runnier so at first I was kinda sad I had messed it up(we don't have a waffle maker) We decided to proceed with thin pancakes, but to my surprise the end result was almost exactly like a crepe! What a pleasant surprise:) The second batch definitely resembled pancakes, but I kinda liked the thin ones...I never knew I could make crepes:) We really liked the taste of these and the mix was super easy to work with. Even with my mistake, breakfast was a snap to make. Next, we tried the Pasta Pisavera, which is basically garden rotini and a savory blend of Italian seasonings. The package has a list of yummy add-ins and because we had so many on hand we went all out and turned our pasta side dish into an entire meal:) We added tomatoes, black olives, artichokes, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese and oh my!! We finished every last noodle:) Safe to say our family LOVED Namaste Foods and ABCD Diaries gives the Waffle and Pancake Mix and the Pasta Pisavera an A+!! We also give Namaste Foods our Cool For School Seal of Approval for those mornings when your kiddos want pancakes or those evenings when you need a delicious, but quick and easy pasta dish:)

Buy It: You can find Namaste Foods in better health food stores nationwide. Go to their website for a store locator.

Win It: Namaste has generously offered one ABCD Diaries reader a goodie bag of yummy Namaste treats!!! To enter, visit the Namaste Foods and leave a comment below mentioning something you'd like to try.

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Giveaway ends Friday, August 20, 2010 at 11:59cst. Winner will be chosen via random.org and emailed. They will have 48 hours to reply. Open to US residents 18+:)

Disclosure: ABCD Diaries was given Namaste Foods for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone.