Snacking with a Celiac
I vividly remember being taken to the doctor as a five year old, a giant needle being stabbed into my arm, and watching my blood flow out of me. Not only was I forced through this torturous experience, but I was then informed that I had Celiac disease. I, of course, had no idea what that meant, but my parents sure did. I was stripped of all my favorite food. My nice fluffy bread, on which I ate my delectable peanut butter sandwiches, was replaced by a crumbly monstrosity with a bunch of seeds in it. My dad’s classic pancakes, those luscious and airy stacks, were exchanged for dense slabs of half-cooked oat slop. And lastly, pasta. My lovely, precious pasta was replaced by lackluster, tasteless husks of what I used to eat. It was a miserable experience, and many years later I’m still living through it.
However, having this disorder has led me to find some small joys in life. One of which is discovering new gluten free snacks to try. This past week I was charged with finding a gluten free dessert to bring to my cross country team dinner, and it inspired me to create a blog series where I taste test and rate new gluten free snacks. Therefore, for my first blog I will be evaluating the very same gluten free treat that let me to write this: Bobo’s Apple Pie Stuff’d Oat Bites.
Taste- 4/5. Now, as a Celiac, I’ve never really had an Apple Pie. Let alone a good pie crust. But this treat took the pain out of eating the abomination that is gluten free pie crust. The pie filling paired nicely with the oat outside to create a nice bite. However, it didn’t quite have enough of the apple flavor for me to give this category a 5/5.
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Texture- 4.5/5. When I think of something gluten free, the first words that come to mind are crusty and dry. This treat was the opposite of that. It had a nice texture that wasn’t overly moist, but just the right amount. The oats gave the base a slightly grainy texture, however it was far better than eating something that was so smooth to the point of it being slimy. I wish there was a little more apple filling to even out the ratios of the outside and inside, but overall I enjoyed every bite!
Value- 4/5. For this category I am rating the quality/amount of product based on the price. I bought a 6 pack of these at HyVee for $5.99, so it was approximately $1 per treat. Unfortunately, these oat bites felt a little small for the price, but the prices of gluten free treats are always jacked up, so I’ll give it a pass for today.
Satiety- 3/5. Don’t get me wrong: I’m a snacker to my core. However, when I reach for a snack item I want it to satisfy my hunger. This treat did not do that, I probably would’ve eaten the whole pack if there hadn’t been another gluten free girl. These Bobo’s were good, but I most definitely wouldn’t reach for them to satiate my hunger.
Overall- 4/5. Taking everything into account, I give these oat bites a solid four out of five. They were pretty good for a random item I snagged off the shelf, but I wouldn’t say they blew me away. However, if you're looking for a tasty treat to share with your other gluten free friends, I’d give these a try!
