I love the New Year. I always feel fresh and rejuvenated after the long winter break. New Year’s is always a time for Resolutions. I hope you have taken “go on a diet” off your list by now! But one that I feel should be on your list is to start taking your vitamins.

I am a huge believer in vitamins because I know that in this day and age, it is really hard to have time to plan and incorporate all the foods you need to keep you healthy every day. Even I feel like I am not able to satisfy all my nutritional needs with the foods I eat. I also know that my kids do not always get all the foods they need in any one day, so I have them take their vitamins too!

One day, about three months after my middle daughter had been diagnosed with her gluten allergy, she was reading the label of her Vitamin C bottle and said to me, “Mommy, these have Gluten in them.” I was so surprised. It never even occurred to me that a vitamin would contain gluten. I was so focused on her food, that I forgot that there were other products that she might come in contact with that had gluten as well.

So we went through the vitamins and now we only buy vitamins that say No Gluten or Gluten-free ON the bottle. Here are seven well-known brands of vitamins that you can locate in most health food stores that do not contain gluten in their products. Always double-check with the manufacturer if you are unsure.

1. Hero Nutritionals Gummy Vitamins
2. Country Life Vitamins
3. Barlean’s Greens
4. NOW Vitamins
5. Bluebonnet Vitamins
6. Pioneer Vitamins
7. Natural Factors Vitamins

Here is a recipe that offers quite a bit of nutrition. The sorghum flour offers protein, fiber and iron. The oat flour and oats have lots of iron and fiber as well. Carob powder and dried fruit are full of Vitamin C, fiber and iron as well. These bars are a great way to start your morning. Make them ahead of time and freeze them. You can eat them on the go and it is a much better choice than a piece of toast or a Pop Tart.

Carob Oat Breakfast Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup Organic Oat Flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup GF certified oats
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 2/3 cups organic light brown sugar
2/3 cup light olive oil
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer
4 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit
2/3 cup carob chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a 11×13-inch baking pan with lightly greased parchment.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a large measuring cup blend olive oil, syrup and vanilla ingredients.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients with a sturdy wooden spoon until you get a sticky batter.Whip the egg replacer ingredients till foamy and frothy
Add the egg replacer to the batter and combine well. The dough should be thick and rather sticky.
2 to 4 tablespoons of warm water, as needed to achieve a dough that sticks together when you pinch it- much like cookie dough.
Now add in raisins or chopped dried fruit and carob chips
Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan, and using wet hands, smooth the surface evenly. Put pan in a preheated oven of 375 degrees for 22 to 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center if firm.
Cool on a wire rack.
Using a thin sharp knife, cut into squares; wrap them in plastic, bag and freeze.
Makes 15 to 18 bars.