"The Benefits of Private Label Manufacturing for Your Bakery"
"The Benefits of Private Label Manufacturing for Your Bakery"
For bakery businesses looking to build brand recognition and increase customer loyalty, private label manufacturing is a powerful tool to consider. By partnering with a private label manufacturer, you can create products that are uniquely yours and stand out from the competition.
One of the most significant benefits of private label manufacturing for bakeries is the level of control it provides over the production process. You get to decide on the ingredients, packaging, and labeling, making it easier to maintain quality and consistency in your products. This can translate to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty, as they know exactly what to expect from your brand every time they make a purchase.
Additionally, private label manufacturing can help save costs for your bakery business. Outsourcing the manufacturing process frees up resources that can be used to improve other areas of your business, such as marketing and customer service. By doing so, you can focus on building your brand and reputation, while still delivering high-quality products to customers.
Overall, private label manufacturing is a powerful tool for bakeries looking to stand out in a crowded market. It helps build brand recognition, customer loyalty, and provides more control over the production process to ensure consistent quality. By partnering with a reputable private label manufacturer, you can create unique products that meet the needs and preferences of your target market.
"The Importance of GMP Certification in a Bakery Manufacturing Facility"
"The Importance of GMP Certification in a Bakery Manufacturing Facility"
"Maximizing Your Bakery's Potential with Co-Packing Manufacturing"
"Maximizing Your Bakery's Potential with Co-Packing Manufacturing"
"Why Choose a Sugar-Free Bakery for Your Business"
"Why Choose a Sugar-Free Bakery for Your Business""Why Choose a Sugar-Free Bakery for Your Business"
How to Plan the Ultimate Girl's Night In (with Gluten-Free Snacks!)
I’m a big fan of girl’s night! After a busy day filled with family obligations and work responsibilities, nothing sounds grander than an evening in with my gal pals, watching The Bachelor or treating ourselves to a delicious array of goodies!
One of my favorite types of parties to host is a Favorite Things party. Everyone brings a few of their favorite products which are traded around or drawn in a raffle, and then everyone gets to leave with several new products to try!
Here’s how to throw a Favorite Things party:
- Choose a theme. Around Christmas time, I think it’s fun to choose a holiday dessert theme where everyone brings their favorite holiday treat. But for Galentine’s, I love for the theme to be something like "Treat Yourself" where the products can be beauty-related, desserts, fashion accessories, or candles!
- Decide on a price limit and item quantity. This is really what makes the party unique. You can completely customize your Favorite Things requirements to suit the group! Generally, the more people that are coming, the higher the number of items brought should be, and therefore, the lower the price limit per item. I’ve done parties where everyone brings just one or two favorite things with a $15-$25 spending limit and parties where everyone brings five of the same favorite product, but with a lower price limit like $5, which works better for larger groups.
- When everyone arrives, display their offerings on a table. You can decide whether people will take turns choosing a gift or if you’ll have people enter a raffle for each type of product. As you mingle and hang out together, people can be eyeing the offerings on the Favorite Things table and talking about why they brought what, and why it’s their favorite.
Ideally, this type of party works best if everyone brings multiple of the same item, but if you want everyone to bring a variety of their favorite products, that works too! It just increases the variety of things people will get to take home.
Of course, no party is complete without something to attend to all five senses!
Touch — your Favorite Things activity element of the party is what constitutes the touch sense of the party.
Hear — make sure you’ve got some tunes playing throughout the evening, whether it’s top 40 hits or some epic dance party music!
Smell — light a candle or two around the party area to keep things fresh and calming!
See — don’t forget to decorate the place with whatever decor you have on hand for a party atmosphere for your gal pals.
Taste — and last but not least, the most important sense (to me and most of my friends): taste. What are you serving at your party? I like to keep things inclusive to the various catered diets of my friends with gluten-free treats. Here are some of the popular girls night treats I serve on repeat:
- A charcuterie board or spread with plenty of gluten-free crackers, nuts, cheese, fruits, and deli meats
- Fancy popcorn with fruits and nuts and drizzled with white and dark chocolate
- A yogurt bar with toppings galore to choose from to make your own parfait bowl
- Of course, I’ve got lots of tasty options from NUM like our Strawberry Cheesecake Brownie, our Red Velvet Brookies, and these delicious new Cinnabars!
- I love to top it all off with a fancy drink of some sort, like the gourmet sodas and Italian cream sodas we serve at the shop!
What are you waiting for? It’s time to get started planning your next Girls Night in, and make sure you don’t forget the tasty treats!
Keto-Friendly Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
Starting Keto is a huge commitment. You’re shifting your diet and even how you think about food to get your body into ketosis to start burning fat. Just getting into ketosis alone requires a huge increase in your attentiveness to what you’re eating and the types of calories you’re ingesting.
I’ve done Keto off and on for several years now and I’m really good at it! Now that I’ve expanded my repertoire of meals to prepare and snacks to satisfy my hunger that are all keto-friendly, it really isn’t that big of a change for me to start a Keto lifestyle, with one exception: desserts.
As you may know, a Keto diet is most successful when you’re in ketosis, which means you have to be consuming so few carbs that your body and metabolism must turn to fat to burn for energy, rather than carbs. This severely limits the number of mainstream dessert products you can have. It’s also the whole basis behind starting NUM!
Today I wanted to share some of my favorite ways to satisfy your sweet tooth on Keto without throwing your body out of ketosis by eating sugary, carb-heavy treats.
Homemade Dessert Recipes
Pinterest is a wealth of resources and knowledge on virtually any topic, but recipes abound on that virtual pinboard! If you search for “keto-friendly” followed by nearly any recipe or dish, you’ll likely find a great option to include on your weekly menu while you’re on Keto.
Keto-friendly desserts are no exception. Cheesecakes are especially easy to cater to Keto since you can load them with cream cheese and butter, which are both high in fat and great for a Keto diet. You’ll also find lots of options for baked goods and frostings that use almond flour, coconut flour, erythritol and other sugar substitutes, and lots and lots of butter.
It’s totally not impossible to make homemade keto-friendly desserts, but it does require a hefty investment in keto-friendly baking products. It’s kind of expensive to overhaul your pantry to cater to your new diet!
Fat Bombs
Another staple on the Keto diet is fat bombs. Fat bombs contain tons of fat (usually from butter, peanut butter, or cream cheese as the base) and are great for ramping up your fat levels if needed at the end of the day. The majority of fat bomb recipes are for dessert-inspired bombs, like red velvet cheesecake, cookie dough, or brownie flavors. These are a great go-to if you’re looking for dessert that still serves your fat goals for the day.
Keto Ice Cream
There are some amazing package keto dessert products sold in grocery stores, like keto ice cream. I love the Rebel brand and love the fact that they list the carb count right on the front of the packaging in a big, easy-to-see font. Also, their net carbs are calculated by the entire container, not just a serving, so you can rest easy knowing you’re not going to throw off your carb count for the day just by indulging in some delicious ice cream!
NUM’s offerings
As I’ve said before, I’ve been doing Keto for a while and I understand the commitment and investment required in order to be successful. I learned quickly that I’d have the most success by starting strong and allowing myself balance in the number of treats I was consuming. I’ve never done well with giving up a craving cold-turkey, so knowing I could create delicious, keto-friendly desserts to satisfy my sweet tooth while on the Keto diet has made all the difference.
I started NUM Gourmet Desserts to produce these treats in bulk for those who don’t want to commit to the time required to perfect a Keto-friendly baked good, or the financial investment required in overhauling your pantry to be stocked with Keto-compliant ingredients.
In our online shop, we list the net carb count right in the item description so you can see how our desserts align with your Keto goals. If you’re looking for a new dessert to try, some of my favorite products are:
- Our sprinkle-topped Sugar Cookies
- These delightful German Chocolate Brownies
- Our Peanut Butter Hazelnut Cookies
- The ultimate dessert combo — our Red Velvet Brookies
- And these Double Chocolate Cookies
Are you in the midst of your own Keto journey? Give these sweet treats a try! Place your order today while they’re in stock!
How to Ease Yourself Off of Keto Using Num Gourmet Desserts
If you’re ready to stop the Keto diet, Num Gourmet can satisfy your sweet cravings at every step of your healthy eating journey. Whether you've reached your goal weight, stopped following the food restrictions, or you just want to try something different. Whatever your reasons for wanting to stop, Num gourmet has plenty of menu items to make your transition smoother.
Our 8 Favorite Gluten-Free Springtime Sweets
Easter is just around the corner and celebrating with friends and family of course comes with treats and delicious food. We love having a traditional Sunday Best-type home-cooked meal on Easter Sunday, but considering my gluten and sugar intake preferences, in years past, we've skipped any sort of dessert. But not this year!
You don't have to skip dessert either this spring, whether you're celebrating St. Patrick's Day, Easter, or even on into Memorial Day! Ditch the limiting mindset where dessert isn't allowed and instead opt for a low-carb, keto- and gluten-friendly option from our array of delicious treats!
Here are some of our favorite springtime snacks and treats to fill up your Easter baskets:
Girl Scout Samoa Cookie
Jet off to the island life with this flavorful keto-friendly cookie! Topped with chocolate glaze, coconut, and caramel, this cookie is the perfect addition to your spread of springtime desserts whether you're celebrating with a nutrition-aware crowd or enjoying time by yourself.
Flavored Lemonade
Did you know we offer curbside pick-up for a variety of delicious drinks? Try one of our flavored lemonades this spring as the weather warms up and you're looking for a refreshing form of relief from the heat! We offer three variations of lemonades to suit your fancy: raspberry, strawberry, or blueberry.
Funfetti Sprinkle Cookies
One of our most popular offerings, our Funfetti Cookies are sure to be a hit! Filled to the brim with sprinkles and fun, Funfetti Cookies are a great party contribution or celebratory Easter egg hunt prize! The cream cheese base in this cookie makes sure they're flavorful, soft, and, of course, keto-friendly.
Keto Cinnamon Granola
Our recipe for keto-friendly granola has been a hit for years. We were so glad to find a recipe that word for us because we are big-time granola snackers in my house! The cinnamon adds a flavorful touch that makes this a perfect take-along snack for a springtime picnic or appetizing party centerpiece (and the aroma adds to the ambiance, too!).
White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
I love including white chocolate chips in my cookies because they're just a touch more sophisticated than chocolate chocolate, in my opinion. The raspberry-white chocolate combo of this delicious cookie is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. The best part? They're only 2 grams net carbs each!
Pina Colada Italian Cream Soda
My favorite Italian Cream Soda on our menu is the Pina Colada! Let us whip you up your own to take on the road the next time you drive by! It's the perfect springtime sip.
Snickerdoodle Cookie
Celebrating the Easter holidays with family is made all the more nostalgic when you bring the ultimate Grandma cookie in a gluten-free form — Snickerdoodles. These cookies are keto-friendly and oodles of fun! They're soft, chewy, and covered in a cinnamon mixture that includes our signature sweetener blend (and they're only 1 gram net carbs each!).
Birthday Donut
Top your springtime snacking with this fun, keto-friendly donut! Our vanilla cream cheese frosting and sugar-free sprinkles in a fun pastel color scheme make this donut totally spring-ready and eager to please. Try it today!
We can't wait for you to try all of our delectable springtime snacks! Stop by our shop to browse the selection in person, if you're local to Logan, Utah, and if you're not, don't fret! We'll ship to you! Check out our full shop here.
The Mental and Emotional Benefits of Treating Yourself
When was the last time you truly treated yourself?
Maybe you were out for a nice dinner with friends and decided to order the chocolate fudge brownie, drizzled with chocolate sauce, and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Or maybe you bought yourself a new top you've been eyeing, because you had a long week! Whatever example you’re thinking of, it probably made you feel pretty good, right? Have you ever wondered why it felt good? Whether you decided to treat yourself on a whim or you planned it as a reward for finally cleaning out the storage room, the answer for both cases is the same. Dopamine.
What is dopamine?
Dopamine is a neurochemical that your brain releases when you have a pleasurable experience - such as eating foods you crave or finishing a big project. It’s natural to crave chocolate or pickles (or whatever your jam is!) and you shouldn’t feel bad about it because treating yourself benefits both your mental and emotional health.
Dopamine does more than just make you feel good. This neurochemical is a busy messenger inside your brain, responsible for things like improving your mood, your motivation, your ability to pay attention and process new information, as well as regulating your emotional responses.
How does dopamine affect our mental health?
You’ve probably heard about the mice in a cage with two buttons. One button does nothing while the other releases a treat. The mice will repeatedly press the button with the treat because each time they eat it, their brains release dopamine, which makes them feel good. This process creates a positive feedback loop, motivating them to push the button again, and again, to keep getting the reward to maintain the good feeling. That process works the same for humans. Giving yourself a reward or a treat for accomplishing a task, not only motivates you to get the job done, but it gives your brain satisfaction.
While rewards are useful to reinforce good behavior, they suggest you must do something to earn it, such as complete a task, or obey rules, etc. This is good if you want to boost your motivation to make a change or improvement in your life, but you should also treat yourself “just because”. Treating yourself without conditions releases dopamine without the pressure and guilt often associated with “rewards”.
The health benefits of treating yourself
Treating yourself is a key component of self-care which means taking care of both your mind and body. One pillar of self-care is prioritizing sleep. Allowing yourself to get enough rest boosts dopamine production in your brain. So go ahead, treat yourself to a sleep-in once in a while, or a reverse sleep-in (aka going to bed earlier).
Another way to treat yourself daily is to give yourself frequent breaks from your work. Take ten minutes in between chores or customers to walk around, stretch, or just change your scenery. It will boost your mood, lower your stress, and boost your dopamine production. Breaks are also proven to increase productivity, an indirect reward to yourself or your boss.
If treating yourself includes food cravings, avoid processed foods, sugar, and caffeine. These factors contribute to lowering your body’s natural dopamine production. Cutting those ingredients back will have the ripple effect of improving your mood, attention span, and overall well being.
You can still treat yourself to your sweet food cravings without giving in to processed foods or high sugar levels. Try baking from scratch and substituting sugar alternatives. Or even better, order from us! We know a thing or two about baking delicious desserts packed with flavor while being low in sugar or sugar-free.
Treat yourself - but do it right!
So now you know that there is a reason for your late night cookie cravings and that indulging those cravings actually has benefits to your mental and emotional health. The key is to balance your cravings with satisfying options that are also healthy for you. So go ahead and treat yourself - and if you need help, we’re here for you! (See our menu here)
You Don't Have to Skip Dessert on Keto!
Sticking to the Keto lifestyle requires some will power and sacrifice. The good news is that it pays off in the form of shedding some extra pounds, but it's hard to commit knowing you'll be missing out on some of your favorite treats!
If you're a treat-eater like me, it might be hard to go for long periods of time without some sort of dessert like you're used to. However, I've learned from my own Keto journey that there are plenty of desserts you can have that satisfy that craving and allow you to maintain a lifestyle closer to what you're used to without losing your body's ability to burn fat in ketosis! (In fact, that's the whole reason I started this business!)
Keep reading to learn the basics of dessert-ing on keto and what your dessert options look like when you're going no sugar, low carb for an extended period of time.
The whole point of keto is to severely limit your carb intake so your body switches to start burning fat instead of carbs for fuel or energy. That whole goal can be completely disrupted by giving into the temptation of a regular treat just once, and it would completely wreck your progress (and you probably wouldn't feel very good if your body had been adjusted to the keto lifestyle for a while!).
Alternatively, there are several forms of "dessert" you can consider to still treat yourself without compromising your efforts to stay in ketosis:
Start with the special occasion snacks
While keto is pretty strict about no fruits (too much sugar = too many carbs!), there are some that are okay on occasion because they have the lowest net carbs, like raspberries and blueberries. You can treat including these rare treats in your diet at the end of the the day as a dessert of sorts.
Whipping up some heavy cream is also completely keto-approved, and it makes a good addition to top off a keto waffle or some fruit for an added dessert appeal, even if it's not as sweet as normal whipped cream (can you believe how much sugar we intake on a day-to-day basis as part of a normal diet!?)
Don't sleep on the fat bombs
Fat bombs are a great way to keep your macros in balance and stick to the low carb, high-fat diet and still treat yourself without compromising your efforts to get into ketosis. You can find recipes for both dessert + savory fat bombs all over Pinterest, and they're pretty fancy! Some of my favorite dessert-type fat bombs are peanut butter cup, cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing, red velvet with cream cheese icing, fudge browning, and cookie dough.
While my favorite is cookie dough, they're all by far a much better way to end your day than a high-carb sugary treat, especially when you're committed to keto.
Buy ready-made keto-friendly treats
As I mentioned, my desire for treats on my keto journey is what started this whole business. I loved the idea of still getting to treasure my donuts, brownies, and cookies without it pushing me out of ketosis and compromising my efforts to eat low carb.
You can buy all kinds of keto-friendly manufactured treats at most grocery stores these days, and it's wonderful to have some things ready-to-go. If you're in the market, all our products on this site are keto-friendly, with the net carbs listed on the product listing for you to reference as you're planning your daily intake.
Some of our products, like our funfetti cookie, are even just 1 net carb!
Keto doesn't have to mean the end of treating yourself or saying goodbye to delicious cookies, brownies, and donuts for the length of time you're committing to the keto lifestyle. Check out all our delicious keto-friendly products in our shop today!
Gourmet Gluten-Free Desserts You Need Now
Eating gluten-free, whether it’s due to gluten allergies or you’re doing it for other reasons, can seem a little overwhelming at times but I promise it gets easier and can even be fun! Here are a couple of my favorite *Pinterest* Gluten-Free recipes that you HAVE to try right away!
Six Tips to Beat the Keto Flu
What is the Keto Flu?
When you start the keto diet, your body will essentially be in a state of withdrawal from carbohydrates, and many people react with a variety of symptoms, depending on the person and their rate of metabolism.
Some possible symptoms of the Keto-flu include: nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, headache, irritability, weakness, muscle cramps, dizziness, poor concentration, stomach pain, difficulty sleeping, and sugar cravings.
The good news is not everyone experiences these symptoms, and if they do, it’s usually a few of them - not the whole list! In any case, none of these symptoms are enjoyable, which is why we’ve prepared six tips for you to overcome these symptoms and get on to enjoying your life and everyday eating.
Here are six tips to beat the Keto-flu:
- Stay hydrated - When you cut carbohydrates out of your diet, your body loses a lot of water in the process. Hydration can cause muscle tension, headaches, nausea, and drowsiness. Make it easy on yourself to stay hydrated and keep a bottle or glass of water nearby throughout your day, or set a timer to remind you to drink more.
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Add electrolytes - As your body loses water, it also loses important electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. You can regain many of these electrolytes by incorporating more of certain foods into your diet, especially at the beginning. Eating plenty of leafy, dark green vegetables, like kale and spinach will provide you with potassium, calcium and magnesium. Other good foods include hard cheese, broccoli and salmon (calcium), avocados, mushrooms and dark chocolate - did someone say salted caramel turtle brownie from Num Gourmet? - (potassium), and nuts and seeds (magnesium).
An easy way to regain healthy levels of sodium is to add a bit of raw salt to your food or your water. Himalayan Pink salt works great, but with any variety you choose, just remember that the less refined it is, the better for you it will be. Balancing your electrolytes will help relieve muscle tension, dizziness, and nausea.
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Eat Num Gourmet desserts - No, really! Sugar cravings are a real thing, and a hard obstacle for many to overcome when starting the Keto-diet. You can combat your cravings with our sugar-free, low-carb desserts, including cookies, brownies, and donuts. Staying full and eating more of the foods that are in line with the Keto-diet can also help to combat irritability, poor concentration, and the overall sense of weakness. Keep these treats on hand to keep your diet on track + keep you fuller for longer. Check out our Keto friendly menu here. (PS - we ship across the US)
- Light exercise - Moving your body can also help combat many symptoms of the Keto flu. A morning walk around your neighbourhood or light yoga and stretching are good examples of light exercise. Not only does being active physically help your body adjust, it also has a positive impact on your mental health too.
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Prioritize sleep - Some people have trouble sleeping when first starting the Keto diet, so making sleep your priority can both help you power through the Keto Flu stage and help your overall health in the long-run. If you have trouble sleeping, try having a bath before bedtime, and toss some Epsom salt into the water. Epsom salts help release tension in muscles, allowing your body to relax easier. You can also try a short meditation session, journaling, or listening to music that calms you, before going to bed.
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Pace Yourself - Starting anything is hard. Especially a new diet. Start gradually, monitor how you’re feeling, and follow these tips to help make your progress smoother. And most importantly, show yourself some grace.
You can do this!
