A Quest Bar a day, keeps the doctors away-

     Okay. So perhaps that title is a smidge of an exaggeration, but honestly, when something tastes that good, why should it not be eaten regularly? If the bar was unhealthy or packed full of nasty things, then that may be reason. But Quest have made sure that nasty additives, sugars and poor nutritional facts does not tarnish their reputation of the bars. Perhaps, if they only had one flavour, then pure boredem would drive you away from them. Again, Quest have created over 12 different flavours.

    So, as for my initial statement. Why on earth shouldn't I eat a Quest Bar a day?! With so many flavours, most of which should be considered completely naughty, I'm yet to decide which is my actual favourite.
Chocolate Brownie perhaps? Or Vanilla Almond? What about the brand new Cookies and Cream?

With names like this, surely, surely they must be ridiculously bad for you? There is no way that these could be eaten without guilt?

WRONG!

     With their #treatclean hashtag used across all their social media channels, it appears that everybody can enjoy Quest bars, regardless of diets, whether they are aiming to loose or gain weight, athletes and children alike.
''That's really all it takes to become part of the Quest Team. It doesn't matter what your specific Quest is, just that you have one. So, whether you're trying to lose a beer belly to pick up more chicks, trying to get SHREDDED and lean for a competition, or you're looking to add some lean muscle mass so you can whoop Michael Phelps' ass the next time you see him '' -
quote from their website

    Sweetened with sucralose and stevia (often voted the best and most natural sweeteners) the bars contain no added sugar (absolutely none, zilch) and a staggering 20g of protein, it's hard not to love them just because of the nutritional facts. Dairy free, gluten free. Definitely a keeper in my books.
I've tried several of the flavours and have not been disappointed with any.
Apple Pie, Cinnamon Roll, Peanut Butter Supreme, White Chocolate and Raspberry, hardly things that you would consider 'clean eating'.
Now there are MANY different ways to try a quest bar.

1. You could be bog standard and eat it as it comes, straight from the wrapper.
2. You would try topping it with certain things (peanut buter, jams, yogurt, nut butters, spreads, chocolate) if you knew what was good for you.
3. You could bake it into cookies, pie crusts, bake it into cakes, eceteraaaaa.
4. You should without a doubt try warming it up (it expands and GROWS magically)

   There is a only a certain amount of excitement that you can stand when you open a Quest bar and find that half of it is one, big, chunkfest. Above is a photo of my Cookie Quest Bar and as you can see, half of it was one big chunk. The bar practically bent in half because it was so top heavy.
I was lucky enough to get sent an absolutely monstrous package of enough Quest bars to last me; well I'd say a lifetime, but as we discovered earlier, I enjoy them far too much...GUILTY!

So, as for a review. That was my honest review. I can't fault them. They are becoming more readily available in England as well, at sites like:

www.proteinpickandmix.co.uk       www.cardiffsportsnutrition.co.uk      www.predatornutrition.com

The only downside? There must be one you exclaim.
That they are gone and finished FAR too quickly!!

Lets Spice things up around here with Bim's Kitchen Traditional African Sauces-

    Trying new things is a novelty for me. Something that I've began to re-appreciate and enjoy once again. There is nothing better than trying something truly delicious and genuinely enjoying cooking and eating it. After having restricted my food and the things I ate so much for so long, I think I deserve to treat my body to try things that it wants and to give it proper 'nosh'.
I'm also really busy a lot of the time, so although I prefer to make my own sauces (as well as all the nasties stuck into a lot of jar sauces), finding this small family run business on the internet, their sauces were definitely something I felt I had to have a good crack at.

   Bim's Kitchen is a company created by husband and wife James Bim and Nicola Adedeji, and it creates BEAUTIFUL and interesting own recipe African inspired food products. All products are hand cooked using native ingredients which makes them not only authentic, but unlike anything I've tried before. Things like Baobab fruit, Alligator Pepper, Cubeb Flowers....If you had of mentioned these before I read about them on the website, you may as well have been speaking another language.

   Perfect for vegetarians, vegans and gluten free diets, the condiments, sauces and spices come in a variety of flavours ranging from spicy spicy (unbearable for people like me) to a lot more mild. When I got in touch with James, he kindly sent me tasters of -

1. African Chilli Coconut Rellish
2. African Baobab Chilli Jam
3. Baobab Pepper Jam
4. Peanut Curry Sauce
5. Tomato and Cashew Curry Sauce

I want to give you readers an idea of how 'clean' and straight to the point these recipes are in fact. Take a gander at this minute list of ingredients.

''Main ingredients: onion, coconut, red chilli, garlic, tomato, lemon juice, tamari gluten-free soy sauce, alligator pepper''

Bam. That's it. I used my sauce samples to make a few things,
(Left to right Peanut Curry Crayfish and Sweet Potato, Boabab Pepper Jam Chicken with Homemade Pesto and finally Chilli Coconut marinated Salmon with Crepes).

 http://www.bimskitchen.com              @bimskitchen          https://www.facebook.com/bimskitchen

Nuts N More, and the confessions of a self confessed Peanut Butter addict -

  You only need to take a sneaky peek at my Instagram to quickly discover that I do have a SLIGHT peanut butter and nut butter addiction. I will literally try and top/incorporate it into most meals/snacks/flex-bowls that I make. I love how great it is for people like me who are trying to gain weight and lean muscle mass in a healthy way. Having gone from loving is as a child, to strictly restricting and then completely cutting it out of my diet when I was at the height of my illness, I feel that now it's back to stay! Nut butters take up a good majority of my store cupboard at university, with a grand total of 11 jars of different types (and I have no plans to stop this growing collection any time soon! No way hoosay!)I have also been known to try and convince my university lecturers (with quite a lot of persistence mind you) to try my favourite of, peanut butter and cinnamon topped on a fluffy sweet potato. 

OGNSJDGNFJGNfd talk about absolute and utter perfection in your mouth.
So having seen the fitness world marvelling over Nuts'N'More nut butters, I felt obliged to jump on the band wagon.

   I decided, to save myself the hassle by combining two more of my favourite flavours and tastes when buying this; so got the Pumpkin Spice flavour. It tastes, like Christmas in a jar. With spicy, warm cinnamon and that kick of pumpkin, alongside the creamy peanut butter consistency, it's exactly what you would expect from a high quality nut butter! Lush.
The good thing about these peanut butter, is there is no added sugar and instead they use xylitiol, maple extract and natural plant sugars to sweeten. Also, they are PACKED and I mean jam PACKED full of protein, with 14g per serving! 

    The only downside? They are reasonably pricey coming in at nearly £8 per jar and can only be bought online. I've been know that Nuts'N'More have a variety of other flavours, to torture my student loan with and I've been strongly advised to try the almond butter cinnamon raisin, and the new toffee crunch flavours. Genius? Whoever thought of combining peanut butter, with sweet flavours, was a blinking genius!
For a treat, it's a definite go to, unless like me, and you'd be likely to devour the entire pot in one sitting if you could.

  www.proteinpickandmix.co.uk        www.cardiffsportsnutrition.co.uk     www.nuts-n-more.co.uk

xxx

Alice and Oscar's Quniola-

  Quinoa. What a peculiar thing it is. Looks like sand. Has a somewhat un-pronounceable name and causes so much confusion in shops when you ask for it!

Not to mention, my computer does not like it when I attempt to spell it.

    Up until a week or so ago, I'd never tried the stuff. I'd always seen it advertised as a SUPERFOOD; high in protein, gluten free, low GI, fibre, tasty and great as a side dish. The works really! However, I was always a smidge nervous. Especially at the beginning of my recovery when I was terrified of over eating or was insistent on weighing out precise serving sizes. Plus, I didn't know how to cook the stuff. Was it like rice that went to stodge when overcooked or broke your teeth and choked you if not left long enough?

All in all, quinoa was a mystery. 

But I was determined to try it and so I found Altiplans Express, Alice and Oscar's Quinola sachets. Not only had I never seen portioned sachets in the UK, but I'd never seen Pearl Quinoa, Red Quinoa or Black Quinoa!

    

 Well, I certainly was worrying about nothing all along! It's tasty and these sachets made portion control and actually making the quinoa really simple! I cut open the top and popped them into the microwave for two minutes and BISH BASH BOSH, they were ready to go.
I think that's the main reason that I liked it! Because it was really easy and useful when I was busy; I used it in a salad one day and then the other, used it as a side for some chicken with feta and roasted peppers.

    I think I'll start getting quinoa more often. The fact that is is so packed full of protein, and nutritionally balanced makes it really great for refuelling after training and it's perfectly wholesome and clean! Not to mention the fact that it is Fairtrade!
You can buy this brand online and it's currently available in a lot of stores in Ireland!!

http://altiplans.com/    @QuinolaUK   www.facebook.com/pages/Quinola

Lets Graze the days away-

    It probably doesn't come as a big shock to you that I find it hard to make simple decisions.

Whether it's buying a new perfume, deciding how to cook a sweet potato or which colour pen to bring to my lectures, I am incredibly indecisive!

I know I am not alone and there are PLENTY of people out there who really struggle to come to a conclusion or to decide on one thing.
So the very idea of a box of healthy snacks by which I have to pick and choose what I want to eat from it, my send my brain into turmoil and meltdown. The very thought of picking between this or that, gosh, the amount of pressure it could cause could end up in a very very angry Adele.
However, I don't know whether it was because the box is so damn cute and presented in such a user friendly way, or the fact that the things that came are so damn tasty, but I have had no problem with Graze Boxes.

   Hardly a 'new' product/concept to the market, Graze are evidently leading the way in providing people with naturally healthy 'lunchboxes' of snacks all health beneficial in some way, shape or form!
They put together a bespoke box of goodies for me and I was not disappointed.

     After filling in my likes dislikes online (this admittedly took me quite a long time due to my brains natural inability to overcomplicate and debate decisions to a ridiculous extent), all I did was literally sit back and wait. Two days later (excuse the shoddy lighting) and my box arrived!

- Applewood Smoke Beef Jerky, Popping corn, a Pear Tatin Berry Mix and Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Now, many of you may be saying, HOW is all of this healthy? HOW is this possible? HOW can I get my hands on some?!

     Well, I don't know the answer to the first two. It just is. Plain and simple. I have tried the jerky and the popping corn and it is safe to say that they are as tasty as they promise.

    Plus, the packaging is adorable. Who else gives you a tiny napkin and wooden spoon to enjoy your snacks on the go!? How very thoughtful.

On the website, you can find all the nutritional information (honest and healthy!) as well as being able to opt for certain things in your next boxes. They also do boxes for children now too and breakfast pots. 

It looks like Graze are not only setting the trends in this particular market, but also leading the way!

It is fairly expensive to be fair, and I don't think I would sign up to receive the snacks weekly on my student budget, but as a one off treat, I think they are a really good idea and so much better than reaching for other unhealthy and processed snacks.

graze.com/uk   facebook.com/grazeuk   @grazedotcom

Pulsin' & Beond Organic Bites - Beyond yummy?

    Sorry for the awful pun in the heading. I couldn't think of another way to make it sound interesting.
So I should probably just crack on with my little review.
-Cough Cough-

      When I emailed Pulsin' enquiring about their bars, I didn't expect them to send me a little trove of goodies. In my little parcel, was a stash of Beond Organic apple and cinnamon bite size bars, blueberry bars, a raw chocolate brownie and a vanilla chocolate chip raw bar. Now, I've said before that I DON'T follow a strictly raw eating diet/vegan and I don't really think that it is something that I want to do in the future, however I don't mind trying products when they are as yummy as this!

    The bite sized bars tasted like fruit and were perfect crumbled over yogurt, or slightly warmed on their own. I prefered the apple cinnamon flavour, simply because I am a self confessed cinnam-aniac and apples are simply divine, however both were really nice! Lets just say that the list of ingredients is pretty damn impressive too (No hefty list of rubbish, added sugars and flavourings here, no way hoosay!) Plus, they are vegan, dairy free, soy free, gluten free and of course as the name suggests, 100% Raw.

Ingredients -
Raw Dates*,Raw Almonds*,Raw Agave Nectar*,Raw Apple* (7%),Raw Raisins* (5%),Raw Cinnamon Powder* (0.8%),Natural Apple Flavour, (*Organic

    I think that list deserves praise in itself!
Then, the protein bars, which 'Pulsin' claim are to rival a chocolate bar. Personally, I preferred the raw chocolate brownie flavour which is definitely a lot healthier than it sounds! Again, it's ingredients are impeccable, 'Dates, Raisins (14%), Cashew Butter, Almonds (10%), Raw Cacao (10%), Brown Rice Powder, Brown Rice Malt, Cacao Butter (4%), Sea Salt, Green Tea Extract' and my insides felt like they were glowing after eating them! Some people have said that they don't like the bars and found they tasted plasticy, but I would like to reassure you that a) this was far from the truth for meb) the bars are more natural tasting than a lot of things I have tried) they are packed with protein, vitamins and completely nutritiously balanced!

   All in all, a glowing report for a little company that has a lot to offer! On to bigger and better things for these guys for certain.

www.pulsin.co.uk         @pulsinandbeond     www.facebook.com/pulsinandbeond

'Nom'; The name says it all -

    To be fair, when I got asked to write a mini testimonial for Nom Bars, I had no idea what a testimonial was. Heck.  I had to ask around to find out (talk about embarrassing).When I finally found out what it was, I decided to give this brilliant small company the best dang testimonial that I possibly could!  

Then a week or so ago, I received a package. The girls at Nom had told me to expect a lovely little surprise, and that I was. Not only was I surprised with one of their origional bars (that I had found it so hard in the past to source), but also 2 day passes to The Natural Food Show in Olympia! This shows that the company really go above and beyond for everybody they talk to!

   
   I think I should start with how lovely the staff are first. I don’t like to call them staff, as I see them more as friends and people who I can talk to openly and without worrying that I will get a stuffy and very generic response. I recently contacted them with a query and a problem that is close to my heart and they were not only supportive but extremely encouraging and made me feel 100% better even though they could not help me directly. This alone speaks wonders for the company. They may be small, but their ‘heart’ is large, sort of speak.
   Secondly, I have to admit that when writing the testimonial, I have never had chance to find or try the bars. Despite the fact that I was desperate to, I hadn't had chance to, but it was always on the top of my todo list! They sounded absolutely divine and I loved the idea of how natural, organic and honest they are. Free from dairy, refined sugars and absolutely stuffed full of superfoods, the flavours are tempting and yummy!
NOM stands for 'Naturally Organic Matters' (clever right?).
If food could tell no lies, this bar would be one of them! What nasty things could it possibly lie about?! All natural and real ingredients, as well as being completely nutritionally balanced and healthy, I had always been told they were ridiculously tasty too! Is there anything that these bars do wrong?!

I think that although I hadn't tried them, Nom had helped me more than many can imagine. As you all know, I am recovering from an eating disorder and now completely focused on getting better and regaining control as well as increasing the exercise that I do again. After talking to the people at NOM months ago, I decided that I wanted to start challenging myself and my demons that my eating disorder created.
Now, I have not only started trying more foods and genuinely enjoying them,  but I have also stopped seeing food as something that has to be earned and is much rather fuel for the body.You wouldn’t run a car on cheap, nasty petrol that could damage the engine, why do that to my body?!

  @nom_foods              http://www.nomfoods.co.uk/                 www.facebook.com/nomfoods

Great 'Protein Balls of Fire'; a protein overload

     Bread and pasta as with many anorexics, became EXTREME fear foods. I seldom touched them and tried to eliminate them from my diet.
   I still find that they are a challenge nowadays, but with pasta in particular , I've realised that I shouldn't fear foods and instead learn that everything should be considered healthy and normal.
Bread on the other hand, I have huge problems with. It repeats on me and sends my stomach into turmoil, so I rarely eat it and if I have to, I choose pita breads because I find that they 'attack' my tummy less.
Anyway, a few weeks ago, DR Zak's sent me a loaf and some of their protein pasta to try.

The first thing I should mention is WARNING THIS STUFF IS NOT LOW CALORIE IN THE SLIGHTEST, NOR IS IT SOMETHING PEOPLE SHOULD USE SIMPLY INSTEAD OF NORMAL PASTA!
The 'DR' himself, even says that it is  'specially developed to help athletes build and maintain muscle as part of a healthy training programme.' 

At a whooping 30g protein for 2 slices of bread though, it is definitely suitable for people, who like me, are trying to gain muscle/mass/increase their exercise levels.
I also have to admit, that I am not overly fond of the pasta. It does exactly what it says on the tin (well, pouch) in that it fills you up. To the point where I thought I was going to explode and pasta come out of my ears. Also, it tastes quite rubbery and definitely not like pasta should. 
The bread on the other hand surprised me. It really is quite delicious. I was dubious due to my past bread 'woes', but it is soft, quite sweet and tastes like nice, good quality bread. Plus, it didn't repeat on me. WINNER! I've used it as a base for BBQ Chicken, oregano and mushroom 'Pizza' below and toasted with cinnamon to make a sweeter bread.
The price is not for the faint hearted though and I possibly won't be buying it again; not with my student budget. The bread starts at £4.50 a loaf, and the pasta, £4.70 for 400g. Wowzers.

http://www.dr-zaks.com/

Then, I got some balls. Not literally of course, but Bounce Protein Ball bites. Now, I've only tried the Coconut and Macadamia one of these so far, but THERE ARE DIVINE!

- Post workout snack?   Check

- Gluten Free?               Check

- Natural Ingredients?   Check

- Full of Protein?          Check

They come in a variety of delicious super-food flavours and I am one keen bean to get the ball rolling (pun intended) and to try the other flavours of these pronto! 

                     www.bouncefoods.com/uk                   @BouncBallsUK

                                                                     xxx

TREK Protein Flapjacks & NAKD Infused Raisins-

      In keeping with my 'Challenge A Day' hashtag on twitter, I am trying to try products that my eating disorder would have once screamed a big fat no to. Not only do I feel that it will make me stronger, give my taste-buds a chance to try new things and break down stupid myths and food fads that I created, but I also think that it could potentially inspire others to be brave.
    Last week, the lovely folk at TREK and NAKD sent me a little parcel with some TREK protein flapjacks and infused raisins to try. In the past, the prospect of a flapjack would have frightened me, but these are completely nutritionally balanced, natural, gluten-free and packed with a punch of protein! Perfect for a post-workout refuelling snack. Not to mention that despite my worries, this was pretty tasty! A lot better than I expected. I was expecting a 'fake' chemical taste that you can sometimes get with some flapjacks and protein bars, but this was soft, chewy and you could taste the natural flavourings. It really did taste of bananas and was exceptionally moist, like proper banana bread should be!

    In terms of macros (for those who count) it was fairly balanced, with a good proportion of carbs to protein and healthy fats.
   I'm not going to lie, I wasn't a massive fan of the cherry raisins. I found that they tasted too much like sweets/cough sweets or those artificial juice cartons that you used to get at school discos. BUT on the plus side, this is personal opinion, as my friend loved them when she tried them, and since I have tried the pineapple flavour and they were delicious!
I think the raisins are a big step alone. I used to limit myself to precisely five raisins on my breakfast in the morning and was completely infatuated with the fact of how 'sugary' dried fruit was. Since then, I've come to love goji berries, dates, raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries and they are a brilliant way of gaining weight using natural and somewhat healthy foods!
A little sweetness nevery killed anybody!!
    I've seen that you can buy the raisins at most leading supermarkets, Holland and Barretts and the Protein Flapjack, I have seen in Sainsburys! Also, they come from the same folk who do NAKD bars, so I highly recommend that you check them out!!

             @nakd                     www.eatnakd.com           treehouse@naturalbalancefoods.co.uk

Frank Bars-

''TO BE FRANK, WE’RE ALL ABOUT NATURAL, HONEST INGREDIENTS. WE CREATE REAL, HEALTHY SNACKS WITHOUT COMPROMISING TASTE.'' 

It's refreshing to find a brand and company that is so genuinely honest about their products! I don't follow a strict clean eating diet, but I do like to fuel my body with nutritious and healthy foods as I find that it responds better to them! Plus, lets be fair, they taste SOOOO much better!

Gluten free, egg free, wheat free, nut free, dairy free, their bars are made from coconut cream chocolate and 100% natural fruits and ingredients. Looking at the ingredients, ALL of them are natural, proper foods.
The chocolate orange flavour was absolutely bliss and most definitely my favourite! I love to chop them up and throw them over greek yogurt or to melt slightly over fruit!
Eating healthily doesn't have to be boring!

I was so honoured to receive some of the bars when I told the company how much I wanted to try their bars and told them about my story. The people who work there are genuinely lovely. Really, they are! They wished me the best of luck in recovery and wanted me to give them updates as to how I was doing! It's not often a company is so considerate about their customers.

The only problem, is that you can't get these bars easily. You have to visit one of the few stockists or order only from Ocado, but I've been ensured that this will soon be changing and that as the company grows, so will the number of places you can get it from!

https://www.facebook.com/frankhonestsnacking     http://www.thefrankfoodcompany.com/     @FrankBars

Rather NAKD and over exposed-

    A few weeks ago, a lovely brown parcel arrived in my letterbox and I think it’s safe to say that, my goodness I am a lucky duck! This time it was from NAKD bars and natural foods! So many colours and of course I had to pull a ridiculous face.

HOW CAN SOMETHING SO TASTY BE SO GOOD FOR YOU!

So far out of this little bundle I’ve tried the Cocoa flavour, Cocoa Orange, Berry Crunch, Rhubarb & Custard and the Mint Chocolate.

NAKD pride themselves on being all natural, wheat, dairy and gluten free; there are no hidden nasties in their products, with only nuts, cocoa, agave and fruits going into making the bars. I love how suitable they are for anybody following any diet! I don't follow a clean eating diet as of such, but the fact that there is nothing artificial in these bars is not only reassuring but makes them so much more appealing, Normally, I HATE nuts, however in these bars, there are no huge chunks of nuts and no overpowering taste.Plus, the fact that they are super tasty (the orange cocoa one, tastes like Terry’s chocolate orange…just putting that out there) make them an ideal post workout/pre workout or just general snack!

Not to mention that the people at NAKD are absolutely lovely and super friendly.
They are just a generally all round ‘nice’ group of people!

https://twitter.com/nakd         www.eatnakd.com