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

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

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