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!!

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