Pulsin’ Kids Fruity Oat Bars – Review

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Fiona Martin

Pulsin’ Kids Fruity Oat Bars are a new wholesome oat based bar containing real fruit that it made to be highly nutritional and a perfect snack for kids. Coming in a variety of flavours such as Strawberry, Blackcurrant & Apple and Orange Choc Chip, there is a good choice for all tastebuds, and the biggest bonus is that each bar contains 1 of your 5 a day!

pulsin

I’ll be honest in that I’m always a little sceptical of these super healthy bars for kids, as no matter how healthy they are, if the child doesn’t like the taste, then they just won’t eat them, so I was keen to see how these faired with my two, aged 5 and 8.

pulsin 2 Well I think you can tell by Miss M’s face that these are a hit! She ate the whole bar and said she liked it. Her favourite is in fact the Strawberry flavour whilst 5 yr old Mister B wasn’t really fussed and happy to eat any of them. With all the benefits these have over junk food, they will always be more expensive than regular cereal type bars but if your child is getting one of their five a day, then that is worth it for me.

I think these are particularly useful for school break times, which is what Miss M has used them for. Also good for when out and about, which is what I’ve used them for with Mister B as we are often hanging around waiting for the particularly sporty Miss M whilst she attends various after school sporting activities.

Aimed at ages 3-9 years of which my two both fit into that bracket, they are both happy to eat them. They are suitable for vegetarians, gluten free, dairy free, soya free and contain no artificial ingredients so really fit the majority of dietary requirements.

pulsin 3 I was lucky to get to try out an Almond & Raisin Raw Choco Brownie, well you give something like that to a chocoholic and it’s pretty much a given that I’ll like it! It did taste good, but you could tell it was healthy, it was moist though and a good chunk of energy, would be great for an afternoon snack at work!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.

Nothing But Freeze Dried Snacks – Review

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Fiona Martin

Nothing But are a unique range of snacks in that they are completely natural and each bag contains one of your five a day. With a variety of fruit and vegetable combinations available, we received a selection to try out.

Available in the following flavour combinations:

Sliced Beetroot and Parsnip
Pea and Sweetcorn
Mange Tout and Red Pepper
Strawberry and Banana
Pineapple and Grape
Apple and Fig

They are called Nothing But for a reason, there is literally nothing but the vegetables or fruits mentioned inside the bag. The fresh products are freeze dried which removes the water content and leaving most of the colour and all of the nutrients contained within the food. The bags have cleverly been portioned to ensure they contain the required amount of fruit or veg to give you one of your five a day.

I have tried a few flavours of these before and the colours are more vibrant than I expected with the pieces being easily recognisable. They do taste like the vegetable they are but obviously a dry, crisp version. As this is nothing else added, there is no other flavours so no strong tastes to put you off. Being purely fruit and vegetables does mean that they are exceptionally low calorie, therefore I see these as being a great snack to use for healthy eating. Easy to take out and about as they come in individually portioned packs, or eaten at home, these are handy to have when you fancy a nibble, but want something healthy.

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the snacks in order to write the review.

Tommy Tucker – Top Snacks for Saturday Night!

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Fiona Martin

Tommy Tucker is a name I recently became familiar with when I reviewed their gourmet range of popcorn. We’ve now been sent their standard range along with some Krax snacks which I can only say have been a hit with us too!

First up is the Krax, bbq flavoured potato snacks. I’m not a huge fan of bbq flavour but gave these a try and have to say I couldn’t stop munching! The snacks were lightly flavoured with a soft crunch, really moreish in fact. This pack didn’t last long once the children found them and between the three of us we soon polished them off. If you want a tasty, easy to eat snack, this is it!

Then it was time to try out the popcorn, a great Saturday night snack. My two children couldn’t wait to tuck in and try out the different flavours. With flavours such as Sweet, Salt, Sweet & Salt and Toffee in retro style packaging we were eager to get tasting.

The Tommy Tucker popcorn has the perfect bite and we all sat crunching our way through Saturday night whilst watching tv. Our favourite by far is the Toffee, it’s buttery, crunchy richness just melts in the mouth. We are also fans of the Sweet for something a bit lighter and the Sweet & Salt is a bit different. We weren’t too keen on the Salt flavoured popcorn though, not really to our tastebuds.

Tommy Tucker popcorn and Krax has once again been a hit with us! We love the taste, texture and most of the flavours. With such a great choice of flavours, there’s sure to be something for everyone. Make sure you get some to try, the perfect accompaniment to Saturday night tv!

Not only is Tommy Tucker available in cinemas across the country, keep your eye out as it will soon be available to buy in supermarkets – yay, I’ll be sure to buy some as my family love it!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and the popcorn was sent to me in order to write the review.

Slimfast 321 Diet Plan #SlimFastChallenge

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Fiona Martin

As any of my readers will know I’ve struggled a bit with my weight since having my second child. I never lost it like I did with my first and found comfort in fresh bread, chocolate and wine!

My youngest is now 4yrs old and it’s time for me to change. I have a wardrobe full of clothes I can’t wear and limit myself to the same few items that go through the wash, get worn and back in the wash again. I want the old me back, not that I was ever stick thin, but a healthy size 12-14 would be amazing!

So when Slimfast gave me the opportunity to take part in the 2 week #SlimFastChallenge, how could I refuse?

I lost 10lbs or so earlier this year and dropped a dress size but since then have become rather static with my weight loss. What appeals to me about Slimfast is that the meal and snack replacements are easy to grab on the go, there’s no excuse for not having something with you, or not having made something, or not having the ingredients in the house!

I’ll be following the 3.2.1 plan which involves having 3 snacks a day, 2 meal replacements (breakfast and lunch) and a 600 calorie meal in the evening. Being rather fond of carbohydrates and of course chocolate, the Slimfast plan snacks and meal replacements really appeal to me, Cheddar Flavour bites, Sour Cream & Chive Pretzels, Rich Chocolate Shake, Caramel Temptation Powder milkshake, Chocolate Crunch meal bar and many more!!! Sounds like a heavenly diet to me!

Each evening I have to provide my own 600 calorie meal, which I feel is quite generous. If you’re careful with your choices you can have a very plentiful meal with lots of fresh vegetables on the side.

I’m hoping that by following this plan, it will kickstart my weightloss again and that I get motivated to continue long after the 2 weeks is up, leaving me feeling fit and fabulous for the summer.

You can keep up with my progress under the #SlimFastChallenge hashtag on twitter and there’ll be a follow up post on here at the end of the two weeks.

Wish me luck!!

UPDATE: Read about my Slimfast results.

All reviews are my own opinions and I received the products in order to write the review.

Fruit Bowl Snacks for Kids – Review

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Fiona Martin

Fruit Bowl offer an incredibly appealing range of prepacked snacks aimed at children, with the bonus of being healthy, in fact most of them provide 1 of their 5 a day portions of fruit. There are various varieties of snacks from fruit shapes, to fruit peelers and fruit bars. There are also yogurt coated fruit pieces although these only count as half of 1 of your 5 a day.

My children’s eyes lit up when they saw the selection of snacks we received from Fruit Bowl to try as they do love their snacks and are keen on fruit.

The Fruit Bowl Fruit shapes come in jungle or sea varieties and both of these were a big hit with my children. They love eating them and view them as a pack of sweets even though they contain 1 of their 5 a day. Made with apple, pear, strawberry and blackcurrant juices and containing no added sugar, these really are a handy but healthy snack.

Their other favourite were the Fruit peelers, which come in strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant varieties, these are easy to eat and peel down into six thin strips. My children were really keen on these and it’s such an easy way to boost their fruit intake in a day.

School Bars are a chunky, fruity bar ideal for pack lunches. My two did find these a little hard to bite and were ok with the strawberry and raspberry flavours but not so keen on the apple and blackcurrant variants.

Yogurt Raisins were a big hit with Mister B and he probably could have eaten them endlessly if I’d let him. He loves raisins anyway, so covered in yogurt just makes them extra tasty.

Being pre packed, I found Fruit Bowl snacks really handy for when out and about. They are also useful for pack lunches but I found them most invaluable when on days out at the weekend, after school activities and days with Mister B when he’s not at nursery.

I can always carry a few packs in my handbag, particularly the shapes and peelers in my children’s cases as these were their preferred options, but being fruit based they couldn’t melt or get crushed. All importantly though, I know that I’ve always got a healthy snack on me for them that I know they’ll enjoy. I’d definitely recommend trying Fruit Bowl if you haven’t already, a healthy option that kids love!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and some Fruit Bowl snacks were sent to us in order to write the review.

Sweet Snacks and Treats – Reviews

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Fiona Martin

Following on from the fantastic bloggers night in at the end of last year, I did a round up of all our savoury snacks and here is a look at the great selection of sweet treats we had the opportunity to try out.

Soreen very kindly sent us each a goody bag packed full of the Soreen range to try. I took this home to my family who couldn’t wait to get stuck in. The Chocolate Soreen stood our for us and is a firm favourite with all of us – it didn’t last long, with a husband and two children devouring it at every opportunity! The fruity Soreen was perfect for the husbands pack lunch box and the sliced loaf made perfect snacks for the children at home. The banana lunchbox loaves are a favourite of three year old Mister B, being individually wrapped I keep them for out of the house or in his nursery lunch box. Overall I have to say as a family we are very impressed with Soreen and think they have made some wonderful additions to their range recently. We are definitely fans and Soreen is always on our shopping list!

Green & Blacks, a name we all know well in the world chocolate, kindly gave us a bar of their organic dark chocolate to taste. Personally I’m not a fan of dark chocolate but the husband is, so I let him try it for his opinion. He said it was “rich and smooth”, a taste he could savour and enjoy and only needing a few squares at a time meaning it lasting him several nights. A great quality chocolate he enjoyed.

Choc Shot by Sweet Freedom is a revolutionary 100% natural liquid chocolate with only 14 calories per teaspoon. It can be used in multiple ways from hot chocolate, milkshakes to toppings for ice cream, porridge or fruit. Choose your own way of using this multi functioning product. When my children saw it they immediately wanted to make hot chocolate and it couldn’t be easier, no more powdery lumps, just stir into warm milk and there you have a cup of creamy hot chocolate. My children loved it and it was great that they could make it themselves. We also tried it on ice cream for dessert and this was a hit too. The only thing that could be improved is perhaps an easier to squeeze bottle as once we were half way through the rest of the chocolate was a little difficult to get out – apart from that, what a fantastic product. Being suitable for vegetarians, vegans, diabetic and GM, dairy and gluten free this really is a product that anyone can try – why not give it a go?

Another brand we tried that caters for special dietary needs is Orgran, a top brand in the gluten free food market. All Orgran products are Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg free, Yeast Free, GMO Free and Vegan. We were sent a selection of sweet treats to try including shortbread hearts, Amaretti biscotti and chocolate biscotti. We did find the shortbread hearts a little hard and not quite the crumbly shortbread texture that we are used to but they did look pretty on the plate. The biscotti were nice and I did like both of the flavours. I took some samples home and found that they make the perfect accompaniment to Sweet Freedom’s Choc Shot. I think for someone limited to certain dietary requirements, then these Orgran biscuits are the perfect treat. They all look good and are perfect paired with a hot drink to dip in. If you are following a gluten free diet then I’d definitely recommend checking out the Orgran website as they have a wide variety of food choices and even a great range aimed at children following a gluten free diet.

Darling Spuds have brought out a sweet and salty popcorn. They come in handy size snack packs and I left the pack I had for my children to try. I did intend on trying one or two pieces myself but by the time I came back into the room they were gone! I think that speaks for itself – they obviously taste good and were a hit with my two. These are great as a snack and another that is gluten free along with being suitable for vegetarians and coeliacs. But the best feature has to be there are just 39 calories per bag!!

When I opened my bag and showed my children the Swizzels-Matlow goodies, their eyes popped out in excitement! Can we have one now they asked? With traditional favourites such as Love Hearts, Drumsticks and Fruity lollies my children were in sweetie heaven – oh but I did keep the Parma Violets for my handbag though!

Last but not least I have saved you the best till last. When I was offered my favourite ever chocolates to review how could I refuse. Guylian, the Belgian chocolate seashells are made from 100% pure cocoa butter with a unique hazelnut praline filling that is utterly divine.

The distinctive, glossy seashells and seahorse shapes are a sign of quality, a box of these is perfect as a gift for someone being affordable but luxury chocolates at the same time. I highly recommend these!!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the products in order to write the reviews.

Party Night Snack Ideas

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Fiona Martin

On the Bloggers Night In, that I recently attended meeting lots of lovely people, food and drink was an integral part of the evening. We were lucky to try some new brands, foods and flavours, most of which turned out to be surprisingly tasty and definitely on my shopping list for Christmas snacks this year.

First we tried Wonderful Pistachios, a range of all natural nuts from California, roasted and come in Plain, Salted, Salt & Pepper or Sweet Chilli flavours. I tried the salted which made a lovely snack, perfectly roasted with a nice crunch, a great evening snack with a glass of wine. I was also drawn to the Salt & Pepper flavour and I have to say they were utterly divine.

The Salt & Pepper flavour with the nuts works beautifully and I could have sat and ate the whole pack if I didn’t have to share them with 9 others!! I am really pleased to have discovered Wonderful Pistachios as they are not a nut that I would normally have bought but these are delicious – can’t wait to try them again.

Next up were Popchips, a new crisp type of snack that are made of potatoes that are popped just like popcorn. Not baked or fried meaning they are a lot healthier than normal crisps and come in a less than 100 calories per serving! The flavour that caught my eye was the Salt and Pepper, and I can assure you it didn’t disappoint – they were really tasty. A light but tasty snack, so versatile – perfect for a snack at work, with lunch, with a glass of wine in the evening. These are definitely one for my regular shopping list. And best of all Popchips are low calorie, just what I need for a treat on the run up to Christmas.

Mr Trotters kindly sent us some of their popular pork scratchings to try but being vegetarian they aren’t for me. What I was pleased to find though is that they have just brought out a new range of proper potato crisps that are indeed vegetarian. They are sliced and cooked with their skins on and include a sprinkling of Mr Trotters Original seasoning. This gave the crisps a rich, luxurious crisp bursting with flavour that was absolutely delicious, so moreish in fact that I polished off the pack on my train journey home from our Girls Night In!

I always think of Ryvita as one of those snacks to have when I am trying to lose weight but no longer!! They have brought out these new Cheddar and Black Pepper Thins Bites. Being on the healthier side they are drier than some other snacks out there but add a bit of cheese and a glass of wine, and voila, you have a delicious Saturday night treat! You can probably tell by now that I have a soft spot for black pepper meaning the taste of these really appealed to me and I love the versatility of these Ryvita Thins, from a low fat daytime snack to a girls night in treat with wine – Perfect!

Olive It! sent us some olives to try in a variety of ways. Their website is dedicated to inspire, surprise and delight you on ways of using olives. With three chefs on board the Olive It! campaign there are plenty of recipes to try and with me not personally being a fan of olives I brought a tin back from our girls night for my olive loving husband to try. With 3yr old Mister B being my kitchen assistant for the afternoon he carefully mixed together some olives with olive oil and blue cheese for daddy to try. Daddy’s verdict – delicious! It’s definitely inspired me to be a bit more creative with olives as they are one of my husbands favourite snacks – it’ll also be good to put out when I have guests round rather than a plain bowl of olives. Do check out the Olive It! website for more ideas and inspiration.

I have to say that I was very impressed by the snacks I tried on our Girls Night In. My eyes have been opened to new products and interesting flavours, and I’m thrilled with the variety of black pepper snacks on the market at the moment – a flavour that really appeals to me and tastes good, a bit more grown up than some other snacks around. I will definitely be buying these products to use over the Christmas period and beyond and can’t wait to share my new findings with friends and relatives. I hope something from the above selection of snacks has inspired you – go on, why not try and taste them for yourself!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.