Buy Wholefoods Online - Review*

I love using wholefoods and healthy foods but it can be hard to find them in regular supermarkets. When I was contacted by family run & independent wholefoods company called Buy Wholefoods Online I thought it was a fantastic way to get healthy foods delivered directly to your door.

I received some really great products which I have been told are some of the most popular available, each with their own benefits.



When I saw the Maca Powder, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it so had a look online. It has been tipped as the top superfood for 2018 and can be added to smoothies, porridge, granola, shakes and baking. It's such a versatile product and the recommended dose is 1-2 teaspoons a day. It's rich in antioxidants and can boost male fertility. It's excellent value on Buy Wholefoods Online compared to other leading brands.

Alongside the Maca, I received Raw Cacao Powder. This is something I have used before and is becoming increasingly popular. It has an intense deep chocolate flavour, similar to cocoa powder however it has not gone through the same process so retains all of its goodness and flavour. Again this can be added to porridge, smoothies and whatever takes your fancy. I like using it for raw energy bars.

Raw Honey is something that has been growing in popularity and I see it more and more popping up in shops and in healthy recipes. Raw honey can be hard to find but is said to have a much better taste than normal honey which I completely agree with. Raw honey is unfiltered and unpasturised which enables it to keep all of the great health benefits that honey is meant to have. It can also help to counter pollen allergies so I am going to let my fiancé have some of this to see if it helps with his hayfever this year. Another interesting fact is that honey is said to be a natural antibacterial with wound healing effects and has been used to treat burns and wounds! Who'd have thought it.

I love pumpkin seeds and was very happy to see a whole 500g bag of them! They're ideal as a snack as they are rich in protein and full of healthy fats. I like them on top of some nut butter on toast. You can use them in homemade granola and cereal bar recipes too as well as in salads which can add some texture. They are loaded with health benefits and are also said to improve sleep! I can't wait to make a start on these.

Last but not least I received some Spirulina Tablets. I have previously tried the powdered version of this and didn't really like the taste as it has a slight algae flavour so I was pleased that I was sent the tablet form as it's a lot easier to swallow. This has been a famous super-food for a while now and is something that can be taken daily. It has so many benefits including speeding up weight loss. I will let you know how I get on with these.

Overall, I am really happy with my bundle of wholefoods and can't wait to incorporate these into my diet and lifestyle. To purchase these items yourself and many more amazing foods, head to Buy Wholefoods Online.

*I received these products free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Chinese New Year Teriyaki Salmon Recipe Feat Very Lazy*

Chinese New Year is fast approaching on Friday 16th February and in the run up I have thought about recreating my favourite Chinese dishes at home. The only problem I have had in the past is that there are so many ingredients that come together to create delicious flavours and it can sometimes be

Very Lazy very kindly provided me with some ingredients as well as the following recipe which I give them credit for.

Instead of ordering a takeaway, why not recreate your favourite Chinese dish in just a few minutes? Whether you’re making a sizzling stir fry or moist and tender Salmon Teriyaki, cooking with Very Lazy is the ultimate hassle-free experience. No need for dicing, slicing, washing, chopping and prepping – just pick up a jar or two and let Very Lazy do the hard work for you.

TERIYAKI SALMON WITH GARLIC NOODLES
   
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
For Teriyaki Salmon:
2 Salmon fillets
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce,
1 teaspoons Very Lazy chopped garlic
1 teaspoons Very Lazy Chopped ginger,
4-5 tablespoons dark soy sauce,
1 tablespoons clear honey

For garlic noodles:
150g dried egg noodles,
1 teaspoons Very Lazy chopped garlic,
1teaspoons Very Lazy lemongrass Paste
Sesame oil to taste
Sesame seeds (optional)

Photo provided by Very Lazy - Salmon centred.

Method:
1. Pre heat oven to 220c.
2. Combine garlic, ginger, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and honey in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce until thickened slightly.
3. Coat the salmon with the cooled sauce from above and place in the oven for 10 minutes, basting with more sauce half way through.
4. Whilst the salmon is in the oven cook the noodles according to pack instructions, drain and set aside.
5. Gently fry Very Lazy Chopped Garlic and lemongrass paste in a little oil before stirring in the cooked and drained noodles. Add few drops of sesame oil.
6. Serve salmon on top of noodles and garnish with a few sprinkle of sesame seeds.

For more tasty Very Lazy recipes and inspiration visit www.verylazy.com and to find out more about Very Lazy follow on Twitter @VeryLazyFood, Instagram @VeryLazyFoodUK or Facebook @VeryLazyFood.

*I received some of these items free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Homemade Jelly Sweets Recipe - feat. Titch & Cable*

I love sweet treats and chocolate and this time of the year it is hard to avoid the temptation. With Christmas right around the corner I have been looking at healthier alternative ways to get my sugar fix in and this is where my homemade jelly sweets came into play. I have been making these ‘sweets’ for a while now and they are fantastic if you want to save some calories (and your teeth!). Being on slimming world, this is a recipe that I have discovered over the years and tweaked to make delicious chewy sweets, keep reading to find out more.

I recently found out about a new company called Titch & Cable and I was surprised at the wonderful range of items available on their website. I found this mini jelly baby mould for just £7.95 and I knew it would be absolutely perfect for my homemade sweets, as well as lots of other things such as homemade chocolates and funky ice cubes that I know will be loved by people of all ages. The mould is made from a high grade silicone and is oven, freezer and microwave safe. My order arrived via DPD which is great for me as they text you when your parcel is going to be delivered so if you’re not going to be there you can then choose to have it delivered to a neighbour or DPD pickup point. Spend over £60 and next working day delivery is free if you’re in the UK.

Ingredients:
2 Sachets of Sugar Free Jelly Powder
2 Sachets of Powdered Gelatin (Vegetarian alternative can also be used)
1 Muller Light Yoghurt
½ Pint of Boiling Water
Silicone Mould

Method
Firstly add the gelatin powder and the jelly crystals to the boiling water and stir well. Pour half of this mixture into your silicone mould and pop in the fridge to set until firm. I usually give it an hour.

Once the first part has set, mix the remaining jelly/gelatin mix with your muller light and then pour this into your mould on top of the jelly. Pop back in the fridge to completely set. Once set you can then take these out of the mould. As the mould is silicone, the sweets are really easy to remove without altering them in any way. I couldn’t believe how perfect they came out. I used to put the mixture into a pyrex dish and then cut into squares which was so messy, however my new mould has been amazing and there was a lot less cleaning to do.

This whole serving made a total of 24 sweets and works out at just 3 syns for a batch (if following slimming world) or less than 250 calories for the lot. They last in the fridge for up to a week if you haven’t eaten them all by then of course.



Titch & Cable are passionate about providing their customers with a good experience and choose the suppliers that they partner with carefully to ensure products are ethically sourced. I thought the prices of the products were very reasonable and if you’re looking for a great Christmas gift there is something for everyone from kitchenware, tableware, linen and gifts. I think another amazing thing about this company is that they have partnered with Compassion, a Christian child development organisation. A portion of their profits are helping to build kitchens in Sri Lanka, ensuring children have safe, nutritious meals.

Overall, these sweets went down a storm with everyone who tried them and I cannot wait to whip up another batch. I am going to try chocolates next so keep an eye out for a future post on those. If you’d like to find out more about the products available from Titch & Cable, head over to their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

*I received this item free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Caribbean Food Week 2017 - Street Party Spread*

For the past couple of years I have worked with Grace Foods to bring you some delicious recipes for Caribbean Food Week and this year is no different! Grace Foods is the UK’s number 1 Caribbean food and drink company and I love the selection of products they have to offer. Caribbean Food Week starts today and runs until 28th August. I have created some dishes which are perfect for a street party spread.

It’s simple to create your own street party from the comfort of your own home with the delicious range of food sold by Grace Foods. In my hamper I received loads of really tasty foods so I decided to create a couple of recipes that you can easily recreate yourself at home.

When it comes to drinks, why not create a ginger beer rum punch? 

Rum Punch 

Orange Juice

One Can of Grace Foods Ginger Beer

Pineapple Juice

Fresh Lime and Orange

Your Favourite Caribbean Rum!

Method: Mix all of the liquid ingredients together, chop a lime and an orange and serve from a bowl with a ladle! Delicious. Make a non-alcoholic version by replacing the rum for Coconut Water instead to give it a Caribbean vibe!

Jerk Beef Skewers with Coconut Rice, Peas and Beans

Dunns River Jerk Seasoning

Grace Foods Jamaican Style Hot Sauce

Beef Chunks

Onion

Pepper

Mushrooms

Rice

Grace Foods Coconut Milk

Grace Foods Peas and Beans

Method: Marinate your beef pieces in some Jerk Seasoning, I added a little bit of Jamaican Style Hot Sauce to the mix as well to really spice things up. Thread the beef onto skewers adding some onion, pepper and mushrooms as well to really make these go a bit further. Grill these in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the beef is cooked how you like it.

If you have any leftover marinated beef you can cook that up with some of the leftover ingredients, it is really tasty.

For the rice, boil as normal and before serving mix some coconut milk into the rice to give it a delicious sweet flavour. This will also help to cool your mouth down after eating hot beef skewers! I then mixed in some Grace Foods Peas and Beans. This is perfect street food, serve up the rice and pop a skewer on top.

If you’d like to get involved, Grace Foods UK is holding its second annual Caribbean Food Week Food Festival at Windrush Square in Brixton, London (Friday 25th – Saturday 26th August), featuring Caribbean street food, live cookery demonstrations, music and much more! Head over to the Caribbean Food Week’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep updated with future events.

Will you be making any of these recipes? Be sure to use the hashtag #CFW2017 for anything you try!

*I was provided with some Caribbean Food from Grace Foods in order to create these recipes. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Make Thai Food at Home With Thai Taste*

As you may well have noticed from my blog or my Instagram account, I love food! I love trying foods from around the world and there are very few things that I won’t try out. When I was asked if I wanted to try and create some Thai recipes at home with authentic brand Thai Taste, I jumped at the opportunity to try out something new. Thai Taste has partnered with Thai restaurateur Seb Holmes to inspire people to create restaurant-quality Thai food at home. It is not often that I cook Thai food so I was excited to give it a go.

Seb has devised four recipes that allow consumers to maximise the creative potential of the Thai Taste range. All of the Thai Taste products are authentically Thai and can be found in the majority of supermarkets in the UK. The recipes that have been devised include Crab & Prawn Vermicelli Noodle Salad, Coconut Braised Pigs’ Cheeks with Lemongrass, Galangal and Kaffir Lime, Mango Sticky Rice and Pumpkin, Galangal and Coconut Soup. I was kindly sent the ingredients to create the Crab and Prawn Vermicelli Noodle Salad and I have outlined the recipe below, credit to Thai Taste.

Crab & Prawn Vermicelli Noodle Salad 
Serves: 2 (Gluten-free)
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
6 fresh tiger prawns, de-veined and sliced lengthways in half
50g fresh brown crab meat (white meat or a mixture is also delicious)
100g Thai Taste vermicelli noodles, blanched in boiling water for 10 minutes and then refreshed under cold water
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon coriander root (leave out if you can’t find it)
1 tablespoon Thai Taste galangal
1 tablespoon Thai Taste turmeric paste
200ml, Thai Taste coconut milk
10g coriander, picked and washed
1 tsp Thai Taste Red Chilli paste
10g chives, chopped into 1cm pieces
10g mint, leaves torn slightly
20g peeled Thai shallots, sliced (any sweet shallot will be nice)
2 spring onion, cleaned and finely shredded
1 lime, chopped into cheeks
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon Thai Taste fish sauce
1 teaspoon Thai Taste palm sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method:
1. Mix the garlic, galangal, turmeric and red chilli paste together
2. In a large pan or wok heat the vegetable oil on a medium to high heat and then fry this paste out, moving constantly to avoid it sticking to the pan. When the paste begins to turn golden brown in colour add the prawns and brown crab meat and continue to fry for a further 2-3 minutes until they are completely pink and hot throughout.
3. At this stage add the fish sauce and the palm sugar and fry for a further 30 seconds to caramelise the sugar, you will notice that the paste begins to darken at this stage. Next add the coconut milk, blanched noodles, shallots, mint, coriander and chives and delicately toss everything together in the pan allowing the noodles, salad and prawns to all mix and be coated by the coconut sauce.
4. Serve the noodles straight away in bowls with spoons and chop sticks and a cheek of lime, it’s also great with a good helping of Thai Taste sweet chilli sauce. This recipe makes enough for a hearty lunch, however this is an awesome dish to serve at dinner too, double the recipe if you want a bigger feed.

This dish was absolutely delicious and went down a treat. The only thing I didn’t have was coriander leaves but the dish worked well without them. Not only was this so simple to create, the food was amazing and tasted very authentic. Now that I have the store cupboard staples at home I can recreate this dish whenever I like.

If you like the look of this recipe, head over to Thai Taste to find out more.

*I received some of these items free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Celebrate Summer With the Alpro Coconut Range*

Summer is in full swing and I don’t know about you but not only does the weather get nicer, so does the food! I love indulging in summery dishes made with fresh ingredients. I am celebrating summer with the new Alpro Coconut range which is absolutely perfect for this season!

The Alpro coconut range includes Alpro Coconut Original drink and Alpro Plain with Coconut plant-based alternative to yogurt. Both of these can be used in a variety of ways to spice up your meals this summer whether it be a snack or a main dish.

With The Alpro Plain with Coconut I had this for breakfast with some oats, chia seeds and frozen blueberries mixed in. The consistency is really creamy and this has a delicious flavour. 

Why not try eating this inside a cornet cone for a healthier alternative to Ice Cream? Failing that, try overnight oats, or you could even use this in a curry!

I decided to adapt the Alpro fruit lollies recipe using the Alpro Coconut drink that I was kindly sent. I didn’t have all of the same fruit as the recipe so just used what I had in the house and they turned out delicious. That’s the beauty of this recipe, you can simply pop in whatever fruit you like and it will still be refreshingly delicious for this summer!  Not forgetting these are also gluten and lactose free!

Ingredients:
400ml Alpro Coconut Original Drink
2 tbsp icing sugar
Raspberries
Blueberries
Ice lolly moulds and sticks.

Method:
Divide your fruit pieces among 4-6 ice lolly moulds. Blend the Alpro Coconut Original with the icing sugar until a smooth consistency is reached. Carefully pour your Alpro Coconut mix into the moulds until they are full, then insert a lollypop stick. Set in the freezer overnight and enjoy! The Alpro Coconut drink is delicious and has no added sugars. It only contains 40 calories per 200ml glass so your ice lollies are super low in calories so you can have these completely guilt free! I added some dried edible flowers too which made the lollies look nice and added a nice hint of flavour.

Alternative ways of having this drink is to splash over cereal, add to a smoothie or simply drink on its own.

Overall, I love the new Alpro Coconut range, will you be trying it out?

*I received some of these items free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Summer Cocktail Recipes Feat. Chambord*

I love cocktails and any excuse to drink them or make them, I will! When I was contacted about trying some Chambord, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity! Having never tried Chambord before, I didn’t really know what to expect but now know that it is a luxurious French black raspberry liqueur with raspberry and vanilla notes. It is perfect to enjoy with champagne or any sparkling wine or in a host of cocktails, I have received some recipes below which I have personally trialled and fully recommend!

According to legend, Chambord was inspired by a luxurious raspberry liqueur produced for French royalty in the 17th Century.  This first recipe is very simple to recreate, and one that I can’t believe I haven’t tried sooner! In the recipe, I used my favourite Prosecco but you can replace this instead with Cava or Champagne.

Chambord Royale
Ingredients:
Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
Champagne, Prosecco or Cava
One Raspberry

Method:
Pour yourself a flute of your favourite fizz and top off with a little Chambord. Most importantly, garnish with a single raspberry. I used a frozen one!

The light and fruity flavour of Chambord makes this this perfect BBQ or picnic accompaniment this summer. At RRP £7.50 for a 50cl bottle, it doesn’t break the bank! The next recipe I tried is the Chambord Spritz which is very refreshing and incredibly easy to make! See the recipe below!

Chambord Spritz
Ingredients:
50ml Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
125ml Dry White Wine
Soda

Method:
Fill a wine glass with ice then top with 125ml of dry white wine. Add your Chambord, then top with some soda. The best Spritzer I have ever had!

Finally, the last recipe I tried out was the Chambord Cobbler. This one contains a few ingredients that I didn’t have handy in the house so is one to try if you want to go all out and impress those dinner guests! Recipe below.

Chambord Cobbler
Ingredients:
50ml Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
25ml Lemon Juice
25ml Peach Puree

Method:
Shake and strain the ingredients over crushed ice into a glass. Garnish with some raspberries and a mint sprig. Voila!

Chambord is available in most supermarkets nationwide, will you be adding this to your basket this summer? Let me know if you try any of the recipes!

*I received this item free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Book Review: Eat Smart by Niomi Smart

I love recipe books and when I saw that Youtuber/Blogger Niomi Smart was bringing out her own offering I had to get my hands on it. Albeit this was a few months ago now I have had the book long enough to really review it. I managed to pre-order a copy early on so actually managed to get a signed one which was pretty cool even if it was unintentional. First off, I love the cover. The foil spoon extends to the back of the book and the photo on the front is simple yet effective. 

The recipes inside are inspired by her every day healthy eating and she even incorporates flavours from her holidays. Whilst these recipes are plant based, this isn’t shoved in your face and shows you that vegan food can also be super flavoursome and varied. There are plenty of healthy dishes in here but there are also plenty of sweet treats and will offer you an alternative perspective on cooking up some of your much loved foods. The ingredients are readily available and although some more obscure and expensive superfoods are mentioned, Niomi outlines the fact that you don’t actually ‘need’ to use these products.

The recipes are split into breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides & snacks, desserts and drinks and range from delicious tarts to jammy dodgers, smoothie bowls and ice cream. There really is something for everyone in this book. The recipes are laid out clearly and the photos are stunning and clear. There is also a ‘what I eat in a week’ double page showing what Niomi eats on a non-work out weekday and workout weekend days so it’s good to see a real life example of how these recipes can be places into a daily meal plan.

Overall I am glad I purchased this book, I am really enjoying using it and feeling less guilty for eating healthy snacks over ones laden with sugar and fats.

Morton's Traditional Taste Turkey - Leftover Ideas*

I am lucky enough to trial a fair few items on my blog so when I was contacted about reviewing a turkey I really did chuckle! On a more serious note, I absolutely love turkey and it makes me feel festive as I generally only eat it at Christmas. I was lucky enough to receive a turkey from Morton’s Traditional Taste who are a family run business. They are based in the Norfolk countryside, less than 10 miles from my house – talk about local produce!

As we are only a family of 2, one turkey can really go a long way. I thought I would show you an overview of 3 meals that you can create using one turkey, perfect for those Christmas leftovers when you simply don’t know what to cook. It also gave me a chance to try the turkey and give you a really good review of what I thought of the flavours.

 

Turkey Roast Dinner

The most traditional way to use your turkey would be to include it in a roast dinner just like Christmas day. We served ours with our favourite vegetables, roast potatoes, stuffing balls, cauliflower cheese and lashings of gravy. I roasted the turkey in the oven for just over 4 hours which was the recommended time for the weight I received. In the past I have had some dry turkey and I couldn’t believe how moist and succulent this was even before the gravy was added to the plate.  The meat from the breast was lovely and the darker meat had a really delicious game flavour to it. The turkey practically melted in my mouth and this went down really well for a Sunday dinner. Morton’s are always trying to make their turkeys the best and this year they claim to have cracked it! The turkeys have been dry-aged in hand built Himalayan salt chambers so they’re juicer and more flavoursome than ever before. The salt contains negative ions that when combined with the right temperature, humidity and UV light counteract the positive ions of the turkey leading to more moisture and more flavour.

 

Turkey Chilli

Making a chilli is really simple, especially when the meat is already cooked. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes or some passata with some onion to a pan and simmer with a teaspoon of chilli powder, cumin, garlic and paprika. Heat through then add kidney beans and your cooked leftover turkey to the pan. Serve with rice. Even after adding the turkey to another dish I was still astounded by how well it retained its moisture and this meal was a big hit. Morton’s Traditional Taste have been working since February to get the turkeys ready for Christmas and at their optimum taste. All the turkeys are traditionally reared Norfolk Bronze or Black turkeys, which are incredibly well treated free range birds. They are slow grown without any antibiotics or growth promoters so live a really good life.

 

Turkey Wraps

Finally, the third way I used the turkey leftovers was to serve them up fajita style! I cooked some peppers and onions with some fajita spice and then added the turkey and stirred it all through. I then served these with sour crème, salsa, guacamole, salad and wraps. We also had some homemade spicy wedges. Another super quick and easy meal which tasted delicious. Turkey is low in fat and high in protein which offers good value for money when compared to other meats such as beef or lamb.

You don’t have to be based in Norfolk or travel to get your turkey as they offer next day delivery via courier with all the turkeys being packed in insulated boxes with ice packs and natural, biodegradable wool
insulation so you can be assured that your turkey is still fresh when it arrives at your door. Alternatively if you are local you can collect your turkey from the farm. This year Morton’s are including a curry kit with each turkey so you too can make the most out of your leftovers.

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without a traditional turkey dinner so why not treat yourself this year to a delicious local feast. Orders are now being taken for Christmas, you can find out more over on the Morton’s Traditional Taste website.

*I received this turkey in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. 

The Perfect Winter Breakfast With Alpro's Oat Original*

I am a big lover of Alpro drinks especially the unsweetened almond milk which is delicious in my coffee. When I was offered the chance to try the Alpro Oat Original Drink I couldn’t wait to see what it was like.

Alpro Oat Original is high in fibre (The UK’s highest in fact!) and low in fat and great for a plant based diet. This delicious oaty drink is a great source of calcium, vitamins B2, B12 and D and contains no added sugar. The drink is easy to digest and contains only 44 calories per 100ml!

I received a beautiful Anthropologie porridge bowl to showcase my delicious porridge in. I cooked this on the hob on a medium heat until it was just how I liked it. I used ½ a cup of oats and 1 cup of the Alpro Oat Original Drink. I topped the porridge with some dried cranberries and it was absolutely delicious. The fact that the oats and the Alpro Oat Original are both high in protein meant that I was full right through until lunch time. The porridge was creamy and delicious and tasted completely natural.

This drink would also go really well in a smoothie. Will you be giving the Alpro Oat Original Drink a try?

*I received this item free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.