Strawberry Weetabix

In this post- do not expect pretty pictures. 

I mean it. 

Not only is there a lack of photos in this post- but they are not good. 

The well known problem with Weetabix - i.e. that they go soggy really quickly as soon as you put anything wet (usually milk) onto them, means that they are not agreeable to being photographed. And also- I was hungry- I couldn't be bothered to wait for decent light (cause let's face it- that might mean waiting till about 11am right now). And with everything else against me- I wasn't really bothered about even trying to get good photos. I just wanted breakfast.

Now, this Friday is Red Nose Day. I can't do a danceathon. I only have one lesson on Friday so I'll miss the college bake sale. I won't be wearing a red nose (because it'll just get in the way and I'll lose it). I'll be leaving the house before 7.30 so I do not have time to make my face "funny for money". So I will just eat strawberry Weetabix. That okay with everyone?

Seriously- I will donate more than the 5p that goes from me buying a pack of breakfast cereal- but you know- I like to know that together- we can do well buy buying a packet of cereal. Even if it is sweetened. And goes soggy quickly.

However- to just have plain strawberry Weetabix would be pretty boring- right (well- wrong. They are very yummy with just some milk). So how about I fancy them up a bit- make them "yummy" for  instead of funny. Although you can try and make Weetabix funny if you want- but yummy is easier.

So... we start of with these:

And you follow these (awesome) instructions:

1. Chop up a few dried strawberry's (if you can get the unsweetened kind I would) and a few veggie strawberry marshmallows (if you can't find them then just use any strawberry sweets). You don't want them in a ridiculously tiny dice- but chop them small enough so that you'll get a bit of everything in every bite. If you want- you can top it with fresh strawberries instead of the dried- but it's March and so they will probably taste a bit blah. 
2. I couldn't get hold of any plain strawberry yogurt (it was always strawberry and something) so I mixed some strawberry milkshake powder and plain yogurt together. If you have strawberry yogurt- skip this step. 
3. This is the bit where you have to be quick. Lay your Weetabix into a wide bowl. Pour a little bit of milk onto them. Top with the yogurt, strawberries and marshmallows. 

Enjoy!!!

It's very yummy. 

If you want- you can top it with fresh strawberries instead of the dried- but it's March and so they will probably taste a bit blah. 

Nakd Crunch Bars

Okay people, it's time for a review of some good olde fruit and nut bars. 

These are like the traditional Nakd bars (I really must do a review of those some time) except that they contain soy crispies, making them higher in protein, but not one of your five a day. Depends what your priorities are I guess. 

I've no idea how I am supposed to describe the texture of these bars. I want to describe them as both hard and soft at the same time. The thing that strikes me as most similar in texture is the fudge that my brother likes from Thornton's. The 'harder' type of fudge as opposed to the 'softer' kind, but not hard like a cracker, or a biscuit, or a cereal bar. A solid-y fudge texture. If you try and squeeze the bar between your fingers, it wont give any; and it will bend slightly before it 'breaks' ('snaps' didn't seem to fit here.)

The soy crispies? I admit, I was worried. Really worried. Soy is a very versatile substance- it can be made into many terrible terrible things. (Have you ever tried Aldi soy milk?) Were my deepest fears with these bars realised? Nah. The easiest way to describe the soy crispies is like mini, solid rice crispie cereal. (FYI, I like rice crispies.) They were small enough that you weren't biting into some big hard lump, they blended in nicely to the rest of the bar, but still adding nice 'pops' of texture- I will stick with saying more crispy than crunchy though.

What else is great about these bars? They're made in the UK!

Nakd had 4 different varieties of their Crunch bars, Cocoa Crunch, Strawberry Crunch, Banana Crunch and Apple Crunch. I've tried all of them apart from the Apple Crunch, because I couldn't find that one anywhere. :(

My favorite was definitely the chocolate one!

The taste of the the coco crunch bar was a pleasant surprise! I hadn't tried any of the chocolaty Nakd bars before, I was very apprehensive due to the high possibility of a too dark, slightly bitter, highly powdery coco taste/aftertaste. I need not of worried. It's taste reminded me of chocolate tiffin. Definitely chocolaty, but not overpowering. All the components just happily meld together to make a nice chocolaty tasting bar. Not to 'dark' and bitter, and not too sweet either (so basically the nice medium between how my Dad and my Mom like their chocolate). And their was definitely no powdery aftertaste!

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't disappointed with the taste of this bar. It was really, really really lovely. It's just that I'd just (well, not right that second, I mean a couple of days before) tried the Berry Delight Nakd bar, and the flavour of that bar is really, really, intensely berry-ish. And so after that, the flavor of this bar seemed a bit 'pale'. Which is about right really, it's a strawberry bar, not a mixed berry bar. It is a lovely flavor, but if you want an intense berry taste, go with the Berry Delight. If you want the extra protein, this bar really does taste lovely.

The banana taste of this bar mixed together with the other fruits and nuts nicely, so that although you could definitely taste the banana, it wasn't overpowering, and you could taste everything else in the bar too. This means that the banana taste isn't too 'fakey'. It was a nice banana-ry taste. 

These bars are kind of high in sugar. However, they are mostly dried fruit, which is high in sugar. There is no added sugar, just the sugar that comes from the fruit. And if you are going to have a load of sugar, dried fruit is the way to do it, because it's full of good stuff, like iron. And fruit sugar is better than sugar sugar. And to be honest, they contain about the same amount of sugar as most cereal bars anyway. They aren't "low fat" bars- they contain good fats from the nuts- but they are kinda low in fat. 2.6g per bar really isn't that much. Also, unlike many other "snack/cereal" bars, there is no added salt. Again, just that that occurs naturally. They are (for a snack bar) fairly high in protein. 5.5g per bar, although not 'high' like half a block of tofu, is not to be laughed at! (I'm using the numbers from the Cocoa one btw). And there is no artificial stuff, which is always nice. 

Okay, they are not cheap. Bout 70-90p per bar. Yeah, not cheap, but worth it. Not something that I could afford to eat everyday, but sometimes, yeah. 

So, to sum up, nice texture, convenient and portable (no bruised fruit syndrome here, nor is it obliterated into crumbs). Good taste (Cocoa is my fave). A bit expensive for a snack bar, but worth it for a not-every-day thing. No added horrible stuff, and good for you. So- all good, yeah?

I mean, it would be nice if the apple one would be more widely available so that I could try it, but we can't have everything, so just go try which ever one you can find, and be impressed. 

Alpro Cremoso

I had one of these in my lunch on Tuesday? Remember? 

Alpro Cremoso are Alpro's "higher end" yogurts. In actuality, they cost less per pot than there regular yoghurt's. At Sainsburys at any rate. They do cost more per 100g, but it's the price per pot that counts really, isn't it?

Agree with me on that one people, please? 

They come in packs of four, individual pots, in two flavors, cherry and peach. I don't know about other places, but in Sainsbury's they are £1.80 for four, which works out at 45p per yogurt. I have seen them on offer fairly regularly though, or you there will be coupons with money off. Which makes them, for a non-dairy yogurt- actually not that bad!

These seem to have replaced Alpro's Fruity and Creamy which cost more for only two pots. The change has been greatly accepted by me. The yogurt inside does appear to be the same, however the packaging has changed. A bit confusing, but I'm sure we will manage to live with it! 

What must be the biggest plus for me, is that you don't have stand (or sit) there for ages shaking your yogurt like an idiot. I mean, I always give my Cremoso yogurts a bit of a shake just to be sure, but they don't seem to need the very vigorous shaking a normal Alpro yogurt would. With the Cremoso yogurts, if I forget to do the whole shaking shenanigan, I seem to end up with a load of unpleasant lumps that just WONT go away with stirring. With the original Alpro yogurts, this doesn't seem to be a problem. Total win. Especially if you are just moving onto dairy free yogurts, cause I mean, you don't shake 'normal' yogurts, so it can be a bit hard to remember. 

I also like that they are available in 'normal' supermarkets. It makes me feel less like a weirdo happy hippy fruit loop, and more like just a normal person. You know, one that doesn't spend all her time in health food shops. One that actually likes supermarkets. (Ask my friend. She still can't get over the fact I spent weeks in year 12 when all I wanted to do was to go to ASDA. I still haven't been.) I know that we should all be going all out for the small brands trying to change the world, but sometimes it's nice to have a little bit of convenience and consistency, you know?It's not always easy when you don't eat the same as everyone else, so a bit of non-dairy yogurt in a mainstream supermarket can be a welcome change.  

I know that it's what's inside that counts, but I also quite like the packaging. Again, mainstream. Not everyone likes to stand out, and these don't shout "weird". I like that. I don't want to be in college explaining to a load of teenagers what I have got in my lunchbox, and why it's not a Muller Corner. Word to the wise, don't ever go to high school with a Alpro Caramel Dessert. Trust me, girl speaking from experience here! Sometimes you just want to fit in- and these yogurts allow you to do that. The packaging fits in, and the stuff inside? It looks like yogurt. Yeah, I know, yogurt that looks like yogurt. It's life changing.

But on a serious note, good for those transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, or just trying to incorporate more vegan into their lives, it's just like yogurt. I mean, it's like yogurt. As in, it looks like and tastes like yogurt. And come on, a lot of free from/vegan things are just yak, or they are nice, but nothing like what you expect it to be. I mean, vegan cheese anyone? I know, you shouldn't bother with substitutes and just stick to fresh, wholesome ingredients, but um... sometimes you want a yogurt, you know? 

Or maybe you don't. I mean, for a long time yogurt was one of my favorite foods. 

But sometimes, you just want a yogurt! (Now is the time to tell me that you know what I am going on about.) 

These yogurts are thick and creamy. I mean, they're not like Greek yogurt (Hi Alpro, any plans for some dairy free Greek yogurt?), but they are thick and creamy. They are nice. For a comparison, I would say that these are a bit like your normal dairy yogurt, and the other Alpro yogurts are a bit like the low fat ones. Except they are both low in fat. That's not to say that the other Alpro yogurts aren't good (I love the big pot Strawberry and Rhubarb flavor, so does Mom- and she's a dairy kind of girl. I need to be careful to protect my yogurt from her.) But these just have that something extra.

And we like that something extra, that je ne se quoi, non? 

They come in two different varieties- cherry and peach. I would LOVE to see them expand their range. You know like a Strawberry (they don't do just strawberry across any of their range. Why?) or a banana - gotta love banana! (Or is that just me again?) Or raspberry? Toffee? Or- well just about any flavour. Maybe not mango, I don' like mango. But you know, an increased range would be nice. Maybe a Cremoso big pot? 

The flavours that they have- I like. Not quite sure which one that I like best, but I like them both. When I say like, I mean, really, really, really, really like by the way. The cherry one- tastes well, like cherry, and the peach one tastes like, well peach. I'm big on the descriptions today, I know. But that's the thing, they just taste RIGHT. And actually kind of refreshing. I'm not quite sure what it is about these yogurts, but they just taste nice. The textures nice, and as already mentioned, there are no lumps. Bits, but no lumps. 

Numbers wise, they're pretty good. Per pot, they are 12% of your sugar. Which isn't good, but as fruit yogurts go, they're not bad. Okay, they're not as low in fat as the 'low fat' dairy yogurts out there. But a) they are marketing this one as an indulgent yogurt, not a diet one, and b) they are still lower in fat than a whole lot of yogurts. And they are okay when it comes to calcium (132mg per pot). I know that they are not brilliant numbers (not that I actually gave you many numbers) but they are not bad! And when I say not bad, I actually mean pretty good all things considered. 

Lot's of people avoid soy. I know that. Too much soy is a bad thing. I know that too. But I don't believe that a little bit here and there is going to kill me. If you look at your diet and think, "my, that's a lot of soy", then lets not add any more. But if your diet isn't all that big on the whole soy deal, than personally, I don't think a bit will matter. But it's up to you. You are in charge of what you put in your mouth. Probably. And I have never seen a non dairy AND non soy yogurt, so for now, for me, these will have to do. 

Of course if you are allergic to soy, then stay clear of these by about a mile. 

In conclusion...

Reading this back, I have made these yogurts sound very mediocre. They're not. However, I am describing a yogurt. I'm not describing a black forest gateaux yogurt dessert decorated with gold leaf and served in the Ritz. I am describing a yogurt. If you are looking for vegan yogurt to put in your lunchbox, or to have in your fridge for those times when you JUST WANT YOGURT, then I recommend these. These would actually be my number one recommendation. They are great, and I wholeheartedly recommend you buy some. They are the best single pot vegan yogurts I know, but they are yogurts. 

Now I need to go and finish the Strawberry Rhubarb big pot off before Mom gets in. 

Bear Nibbles Pure Fruit Yoyos

You know when you were little, and you were at school, and you would get real envious of someone else's lunch? You remember that right? Maybe they had a Cheestring, or a Dairylea Lunchable, or a Muller Corner yoghurt. But you remember that yeah? Being envious of someone elses lunch. 

Yeah well, by 16/17 you should probably have grown out of it. 

Yeah well. You see, one of my friends is not fruits biggest fan. She likes melon, she likes apples, she likes dried mango. And it pretty much ends there. So for the time I ate lunch with her at college, her lunch typically consisted of a cheese baguette sandwhich, (or a baguette roll and she would buy soup at college), an apple or some chopped up melon, and a Bear Nibbles yoyo. 

I was jealous. Oh yeah. Oh well. But at an average cost of 70p, nah, just nah. I couldn't justify a snack food that cost 70p. That was a lot. I saw them in Holland and Barretts, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. At the time, it just seemed way to much to spend on anything. 

Then one day (wowee, this is turning into a real little story, isn't it?) me and Dad went on a open day at the University of Nottingam. Which has the best canteen that I have ever been in. A hummus and roasted vegetable sandwhich people. I mean, come on. It is so rare to find an option that is not a cheese sandwich (that much cheese makes me feel yucky) or an egg mayo sandwhich (again with the yucky). But at this place I had OPTIONS. I know. I still haven't got over the shock! But when we were queuing in line they had their snacks out in glass jars. Did I want a cookie? No, but Daddy, can I please have a Yoyo? (It was a hard up decision between the Yoyos and the Nakd bars.) And yes, we did have to route through the jar to get to the apple one at the bottom. 

This was around the time that Bear's yoyos started growing. Subway started to include them in their kids lunch deal, college now sell them (for 40p!) and they have even been spotted in Wilkinsons. They're not so much some sort of weird-y food relegated to the health food shops, they're becoming mainstream. Yeah, I know. 

When you've got cancer and are undergoing chemo, sometimes you don't feel like eating. And when you do feel like eating, you are perfectly entitled to eat what you want (within reason and unless its a food that is likely to give you an infection.) And if that's Bear yoyos- 70p doesn't seem that much anymore. And actually, they're 55p for an individual yoyo in Sainsburys, of £2.30 for 5. So we have got through quite a few in the last year. 

And we're still getting through them fairly quickly.

And when I say we, I mean I.

BEAR Nibbles Pure Fruit YoYos are all natural rolls of baked fruit that come in six flavors- Apple, Blackcurrant, Mango, Pineapple, Raspberry and Strawberry. Please note that the picture shows a blueberry YoYo instead of a blackcurrant one. It's an old photo- the blueberry YoYo has since gone into hibernation, to be replaced by the blackcurrant one. Each packet contains two rolls, which is a bonus as you can eat one, or two. I usually go for two, but when I do just eat one at a time, it's not like I've eaten half of a cereal bar. It's as simple as I've just had one, and I've got another saved for another time. I do believe this would be a bonus if you have a young child - they aren't going to be two much for a small tummy! 

Plus, one roll is one of your five a day!!! Wahoo. It's an easy and convinient way to get one of your five. Unfortunatly, you can't count the same thing twice, and so two rolls still only count as one. (Unless your really desperate). 

The ingredient list is pretty good. The main fruit (i.e. mango in the mango one, pineapple in the pineapple one) is mixed with apple and pear, and some veg extract for colour. The percentage content of the ingredients is not given as the mixes vary seasonally. But those are it. Not even a preservative (natural or otherwise) - apparently they are naturally shelf stable. I can pronounce every single ingredient. 

They're suitable for vegans, and seem to be suitable for people with almost all of the common allergens (gluten, soy etc) because there is no mention that they contain any of these ingredients - and they aren't contained in the ingredients. (Don't hold me to that - I don't know everything). There line on nuts is "no nuts, but packed in a cave were nuts and seeds are kept". I guess it just depends on how allergic an individual is. But overall - I don't see how many people are going to miss out on YoYos.

Nutritionally, the things to look out for in 'snack foods' is sugar, fat and salt. These are winners on all three, the salt and saturated fat in a (single) YoYo is 0g. The total fat reaches a whopping 0.02g. Yeah, I know, it's massive. The sugar ranges from 4.8-4.9 grams per YoYo, and even for 2, thats less than 10g (11% of your GDA for sugar. Considering that 1 large apple is 23g of sugar, and 1 large banana is 17g, that really isn't bad. (The internet didn't seem to want to tell me the nutritional value of normal sized pieces of fruit.)

Due to the naturalness of the product, sometimes the colors are natural. I know. Revolutionary. They can be a bit dark. And the pineapple one can be a bit green. What I'm saying is the blueberry one is (was) not bright blue, it is (was) the color baked blueberry's mixed with apples go. And the mango one is not 'kia-ora' orange. Maybe this means that they're not 'kid-friendly' like some other 'fruit' snacks. Or is it kid friendly to teach them that artificial colors are good - and the natural color is bad? (Okay, they use veg extract to improve/intensify the color. But on the scale of coloring's they could of used, it hardly counts. Think E numbers. And crushed beetles).

Not green, but still not pineapple yellow

I just realized- I haven't put that they taste real good. Oops. Should of put that at the top. But I guess that you got that already.

I also really like the packaging. It may not be recyclable, but I like the fact that the outside is paper, (I think). And when you buy a multipack, it comes in a completely (not laminated) cardboard 'lunch box', with a handle. I know, it's cool. It has a handle. I like the design on the front, it's bold and interesting, without being overly kiddy. I'm not going to worry about looking like a baby if I take one to college. I mean, the packaging is so cool, I didn't mind using a 'lunchbox' as my 'party bags' at my birthday party.

You know, I've tried really hard to get you to understand that YoYo's are good. Like super good. But if that's not good, they come with cards for you to collect. And in my mind, you're never to old to collect. To mature, maybe. To old, never. At the minute, if you send ten 'bear'codes (the bar codes on the back of the packet) they send you a world map and stickers so you can keep track of which cards you've got. And the cards are interesting, fun and/but not overly gimmicky. Hence an 18 year old is interested in collecting them. 

Speaking of cards- anyone want a South Africa? or a Denmark? or a Senegal? I'm up for swap-sys. 

And on that vein- does anyone want spare 'bear'codes. I seem to have amassed quite a few that aren't being used. 

And yes, they are kind of expensive. (40p - 70p). But they are worth every penny. And I have seen them fairly often on offer - they've been included in Holland and Barrett's penny sale, Wilko's had them on 3 for a £1, and Sainsbury's usually has either the singles or multipacks (5 pack or 9 pack) on some sort of offer. And yes, I was excited to get one from Father Christmas. If it costs more to eat food that I like, instead of food that I tolerate, well, oh well, (for now anyway), but that doesn't mean that I don't make good of any offer that I happen to see. (My Mom worries that I eat the 'red' ones because they're what come in the multipacks, but I don't mind which ones I have - although my favorite is the apple ones). 

So in conclusion, YoYo's are yummy scrummy (even the mango ones are tolerable, and I really don't like mango), practically good for you, fun, convenient (unlike bananas, they don't bruise) and if you can afford it, worth every penny. 

And I'm serious about swap-sys people!

Nature's Path Munch and ChocoMunch Cereal

Okay people. Think Golden Nuggets and Nesquick but with an ingredient list that doesn't sound so scary. Whereas Golden Nuggets contain 14 ingredients, as well as a whole load of vitamins and minerals, Munch only contains 4. And I know what they all are.

So you probably like them already. I might just go away and not bother writing anything else because seriously- why bother?

Well... I should probably bother because there will be some skeptics out there who aren't convinced yet! I know, it's unbelievable! But there will be some, and so I will continue. 

Munch is a corn based cereal in the shape of golden yellow (or chocolate brown) balls. It has a pleasant crunch- and doesn't turn to cereal mush on immediate contact with milk. Way beating cornflakes and wheat biscuits on the 'lengh of time till soggy cereal yuck' contest. Unless you like soggy ceraeal of course... Although it does become softer when it's been in the milk for a while, it still has a nice bite to it. 

Look how good this photo is compared to the one above (which was taken ages ago)

The plain Munch cereal tastes pleasently sweet. Not overly, sugary sweet in a similar way to many cereals aimed at children are, but a subtle sweet. The corn-y taste is alowed to shine through and be the star player, supported by the sweet taste. That, by the way, is the closest I am going to get to talking about the world cup at all this year. The fact that they don't taste all that sweet is slightly supprising because they contain about as much sugar per 100g as their processed counterparts. I will atribute that to the fact that they contain only natural sugar instead of high-whatever-whatever-syrup. They are still a high sugar cereal, so maybe keep them for a Saturday treat? Or just go for it. 

The fun you can have with two boxes of cereal!!!

The ChocoMunch tastes kinda like Coco Pops with more oomph. Possibly because they are not hollow, but I do think they have got the balance right there. (There is only one person I know who doesn't like Coco Pops). They don't quite taste as natural as the plain ones, but then, they taste like a childrens chocolate cereal. Which is what they are. 

The ChocoMunch does have this tendency to clump up. However, never fear, the ChocoMunch clusters are here! It's really not the end of the world, just bear in mind that if clumping really annoys you, then you may wish to spend a minute breaking them up BEFORE pouring the milk over them (unless you like soggy hands, of course).

What's more, they are organic, gluten free, and vegan (so no milk or eggs). Its practically all good. And it tastes great, unlike some other free from cereals which don't taste that great. Even the ones which claim they taste great.

Unlike the majority of boxed cereals on the UK market, these are not fortified. I guess that's what makes them vegan and organic. If it is essential to you that your cereal is fortified, then don't go for these. If it doesn't matter much to you, then go for it. Don't forget, one of the "healthiest" cereals going, oats for porridge/muesli isn't fortified either. And as a once in a while treat, it shouldn't matter about the lack of extra added nutrition.

Now, when I was in bed being ill, I asked my Dad if he could get me some Gorilla Munch cereal. This caused a whole lotta confusion. Despite the fact that my parents (my Dad) brought me this cereal when I was younger, they deny all knowledge of remembrance of this product. So he went up and down the cereal isle looking for a box with a gorilla on the front. And came home empty handed. So I explained to him, it's not called Gorilla Munch any more, it's just called Munch, and has a picture of a hedgehog on the front (I preferred it when it was called gorilla munch.) ("Well why didn't you say just Munch then?")  He then when up and down the cereal isle looking for Munch cereal, with a hedgehog on the front. Mom hadn't passed on the "Its in the gluten free section bit". Eventually, we got there. By this time, Dad now hated Gorilla Munch.

It may have changed it's name, but Munch has stayed true to it's gorilla roots. 1% of the sales of the Munch and ChocoMunch go to The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, to help combat the problems that we humans are causing to the planet's largest primate. And unlike most "We give dada% to charity", this isn't for a limited time only. This is an ongoing all time kind of thing. And who doesn't like a heartfelt donation to charity?

Look, see. The box does have a gorilla on it!

One box (9/10 servings) costs about £3. Which works out at about 30-33p per bowl. Which is kind of expensive. 1 box of 'normal' cereal of similar weight generally costs about £1-£2.50 depending. So yes it is expensive. A box of free from cereal is more like £1.50-£3.50. So, it's still expensive. But the things we want generally are. 

There is just something about Munch that I like. Who knows what it is, I just like it. Its one of my favourite cereals. Really, and I like a lot of cereals. This is definitely one of my favourites. And I mean it. Sure it has it's shortcomings (i.e. price, sugar), but for a treat (which this type of cereal should be) it's one of my favourites. And if you ever have spare money to spend on cereal, go for it, you won't be disappointed, I promise!