Snacking Saturday; lets hit the bar

Sad but true fact; the only bars that feature in my life right now are the snack ones, not the gin containing alcohol ones.

Actually...happy tummy vs. hangover from hell? I know which I prefer!

Bars are a staple in my snacking life. Portable and convenient for work, there are SO many out there that I never get bored. When the UK versions grow old, I place an order on iHerb (their international shipping is SO cheap) and stock up with snacks and cereal, or beg USA friends to swap some goodies.

Right now the main players in my life are...



Nakd bars! I LOVE these, pictured is gingerbread, but my absolute favourite is cocoa mint. I either buy mine from the Supermarket/Holland and Barret or order online.
Jordans coconut crunchy bar...basically a biscuit in bar form. These are GOOD.
Meridian foods peanut butter and oat bar. I won these in a blog giveaway, I'm yet to see them in any shops local to me. SO good and perfect if I have a longer shift at work and need something more substantial with a slower energy release.



Protein bars. Because sometimes I really, really need a protein fix. I can't explain it but some days I am so tired and everything aches (it's a remnant of being un-healthy for so long) and these seem to help keep me going. They taste quite artificial, especially the power bars (currently on special offer in Holland and Barret) but I got used to them and see them as a means to an end rather than an absolute staple. If anyone knows of any nice tasting protein bars, I welcome suggestions! The power pack bar is actually quite nice...a bit like milky ways with a protein-y after taste.



Large nakd bar. Apple pie wins. On cold afternoons I stick this in the microwave (minus wrapper) for 20 seconds for a hot treat.
The 9bars were another blog giveaway win. I really, really like these but don't have them very often. I find them rich...especially the ones with the carob topping but I do like to take one with me if I'm out shopping, or as a makeshift lunch until I can get something more proper.

The lara bar I can barely bring myself to devour as we can't get them over here. A wonderful friend sent me this along with the most AMAZING peanut butter in the world. I am forever in her debt.



I couldn't not pop in a photo of my Friday snacky box for work (babybel cheese, dried fruit and bear yo-yos)

Are you a fan of bars? What are your favourite?

International readers, I'm curious as to what varieties you enjoy
(and potentially do a swap of some kind)

xxx

Snacking Saturday; crunchy munchy!

Woo, it's Saturday again, which means SNACKING SATURDAY of course. This week will be a two-part review, with the second to follow next Saturday due to my OCD about only having one box of a certain thing open at once (please tell me I'm not the only one!)

This weeks top snack came courtesy of Dorset Cereals who's products I have been a long time fan of.
Needless to say when they contacted me asking if I'd like to sample their latest offering I jumped at the chance.

Good Honest Crunch is the name, with the motto "life's too short for boring breakfasts"...something I embrace heartily!

"Our brand new Good Honest Crunch is for those who like to live a little. Delicious rolled oats with crisped rice, coconut, sugar and runny honey gently baked to make a gloriously light, clustery breakfast. It’s perfect for those mornings when you feel like doing things a bit differently.

After all, time is precious – so why spend it drinking vending machine coffee, watching tired old repeats or eating breakfasts that are anything but glorious?"

Hello generous!

Good Honest Crunch is available in two delicious sounding flavours- toffee/pecan crunch and strawberry/raspberry crunch.
Being the sweet tooth devil that I am, I decided to start off with toffee/pecan.


Firstly, top marks for the gorgeous packaging! Secondly you'll notice that my serving doesn't look much like breakfast! That's because I couldn't wait and had some as a snack the same afternoon.
In a way I'm glad, this granola is every bit as sweet as it's name suggests. This is no bad thing but even with my sweet tooth, there is a limit to what I personally can handle first thing in the morning...but we're all different and I can see this being utterly incredible with ice cold milk, or thick creamy yoghurt!

The taste. HEAVEN! This stuff is addictive, incredible. Fresh. Crunchy. Everything you could want in a granola, really.
For me it makes the perfect afternoon snack, especially when I am at work and want something to pick at whilst I'm slaving away.

The only downside to this product is the price. At almost £3 a box in the supermarkets where I've seen it so far, this isn't an affordable everyday breakfast.
That isn't going to stop me buying it though, I'll either take advantage of special offers or just splurge as an every-so-often treat.

If you see this on offer or fancy a special breakfast, I really do urge you to buy this. It's probably not the kind of thing you'd eat for breakfast every day anyway, so why not save it up and make Sunday mornings special?

For those like me, who think that life is indeed too short for boring breakfasts, pop along to this page and share what else life is too short for.

Have you tried this yet?
Are you tempted?
What is your staple breakfast/favourite cereal/favourite granola?

My review of strawberry/raspberry to come next week.

Enjoy your weekend and stay snack happy
xxx

Snacking Saturday- I'm a Geek for Greek

Welcome to my new food review feature! It's no secret that I love snacking, it gets frequently mentioned on here and I thought it'd be good to share what I'm trying and loving/hating right now!

Kicking off with something amazing from Total Greek Yoghurt who got in touch with me a couple of weeks ago to ask if I wanted to try some of their new 0% split pots to review on the blog (please note that whilst the yoghurts was free, my review is honest and fair). I have long been a fan of Total products, in fact last year it is pretty much what kept me alive...so I was never going to turn down this chance. I did have one question though...how does one receive a parcel of yoghurt?

I soon found out the answer!





(the bag will be toted around for many a summer picnic!)

The split pot yoghurts come in four flavours; Strawberry, Blueberry, Tropical and Honey and there is also a 2% version of the Honey flavour. The fruit flavours come in at under 130 calories per pot, and the 0% honey contains 168. They also boast around 8.3g Protein per pot leaving them nutritionally superior to many yoghurts on the market, and provide long lasting munchie busting skills.
(You can get the full nutritional breakdown on the website)

The first flavour I tried was Blueberry.



This was probably my favourite despite me not being the biggest lover of blueberry flavoured things. The fruit was just sweet enough to contrast with the yoghurt without being sickly. I've since devoured my blueberry stash at an alarming pace!

Next up was Strawberry.





(please excuse the fact I am not a food photographer!)

Some people might find this too sweet (both this and the tropical have 1g more sugar than the Blueberry) but I have a major sweet tooth and loved it. The strawberry and yoghurt combination reminded me of cheesecake...and to further test this theory I spread a layer of the yoghurt and the fruit on a digestive biscuit and called it pudding one night. AMAZING!



Tropical was nice, but verging on too sweet even for me. What I really liked was the chunks of kiwi in the fruit part as it broke up the blandness of the texture. I did really love this, I just feel it could stand to be a little less sweet. The tropical flavours were incredible.



The honey flavoured one got off to a bad start with me because I really, really don't like honey. However, being the trooper I am I ate it anyway and decided it wasn't *tooo* bad when really well mixed together.
Honey fans will love this, I am sure...the honey goes quite solid in the fridge and you get a cool gooey effect that amused me.



HONEY GOO!

Overall I'd eat all of these again (though I probably won't be buying the honey one). I've only seen these for sale in Waitrose so far and they are quite pricey at £1.49 a pot...but for the satiety factor and healthy nutrition stats I'd say they are well worth it for a snack or dessert, and overall will probably save money on buying biscuits and chocolate because you won't be as hungry!
(see here for a where to buy guide)

BIG thank you to Total for sending these. I officially love you.

Are you a fan of Greek Yoghurt? Have you tried these yet?

What is your favourite yoghurty snack?

and are there any products you would like to see featured?

xxx

P.S. Matalan are making a come back to our screens this weekend! Here's some behind the scenes footage for you, enjoy! x