Snack Organisation | Freeze Dried Fruits

Before Christmas I was in touch with The Snack Organisation and they very kindly sent me some of their freeze dried fruit to try.

 

I was looking for a low calorie, healthy snack and some of the 'dried' fruits I have tried in the past have been quite calorific, pumped with extra sugars and ingredients to help preserve them.

They are different because they are freeze dried, they don't contain anything other than the fruit that they are made from which is fantastic. Whats more, these packets contain less than 70 calories each which is pretty damn good!

I loved the textures of each of these, the pineapple was slightly chewy, however each of the others is very crisp and dry/almost powdery in texture which I LOVE!

I've always liked freeze dried strawberries and have only had them in cereals before, I'm so glad that I can finally buy these on their own because I really want to add them to white chocolate brownies and just eat them as they are.

The apricot and apple flavours are ones I had never tried and I love them, I would go as far to say I like the dried apple more than I like fresh apples!

The pineapple is tasty, but texture wise it seems to hold the most moisture and isn't a million miles away from ordinary dried pineapple. 

These are so versatile and could be used in so many different ways. they are also a healthy, delicious and very satisfying snack due to the crunch. These are available in Tesco and currently retail for £1.05, this may seem expensive but this is like no other snack on the supermarket shelves currently and you need to appreciate the cost of the packaging and the process to dry out the fruit.

I would recommend these to all my friends and family, and also those who are on a diet or healthy living regime as they are a lovely snack and are really good for you also.  

The only slight downside is that they don't come in multi packs as I would stock up, also sometimes I don't finish the whole packet in one go and there is no way of sealing the packet, this means moisture gets in and the fruit gets sticky and spoils, so I would recommend eating all of it in one sitting, but that't not difficult as they're so tasty!

Cookie x

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Sweet Freedom - Choc Shot Coconut review

Recently I was sent the Sweet Freedom Choc shot in Coconut to try.

These are predominantly advertised as a chocolate fluid to make hot chocolate with, however turn over the bottle and there are some really great suggestions for other uses.

What I will say about this product is that it's not ridiculously chocolatey, but having learned afterwards that it contains only 14 calories per teaspoon I have to say it's a pretty delicious substitute.

I chose coconut because I really love bounties and coconut macaroons and I just think chocolate and coconut is a damn good combination. But that's just me, there is a plain chocolate flavour and a chocolate and orange spice which has a nice ring to it!

My boyfriend has also helped himself to this, he has mainly been eating this neat from the bottle. I have been concocting more exciting uses for it however.

Image from http://www.sweetfreedom.co.uk/

This chocolate liquid is so versatile, yes it does make hot chocolate but it also makes great porridge too.

 

Why stop at porridge, this works great on pancakes, you can even add it to your pancake batter for a colourful alternative to pale and pasty pancakes.

Want to make fruit a little more interesting for the kids, or maybe your other half?

Got some plain yogurt that needs jazzing up? This stuff is lovely on plain yogurt.

I have added desiccated coconut to most of these things before and its really gritty, the great thing about the choc shot is its lovely silky texture which makes it a really versatile store cupboard ingredient.

There are a whole host of great uses for this product if you put your mind to it, if you're not adventurous Choc shot have done the work for you and have put together a comprehensive recipe list which can be found here.

Don't feel you need to take my word for it, go and try it for yourself. These are sold in all the major supermarkets, a list can be found here.

Already tried this product? I'd love to hear your thoughts, please comment below.

Cookie x

FitBit - The beginning

My lovely man bought me a FitBit ONE :-) I have been contemplating buying one for a while because I currently use the app on my phone. The app is great, it logs your walks etc and maps them too, calculates calories and all that great stuff, however my phone battery has not done well out of the experience and barely the day. Also the app does tend to crash, but perhaps that is attributed to my phone, not sure. 

So now I have the real thing I can't wait to try it out properly. I don't do as much exercise over the weekends so I wont be able to do a proper in depth review until next weekend but in the meantime I can talk about the product, its features and what I hope it can do for me.

Features (taken from Amazon)

• Tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed
• Monitor how long and how well you sleep
• Wakes you (and not your partner) with a silent alarm
• Syncs automatically to your computer or select smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth 4.0
• Set goals, view progress, and earn badges
• Share and compete with friends throughout the day
• Free iPhone and Android App
• Small and discreet - wear in pocket, on belt or bra
• Log food, weight and more on Fitbit's website or Apps
• Sweat, rain and splash proof

My goals are simple