Friday Favourites - Breakfast Cereals

What is the best thing about waking up in the morning? Breakfast, of course! Some like it sweet and some like it savoury. Some people like to eat on the go, while others like to take their time to sit and enjoy it. The one thing that we can all agree on here at The Amazing Blog is that we like our breakfasts to be healthy and delicious.

When Alara Gluten Free Organic Muesli was delivered to the office, all we wanted was to have breakfast again. So we did! We loved the unique texture created by the combination of different ingredients that include soya flakes, dried sliced cranberries, puffed quinoa, goji berries and golden linseeds. This delicious organic muesli is a good source of protein, high in fibre, gluten and wheat free and has no added sugar.  Alara’s Muesli can be enjoyed with your favourite milk or yogurt product to boost energy while pleasing your taste buds. For those of us who have trouble finding the perfect muesli, Alara lets you design your own mix with a choice of up to 16 ingredients.  

Not only are Alara committed to creating the healthiest and tastiest muesli they are also very serious about the environment. The boxes are made from sustainably sourced wood and are the first cereal company in the world to be certified Organic, licensed by the Coeliac Society, working with the Fairtrade Foundation, and Zero Waste. Being healthy and kind to the planet has never been so tasty! You can buy Alara Gluten Free Organic Muesli here for £ 5.39.

If you are looking for a warm and healthy meal for your breakfasts look no further than Iswari’s Raw Superfood Breakfast Mix. Iswari Superfoods recently launched a new range of innovative raw breakfasts that will revolutionise your mornings. The 3 mixes available are tasty and delicious, gluten free and organic. Buddha’s Awakening is a nutrient dense mega mix of milled chia, flax, almond & buckwheat, making it a highly nutritious start to your day. Made by simply adding hot water or milk, it offers convenience for those on the go, and is easily digestible for those with food intolerances. The breakfast mixes are rich in omegas 3, 6, iron, magnesium, calcium, and protein. The delicious warm mixes are available in 3 tasty flavours: Chocolate Hit, Maca & Vanilla, and Hempiness. Our favourite at The Amazing Blog is the Chocolate Hit, mixed together with fresh berries for a warm and sweet start to the day!

Iswari offers an extensive range of over 30 super-foods products widely available across Europe. Plus their products are only purchased from sustainable sources that respect nature, humans and the ecosystems of the world. All of their products are low GI, raw where possible, vegan- with the exception of bee products, and organic.

When we are looking to be adventurous with our muesli in the mornings we turn to Primrose’s Kitchen Raw Beetroot and Ginger Muesli. Primrose’s Kitchen follows ‘a naturopathic diet’ which is the idea of a special energy called "vital energy" or "vital force" which guides bodily processes such as metabolism and reproduction to keep our bodies balanced. The Raw Beetroot and Ginger Muesli is a combination of delicious gluten free oats with fresh beetroot that is contrasted with zingy ginger, that together with a balanced combination of nuts and seeds, are sure to brighten any morning. The flavours and ingredients in this muesli are equally as adventurous as they are healthy, making for a great start to the day. Made right here in the UK, by a team of nutrition geniuses, we can’t fault the mouth-watering goodness of this cereal.

 The Raw Beetroot and Ginger Muesli won Gold winner at Taste of the West Awards 2012 and Gold Star winner at Great Taste 2013 so if you, like us, need no more convincing, Primrose’s Kitchen Raw Beetroot and Ginger Muesli is available here for £5.95.

The best thing about granola is that it is perfect for breakfast and as a healthy and filling snack during the day. You can get your breakfast while you are running out the door to catch the tube or you can snack on while you are in front of your pc doing important work.

Born back in 1985, Nature’s Path is an independently-owned family business which is committed to organic-only recipes made from the finest available grains, fruit and nuts. We were glad to have been able to try the gluten free Trail Mix and Choc Chip Granola Bars because they spiced up our breakfast research. If you are not one for cereals or porridge, these bars are perfect for breakfast on the go, with fruit or yoghurt if you want a sit down, or as a snack with lunch.  These crunchy, tasty bars go down a treat especially considering that they are so healthy. Despite both bars being super delicious our favourite was the Choc Chip because of the chocolate, of course!

Natures Path Granola Bars are available in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s or from the online shop here for £2.99 for 5 bars

Cawston Press - Sparkling Drinks

We are no strangers to adult beverages here at The Amazing Blog, but Cawston Press keeps us happy to be teetotalers. Their new collection of sparkling soft drinks are delicious enough to keep us gleefully toeing the line. The Cloudy Apple and Rhubarb Sparkling Drinks are not from concentrate, have no preservatives, and no artificial colours or flavours.  The refreshing and sweet freshly pressed juices are made from a mixture of British Cox and Bramley apples and the rhubarb is picked in the spring to ensure its tartness. Although both flavours had us smiling and reminiscing over Mum’s packed lunches, our favourite was Cloudy Apple. It was naturally sweet enough to go head to head with our sugar cravings but the ingredients in the drink did not make us regret the decision afterwards. We especially like that they come in cans so that we can just grab the healthy apple based beverages and go!

You can find your way to Cawston Press Cloudy Apple or the Rhubarb Sparkling Canned Drinks at selected Waitrose and Ocado, costing £4.99 for a pack of 6.

Rani's Mixture

We are always in the market for a tasty new snack here at The Amazing Blog and we were delighted to come across Rani’s Mixture. A mixture of spicy fried noodles and various other ingredients put together to form a delicious and nutritious snack, the Bombay Mix contains some of the finest exotic ingredients, including peanuts, cashews, cassavas and fried curry leaves to delight your taste buds. Rani’s Mixture is often referred to as one of the ‘seven wonders’ because all the ingredients taste so good together! The mixture is hand cooked using pure sunflower oil, and they only cook small batches to ensure quality is maintained. The good people at Rani’s do not believe in doing things by half, which is why they won The Good Taste Award in 2013. If something doesn’t look, taste, or feel great in your mouth, then it is not good enough for them. Rani’s Mixture distinguishes itself from other Bombay Mixes in the supermarket because their mixture is fresh, simple, and does not contain any added preservatives or colouring. Suitable for vegetarians, Rani’s Mixture comes in a resealable bag so you can carry it around with you all day, and have a bite whenever you feel the urge. Although we wouldn’t count on it lasting long enough to be resealed!

We love to indulge in snacks during the day so it helps that Rani’s Mixture is healthy and packed with many different flavours to satisfy the snack urges of everyone in our office. Purchase a bag of Rani’s Mixture from their UK distributor here for just £1.50.

Friday Favourites - Yummy Cookbooks

With SO many cookbooks out there, it sometimes becomes hard to choose which one to use when craving something delicious to eat. We happen to be quite indecisive here at The Amazing Blog when we’re looking for a recipe to whip up, however, a few cookbooks tend to always stand out from the crowd. These books include everything from Mediterranean to whole foods recipes, and have been supplying us with much needed inspiration in our kitchens!

‘One’ by Florence Knight is an exciting and unique book. Florence made her name as the head chef at London’s Polpetto, and has now brought out her first book. She turns her attention to the kitchen cupboard to create imaginative, honest food from her favourite ingredients. Each of the 10 chapters in ‘One’ focuses on recipes built around one particular ingredient, such as olive oil, flour, mustard, vinegar, salt, ketchup, nuts, eggs, honey, and chocolate. The result is a host of modern European dishes that have appeal, longevity and a touch of elegance. Florence proves just how much can be achieved with just a bottle of ketchup and some imagination. These simple yet delicious recipes are easily achievable and embody her motto of ‘less is more’. So if at the end of the month you are left with only a few choice staples, pick this book up and see what you can create! ‘One’ can be purchased here for £22.88.

Eleanor Ozich’s ‘My Petite Kitchen Cookbook’ is a complete menu of more than 100 simple, nourishing, wholefood recipes that Eleanor designed herself. Each recipe is written and photographed by Eleanor, and she has annotated each one indicating whether it is gluten free, dairy free, suitable for vegetarians and vegans or a combination of these. When a recipe is not gluten or dairy free, Eleanor has suggested an alternative ingredient to make it that way. Each recipe has thoughtful tips, and the ingredients have conveniently been listed in cups, grams, and ounces. Almost all of the recipes in the book are new, however, she has included a handful of her old favourites. The book includes everything from breakfasts and light meals to warming drinks and a fantastic basics section with a handful of simple recipes. ‘My Petite Kitchen Cookbook’ comes in handy when we need to cook for our friends with different eating habits and likes, or dare we say it - picky eaters. ‘My Petite Kitchen Cookbook’ can be purchased here for £45.00.

Nina Parker has a passion for food. Her cookbook, ‘Nina St. Tropez,’ includes recipes from the south of France, as Nina is dedicated to bringing a taste of her childhood to the heart of London and beyond. She explores the real St. Tropez, and the surrounding area through its secret, scenic walks, markets, vineyards and communities of artists and fishermen. The book is filled with classic French recipes for gourmet breakfasts, picnics, lunchtime snacks and dinner parties to impress. This book represents family cooking from across the south of France and is perfect for unique meals, like our favourite ‘Le Mistral Stuffed Vegetables.’ Le Mistral can be served as a starter or side, and the recipe is so versatile that you can use all types of vegetables. Purchase ‘Nina St. Tropez’ here for £13.44.

After our trip to France with Nina we are whisked away to Greece with Maria Elia. Greek cuisine has a long long history of delicious recpies, and now you too can enjoy these thanks to Maria Elia bringing the traditional flavours and ingredients of Greece into the 21st century with her thoroughly modern take on classic dishes. Smashing Plates, as the name suggests is an adventurous book, in which Elia explores exciting new flavour combinations and showcases what Greek cuisine has to offer. The 120 recipes are a product of a summer spent cooking and experimenting at her father's tavern in the picturesque Troodos mountains of Cyprus. We loved the Marinated Lamb here at the office, but the collection also contains delicious vegetarian dishes such as Carrot Keftedes and Tomato and Runner Bean Baklava for our meat-free friends! With something for everyone, Maria's inventive recipes will open your eyes to a whole new world of Greek cooking! Transport yourself to Greece with Smashing Plates by Maria Elia available here for £13.59 

Last but not least we come to our yummy dessert book. ‘Ice Cream Sandwiches’ excited us very much because just like us, everyone loves ice cream; anyone who says differently is lying to you. Donna Egan shows us how to make gorgeous ice cream delights in the form of Ice cream sandwiches, which are the scrumptious new hit with foodie lovers everywhere. Inside this prettily packaged book are 50 easy-to-make recipes for ice cream fillings and simple cookies in a variety of tempting flavours with instructions for preparing and assembling them into delicious, unique sandwiches. When we gave it a go, we loved the Peanut Butter Dreams and fresh 'n' fruity Rose Meringues. They were so easy to whip up and were a hit with everyone here in the office. Fully illustrated with colour photography throughout, this cutesy book keeps you on task so your treats come out correctly and looking amazing. Not only for summer, this is the perfect gift to scoop up and use even in the winter months. For desserts or special creations, it’s the ultimate icy indulgence, for all year round.

Ice Cream Sandwiches by Donna Egan can be bought here for £ 16.99

CLIF Bars

No matter what activity you have planned, whether it’s just another day at work or a long exercise, you always need good food to keep your energy up throughout the day. We here at The Amazing Blog are always on the move and constantly needing a quick, filling meal. The CLIF Bar is everything you need and more, including a great taste! Their equation is simple: put good food in and get good performance out. And let’s face it, we all need good performance on a regular basis. The CLIF Bars supply working muscles with the energy they need for extended periods of activity. Although they can be eaten on a regular basis, they are really great for exercising, and in that case, they should be eaten before the exercise begins. CLIF Bars’ ingredients are wholesome. They are made with organic rolled oats and vitamins B6 and B12, which contribute to the normal release of energy. There is a high source of protein and fibre, and no fructose corn syrup, which gives you energy to be in it to your limit. The CLIF Bar is the original bar that the company made, and it still embodies what their company stands for. We loved the Oatmeal Raisin Walnut the best of all the flavours because it fulfilled our craving for sweets without the guilt we might feel for binge eating in the afternoons.

CLIF Bars are available in six different flavours, including Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, Chocolate Chip, Blueberry Crisp, Crunchy Peanut Butter, Chocolate Almond Fudge, and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut. Get your own box of 12 CLIF Bars from their UK distributor here  for £13.99.