Graze Supersnacks - Beetroot Crisps with jalapeño chickpeas and sunflower seeds

I used to get Graze boxes loads a few years ago, I loved their interesting and creative mixes of healthy snacks that get the right balance of offering some nutrition but feeling really treaty and special. However, healthier eating is becoming so much easier nowadays and the supermarkets are offering loads of new products, energy balls, crisps alternatives and free from options.

However, Graze have recently launched a range of new supersnacks and being a fan of the company, I re-signed up for a delivery. One thing I love about Graze is the fact it’s a surprise which snacks you’re going to get in a box. It’s like a little Christmas surprise when it comes in the post!

In my box, was one of the new supersnacks, which was a mix of beetroot crisps, jalapeno chickpeas and sunflower seeds. All good, healthy, wholesome ingredients that are completely vegan but actually seem interesting and not too worthy. In addition the pack offers 4g of plant protein and is under 100 calories.

It makes a nice savoury snack and helps curb those cravings when you’re just looking for something to graze on. The beetroot crisps are pure beetroot rather than fried in oil like most veg crisps and aren’t salted so whilst not as crunchy and tasty as proper veg crisps, they are still crisp and are lighterwith more of the beetroot flavour coming through. The jalapeno chickpeas are crunchy with a really nice spicing to them as well and these two elements are very moreish. The sunflower seeds….are just sunflower seeds and to be honest are a little dull but they are very good for you.

The ratio is a bit out for my liking with only a couple of beetroot crisps and a lot of sunflower seeds but overall this makes a delicious alternative to crisps.

Nakd Apricot Crunch Review

I’m really back into Nakd bars again now that they launched their three new flavours of peanut power, apricot crunch and carrot cake. I’ve reviewed the carrot cake one previously which was insanely good and today is time for the apricot crunch version. I don’t really buy the crunch variants of the Nakd bars as the flavours are generally quite tame – strawberry, cocoa, banana and when they do cherry bakewell, gingerbread and cashew cookie ones it’s a bit of  no brainer.

However, apricot promises something new and interesting and you don’t see many apricot cereal bars out there. Before even opening the bar I could tell it was going to deliver on the apricot front, the smell is so strong you can even detect it without opening the pack. Once opened it’s even more intense with a lovely, sweet, floral, juicy smell of apricot.

Having not had a protein crunch Nakd for a while, the texture was a nice surprise. It’s a much firmer texture than the others with a crispiness to it that comes from the soya crunchies, which I like. Like all Nakd bars, the ingredients list is short and sweet – dates, soya crunchies, raisins,  cashews, apricot, apple juice concentrate and a bit of natural flavouring and of course it’s gluten free, wheat free, dairy free and vegan.

The taste is really nice with all  the treaty dessert like Nakd bars out there, it’s great to have a really fruity one and this one is really fruity indeed. It’s refreshing, summery and fragrantly sweet and a great addition to the range. Carrot cake still has the edge due to its awesome likeness to the real deal but this is pretty good too.

Nutrition per bar: 105 calories, 2.2g fat, 0.5g sat fat, 14.3 sugars, 5.4g protein, 0.2g salt

Score: 8/10

Nakd Carrot Cake Review

I think it’s fair to say when Graze announced their new launches there was a lot of excitement and hype about it. I totally bought into the hype as well as Nakd bars are a particular favourite snack of mine. They’re tasty, healthy, natural and the perfect balance of being light but fairly satisfying for a perfect sweet treat. I straightaway went overboard and got all three of the new flavours  - Peanut Delight, Apricot Crunch and the limited edition Carrot Cake.

The carrot cake was obviously the one I had to start with. Usually I try and save what I think will be my favourite until last but I just couldn’t resist this. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Generally Nakd bars are pretty authentic with their flavours although rhubarb and custard let me down a bit. I’ve also been bitten numerous times by cereal bars and yogurts promising to taste of my favourite desserts and cakes and that not delivering. So would this give me a carrot cake hit?

Like all the Nakd bars, it’s a perfectly simple and natural ingredients list – simply dates (48%) , walnuts (20%), raisins (14%), almonds (10%), cashews (5%), carrots (3%) cinnamon and a bit of natural flavouring. It’s also dairy free, gluten free, wheat free, vegan and one of your five a day. So a pretty healthy choice all round. But of course it needs to be delicious as well.

Opening up and smelling it, my heart did sink a little bit. I couldn’t really detect anything like carrot cake and it just had that familiar date smell of Nakd bars. However, with the first bite my fears were reassured. It does actually taste like carrot cake!!!

I think having things like carrot and cinnamon in the recipe really as the taste is pretty authentic and you get all that lovely sweet, slightly spiced sponge taste of a genuine carrot cake. What makes this work extra well is the texture. It’s that lovely soft but slightly firm chewiness of a Nakd bar but combined with the lovely carrot cake taste it does actually feel like you are eating a carort cake once you start chewing and it breaks down as the bar has a slightly similar mouthfeel.

The high walnut percentage also massively helps in adding to the authenticity with a good amount of little bitesize pieces studded throughout the bar. You can taste and feel the walnut in each mouthful and again they just add to a genuine carrot taste. Myabe it was my imagination but I swear even a slightly sweetened iced topping was dancing around in the background.

In a nutshell, I loved these. Nakd have got the flavour spot on. It’s delicious, healthy and in my opinion has an authentic carrot cake taste. In all honesty, I can’t see these staying as limited edition. People are already going wild for them and I think they’ll sell well. I really hope it gets added to the range permanently!

Nutrition per bar: 148 calories, 7.6g fat, 0.7g sat, fat, 15.6g sugars, 2.8g protein, <0.1g salt

Score: 9/10

Holland and Barrett Good Stuff Nicely Spicy Pumpkin Review

Everytime I go into Holland and Barrett, I just can’t help but come out with more than I need. It’s one of those places I always enjoy having a browse and come out feeling good due to all the healthy snacks. Whilst I can happily eat nuts on their own, I tend to only eat seeds if they’re mixed into muesli or porridge or with yogurt as I find them a bit dull for grazing on.

These pumpkin seeds however are coated in chilli and paprika, which sounded a bit more intriguing and I thought they would make a good bag for just diving into at work as I’m trying to not always go for a sweet snack. Nutritionally pumpkin seeds are full of good stuff – loads of magnesium, high in plant protein and good fats and some studies have linked them to lowering cholesterol as well as being a natural inflammatory.

Like most H+B products, they’re good quality – no dry or stale bits in here with a nice crunch. The coating helps make them a lot nicer to eat. They have a very gentle heat that is sweet and mellow with a bit of back burn too. There’s other herbs and spices going on – some garlic, some coriander, some cumin. It all just makes a nice savoury snack.

It’s a nice little 85g bag – I hate massive sacks of nuts and seeds. The only thing I would like to see and this goes for all H+B products like this is help make it resealable – even just provide a sticker or something to close it and make it easier to open so you don’t end up ripping a big hole making  it even harder to reseal. It’s also low in sugar and salt is pretty good at 0.7g per bag – often savoury snacks can be really quite high in this. Packed full of flavour, this is a winner with me

Price: £2.49
Bought at: Holland and Barrett
Nutrition per 100g: 510 calories, 35g fat, 6.2g sat fat, 4g sugars, 0.9g salt

Score: 7.5/10

Artisan Grains Greenwheat Freekeh

This interesting box of grains I came upon by pure chance whilst in the Wholefoods section of Tesco. I didn't go out searching for it but spotting it upon shelf, I knew it was something I wanted to try.

This freekeh works in a similar way to other carb side dishes with meals like couscous, rice or bulghar wheat. The only difference with this is that it seems to be more like quinoa with a lower carb content and a very high protein content to keep you going. It has 18.5g of protein per 100g - more than Greek yoghurts! It's also high in fibre, low in salt, sugar and fat and has a low GI of 43. All in all, it's pretty healthy!

This was on special offer at the time I bought it at £1.29 and I think it should have been around £1.69 if I remember correctly. The bag contains 200g, which is supposedly 4 servings so it does cost a bit more than things like rice, noodles or couscous. However, with its health benefits and high protein content for a grain I am happy to pay the premium.

It's extremely easy to cook - just as simple as rice or couscous as opposed to the long boiling time for things like black eyed beans. The pack recommends adding some olive oil and salt and then just covering with boiling water and simmering for 15 minutes. So very quick and hassle free.

I then just stirred through a variety of veg and served it as an accompaniment to a chicken escalope. Texturally, it's similar to couscous - nice and bobbly with a soft, nubbly texture. It's probably a more complex taste though - a lot more nutty and it has a bit more bite and holds its own. The olive oil really enhances it and I could quite happily eat a bowl of this by itself. It doesn't paricularly absorb sauces as much as couscous I would say and would tend to work better for things like salads or as an accompaniment as I did.

The pack also gives loads of great recommendations for serving suggestions - things like a healthier alternative to egg fried rice, as a stuffing for chicken, a Tabbouleh style salad and a sundried tomato, feta and basil dish. All of them sound really delcious and I think I was a bit unimaginative with my first cook of it so I'm really looking forward to eating this in lots of different ways!

Available: Tesco
Price: £1.29 on promotion

Pros: High protein, low GI carb, lots of fibre, lots of ways to cook it and use it, tastes delicious and makes a nice alternative to other grains
Cons: Less servings per pack than other grains so slightly more costly

Score: 8/10