Gü Strawberry & Raspberry Cheesecake (ASDA)

So I was going to write a 7th healthy review today to conclude the first week of the new year buuuuuut....

1. It's Saturday
2. My sister asked me to review something "that she'd actually eat."

..Which gave me the nudge to not neglect those of you for whom high protein/low sugar just isn't interesting. With that in mind I thought I'd jump to the other end of the foodie spectrum and write about one of my sister and I's favourite indulgent desserts: cheesecake. Not just cheesecake either, but Gü's newest strawberry & raspberry shortbread creation.

This duo pack of desserts came out towards the end of the year, which I thought to be quite an odd choice for the company, or is it just me who naturally thinks of strawberry as a summer treat? Especially when enjoyed with shortbread, or shortcake, or scones, or cream. Mmm. Can you tell I'm hungry at the moment? Anyway, they were on offer in December for £2 in ASDA (currently £3) and although I wouldn't normally veer from their incredible Zillionaire's or Banoffee cheesecakes I was tempted enough to try them at least once (for you guys of course).

"Wander through raspberry and strawberry fields with flowering hibiscus, before journeying into vanilla infused cheesecake and crumbly shortbread base.
Pleasure seekers, grab your spoons..."

Yep, definitely summery then!

The bright red topping of these cheesecake looked eerily similar to the insipid toppings adorning ASDA's smart price cheesecakes -i.e not great, don't bother if you're lucky enough to have never suffered them. On the plus side there was evidence of real fruit though in Gü's little number , so I dug in..

I was worried the Hibiscus flavouring might overpower the berries (though I'm not sure that I can tell you what hibiscus tastes like, but I'm guessing flowery like lavender) but all I got was a pretty bog standard jam like topping. The cheesecake was ok, pretty standard, and without Gü's incredible ganache sitting alongside it was disappointing.

As I've explained in all of my cheesecake reviews to date, the biscuit base is very important. I hoped that the rich buttery shortbread tones would sing through, but actually the final layer tasted barely different to your usual digestive number. In fact there wasn't a huge deal of it, and what was there was über crumbly.

Humf. I wish I'd listened to my instincts and picked up a chocolatey ramekin instead. Talking of which, what on earth do you do with yours once you eaten your dessert? I always think that they're too nice to throw away, but I now have 30 or so in my kitchen drawer! Any bright ideas?

5/10

Dr Zak's Chocolate Fudge Brownie High Protein Peanut Spread (Online)

I've reviewed one of Dr Zak's high protein peanut spreads before, last time it was the Banoffee Pie flavour and this time it's Chocolate fudge brownie's turn. You guys should know by now how much I love chocolate and peanut butter together, so It seemed like the logical next flavour to try. 

I was impressed by Dr Zak's Banoffee Pie peanut spread, so I was looking forward to this chocolate fudge brownie flavour. As with all quality nut butters the jar needed a good stir once open to rectify the natural separation of oils that occurs.

The spread smelt enticingly of chocolate and was a rich dark colour. Once mixed, the consistency became how I like it: spreadable and not sloppy or too stiff. As with every protein enhanced peanut butter I've tried thus far there was a slight grainy grittiness from the whey protein that some may find off putting. I personally don't mind it though, after all it's the nutty flavour that I love, and with 7g of protein per 20g serving it's a great treat to enjoy pre or post workout.

The chocolate and peanut worked in harmony together, although the cocoa was the slightly more dominant flavour. It's a moreish spread, especially for chocolate & peanut butter lovers, and it certainly tastes like it contains much more sugar than it actually does (1.4g per 20g). My favourite ways to enjoy this spread include slathering it on apple slices, or popping it into a toastie with sliced banana! Dr Zak's spreads are available at most reputable Sports Nutrition retailers.

Who makes your favourite protein nut butters? Any suggestions for my next jar of Dr Zak's? I keep hearing how great the salted caramel flavour is...

7/10

Macros per 100g: 537 kcal/ P:35/ C:15/ F 36.3

Grenade Carb Killa Banana Armour (CNSport)

If you're into fitness and supplements there's no doubt you'll be au fait with Grenade's Carb Killa bar range. The company is going from strength to strength and in the last few months Grenade have extended the line with a whole host of new flavours. In fact just today they launched their new bar: Peanut Nutter. Who else is crazy excited? I know I've been dying for them to bring out a bar flavoured with my favourite foodstuff for ageeeees. In the meantime, I thought I'd write up a review of their recently released Banana Armour flavour.

"High protein bar with a banana flavoured centre and caramel layer coated in milk chocolate with sweeteners."

Only yesterday I mentioned about my love of chocolate (spread) with banana, so this was a bar that I was particularly eager to get my chops around. In fact poor Conor (of CN Sport) had to put up with my daily pestering for a good few weeks whilst he tried to locate stock of them in the U.K. 

For those of you who aren't familiar with Carb Killas, I'll fill you in. Quite frankly they are the undisputed kings of delicious protein bars. Despite tasting more like chocolate bars, they contain a high protein content (at least 22g per bar) and pretty low carbs (the highest carb content is in the White Chocolate Mocha, which contains 15.3g per 60g bar). Pop a Carb Killa in the microwave until it starts to melt and you've got a treat that will rival most  -and beat some- high st chocolate bars.

In usual Carb Killa fashion, the bar comprised of three distinct layers: the chewy but soft protein base filled with soy crispies, topped with the gooey caramel and surrounded with chocolate. So far my favourite Carb Killas have been the white chocolate ones, so I was eager to see how this compared. 

As with the other bars in the range, this was a bar that was soft enough to eat at ambient temperature, but became oh-so indulgent when melted. The banana flavour was strong but artificial, in a foam-banana kind of way, however I love the sweets so enjoyed the taste! The chocolate was pretty good, although the white chocolate still reigns supreme in my eyes. As for the caramel, it was as good as it is in all of Grenade's bars -chewy and sweet- despite the lack of sugar. I always enjoy the crunchiness of the Carb Killas, and of course this was no different. 

Another winning bar from the guys at Grenade, now to find a Peanut Nutter bar or 10!

9/10

Banana Armour Macros: 217kcal P:22.7/ C14.8/ F8.3

JimJams Healthier Jams & Spreads (Tesco)

You can't open the papers or turn on the news without hearing how bad sugar is for our health. It's being squarely blamed for the obesity epidemic and we're all regularly told how we're addicted to the stuff. I'll openly admit it, I certainly am a sugar addict. One look at my instagram feed will attest to that.

I love most sweet foods, and whilst I'm aware of the health problems such as Diabetes (hi Dad!) that too much sugar can cause, I'm not quite ready to give it up yet. I am however prepared to try to make healthier swaps for lower sugar products, and that's where JimJams come in...

JimJams is the brainchild of Kellie and Kevin Bath, who decided to create their own lower sugar jams and spreads after spotting a gap in the market. They say:

"My family wanted delicious Jams without all the sugar, so we made them…
One morning at breakfast we were enjoying a few slices of toast & jam, like many other families every day. Whilst looking at the packaging of well-known brands we were shocked at the amount of hidden sugar in such a small jar.

Our kids deserved better for their breakfast, so we set about making our own to see if we could make the same tasting Jam and Fruit content without all the sugar.

JimJams was born and we know that there has never been a better time to eat less sugar…"

In the dying months of 2016 I kept seeing their products pop up all over instagram, and so when JimJams offered to send me a jam and spread to review, I jumped at the opportunity. Less than a week later a jar of strawberry jam and chocolate hazelnut spread arrived -thanks JimJams!

Strawberry Jam
JimJams jams contain 35% less sugar than standard jam, and contain 55g of fruit per 100g. Flavours include blackcurrant, orange marmalade, raspberry and strawberry, but I opted for the UK's favourite flavour jam -strawberry*! 

Now I'm not sure what I was expecting from JimJams, but I have to admit that I was suitably impressed! The jar's contents looked and tasted like a good strawberry jam. I mean, it doesn't taste as good as my homemade rhubarb & vanilla jam, but then I am biased, and I'm absolutely sure that JimJams' jam is kinder to my teeth. 

Thumbs up for the jam!

8/10

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 
Now this was the jar that I was super excited about. If you know anything about me you'll know how much I love nutella (almost as much as peanut butter). I even carry an emergency spoon on my house keyring -you know, just in case it's one of those days. 



Containing 83% less sugar than Nutella, could this really even compare on taste? Surely something had to be compromised. The hype on instagram suggested otherwise, but then I've also seen many people rave on there about the utterly disappointing Reese's Rounds, so I needed to make my own mind up.

Yikes. The instacrowd aren't wrong. Although it has a slightly grittier appearance than Nutella, it certainly doesn't taste any different. In fact I'm sure most people would be baffled that they were sampling two different spreads if offered a blind taste test of both. The JimJams spread melts well too, making it the perfect topping for toast or your morning porridge. Otherwise make my favourite: a banana and JimJams toastie. If you're not a hazelnut fan, no worries, they also make a milk chocolate version too! 

I can't see why I would buy Nutella anymore, I'm a JimJams convert! 

10/10

JimJams are available to buy from Tesco, Morrisons, Whole Food Markets, Ocado, Dobbies, Holland & Barrett, The Protein Pick & Mix, and Elveden. P.S their chocolate spreads are currently on offer in Morrisons for £2 per 350g jar, I'll certainly be stocking up!

Thanks for the samples JimJams!

*The very best flavour for making PB&Js ;). 

Peanut Butter Cup Muscle Mousse (CN Sport)

A couple of months ago I was perusing Instagram during a very dull PR lecture when I spotted a very good deal on short dated quest bars in my local sports nutrition store CN Sport, swiftly followed by another offer on USN's protein mousse.

I didn't know much about USN's mousse, but had spotted Muscle Mousse so often on Instagram that I decided to give it a whirl -especially as Conor (the owner of CN Sport) was offering it at such a good price. The strawberry and white chocolate USN mousse is utterly fab, tasting just like Angel Delight, so it wasn't long before the temptation to try Muscle Mousse took hold -not least because they sell a peanut butter cup flavour! I bade my time and waited for the Black Friday deals, and luckily Conor matched an offer I found. The Moose's Mousse was mine at last!

Muscle Mousse contains 30g of protein per 50g serving from a combination of Micellar Casein, Whey Protein and Egg Albumen -making it ideal to enjoy before bedtime. N.B it also contains gelatin and sweeteners (namely Stevia and Sucralose).

P.S Glittery stars not included in the pack! 

The mixing instructions suggest adding 2 scoops to 150ml water in a shaker bottle, but I've found it mixes much better with a quick whisk, and tastes much better made with milk! Unlike USN's instant mousse, Muscle Moose suggest chilling their made up mousse for at least 30 mins (and consume within 48 hours).

The resulting mousse is fairly dense with a strong and sweet peanut butter flavour. The chocolate is somewhat lost against the nuttiness, but to be honest I didn't really mind. I have to admit that I prefer the fluffier consistency of USN's protein mousse, but it's still an enjoyable treat (and makes a very welcome change from yogurts and shakes).

The very best use I've found for Muscle Mousse however is on my morning porridge. I make and heat my oats as normal, then stir in a single scoop of powder, top up with milk, and reheat. This combination produces the creamiest, most flavourful porridge ever! Adding chopped banana make for an even tastier creation, but the other night I had a brainwave....

How about adding banana and Reese's chocolate? Genius.

I was lucky enough to receive an inordinate supply of Reese's goodies for Christmas, including a giant (141g) heart from my dear Daddio. I topped the peanut butter cup muscle mousse banana proats with a quarter of the peanut butter heart and indulged in the heavenly ecstasy of my creation... easily the best bowl of oats I've ever had.

8/10

Macros per 50g (as sold): P30/C12/F1

Reflex Nutrition Strawberries & Cream 100% Native Whey & Chocolate Peanut Butter 100% Whey

Who knew that there was so many differences in whey protein powder? I realised that there's a million and one different flavours out there, but within that there's also a plethora of types of whey. I'm certainly no expert on the ins and outs of the different proteins, but I know that Reflex is a name I can trust thanks to their precision and expertise - I mean they built their own factory to produce their own powders here in UK and rigorously test every batch, even publishing the results online.

I was very lucky to receive a number of their products to review last year (including their flapjacks, white chocolate & Raspberry R-Bars, protein coffee, diet protein and instant whey). During December I was fortunate to receive another big parcel of goodies from the sports nutrition Kings; including two huge tubs of native whey and 100% whey. 

Strawberries & Cream 100% Native Whey
So what is Native Whey exactly? Reflex say...

"100% Native Whey is a protein shake with a proven 80% protein content, utilising the purest and most natural form of whey protein currently produced.
Reflex Nutrition’s native whey is made from fresh milk, sourced in the EU, from grass-fed cattle. This is the most pure and natural form of whey protein, and it is collected in its native form, created by nature.
Native whey protein contains more branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), up to 16% more L-leucine, more essential amino acids, and nearly 40% more cystine than cheese derived whey.
We’ve gone to great lengths to ensure 100% Native Whey delivers an incredible flavour and mixes easily and instantly. By not using cheese-based whey, our products hit the spot with no strange aftertaste, across a range of flavours."

The smell was really good, reminding me of Strawberry Nesquik -always a good thing! As a shake it mixed easily, and was especially tasty with milk. It's on the sweet side, but that's a bonus for me. Reflex's 100% Native Whey delivers 28g of protein per 35g serving and over 6gs of BCAAs, making it the perfect go-to for post-workout. It even gets the thumbs up from Bert, who now regularly drinks it too -having originally turned his nose up, believing that all whey shakes were grainy and nasty. That's certainly not the case with any of Reflex's powders I've tried.

The only trouble for me, is that it does not take kindly to being heated -which means that proats and variations of beltsander blondies are off the menu (unless you enjoy eating rubber). I have found an alternative to the shakes that does work well though, and I'm slightly addicted to it: protein fluff. If you've never made it, it's the perfect high-volume snack, and a great low calorie, low fat, low sugar and high protein alternative to mousse or ice cream. Simply take:

• 30g Strawberries & Cream 100% Native Whey
• 50ml milk
• 100g frozen fruit (I loved it with frozen raspberries or cherries)
• 10ml Jordans skinny white chocolate syrup.

Pop all the ingredients into a jug/blender and pulse until smooth. Whisk (using an electric mixer on high speed) for 4-5 minutes until fluffy. Like something from Chemistry class at school the mixture grows in size to an unbelievable amount! A great filling and delicious snack.  

9/10

Chocolate Peanut Butter 100% Whey
This whey is available in a wide variety of flavours in both 875g and 2kg tubs, but what is it exactly?

"With 100% Whey Protein, the clue is in the name; it’s a protein shake that delivers 100% of its protein from whey. Only the finest undenatured whey is used, with no added sugars, no amino spiking, and no soy protein, giving you the finest protein to supplement your fitness and sporting efforts.
100% Whey Protein contains over 5g of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) per 24g of protein, which are arguably the most crucial amino acids for athletes. The three BCAAs are balanced at a 2:1:1 ratio of L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine and L-Valine, giving you the perfect equilibrium in every shake. Our whey protein is extracted during the cheese-making process, made with quality fresh milk under EU regulations, from cattle that are free from banned antibiotics and growth hormones."

This didn't smell as great as the fab strawberries and cream Native Whey, but it still smelt rather good with a more potent chocolate flavour. Once again, the whey makes a lovely smooth and sweet shake, which tastes exponentially better when made with milk.

This was another powder that didn't make great proats, as I found that the mixture split slightly, resulting in lumpy porridge -not great. This powder survived being turned into a beltsander brownie though (recipe here) and I found that it tasted best when slightly undercooked (60 seconds instead of the normal 90).

7/10

Both of these Whey Protein Powders are available to buy directly from Reflex's website.

*Once again, a huge thank you to Reflex Nutrition for the samples -and my muscles say thank you too!*

NEW! Lindahl's Vanilla and Raspberry Flavoured Quark (Waitrose)

Happy New Year guys and gals! Have you woken up aiming to turn over a new leaf? Whilst I think that everyone can and should set themselves goals at any point during the year, January the 1st does present itself as somewhat of an opportunity to kick those dreams into motion. Sometimes it's the smaller goals that can bring us joy; for example one of my 2016 resolutions was to have peanut butter and chocolate every single day -simply because I love it- and yesterday I completed my little challenge (admittedly sometimes that meant sneaking Reese's peanut butter cups into my suitcase).

Other goals have been more significant -2016 was the first year since 2012 that I have completely avoided hospital admissions- and for that I raised a glass (or two) last night. I feel very fortunate for my life right now, and I'm super excited for what 2017 has to offer. Sure there's a mixture of resolutions and goals that'll be challenging, but that's what makes life interesting! 

For many people New Years diets will be coming into force from today. It's something that grates on me a little bit, but only because I think that healthy lifestyles should be a way of life and something that includes balance. As a snack reviewer it may look like I live on a diet of pure junk food, but most of the time (70% ish) I eat relatively healthily (certainly not clean though!), and I'm pretty active. One of my daily food staples is LIDL's Milbona Skyr pots -they're cheap, a brilliant source of protein and fat free. I flavour them using sugar free syrups to make them more interesting (Salted Chocolate Espresso, Tiramisu and banoffee are personal favourites) but I'm still always on the look out for new brands to try.

Cue Lindh's, which isn't Skyr at all, but Quark. Both Skyr and Quark are technically soft cheeses, although quite often they sit amongst the yogurt section in the supermarket. I buy Skyr because it's cheaper (at Lidl anyway), and the only sweet flavoured Quark pots widely available are the ARLA protein pots -which I don't particularly rate. So when I spotted these new Lindahl's Raspberry & Vanilla pots on offer at Waitrose for 70p (per 150g pot) I just had to give them a go!

Lindahl's is the number 1 Quark brand in Sweden, and a quick glance at their website made me very envious of the selection that the Swede's get to choose from!The pots contain no added sugar and are suitable for vegetarians. 

Raspberry
First up was the raspberry, and when I peeled back the lid I uncovered a pale pink substance so thick that the individual peaks had remained intact.

Delving my spoon into the Quark revealed a dense mousse like appearance, which simply melted away in the mouth. Instantly I was reminded of the Petit Filous fromage frais pots I enjoyed as a child. Despite the lack of sugar the Quark was sweet enough (more so than the ARLA pots), and I enjoyed every last morsel. Delicious.

9/10

Vanilla
When it comes to Skyr, nothing beats Icelandic Skyr's Vanilla pots. I only wish I had more money so that I could buy them on a regular basis. My love of the vanilla Skyr made me all the more excited to try this Lindahl's Quark version.

The pot had the same consistency and creaminess of the raspberry, although it wasn't as flavourful. The vanilla was less pronounced, and sat delicately in the background. Still delicious, but just not quite as good as my beloved Skyr I'm afraid.

9/10

Summary
These are the perfect snack or light dessert for those looking to up their protein intake and/or eat healthily this January. At only 90Kcal per 150g pot* they're filling and delicious. They're also only on an introductory offer -so if you also like them then stock up pronto like I plan to! Also, if we all buy enough then maybe *just maybe* Waitrose will start selling Lindahl's white chocolate Quark. Please Waitrose?


*Macros P:16.5/C:5.3/F:0.3