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Sunday, 12 March 2017

Oatein Brownies (CNSport)

I'm very fortunate, our tiny little city may miss out on many good shops, but what we lack in doughnut outlets (ahem Krispy Kreme) we make up for in Sports Nutrition. Hereford hides a little gem within its central Buttermarket and that, ladies and gentlemen, is CNSport. Owned and managed by Conor, it's a tiny but extremely well stocked haven of every feasible nutrition product. That's not even the best bit though. Really it's not. Instead the company's best asset is Conor and Dan who run the shop. I remember the first time I paid a visit, new to working out and not sure where to start, but being instantly welcomed by the duo. Conor is not only passionate about Sport but his ethos revolves around giving his customers the best service experience. As such he is happy to offer genuine advice. Isn't that all but lost in this digital age? To boot he'll always price match wherever possible too. Does it get any better? CNSport will also deliver, so it's not just Herefordians who can benefit - so please do pop on over to their Facebook and say hello.

 Why am I telling you all of this? Well it was during a recent visit to the shop that Conor gave me a couple of Oatein's new brownies to review. I hadn't tried any of Oatein's products before but had read many a good comment on Instagram about their flapjacks. I've really got into making my own protein cakes recently, so I was looking forward to finding out how Oatein's brownies would taste.

Both the white chocolate chip and double chocolate chip brownies weigh 60g and contain 17g of protein, coming in at just under 255 kCals. Not too bad for a protein treat. 

 White Chocolate

The square shaped bar was loaded with a decent amount of large white chocolate chunks and smelt inviting. Forgive me for being pernickety but shouldn't it be called a blondie seeing as the 'cake' itself isn't chocolatey? The packet shows the brownie with ice cream, and that sounded good to me, so I heated it slightly in the microwave and served it with Jude's new Chocolate with a Touch of Sea Salt. 

Ooh I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I was met with a deliciously sweet flapjack-brownie hybrid. The oat flavour was prominent and well matched with the white chocolate. Texturally it was dense and moist like a brownie; can you tell I loved it? There was no horrid whey grittiness either. I could've quite happily enjoyed this cool and on the go (I nibbled the corner before serving) but it was scumdiddlyumptious warm.

 Macros per brownie: kCal 254 P:17/C26.5/F8.6
9/10

 Double Chocolate Chip

Given the success of the brownie & ice cream combo I thought I'd repeat it with the double chocolate flavour - this time pairing it with Oppo's Mint Chocolate Swirl.

Again the oaty flavour was strong and sweet, but the chocolate wasn't as dominant as I'd have liked. For some reason it was overshadowed by the oats. This brownie wasn't as moist either, and I was grateful for the ice cream alongside. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, I did, but Oatein haven't quite nailed this flavour to the same effect that they have the white chocolate version.

 Macros per brownie: kCal 248 P: 17/ C 24.2/ F8.5

 7/10

 I'd definitely have the white chocolate version again, but probably wouldn't bother with the double chocolate chip. Oatein have stirred my interest though, and I'm eager to know how their cookies and flapjacks compare. Are any of you Oatein fans? Is there any of their products that I simply have to try? Leave me a comment below or via Instagram/Twitter and let me know!

 Thank you Conor for the samples.
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8 comments:

  1. Anonymous12 March 2017 at 18:52

    The white blondie one sounds properly lovely. Oaty based things are one of my many (many) weaknesses! :D

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  2. D13 March 2017 at 14:35

    genuine question - why does everyone have added protein in now and is used as a selling point? I've honestly tried googling why it's such a craze in food but am none the wiser. I get that it will keep you fuller for longer, but is it not adding extra calories into already calorie dense foods when it's 'junk' foods and snacks? - is it a paleo thing?

    like it's great that Skyr has a lot of protein in, but the pull of protein in other things that normally wouldnt have it in and it's added it lost on me so i'm not sure i understand where it's all come from! :-)

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    1. Unknown14 March 2017 at 14:24

      Weight training requires a relatively high protein diet in order to help repair and strengthen muscles (check out this article if you want more insight https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3529694/). This can obviously be obtained through naturally high protein foods such as meat, but if you don't eat a lot of meat and/or fancy something different then the treats can be a good way to supplement such a diet. :) Like you say, protein is also more satiating than other macronutrients too!

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    2. D16 March 2017 at 10:52

      i see. useful if you're doing something specific, but i do feel in some ways it's being marketed as 'healthier' as a way to sell more product to people who are not doing weight training and end up consuming more calorie dense foods! Definitely an interesting development in food trends for the average punter.

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    3. Unknown16 March 2017 at 18:19

      Agreed, but at 250kcals(ish) these are healthier than your usual high fat/sugar brownies. They do tend to only be available from sports nutrition shops too. I do understand your point though!

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  3. Unknown13 March 2017 at 15:34

    They're really good macros for protein treats! I will have to keep a look out :)

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    Replies
    1. Unknown14 March 2017 at 14:24

      Let me know what you think when you try them Abi!

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