Foodie Friday: Introducing Flower & White - Delicious Fairtrade & Vegetarian, Sweet Treats Under 100 Calories

 

Here's an extra special Foodie Friday post this week just for my lovely vegetarian readers, let me introduce you to the blissfully sweet world of Flower & White!

Every now and then, there's a brand that pops up that ticks all of the right boxes when I'm looking for something to satisfy my massive sweet tooth, and Flower & White have exceeded all of my expectations in this area.

Based in Telford in nearby Shropshire, this independent business has grown from humble beginnings making giant Swiss meringues in a shed, to being a hugely successful brand with stockists selling their yummy products across the UK.

Their USP? Making delicious chocolate-covered meringue bars that are wholly indulgent, but which come in at under 100 calories. They're suitable for vegetarians, made from only natural ingredients with no artificial colours, flavours, additives, E-numbers or preservatives, and they're also gluten-free. Take all of my money now!

That's not all though. Flower & White are an ethical brand in every sense of the word. The egg whites used to create their melt-in-the-middle fillings are all free-range, and they use fairtrade ingredients to ensure that farmers are paid properly. To help the environment, all of their products are made without palm oil and their packaging is made from 100% recyclable paper.

Coveted for their original chocolate-covered meringue bars, these are currently available in five different mouth-watering flavours so you can take your pick from Lemon Meringue, Chocolate Crunch, Raspberry Crumble, Hazelnut Praline and Salted Caramel. 

The rich flavour and creaminess of the chocolate perfectly compliments that light and airy meringue filling which really does melt in your mouth. Each bar is just 95 calories, yet they are so sweet and satisfying that you won't feel like you've eaten a typical low-calorie bar.

It's easy to fall in love with these sweet treats, and whilst the bars are the ideal serving size for one person, Flower & White also sell larger 75g pouches of mini meringue bites in all of the above flavours so you can share them with friends and family. They'll be a crowd-pleaser at your next get-together for sure! Like the bars, the pouches are also made from 100% recyclable paper packaging and each bite comes in at just 26 calories.

Shop the full range at flowerandwhite.co.uk

Are you a fan of meringues?

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Foodie Friday: No Bake Salted Chocolate Pretzel & Peanut Butter Squares (Vegan / Dairy-Free recipe) #Veganuary

Happy Friday everyone! As today marks the end of a very successful Veganuary, I wanted to round off the month with a chocolatey sweet treat which is based on a simple no-bake recipe. These Salted Chocolate Pretzel & Peanut Butter Squares are seriously moreish so you have been warned!

Vegan desserts and sweet treats are often a lot easier to make at home than you may have previously thought, thanks to the ingredients being readily available from most supermarkets these days. It's simply the case of finding a like-for-like product such as dairy-free chocolate or a plant milk alternative to use instead.  

With this in mind, I wanted to share an easy no-bake recipe for Salted Chocolate Pretzel & Peanut Butter Squares as I feel it's a great recipe to try if you're new to veganism. They're also healthier than something you'd buy pre-made/prepackaged in the shops, and these yummy squares are the perfect size to pop into lunch boxes or to keep in the fridge for whenever you have a sweet snack craving.

I'm hopelessly addicted to that salty chocolate flavour sensation so these really hit the spot if you're a fan too!

Ingredients (makes 8-10 squares)

• 80g Salted Pretzels, plus extra for topping
• 80g Jumbo Rolled Oats
• 150g Medjool Dates
• 6 tbsp Peanut Butter
• 2 tbsp Maple or Agave Syrup
• 150g Dairy-Free Milk or Dark Chocolate
• 2-3 tbsp Dairy-Free Milk
• 1 tsp Coconut Oil

Method

• Line a brownie tin with baking paper and set aside.
• Place the Salted Pretzels, Oats, Dates, Peanut Butter and Maple Syrup into a food processor and blitz until everything comes together to form a rough dough-like texture.
• Add 2 tbsp of the Dairy-Free Milk and blitz again so that the dough feels sticky between your fingers. If it's still a bit dry or crumbly, add an extra 1 tbsp of Dairy-Free Milk and mix again.
• Transfer the dough to the lined brownie tin, using a spatula to spread it evenly and to smooth out the surface, pressing it firming into the tray. Set aside.
• Next, break up the Dairy-Free Chocolate into smaller pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl with the Coconut Oil. Heat on medium-high for 20-30 seconds until mostly melted and then stir to ensure a smooth and glossy consistency.
• Carefully pour the melted Chocolate over the dough layer, using the spatula again to smooth it out so that it's an even layer. Finish with some broken pieces of Salted Pretzels and pop into the fridge for at least 2 hours to set.
• Once set, remove from the fridge and cut into squares. Enjoy!

Storage tip: Keep the squares in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Do you enjoy no-bake recipes?

[Recipe adapted from PlantBased magazine]

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Foodie Friday: The Vegan Kind Box - Taste Test review - October 2017

Happy Friday! Last Saturday, my The Vegan Kind box for this month arrived and I couldn't wait to get stuck into the contents after seeing a couple of spoilers online - it's another good 'un!

For those of you who haven't heard of The Vegan Kind before, it's a monthly lifestyle subscription box that mainly contains food and drink, with the addition of usually one or two lifestyle or beauty products. As the name suggests, everything in the box is suitable for vegans, and although I'm not a vegan myself (I'm vegetarian), I am trying to cut back on dairy so I really enjoy receiving these boxes and seeing the new variety of vegan-friendly food and drink that's now out there. 

Here's what I found inside this month's box:-

 ALO Comfort Watermelon & Peach Drink (500ml, RRP £1.99)

Although Summer has sadly now passed us by, this ALO Watermelon & Peach Drink is wonderfully refreshing and reminds me of much sunnier days! It's very fruity and contains 15% Aloe Vera Juice and 10% Aloe Vera Pulp for a little health boost when you're on the go. Gluten-free, fat-free, no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives and it's also non-GMO Project verified - brilliant! 

 Geo Organics Chickpea and Lentil Dahl (300g, RRP £1.49)

I love chickpea and lentil curries so I was keen to try this dish from Geo Organics. It's organic, gluten-free and the plastic container is free from BPA which is something that I haven't seen regularly around from other brands. You can cook it on the hob or microwave and this portion was enough for myself and my sister to share as a tasty side dish, and tasty it was with just a hint of spice. I'd definitely buy this again to have in the cupboard for those days when you're too busy to cook from scratch.

 Retro Corn Lemon & Lime Sherbert Popcorn (35g, RRP £0.99)

Retro Corn specialises in popcorn that's coated with the flavouring of classic retro sweets, which sounds like a neat idea, but I'm not sure it's for me as I wasn't keen on these at all. The Lemon & Lime Sherbert flavour is just how you would imagine it and my housemates soon finished off the rest of the bag when I left them on the side! If this sounds like your thing, they're gluten-free and only 85 calories per bag.

 Biona Cool Cola Bottles (75g, RRP £1.79)

Being a vegetarian means that I haven't had any gelatine sweets since I was a kid at school, so I've been a fan of these gelatine-free ones from Biona since they came out. They're obviously more expensive than the likes of Haribo, but they're also organic and super moreish - I can easily eat a bag of these when I'm watching a movie at home! 

 MyProtein Chocolate Baked Cookie (75g, RRP £1.99)

Protein cookies make delicious post-workout snacks (or a healthier breakfast on the go like I often have them for), and it's great to see more brands doing them without the added whey. Instead, this Chocolate Baked Cookie from MyProtein gets its protein from Wheat and Soy and contains 13g per cookie which is pretty impressive. My main tip with these is to warm them in the microwave for a couple of seconds before eating them - it softens the cookie and makes it so much yummier. This one is really nice and chocolatey which is perfect when I want a chocolate fix.

 Eat Vive Peanut Butter Jelly Protein Bar (40g, RRP £1.95)

If you prefer a more traditional protein bar snack instead, this one from Eat Vive is absolutely delicious and has an awesome PBJ flavour with a really good texture. It's gluten, dairy and soya free, contains 10g protein and is 149 calories per bar, so ideal if you want a healthier mid-afternoon snack or post-gym treat. This brand is a fab new discovery for me and I love the simple ingredients which include Dates, Peanuts (21%), Pea Protein (20%) and Coconut Nectar.

Harper's Candles Little Black Cat Soy Wax Candle (RRP £5)

The last product is a beautifully scented candle from Harper's Candles who are a regular feature in The Vegan Kind's boxes, and one that I'm always happy to see in there. This Halloween exclusive Little Black Cat scent is sweet and uplifting, perfect for this time of the year and burns cleanly as it's handmade from soy wax. Gorgeous!

Also in the box: This month's recipe card is for Cashew Udon Noodles (sounds good!) and October's chosen charity is the Tower Hills Stables Animal Sanctuary, who provide a forever home for over 400 animals including dogs, cats and horses. They're currently fundraising for more accommodation so they can help rescue chickens, so check out their website here for more info.

To find out more about The Vegan Kind, visit their website here. £10 + p&p each month in the UK, with worldwide shipping options available. 

Have you signed up to The Vegan Kind?

What's your favourite, non-beauty lifestyle subscription box?

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