Food Reviews Coming soon!

Hello :D
There are more food reviews coming in the next few days!
Here is the predicted schedule. ^-^

Thursday 2 October Chocolate-covered Goji berries review

Friday 3 October (My birthday!) Honey sesame bar review

Monday 6 October Nākd Cocoa Crunch review

Tuesday 7 October Apple and Berry Fruit Snack review

Wednesday 8 October Sugar-free milk chocolate praline bar sweetened with stevia... hmm, can't wait to try it!

A review of two different bars...

'Ello
Today, I feel like reviewing two rather different bars, which are very similar in the overall aims and principles but quite different in taste and texture/appearance.

The two bars you will now read about are presented below! :3

Nākd- Caffé Mocha

LoveRaw- Coconut Chia

So... I'll evaluate each bar and provide you with a review, and then I'll compare them. Sounds good? YES. Now let's get going ^-^

Caffé Mocha

A rather recent coffee flavoured bar by the company Nākd. 

Ingredients- I have no problems at all with the ingredients used in this bar. The bar is approximately 67% dried fruit and 26% nuts. It is around 7% flavouring agents used to give it the unique, coffee taste. Don't get scared off by the term 'Flavouring Agents!'. What this means is ingredients that give this bar the unique taste that sets it apart from other bars. This is 6% cocoa to give it a chocolate touch, and 1% of what is listed as 'natural flavours'. In this case, there's a 99% chance that this contains some form of coffee extract, which is rather amazing because although the bar has a distinctive flavour, it is only about 1% 'Natural Flavours'. If you want to know how small this is, divide a Nākd bar into 10 pieces. Now divide each of those pieces into 10 again. Take one of those pieces, and that is how much 'Natural Flavours' the bar has. The ingredients are very impressive. Mainly dates and raisins, which come with benefits of their own. Dates and raisins are both very nutritious and boost the value of this bar. The high nut content, in the form of cashews in this bar, is also impressive and delivers healthy fats often found in nuts and some other nutritional benefit as well. Finally, cocoa is only around 6% of the bar but does contribute to the total antioxidant content of the bars. 

Appearance and Texture- I have to admit that for me, this is the most boring area to cover. However, the appearance of the bar is quite nice and not repulsive at all. It is a very nice bar shape, quite dark in colour and the appearance also shows just how raw the bar is. You can see the nut pieces inside quite clearly, too. The texture is fairly soft and moist, chewy but not too chewy- just right. 

Nutritional Value- Alright, again, I find this a fairly dull area to cover so... 

Let's just get to the parts most people are going to want to know. The bar clocks in at 130 calories (which is about 6-9% of most people's daily calorie intake recommendation). 3 grams of protein, 3 grams of Fibre which is approximately 12% of most people's suggested intake. 

Taste- Well, it's healthy, but how good  is the taste? There is no point of making a healthy food if it tastes horrible, so how does this particular bar stack up in terms of flavour? Well. Since I'm not American or English, I may not be able to make the same comparisons as you, so it's up to you to try it out and see what it tastes like :D In other reviews, I have seen comparisons to brownies. The bar has a strong coffee smell, and taste too. It is very sweet, and to be honest if you were to ask me what it reminds me of I would say... well...

You know how sometimes you have coffee flavoured chocolates with those coffee fillings inside?

Well... I have to say this particular bar reminded me of just this filling on its own in both taste and texture.

Coconut Chia

The first bar I have tried from the company LoveRaw. It is intended to be coconut flavoured. 

Ingredients- As with the Nākd bars, I have no problem at all with the ingredients used in this bar. The ingredients are as follows; Almonds, Dates,Coconut, Figs, Chia Seeds, Cinnamon.

Almonds contribute to the nutritional content and are high in positive nutrients such as Vitamin E. Dates , as previously mentioned, are quite nutrient-dense and so are the figs. The coconut is very healthy and makes sense to be the third ingredient, Chia seeds are a very popular 'superfood' that make up approximately 10% of the bar and cinnamon contributes to the unique flavour. No problem at all, every ingredient is very healthy and something I approve of ^o^

Appearance and Texture- Very similar to the Nākd bar in texture but much lighter in appearance (which is actually quite obvious). However, apart from that, both bars actually look very similar to each other. In texture, this bar is quite hard and stable to the touch and soft once you start to chew it. This bar has a different shape- it's wider and shorter. You can literally see the almonds and chia seeds in there :)

Nutritional Value- Unfortunately, I threw away my wrapper and was unable to find the information online. There are  213 calories (which is 10-15% of most people's suggested allowance) and about 6 grams of Fibre, which clocks in at about 25% of the suggested intake! :) Omega-3 content is 1272mg and there are 1997mg of Omega-6. 

Taste-  Coconut flavour is quite subtle but still detectable. The sweetness is at a good, balanced, level- not too sweet and not too...well...bland. The cinnamon flavour really does stand out and makes this bar taste great. Overall, I do like the taste of this bar and since I never had Chia seeds before, I cannot really comment on how much the Chia flavour stands out. However... I do know that the balance of ingredients used is surely good! Although the cinnamon is the last ingredient, it stands out quite strongly. 

Now, here goes the comparison ^-^

Similarities-  

• The overall aim of both bars is the same. A healthy snack bar that provides sufficient energy. 
• Main ingredients are also very similar. Fruit and nuts make up the base of both bars.
• The appearance is also almost identical except for colour and shape.
• Texture and taste is quite similar, with the flavour differing (obviously).

Differences-

• The flavour, quite frankly. Nākd is also sweeter.
• The shape- the Coconut Chia bar has a wider and shorter shape.
• Nākd is more suitable for a younger market because of the bright, appealing packaging and language used on the wrapper (for example; the encouraging messages  are very casual and user-friendly)  
• LoveRaw focuses more on the super-food content and health of the bar, and Nākd focuses more on taste than LoveRaw does. However, both companies appear to have both the taste and health in mind. 

That's it for today!

What am I reviewing next?  

Raw chocolate covered Goji Berries- predicted date for the review is Thursday

Other Notes:

• My birthday is coming up on Friday, and as a special (okay...that's a bit of an exaggeration but ya gotta learn how to exaggerate if ya wanna survive in today's world) treat, I think it won't do any harm to reveal my age. I already revealed that I live in London, so I assume I can also reveal my age. I won't get any more personal though. At least not now, anyway. 
• This blog is going to get an autumn make-over just in time for October. Actually... it would make more sense to switch it to a Halloween look for the month, and then in November back to autumn. I know I'm a little late since Autumn started over a week ago, but hey. 
• I'm finally going to comment on this for the sheer pleasure of whoever the heck posted that comment. M'kay, I got my first hater the day before I left for vacation, and yes, I DID anticipate this coming. Anyway, the exact comment said ''You have a horrible life. And you suck.'' Firstly, what do I suck? I'm actually sucking a hard candy right now UoU So if that was your intention, gee, surprisingly accurate. At first I didn't want to bring this up, I was just like.. ''Alright, haters gonna hate, move on.'' So I did, and managed to forget about it. In future, I probably won't bring up any more hater comments in the blog, but this was my first one. Anyway, moving on; okay, you can't really say I have a horrible life because what I wrote down was just a very vague outline of ONE day, which is in short about  0.02% of my entire life so far. Dude, you can't just make a judgement based on just over 0.01% of my life, and since that post wasn't even THAT detailed, you probably only got a glimpse of LESS than 0.01%. Logic in that? I doubt the commenter is even reading this blog unless they're really sad and are looking for more ways to envy me (oh yes, I'm that vain). Anyway, the hater is also very stuck-up and I can tell because they said I have a horrible life. Did I mention bullying, threats, abuse, violence, racism, slavery, captivity, murder, starvation, poverty etc. etc. ANYWHERE in the post? NO, I DID NOT.And those things are the defining parts of a truly horrible life. If you think my life is horrible, I dread to think how cold-hearted you are. Bottom line- I was not at all impacted by your comment and I find it funny you commented anonymously :) You are a very cold-hearted saddo that I don't want to get into any further contact with. Gee, I don't care who you are. For all I know, you could be the same person as one of my ''friends''. I don't even care x3

                                                                           

Fudge Flavors

I love fudge- but until this August I have only ever heard of the regular and chocolate flavours. Never before had I tried any other flavour, and I suppose you can imagine the look on my face when I, a fudge lover, saw newer flavours that I have never seen before.

Of course, not all fudge flavours are created equal and I have discover that whilst some of those fudge flavours truly are amazing, others would be better off making their way into other recipes that are not fudge.

Without further ado, here is my review of my top fudge flavours and those that don't really taste as good. Let's go!

Good Fudge Flavours

Way to go. The way those heavenly combinations of flavour simply melt in the mouth is truly amazing, like a culinary work of art. Literally.

Nut-  Nut is a great flavour. Of course, the taste of regular fudge dominates it but the subtle nutty flavour is a great addition. It's not too strong, but not too gentle, either, so you get just the right hint of nut in there. 

Vanilla- Well, I don't really know what to say about vanilla. It tastes just like regular fudge, but maybe even better. Why? It seems like vanilla is just made for fudge. Gee, I think vanilla should become a part of regular fudge. Vanilla fudge tastes amazing, and even though sometimes you cannot differentiate between vanilla and regular, I still love the taste.

Chocolate- Tastes like chocolate, but not so much that the fudge flavour is totally lost. It's a really balanced combination and tastes great whenever I want some chocolate. Chocolate lovers won't be disappointed, honest.

Coffee- Tastes as good as it smells. Fudge and coffee do make a great combination, and you can detect the slightly strong coffee flavour very well. However, it's not so strong that it makes you sick or want to spit the fudge out. Excellent for coffee lovers especially.

Regular- Of course, there's something about regular fudge that got me hooked. It's not just the sweetness, it's something about that unique flavour that makes fudge wonderful.

Bad Fudge Flavours

Yes. I love fudge. But I probably wouldn't eat those flavours because they just don't belong with fudge. Of course, you might love those flavours, and if you do- keep loving! It's just a matter of opinion and opinion≠fact.

Apple Cinnamon- It could be because of my recent random nauseous feelings after eating apple cake and now feeling slightly wary towards the Apple Cinnamon combination, but fudge, apples and cinnamon do not mix. Nope. I felt a bit strange after eating the fudge, but washed it down with a regular fudge.

Cinnamon- It's not just Apple Cinnamon, I'm not a fan of the cinnamon fudge combination either. It doesn't taste very good. Cinnamon belongs more in apple crumble and certain cereals!

Coconut- I don't hate the flavour, but I don't think it qualifies to be on the good fudge flavours either. Coconut isn't made for fudge, and the coconut flavour is also too subtle. 

Chocolate Mint- I like chocolate mint. So I thought I would like chocolate mint fudge, too. I was totally wrong. The fudge tastes a bit bitter and the chocolate flavour is totally lost in the mint. I felt a bit sick after eating this fudge. Darn :(

Which fudge flavours do you love, if any? Which don't you like?

~Lilac

My day :O

Hey! ~(◕◡◕)~
This is a description of my day today, thankfully I have made it more exciting for you. Aren't I so abnormally nice?
So, I woke up at around 10-ish BECAUSE BECAUSE BECAUSE I couldn't fall asleep last night! ◕◠◕
This has been happening to me for quite a while now and it's getting on my nerves. I don't want this to happen when I return to school!
This is what I had for breakfast. Note I didn't take a photo of my breakfast so this is somebody else's bowl but I had it too if you get what I mean.
DON'T JUDGE >:O

Om nom nom ♥○♥

Yummy yummy for my tummyyy! ♥

Refreshing.

My mum was away so I decided to work on my sequin art. But I couldn't get the first pin in because my finger hurt so much! So then I got round to writing in my journal.

Nothing exciting happened today, except the fact my mum bought me 3 Nākd bars! YAY!

She bought me;

Yay! Love the crunch ones! :D

More crunch!

Never tried those until today!

I then went to a shop. A shop which buys and sells entertainment, and stuff. Mum gave me £5 to spend on new DS games, especially for the flight.

Guess how many games I got for £5? THREE!

Oh, the joys of second-hand stuff. 

I tested them, and they are in excellent condition. WIN! Definitely going there again :D

There was a second-hand game for £35, though O_O

But the more popular games (Zelda,Pokemon, etc.) are the more expensive ones, and since I prefer most of the less popular stuff it's good for me cost-wise! :D

Anyway, the games I got are;

>Dr.Kawashima's Brain Training (£0.75)

>Big Brain Academy (£1.50)

>Planet Rescue Endangered Island (£2.50)

That should keep me occupied for the flight, especially since I also have a bunch of other games, my Kindle and a book.

On the bus home, I tried the Pecan Pie bar. I can say it's yummy! :D

And... I can say that's all I have to say for today.

Apologies!

-Lilac

Yummy Summer Smoothies!

Hey! {◕⩌◕}
Few Summer things can beat sipping a delicious, fruity smoothie bursting with flavour after a well-spent large amount of time in the sun.
I have been wanting to write about this for quite a long time now, but decided to wait until I got a picture of the smoothie. However, as I pondered on what to post about today, I figured that if I didn't post about the smoothie now then you wouldn't be seeing any smoothie posts until next Summer.
So... the long-awaited smoothie post at last!
I love those smoothies- they are quick, too, so go well with breakfast. Or any meal, to be honest! They are tasty, and you can mix and match flavours. Banana Chocolate? Go for it!
Here's how to make the smoothie- first of all make sure you have:
~ Your base- ideally a fruit  or fruits of your choice. For instance; bananas, strawberries,plums. Boil hard fruits in water for a bit until they soften.
~Any other extras- so, more fruit, chocolate, vanilla essence, peppermint oil etc.
~Optional but highly reccomended- milk or plain yogurt, or dairy-free milk such as coconut or soy.
~Optional;sugar,honey or any other sweetener

Once you have all those, you're good to go! <(^O^)>

1. Prepare the fruit- so peel and slice banana, peel,boil and slice apples, and so forth.
2. Put all the fruit in a food processor or blender. 
3. Toss in any other extra ingredients. This includes sweeteners. NOT THE MILK/YOGURT/DAIRY-FREE MILK THOUGH!
4. Blend the fruit for 5-10 seconds and add the milk/yogurt/dairy-free milk.
5. Continue blending.
6. Once the texture looks alright to you, pour it out into a glass, stick a straw in it and enjoy!

Aren't smoothies just awesome?
If you are stuck for extra ingredients, how about those?

• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Oils such as orange,peppermint and so forth
• Chocolate
• Caramel
• Jam

See where your imagination takes you!
Good flavours are;

• banana-strawberry
• apple-cinnamon
• caramel-chocolate (a special treat- kind of like Millionaire's shortbread in a glass!)
• chocolate-mint
• chocolate-orange
• strawberry-vanilla

Have you ever tried making your own smoothie?
Stay happy,stay safe and have an incredible day!
-Lilac <3

Summer Snacks:Watermelon

Hello! ~(⚈∇⚈)~
★☆★Remember, there might not be a blog post tomorrow!★☆★
Wow, it's already the 7th of August, which means there is only so much time left to post about all sorts of fun Summer things while it lasts. Today, I am going to post about one of my favourite Summer snacks, which I did eat quite a lot of this year. It's delicious ice-cold, very sweet,red,and has a habit of being quite messy to eat!
The snack I'm talking about is...
♥WATERMELON!♥
Watermelon is a delicious Summer snack, and during other times of the year you can't buy them, or they are difficult to find.

Serving suggestion

If you remember, a few days ago I also posted a tutorial teaching you how to make a mini watermelon out of various rubber bands.

Anyway,there are loads of ways to enjoy this sweet fruit, here are my favourites!

~-Don't forget-~

➤ Watermelon tastes best and is most refreshing when ice-cold.

➤Don't leave watermelon out for long! It will dry out and taste strange, the texture will be unpleasant too.

➤To store leftover watermelon, I suggest wrapping it in something such as cellophane and storing it in the fridge.

➤Watermelons need large,sharp knives to be cut. I suggest that if you are young, you are supervised and assisted by an adult while cutting watermelon, or have an adult cut it for you.

 How to enjoy watermelon!
❃ Cut the watermelon up into slices, this is best done by cutting it in half over and over again until you reach your desired size. Remove the skin if you want to, and enjoy! This is great for tossing in a bag and taking with you as a snack on the go.
❃ Cut the watermelon into slices, then take how much watermelon you would like. Remove the skins, and dice the flesh. You can have this as a snack on the go, or you can toss it into a bowl and enjoy with a fork like dessert ^~^
❃For a summery oatmeal, ditch the classic blueberries and replace it with watermelon chunks! Sounds strange, but tastes good. If you can't stand watermelon chunks in your oatmeal, how about mixing it with watermelon puree instead? Alternatively, add watermelon to your cereal.
❃Use watermelon juice to sweeten up your water, surely makes a change from boring old water or that sour lemon water!
❃Purée watermelon and enjoy as a delicious,healthy smoothie. Add milk or yogurt if you wish.Bonus for dieters: Guilt Free!
❃Watermelon Yogurt- Start out with plain yogurt, mix in with  some watermelon purée and set it aside. Grab a bowl or something, then put leftover purée at the bottom. Purée more watermelon if needed, and then add the yogurt on top. Enjoy as a homemade alternative to fruit flavoured yogurts!
❃Watermelon Popsicles- Purée watermelon and then place it in individual popsicle moulds. Freeze and enjoy!
There are so many other ways to enjoy watermelon, from the juice to even adding it to cake! What is your favourite way?

Of course, watermelon is extremely healthy, too!
Here are the most notable health benefits you get from enjoying a watermelon popsicle or smoothie- proof that getting some beneficial vitamins and minerals can be yummy and fun!
~The red colour comes from Lycopene, an antioxidant. Antioxidants are known for their ability to protect your cells, and for fighting damage by harmful free radicals. Lycopene is also found in tomatoes. Watermelon also is a good source of other antioxidants, such as flavonoids.
~Watermelon is rich in Vitamins A and C, which are needed for good health. Hence, watermelon does good for your immune system and eyesight!
~Watermelon is also a source of Vitamin B6, needed for brain function and energy release. Back to school, anyone?
~Watermelon is a good source of potassium, essential for electrolyte balance and nerve function. It can also help with sleep!
~Watermelon contains amino acids which are beneficial to cardiovascular function.

***FUN FACTS ABOUT WATERMELON***
✣It is 92% water, hence the name watermelon!
✣There are over 1,200 varieties around the world!
✣Watermelon is grown in about 96 countries!
✣July is Watermelon month
✣Watermelon is a fruit and a vegetable!

Hopefully,you will enjoy watermelon at least once this summer!
How about spreading watermelon puree on toast?
-Queen Pickle

Food Serving Sizes-Doritos,Oreos,Cereal,Soda and Prepared Mac&Cheese

Hello! ~(⦿⟒⦿)~
How much soda do you typically drink after buying a bottle? Every single millilitre of the 500 in there? What if you were told this is double the serving size defined by the manufacturer?
Oh yes, ridiculous food serving sizes. What a juicy topic!
As you read this post, I have picked out many popular foods and compared the serving size listed on the packaging to what an average person would typically eat in a single serving. However, don't slash your consumption of Doritos just because the serving size is that small; one of the reasons for tiny serving sizes is the fact more people are scrutinising labels and no company wants to lose customers through seemingly scary nutrition information. (OH NO! TOO MANY CARBS! -faints-)

It's all marketing, children.

Okay seriously, back to reality now. Sit comfortably kids...

Doritos

What is it about Doritos that people love so much? I never liked them (mainly because I never even ate them in my whole life, and for some reason I just don't intend to).

What an average person would eat in a serving: Umm, the whole bag. Like, if you buy yourself a bag on the way home from work, what are you gonna do to the leftovers? O_O

An actual serving: Nope. The manufacturer disagrees. They expect you to stop once you reach 11 chips. Uhh...

Much more tiny than you thought it was.

Irony, please? The commercials show people wolfing down way more than 11 chips.

Oreos

The average person would eat: Once you eat one, it's hard to stop,right? Well,I don't know, but the average person eats 6-20 Oreos in a serving. Yes. 20. T-W-E-N-T-Y. Some people are that amazing.

An actual serving: Nah, the company is going to spoil your fun by declaring a serving is THREE COOKIES. THREE. SERIOUSLY?

Admit it- this is about how many Oreos you eat in a serving

Ha, no. Because Nabisco are all 3 year old toddlers with stomachs too small for anything above 3 (sarcasm). Gee, I  bet even a 3 year old would be shocked if they saw this midget serving size!

Froot Loops and most other cereals

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGG.

That's your alarm clock, waking you up for the first day of school after a long Summer off.

Exhausted, you trail out of bed; depressed, exhausted and downhearted. The next summer is a year away. Hang on, only one thing raises your spirits...

GEE, THERE ARE FROOT LOOPS IN THE CUPBOARD!

You technically jump down the stairs and dig into your bowl, until...

Okay, from what I've seen ,this is how much most people eat.

Even Kellogg's say so! Why? This picture belongs to their website.

Let's see.... the serving size is 30g (or 3/4 cup)

WHAT?

No pictures anywhere, but I can tell you it's very small compared to that huge bowl you see above.

Here is 30g of other cereal brands;

Cheerios.

Okay, to be honest, this looks a bit bigger (but not too much) than what I would eat on a regular morning.

However, the person who owns the picture says the usually eat around this much;

A similar amount to that shown in most commercials! I assume that the owner of that picture isn't the only one who eats that amount.

SHOCK. CEREAL BRANDS. WHY?

Curiously Cinnamon.

I like those little guys, but haven't had them for a while O_o

This is meant to be 30g, which looks roughly the same, maybe just a bit bigger than what I would eat.

However, most people eat about 2-4 times that size, then again...

WHY CEREAL BRANDS?

Try weighing out your cereal, and see for yourself the serving sizes set by the companies!

Ha, not enough to stop me eating more than 30g of cornflakes though :P

Soda

Umm, what a tiring day! Thank Panda there's a Tesco right around the corner...

You grab a 50cl bottle of cola and gleefully sip it- great reward after such a long day, right? 

Though not all at once, this seems like the serving size... right? I mean, it's one bottle, so...

WRONG.

Coca Cola expect you to know where half of the bottle is as a serving is 250ml, and let's be honest- drinking is easy. You can easily drink 400ml without even noticing.

Finally...

Prepared Macaroni and Cheese

How much do you eat in a serving? The whole bag, perhaps? Nah, Kraft doesn't doubt your amazing visualising abilities as they expect you to know how much 1/3 of a bag is exactly!

Yup, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

You ate the whole package?

Kraft says you're a greedy pig because it's 3 servings.

Ignore them! :O

Yup, tiny serving sizes. See you all tomorrow, don't forget there might not be a post on Friday! 

-Queen Pickle