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Matcha Green Tea Powder | Tasty cocktails

The health benefits of green tea have been widely reported from weight loss and stress relief to improved brain function. Matcha is a super-charged version of green tea made from Camellia Sinensis but in fine powder form. People that ingest matcha are consuming the entire leaf rather than brewed water – one glass of matcha tea is the equivalent to 10 glasses of regular green tea!

Not only that a study from 2003 published in the Journal of Chromatography found matcha has 137 times more of the powerful antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) than other types of green tea. EGCG has been proven effective in the fight against many forms of cancer, HIV, heart disease and a host of other illnesses and diseases.

As matcha is a powder, you can reap the health benefits in all kinds of ways too – from lattes, smoothies and cocktails to poultry, beef and seafood to puddings, bread and dips. With this being our first dabble with matcha green tea powder, making cocktails seemed as good a place as any to put it to the test.

There are three matcha green tea powder cocktails on the menu today – the matcha orange cocktail, the sparkling matcha cocktail and a minty macha mojito. As you’d expect the latter does include rum while the other two alcohol free. All recipes are super easy and make one cocktail.

Matcha Orange Cocktail

1 teaspoon matcha
2½ teaspoons sugar
4 ice cubes
¼ cup hot water
½ cup 100% orange juice (cold)

Place the ice cubes in a tall glass and set aside. In a small bowl combine the matcha and then sugar then add hot water and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the matcha over the ice and let it sit for a minute. Top with orange juice.

I wasn’t sure if I’d got this one right initially but you just have to wait for it to settle to get the stripey orange/green effect. There should be a little more orange showing here although I think I was quite generous with my teaspoon of matcha.

Sparkling Matcha Cocktail

1 teaspoon matcha
4 ice cubes
2 teaspoons warm water
¾ cup sparkling water
1 lime wedge

In a tall glass stir the warm water and matcha until they’re blended. Add the ice cubes to the glass and slowly add the sparkling water. Stir until blended then squeeze the lime wedge on top.

This cocktail was the quickest to make and I was pleasantly surprised at how light and refreshing it was. A real thirst quencher. In case you’re wondering, matcha doesn’t taste like the green tea you’d normally have at all. This is a great alternative to sparkling water and so good for you!

Minty Matcha Mojito

1 lime (juiced)
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1 teaspoon matcha
5 fresh mint leaves
Crushed ice
2oz sparkling soda water
1½ oz rum

Add the matcha, mint leaves, sugar and lime juice to the bottom of a glass and use a muddler to mix if you have one. Muddle until the sugar is dissolved and you can smell the mint. Add the crushed ice to the glass then top with soda and rum. Garnish with additional mint leaves if desired. The recipe doesn’t include strawberries but we improvised slightly!

I slipped a little with the matcha on this one as it shouldn’t be this dark. That said I did the same with the rum so there was a good balance! A great tasting and nutritious mojito. In fact all three cocktails were delicious and as someone that’s never used Matcha Green Tea Powder before, I was thrilled. The POD Father is already asking me to make him a matcha latte with warm milk for breakfast too.

Kiss Me Organics Matcha Green Tea Powder is available exclusively on Amazon. Its 100% organic, tested for purity, and contains more than 137 times the antioxidants found in a cup of brewed tea. You can also create all kinds of culinary delights with it – watch this space as we’ll be cooking with matcha next!

Disclaimer: We were sent a 113g packet of Kiss Me Organics Matcha Green Tea Powder for the purpose of this review. Opinions are our own.

Courgette Chocolate Brownies

The Happy Egg Co has partnered with award-winning nutritional therapist Christine Bailey with a challenge to create a healthy and nutritious recipe. As Christine is a well-renowned chef, author and broadcaster with 18 years experience transforming people’s health, we thought we’d give one of her recipes a go. The prize for the winner is an amazing Nutribullet and with a Dove health kick on the horizon, we just had to join in. Apart from anything else, we love brownies.

Christine Bailey’s Courgette Chocolate Brownies are made with almond nut butter instead of butter and xylitol instead of sugar so they’re better for you than conventional brownies. Given I’ve never cooked with either of these ingredients before, this recipe was a bit of an experiment for me. Thankfully the recipe is great and the brownies tasted just as good as they smelt in the oven! All the ingredients were in our local supermarket with the exception of xylitol which I substituted for another sweetener on this occasion. Almond nut butter, if you’re not familiar with it, can normally be found in the jams and spreads aisle.

Christine Bailey’s Courgette Chocolate Brownies

This recipe is grain free, gluten free and packed full of natural protein and healthy fats thanks to the eggs, nut butter and almonds. Eggs are one of the highest quality protein rich foods and you’d never guess courgettes were in these brownies. They add natural sweetness and moisture plus they’re a great source of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fibre. What a fabulous low in fat treat!

The preparation time for this recipe is 10 minutes with the cooking time 25 minutes. You can expect to make around 16 brownies.

Ingredients

200g almond nut butter
200g dark chocolate (can be dairy free)
100g sweet xylitol
3 medium Happy Eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
60g ground almonds
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 courgette, about 125g finely grated

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC or gas mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin with parchment paper. Place the almond nut butter,

dark chocolate and xylitol in a pan and warm gently to melt the chocolate. Keep it on a low heat and make sure you stir regularly. With the texture different to using butter, I kept a close eye on it!

Place these ingredients in a food processor along with the eggs, vanilla extract, ground almond, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda. Process to combine, once done add the courgette plus the pecans if you’re using them. I decided not to on this occasion but we did have them at the ready.

Spoon the mixture into a square 20cm/8 inch baking tin. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow the brownies to cool before cutting into bars and eating. If you’re anything like me, you may feel obliged to have a sneaky taste while the brownies are still warm.

The smell coming from the oven while the brownies was cooking is divine and they tasted delicious. I was quite surprised having only eaten the higher fat variety so I was really impressed. I’ll no doubt be on the hunt for more of Christine’s recipes in a quest to eat better and get fit. This was such a great challenge for me and it was great to eat something tasty that’s also nutritious.

Nutritional information

Calories per serving: 225kcal
Protein: 5.2g
Carbohydrates: 15.9g
Sugar: 14.1g
Total fat: 17.5g
Saturates: 3.5g

Top tips for creating deliciously healthy recipes

Christine Bailey has a number of top tips for creating healthy and delicious recipes. I found these rather encouraging, particularly in terms of cutting the sugar, using fruit and cutting out the fat.

Cut the sugar – reduce the amount of sugar by one-third to one-half and it’s unlikely to make any difference. Add spices such as cinnamon, cloves or mixed spice or flavourings such as vanilla extract or almond flavouring to boost sweetness.

Use fruit or dried fruit – sugar can also be replaced by apple puree or dried fruits like dates. These will add natural sweetness as well as soluble fibre to support digestive health.

Going dairy free – instead of butter, try using coconut oil. To replace milk, try almond milk or coconut milk.

Add in extra fibre – grounded flaxseed or chia seed is delicious in baked recipes and provides valuable soluble fibre to help stablise blood sugar levels. Flax-seed also provides omega 3 fats and protein.

Want to cut the fat? – replace some of the butter in a recipe with mashed banana or stewed apple. Instead of cream, try thick greek yoghurt – it’s tasty and full of beneficial bacteria too.

The Taste 100 Healthy Eating Recipe Challenge is in partnership with The Happy Egg Company and Christine Bailey #happyeggtastemakers

Vita Coco Kids launches Sugar Maze

New research from Vita Coco Kids and nutritionist Amanda Hamilton has revealed advice on what children should be drinking is leading to confusion among parents. With so many mixed messages, parents are often left unsure of what is an acceptable level of sugar when it comes to drinks and nearly 80% want clearer guidelines.

Vita Coco Kids has launched Sugar Maze which provides a simple set of guidelines to help parents make informed choices on what children should drink and what is deemed a treat.

So what’s good?

Water is obviously the most important drink for children and it can be a simple rule to adopt. Slices of fruit, sugar-free or reduced sugar fruit juice or squash can be added for flavour if they’re not keen. Less than 5% sugar = schools compliant (water, milk, unsweetened fruit or vegetable juices and milk based drinks).

Vita Coco Kids is a coconut-based fruit drink that is schools compliant and offers a good source of potassium. Plain cows milk is a good source of calcium and lactose free milks are also available.

Top tips:

If your child loves milk, encourage them to switch to water to avoid filling up on it. Always check the labels of yoghurt based-drinks as some contain hidden sugars. Why not make some ice lollies with your Vita Coca Kids drinks? Just freeze and cut the corner off the packet when you’re ready.

Re-think what you drink

There are up to 7.5 cubes of sugar in a single serving of flavoured milk and ten cubes in a can of fizzy drink. Fruit juices provide vitamin c but are acidic and contain high amounts of fructose. Smoothies are a good source of vitamin c and fibre but contain high amounts of sugar. Fresh vegetable juice is a good source of nutrients but watch out for high sodium levels.

Top tips:

Try making home made smoothies to cut down on the sugar. Add Natural Greek Yoghurt to boost the protein and calcium content. You can also dilute fruit juice with water (50% juice, 50% water).

Avoid at all costs

High caffeine drinks have up to 80mg caffeine in a 250ml can and energy drinks 27g of sugar. Fruit juice drinks are not the same as fruit juice, they provide little nutritional value and contain added sugar whereas sports drinks are high in calories and sugar.

Top Tips:

Avoid drinks with added caffeine or other stimulants which can disturb a child’s sleep. And we all know what we’re like if they don’t get enough of that!

About Vita Coco Kids

Vita Coco Kids typically has around 50% less sugar and less calories than other leading UK chilled kids juices and smoothies. It contains naturally occurring potassium to help keep kids energised and hydrated. POD loves it so much, she devoured a carton in seconds!

Vita Coco Kids coconut water comes from young green coconuts (never from concentrate), and is blended with natural fruit flavourings and water. With no added colourings or preservatives, Vita Coco Kids comes in two delicious flavours, classic Apple & Blackcurrant and tropical Mango & Pineapple.

Disclaimer: The post is in conjunction with Vita Coco Kids.

Devilish Chocolate Brownies

We recently received a wonderful book from the lovely folk at the Happy Egg Company. Totally Chocolate by Eric Lanlard includes 60 recipes using an ingredient he describes as the ‘food of the gods’. His passion for chocolate is evident with pages of indulgent chocolate drinks, muffins, mousses, gateaux and petit fours. Not to mention elaborate creations for special occasions.

Thanks to four-year-old POD the recipe book has already been christened with chocolate chunks, flour and a Happy Egg!

But oh my word, today we ate the best chocolate brownies we have ever tasted. We couldn’t wait until they were cool so we took Eric’s advice and didn’t overcook them but we ate them warm. They melted in our mouths.

We absolutely had to share this recipe which takes 10 minutes to prepare. Perhaps allow a little longer if you’re making your brownies with a small person. The cooking time is 30 minutes and you’ll end up with around 16 brownies.

Ingredients

200g (7oz) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
150g (5oz) unsalted butter plus a little for greasing
2 tsp vanilla extract
150g (5oz) golden caster sugar
3 Happy Eggs, beaten
75g (3oz) plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
100g (3½oz) dark chocolate chips

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan 160ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4). Grease a 19cm (7½) square shallow baking tin and line the base with baking paper – we used butter instead.

Melt the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla together in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the surface of the water does not touch the bowl.

Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, then leave to cool for a few minutes. Beat the eggs, then stir in the flour, cocoa and salt and fold in until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the top starts to crack but the centre remains gooey. Turn off the heat and leave the brownies inside for a further 5 minutes before removing. Leave them to cool completely in the tin. Or wait 10 minutes or so and try a warm one!

Thank you to the Happy Egg Company for providing us with one of the best recipe books ever #HappyEggTasteMakers

JUST EAT’s Tried & Tasted awards 2015

There’s something to be said about having food delivered to your door, as busy working parents the Doves’ are definitely fans. We always enjoy JUST EAT who are the UK’s leading food delivery service and act as an intermediary for various food outlets in your local area. The brand can now be found in 13 countries globally and right here in the UK there are a staggering 22,500 restaurants participating.

The concept is simple. Search for your favourite take away restaurants, place an order online and wait for your delivery or, if you prefer, go pick it up. Most recently we opted for Peking Mixed Hor D’oeuvres, Crispy Aromatic Duck and Singapore Vermicelli Spicy Rice Noodles.

We used a restaurant we’d not tried before, Oriental Express, which had 5 stars and 229 reviews. The delivery was speedy which is just what we wanted (we were starving!) and the food was delicious.

Having met Mr Mozzarella at the MAD Blog awards last year (and having a love for good food!), it’s great to hear JUST EAT run annual Tried and Tested Awards which are focused on quality and consistency.

This involves food lovers across the country voting for their favourite takeaways via the JUST EAT website. Customers feed back on their experience by reviewing and rating their much-loved local takeaways. Leading on from there comes the JUST EAT Tried and Tested awards. These focus on quality and consistency – the latter recognising over a thousand takeaway restaurants out of the overall 8,000 that have won Tried and Tested for the past four years.

Out of the consistency winners, 20 of best takeaways (by ratings and reviews) were chosen from cities that had accumulated the most Tried and Tested winners overall. Winning restaurants had to have more than 100 online reviews with an average rating of 4.5 (out of 6) or above. There are several in the London area including Moon Lee, Zias and You Me Sushi.

You can read more about the JUST EAT Tried and Tested Awards and hear what they have to say here

Disclaimer: This post is in conjunction with JUST EAT. Opinions are our own.

An Autumn Picnic with Brioche Pasquier

It doesn’t take much to entice the Doves outdoors especially for a picnic. Even in October, it’s deliciously mild and the perfect time for an alfresco feast.

Our Autumnal spread took on a French theme, thanks to family bakers Brioche Pasquier. Having enjoyed one of their loaves following the MAD Blog Awards, we were thrilled to replenish our supplies. Not just a delicious Brioche Pasquier loaf but Pitch too – an individually wrapped snacking brioche that’s filled with milk chocolate.

POD may have cottoned on to her photograph being taken when we took our seats. Thankfully she was distracted by the food and didn’t stay like this!

PODcast IMG_1464

First on the menu was French classic Croque-monsieur made with slices of Brioche Pasquier loaf, ham and Gruyère cheese. Accompanied by juicy vine tomatoes.

Next up were toasted garlic brioche skewers with saucisson and mushroom. A simple recipe that’s created by cutting up and frying saucisson and mushrooms in home-made garlic butter. The saucisson and mushrooms were then skewered with toasted brioche cubes and plated.

Dessert came in the form of a tower made from brioche, cornflakes, cinnamon and maple syrup. The mixture was made with melted butter, ground cinnamon, sugar and a little water. Cornflakes were coated in the mixture and the brioche was lightly toasted and cut into circles. All the ingredients were then placed in a stack and laced with maple syrup. As you’d expect, it was sweet but absolutely delicious.

PODcast IMG_1447

We even managed to squeeze in a Pitch each too – in fact POD had two! It’s a snacking brioche filled with milk chocolate but free from preservatives, artificial colours and hydrogenated fats. They were a tasty addition to our picnic but just as good on their own as a satisfying snack.

PODcast IMG_1494

Our wonderful French feast also included a cheese platter but on this occasion it was a little too much to squeeze in!

PODcast IMG_1432

The Croque-monsieur, toasted garlic brioche scewers and brioche tower went down an absolute treat and we really enjoyed Pitch too. Brioche Pasquier have a wonderful range and their products are delectable. Perhaps that’s because they’re made to a traditional recipe, and authentic French baking processes, that have been passed down through generations of Pasquiers.

PODcast IMG_1442

We had the best alfesco picnic ever – as you can probably tell by POD’s expression!

Disclaimer: We received products and a Sainsbury’s voucher for participating in this challenge.

Spicy Tornado – a meal fit for RAF aircrew

Michelin star chef Michael Caines has partnered with popular dating site www.uniformdating.com to create 15 recipes for their new recipe App; Uniform Foodies.

A national survey of uniformed professionals was undertaken to identify what food they love. It found the No.1 dish for nurses was salad, for police officers and doctors it was fish and chips with the armed forces and fire fighters preference an Indian curry.

Michael Caines has created tailor-made recipes of the professions favourites, all of which are available on the Uniform Foodies App. You can download it from today for 69p.

To celebrate the launch of #uniformfoodies from Uniform Dating, we were asked to create our own meal for a uniformed professional using Michael’s recipes as inspiration. The Spicy Tornado is an affordable, hearty and very tasty meal fit for RAF aircrew – an apt choice given my father-in-law was a Wing Commander.

Spicy Tornado (serves 2)

250g cubed beef steak

A small onion

A clove of garlic

Half or one red chili (how hot do you like it!)

Small jar of passata (350g)

Small tin of red kidney beans

A green pepper

Sliced ciabatta bread

Small tub of sour cream

Salt & pepper

Method

Drizzle some olive oil into a pan and heat.

Add the cubed beef steak and cook for 2-3 minutes until browned, remove from heat and place to one side – ideally in a bowl with a lid.

Dice one small onion, chop the garlic and red chilli.

Re-oil pan, add onions, garlic and chilli and cook for 2 minutes.

Put the beef back in and add the passata.

Add the small tin kidney beans.

Season and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

Roughly chop the green pepper, add more seasoning if required

Cook for a further 2-3 minutes making sure the pepper is still crunchy.

Tear the ciabatta into chunks. Add a generous dollop of sour cream to the dish once plated and serve.

Disclaimer: We received a Sainsbury’s voucher from Uniform Dating for the purpose of this post. Opinions are our own.

Design your own Love Heart

The sweet shop I visited as a child always seemed so large. I imagined it was owned by Willy Wonka but run by his Father. You’d always be on your best behaviour only stepping forward when you knew what you wanted from the jars lining the walls above.

While your sweets were being weighed and the corners of your little white bag twisted, you’d scan the shelves looking for what you could spend your remaining 10p on. It was usually a choice between Love Hearts, a Refresher or a Drumstick. Love Hearts were often the preferred choice as they could be shared.

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As you’d expect a lot has changed since the Eighties. Though the well-known sweets remain, the range includes brand extensions such as Refresher Squashies, Drumstick Squashies, Double Lollies Squashies and Love Hearts Squashies.

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These are jelly-like variations of the favourites and taste just as good. In our house the Refresher Squashies were first to go, closely followed by the Love Hearts and the Drumsticks. Some things never change!

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Swizzels Matlow, the company that makes these iconic British sweets, are celebrating 60 years of Love Hearts and recently launched a competition to mark the occasion.

It is offering fans the opportunity to design their own Love Heart. Ten lucky winners will get the chance to visit the factory and see their own Love Heart being made ahead of its inclusion in packs across the UK.

Head over to the Love Hearts website or Facebook page to enter the competition.

Disclaimer: We received product samples for the purpose of this post. Opinions are our own.

Retro sweets from The Gobstopper

Standing there you could barely see the wood paneled walls for the coloured jars. There was something special about this retro sweet shop, perhaps that’s why you felt like Alice in Wonderland. You didn’t move but your eyes darted all over the place while you decided what went in your white paper bag.

Fizzy Cola Bottles were a firm favourite but what could go with them? Rhubarb & Custard and Kola Cubes? What about Flumps, Love Hearts and Flying Sauces? Or Strawberry Laces, Fried Eggs and Fruit Salad? So many decisions.

Once you had that white paper bag in your grasp, there was no stopping you. That first Fizzy Cola Bottle twinkled on your tongue before the fresh air hit your face.

Decades later retro sweets have retained their appeal, not least for their ability to bring back the fondest of memories. The Gobstopper have recreated this feeling of nostalgia with a wonderful shop that sells everyone’s favourites.

Fizzy Cola Bottles was again my first choice. The decision after that was tough as The Gobstoppers’ range is huge! In the end Kola Cubes and Fizzy Peaches were selected.

The retro sweets arrived in great time and were perfectly packaged. A large smile spread across my face when I opened the Kilner glass jar. You couldn’t help but shut your eyes, take a deep breath and remember that wood paneled sweet shop. They tasted as you expected them to – utterly divine!

Ordering retro sweets from The Gobstopper couldn’t be simpler. You just select your preferred Kilner glass jar size and the sweets you’d like in it. There are a wide range of gift options available too including jar and box sets. Not to mention retro sweet selections for parties!

There are a hundred variations to choose from so whether your taste is fizzy and sour, soft and chewy or boiled, you’ll find those childhood favourites you grew up with. Whether for you, a family member of a friend it’s a great trip down memory lane.

Disclaimer: We received a Kilner glass jar with our choice of sweets from The Gobstopper for the purpose of this review. All opinions are our own.

New Mattessons Double Dippers

Running a business full-time and parenting a toddler often means I’m short on time. Although we usually have a healthy meal in the evening, lunchtime is more of a grab what you can affair. It might involve a short walk to the shop for a sandwich and crisps or on especially busy days toast or cereal.

It seems I’m not alone. According to a recent survey, busy lifestyles have resulted in traditional meal times being a thing of the past. We’re often skipping meals or turning to unhealthy snacks to tide ourselves over – more than 50% of women have a mid-afternoon energy crash around 3-4pm. This will be the time I’ll crave chocolate if I’ve not had a proper lunch.

Frequent smaller meals now seem to suit our busy lifestyle better – over half of us hardly ever eat three meals a day. We also tend to snack on the go too regardless of whether we’re at our desk, walking or travelling.

With this in mind, there’s definitely growing consumer demand for healthier alternatives that have the nutritional value but require little effort. Mattessons’ Double Dippers have satisfied this demand with a new high protein snack. This healthy, tasty option comprises of 100% chicken breast and with less than 190 calories per pack.

Each pack contains marinated natural chunks of chicken breast and two dips – one of which is creamy and the other crunchy. You just dip the marinated chunks of chicken in the creamy sauce and then the toasted crumbs. Each pack of Double Dippers contains a fork so you can eat them straight out of the packet or grab a plate. What’s important is that you don’t need to stop what you’re doing and you’re eating a much healthier snack.

Double Dippers are available in four flavour variants – Classic with a creamy dip, Thai with a sweet chilli dip, Italian with a tomato and basil dip and Tikka with a smooth mint yoghurt dip. Having tried them all, my favourite was the Italian although my husband preferred the Thai.

Double Dippers are available now and stocked in Asda and Tesco. They retail at £1.59 mark and there’s a downloadable 25p off voucher available here.

An infographic of the Mattessons snacking survey results is below if you fancy a nose.

Disclaimer: We received a selection of Mattessons Double Dippers for this review along with payment. Opinions are our own.

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Food

Matcha Green Tea Powder | Tasty cocktails

Courgette Chocolate Brownies

Vita Coco Kids launches Sugar Maze

Devilish Chocolate Brownies

JUST EAT’s Tried & Tasted awards 2015

An Autumn Picnic with Brioche Pasquier

Spicy Tornado – a meal fit for RAF aircrew

Design your own Love Heart

Retro sweets from The Gobstopper

New Mattessons Double Dippers

Adventures

Visiting Mayfield Lavender Field, Banstead

A wander at Frensham Little Pond, Surrey

7 reasons to love Barracudas camps