The Nutribox – ‘Healthy Snacking Made Easier’ - A Review & Giveaway

Launched in November 2012, ‘The Nutribox’ is a Sheffield-based company whose aim is to make it easy for all of us to snack in a healthier way. Once a month, they’ll deliver a box of ‘deliciously nutritious’, gluten-free goodies directly to your door (containing either 8-10 or 16-20 snacks, depending on which size box you choose), taking on all the hard work of sourcing tasty, healthy products themselves while leaving you to simply dig in when your box arrives!

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to try one of these boxes. The timing was spot on as I – like possibly most of the country at this time of year! – was determined to replace my snack-time biscuits with something that’s better for me but at the same time is more interesting than a plain banana or a few grapes. This week’s post then, is a mix of my thoughts on the products that I’ve tried, and how well I’ve managed to integrate this into daily life. Oh, and a chance for you to win a Nutribox-mini for yourself - read on to find out how...

Recipe: Chocolate Squares

This post is something that I’ve been thinking about doing ever since I started the blog. They may not sound special, they might not even look that special, but Chocolate Squares are very often my first choice if I decide that I really want to indulge my sweet tooth, and making them brings back fond memories of my mum teaching me how to bake.

I wish I had a picture of the original recipe that sits in her kitchen drawer – a slightly faded piece of pink paper with a few grease spots on it that details only the ingredients (and quantities) that you need, the method being something that you simply have to remember from one time to the next. Before I left for University we actually wrote it down (and worked out the calories per serving – with hindsight, a mistake!) and over the years I’ve copied it out for a handful of people who seemed to love them as much as me. Finally though, I’ve decided to just put it on the blog, method and all, in the hope that these little treats might become someone else’s favourite, too.

The Travelling Notebooks Project

The Travelling Notebooks project was started in August 2012 by two Sheffield residents, Cindy Cheung and Emma Fisher. The idea is simple; you sign up to receive a notebook of your choice from a selection of three, each with a different theme (Recipes, Snap and Ready). When you receive the notebook you have a month in which to fill in two empty pages and then send it on to the next person.

My pages in the 'Recipes' Travelling Notebook

New Years Resolutions – A Tale of 25 Cookbooks

I’m not normally the New Years Resolutions ‘type’ to be honest. I know full well that if I really want to do something I’ll do it, and if I don’t then I’ll give up on it after a few mildly enthusiastic weeks. But this year I was inspired by an article written by Jules Gilbert (@DomesticJules) to make a foodie New Years Resolution.

Reading through Jules’ list of potential resolutions for foodie types, I was tempted by a few of them; ‘Make all cakes and biscuits’ particularly appealed, until I realised that I’d miss my weekly coffee and cake café treat and would probably bake so many things ‘just in case I get peckish’ or ‘just in case someone pops over for a cup of tea’ that I’d end up the size of a house by next Christmas. ‘Eat healthier snacks’ also sounded like a good one, especially after all my festive indulgences, but I already try to follow the ‘everything in moderation’ rule (believe it or not) so that one wouldn’t really work for me either. What I decided would work for me, and what is definitely applicable given my ever-growing (despite Mat’s best efforts) cookbook collection, is to ‘Try two new recipes a month’.

One of my favourite gifts from this Christmas. I’m thoroughly enjoying reading it but wondering if I’ll ever attempt any of the recipes!

Recipe: Brandy Butter

This is designed to be a short and sweet post on what, for me at least, is an essential part of Christmas: homemade Brandy Butter. I know you can buy it ready made in supermarkets, but frankly you only need five minutes and three ingredients so there’s no excuse out there good enough to justify not making your own. Plus, homemade always tastes better.

Missies Pud Inn: Christmas

On Saturday 8^th December I attended my third Missies Pud Inn (once again I can’t believe how quickly the three months since the last Pud Inn have flown by!).  So far I’ve eaten 5 chocolate-themed puds and 5 party-themed puds, all of which were fantastic. As a result, it was hard to think that better puds could be out there but I had a sneaking suspicion that as the theme for this Pud Inn was Christmas, I wasn’t going to be disappointed. I was right.

Shop Sheffield Christmas - A Foodie Christmas Wish List

Christmas is well and truly on the way but there’s still time to find that perfect present, whether it’s for you or someone else. This quick mid-week post aims to give you some inspiration for what to buy the foodie in your life by sharing my Christmas Foodie Wish List.