Geosticks by Geobar

We love snacking at The Amazing Blog. It is our biggest vice, and although swimsuit season is a long way off, it’s all too easy to use layers to hide as our bodies turn into bears. While this may be cosier and on the whole a more enjoyable experience, it is, firstly, fooling no one and secondly makes swimsuit season all the more stressful as we battle against the results of our bad choices. To entirely avoid this we have decided to change our ways and make healthier snack choices. In our research, we found the delicious Rice, Lentil and Quinoa Geosticks from one of our favourite brands Geobar. The crisps come in three moreish flavours Sweet Chilli, Herby and Peppery. 

Each pack is gluten and dairy-free and contain Fairtrade rice from Thailand and Fairtrade quinoa from Peru.  No matter which flavour you choose the packet won’t exceed 91 calories. Making these not just an ethically right choice, but an excellent choice for your waist. We partularly loved the Sweet Chilli which had a subtle chilli/tomato/spice sauce flavour which came through on these delicious crunchy sticks. All three flavours are utterly addictive, and with their low-calorie content, you don’t have to feel guilty next snack time! 

You can purchase a Geosticks multi pack from Traidcraft here for £21.60. This will include 8 packets of each flavour which will certainly be enough to see you through the next month or two!
 

Paw Paw & Quinoa Colour Radiance Shampoo and Conditioner by Natural World.

At The Amazing Blog, we know what a pain it can be when your hair colour begins to fade, especially if you go into considerable costs to have the colour added in the first place! It can feel pointless to fight this struggle at times as often nothing seems able to prevent the fading, and some hair care products even increase its progression. Therefore, searching for a product that will act as a remedy to this problem is a priority of ours. Thankfully, we came across Natural World in this quest to evade the bland. Their new organic Paw Paw and Quinoa Colour Radiance Shampoo and Conditioner is remarkable, it could not only keep our hair soft and smooth but it also helped to prolong the life of our hair colour all the way up to our next touch-up!

The organic Paw Paw Oil helps to both revive, re-live and maintain the gloss that colouring can strip away; while the protein packed Quinoa Extract is the star ingredient that helps maintain the colour – who knew there was another reason to love quinoa. The four essential oils (Rosemary, Lemongrass, Orange and Ylang Ylang) give the products a beautiful and fruity scent which you won't be able to get enough of. Our hair was visibly softer and shinier as the shampoo and conditioner aided in keeping hair hydrated. 95% of the product is made from naturally derived ingredients, and these gentle, but powerful ingredients allow the products to fight the ill-effects of dying without stripping the dye away! The products are free of parabens, phosphates, phthalates, dyes and gluten – so you know the high magnitude of safe and natural ingredients that your hair is in close contact with.

So if you are worried about the lifespan of your hair colour, you can purchase the shampoo here for £6.00 and the conditioner here for £6.00 which is a wise and worthy investment for treating and maintaining the colour and lustre of your hair. 

PUNKU Quinoa Cookies

In an endless quest to find alternatives for breads and pasta, Quinoa has started to become a staple in Western World diets. Even at The Amazing Blog we love to include Quinoa in our daily meals, which is why we jumped at the chance to try some of PUNKU’s range of organic Quinoa Cookies from Bolivia.

The company recently launched a new flavour of Orange & Cranberry to add to their Chocolate Chip and Orange & Mango flavours. These cookies contain superfood organic Royal Quinoa which is only grown in a specific region of Bolivia. Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds and it contains all the essential amino acids. Quinoa is also a good source of manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus.

Each box contains 12 individually wrapped cookies. These cookies are wheat, gluten, dairy and egg free, which makes them suitable for all types of eaters. We loved the fruity flavours that satisfied our sweet tooth and the crunchiness of the quinoa.  

Patricia Estivariz, the founder of PUNKU, grew up in Bolivia and wanted to introduce Bolivian foods to the UK. She imports the cookies from Bolivian suppliers who have developed education and health programs to assist their employees. That means that buying PUNKU’s products benefits hundreds of Bolivian families, giving them a better standard of living.

Not only do you get to indulge in these amazing and healthy cookies, but you get to support people in one of the poorest countries of Latin America. Who can say no to that?

The products are available to purchase in select food stores around the UK or directly online. Over the next couple of months, PUNKU will be introducing additional products so keep an eye out for those as well!

Perfekt Start...

We all know the importance of a good breakfast and while it can often be tempting to hit the snooze button and grab a skinny latte and blueberry muffin to go, the resulting caffeine buzz and sugar high will do little to stave off mid-morning cravings. Equally, the empty calories found a-plenty in sugary cereals often leave you feeling anything but full; thus by eleven you’ll be reaching for the biscuit tin. Such choices have a negative effect on not only our waistlines, but also our energy levels, and are the perfect way to start the day off on a seriously bad foot.

Ideally, a healthy, nutritionally balanced breakfast will consist of protein, fibre and complex carbs – the combination of which will keep you fuller for longer and kick start your day with a high dose of energy. However, unless you’re a real life domestic goddess or have a live-in chef able to whip you up an egg white and spinach omelette before you’re coffee has even brewed, it’s unlikely you’ll have the time, or indeed the inclination to prepare yourself a protein rich meal before hop, skip and jumping out the door.

Thankfully, we recently came across Perfekt Cereals – a revolutionary nutrient rich granola that provides the ideal combination of protein, carbohydrates and essential fats. Specifically designed to offer a nutritional balance of protein and complex carbs, the lack of refined sugar keeps blood sugar levels steady meaning you’ll stay satisfied until lunch.

The granolas are gently toasted with agave nectar – a natural alternative to sugar, with just a third of the calories. With five flavours to choose from – Ultimate Organic Granola, Organic Quinoa, Three Nut Granola, Mango and Passion Fruit Granola and Berry and Seed Granola – there’s an option for every taste bud. The Quinoa version is suitable for anyone who follows a gluten- free diet, and all Perfekt cereals are wheat free with no added salt.

So for the perfect start to the day, look no further than Perfekt Cereals. Available from Waitrose, Goodnessdirect.co.uk and a number of independent retailers.