Friday Favourites - Sweeteners

Calorie-counting has become a routine for most of us; however we can still be unaware of the damaging effect of high sugar intake. Here at The Amazing Blog, we want to provide a healthy alternative to sweeten your morning coffee. With our favourite sweeteners, you can treat yourself guilt-free.

Firstly, we found an innovative new range of fruity Fine Powders by LOOV, designed to liven up anything from smoothies, baked goods, and even plain yoghurt. The powders are sourced using organic berries giving a fruity taste.

The three delicious flavours include Lingonberry, Cranberry and Blueberry; our favourite had to be the Lingonberry for its potent scent and intense ruby colour. We love that LOOV source their berries from local organic farmers in Estonia, making the product guilt-free in more ways than one. Get your hands on your own berry powders here for £13.50.

If berries aren't your thing, we have the perfect syrup substitute. BeLoved have utilised one of our favourite natural sweet treats to produce Date Nectar. The nectar is expertly extracted to retain all of the yummy goodness from the whole fruit.

We found it to be such a versatile product, perfect as a sweetener in hot drinks, drizzled over pancakes, or for an alternative sticky ‘date’ pudding. Dates are an ancient superfood packed with fibre and minerals. What makes them particularly special in our book is that they actually boost metabolism. A sweetener that turns sugars into energy rather than fat - we’re sold. Go try it and get yours here for only £3.99.

This next product will curb those sweet cravings for good. With only 3g of natural sugar per teaspoon, The Groovy Food Company’s Agave Express Sticks are astounding.

Agave nectar is incredibly sweet, without any artificial additives or refined sugars, so a little goes a very long way. The Agave Express Sticks are the definition of ‘what it says on the tin’, made from 100% organic Agave nectar and so convenient for on-the-go. We thought the 5ml sachets were great to sweeten tea & coffee and add some excitement to our morning porridge. Sweeten up your diet with a natural substitute by getting your Agave sticks here for £2.99.  

We were particularly excited about receiving The Coconut Company’s Organic Coconut Sugar, a fantastic alternative to the regular refined kind.

It’s formed by gently heating coconut sap from the coconut flower blossom. Although this sounds very technical, the result is a beautifully sweet and fragrant brown sugar. What’s more, the sugar retains the vitamins and minerals from the coconut blossom, as well as having a low GI. In other words, you won’t experience that turbulent sugar high or crash. We loved the unique taste and intense sweetness and it was fantastic to use when baking.  If you want the great taste of sugar but want to avoid those awful blood sugar spikes, get your Coconut Sugar here for £4.99. 

Lastly, we wanted to find a truly multipurpose and versatile sweetener that could be used in anything. Essential Nutrition’s Sweetlift Cook is the sugar free, natural answer to our prayers.

This table-top sweetener is extracted from totally natural sources yet has twice the power of regular sugar and is less calorific. We were excited to use this in all aspects of our cooking; it worked particularly well in baking and to sweeten our morning cuppa. There was no artificial or bitter aftertaste, it provided texture, volume and caramelisation just as sugar would. Essential Nutrition have outdone themselves with this fantastic and almost undetectable substitute. Introduce Sweetlift Cook into your kitchen, order yours here for €14.90.

Spreads - Savvy, Keen Nut Butter, Erbology and Ogilvy's

We are surrounded by so many healthy and so-called ‘delicious’ alternatives to our favourite toast toppers and sandwich fillers. Here at The Amazing Blog, we have compiled our favourite natural spreads that will give our usual peanut butter and chocolate spread a run for their money. Today we are so aware of what we are putting into our body and Savvy Spreads, Keen Nut Butter, Erbology and Ogilvy’s will ensure we remain beautiful from the inside out.

Firstly, we are bringing you a taste of the Mediterranean with Savvy’s Sweet Sesame Spreads in three different flavours, Carob & Honey, Chocolate and their award-winning Date.

Astoundingly, there are only up to 5 ingredients in each spread, and each is from a totally natural source. The founder of Savvy Spreads uses an ancient Mediterranean preserve recipe and gave it a 21st Century update for all the family to enjoy. We had full confidence that we were spreading pure nutrition on our morning toast and it felt great. Savvy Spreads can be used in sandwich fillers, cake flavouring, crepes and even porridge toppers. All spreads are gluten free and vegan friendly. We loved that it satisfied our sweet tooth without damaging our health. But don't just take our word for it, try out these delicious healthy spreads for yourself here.  

We are particularly excited at the discovery of a mouth-watering and all-natural nut butter. Peanut butter fanatics will love Keen Nut Butter, an indulgent creamy spread free from added sugar, salt and artificial flavouring.

There is a wide range of flavours to choose from, something most nut butter brands are lacking. We had the opportunity to try the Triple Nut flavour and were not disappointed. The divine smell itself left our stomachs rumbling before we’d even tried it, and we loved the rich taste and buttery texture. It melted beautifully on warm toast to provide us with a nutritious and indulgent breakfast or a midday snack. If you’re keen to get your hands on this guilt-free nut butter get your own here for £2.99 per jar. 

If jam is more up your street, we have the perfect organic substitution. Erbology have created a range of delicious Sea Buckthorn jams, of which we had the opportunity to try the apple flavour.

Rather than a simple sugar high, these jams contain a host of vitamins, minerals and Omega 3,6,9 + 7 that is rarely found in such a concentrated form. As avid beauty enthusiasts, we were ecstatic to learn that the antioxidants in the jam promotes healthy skin and hair. Radiant skin and thick shiny locks while satisfying sweet cravings, that’s our kind of spread!  We thought it made a tasty topping to our porridge and a delectable addition to afternoon tea scones, along with a spoonful of clotted cream. If you want to watch your waistline but don’t want to give up your favourite sweet spreads, try out the Sea Buckthorn Apple jam here for £8.90. 

Last, but not least, Ogilvy’s has produced a British honey range with a difference.

The nectar collected to create the honey comes from a wide variety of plants and flowers, which gives each one its own unique taste. We were lucky enough to try the Borage, Heather and Wildflower honeys. We loved the traceability of these spreads; the Borage nectar was collected in Warwickshire, the Heather nectar in the Derbyshire Peak District, while the Wildflower nectar came from gardens and hedgerows in the heart of England. The differing textures, richness and fragrances provided a refreshing variety. The runnier Borage honey was great as a sweetener in porridge or in warm drinks. Whereas the Heather honey was rich and thick which made it an ideal toast topper. Check out the range of Ogilvy’s British honey range here for just £5.59 each.

TEATOX - Skinny Detox and Organic Wellness Tea

Cleansing the mind, body and soul is an important part of our busy and often unhealthy lifestyles. Here at The Amazing Blog, we have found something to help you along, TEATOX have created a range of delicious detox teas. We were lucky enough to try out the soothing Holistic Range that consists of the Good Morning Tea, Good Evening Tea, Organic Wellness Tea and last but not least the Energy Matcha Green Tea.  

The Skinny Detox morning tea was soothing and refreshing, the use of Goji Berries and Sencha green tea leaves you feeling revitalised and your metabolism engaged. The perfect way to start the morning! The hint of Peppermint and Lemon Balm in the Skinny Detox night tea is far more soothing. It leaves you feeling relaxed and ready for a great nights sleep, but with the added advantage of stimulating digestion which normally slows at night. If you find yourself eating dinner at a late hour, this could become your new best friend.

TEATOX include the perfect balance of flavours in their Organic Wellness Tea. They use lemon grass, ginger root and honeybush to create a fragrant and refreshing drink that can be consumed all day long. This is certainly a tea that encompasses TEATOX’s philosophy to promote balance and inner peace. The Energy Matcha Green Tea is rich in antioxidants and caffeine which gave us just the right amount of energy when we needed a midday boost. Get your own holistic tea set featuring all the teas above here for  £38.90.

Lingham’s Chilli Sauces

Temperatures are dropping and here at The Amazing Blog, we’re putting a bit of heat back into our lives with Lingham’s Chilli Sauces. Who doesn’t love a nice soup with a spicy twist? The range of sauces by Lingham will do the job whether you like it super-hot or not.

Lingham's have been created sauces since 1908, to an Asian traditional recipe. What's great about their sauces, and makes them so unique, is their ingredients list: fresh chillies, salt, vinegar and sugar. You get what you see. No artificial colours or flavours and no preservatives. Nothing but natural ingredients to offer you the best culinary experience ever.

We personally had a lot of fun experimenting in the kitchen as the sauces go with practically everything! Great as a dipping sauce, or pop a bit in a noodle soup - if you fancy a bit of a morning kick whack some in your scrambled eggs to help wake you up in the morning.

Make sure you try the entire range; Original Chilli Sauce, Ginger  & Garlic, Extra Hot Chilli (made with bird’s eye chillies) and the traditional SriRacha (a tangy hot sauce). Whatever your taste, there's something to suit everyone. They’ve also been approved by the Vegetarian Society and are also Halal and Kosher.

You can find Lingham’s Chilli Sauce at Waitrose for £1.69, so don’t waste anymore time and stock up your kitchen before winter properly hits.

Inspiral - Kale-os and Coconut Pecks

When hunger strikes, so many of us grab quick, convenient and unhealthy snacks, but here at The Amazing Blog, we're changing our ways, one bite at a time. We have been lucky enough to try the Inspiral range of Kale-os and Coconut Pecks; they are organic, 100% natural super foods that give us real nutritional satisfaction, rather than a short lived sugar rush.

Kale-os are an innovative new range of kale crisps that are neither baked nor fried. These nutritionally dense kale crisps are nut-free, low in calories, and use an air-drying method to retain more nutrients than any of its competitors. Kale is extremely high in Vitamins B and C, plus the use of extra-virgin olive oil adds the anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits that come from good fats. They aren’t just packed with endless goodness; they actually taste delicious with flavours like Tomato & Basil Pizza and Celtic Sea Salt & Lime. These are far more exciting and vibrant than any flavours offered by the leading potato crisp brands. If you are a certified Kale Queen you will love the crisp texture that reminded us of scrumptious seaweed dishes.

Inspiral haven’t ended it there, they have continued their snack innovation with a range of Coconut Pecks. These are simply organic raw coconut chips that are also air-dried, rather than toasted, to keep them free from trans-fat. We loved their crunchy texture and the unexpected sweet taste thanks to the use of Palmyra Blossom Nectar, a natural and low G.I. sugar. You can choose between two delicious flavours, Smokin’ (Paprika) or Raspberry, they thoughtfully included both a sweet and more savoury flavour for us. Inspiral aren’t only keeping us healthy, but they focus on keeping the planet happy too. The packaging is fully compostable, the ink is made from vegetables, and this is all produced in a solar-powered eco factory.

Keep your waistline and the planet happy by getting yourself some guilt-free kale snacks here for £1.29, or grab a bag of Coconut Pecks here for 99p each.