Prunes! Nature's Perfect Snack

Mention prunes and most people pull a face or make a gesture to indicate an unpleasant side effect.  In fact prunes are one of nature’s little miracles.

They are full of protein, low in sugar (due to the way they are left on the tree for a much longer time) and low in saturated fats.  They are also full of calcium which is necessary for good healthy bones and 'B' vitamins essential to help build a healthy immune system. But best of all they are so versatile and taste so good.

Prunes are the perfect take anywhere snack and are versatile working equally well in baking as general recipes.

 California Prune Board is made up of around 900 independent prune producers. Because of the climate and weather conditions California produces some of the best prunes in the world.

California Prune is not a brand but a mark of quality and control and indication that the product was grown and processed in California.

The California Prune Board recently invited a group of bloggers and journalists to spend the day with Chef Rosemary Shrager at her cookery school in Tunbridge Wells. We were welcomed on a freezing January morning with hot coffee, fresh pastries and of course bowls of prunes!

Rosemary Shrager is a lovely lady with a passion for food and for passing her knowledge to her students and that was certainly the feel of the day as we prepared our lunch under her watchful eye. 

All of the dishes we made contained prunes, were simple to make so that you could make them again at home and really tasty.

In fact the food that we made during the morning was our lunch later on in the early afternoon.

California prunes are running a competition and have teamed up with the Rosemary Shrager Cookery School to encourage people to cook deliciously healthy and indulgent recipes using this versatile and incredibly tasty super fruit. 

We finished the afternoon and left with a generous goodie bag, all the recipes we had used during our day and the loaf of Prune Bread we had made to take home with us.

Whether it’s a gorgeously indulgent winter warmer or a tasty high-fibre snack for a healthy new you, California Prunes are rich and flavourful, healthy and nutritious -which means they are great in both gooey desserts and light healthy snacks?

Share a California prune-based recipe in one of their two themes, for the chance to win a Bread-making Masterclass for two with Rosemary Shrager – including travel and overnight accommodation plus the chance to have your recipe published in an e-recipe book.

Upload your recipes in either category at www.californiaprunerecipes.co.uk or visit the California Prunes Facebook page for details. Ten runners up will each win a £100 supermarket voucher to spend in a store of their choice.

 

I was a guest of California Prune Board and Rosemary Shrager Cookery School. I was not paid to attend this Masterclass and as usual all opinions and photos are my own.

 

 

New from Mattessons - Double Dippers

Busy Romans had to snack on little Gliss Gliss mice strapped onto their belts if they felt a hunger pang midway through their hectic morning building roads to Scotland but thankfully as a busy mum, grandmother and wife I don't have to!
 

Mattessons have a new snack product called Double Dippers.  A portion of chicken pieces to firstly dip into a creamy or tomato dip then into a crunchy topping.  They are high in protein and less than 190 calories per pack.

They are called Double Dippers because there are two seperate dips per pack to dip your chicken pieces into, one creamy and one crunchy, and four flavour variations.

Italian with a tomato and basil dip

Thai with a sweet chilli dip

Tikka with a smooth mint yogurt dip

Classic with a creamy ranch dip

These great snacks are available from Asda and Tesco supermarkets and should retail at around £1.59 per pack.

I am most likely to snack mid morning at work

and these are perfect to keep me going until lunchtime but they are equally great for school lunchboxes or an after school treat to keep the kids going till dinner time and of course how many times have you just skipped a meal.

Double Dippers were created to cover the demand for a snack without compromising on nutrition, flavour or taste.

 

A few statistics behind the decision to create a great and healthy snack:-

More than 50% of women have a mid-afternoon need to snack with 3:00-4:00 pm being the greatest danger time.

Around 75% of adults now say they prefer smaller snackier meals to fit into their busy lifestyles.

A typical adult worker misses four meals per week whilst 53% hardly ever have that traditional (and now old fashioned) three full meals per day.

Of those eating on the move or unconventional places the top places to eat were:-

1. At their desk

2. Walking

3. Driving

4. On a train

5. On a bus

6. On the tube

7. Riding a bike (!)

So now there is a healthier alternative to snacking on crisps, chocolate and biscuits.

 

So to get you started there is a 25p downloadable voucher go to http://mattessons.co.uk/home/try-our-new-double-dippers/http://mattessons.co.uk/home/try-our-new-double-dippers/

Here's a quick poster with all the interesting statistics for you!

 

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Mattessons.

 

 

Asda Meals for the Little People

I was recently invited to visit Asda Head Office in Leeds with my daughter-in-law and 5 year old granddaughter.

Asda wanted some real little people as 'taste testers' for their new children's range of food.  This range is called 'Chosen by Kids' and is a good tasting range with out additives, salt etc. but food that mothers can have confidence in giving their child.  There are 180 products in this range and they help make sure the child get some of their '5 A Day'.

On arrival we were greeted with loads of bright colours, ballons and funny colourful monsters.  MissLizzie was a bit shy with her first monster but relaxed as she met more of the colourful characters who adorn the packaging of the new range.

We were walked through different set tables and shown the range.

 

Following a quick chat about the new products we ventured into a tasting room.  MissLizzie was feeling very important to be a 'taste tester'.

One by one the different foods were brought out and using the paddles we had (green for yum and red for yuck) MissLizzie voted for them.

And it seemed everything got a green 'yum' from our little VIP for the session.

I liked the new range as a Grandmother. When the little people come to visit I like to have some 'kiddie' food in the fridge for convenience and wouldn't have any hesitation buying this range knowing their parents would approve.  I like to offer little treats and they wouldn't know I had chosen some healthy ones either.

It was a long journey to Leeds for this session and MissLizzie was quite tired but a balloon in the colour of her favourite monster colour put a smile on her face!

Here is what Asda had to say about their new range and the blogger event ...
http://youtu.be/S6HZ2Rut3vg

I didn't receive any payment from Asda to write this post and all opinions are my own.

Kitchen Chat - Saviour (Feel Good Snacking)

Saviour provides a box of healthy snacks for your workplace or office and this can be on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis or a one off order.  They have three sizes and they sent me the middle size.

My initial impression was how nice the packaging was and this is important to have an attractive box in your communal area to attaract people to it. These snacks are without hydrogenated fats, artificial colours or preservatives. Also no MSG, high fructose corn syrups or genetically modified foods.

They are real ingredients that you can recognise or pronounce!

Their range includes breakfast options, soups, protein bars, nuts, seeds, corn cakes, raw chocolate and lots of other savoury treats. The contents vary week to week so you don't get bored.

 

 

 

The box I was sent contained about 15 snacks but for a larger office there is a much bigger box available.

 

Thank you Saviour for sending me a box to try. Better than having a box of crisps in the office for sure!!