Nutritious and Delicious

There's nothing more delicious than breakfast, in my opinion. 

It's my favourite meal the day and is what gets me energised for my day.

I'm also a fan of supporting local businesses, so when I received a package from Kuranda I knew it was going to be good. 

Kuranda started out of a cottage kitchen in the Atherton tablelands of far north Queensland. 

First they began selling their health bars into the local farmers market and they soon became popular with the locals. 

While holidaying in Cairns, Maria Peronace stumbled across the health bars and fell in love - so much so that she acquired Kuranda Fine Foods and the Aussie Snax Brands.

Maria continued making the bars true to their original recipe and launched the bars across the country in 2006. Today, Aussie Health Snax also exports to Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

All of the products are made by hand, just like they originally were!

All of the Kuranda products are;
- Gluten Free
- Wheat Free
- Dairy Free
- Low GI

The Spiced Apple with Quinoa Muesli has no added sugar and high in omega 3.

It's a mix of rice flakes, puffed brown rice and puffed quinoa mixed with flaxseed, diced apple, cinnamon, pepitas and sunflower seeds.

It's the perfect muesli to give you energy for whatever your day has in store for you and is an ideal balance of protein and carbohydrates.

The Banana and Date with Amaranth Muesli is high in protein and fibre and contains no added sugar.

It's a delicious mix of banana, dates, whole almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, puffed rice, rice flakes and amaranth. 

This muesli is a delicious way to easily get more fibre into your diet.

The Berry Blend with Amaranth Muesli is rich in antioxidants and high in fibre.

It's a mix of cranberries, whole almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, puffed rice, rice flakes and amaranth.

The Tropical Blend with Quinoa Muesli is rich in Iron and Calcium. 

It's a blend of tropical dried pineapple, coconut, dried apricots, apple, pepitas, sunflower seeds, rice flakes and puffed brown rice and quinoa.

Kuranda Muesli is available at their online store as well as a number of stockists across the country.

So tell me, 

What's your favourite breakfast cereal?

and Do you have a favourite local company/small business?

Kristy received Kuranda Muesli courtesy of www.kingstonfoods.com.au and www.aussiehealthsnax.com.au

If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com

Naturally delicious breakfasts!

If you've read my blog before, chances are, you know breakfast is my favourite meal of the day

and if you haven't - well, now you do!

If I could have it for every meal I probably would and if I ever had to choose my final meal, you can be sure it'd be breakfast related. 

When the weather is warmer, I love cold cereal - so this package from Nature's Path arrived just at the right time.

Nature's Path cereals are all USDA certified organic, meaning they don't contain any artificial preservatives, additives, GMOs or synthetic pesticides - so you know exactly what's going into your breakfast bowl. 

Not only that, they taste delicious! 

The Heritage Flakes are a blend of wheat, barley, quinoa and spelt which is lightly sweetened with honey and evaporated cane juice.
While this GF-er couldn't try the cereal, my taste testers would impressed with it's crunch and delicious flavour - it's a perfect multigrain cereal for eating alone or topping with whatever takes your fancy!


The Millet Rice flakes are wheat free and made from whole oat, brown rice, and millet flours and naturally sweetened with fruit juice.
According to my taste testers, this cereal has just the right amount of sweetness and got extra points for not going soggy in your milk - because who likes soggy cereal?!

Corn Flakes always remind me of being a kid and these Corn Flakes from Nature's Path didn't disappoint on the flavour front! 
They're both wheat free and contain only traces of gluten - however they didn't cause any problems for me, and later in the year they will both be gluten free!


The Fruit Juice Sweetened Corn Flakes are made of pure cornmeal, lightly sweetened with concentrated fruit juice while the Honey'd Corn Flakes are sweetened with organic honey and evaporated cane juice. 
Both are delicious on their own, used in baking or cooking or topped with whatever your heart desires! For me, it's got to be sliced banana!

The Spelt Flakes are naturally sweetened with fruit juice and are made of Spelt - an ancient whole grain related to wheat. 
My taste testers were impressed with it's delicately sweet flavour and superb crunch.

Crispy Rice are crunchy nuggets made of brown rice flour, delicately sweetened with molasses and evaporated cane juice.
This cereal was one of my favourite, thanks to it's crunch and delicious flavour. 


 The Mesa Sunrise Flakes are a wheat free mix of corn, flaxseed and amaranth which is blended into golden cereal flakes and sweetened with evaporated cane juice. 
They're crunchy and delicious and definitely one of my favourites! 

 Crispy Rice and the Mesa Sunrise Flakes currently not certified gluten free, but they caused no problems for me and will be certified GF by the end of the year!

Nature's Path also have an awesome range for kids (and kids at heart!)
Koala Crisp are chocolate flavoured puffed rice (100x better than Coco Pops!) and contain nothing artificial. 
This was a delicious cereal, perfect for anyone and great for using in recipes! 


Gorilla Munch is another one of my favourites, if you loved Corn Pops - this cereal is for you!
They're crunchy cornmeal spheres lightly sweetened with evaporated cane juice which are not only fun to eat, but delicious too! 


Both cereals are free from wheat, egg, milk, corn and soy - and like the other cereals, will be certified GF by the end of the year! 


Nature's Path Cereals are available at selected Health Food shops around the country, so keep your eye out for them! 
You won't be disappointed! :) 


So tell me, 
are you a cereal fan?
or do you have another breakfast favourite?

Kristy received Nature's Path products courtesy of Kadac Health Foods (www.kadac.com.au) 
If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com  

Back, with breakfast!

Why hello there! 

I've been missing from here for a while now and I'm sorry!

Don't worry though, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth and I'm not dead - I've just been veeery busy. 

I was recently reminded that I need to spend more time with my loved ones as well as helping them out wherever possible.

My sister had an almost one month stint in the hospital (and was even interviewed by Kyle and Jackie O)

and I became the stand-in mum - washing/cooking/cleaning/you name it - as well as trying to be at the hospital as much as I possibly could.

Because of that (and my incredible boyfriend coming for Christmas) I decided to take December off completely. 

No work, no blogging, no plans.

It's been incredible to relax and spend some serious quality time with my family 

but I've been getting a little restless (and it wasn't ants in my pants!) and feeling the need to be productive once again - SO I'M BACK!

So for my first blog post of 2012, I wanted to share my favourite breakfast with you. 

It's gluten free, DELICIOUS!, super easy and perfect for weekends or that special treat.

It can also be made in advance and frozen so you can have a yummy baked breakfast any day of the week!

Banana Buckwheat Bake

gluten free, can be vegan, can be eggless and totally personalisable.

Adapted from Ashley @ The Edible Perspective 

1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1 tbsp Buckwheat groats (see notes) 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp Milk (whatever you like)

1 medium banana

1 egg/1 chia/flax egg/egg replacer (see notes)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

Optional: spices/chocolate chips/cocoa powder/fresh fruit/dried fruit/nuts/whatever you fancy

Preheat oven to 190*C. 

Mash 3/4 of the banana, leaving 1/4 aside to slice and add to the top - Mix in milk and vanilla. 

Add buckwheat flour, groats, baking powder, baking soda and salt to wet ingredients and mix until combined.

Pour mix into a non-stick baking pan (single serve), slightly greased ramekin or muffin cups. 

Top bake with banana slices and bake for 30-40 minutes until cooked through.

Then add whatever toppings you desire - I love adding nut butter, cream cheese, yogurt or fresh fruit - it's up to you!

Make sure you view my new blog, Southern In-Law for lots of delicious healthy recipes

Notes: 

Buckwheat flour is readily available at supermarkets as well as health food stores, or you can grind your own from raw buckwheat groats/kernels

Raw buckwheat groats are also readily available at supermarkets/health food stores. Sometimes you'll find them labelled as "buckwheat kernels" or "buckwheat grain" - just make sure you get the RAW version not the toasted kind. 

Chia/flax egg - Whisk 1 tablespoon chia seed/bran or ground flaxseed and 2 tbsp warm water until it "gels" and has an egg-like consistency.

If you like things sweet add in some maple syrup/honey/sugar to your tastes

If you don't have buckwheat it works fine with oats - just use oat flour (ground from oats) and whole rolled oats instead of the buckwheat flour/groats. 

So there you have it! The best breakfast you will ever make!

But do tell me, 

How was your holidays?

and What's your ultimate breakfast?  
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Granola Breakfast Muffins and a bunch of breakfast goodies!

Breakfast is by far my favourite meal of the day.

I can't understand how people can say they just don't like breakfast.

If I started without it, I'd probably be a zombie for the rest of the day.

So, as you could imagine, I was super excited to receive the package from realgoodfood,
filled with breakfast goodies as well as a whole bunch of other fantastic products. 
So many products, in fact, they won't fit into the one post!
Plus, I also have a delicious recipe for you at the end of the post!

The Organic Oat Porridge is a Wheat Free Mix of Biodynamic and organic rolled oats, sultanas, apple and cinnamon.
It has no added oil, sugar or salt and is GMO free!


It can be made hot on the stove (or in the microwave) as a porridge, 
but now as the weather is warming up, I love to use it as a base for overnight oats!
Just mix up the oat porridge with milk or yogurt (or a combination of both) and leave it to soften in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, all you have to do is pull your breakfast out of the fridge, add any extra toppings you might like and eat up!
Fast, easy and delicious :)

The Choc Berry Street Mix is a fantastic snack to keep around and it's also Gluten Free!

This organic snack mix is filled with sultanas, almonds, cranberries, blueberries, goji berries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and delicious dark chocolate pieces.

The mix also makes a fantastic topping for oatmeal or overnight oats!

The Organic Street Mix is also gluten free 
 and filled with organic sultanas, almonds, sunflower kernels and pumpkin seeds.
It's a perfect on the go snack for when the hunger monster attacks!

The Organic Bircher Muesli is a wheat free mix of organic & biodynamic rolled oats, sultanas, dried apple, almonds and sunflower kernels.
Bircher muesli is a lot like overnight oats, some people like to soak theirs in fruit juices or water and top with milk or yogurt the next day, while others prefer to use milk or other combinations.
Ultimately, the decision is yours! Play around with different combinations until you find what you like!

You can get realgoodfood products from a variety of stockists across the country!

 Now, the recipe I promised!
As soon as I opened the Organic Toasted Muesli I was hit with the delicious aroma of honey and new it'd be perfect in baked goods!
It's a mix of organic & biodynamic rolled oats, sultanas, honey, sunflower kernels, almonds, barley malt, pear juice and orange.
It's delicious eaten as a cereal, but I decided I wanted to make a way for busy breakfast-haters to enjoy it too!

Thus, the breakfast muffin was born!
It's a perfect on the go breakfast that's fuss free and delicious!
The recipe is also completely adaptable, so it's easy to whip up with whatever you have at hand.


Muesli Breakfast Muffins 
makes 12 muffins or 6 extra large muffins


2 1/2C Flour (you can use white/whole wheat/GF/spelt)
2/3C Sugar (choose whatever sugar you prefer - white/brown/raw etc)
1C toasted muesli/granola + extra for topping
1 egg
1C fruit* 
1/4C vegetable oil 
1 1/4C milk 

Preheat oven to 180*C. Grease/spray muffin tins with oil or line with paper cases.
Combine flour, sugar and muesli in a bowl. 
Mix together egg, vegetable oil and milk and pour into dry ingredients. 
Stir in fruit and mix until just combined. 
Pour muffin batter into muffin tins and top with a sprinkle of extra muesli. 
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.


*For the fruit, I used a cup of leftover pie apple from a pie I had made earlier - just cooked apples mixed with a pinch of brown sugar and cinnamon 
You can use any fruit you like canned, fresh or frozen apple/pear/peaches/pineapple/blueberries etc.

So tell me, 
Are you a breakfast lover?
What's your go-to breakfast of choice?

Stay tuned for the other half of my review! It's packed full of delicious gluten free goodies :)

Kristy received these products courtesy of www.realgoodfood.com.au
If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com 
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Hello? Are you out there?

Springgggggggggg?

You appear briefly, tease us with your warmth and bright blue skies and wham you disappear!

Sydney is back to cold weather and dreary skies, for now.

So what do you do when you're craving Spring sunshine but mother nature isn't giving you any?

You bring out the spring-ish food and pretend the weather is how it's supposed to be.

For me, warmer weather means hot bowls of oatmeal disappear in favour of cool cereal bowls,

lunches become more snack like and salads and fresh produce are always on the menu.

Granola is one of my favourite summer breakfasts and since eliminating gluten I've fallen in love with all things buckwheat, so this Buckwheat Granola from Nushie's Natural was something I was itching to try as soon as I opened the box!

This Granola is; 

-Gluten Free

- Vegan

- All Natural (no icky preservatives!)

- Sucrose Free

- High in Fibre

It's also packed full of flavour,  containing apples, dates, almonds, sunflower seeds, currants, coconut, cinnamon, orange rind and maple syrup. 

It has a strong toasted coconut flavour, making it feel even more summery! 

The best thing for me about this granola was the chunks and the crunch! Even after sitting in milk for a while it was still crunchy and delicious. 

If you're not a fan of chunks, they're easily broken apart into smaller pieces - but who doesn't love granola chunks?

Speaking of crunch, Nushie didn't disappoint with these chia crackers!

These crackers are dehydrated to maintain all the natural nutrients of the ingredients, while still giving you a super crunchy cracker with a hint of lemon.

They're; 

- Gluten Free

- Omega 3 Rich 

- Vegan

- All Natural

- Sucrose Free

They're a healthy snack on they're own or topped with whatever you fancy! 

They're a tasty and unique cracker option and perfect for sharing with friends at a summer BBQ. 

Nushie's Flaxseed Crackers are just as crunchy as the chia ones. 

They are full of flavour, thanks to the addition of tamari soy and maple syrup and a dash of cayenne pepper.

These crackers are also;

- Gluten Free

- Omega 3 Rich 

- Vegan

- All Natural

- Sucrose Free 

and you get the full benefit of the Flaxseeds as they're rolled, allowing them to be easily digested.

Nushie's crackers are available from a number of stockists across Australia,

check out their site to find the closest to you!  

So tell me, 

Does your menu change with the change of seasons?

What's your ultimate warm weather breakfast? 

I can't go past a cold bowl of cereal topped with fresh fruit, nut butter and shredded coconut - yum!

Kristy received Nushie's natural products courtesy of www.nushiesnatural.com.au

If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com

Wake me up..

....before you go go cocoa.

I'm probably a marketer's dream consumer.

I'm a highly visual person so of course I'm going to be influenced by what something looks like.

I'm kind of ashamed to admit that if there were two identical products on a shelf, but one was pink - I'd pick the pink one every time.

So what do you think my reaction was went I was sent two mueslis from Therapeutic Gourmet?

Wake Me Up B4 U Cocoa and Get Up and Goji

I think my first reaction was cuteeeeeeeeeee followed closely by this song running through my head on repeat.

In fact, everytime I see the muesli, the song gets stuck in my head - but it's a good song to be stuck with!

Wake Me Up B4 U Cocoa is a mix of raw organic cocoa, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, pepitas, almonds, flaxseeds, buckwheat kernels, puffed sorghum, puffed corn, rice bran flakes, cinnamon, vanilla and bush honey.

It's a high protein, nutritionally balanced muesli that will give you the energy to go-go :P

At first I thought I was going to find this too sweet, but I was pleased to find that wasn't the case.

The sweet bush honey was the perfect balance to the dark roasted cocoa, leaving only a hint of bitter cocoa flavour.

I loved that it stayed crunchy to the last spoonful thanks to all the delicious honey roasted nuts and seeds.

And it's fun too! I guess you could say it's like cocoa pops for a more mature palate? 

Get Up and Goji is a mix of organic Tibetan goji berries, honey roasted almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, buckwheat kernels, puffed corn, puffed brown rice, puffed sorghum, coconut flakes and spices.

Again, this muesli is protein packed and full of flavour.

Get Up and Goji is a little sweeter than Wake Me Up B4 U Cocoa due to the absence of cocoa and the addition of goji berries.

It tastes great eaten with milk or yogurt and also makes a perfect trail mix style snack!

Therapeutic Gourmet's Muesli's are available from a number of online stores, but if you're interested - send off a quick email to info@therapeuticgourmet.com.au for more info! 

So tell me, 

Are you influenced by the marketing of products? 

and what's the one song that always gets stuck in your head?! 

While I am influenced by the look of products, I'm rarely influenced by their claims. 

I'll also not buy something specifically because it's covered in claims that it will help you lose weight, 

yaddaaayaddaaa

One song that always gets stuck in my head when someone mentions it is...

Copacabana by Barry Manilow (and if my mum reads this, she'll be cursing at me :P)

So now you know what song will be stuck in my head all day!

Kristy received Therapeutic Gourmet Mueslis courtesy of www.therapeuticgourmet.com.au

If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com

Rise and Shine

Breakfast, the first meal of the day - arguably the most important meal of the day.

It also happens to be my favourite!

I don't know about you, but if I were to skip breakfast my day would probably go no where.

A warm bowl of oatmeal, a crunchy bowl of cereal, a breakfast bake (a la Ashley), pancakes - you name it. 

Breakfast wakes me up and gives me the energy to go on with my day. 

 

Emma Dumas from The Muesli wanted to create a quality breakfast that is nutritionally balanced and tastes great.

The Muesli is 97% sugar free and filled with healthy fats

It's made up of - 

27% Raw Nuts (Almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts and brazil nuts) 

23% Seeds (Pumpkin, sunflower, linseed and sesame seeds)

36% Rolled Oats

14% Shredded Coconut 

It can be made bircher style by soaking overnight, sprinkled on top of yogurt, eaten straight up or however you fancy!

The Muesli would be good for someone watching their sugar intake, however, for someone like me who is all about balance - I felt like it needed an extra flavour boost.

By adding fresh or dried fruit to "The Muesli" I had a perfectly balanced breakfast that was full of flavour.

You can order some for yourself online or at a number of stockists.

So tell me - 

what's your go to breakfast?

I have a different breakfast every day, flavour wise - but they tend to be based around oatmeal, overnight oats, cereal or muesli with breakfast bakes and pancakes showing up when I have more time for a leisurely breakfast!

Kristy received The Muesli courtesy of www.themuesli.com.au

If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com

Cereal Killer

Breakfast is hands down my favourite meal of the day.

Whether it be a steaming hot bowl of oatmeal or a refreshing bowl of cereal I'm all for it!

Cereal also happens to be one of my favourite foods, I actually think it should be an entire food group on its own.

I'll eat it for breakfast with a bunch of creative toppings and I'll eat it as a snack or for dessert.

To be completely honest, I'd eat breakfast foods at every meal.

Back to Nature have a line of delicious cereals that are made from all natural ingredients and aren't overly processed.

In fact, the Apple, Apricot & Almond Farmer's Choice Cereal was already making regular appearances in my breakfast bowl before this review was even thought about!  

The Farmer's Choice cereals are much like a granola. 

They're crunchy and full of flavour with a bit of chew from the dried fruit hidden inside the clusters. 

The cereals are also wheat free and high in fibre and contain no added cane sugar.

I'd never tried the Apple, Cranberry and Cinnamon version before the review and I can safely say that...

I LOVE IT! and it will also be making regular appearances in my breakfast bowl.

I love eating them with milk or yogurt and fresh fruit and adding whatever nuts or dried fruits that may take my fancy

as well as adding them as a crunchy topping to my oatmeal or mixing it with cottage cheese.

(I know, I know - people have an automatic "EW" reaction to cottage cheese, but I love it - don't knock it till you try it)

Now my only problem is choosing which flavour I want to have that morning!

The Apple, Apricot and Almond Bitez are bite sized muesli bars with all the flavour of the Farmer's Choice Cereal.

They are delicious! I love chewy muesli bars so these were absolutely perfect, they have the same feel as a freshly made oatmeal cookie. 

You might be thinking BUT THEY'RE SO SMALL?!?! and don't worry - I was too.

However they are really satisfying, proof that size isn't everything!

They've become a snacking staple and I have a few stashed in my purse for when the hunger monster attacks.

 The Waffle Bitez and Cookie Bitez are super fun cereals perfect for little ones

(or people who like me who still loveeeeeee and devour childish foods :P)

I loved the Cookie Bitez on their own. (I'm a huge dry cereal fan)

They're a great snacking cereal and perfect for adding to yogurt bowls.

They're just sweet enough and have no artificial colours, flavour or preservatives.

Plus, the little cookies are ridiculously cute - perfect for cookie monsters!

The Cookie Bitez and Waffle Bitez are also gluten and wheat free - so they're perfect for those with intolerances or sensitive tummies.

The Waffle Bitez I was a little disappointed with,

on their own they didn't have much flavour at all and in milk they turned soggy quite quickly. 

I would've loved a stronger maple flavour, which was what I was expecting. 

However, they hold up quite well in yogurt and work as a base cereal for adding yummy toppings.

You can find Back to Nature Cereals at Coles and Woolworths stores in the "Health Food" aisle

as well as in health food stores and independent grocery chains.

But I have to say - you MUST try the Farmer's Choice Cereals (especially the apricot one!) you won't regret it!

But tell me - 

What's your favourite meal of the day?

and What's your favourite cereal?

I already told you I love the Apple, Apricot and Almond Farmers choice cereal,

but some of my other favourites are muesli (any kind, really), honey oat cheerios and UT's Honey High Fibre Bites.

Oh and DON'T FORGET!

Enter to WIN the Morrissey sunglasses here! 

Kristy received Back to Nature products courtesy of www.backtonature.net.au

If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com