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

Recipe: Soft Instant Oatmeal Cookies

Our new blog can be found here.

There's nothing quite like a freshly baked cookie, warm from the oven.

Some people like them crisp and crunchy, some love a chewy cookie and others prefer a softer cookie.

I was lucky enough to be sent some instant oatmeal packs from Nature's Path, as well as the other cereals, and I knew just what I was going to do with some of them! 

Make cookies, of course!

The Nature's Path Oatmeal comes in 3 flavours, 

Original which is simply pure oats with a pinch of sea salt

Apple Cinnamon which contains chunks of dried apple and a hint of cinnamon

Maple Nut which has crunchy hazelnuts and a delicious maple flavour. 

The individual sachets make for a quick and easy hot breakfast 

and the 50g portions are the perfect amount for a filling meal.

Just pop them in a bowl in the microwave with 1/2-2/3C of water, stir and cook for 75 seconds or so.

To make them extra creamy, cook them in a mix of milk and water, adding a dash of milk at the end.

They're the perfect base for whatever toppings you desire, or eaten on their own!

But, back to the cookies!

These cookies are the ultimate quick and easy soft oatmeal cookie that are the perfect base for any addition you want to make. 

I went the traditional route and added raisins to half of my batch, however, they work perfectly with choc chips, nuts, dried fruits or just about any other mix ins you'd find in a cookie!

Soft and Simple Instant Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

makes 1 dozen large cookies

or 2 dozen smaller cookies 

 1C plain flour

1C instant oats

1C brown sugar

2 tbsp boiling water

1 tsp bicarb soda/baking soda

120g butter, chopped

1 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 180*C. Line 2-4 baking trays with baking paper (depending on cookie size)

In a bowl, combine flour, oats and brown sugar. 

Dissolve bicarb soda in boiling water and set aside.

In a small saucepan, stir butter and maple syrup over a medium heat until butter melts.

Take off the heat and stir in baking soda mixture, pour into dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Roll heaped tablespoons (for large cookies) or heaped teaspoons (for small cookies) of the dough into balls, place 1 1/2 inches apart on the lined trays.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden, set aside on trays to cool completely.

And there you have it, a batch of delicious fresh from the oven cookies!

Try not to eat them all in one go ;)


Our new blog can be found here.

So tell me, 

What's your ultimate cookie like?

and what are your favourite mix ins? 

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

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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  

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

My favourite way to start the day

The first of December, already?!

This year is flying by. 

It seems Mother Nature is still quite confused,

I woke on the first day of Summer to pouring rain that hadn't ceased all night.

Uh, what?

You see, on the weekend when I took these photos it was sunny

and hot - definitely more summer-like weather.

Here I was thinking my breakfasts would be changing from my wintery oatmeal bowls

to summery bowls of cold cereal and muesli.

Well, they kind of have. 

Above was my breakfast on Saturday,

Food for Health Gluten Free Muesli, fresh blueberries

and milk and frozen banana slices were added later on. 

Yeaaah, I'm kind of obsessed with frozen banana.

But you have to try it - especially with muesli

because then you get super chewy pieces of dried fruit! 

Narelle from Food for Health was kind enough to send me their entire range!

I've seen the products at Coles and Woolworths but I hadn't had a chance to try them yet 

so I was definitely looking forward to breakfast! 

The Fibre Cleanse Muesli is packed full of psyllium, oat bran and rice bran to keep your bowels happy and your tummy full! It's also low GI so it keeps you fuller for longer and with the addition of linseeds it adds to your essential fatty acid intake. Your digestive system will love you with the additions of lecithin, magnesium and slippery elm powder. 

But don't worry! It's not just healthy - it tastes really good! Cinnamon, almonds and sunflower seeds work to give you a delicious flavoured muesli. 

The Fibre Cleanse muesli has no artificial flavours or sweeteners and no added sugar or salt

so you know exactly what is going into your breakfast bowl. 

It's fruit free too - which is perfect for someone who's not a dried fruit fan.

The Fibre Cleanse Muesli goes perfectly with some natural yogurt and fresh fruit 

or even straight up with milk.

It'd also be perfect for baking.

To be honest, If you had've told me the Fruit Free Clusters were going to be one of my favourites before I tasted it,

I would've said "Yeah... right.."  

But boy was I proven wrong. With this muesli, Food for Health proves that fruit free definitely doesn't mean flavourless or boring. 

Crunchy, chewy, flavourful clusters that'll make you think twice about their healthy ingredients.

It won over all my taste testers - even the ones who roll their eyes at chia seeds or psyllium.

These clusters are high in fibre and even have the addition of Chia seeds.

I loved the sweetness from the rice bran syrup and the crunch of almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. 

It's one of my favourite breakfasts of the moment with frozen banana slices (don't knock it til you try it) 

and milk - super summery! 

The Gluten Free Muesli is what you saw in the first picture,

a crunchy, chewy, flavourful muesli jam packed with dried apricots, apple, cranberries and currants.

You also get the crunch from the pepitas and sunflower seeds - making for the perfect balance.

Now this would probably have to be my hands down favourite.

In the last week I've not only had it for breakfast, but as a snack or dessert too.

It is delicious! and so filling.

The Liver Cleansing Muesli is a mix of ingredients designed to help your liver and digestive system. 

You get linseeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds, lecithin, barley bran, psyllium, millet, taurin and slippery elm.
Oh and don't worry - you get taste too :P


Another great tasting muesli that's low GI and packed full of nutrients. 
In my opinion - the perfect way to start your day. 

Food for Health Muesli is so delicious, you'll be wanting to take it everywhere you go.
Unfortunately, carting around a cereal bowl isn't always possible - especially if you're clumsy like me!


Luckily! their bars come to the rescue - chewy muesli in a convenient portable form.
They are perfect for snacking and eating on the go. 

Once again, these bars surprised me with the Gluten Free Fruit Free Bar being my favourite.
Though I am still a major fan of the Gluten Free Bar with Fruit as it's jam packed with apples, currants and cranberries. 


Oh and if you have issues with sulphur, you're safe! Because all of Food for Health's products have sulphur free fruit!
These bars are a perfect healthy snack and they're full of whole grains and healthy ingredients.


Best of all YOU CAN UNDERSTAND EVERY SINGLE INGREDIENT
(applause please, people!)
So that gets extra respect points in my books! 


These products are definitely some of my new favourites! 
and I'm more than excited to share them with you. 
So I think today, you should rush out to your local Coles, Woolworths or Health Food store and get your hands on some! Your tummy will love me! 


If you live in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia or New Zealand - you don't have to miss out
Just check out their international stockists list

So tell me, 
Do your meals change with the season?
Or do you stick to the same things year round? 

Kristy received Food for Health Muesli courtesy of www.foodforhealth.com.au 
If you'd like a review of your products, send an email to ksayerphotography@gmail.com  

Choices, choices, choices!

 

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day...

For me, I'm all about having variety

the more options I have, the more I'll look forward to breakfast. 

At the moment, my breakfast choices include 3 different types of cereals, K.I.S.S Blend muesli

and of course the muesli you see above! 

I was given the opportunity to make another customized muesli mix, this time by Muesli Mixer

I wanted to make something totally different from the K.I.S.S Blend

to give myself yet another option!

So lets have a closer look at what's in the muesli.. shall we?  

 

Obviously, this muesli is jam packed full of fruit - that's why it's called fruit frenzy!

In Fruit frenzy, there is;

• Three Grains
• Bran Straw
• Buckwheat
• Wheat Pillows (favourite!)
• Amaranth
• Raisins
• Dried Apple
• Apricots
• Currants
• Dates
• Gojiberries
• Paw paw
• Pineapple

This muesli was a bit more cereal-like with the wheat pillows and bran straws.
I loved how many different textures it had and it was a perfect partner for yoghurt! 
I loved this muesli! and it's a perfect choice for breakfast! 

 Do you want to make your own muesli mix like me? Head to Muesli Mixer and create your own from over 55 different ingredients.
Choices, choices, choices!!


So tell me, 
What do you have for breakfast?
and are you someone who likes variety, 
or do you stick to the same thing?



Kristy received this muesli courtesy of Muesli Mixer,
If you'd like a review of your products - send an email to ksayerphotography.blogspot.com