30 before 30: #8 - try 5 new (to me) beers

It's probably no surprise that I smashed this goal out of the ball park (is that the correct baseball parlance?). It's a truth universally acknowledged that I do like beer (Jane Austen meant to write that. True story.). I'll even go as far as to say that I prefer beer to wine. It's probably not my most feminine attribute, nor my most cultured, but heck, I'm going to embrace my inner bogan! Mind you, I particularly like matching beer with food...so perhaps said embrace should cover my inner hipster as well.

In any case, here be my five six beers:

1. Cantina Pura Cerveza (El Salvador) 

Crisp, refreshing and good value for money. Paired well with some home made Mexican grub.

2. Hitachino Nest White Ale (Japan)

Very drinkable and props for the cute bottle. Enjoyed at Estelle Bar and Kitchen.

3. Lord Nelson Brewery Pale Ale (Australia)

Very easy (too easy... ;) ) to drink - paired with some spicy Thai at Sailors Thai in Sydney.

4. Steam Rail "The Gold Digger" Golden Ale (Australia) 

Probably the least impressive of all the beers tried. At least it was shared with great friends and weather! 

5.  Mirboo Madness American Red Ale (Australia)

Limited edition. Smooth on the way down, but the aftertaste wasn't great. Value for money was also questionable. Just as well my home-made, crumbed barramundi with fresh coleslaw made up for it! 

Perhaps not the best beer, but definitely the best nails of the lot!

6. So remember how I said I smashed this goal? Yep, I tried six, not five, but six new beers. and I've left the best until last. It was so good, in fact, that I forgot to take a photo of it while drinking it...on two occasions(!!), but that's surely a good sign. 

Behold, my new favourite beer: the Alhambra Negra (Spain). Enjoyed at MoVida and at The Black Toro. 

Source

Nutters unite: Harvest Box snackfest

A few months back while I was still deep in my too-busy-to-blog-head-in-the-books stage, the good people at Harvest Box contacted me, offering a sample of their finest nutty and fruity snacks. Because studying and snacking go hand-in-hand, I was quick to jump at the opportunity to trial the product. An adorable flat box of goodness arrived in the mail a few days later.

Harvest Box essentially provides a way to "outsource" your snacks. They deliver straight to work or home (you pick the day), providing four delicious and nutritious snacks for $7.95 per week. I don't know about you, but I easily spend $10+ on other...*ahem*...less healthy choices throughout the working week, so I felt that the value for money was quite reasonable.

So what's in the box? Harvest Box has over 50 different mixes of nuts, dried fruit, seeds etc. - that's nearly one for every week of the year! I was lucky enough to score:

• By the Beach (mango, macadamias, coconut and brazil nuts);
• Latin Swing (brazil nuts, roast almonds and roast macadamias);
• Great Wall (almonds, goji berries, milk chocolate and sunflower seeds); and
• Mexicana (toasted barbecue corn, spicy peas, roasted broad beans and roast almonds).

All four of the snack packs were delicious. The contents were fresh and flavoursome and the mixes were definitely complementary (chocolate, goji berries, almonds - always a winning combo!). My personal favourites were the Mexicana (pictured below) and Great Wall snack packs.

Harvest Box offers a nifty little survey tool, which allows "nutters" to rate their experience with each snack pack. This means you're more likely to get stuff you like...and yet still enjoy an element of surprise (what's in the box, what's in the box?).    

Overall, I was impressed by the quality of the Harvest Box produce. I'm also impressed by the fact that, where possible, ingredients are sourced locally and packaging is 100% recyclable - yay for reducing carbon footprints! The $7.95 weekly subscription cost can be cancelled or suspended at any time, so there's no need to fret when you head to the French Riviera for your annual holiday (that's where we all go, right?!). It's great to see an innovative, small Aussie company doing things a wee bit differently and making our snack time a little more interesting and a lot healthier!

Want to try some for yourself? 
Harvest Box have kindly offered readers 50% off their first box. That's four snack packs for less than the price of my favourite coffee - pretty sweet!
Simply head to: http://www.harvestbox.com.au/Reg/?coupon=FABFOODB4D ...and follow the prompts.

Full disclosure: Harvest Box provided their product to me free of charge. However, all opinions are entirely mine - pinky swear!

Loving me some Chobani!

Many of my favourite US food/healthy living blogs have raved about America's top selling yoghurt - Chobani (see, for example, Meals and Miles and Daily Garnish). When I got wind of the company's arrival in Australia, I was understandably excited to try this purportedly amazing yoghurt and headed straight to my nearest Woolworths for some yoghurt love (currently, Woolworths is the only major chain that stocks the product in Oz). I picked up an assortment of fruity flavours and commenced "operation: yoghurt scoff" to discover that not only did the yoghurts taste just as good as my US counterparts claimed, but that the little tubs ticked a whole lot of other boxes. Specifically, they:

• are all natural with no preservatives or artificial flavours;
• include lots of pro-biotic-y (yes, that is the technical term!) goodness;
• are full of *real* fruit that still has a bit of texture;
• have twice the protein of regular yoghurts; and
• come in a perfectly portion-controlled size. 

I was so enamoured by my mango Chobani that I declared my delight to the Twitterverse. A few days later, this arrived at my doorstep:

That's right - the awesome folk of Chobani Australia delivered a colourful assortment of their finest right to my door! *commence happy dance*

Even this little guy was impressed.

I immediately cracked open a plain yoghurt and mixed into it some home made muesli and a drizzle of honey. 

My beloved, strange as he is, combined a peach Chobani with freshly baked sun-dried tomato and olive bread - I am marrying the man, so I can't be too critical of his evidently strange way of combining flavours, right?!

A big thanks to Chobani for their generosity - I am most definitely a fan. 

Here's my take on their yoghurt:

The good?

As can be expected from a Greek yoghurt, Chobani is thick, creamy and tastes like *real* yoghurt - much better than the numerous runny supermarket alternatives. The portions are perfectly sized and the sugar and fat contents both make me happy. 

The bad?

Honestly not much. Perhaps the price is a little high (around $1.50 per tub/serving), but for the quality and taste, I really can't complain.

The in-between?

I remain envious of the array of Chobani flavours on offer in the US and hope that the company considers expanding their Australian range (may I suggest pomegranate and apple cinnamon?).

Disclosure: Chobani provided their yoghurts to me free of charge. However, all opinions are entirely mine - pinky swear!

Luv-a-Duck Chinese Peking Duck Review

My beloved is an absolute lover of all things duck. Peking, roast and (his latest favourite) san choi bau duck are all frequently ordered when we eat out. That's why I was excited when I saw Luv-a-Duck's range of options in our local supermarket. Being an extremely busy time of year for me (MBA exams anyone?), I thought this would be a nice way to surprise him.

Don't look to closely at that best before sticker (yes, it has been a while since I've blogged!)

The Peking duck pack is not light on the hip pocket. At around $20 (for the duck, pancakes and hoisin sauce), it is a rather expensive meal-in for two.

The duck packet suggested that I select from one of a number cooking methods. I was somewhat bemused by the suggestion of microwaving the meat. With visions of rubbery duck, I stayed well and truly clear of the microwave and opted for the oven.

So what did I think? Perhaps we should start with the boss of this family:

Not quite, little fella!

He was certainly a fan of the meal's aroma and may have even enjoyed a little morsel (yes, sadly my cats eat better than much of the developing world...)

The other male in this house happily chomped through most of the duck pancakes. I was a little less excited. The pancakes had a somewhat peculiar flavour (preservatives perhaps?) and the duck was only just sufficient for the two of us. As someone with a (quite possibly genetic!) need compulsion to feed people, I like to present a generous spread at meal time and this didn't quite fit the bill.

Don't get me wrong, the meal wasn't altogether bad. It would certainly be suitable for those lacking the time/confidence to purchase and cook duck without the guidance that this product offers.

Verdict: 6/10

Product review - Smooze Fruit Ices

I've decided to jazz my blogging up a little with the addition of some product reviews. New food products are constantly finding their ways onto supermarket shelves and the rustic trestle tables at farmers markets. While I understand that many of my readers are from all sorts of exotic and interesting places in the northern hemisphere, I also feel us southerners are somewhat under-represented on the food review front. Please note that I have never been paid, nor have I been provided with any product free of charge. This is something I've decided to do for the benefit of other Aussies, Kiwis and anyone else who may be interested. If, by some freak chance of awesomeness(!), anyone would like to sponsor an honest review of their product, I would certainly not decline (please note, I'm particularly partial to chocolate and ice-cream!), but trust me, it'll be an honest opinion irrespective of any kindness on a company's part.   


So back to business! Not long ago on a hot Summer evening, my beloved and I were browsing the supermarket shelves for something refreshing and stumbled across these delicious pyramids of coconut and mango.

We were so taken by their bold fruity flavour, smooth consistency and creaminess that we bought 4 boxes the following week when we saw they had been reduced to a meager $3 - bargain! Here's a link to their website for those interested. 


So here's what I think:
Pros
Taste - the fruit flavour packs a punch and Smooze manages to be creamy and refreshing simultaneously.
Portion size - it's oh so refreshing to find a 65ml treat. It's just the right size for a sugar hit and doesn't leave you feeling stuffed or nursing a sugar headache.
Nutritional stats - the mango and coconut flavour (the only one I've seen on supermarket shelves) is made up of 48% mango juice and 40% coconut milk. The remaining 12% of the Smooze ingredient list comprises non-scary sounding things. 
Cons
Carbon footprint - if I had to be nitpicky, I could only criticise the fact that Smooze Fruit Ices are manufactured in Indonesia. I understand that this is a practicality, given this is where the coconuts (and presumably other fruit used) are grown, but in an ideal world, it would be great to enjoy an all-Australian version. 


Verdict: 8/10 (that's a high distinction!) - try it!