This week has been a really bad week on the eating well front. I have been having my normal salad and fruit lunch but I have been in a very snacky mood. So to top this off I thought I would have a curry night!

A couple weeks ago I spotted that Sainsburys have a gluten free naan bread so I picked up a pack to have with my chicken korma and pilau rice. The sainsburys chicken korma ready meal is naturally gluten free, so it makes a quick meal!

The naan itself is both gluten and milk free so although the korma ready meal does contain milk, you can always make your own. From past experience almond or coconut milk makes a fantastic korma!

I found that this naan was amazing, so authentic to how I remember naan bread even down to the texture and the light dusting over it. I had some rice with my meal as I didn't know how good the bread would be, but I would definitely say you could replace the rice with the bread if you want to cut down on carbs as I know this is a calorie laden meal!

A whole naan bread is 264 calories which really surprised me for the amount of bread and the density of it, as a piece of toast is around 100 calories each!

	Per 100g	Per Naan	%RI
Energy K/Kcal	1136/296	1113/264	13%
Fat	5.6g	5.7g	8%
Of which Saturates	0.4g	0.4g	2%
Carbohydrate	48.8g	47.8g	18%
Of which Sugars	3.8g	3.7g	4%
Protein	3.7g	3.6g	7%
Fibre	3.6g	3.5g	-
Salt	1.39g	1.36g	23%
*Reference intake of an average (8400 KJ/ 2000 Kcal) – (information taken from Sainsburys.co.uk)

The flavour of this bread was also very authentic, the subtle garlic and coriander flavour came through but it still had the essential flavour from the bread, which I feel is the most important aspect of a naan.

At £2 a pack I think that £1 per naan is great value. If you are serving  curry with rice I think one naan could serve four people easily as it is very filling. I don't think this is something I could create myself at the same cost or taste.  

Overall I have really enjoyed the naan , and my naughty eating week! I think the supermarkets own brands are becoming very competitively priced to mainstream versions which makes my purse very happy!

Hannah x

One day last week I had my dinner in Sainsbury's cafe, which is not only great value but they are very good at catering to allergies and intolerances. I ordered my food and picked up an individually wrapped free from mince pie for later on. They had these last year so I was very happy to see them back!

This pie is shallow, which I much prefer to the deep fill variety, as the pastry usually tends to be my favourite bit! The decoration of a little star on the top instead of a lid I feel is very effective, with the dusting of icing sugar making it just that bit more festive.

I forgot to note down the cost but on average these individually wrapped cakes retail from £1.50 to £1.80, and have around 350 calories.

The pastry is a little harder than typical pastry and I would describe the texture as a cross between a pastry but with the hardness of a shortbread. It has great flavour and no odd after taste. I have always found pastry in gluten free form very hit or miss, but I think this one has a good mixture and balance of ingredients giving a mainstream pastry taste.

The filling is very much like a typical mincemeat, although I know many mincemeats are actually gluten free, for example Tesco finest use rice flour, which makes it more accessible to everyone. There is no spice or flavour that over powers another and this allows for a good flavour with well proportion to each flavour aspect. Particularly as I have said before I do not like things too Christmas spice in flavour, too much cardamon or cinnamon and I can't stand it.

The coffee shops in the local area have really put a great deal of thought into creating a good free from range. Both chains and independents.

If I can get hold of the Genius pastry, I may try making my own this Christmas! If I do I will let you know how they go!

Hannah x

Who knew Sainsbury's now have gluten free options in their plastic sandwich section? (sandwiches wrapped in plastic known to normal people!). There was no song and dance about this range they were coming out with, so I was completely unaware until I went to get some sandwiches for my family and my sister spotted it!

They also have a lemon chicken wrap but they has sold out so I picked up this flavour, I think the fact they also have a vege and meat option opens up audiences to those who are gluten free and vegetarian.

I am not sure if all Sainsbury's stock these products or just mine as they are close to many competitors such as Costa who have a gluten free wrap, but either way I think it's great more places are becoming accommodating to peoples dietary needs.

The wrap is produced by urban eats and it certified by celiac UK, so we know we can trust these products, which is always a relief when you will be typically eating this on the go.

This flavour in particular was very pleasant, the combination of the free range egg mayo and tomatoes complimented each other well and the rocket and spinach made the wrap very light. I found it very enjoyable for lunch with some watermelon and an apple, pear and cranberry juice on the side.

The wrap is very much like the Warburtons seeded wrap, I would say it was the same wrap, however I cannot confirm this but either way it was delicious and I find seeded wraps much more filling!

This wrap is 400 calories which is average for a healthy sandwich. I felt the ingredients have been thought through carefully for calorie content as when there is not many options available you do not want them all to be high calorie, it's bad enough when chips are your only option in a cafe or restaurant!!

Overall I would most definitely purchase this wrap again as it is good for on the go. The flavours were complimentary and the textures had good contrast with the crisp leaves, soft wrap combined with the delicate egg.

Find more about this product on urban eat's website by clicking here


Hannah x

Today I wanted to give my thoughts on days out and in particular eating and drinking whilst out. This weekend I went to see Wicked (Which was AMAZING) and then the others walked over the O2, which I didn't do again as I hated it the first time!

Being as thrifty as I am (or cheap as some people may think) I was shocked at paying £18.50 for 5 bottles of water and two bags of sweets! So that made me think what sort of meals and refreshments I could do on a budget but still be on the go friendly and this is what I came up with.

Cinema/shows
I know some places won't let you take in your own food but some do and this is what I would pack for James and I

• 500ml bottles of fizz - 2 for £2 in ASDA and Waitrose but this offer circulates all supermarkets, then using 70p off on shopitize 
• Tesco Everyday Value midget Gems - 27p (other supermarkets do similar) 
• Popcorn is about £1 in most shops, just pick between your preference/ what's on offer. 

Total - £2.57

The average price of this in a cinema or show would be £15-£20 so that is a huge saving. And I would recommend throwing the midget gems in the popcorn bag and mix it up! YUM!

All Day Events
All day events can be tricky as you do not know what type of weather or seating there is other than the cafe, so to play it safe I always pick easy eating on the go items.

• Seabrook Crinkle Cut Crisps (6 pack) - Free with shopitize app 
• The same bottles of fizz as before 
• evian 500ml water bottles x6 - £1.80 after cash back from Checkoutsmart (you can buy basics but I enjoy this brands soft taste) 
• Bagels with Cream Cheese and Salmon x4
• Udis gluten free bagels 50p after coupon from free from show and in store offer.
• Cream Cheese 75p for basics
• Basics Smoked salmon trimmings for £1.69
• Frubes (James loves these!) 80p in ASDA after topcashback offer.
• Fruit from my garden

Total - £ 7.24

The best thing about this is we are bound to have left overs as there is only two of us but this could feed up to four. 

Evening Snacks (quiz night Suitable)
I am part of a drama group and when we do events such as quiz nights we do have a bar but we also welcome people to bring their own if they want. This is what I would take

• Kettle Chips 150g - £2.20 each but are 3 for 2 plus 70p off on Shopitize 
• Blossom Hill White Zinfandel £7 but £1 off with Shopitize
• Blossom Hill Californian Red - £5 but £1 off with shopitize 
• Basics peanuts - 70p 

Total - £14.40 

This is to cater for 6 people so that is only £2.40 per person! 

As you all know I really enjoy my coffees so this allows room in my budget to visit a Starbucks or a costa whilst out!

Hannah x

So it is no longer Friday but I took the day off on Friday and James and I travelled down to London to go to this event for the first time!

I have never been to any type of food show before but I have always really wanted to. We got there as the doors opened and I couldn't believe how big the event was! I have been to caravan and craft shows in the past but nothing as full and busy!

There were many samples and freebies to try from many retailers, some that I have never heard of! As well as Sainsbury's and ASDA kitchens cooking meals.

We spend about 4-5 hours at the show and decided we would just walk round for a couple of hours before purchasing, as we would have to carry these all day. As we got into the building we were given goodie bags from Udis, this consisted of a couple of promotional leaflets, coupons and a box of gluten free pop tart style pastries, unfortunately James did not get a box in his bag.

Throughout the day we spoke to many companies and found some new foods to try.

Purchases
Many items were on a good offer so I couldn't resist! here is a rundown of what I brought and the prices:

• Udis Chocolate Chip & Toffee Muffins - £1
• Peppersmith mints, 3 lemon and 3 original -  6 for £5
• Wellabys pitta chips in italina herb and olive - 4 for £1
• Ten Arce crisps, Variety of flavours - 5 for £3
• B Free Fajita Kit - £2
• Helens Pastry and Chocolate Cupcake Mix - 2 for £4
• Angelic sweet and savoury biscuits - Mix and Match 3 for £5 or £5.50?
• Pizza flavour crisp bread and natural lemon chocolate bar - £5

Freebies
There was also many samples and freebies, I had eaten so many samples I thought I was going to burst!

The items I took away free were:

• Two packets of granola
• One Pure Bred Mini Muffin 
• Two ASDA bars
• Udis Toaster Pastries

Coupons
I also received £17 worth of coupons to use in the supermarket as well as many percentage off coupon codes for websites. Most have pretty long dates so I can stay stocked up!

Reviews of all items will be coming soon! Particularly on Angelic, I think they were the stand out company of the day!

Hannah x

Recently a Costa Coffee opened across the road from my office which has made the local Sainsbury's Cafe up their game too, as they are less than a minute walk from each other!

The gluten free sections in both these places are growing and as a result I am eating more than I should!

Today I am going to compare the mini gluten free bake wells that are offered in both places

Sainsbury's have only just started to stock these and I found them in their main store too, which is great! Both are packaged in a very similar manner and look very similar, a minor complaint I have with the Sainsbury's packaging is that there is no lip to the inner plastic sleeve like the costa one so  some of the icing gets stuck to the packet, but I just pick it off!

Lets look at the basics in terms of nutrition, the calories, fat and carbs are what I tend to look at on sweet treats, these values are for the two cakes in the pack as one serving.

Calories:
Sainsbury's - 237
Costa          - 262

Fat:
Sainsbury's - 10.3g
Costa         - 9.8g

Carbs:
Sainsbury's - 34.2g
Costa          - 42g

I think Sainsbury's is the better choice if you are watching your calories and carbs but they are more or less on a par on fat. But what would you expect from a cake!

Both cakes have a lifespan of roughly a month from day of purchase so there is no need to worry about them going off. As for taste there is not really any difference I find the Sainsbury's bake well is much a softer filling and icing. So I think it is down to personal preference to whether you like a softer icing or firmer!

As the taste of them both I find them to be so accurate to 'regular' bakewells which I used to LOVE. I do find they are a very light coloured pastry which made me apprehensive but it tastes amazing, they are not crumbly and there is no odd powdery texture or aftertaste.

I will be enjoying both as I feel that this battle has no clear winner! And for the sake of 25 calories I wouldn't go out of my way to buy one or the other. They are both tasty and I think I need to stop them before I look like cherry bakewell!

Hannah x