In the marketplace...guilt free food

Are you suffering from that post Easter "blurgh" feeling from eating too many hot cross buns and chocolate eggs?  Me too.  Add in the cold snap, and the desire to eat comfort food, and I'm feeling all kinds of stodginess.   It's time to be accountable for what goes in my mouth, so that the winter spread doesn't kick in.   For me, that means...a healthy start to the day, a healthy snack, and a healthy meals for lunch and dinner.  Here's a few products new to the market that will help keep the diet interesting...

Table of Plenty - Nicely Nutty Muesli
I love muesli, but I'm not a big fan of dried fruits...at all.  Table of Plenty have been listening to their customers' demands for a fruit free muesli, and have added Nicely Nutty muesli to their product collection!

Nicely Nutty Muesli is seriously delicious.  The mini clusters are full of whole rolled oats, almonds, cashews and seeds, oven baked with Table of Plenty’s signature vanilla recipe.  I have tried it with milk and with natural yoghurt, and it is yummy either way.  The kids prefer it with milk poured over the top, while hubby and I have been eating it sprinkled over natural yoghurt with some berries...so good!  I take my breakfast to work, and the mini clusters stay nice and crunchy until I'm ready to eat.

Nicely Nutty Muesli is totally natural, with no preservatives.  It's high in fibre, is fruit free, fructose-friendly, wheat free and dairy free.  Such a great way to start the day!  I've finally found a cereal that I love to eat!!

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Ajita's Vege Twists
I hate packing the kids lunchboxes for school, and often give them the same few things every single time. Carrot sticks for munch n' crunch, a piece of fruit for morning tea, and a sandwich of some sort for lunch. Exciting isn't it! They must love opening their lunchboxes every day...not!

Sometimes I like to treat them, but given that our school is egg and nut free, there aren't a lot of quick and easy things I can throw in there.  We recently tried Vege Twists, and they were an instant hit with the kids!  They look like a regular cheese twist, but have 80% less saturated fat than regular potato chips, making them a great alternative to other salty snacks.  Seth and Eme loved them! In the kids eyes, I'm awesome for giving them chips, and I'm relieved of the mother guilt because I know they're not as bad for them! Win, win.

Vege Chips are made from cassava, a tropical root vegetable that is a low glycemic rated food and is high in calcium and vitamin C.  They contain no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives...great for kids that react to some of those horrible numbered additives.  Furthermore, Vege Twists are 100% gluten-free, meaning that coeliacs or those with gluten intolerances can also enjoy this healthier snack option.  Purchasing Vege Twists also supports Australian workers because they're manufactured in Queensland, from ethically sourced local and international ingredients. Great stuff!

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SlimPasta
If you ask my daughter what she wants for dinner, the answer is always pasta! She doesn't always get what she wants.  Many people eat a lot of pasta because it's a cheap addition to your meals...but it's not that great for the waistline...until now!

SlimPasta have released two new pastas onto the market that will take away the guilt!   SlimPasta is made from an Asian vegetable, Konjac, and is currently available in Angel Hair and Spaghetti varieties.

Both products are dairy, egg and fat-free, so it's ideal for children with dairy and egg allergies. The Angel Hair variety is 100% gluten free...great news for coeliac sufferers!  SlimPasta's Spaghetti contains a low level of gluten (4.2mg per 100g).

In terms of calories, 100g of Angel Hair SlimPasta contains only 6.4 calories, while the Spaghetti variety contains 14.1 calories (only one minute on the treadmill). The calorie content for most other spaghetti varieties on the market are around 350 cal per 100g, making SlimPasta a great alternative.  SlimPasta also expands in your stomach to leave you feeling full for longer...so need to worry about blowing your calorie count for the day, because you won't need a second helping.

We have tried both the spaghetti and angel hair varieties, and they were quite tasty.  I think the flavour of it lends itself really well to Asian dishes more than Italian (perhaps the problem lies with of my bolognaise making skills, rather than the pasta. lol).  SlimPasta has a slightly different taste and texture to regular pasta, but it's definitely worth a try.  The kids absolutely loved it, and they didn't even notice that we'd substituted pastas...and for once we didn't have to scream at them to eat their dinner!

SlimPasta is available from Woolworths and selected IGA stores...check in the health food aisle.  For tasty recipes using SlimPasta...click on the cookbook above!

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What new foods have you found on your shopping trips lately?





Disclaimer: I was provided sample products for review purposes. All opinions expressed are purely my own.