reviews Archives - Munchies and Munchkins

Nutri Ninja Review & Super Smoothie Recipe

October 13, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

I was recently sent a Nutri Ninja blender to try out at home.

The Nutri Ninja Blender BL450 has a powerful 900 watt motor and it breaks down the whole fruit and vegetables so all of the goodness goes into your glass. You can be sure that your smoothie is packed with all of the nutrients and vitamins that your veg and fruit contain.

My favourite part of it is the blending cup which you just remove then unscrew the blade top and add a lid so that you can take it off to work or the gym or anywhere…with you. Easy and less washing up which is always a perk.

I’ve been making fruit smoothies most days since we have had it and we have all enjoyed it especially my fruit obsessed 4 year old. This is one I made today:

To make this, you will need:

1 handful of cucumber
2 small apples
1 large handful of frozen strawberries
1/2 an avocado
100ml of mango juice/pulp

Blend together until smooth. Take away and enjoy at your leisure although it’s best straight away.

If you are looking for a powerful blender which is easy to use and perfect for a busy lifestyle then I highly recommend the Nutri Ninja.. Oh and it’s down to £69.95 at the moment so grab a bargain on the Steamer Trading Cookshop website.

Camp Bestival 2015 Review

August 4, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 1 Comment

You may have noticed a bit of a blog silence over the weekend? We spent four fun packed days at Camp Bestival and have returned exhausted, grubby and full of fabulous memories.

Here is what we thought of this years festival and some photos from our stay to give you a little glimpse of the fabulousness of this family festival:

This year we chose to GLAMP! There are a wide variety of choices of places to stay at the festival. From standard camping ( far superior to tear festivals ) to camping plus – an area which allows you to choose a space before you arrive, it also means you can arrange for friends and family to stay close by and you can ensure nobody encroaches your space. In the glamping area you can choose from bell tents, to tipis and even gypsy wagons. We have tried all of the camping option and not been disappointed by any of them.

One of our favourite parts about CB are the bits we don’t arrange, sat playing with circus equipment in the kids field whilst watching a dinosaur stroll past, an evening walk in the tingly dell or free activities at one of the many stands/stalls run by brands and charities. There are so many options to choose form , many of which allow parents that little chance to relax. We watched a film one day in the Big Top and a puppet show while enjoying lunch on another.

Oh and never forgot the face painting!

The food options on site are incredible, its part music and family festival and part food festival in my eyes. Its so exciting to try the various traders but we also love enjoying a meal next to our tent for the real camping vibe. Also worth noting are the gluten free and vegan choices – a must if you have intolerances and it certainly made our lives easier with Chloe.

We loved the day when we were eating our supper in one of the fields and a steel band started playing Uptown Funk, we were soon up and dancing along!

Glow sticks and neon facepaints are essential festival items, buy on site or prepare in advance by purchasing from Amazon before you leave.

You will definitely come across some strange but wonderful characters!

Art town is spectacular fun if you have crafty kids, just remember to leave your worries about paint stains at home!

Daily friendships are formed and you will be sure to find buddies in neighbouring tents, its a really family vibe.

There are so many things that I could rave about but I am pretty tired.. follow me on social media and you will see that rarely a few weeks go by without some kind of Camp Bestival chatter. Buy tickets now – you will not regret it!

Don’t forget early bird tickets go on sale on Friday 7th August. Check out www.campbestival.net for more info.

Christmas Presents for 1 Year Plus…

December 8, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 12 Comments

Buying for a 1 year old can be awkward. They can’t actually tell you what they want or like and they are just as likely to be excited by the box the toy it arrives in as by the toy itself.

For this reason I would say there is absolutely no need to spend more than about £30.

Here are a range of gifts from stocking fillers to main gifts all at a reasonable price:

Items under £10:

Kiddicare have some great offers in their Buzzing Brains collection including this Pull Along Dog for just £3.99

And this soft Learn To Dress Ella doll which is just £3.50 at the moment:

Items under £15
Plush talking toys such as this Peter Rabbit will go down well. Especially if they have an older sister who is obsessed with the TV show.

These bath toys from Munchkin are great for both toddlers and older children, the tea set in particular would be fab for younger and older siblings to play together.

Items under £20

Crayola My First Doodle Mat – all the fun of drawing and colouring without ANY of the mess, this genius product from Crayola was adored by my eldest from age 1-3.

Maybe the parents of the child you are buying for have asked for NO MORE TOYS. I know we have had to do this once or twice and for this age group the item I suggest the most as a gift for the parents and the child ( ok maybe not the child) is a safety gate. Lindam have a massive range of gates to suit all needs including this rather stylish one:

*Some of these items were gifted.

Sleep Tight Baby – Snoozeshade Review

July 22, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

When Izzy was a young baby she would only sleep if it was entirely dark. I would cover her pram/car seat etc with blankets if we went out anywhere and it was truly annoying as they never hooked on correctly or stayed on if it was windy etc.

Recently we have been sent a snooze shade to review and I really wish I’d had this two years ago. Since receiving it about two months ago we have used it every day. Yes every single day. If we go anywhere it’s attached to the buggy or car seat and even at home if she needs a quick nap in relative peace ( with a toddler around) then I pull it over the pram and it’s instant calm. Well not always.. It’s not magic after all but she definitely sleeps for longer stretches. Add to that it looks nice and protects babies from sun and bug bites – it’s a real winner in lots of ways.

We have used it on two different buggies and car seats with ease, very simply to attach and when not in use we simply roll it back. We use it sometimes just when Chloe is a little fed up after being over stimulated – everyone needs peace for five minutes especially when you are so cute that everyone wants to poke and prod at your chubby cheeks ( that’s Chloe not me )

It’s been everywhere with us. To Cornwall on holiday, to the beach.. To Britmums live. It’s brilliant in sunny weather and even provides some mild protection from rain when you forget the covers.

I’m going to add a video later this week so you can see how easy it is to use but I wanted to post this review quickly as I have a £5 off voucher code for you to use and with summer coming it’s the ideal time to buy it:

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* This snoozeshade was gifted for the purpose of this review.

Delivery Day – Degustabox Review and Recipe – Slow Cooked Lasagne

April 7, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 2 Comments

I was quite excited to be given the chance to review this food parcel delivery service from Degustabox. A parcel of unknown food products arriving on my doorstep each month – YES please. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I deliberately didn’t look at other reviews as I wanted a surprise.

Well I was more than happy with my first box. It arrives well packaged and by a courier who lets you know approximately what time of day it will arrive – which I love.

The box..

Inside the box..

Contents..

So what did we get:

Shaken Udder Milkshakes In Strawberry,banana and Choc. A new breed especially for kids.. Perhaps so but there’s a reason why there is no pic of the strawberry one and that’s because it lasted little more than a few mins of the box being opened and ahem it wasn’t drunk by Izzy. We already liked Shaken Udder goodies having sampled their wares at Camp Bestial several times but this was the first time I’d tried these ones. Delicious and the other two flavours which were consumed by Izzy were enjoyed very much! There were also two vouchers for free Milkshakes included in the box 🙂

Schwartz Flavour Shots in Spanish Paella and Italian Tagliatelle. It was great seeing Schwartz products in the box as they are so reliable for great tasting products. I’m yet to try the paella but the tagliatelle is superb.

Drink me Chai I must be the only person in the world that hasn’t yet tried tried a chai latte but I’m really looking forward to sampling these. I especially love that its 99% caffeine free as I don’t have much caffeine anymore. We received a 250g tub of chai latte and a sachet of the earl grey.

Moma Porridge Pots In Cranberry And Raisin and Plain – No Added Sugar varieties.
I’m keeping these for our first camping trip of the year as I think they will make ideal breakfasts as they only need hot water to mix them up. Izzy loves porridge so a great way to keep her healthy eating habits up on hols.

Tyrrell’s Proper Popcorn In sweet n salty flavour. I love anything sweet and salty especially snacks such as popcorn. These are really tasty and it was nice to try a new brand out as I’d seen these before but never tried. This is what is great about the Degustabox – trying out new products you may not have otherwise.

Organico Italian Durum Wheat Pasta 500g bag of brown penne. I like different types of pasta and I tend to use wholemeal pasta when I make a pesto pasta salad so I will let you know what I think when I make that.

Mexican Dave’s Nachos Cheese Flavour. These are really good Nachos. We initially planned on making a tortilla dish in the oven with them but ended up munching them dipped in sour cream whilst enjoying a film. Yum.

Organico Tomato and Basil Sauce Another Organico product which we have already used and loved. This is a product you can feel good about feeding to your family. Straightforward natural ingredients including tomatoes, olive oil and basil with no nasty colourings or preservatives. I’ve used this in my recipe for slow cooked lasagne below.

Degustabox costs £12.99 per month including delivery and you do not have to sign up for a set amount of time which is great. You can get £3.00 off your next box by using this discount code: W4BMD

I will also be running a competition to win a box later this week to coincide with my blog birthday celebrations.

Slow Cooker Lasagne

You will need:

1 jar of Organico Tomato and Basil sauce
1/2 carton of chopped toms( I used one with added onions and basil)
1 pack of beef mince
75g of Lardons or diced bacon
Garlic paste (just a large squirt will do)
1 small red pepper diced
1 chunk of courgette diced
1 stick of celery diced
Dried herbs ( I used Schwartz perfect shake pasta blend)
Lasagne sheets

For the white sauce:
Milk 1.5pts
50g plain flour
50g butter
100g grated Cheese ( I used cheddar)

To top:
1/4 tub of creme fraiche
I large tomato
Few basil leave
Parmesan or hard cheese
Black
Brown your mince and bacon before adding your diced courgette, peppers, garlic paste, dried herbs and celery.

Lightly sauté for a few mins before adding your Organico sauce and chopped tomatoes and stir through, leave to simmer. Make up your white sauce – melt butter in a sauce pan, beat in your flour and then whisk in your milk and simmer until thickened, season with salt and pepper and mix in about 50g of cheese.
Turn off the heat on your pans and put your first layer of bolognese sauce into the slow cooker and turn on to high. Add a layer of lasagne sheets and then white sauce ( sprinkle with some remaining cheese) and continue until you run out.

For the final later top your white sauce with creme fraiche, grated Parmesan and black pepper then decorate with sliced tomatoes and basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and put your lid on.

Leave for 5-6 hours until golden.

This method would work with your usual lasagne recipe but this one was particularly good. Tomatoey, cheesy, basilly goodness.

It was the nicest lasagne I’d had in a long time and I definitely think slow cooking is my new method. Thanks to Mamaowl blog for the tip 😉

Foodie Round Up – March

April 1, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

This month has been just a bit lovely when it comes to foodie goodies.

I’ve been sent quite a few lovely things to try out and I’ve bought some nice stuff myself too.

First up:

Metcalfes Skinny Topcorn:

I’ve recently become a member of the #topcorntribe which has to be one of the best tribes ever. Every month I will get a gift box of Topcorn to sample and tell you all about.. And it’s pretty amazing corn.

These are the flavours it contained:

There was more than one of each flavour but we may have ..ahem..eaten some rather quickly.

It feels like such an indulgent treat but they are really low in calories so you don’t feel guilty. I’ve developed a bit of a thing for the sweet n salt flavour. The chocolate crackle feels very naughty and the Wasabi has a lovely kick.

Next..

Bahlsens Pick Up biscuits

I’ve reviewed theses on the blog already so I won’t go on but they are devilishly moreish.

Jordans Country Crisp – strawberry

I was sent these to create a recipe out of but I’m ashamed to say they didn’t last long enough.. Myself, my OH and Izzy devoured theses in a matter of days and they are sweet and crunchy and well just really good.

I am however planning to buy more this week and I’m thinking.. Flapjacks?

Degustabox

I will be reviewing this later in the week so I won’t spoil it but so far it gets a big thumps up. Milkshake..chocolate tea and nachos.. What’s not to love?

Schwartz

We have been sent a lovely pile of goodies from Schwartz and I’ve been loving trying them out. I’ve never been disappointed in a Scwartz product and I find them excellent value for money too. We also got some extras in our Degustabox so that’s a bonus!

I think I’ve been a little bit spoilt this month.. What will next month bring?

* Products have been gifted in exchange for a review.

Bahlsen Pick Up Biscuits Review & Giveaway

March 31, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 42 Comments

Last week I was lucky enough to receive some pretty lovely parcels in the post. One of which contained these:

I opened this parcel after a day in London on trains and tubes. I was worn out and in dire need of chocolate and a cup of tea.

This met all my needs for chocolate and a biscuit. You have a thick hunk of delicious chocolate in the middle sandwiched by two crispy and tasty biscuits. Therefore no chocolate melted over yours (or your toddlers) hands if you can’t eat it all in 15 seconds – which I totally can by the way.

They are wrapped individually so stay fresh if you need to keep one in the changing bag and one or two by the side of your bed – I am breastfeeding after all so snacks close at hand are essential.

I’ve shared some of these with the pickiest biscuit eaters you could find – my Dad who will only eat certain brands and my toddler who thinks nothing of spitting them right out at my feet if they aren’t up to her standards. Everybody gives these a big thumbs up and there is certainly one from me too.

You could win yourself a whole case of these treats by entering my competition – a whole case! That’s 14 packets don’t you know.. Or 70 bars.. Drool.

Follow @BahlsenPICKUP on Twitter

I Heart Cookbooks – Marshmallows Made Marvellous Parragon Book Review

March 25, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 1 Comment

The tagline of the book is ‘Anyone can make these’ and I have to agree because I made these on a day where I was existing on about 2 hours sleep with a newborn and a toddler demanding attention.

Homemade pillows of sugar – doesn’t that sound delightful?

This book has over 30 recipes ranging from a vanilla to fancy mojito or amaretto crunch flavours.

We decided to master the basics first with the vanilla marshmallow recipe.

It’s a really straightforward recipe to follow and we ended up with some gorgeously gooey vanilla marshmallows:

Next up we want to try the cookies and cream marshmallows. I will let you know how we get on.

Recommend this book to anyone who has a sweet tooth and likes to get creative in the kitchen, could make some wonderful gift wrapped sweetie presents.

* I received this book as part of the Parragon Book Buddy scheme.

Goodnight Sun – Gro Clock Review

March 20, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

We have been using a Gro Clock from The Gro Company for about 3 weeks now and it’s probably a little early for a comprehensive review but I’ve been so impressed with it that I wanted to share our experience with you.

We are Gro Company fans here in our house, we have used the swaddles and the sleeping bags with great success and I’d been hearing good things about the clock for a while.

The Gro-clock is like an alarm clock for children which uses fun images of the stars and sun to communicate when to go back to sleep and when it’s time to get up. It’s mains powered and comes with a really cute book called The Sleepy Farm which tells the story of Percy Pig who is very tired and grumpy because he doesn’t sleep for long enough. The book and clock have easily become an important part of our bedtime routine.

If Izzy is a little grouchy and doesn’t seem keen to go to bed we ask her shall we go and say Goodnight to the Sun and she will eagerly say YES. We set the clock in front of her every night and she waves excitedly at the sun as it winks and fades away, she then says hello stars and settles down in bed. If she wakes up too early we go into her room and say is the sun up yet? She says no and then goes back to sleep. Most days she wakes up within about 5 minutes of the sun rising (On her clock).

It’s made a big difference to our evenings and morning. Although Izzy has been a good sleeper since about 1yr old she had started to wake earlier in the mornings and with a young baby we were all getting pretty worn out. Plus she was tired and grumpy most of the day.

Since using the clock I have noticed a happier, more rested toddler and I have definitely felt the benefits myself.

Spending the time reading the book together is really nice and she already knows most of the words and finishes off the sentences.

I would definitely recommend this for any child aged 2+ especially if they aren’t the best sleepers. It’s a fab product.

*we received this clock for free for the purpose of this review.

She’s A Little Foodie – Plum Baby Review

March 17, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

Izzy loves food. She will try anything and my family always laugh at her favourite foods such as olives and peppers.

She generally eats what we eat and you all know how much I love to cook so she has a pretty varied diet which can sometimes mean that buying ready made food or easy prep meals isn’t easy as she doesn’t like the bland tastes.

Luckily there are brands such as Plum who know that some children really like exciting meals and so we haverecently been happily reviewing some of their product range.

Dishes like this:

Moroccan Tagine

and

Jerk Chicken

Snacks that I can give her without feeling guilty about what she’s eating such as:

Fruit nibbles which Izzy calls her sweeties:

Apple, spinach and kale wafers.. We shared these out with friends at a local playgroup and children from 1-5yrs old thoroughly enjoyed them.

We can breakfast on the go with fruit pouches which have the added bonus of quinoa and yoghurt included.

Her absolute fave was the Purple Carrot and Blueberry version which she devoured even with a mouthful of chicken pox when she was feeling really low.

Everything she has tried she has loved which I kind of expected as we have always been Plum fans..I mean have you tried their Lemon Chicken? … Drool.

As a parents sometime making food choices can be so hard and you can end up feeling guilty for lots of reasons .. You know the ahhh how much salt is in this or WHAT are those E numbers? And even is this tasty enough.. I mean would I want to eat it?

Choosing Plum products cans make these choices a little easier although deciding between the Tagine and Jerk Chicken could cause a problem 😉

*We were sent these products free of charge for the purpose of this review.

Nutri Ninja Review & Super Smoothie Recipe

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Camp Bestival 2015 Review

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Christmas Presents for 1 Year Plus…

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Sleep Tight Baby – Snoozeshade Review

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Delivery Day – Degustabox Review and Recipe – Slow Cooked Lasagne

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Foodie Round Up – March

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Bahlsen Pick Up Biscuits Review & Giveaway

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I Heart Cookbooks – Marshmallows Made Marvellous Parragon Book Review

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Goodnight Sun – Gro Clock Review

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She’s A Little Foodie – Plum Baby Review

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