CRUMPETS AND COFFEE: THE FITNESS BOX – WHITE COCOLATE & RASPBERRY Last week I received my very first delivery from the fabulous online snack box company, Crumpets and Crumpets & Coffee! C&C kindly sent one of their custom Fitness Boxes for me to try. This includes a range of products, specifically selected for fitness competitors and athletes like myself. I LOVE variety boxes, therefore having seen The Fitness Box on the C&C website I was intrigued to find out more… PACKAGING When the package came through the door, I was surprised by how compact the box was, considering the large number of items it contained. The packaging design was fun and stylish with quasi-retro brown text on a cream background. There was no mistaking the sender because the box displayed a large Crumpets and Coffee logo and was sealed with the C&C sticker. The reverse of the packaging had a lot of text, which appealed to me because it was colloquial in tone and felt like receiving a parcel from home. There was even a note for the postman! The back also outlined the other 4 boxes available in the C&C range and details of their contents: the Sweet Box; the Standard Box; the Deluxe Box; and the Super Deluxe Box. Once the sticker was broken and the lid unsealed, the box unfolded outwards. The interior was extremely well designed with the products fitting neatly in separate compartments. As I opened it, more items were revealed (which satisfied my child-like love of surprises!) Best of all, when I thought everything had been removed, I found a Quest Bar hiding under a flap of cardboard! CONTENTS 2 x Crumpets & Coffee crumpets; 2 x 28g single servings of Chocolate VyoMax Deluxe Protein; 1 x Quest Protein Bar: White Chocolate & Raspberry; 1 x 17g sample Barney Butter Almond Butte r: Raw & Chia; 1 x sachet Lurpak Butter; wooden knife; napkin. 2 x CRUMPETS (96g) The Crumpets and Coffee crumpets were wrapped in cellophane for freshness and were ready to eat because they were accompanied by a sachet of Lurpak butter. There was even a knife to spread the butter, and a napkin! INGREDIENTS: Wheat flour, water, yeast, raising agents, disodium diphosphate, sodium bicarbonate, reduced sodium salt, preservative, potassium sorbate. ALLERGENTS: Wheat, gluten. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER CRUMPET (48g) Calories: 88 Carbs: 16.7g; of which sugars: 0.3g Fibre: 1.82g Fat: 0.3g; of which saturates: 0.1g Protein: 3.7g Sodium: 0.21g Salt: 0.53g TEXTURE & APPEARANCE: The crumpets looked perfectly toasted with just the right amount of brown colouring on top. They were a little flat, owing to being so tightly packed into the box. SMELL: Even though I wasn’t able to taste these crumpets, I teased myself by having a sniff of the open packet! I used to love crumpets and the smell really evoked childhood memories. Very comforting and carby! TASTE: Unfortunately, I am gluten and wheat intolerant so had to donate these to my husband (who was very grateful.) This means that I can’t comment on the taste but I hear that there may be gluten free crumpets in the pipeline at Crumpets and Coffee: fingers crossed… CHOCOLATE VYOMAX DELUXE PROTEIN (28g) There were 2 sample protein sachets of Vyomax Nutrition in chocolate flavour. This is a bleld of 7 protein sources and added gluatime for muscle recovery and repair. There are also added vitamins and minerals. The packet was very well sealed and I had to attack it with scissors to open! The directions instructed to mix the powder with 150ml water or milk. I used unsweetened almond milk. INGREDIENTS: Not listen on sample packet ALLERGENS: Milk, soy, gluten. Even though this particular product contained gluten, I did sample the protein because I wanted to be able to review it! NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER PACKET (28g) Calories: 108 Carbs: 2.7; of which sugars: 1.5g Fibre: 0.05g Fat: 1.6g; of which saturates: 1.3g Protein: 20g TEXTURE & APPEARANCE: Light chocolate coloured, very fine powder. I blended the powder with almond milk using a hand blender. The texture when blended became very frothy, like a chocolate milkshake. Light, fluffy and utterly delicious! SMELL: Extremely chocolatey and sweet. TASTE: Lovely chocolate flavour, very similar to a whispa bar (always a plus!) There was no strange aftertaste of sweeteners that I find with some protein powders. I blended my protein powder with unsweetened almond milk and a few ice cubes. Even though the directions said to blend with 150ml, I gradually added milk until my protein was the texture that I wanted because I prefer it a bit thicker. QUEST NUTRITION BAR: WHITE CHOCOLATE & RASPBERRY (60g) I was introduced to Quest Nutrition bars a few weeks ago, and since then have tried almost all of the flavours in the range. I have to say that the White Chocolate & Raspberry is one of my favourites. These bars are great as a post-workout snack because they are high in protein; this particular bar contains 20g. They are also low in carbs (only 5g non-fibre carbs). The best thing, however, is that they contain zero sugar (sugar being the enemy of all fitness competitors!) Quest Bars are also gluten free but they do contain nuts and milk-derived ingredients, therefore would not be suitable for those with nut or lactose intolerances. INGREDIENTS: Protein blend (whey protein isolate, milk protein isolate), Isomalto-Oligosaccharides (Prebiotic Fibre), Water, Almonds, Cocoa Butter, Freeze Dried Rasberries Erythritoal, Sea Salt, Natural Flavours, Stevia, Sucralose. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER BAR (60g) Calories: 190 Carbs: 23g Fibre: 17g Total Fat: 8g Protein: 20g TEXTURE & APPEARANCE: Chewy in texture and a little bendy. The appearance isn’t very inviting since it looks processed and flat with a shiny, smooth surface. I prefer my bars a little more rustic and textured! SMELL: Smells of raspberries and white chocolate, like a dessert. TASTE: The raspberry notes definitely came through: the raspberries are freeze dried which enhances their flavour. My favourite part of the bar was the chunks of white chocolate which made me feel very naughty eating it! This bar was very moreish and, despite their processed appearance, I can see why some people find Quest bars addictive! BARNEY BUTTER RAW & CHIA FLAVOURED ALMOND BUTTER (17g) INGREDIENTS: Raw Californian Almonds, Chia Seeds, Palm Fruit Oil (certified Sustainable). NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER 100g Calories: 594g Carbs: 22g Fibre: 16g Total Fat: 50g Protein: 19g Not only is this butter high in fibre, calcium and iron, it also contains less saturated fat than peanut butter. Barney Butter is Vegan, Vegetarian and the almonds are fortified with Omega 3s so lots of health benefits. The full range of Barney Butter UK are totally organic and are perfect for those with allergies since they are peanut and gluten free! TEXTURE & APPEARANCE: Smooth and thick with little flecks of black chia seeds. SMELL: Smells like toasted nuts, although more peanut than almond. TASTE: This butter is made with California almonds and doesn’t taste as sweet as the other almond Barney butters that I have tried (Almond Butter with Honey & Flax and Almond Butter with Espresso and Vanilla). This particular butter tastes more like pure almonds: since it doesn’t have the added sweetness of extra ingredients such as honey or vanilla, the almond flavour comes through. I found that the chia seeds didn’t add to the taste, just gave the butter a little crunch. OVERALL THOUGHTS The Fitness Box is unique; fun; well put together; and, most importantly, delicious! Owing to my intolerances, I wasn’t able to sample the crumpets so it would be great if there was a gluten or dairy free version available for fellow allergy sufferers! I would also love to see a little sample of coffee in the box, since that would be perfect for fitness competitors and athletes. I have coffee not only in the morning, but also as a pre-workout. Flavoured coffees are also a lovely treat during the tough cutting phase of competition preparation! The Fitness Box is a wonderful gift idea for someone preparing for competition; or who just generally loves training. It is also useful for sampling new products since there is a range of items included in the box. As well as White Chocolate and Raspberry, this amazing box also comes in two other mouthwatering flavours: Cookies and Cream and Double Chocolate Chunk! I will definitely be ordering this box for some of my fellow trainers and competitors ssshh don’t tell them though…. The Fitness Box is available to purchase for £7.00 online at crumpetsandcoffee/ You can also follow Crumpets and Coffee on facebook: https://facebook/crumpetscoffee and twitter: @CrumpetsCoffee
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 14:43:21 +0000
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