Week 1; What's in my fridge?

Hey, hey!

I'm happy to announce that I have been made Weight Watchers Blog Ambassador for 2013. As a result Weight Watchers are setting weekly challenges for me to vlog/blog about to help keep me on track.

This week's challenge is to sort my fridge and show you all the contents. As I'm staying at my parents' house at present (whilst ours is renovated) so it's their fridge!

I'm really fortunate that my Mum always has a huge stock of healthy fruit and veggies! She never buys chocolate or cakes, she's one of those people who genuinely dislikes anything sweet - wish I inherited that gene!

Here's the video which I created showing you all the contents of the fridge;

If you're not familiar with my YouTube channel, check it out; www.YouTube.com/MissWeightWatchers

Product Review; Weight Watchers Fruit Crumble Biscuits Apple, Apricot & Peach

At only 90 calories each and in a pack of 6 these biscuits look very different to any snack that I have tried before.  Upon opening the 2 ProPoint snack I can predominantly smell the sweet smell of apricot.  The picture on the front of the packet looks very appealing and I must say the biscuit actually looks a lot like the picture.

I'm very impressed with the packaging; the box is compact and once opened, the biscuits are individually wrapped and neatly sat next to one another.  The box can be closed shut and stored away easily.  With them being individually wrapped they're convenient for on the go or to be popped into your lunch box.

The fruit crumble biscuits are described as "apple, apricot and peach jam on a crumbly biscuit base, topped with crunchy flakes."  The base tastes and looks very much like a mix between a pastry and a biscuit. The jam is just that, like a set fruity jam.

I can predominantly taste apricot, a little peach and I would never have known that it contained apple had it not been written on the packet.  On the whole it's one big fruity blend in a jam like consistency.  I'm not a fan of chewy sweets that get caught in my teeth and due to the sticky nature of this snack with every mouthful I'm trying to peel it off my teeth with my tongue.

If I reach for a snack, it's usually chocolate based.  I probably wouldn't have picked these off the supermarket shelf in the first place and I doubt I'll be buying them in the future.  That opinion is based on my own preference.  For someone who likes a fruity biscuity snack, then this could well be a repeat purchase.

*Allergy Advice - Milk, Soya, Wheat and Gluten.
*Warnings - Produced in a factory handling eggs, nuts & peanuts.
* I can see that these are available for sale at Sainsbury's for £1.80. £1.99 at Tesco and £2.00 at ASDA (price as of 29th October 2012).

*Please note that there is no cash payment for my reviews. I have been given 6 months' membership to Weight Watchers Online and receive monthly hampers in return for my honest reviews, all opinions expressed are my own.

YouTube Channel; www.YouTube.com/MissWeightWatchers

Product Review; Weight Watchers Sicilian Lemon & Elderflower Cordial

Now I'm not the sort of person who MUST have cordial to enjoy a glass of water, unlike my husband. But I do know of many people who really dislike the taste of tap water.

Weight Watchers have obviously identified that there are many people out there who are discouraged from drinking lots of water (as they advise us to do). However some cordials are full of sugar, so how are we to choose one that will not de-rail our ProPoint tracking? I'm guessing that's where Weight Watchers come in!

This 1 litre cordial is 0 ProPoints per 250ml diluted (music to many people's ears) and described as "a premium cordial made with real fruit juice."  I find that some cordials taste predominantly of sugar, which for me is off putting because firstly I'm left worrying about the effect on my teeth and secondly about the effect on my ProPoints tracking.

I'm pleased to say that this cordial doesn't have a 'sugary' taste and is very refreshing.  An ideal drink for a hot summers day (which is a shame as I'm only trying it for the first time now).

The cordial comes with the following promise; that it is made with Sicilian lemons, is low calorie and has no added sugar; with only naturally occurring sugars.  Looking at the nutritional information a 250ml serving (diluted) contains only 3 calories.

I've been staying at my parents' house (whilst my house is being renovated) and they cannot stand their tap water, always opting for sparkling bottled water instead. So I thought I'd try mix the Weight Watchers cordial with the sparkling water (still 0 ProPoints) and I was very impressed with the outcome!  What is it about bubbles that makes a drink feel even more special?!  The taste is very similar to that of "Shloer White Grape and Elderflower" except the Weight Watchers cordial has a lemon taste, not grape.

I really like the taste of this cordial and both my husband and parents are always reaching for it (hence why the level is so low already!) I will absolutely be purchasing this in the future. It's comforting to know that if I fancy some flavour in my water, then I don't have to worry about the effect on my tracking.  The fact that my husband likes it indicates to me that it doesn't taste "low fat" or like a "diet" drink. You could easily serve this up to family and friends and they'd be oblivious to the fact that it is Weight Watchers.

*Preparation Instructions; Dilute one part cordial to four parts water. Add extra water for toddlers.
* I can only see that these are available for sale on offer at Tesco for £1.00 until 4th December 2012 and £1.39 at ASDA and Sainsbury's. Rising to £1.69 at Waitrose (price as of 29th October 2012).

*Please note that there is no cash payment for my reviews. I have been given 6 months' membership to Weight Watchers Online and receive monthly hampers in return for my honest reviews, all opinions expressed are my own.

YouTube Channel; www.YouTube.com/MissWeightWatchers

Product Review; Weight Watchers Blueberry Slices

My next review is of the Weight Watchers Blueberry Slices;

I'm a big fan of Weight Watchers slices, in the past I've bought various flavours including; carrot, lemon and caramel shortcake.  Unlike the two products I reviewed prior to this they are not individually wrapped.  I've found myself trying to store the opened packet in the cupboard ensuring that they're as closed off as possible.  With it being cake, oxygen will make them go stale.  It's not very easy to do, but I've tried to wedge the box shut.

The smell of blueberries is very apparent not only when I first opened the packet, but every time I open the cupboard door having stored them in there!  I'm a big fan of blueberries so that's fine by me, if I choose a muffin, it's usually a blueberry muffin!

The product is described as "made with real blueberries and topped with a layer of sweet icing."  Sold in packs of 5 and at only 2 ProPoints per slice, they serve as a great accompaniment to a cup of tea, or as a pudding.  In the past I have served a slice in a bowl with Weight Watchers Instant Custard Mix at 3 ProPoints.  A great filling pudding for 5 ProPoints in total.

I'm happy to say that the picture illustrated on the front of the packet is reflective of the real product that you get.  The cake is dense and quite heavy (not what you would expect from a light/diet slice) which makes me feel satisfied and like I've spent my 2 ProPoints well.  The layer of icing is complementary to the taste, not too thick and overpowering and not too thin that it's almost not worth it.  The taste of blueberry is apparent throughout, not just when you find a piece of blueberry.

If you were to serve these up for friends, I doubt that they would ever know that they were "diet" or "low fat".

On the whole these blueberry slices are very nice and I will most definitely be purchasing them in the future.  A guilt free alternative to a blueberry muffin and equally as delicious!

*Allergy Advice - Eggs and Wheat Gluten.
*Warnings - Produced in a factory handling nuts.
* I can only see that these are available for sale on offer at Tesco for £1.00 until 5th November 2012 (price as of 29th October 2012).

*Please note that there is no cash payment for my reviews. I have been given 6 months' membership to Weight Watchers Online and receive monthly hampers in return for my honest reviews, all opinions expressed are my own.

YouTube Channel; www.YouTube.com/MissWeightWatchers

Product Review; Weight Watchers Jaffa Mini Rolls

My second review is of the Weight Watchers Jaffa Mini Rolls;

These rolls come individually wrapped in a pack of 5 at only 2 ProPoints and 77 calories per roll. I love the word "individually wrapped" as this encourages you not to eat the whole pack and are very handy for on the go!

They are described as "5 Jaffa mini rolls with a layer of jaffa orange flavour filling, hand rolled and smothered in real milk chocolate". Okay firstly, "hand rolled?" Is it just me or does that imply that someone is employed to roll it before it's smothered in chocolate? I thought there were machines for all that? I'm not sure why Weight Watchers felt the need to tell us what they're manufacturing technique is (or lack of). Perhaps I've completely misinterpreted that, but that's what it implies to me.

Anyway, upon opening the roll you get an instant sweet smell of orange, which already has my taste buds excited! The milk chocolate is smooth and filling soft with an instant hit of tangy orange flavour. It's obvious, to those of you in the UK at least, that this is designed to impersonate a healthy version of the McVitie's Jaffa Cake Mini Roll.

I've just checked the price and currently the Weight Watchers Jaffa Mini Roll is on offer at Tesco for £1.10, which is the same price as the McVitie's Jaffa Cake Mini Roll's. However, the McVitie's version come in a pack of 6, whereas the Weight Watchers pack size is only 5. The ProPoints value differs by 1 ProPoint, the McVitie's Mini Roll is 3 ProPoints each (just to remind you that the WW roll is only 2 ProPoints).

I would love to be able to sit here and say "but how did they skim off that 1 extra ProPoint?" Well, it's made obvious by the size of the Weight Watchers mini roll, in fact it leaves me feeling rather cheated. On paper the weight of each doesn't seem that much of a difference. It's when your left one or the other in your lunch box that you'd decide which you prefer! The McVitie's roll is approximately 26.7g and the Weight Watchers roll is approximately 19g. Which actually now having written it, sounds like a lot considering there's only 1 ProPoint difference in it.

When I started this review I didn't intend on comparing the Weight Watchers Jaffa Mini Roll with the McVitie's Jaffa Cake Roll. But when you release a product onto the market which is so close in both name and nature, it's natural that consumers will be making a comparison.

Whilst delving into the similarities I checked the nutritional information for both based on 100g (to make it equal). Rather surprisingly the Weight Watchers roll has exactly the same number of calories per 100g as the McVities! This supports my theory of shaving off an extra ProPoint by reducing the size of the roll. Facts that also took me by surprise were that the Weight Watchers roll has a higher amount of; protein, fat, saturated fat, fibre and sodium.

The benefit of purchasing the Weight Watchers Jaffa Mini Roll for the average Weight Watcher would be that all of the ProPoint counting has been taken care of. Plus if you only have 2 ProPoints to spare then he's your man!

However, the average Weight Watcher will discuss with friends and other members the ProPoints value of just about everything on the supermarket shelves. I'd challenge anyone to find a Weight Watcher who doesn't know the ProPoints value of a Rich Tea biscuit or 2 cubes of milk chocolate! So if you didn't know that the McVitie's Jaffa Cake Mini Roll is 3 ProPoints each, then having read my review, you do now! For an extra 1 ProPoint and another 2 mouthfuls, not to mention an extra roll for the same price, I'm sorry Weight Watchers but I'd favour the McVities Jaffa Cake Roll. No doubt the WW product was born out of identifying the needs of the average Weight Watchers consumer, but like they say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

*Allergy Advice - Wheat, Gluten, Milk, Egg, Soya.
*Warnings - Produced in a factory handling nuts.
* I can only see that these are available for sale at Tesco for £1.10 (price as of 27th October 2012).

*Please note that there is no cash payment for my reviews. I have been given 6 months' membership to Weight Watchers Online and receive monthly hampers in return for my honest reviews, all opinions expressed are my own.

YouTube Channel; www.YouTube.com/MissWeightWatchers

Product Review; Weight Watchers Oaty Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies

Weight Watchers have very kindly sent me a selection of their products to review. It never ceases to amaze me just how many products Weight Watchers have on offer! Just when you think they've thought of it all, they bring out miniature Victoria Sponge's! I'm constantly told just how lucky we are here in the UK to have such a huge variety of products on our supermarket shelves, it seems Weight Watchers in the USA and Australia are rather behind!

Now if you're familiar with my YouTube channel, then you know that I have a very sweet tooth! So for Weight Watchers to send me a box full of treats is like Christmas!

The first of the products that I'm going to review is the 'Oaty Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies';

On the packet they're described as "Oaty Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies with a crumbly oaty texture and dark indulgent chocolate chips".

Upon eating the first cookie I can understand why they're called "oaty", so it's no surprise that the biggest ingredient is oats! I wouldn't describe them as being like a typical 'Maryland' cookie due to this oaty taste. However for me I feel it's like a psychological benefit whereby I'm eating something oaty, therefore it's not naughty or calorific. Plus the fact that it's packaged in a little innocent bag with the word "mini" written on it!

These cookies are wrapped in handy little packs weighing 19g (I've counted 8 cookies in the pack that I am scoffing right now!) They are 2 ProPoints per bag and there are 5 bags of mini cookies per multi pack.

My only criticism would be that from the description "dark indulgent chocolate chips" I envisaged just that, as you can probably understand! Also the picture on the front of the packet shows a multitude of chocolate chips per cookie. From the pictures that I've taken above and below, you can see that they look rather different. Unless a lot of the chocolate chips are on the inside and not on the surface, I feel they lacked the dark chocolate taste. I actually wouldn't have known that the chocolate was 'dark' had it not been for the description.

However, suitable for vegetarians and at only 87 calories per pack they make a great addition to your lunch box or for that mid afternoon slump at work. I do like a lunch box that includes a little treat!

Since meeting my husband I've become rather partial to a cookie/biscuit with my tea (a bad habit I appear to have adopted from him!) So whilst he's sat eating one Bourbon biscuit which is 2 ProPoints, I can sit with my little bag of cookies for the same ProPoints value! But if you like to dip a cookie in your cup of tea (like myself) then you're going to struggle with these! You can pinch the edge and give it one dip, but I've discovered that it spills the tea! As a tea addict, that goes against everything I believe in!

*Allergy Advice - Contains; Milk, Soya, Wheat, Oats, Gluten.
* Warning - Produced in a factory handling nuts.
* I can only see that these are available for sale at Tesco for £1.59 (price as of 26th October 2012).

*Please note that there is no cash payment for my reviews. I have been given 6 months' membership to Weight Watchers Online and receive monthly hampers in return for my honest reviews, all opinions expressed are my own.

YouTube Channel; www.YouTube.com/MissWeightWatchers

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