My soon to be daughter in law Sara posted a video on making Pad Thai on her FB page the other day. As soon as I saw it I thought that it was something which I would like to try and something which would work in perfectly with the September Degustabox which I received a couple of weeks ago. I have never eaten Pad Thai. (I know! What rock have I been living under!) It turned out delicious! But first the box!
To those not in the know, if you sign up for it, once a month, every month . . . Degustabox will deliver to your home 9 to 14 new, special or innovative food products for you to try in the comfort of your own home via a subscription service. A monthly subscription costs £9.99 and there is a delivery fee of £3, for a total of £12.99, and what you receive can be tailored to the types of things that you like and would use. To me it's a bit like a foodie Christmas every month of the year! I really love them! This is what was in my September box . . .
PORTLEBAY POPCORN 2 X £1.00
I am no stranger to Portlebay Popcorn, having review it several times here on the blog. We love it. Portlebay Popcorn is an award winning artisanal popcorn. Popped by hand in Devon with a spash of rapeseed oil, a touch of unrefined cane sugar to give it a delicious crunch and their totally natural seasonings. Including the best selling original Sweet and Salty popcorn and the brand new Capuccino popcorn. MMMmmm . . . addictively moreish!
MALLOW & MARSH £2.00
Mallow & Marsh would like to introduce you to a whole new world of irresistible marshmallows. We spend hours perfecting and experimenting with our recipes in order to create these awesome culinary delights. We don’t make normal marshmallows. We make creamy bundles of gooey deliciousness. On a scale of jelly to nougat we sit as close to nougat as is marshmallowy possible. We use the highest quality ingredients we can, from 100% natural raspberry to organic and fairtrade vanilla extract and we’ve made sure there are no additives or preservatives. We’ve worked creatively with our marshmallows, matching them with yoghurt dips, hot chocolate brands, peanut butter spreads, Gu chocolate puds and even a smoked chilli paste so it’s now up to you and what you choose to do next, be it roasting, toasting, dipping or a daring down in one!
Todd really enjoyed these. I just salivated.
REESES 2 X 85p
Satisfy your peanut-butter passion with this pack of 3 incredibly delicious REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups drenched in smooth HERSHEY'S chocolate! We know it's always nice to share, but we won't tell anybody if you just tuck into them quietly and keep them all to yourself. REESE’S – Perfect.
A little taste of home, which also I could only drool over. Sigh . . .
MORE DRINKS 2 X £1.49 (Vitamin Drinks)
Popping pills not for you? More Drinks provides a refreshing way to top up your vitamins, made with spring water, natural flavours and no added sugar. With 6 varieties including Multivitamins and Vitamin D, the range is in selected Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, WH Smith and Roadchef nationwide and on Ocado.
Now these I could enjoy and I did. Sugar free and natural. I quite enjoyed!
MAYNARDS Red n' Blacks Wine Gums 1 X £1.50
They´re back! The two “favourite flavours” of the infamous Maynards Wine Gums are now available all year around! The 165g bag containing those delicious flavours within the range include: Blackcurrant and Strawberry and are available again for your pleasure and enjoyment. These returning Wine Gums give you a serious burst of excitement and a delicious moment of joy!
When I was married before my ex husband loved wine gums. I was only ever allowed to have the black ones. I didn't mind. I quite liked the black ones! (I liked the red ones too!)
SWEET SALLY TEA 1 X £2.40
London independent startup launches Sweet Sally Spiced Tea with a mission to create a fresh brewed, lightly sweetened premium iced tea. Crisp and refreshing black tea with a hint of citrus and spice. If you’ve spent time in Mississippi, chances are you’ve had spiced tea. Sweet Sally Spiced Tea is freshly brewed organic Ceylon black tea, with Spanish oranges, Sicilian lemons, a touch of organic sugar and a blend of cinnamon and cloves. With less than 50 calories per bottle Sweet Sally offers a healthier alternative to sugary, carbonated drinks available in bars and restaurants throughout the UK. Enjoy it shaken over ice, straight up or mixed with your favorite spirit.
BASSETS 1X £1.50
Ideal for sharing with your family and your friends, the new variety of Jelly Babies is bursting with much favoured Berry flavours included Blackcurrant, Raspberry and Strawberry. The 190g bag of “Berry Mix” contains only natural colours and flavourings to give you a deliciously soft, fruity and sweet treat. We've been told they are 'Berry nice' :-)
Yum!
UP & GO 2 X £1.39
Breakfast Drinks
Up&Go is the awesome & nutritious breakfast you can drink on the go. Each of our six delicious flavours is made with tasty wholegrain oats and every carton contains as much fibre, protein and calcium as your average bowl of cereal and milk*. That’s probably why it’s Australia’s no.1 breakfast. We have six awesome flavours that are just MADE FOR MORNINGS: Vanilla: You can’t beat a classic. Grab a cool and refreshing vanilla chiller on your way out the door. It’ll make your morning Chocolate: It’s hard to believe that this delicious & nutritious drink really is as good as it tastes. You’ll love every last choclatey drop Strawberry: If you like a little fruity goodness in the morning, say hello to lip smacking strawberry flavor and goodbye to boring breakfasts. These are great if you are on the go and don't have a lot of time.
COMPETE ENERGY BITES 1 X £4.49
COMPETE® Energy Bites are delicious, low calorie chocolates infused with caffeine (1 bite = 1 large premium coffee). COMPETE® Energy Bites provide an instant boost to help improve your alertness, endurance and physical energy. Recommended to take five minutes before physical exercise, driving, partying or studying. CAUTION: VERY HIGH in CAFFEINE. Available in mocha, chocolate and lemon flavours and in packs of 2 or 6 bites. For more information go to competeenergy.co.uk
MIRACLE NOODLES 1 X £2.49
Miracle Noodle is the PREMIER low calorie, soy free, gluten free, vegan and non gmo, Kosher Shirataki noodle and rice. One of the most versatile noodles and rice. Miracle Noodle caters to a wide range of different demographics. From Diabetics to Coeliac's, bodybuilders and for weight loss. Miracle Noodle offers the largest variety of Shirataki noodles shapes on the market. Our mission is to introduce to people traditional foods that are low calorie and healthy from around the world.
These were one of Degustabox's Discoveries of the month and the product I decided to highlight with a recipe.
You could of course use ordinary rice noodles, but when you have a noodle which is low calorie, soy and gluten free, vegan and non gmo and Kosher on top of it all . . . why not go for it. They worked perfectly.
This was a recipe I thought would fit in well with my new diabetic life style. Low in carbs, high in protein and low in sugar, thanks to the homemade Splenda Brown Sugar Blend that I made on my own. (You can't buy it over here, and if you can find it, it is uber expensive. See my recipe below.)
This is quick and easy to make . . . and that sauce is really moreish. It's salty (from the fish sauce and soy) and spicy and hot and sour . . .
I added carrots for color and a bit of crunch, along with the bean sprouts . . . you get protein from scrambled egg and chicken. Altogether it was delicious and something I know I will make again!
*Chicken Pad Thai*Serves 4Printable Recipe
I saw a video on how to make this online and I adapted it to fit my own use and tastes. It was really tasty. Hot, sour and a bit sweet. I cut back on the oil and then used a sugar substitute instead of regular sugar. I made my own Splenda brown sugar blend. Check the end of this post to find out how.
250g (8 ounces) rice noodes1 TBS sesame oil2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes2 large free range eggs, beaten1 large banana shallot, peeled and minced1 large handful of bean sprouts1 medium carrot peeled and juiliennedfor the sauce:1 ounce each fish sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lime juice and sriracha sauce (or tabasco)2 TBS splenda brown sugar mix, or regular brown sugarYou will also need 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped, a large handful of crushed peanuts,and a handful of chopped fresh coriander leaf (cilantro)
First make your sauce. Whisk together the fish sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lime juice and sriracha sauce. Whisk in the brown sugar blend. Set aside.Lightly oil large non stick pan with a bit of the sesame oil. Add the chicken and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Scoop out the chicken to a bowl. Add another spritz of oil and then the egg. Cook and scramble over medium heat. Scoop out. Add the remaining oil and the shallots. Cook, stirring until softened. Add the carrots and bean sprouts, stir fry quickly. Rinse the noodles with boiling water to heat through, drain and throw them into the pan along with the chicken, eggs, and sauce, tossing all together to coat and heat through. Stir in the onions, coriander leaf and peanuts. Serve immediately.
Calories: 289Fat: 11.9gCarbs 11.2Sugars: 6.2g (using regular brown sugar)Protein: 33.8If you use the Miracle Noodles, they are only 10 calories altogether, with 4g of fibre, 0g sugar, 0g fat.
Now as for making your own Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, you will only need two ingredients . . . 24g of regular granulated Splenda (1/2 cup) and 1 TBS mild molasses.
Just rub the two together with your fingertips until they are well combined and presto chango! You measure it just like sugar, spoon for spoon, cup for cup. Obviously there is a bit of sugar in it, so nutritional values are:
24g Carb in 1 cup Splenda; 16g Carb in 1 TBS molasses, which equals 40g Carb per 1 cup brown sugar substitute.
Many thanks to Degustabox for sending me this box. I have to say I really look forward to getting my box each month. There are always lots of things in it to enjoy and new products to try out. I highly recommend. You can also tailor the boxes to your own likes and dislikes by filling in your own Taste Profile. I also have a code which is worth a £6.00 discount off your first box when registering. Simply use the code: BLDEG15
Do check out the Degustabox web page for more information and details.
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