The Graze Brownie (plus FREE codes).

As most of you may know, I am a lover of the Graze Box. But for anyone who has not heard of it or has, but wants an opinion from a regular Grazer before signing up, have a read of this. :)

I have been receiving Graze boxes for almost 2 years now, and I still love them now as much as I did when I received my first ever box! A lot has changed since I first signed up... They now have popcorn, tea and cake, puddings, brownie and even beef jerky (although I have not and will not be trying this, but I'm sure meat lovers will love it) as well as their usual punnets. They also occasionally throw in some new more regular-looking punnets too (I LOVE the 'Eleanor's Apple Crumble' punnet they've introduced).

One of the newer one's I've tried recently is 'The Graze Brownie'. Although not super moist and squishy like a traditional brownie, it has all the chocolatey and nutty tastes of one. Sooooo delicious! Great when you're craving a chocolate bar, or just something sweet, but you don't want to give into temptation - this really satisfies that craving. ;) Although the portion is a little on the small side, it makes up for it in taste. Great for a snack, or even a little pudding after a meal. I definitely think Graze's best punnets are the cake/pudding based ones, the brownie being one of the top three!

If after reading this you'd like to try your own Graze Box, using the code below you can get your FIRST graze box FREE! :D Just go to www.Graze.com and enter the code:

JESSIC14P

(If this code doesn't work, try: N6JMVCHD)

If you're already a Graze customer, don't worry. I also have a code for you. If you want to try Graze's breakfast porridge punnets, and haven't done so already, you can get your first box free. Just go to www.Graze.com and enter the code:

ZL5YKHL

(You must already be a Graze customer for this code to work).

If you do sign up, don't forget to rate your boxes (Love, Like, Try and Bin). Also just because you sign up for a free one, doesn't mea you have to get them forever more. You can cancel any future orders if you no long want to receive them. Graze is a very trustworthy company and cancelling is very simple. :)

P.S. My blog has reached 20,000+ page views! I am a little shocked and amazed. Thank you so much to ALL of my readers - regular and even the one-time readers. I'm so grateful for every view. It helps me keep motivated to keep writing my blog. :) Thank you again. <3

Graze's 'Good Breakfast Club' (plus FREE code).

I was pleasantly surprised after checking my emails the other day, as I received a code from Graze, inviting me to their 'Good Breakfast Club'! I have been on their waiting list for what feels like ages, and now I'm finally in the club! :) To add to the nice surprise, my first delivery was free!

I tried my first porridge from Graze yesterday. It was the blackcurrant & cranberry porridge with honey and it was absolutely delicious! I've never had honey in porridge before, as I'm not overly keen on honey, but it was really nice and really complimented the flavour of the porridge.  If you have a sweet tooth, this would be perfect for you as the honey makes it VERY sweet. There isn't a lot of porridge once it's all made up, but the tastes definitely makes up for the lack of food! The bigger porridge punnets would probably make a more satisfying amount of porridge, but it doesn't come with honey. I am quite tempted to keep paying to receive these. I'm probably going to have to move around how often I receive both of the different Graze boxes though, otherwise I am going to be so poor!

The porridge is really simple to make. The instructions are in the leaflet you receive with them, but in case you misplace it, all you do is:

1. Pull the lid off the top of the oats (keep the lid sealed over the honey if you can) and pour the oats into a bowl.
2. Fill up the part of the punnet that had the oats in one and a half times with your choice of milk (I used Alrpo unsweetened almond milk), and pour into the bowl with the oats. If you're having the bigger punnet of porridge, without the honey on the side, fill it up twice with your choice of milk and pour it in.
3. Now pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes.
4. Take it out and give it a stir. If you're going to use the honey, just take the lid off of the honey, and pour as much as you want of it into the porridge and give it a good stir.

Simple as that!

You can only join the Good Breakfast Club if you're an existing Graze customer. But don't worry, I have codes for everyone:

If you're already a Graze customer, here's a code to get your first Good Breakfast Club box for FREE:

ZL5YKHL

If you're not already a Graze customer, get yourself your first regular Graze box for FREE by using this code:

N6JMVCHD

You need to live in the UK to be able to receive Graze Boxes. When you sign up they do ask for payment details - don't panic! This is only in case you decide to continue to receive boxes after you get your free one. If you only want the free box and no more or if you receive your first box and decide you really don't like Graze, cancelling with them is very simple and fuss free - it's a very trustworthy site and I know people who have cancelled with them before with no issues whatsoever. If you do continue to receive them, you can decide how often you receive boxes. You can also book holidays so they don't come on a week you know you won't be there for and you can also postpone boxes too. Don't forget to go through all of the punnets/porridges on their website and rate all of them with either 'Try', 'Like', 'Love' or 'Bin' and you can also select 'Send Soon'. 'Bin' insures that you will never receive that punnet - great if your allergic to anything, have specially dietary needs or just know you don't like a certain food, like me with coconut. This can be a little time consuming, but it's worth doing, especially if you're planning to continue to pay for boxes.

TOP TIP: As the amount of calories in each punnet and it's use-by date is written on the separate leaflet in the box and not on the punnets themselves, use a permanent marker to write them onto the lid of the punnets yourself. That way you don't need to carry the leaflet around with you everywhere and you don't need to worry about losing it.

Treat yourself to a FREE Graze Box!

I've been receiving Graze Box's through the post, fortnightly, since January 2012 and I am still really enjoying them. I enjoy them as snacks and occasionally as a quick get-up-and-go breakfast. I have tried many of Graze's punnets now and I still get sent new ones I've yet to try, and they never disappoint. A few of my latest punnets I've tried and loved are 'walnut and vanilla truffle', 'summer berry compote' and 'salt and vinegar nut selection' - yum yum! One I am dying to receive is their new "better-for-you brownie" - it looks and sounds delicious (I'm a sucker for a gooey, chocolatey brownie).

I received my first Graze Box by receiving a code from a friend, and I've never regretted it. I never cancelled and now pay a small price for a each box, but I think it's worth it. So here's a code for you to receive your first Graze Box for FREE:

N6JMVCHD

If you don't enjoy your first box or only wanted the free one, you can easily cancel all future Graze Box's at no extra cost. This is a very trustworthy company and I have never had any issues with them. My friend has cancelled her boxes with them before and had no issues either, so no need to worry. You can also postpone boxes and move dates around to choose when and how often you receive them. Don't forget to rate the punnets they offer so you're more likely to receive ones you actually like. You can "bin" them too so you will never receive ones you know you won't like. This is great if you hate certain flavours (like me with coconut flakes. I "binned" those within the first hour of redeeming my code), are allergic to anything (lots of the punnets contain nuts/dairy, but they have a column on the side to point them all out) or if you're vegan (they also have all non-vegan boxes listed in the column).

I hope you take advantage of this free code and enjoy your Graze Box(es) as much as I enjoy mine! :)

Christmas Graze giveaway!

With Christmas only 8 days away now, I thought "why not do a little giveaway for all my lovely readers, as a little thank you?". So here it is!

I have 3 Graze box gift vouchers up for grabs! There will be one winner who will receive a gift voucher entitling them to two free Graze boxes, and two runners up who will both receive a gift voucher entitling them to one free Graze box each. Unfortunately, if you already receive Graze boxes, these gift vouchers won't work - they only work for new customers! Also this is only open to people from the UK - as Graze only delivers to the UK.. I'm sorry!

All you have to do, to be in with a chance of winning, is email:

skinny-wish@hotmail.co.uk

with your name - simple as that. After the giveaway closes, I will put all the names into a hat, mix it up and pick 3 at random. The closing date for the giveaway is Monday 31st December at 11:59pm GMT. The winners will be drawn out and contacted by email between the 1st and 3rd of January 2013! Have any questions? Just ask.

Most people who read my blog will know I pay to receive a fortnightly Graze box. I've now been receiving them since January 2012. They weren't very well known, but are growing more and more popular, they even have their own TV advert now. They send out a box with 4 healthy, natural snacks to people all over the UK. Such a big range of punnets to choose from - there's something for everyone! Rate their punnets with 'Love', 'Like', 'Try' or 'Bin', and even select 'Send Soon' to ensure you get exactly what you like. A very trustworthy company - I have never had any delayed deliveries or any issues cancelling/postponing boxes. Just excellent! Please have a browse of their website to see what all the fuss is about: click here.

P.S. To the winners: these should be one-off boxes, but I am not entirely sure - so just incase, make sure you check online, on the Graze website, after you've received all of your free boxes and if it says you'll be receiving another after that, just cancel your deliveries and you'll never receive them again (I know it's easy to cancel them, as I have 2 friends who have in the past and have had no issues).


EDIT: THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED.

Linwoods - FREE samples!

Linwoods is a relatively new discovery of mine. I found it in Cosmopolitan's "reader's summer checkbook" which, I think, came free with July's issue. Inside of it are loads of competitions/money off vouchers/forms for samples, which is how I found Linwoods. They're giving away free samples of their superfood products. And, as I love free stuff and trying new foods, I sent off for one. It arrived about 3-4 days afterwards, so pretty fast delivery considering it was completely free!

I received a 'flaxseed' sample and a 'flax, sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds & goji berries' sample. I tried it straight away, opening the 'flax, sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds & goji berries' sample, sticking a spoonful of it onto my soup. It tastes alright, not much taste too it really, and it doesn't feel horrible in your mouth. It looks as if it'd be really bitty and yuck, but it's not. I'm quite happy with it actually. So happy, that I went out and actually bought a big full sized bag of the stuff from my local Holland & Barrett (it cost £5.89)! I bought the 'flax, sunflower & pumpkin seeds' one, because they didn't stock the exact one I tried as a sample.
You can add a spoonful or two to any meal throughout the day - soups, salads, stir-fries, yoghurts, smoothies, cereal, porridge, casseroles and more! It provides a nutritious addition and a healthy boost to any meal! Full of antioxidants, vitamins, zinc, iron and fibre. It gives you a boost of energy too. It's quite a lot of calories for what it is.. But if you only use 1 teaspoon (which is approx. 1g), it's only about 5kcal. So it depends how much you're intending to use, I guess.

I, personally, have added it into soups, salads, natural yoghurt, cereal, sandwiches and pasta dishes. I'm sure I'll find loads of other things to add it into as well! This soup (photo above) is just Heinz Weight Watchers tomato soup with cooked button mushrooms added into it with a bit of home-grown parsley. The bitty bits on top of it is a teaspoon of the sample. It was so delicious!

How to get a free sample:
Email them, flax@linwoods.co.uk, with your name and address.
It's as simple as that.

Enjoy! :)

Graze guilt-free high tea!

Got my first Graze box since coming back from Turkey yesterday, and to my delight there was one of their new 'guilt-free high tea' punnets inside of it! I've been wanting to try on of these since I found out they'd brought them out - mainly for the cuppa! I never thought I'd actually end up getting one though, as you can't select 'send soon' on any of them. So I was a very happy girly when I opened my graze box! I got the "carrot cake with an afternoon infusion". It was delicious - especially the tea! And only 102 kcal for the whole punnet! Yuuum!

The carrot cake is sweet and you can really taste the carrot in it. It has seeds on top and inside of it too, which is different, but very tasty! It's very moist and sticky, which I like (so probably best to eat it on the day you get your graze box, for max. freshness)! I hate dry cakes.. The tea has a very unique taste. I can't really explain it.. But it tastes completely different to any other cuppa I've ever had. I wish I could buy the afternoon infusion tea bags in supermarkets - they taste amazing! I know I'd definitely buy them if they did! If I had to point any bad points out about the punnet as a whole, it would be the size of the cake.. It is very small. I think it could probably do with being a tad bit bigger!

My cat, Muesli, decided to sit all over my graze box and rip the lid, so now it doesn't stay closed.. She's strange when it comes to cardboard and things similar (like paper carrier bags, newspapers and boxes). She likes to sit on them, then play with them, and of course eventually rip them to shreds. I have a weird cat.. But I wouldn't have her any other way. Speak of the devil, she's just come and jumped on my lap. Cute! 

FREE* workout DVD & water bottle!

I found this advertised in my fitness magazine and thought I'd share it with all of you!

By going to www.shop4online.co.uk/BFPENNY you can order a 'Penny Lancaster - Hotlegs workout DVD' & an 'eco friendly foldable water bottle' for FREE*.

I ordered mine yesterday. I only really want it for the foldable water bottle, haha. I'm not too bothered with the DVD, because I know I'll just shove it with all my other workout DVDs I have and I'll forget I even have it and never use it. I just have to wait for them to arrive now..

Anyway, enjoy guys!

*although not actually free, because you have to pay £2.70 post & package.. But it's cheap, I guess!

FREE Graze box for everyone!

**I'm reposting this post again and deleting the old one, as I got told from a friend that the code I gave you guys didn't work! I'm very sorry about this! I've added a new code. If this happens again please let me know!**

I loveeee Graze! I've been receiving Graze boxes since the beginning of January 2012, and definitely don't regret it! They are weekly/fortnightly/one off (depending on which you choose) boxes full of delicious natural snacks. They give you the calorie content for each punnet too, so I never have to worry about not knowingly going over my daily calorie allowance. Yay!

I really feel Graze boxes have, in a way, helped me on my weight loss journey. Whenever I feel like snacking, instead of reaching for my secret stash of chocolate (which I do actually have, hidden in my wardrobe, haha) I can reach for my Graze box instead - saving me precious calories and the guilty feeling I often get after pigging out on chocolate. Although some of the Graze punnets actually have chocolate in them - yummmm! My favourite punnets are most definitely the flapjacks - especially the 'apple cinnamon flapjack'. It tastes heavenly!

You can rate the punnets at any time! So if, for example, you hate coconut, you can go through all the punnets and bin the coconut ones so you never receive them in your deliveries, which I think is very handy! There's a 'send soon' option too, so if you are desperate to have a certain punnet just select 'send soon' and where possible they will try and get you that punnet in your next delivery! You can also pick your delivery day. Mine's fornightly on Thursdays (it use to be weekly but I didn't eat them quick enough and ended up with piles of Graze boxes everywhere). You can cancel or postpone the deliveries at any time too, so you don't have to worry about being tied down to this forever.


If you would like a totally FREE Graze box, just go to their website - www.graze.com - and enter the code:

N6JMVCHD


TOP TIP: a great way of remembering the use by date and how many calories are in each punnet is by writing them both directly onto the lid of the punnet with a permanent marker on the day you receive your box. That way if you lose the piece of paper with the information on, you'll still know. Also if you take the punnets with you somewhere as a snack you won't have to worry about bringing the piece of paper with you!