Date Truffle Recipe - Valentine's Date Night just got Fruitier with Forest Feast #ThePerfectDate

Forest Feast produce an amazing range of dried fruit, and for Valentine's Day, their Medjool Dates are the perfect ingredient for cooking up a deliciously healthy treat for your loved one. With dates being a great source of minerals, fibre, amino acids and energy, they are a nutrient dense, modern superfood. Medjool dates have a sweet, sticky, soft caramel quality making them a luxurious, natural treat and are considered an aphrodisiac and symbol of sex and fertility in some cultures - perfect for Valentine's Day!

Forest Feast sent me some of their Medjool Dates and a recipe to make some Date Truffles. The recipe is suitable for vegans and is a super healthy alternative to chocolates. The bite size balls of decadence are rich and delicious.

Medjool Date Recipe

7 Forest Feast Medjool Dated (pitted)
65g of nuts (I used walnuts)
85g ground almonds
30g cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
pinch of sea salt

Soak dates in hot water for a few minutes to soften.
Drain and squeeze.
Finely grind nuts in food processor. Add ground almonds and cocoa and pulse together.
Add dates, vanilla and sea salt and pulse to form a sticky ball.
Take teaspoon size balls and press into a silicone heart mould.
Pop into freezer and once hard pop them out and roll in cocoa powder.
Alternatively, roll into balls and roll in cocoa powder, chopped nuts or dessicated coconut - or keep them naked if preferred!

Not the prettiest truffle, but they are absolutely lush!

Forest Feast dried fruits are available online and from retailers nationwide. Medjool Dates are £2.85 for a 180g bag and Smart and Hearty Dates are £1.99 for a 100g bag. Perfect for snacking or cooking.


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Forest Feast - naturally sweet and ready to eat dried fruit snacks

I am a big advocate of trying to eat as healthily as possible for the majority of the time, but I also love food and want to enjoy lots of wonderful tastes and textures and not deprive myself of delicious things!

When it comes to sugar, there is a lot of research that highlights direct links between excessive consumption and health concerns. The government released a medical report that recommends that no more than 5% of our calorie intake should come from 'free sugars'. However, many low sugar or sugar-free products are made using artificial chemical sweeteners that I try to avoid. Where possible, I try to choose natural products that provide nutritional benefits to mine and my family's diets.

I was delighted to receive a delivery from Forest Feast, a company that produces a range of ten traditional and exotic dried fruits. Each product is carefully selected to contain no added sugars, syrups or juices. The range allows for smart and hearty snacking containing nothing but dried natural fruits and contain naturally occurring fibre, vitamins and minerals.

The range includes apricots, bananas, cherries, dates, figs, goji berries, golden berries, mango, pineapple and plums, each in a foil backed bag for freshness. The fruits are perfectly sized for snacking, but can be used as an ingredient in many recipes from curries to cakes.

I am very impressed to see the ingredient list on each of the varieties of the Forest Feast range containing nothing more than the fruit itself. No preservatives, no added sugar or sweeteners, no added oils - just natural fruit that has been dried. They provide a delicious sweet treat, sweetened only as nature intended. No need for sugarcoating!

The Forest Feast snack sized dried fruit is a great addition to lunchboxes. Just pop some into a little pot and it provides a tasty, sweet treat that is all natural. They are also great for sprinkling over yogurt or cereals, adding to porridge or combining with nuts for a quick power snack!

Healthy Lunch Box Treats

Sainsbury's Healthy Fruity Snacks For Kids

My children return to school tomorrow.  The summer holidays have gone in a flash and I'm now preparing myself for the routine of the school run, uniforms and packed lunches.  Thankfully, a much appreciated delivery from Sainsbury's will help me out with the organisation of packed lunches.

We received a really cute pink owl design lunchbox which Kizzy has fallen in love with.  It is a good size with insulated walls, a sturdy handle and zip.  Perfect for school.   

Kizzy was even more delighted when she saw what was inside!  Sainsbury's have a range of healthy, satisfying fruit based snacks and smoothies designed for children, which will provide them with energy to keep up with the demands of the new term.  They are a great alternative to unhealthy snacks like biscuits and sweets.

Kizzy loves anything fruity and she was delighted to discover the mini packs of Raisins and Blueberries and Bite Sized Apricots.  A perfectly sized portion of dried fruit to add a sweet but healthy treat to her lunchbox. The Strawberry Fruity Flakes and the Yogurt Coated Raisins are also delicious snacks packed with taste, offering a twist on traditional dried fruits.  The fun characters on the packaging will appeal to younger children, encouraging them to try them.  Who said healthy can't be fun??

The Smoothies in Orange and Mango or Apple and Blackcurrant are naturally sweet and come in a convenient pouch with a screw top.  Not only will they be perfect in a lunchbox, they are also great for travelling, offering a healthy solution to hunger pangs!  Freddy loved them and enjoyed slurping them from the pouch.

The Smoothies cost £2.59 for a pack of five and the Fruit Mini Bags are 38p each from Sainsbury's.