I tried to get a series started last year on my favourite new products but guess what? I really don’t buy that many new products so I wasn’t able to keep up with it.
This year, I am still determined to bring you what I can, when I can. No pressure on myself, lol!
In no particular order, these are the products that have found their way to my heart and home recently.
Breville Blend Active
I announced my purchase of the Breville Blend Active, a few months ago, on my instagram page (follow me there to get in on my gist early!). A lot of you may know that I already have a Vitamix (I also mention it here and here) and may wonder when I decided to get another blender for my smoothies.
- The Vitamix is about 2 horsepower and draws as much energy as most home air conditioners. With the constant power outages, my small power generators are unable to supply enough power for me to make a smoothie on demand.
- I travel A LOT and the Vitamix is very far from travel friendly.
So my new needs were
- A portable smoothie maker
- A power friendly one.
I looked at Nigerian stores for something that would meet my needs. Everything I saw was big, like the traditional blenders and not at all portable so I looked outside our shores.
My first choice was a Nutri bullet, since I had used one every single day while on summer holiday and liked it. I could have bought one in America for $99 but declined to do so because of the 110v vs 220v disparity we have. I was not ready to lug a transformer around with the equipment because I knew I would have to travel with it. So, I checked for a Nutribullet in the UK. It was £99. No way was I willing to pay that much so I dropped the Nutribullet idea.
By happenstance, a lady on Instagram posted a picture of her smoothie maker (the Breville BlendActive) at about the same time, so I read up on it, read the reviews and bought it at £34.99. At the time, that came to about N10,000. (Those good ol’days when the naira had more value…just 2 months ago, lol!) I bought the family blender which came with 4 bottles. However, there is a single one which comes with just 1 bottle. This costs £29.99.
Would I recommend this to anyone? Yes! Most definitely. While it does not give me the very smooth smoothie the Vitamix does, the output is still pretty good.
Celestial Seasoning Peppermint tea
I have been a tea drinker for many years now. I went through a phase where I drank a variety of fruit teas, exclusively, for many years and have now settled on peppermint tea, again almost exclusively. Peppermint tea, is far from being just a flavorful, minty drink. It helps with
- Indigestion
- Boosts the immune system
- Relieving Stress
- Freshening Breath
- Weight Loss
…………..and lots more!
You can purchase tea bags at Spar or even make a tea with the fresh leaves. Peppermint is easy to plant and care for.
Kensignton Auto/Air Power Inverter with USB Ports
I was at a book reading many years ago where a writer, Eghosa Imasuen complained that one of the main challenges he faced was constant electric supply. As a blogger, I can relate. While I have moved to Macbook from PC and now enjoy even longer battery power, even that power runs out after a while.
Also, in Lagos, we spend a loooot of time in traffic. I don’t drive myself 95% of the time so I actually work while I am in my car. It made sense to elongate my work time while in the car by getting a car charger.
I was scared of getting something that would damage my Mac (I had heard horror stories about how car chargers have damaged phones) so I waited until I was abroad to get a recommendation directly from the folks at the Apple Store. Turned out that they carried just the item I was looking for. Best thing was that it also came with two USB Ports so now, I charge my Macbook and my phones or even my wifi router in my car.
Even if you don’t work out of your car like I do, this can come in helpful so you always arrive at your destination – work or home with fully charged devices. This does not work for the Macbook alone. As long as your charger can be plugged it, you are in business. You can also get a travel adapter so that you are able to use it with the standard Nigerian plugs.
This charger changed my life….
And there you have it! The items I have enjoyed using these last few months.
