Naked Juice Blue Machine Boosted 100% Juice Smoothie Review

I was at Starbucks the other day doing some work, when I impulsively decided to review one of the beverages they sell there. I picked up a bottle of Naked Blue Machine Boosted 100% Juice Smoothie which cost $4.27 - way more than I would normally spend on a (15.2 ounce) bottled beverage - so I was certainly hoping that this would not only be tasty and nutritious, but would provide some super-duper fuel for my workout later in the evening.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 8 ounces
Calories: 170
Total Fat: 0%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 15 mg, 1%
Carbohydrates: 40 grams
Fiber: 7 grams, 29%
Sugars: 29 grams
Protein: 1 gram

First off - this is not "blue" but purple-ish. But I really didn't care about that - what I can say is that this was one refreshing drink. The first sip and I could feel some of the tiredness evaporating from my body. The drink is thick, sweet and a little tart. I have not one complaint about the flavor as I enjoyed it immensely. I drank only half of the bottle in the morning, because I noticed that each 8 ounce serving provides 170 calories from 29 grams of sugars, 1 gram of protein and a surprising 7 grams of fiber (29% of the daily value).

Naked Juice Blue Machine has (according to the product page) 27 blueberries, 3 blackberries, 3 1/4 apples and 1 banana. According to the label on the bottle, this "no sugar added" juice smoothie has apple juice, banana puree, blueberry puree, fibersol-2 fiber (maltodextrin), blackberry puree, natural flavors, fruit and vegetable juice for color, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E (AS acetate), niacinamide, D-Calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), pyridoxine hydrochlroide (vitamin B6), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12).

The real question is whether I would buy this again - for $2.50 or less - probably - but for $4.00+ - nope. Too expensive and too much sugar - although I could see adding some water to it since it's so thick and making it stretch. I really did like this though, and if I had enough will power to not drink the entire 2+ servings at once, I would probably buy this more often.

No I just need to get a little extra courage to try the Naked Juice Green Machine!

{Website: Naked Juice}

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Food Trap Alert! Voskos Greek Yogurt, Dr. Praegers Sweet Potato Pancakes and Dole Fruit Smoothie Shakers

Voskos Greek Yogurt: Huh? Who? What’s this yogurt? Can it compete with that big dawg, Chobani? Voskos is thick & silky. Tastes pretty good, too. But it has less fruit chunks than Chobani and a bit more tangy tartness on the taste buds. That tang actually points to less sugar, but it also has less protein than Chobani. Voskos is nice and fancy with the “no GMO’s and no artificial hormones” hoopla, so why the hells does strawberry flavor contain modified corn starch? It’s more than likely used as a thickening agent. Because it can’t get thick on it’s own? Modified corn starch is like Viagra for yogurt. Be careful because the Voskos label warns that the product “contains milk”. Are there really people out there with such deep levels of stupid that they can’t figure that out?

Price Paid: $1.50, Calories 120, Fat Cal 0, Total Fat 0g, Sodium 50mg, Carbs, 16g, Fiber 0g, Sugars 15g, Protein 12g

Dr. Praeger’s Sweet Potato Pancakes: Excuse me, but no. These are not the kind of cakes you drench in a tsunami of syrup. These cakes are made for healthy snacking, a light meal, side-dishing, or something along those lines. They’ve won a place in my stomachs that can’t be beat by any other sweet potatoe-ish packaged product. They’ll remind you of a hash brown. Nice and hearty, too. Just bake it up for a few minutes on each side and begin to bask in tasty clean eating gone all kinds of wonderfully right. The fine list of acceptable ingredients is “Sweet Potatoes, Egg Whites, Potato Flakes, Onions, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Arrowroot, Brown Sugar, Salt, Pepper”. Ahhhh. Now go. Go enjoy some for yourself.

Price Paid $4.29, Calories 80, Fat Cal 20, Total Fat 2g, Sodium 140mg, Carbs 12g, Fiber 1g, Sugars 6g, Protein 2g

Dole Fruit Smoothie Shakers:  This is a “fruit & yogurt kit” that you pour juice into. Then you shake it up and it transforms into a smoothie. No blender required. The concept is great, but there’s too many gray area variables that can screw with the final result. My freezer is apparently freezier than the one at the store. I had to semi-thaw out the contents before it would even shake & mix. You pour the juice of your choice up to the “fill zone” before shaking. I did that. But the shake tasted more like the juice than anything else. It did achieve an impressive smoothie consistency, but overall, it’s not a win. People who don’t usually do smoothies might think the world of Fruit Smoothie Shakers, but if you’re a smoothie-making connoisseur like I am, it might just piss you off.

Price Paid: $3.99, Calories 90 (w/o juice), Fat Cal 20, Total Fat 2g, Sodium 35mg, Carbs 17g, Fiber 3g, Sugars 23g, Protein 3g 

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Healthy Smoothie Recipe

My apologies to Claudia Roscoe. She made a TASTY smoothie that looked not so tasty. Click on title to see cooking segmet and recipe.

It Tastes Like a Cookie Protein Shake (Click link for more great ideas from Claudia)
Protein shakes are easy to make. Once you get going, it’s fun to explore new recipes and ideas.

In a blender:
1 scoop Lifetime Vanilla plant protein
2 TBLS. Thai Coconut milk
2 teas. Barlean’s Pina Colada Fish oil
8 oz. Purified water

Any protein powder can be used, just visit your local health food store to get a quality one. Lifetime plant protein is delicious, has a creamy texture and is soy, dairy, egg and gluten free, for those of you that may be sensitive to those foods. It is vegan as well.
Other milk alternatives you might try are almond milk or hemp milk. Add in some fresh or frozen berries (organic of course!) and you can even put a little almond butter, walnut butter or sunflower butter for added creaminess and good taste! Remember your good oils; there are many to choose from…hemp, flax, coconut, safflower, and sesame are just a few to mention. Just make sure they are nature-made and not man-made. Have a little flax, chia or hemp as well? Throw it in there for some wonderful food fiber

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Smoothie making challenge sponsored by Egg Beaters.

Today we’re kicking it OLD SCHOOL.

Come with me as I make a smoothie & frolic in my kitchen surrounded by 80's style pop-ups.

(yes. you can keep the volume OFF & still steal my wiZdom & challenge. it’s a winwin up in herre.)

Oh, and there’s kale.

Lots and lots of kale.

Join me.

I challenge you.

This post is sponsored by Egg Beaters 100% Egg Whites.  The pop-ups & overall eggcraziness is all my own.

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Tags: Egg Beaters 100% Egg Whites, Shrek Shakes, smoothies

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Naked Juice Blue Machine Boosted 100% Juice Smoothie Review

I was at Starbucks the other day doing some work, when I impulsively decided to review one of the beverages they sell there. I picked up a bottle of Naked Blue Machine Boosted 100% Juice Smoothie which cost $4.27 - way more than I would normally spend on a (15.2 ounce) bottled beverage - so I was certainly hoping that this would not only be tasty and nutritious, but would provide some super-duper fuel for my workout later in the evening.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 8 ounces
Calories: 170
Total Fat: 0%
Saturated Fat: 0%
Sodium: 15 mg, 1%
Carbohydrates: 40 grams
Fiber: 7 grams, 29%
Sugars: 29 grams
Protein: 1 gram

First off - this is not "blue" but purple-ish. But I really didn't care about that - what I can say is that this was one refreshing drink. The first sip and I could feel some of the tiredness evaporating from my body. The drink is thick, sweet and a little tart. I have not one complaint about the flavor as I enjoyed it immensely. I drank only half of the bottle in the morning, because I noticed that each 8 ounce serving provides 170 calories from 29 grams of sugars, 1 gram of protein and a surprising 7 grams of fiber (29% of the daily value).

Naked Juice Blue Machine has (according to the product page) 27 blueberries, 3 blackberries, 3 1/4 apples and 1 banana. According to the label on the bottle, this "no sugar added" juice smoothie has apple juice, banana puree, blueberry puree, fibersol-2 fiber (maltodextrin), blackberry puree, natural flavors, fruit and vegetable juice for color, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E (AS acetate), niacinamide, D-Calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), pyridoxine hydrochlroide (vitamin B6), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12).

The real question is whether I would buy this again - for $2.50 or less - probably - but for $4.00+ - nope. Too expensive and too much sugar - although I could see adding some water to it since it's so thick and making it stretch. I really did like this though, and if I had enough will power to not drink the entire 2+ servings at once, I would probably buy this more often.

No I just need to get a little extra courage to try the Naked Juice Green Machine!

{Website: Naked Juice}

View the original article here

Yoplait Smoothie (Triple Berry)

When I saw that my local grocery store had Yoplait Smoothies in the freezer aisle, at $2.89 for a bag with 2 servings, I picked up 2 varieties to try. The Strawberry Mango Pineapple Yoplait Smoothie was the first one I tried and it was oh so good, that just a few days later, I decided to try the Yoplait Triple Berry Smoothie.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1/2 pouch (8 ounces prepared)
Calories: 110
Total Fat: 1.5 gram, 3%
Saturated Fat: 1 gram, 4%
Sodium: 80 mg, 3%
Carbohydrates:19 grams
Fiber: 2 grams, 8%
Sugar: 15 grams
Protein: 5 grams

This is not a pre-made smoothie. Instead inside the bag, you'll find chunks of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, plus some little yogurt nuggets. Pop everything in a blender with milk, and the result will be a creamy and thick smoothie creation. This variety is heavy on the sweetness and berry-ness. Vary the amount of milk added to get the consistency just right for you, and I guarantee you'll have a tasty smoothie on your hands.

A serving is 1/2 the pouch and provides 110 calories, only 1.5 grams of total fat, 2 grams of fiber (8% of the daily value) and 15 grams of sugars.

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I only make half the bag at a time, and it's not too little, so you really do get 2 servings out of this. Yoplait - you did godd with these smoothies. I really love the ease of preparation, and the tasty result. One thing to note is that the "artificial" sweeteners Splenda (sucralose) is in the ingredients list.

And yes, you could buy the frozen fruit and yogurt separately and make your own ... but now you don't have to! Have you tried any of the Yoplait Smoothies? What did you think?

{Website: Yoplait Smoothie}

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Yoplait Smoothie Coupon

"Like" the Yoplait Smoothie Facebook Page and you can then print a coupon for $1.00 off any Yoplait Smoothie. That's a seriously sweet saving! We have already reviewed the Triple Berry and Strawberry Mango Pineapple flavors, and they totally rocked!

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