Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Vanilla You Shake Review and the You Bar Giveaway Winners


I am a breakfast person. I used to skip this morning meal in order to trade off with sleep, until I realized I just needed meals that were quick and easy to make. They would need carbs and protein in order to keep me going, but couldn't be so high in processed sugars that I crashed by second period.

In graduate school I was mesmerized by the Magic Bullet infomercials. I could do EVERYTHING with this gadget! So I ordered one. And while I can't make fresh salsa (it turns into a soupy mess), I can make fabulous and quick breakfast smoothies. And so for 6 years, the breakfast smoothie has become a staple in my morning routine. I even purchased my own bulk cups, lids and straws so I felt like I was getting something from a fancy smoothie shop at a fraction of the price!

In playing around with smoothies over the years, one of the biggest tests of a smoothie has been the base that I use. I recently had the opportunity to try out You Shake protein shake mix. These customizable protein shakes come in convenient individual packages that are easy to store but also easy to travel with (it you bring your own blender!). You can choose your own proteins, flavor bases, fruits, sweeteners, and even extra nutritional add-ins!

This morning I made a Vanilla Cherry Dream Shake.

1 package Vanilla Dream You Shake mix
1 cup frozen unsweetened cherries
12 oz unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

The flavor of this smoothie was sweet with strong hints of vanilla and cherry. I used the frozen cherries instead of ice, but I think that this base needs the extra ice to thicken the beverage. The drink was a bit powdery, which could be my short blending time, or it may need more liquid in it. There was more powder in this package than most single serving smoothie mixes I have tried. With no directions on the individual package, I may need to add more liquid to counter the excess powder.

Aside from the minor powder and thickness issues, the flavor of this smoothie was excellent. I enjoyed it with some whole grain toast on my drive to work. I could imagine using this base with coffee and ice for a morning blended coffee beverage! I can't wait to try out the Breakfast Shake and Blended Bliss!

Nutritional Information for Vanilla Dream: 110 calories / .5 grams of fat / 1 gram of fiber / 16 grams of protein

Note that this is tagged for both the points for the smoothie mix but also for the Vanilla Cherry Dream Smoothie.

Ingredients: soy protein, organic cane sugar, organic vanilla powder (organic sucrose, organic vanilla bean extractives)

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To celebrate my newfound love of You Bar and You Shake products, I recently offered readers an opportunity to win a You Bar to try. Using Random.org's number generator, the following readers will get a chance to try out the fabulousness that is You Bar!

I asked readers to tell me what they would want in a You Bar and here is what the winners said:

Trying Rachel's Chocolate Fix is Mo Diva! She said:

"Duuuude! Chocolate! yum! I just posted a recipe with tuna fish...i follow you already and um i am linking you now!"

Getting a chance to sample the Sweet Sarah bar is Lisa D.! She said:

"definitely with cashews and soy protein and almonds and flax and dried apricots. mmmmm! great giveaway!"

Congratulations to both winners and look for another healthy food giveaway this week! Plus, don't forget your chance to win a $10 Starbucks gift card in the Mystery Ingredient Challenge. It ends March 31 at midnight!

5 comments:

hsullivan66 said...

I've been wanting to get a magic bullet for years, but with all the cups etc that comes with it, I don't have a ton of space in my kitchen to store it!

I'm thinking maybe I need to invest (I did try getting one for cheap when L&T went out of business, but no luck).

Do you find the smoothies filling enough to make it till lunch?

Anonymous said...

I love my magic bullet! I recently just started making smoothies in it and that alone is worth it.

Mom on the Run said...

I love my magic bullet!

I never tried to put cherries in my smoothie. This is going to be a must next week. Great review and idea!

Anonymous said...

Vanilla Cherry Dream Shake sounds awesome!

Mo Diva said...

FYI...the Rachel bar you sent me is FANTASTIC!!!

Disclaimer:

I get asked by readers if I am being paid to push products. The simple answer is no. In fact, most of the products I write about are ones I have found and purchased during my trips to the grocery store or on the road. Occasionally, a company will send a sample my way and if I believe the product will serve a need for my readers and I would buy the product myself, then I will share it with you. Sometimes I will write to a company after reading about it, if I believe it will help us lead healthier lifestyles. But even then, if the product doesn't pass my scrutiny, it won't make the screen of Uncovering Food. You can trust that every product or recipe posted here has passed through my lips, and that I wouldn't blog about it if it wasn't worthy of you... my favorite readers.