Happy Sunday! Here in Chicago, it's been quite a warm weekend so I hope you're staying cool and comfortable wherever you are. Last week the featured giveaway was a 125 Blender Recipe Bookazine (similar to a thick magazine that reads like a cookbook). It's full of recipes that go beyond the usual drinks and smoothies that most people (myself included) use a blender for. If you need more inspiration and encouragement to use your blender for different dishes, definitely check out this bookazine! You can find it at newsstands all over the country... but I've got one copy that's getting mailed to a lucky reader. Now, here's a big Congratulations! to the winner of this past week's giveaway! Please shoot me an email at [email protected] to claim your prize...
As I mentioned earlier, Chicago has been having some warm temps lately... and I'm sure it's only the beginning. Growing up, my parents would stock up on sodas (pop) so we could cool down with a cold one during the warm summers. Looking back, it probably wasn't the best drink to have on a hot summer day now that we know and understand the consequences of too much sugar and calories. Everything in moderation right?
Fast forward a couple years, if not decades, our diets as a society are constantly changing and evolving. We're more cognizant of bettering our health and making smart diet choices. So, rather than loading up with sugar and calories drinking a cold soda, I've found a new, healthier alternative! Sparkling Ice...
Sparkling Ice is a refreshing drink of naturally flavored sparkling water that has zero calories, made with natural fruit juice, sweetened with Splenda and is refreshing too! Here's a little more info behind the brainchild of Sparkling Ice...
Fast forward a couple years, if not decades, our diets as a society are constantly changing and evolving. We're more cognizant of bettering our health and making smart diet choices. So, rather than loading up with sugar and calories drinking a cold soda, I've found a new, healthier alternative! Sparkling Ice...
Sparkling Ice is made by the Talking Rain Beverage Company, located east of Seattle, Washington, in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Talking Rain has been dedicated to producing healthier, refreshing beverages for over twenty years. They pride themselves on creating beverage products of exceptional quality and value to consumers. The source water for Sparkling Ice is from their own deep, pristine, Artesian Spring originating in the Cascade Mountains. Other sources of their production are carefully selected to provide the lowest carbon footprint and the highest quality.Now that we know it's from natural sources, what else is in it? Much to my surprise, it's not just your everyday sparkling water. Sparkling Ice is actually loaded with essential B-vitamins, Vitamin D and antioxidants. So yes, there's health benefits to this drink as well!
When I was in culinary school, I learned a little more about necessary nutrients your body needs such as these vitamins and antioxidants. These B-Vitamins help play a role in using the food you eat for energy your body needs. It also trickles down to helping maintain a normal appetite, healthy skin, good vision, overall nervous system maintenance and forming red blood cells. Vitamin D is one nutrient that we don't get enough of through food. In fact, we get much more Vitamin D through the sun (that is, if it comes out enough for us to even enjoy!) It's especially important for calcium absorption in our bones and overall health. As for the antioxidants, Sparkling Ice contains Green Tea Extract which is known to be an excellent source of antioxidants. These antioxidants are key in protecting our body from harmful molecules known as free radicals. They are the byproduct of our body's natural process and can also be caused my pollutants and environmental exposure. And that my friends, is a little replay of some of the things I learned in my nutrition class from culinary school... lol.
So with all these good things inside a bottle of Sparkling Ice, how does it taste? Well, the folks of Sparkling Ice were kind enough to send me 2 flavors to try - Lemon Lime and Pink Grapefruit. They were both very good, light, fruity and subtly sweet. Between the two, I liked the Pink Grapefruit more and I'm not even a fan of grapefruit in general! I'd like to add that these are also great mixed into cocktails (if you want to liven things up a bit this summer.)
Each bottle of Sparkling Ice is a perfect balance of sparking water, natural fruit juice, a touch of carbonation and enhanced with vitamins and antioxidants. There's a total of 6 refreshing flavors and the folks at Sparkling Ice will generously be sending a case to one lucky reader so they can sample all 6!
Orange Mango
Pomegranate Berry
Lemon Lime
Pink Grapefruit
Black Raspberry
Kiwi Strawberry
Pomegranate Berry
Lemon Lime
Pink Grapefruit
Black Raspberry
Kiwi Strawberry
Some guidelines:
- Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States - my apologies to my non-United States readers!
- You must check back in a week when winners are announced and email me to claim your prize if you win.
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering:
What's your favorite drink to cool down with?
Deadline: Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 12 midnight CST.
One winner will be randomly chosen by Random.Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Sunday, June 12, 2011, within next week's Sunday Fun Day Giveaway. Good luck!
Full Disclosure: The giveaways are sponsored by the same company that provided me with the food related product to review. Products I review and offer as a giveaway are ones I personally recommend and would use/enjoy myself and opinions reflected are mine alone.
My favorite drink to cool down with is Sweetened Iced Tea. :)
ReplyDeletelemonade!
ReplyDeleteWith the temperatures being over 100 degrees here lately, my favorite drink to cool down with is water or gatorade!
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not I have not had flavored water before!
ReplyDeleteFavorite drink, depending upon the time of day and what activities I have been doing include:
ReplyDeleteOJ with 7-UP or an ice cold home brew :-)
I haven't heard of these Ice drinks before. Would love to try them tho.
Depending on the time of day, either a glass of iced tea or some peach sangria!
ReplyDeleteFavorite drink to cool down with is club soda...I know not exciting but so refreshing! Occasionally, I will add lemon/lime or pomegranate juice. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteiced tea. hold the sweet. yum :)
ReplyDeleteall time top notch very favorite is a frozen Coke........But I am trying to drink more water!
ReplyDeleteFavorite of flavored waters is Izze grapefruit. But I cannot find it often.
Would love to try these.
Thanks.
I'll admit to loving an ice-cold microbrew on a sunny day after work!
ReplyDeleteIt's been in the 90s this past week - water has kept me going!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite drink to cool down with is a Coke Slurpee from 7-11. You can't go wrong with that on a hot day!
ReplyDeleteIce Blue Raspberry lemonade kool-aid!! .. no i'm not 5 years old!I'm 34..
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is unsweetened iced tea with lemon!
ReplyDelete26summer at excite dot com
Sweet tea!
ReplyDeleteI love Gatorade!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, My most favorite drink all the time is an ice cold cup of lemon water. sooo refreshing.
ReplyDeleteHey Kool-Aid Man! A cold glass of sweetened kool-aid was a fun refreshing drink in the hot summer of Texas!
ReplyDeleteBest thing to cool me down with is just plain ice cold water! I can down a gallon a day or more especially in the summer.
ReplyDeleteiced peach tea!
ReplyDeleteRaspberry lemonade!
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of 1/2 lemonade & 1/2 iced tea. Although, living in the south, I have to specify "unsweet tea".
ReplyDeleteI would say water and raspberry lemonade..the best!
ReplyDeleteWater with lemonade flavored Crystal Light in it. I drink it constantly.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite drink to cool down with is Iced Tea!
ReplyDeletePaul Newmans Pink Lemonade
ReplyDeleteI love to drink milk bubble tea to cool down!
ReplyDelete[email protected]
I love me some good ole Southern Sweet Tea. It's 110 degrees here today and I could chug a whole liter of sweet tea right now.
ReplyDeleteWish you would make a Blueberry Sparkling Ice Beverage. That would be da bomb!!!
Sparkling Ice flavored drink - lemonade and pineapple coconut.
ReplyDeleteI love the sparkling Ice Grapefruit Love it!
ReplyDeleteI love Sparkling Ice the Grapefruit is my favorite I LOVE IT. i drink either it or one of the citrus flavors or diet coke.
ReplyDelete