Silk Pure Almond Review and Giveaway

When I was asked if I wanted to participate in a product review for Silk Pure Almond Milk, I accepted because, truth be told, I was kind of intrigued by the fact that they (the almond milk makers) could even make milk from almonds. I am always amazed by the fact that there are people in the world who think about stuff like this and then actually find a way to make a product from their ideas.  And it actually sounds like it might be kind of healthy.  So...milk from almonds.  Weird?  Or freaking tasty.  I decided to take the plunge and find out.

I decided to try both the original and the Vanilla flavored Silk Pure Almond Milk products.  I used the vanilla flavored milk first, both on my cereal and in a smoothie.  I will NOT use it on my cereal again, it was way too sweet and it had kind of a weird syrupy viscosity to it that I found unpleasant to look at while I ate.  I know...I told you before...I have weird texture issues when it comes to food.  HOWEVER...the Vanilla Almond milk rocked out loud when I added it to my fruit smoothies!  Seriously killer and a much healthier alternative to regular milk.  The vanilla flavor and sweetness took my lackluster smoothie to a whole new level and I felt really hip and sexy while drinking it because I knew that I was putting good, healthy, nutritious stuff into my body.  Almond Milk is chock full of natural antioxidants, and as much calcium and vitamin D as dairy milk, with absolutely no cholesterol, saturated fat, dairy or soy. Best of all, a serving of Silk Pure Almond Vanilla almondmilk is only 90 calories.  I KNOW!  What a great addition to my healthy eating regimen, right? 

The Silk Pure Almond Original Milk worked better for me on my cereal.  While it does have a little different taste than regualr milk, I found the nutty kick it added to my cereal to be enjoyable.  My kids didn't even know it was almond milk when I poured it over their corn flakes, other than they found just a hint of sweetness that meant they weren't complaining about not adding a spoonful of sugar to their cereal.  Yay for healthy alternatives!   The viscosity is a little different than whole milk, it is actually closer to skim or 1%  milk, but I got over that quickly once I dug into the cereal, because the taste of Silk Pure Almond Milk is actually very creamy/silky. Hence the name I guess, huh?   

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Silk Pure Almond Milk.  I will definitely add it to my grocery list.  Honestly, it won't completely replace my regular milk, but I will incorporate it as a healthy alternative for things like smoothies and cereal and soups, etc.  And it is a great soy free alternative to dairy for people who are soy and lactose intolerant.

Wanna learn more about Pure Silk Almond Milk?  Check out their website.  Click here for a .75 cent coupon toward your Pure Silk Almond purchase. 

Wanna Win It?  Come back here and leave a comment telling me something you learned about Pure Silk Almond Milk and you will win a half gallon of Silk Pure Almond milk plus a cute little Chico Bag!  Contest will end on June 5th, 2010 at 12 Midnight PST.  Open to US residents only.

As usual, you can always win extra entries by: 

• Posting about the giveaway on Facebook or your blog
• Tweeting the contest
• Posting it to a Mr. Linky somewhere on the web

**Disclosure:  I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.  I did receive 2 coupons for Silk Pure Almond Milk from Silk in order to try the product and facilitate this review.     

Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk Giveaway and Review

Here's something you may not know about me:

I loves me an ice cold glass of milk.  But it can't be just any milk.  I am kind of a milk snob.  I can't stand warm milk or room temperature milk and I will only buy certain brands.  And truthfully?  I only drink whole milk.  I know, I KNOW!  I see you all rolling your eyes.  Whole milk is so fattening and 2% or lowfat is just as good and much better for me, right?  I watch TV and I hear all those nutrition people, so I KNOW!  But I don't agree that 2 % or lowfat or skim milk tastes just as good as whole milk.  It doesn't.  It tastes like someone just drank a glass of milk, then instead of getting a clean cup? They filled the milk cup with water and the result is milky water. Which is what lowfat milk tastes like to me. Milky water. I know, I know...you "learn to like it."  Well, the thing is, I don't want to learn to like my food just because it's supposed to be good for me, I would like to just like it because it naturally tastes good. 

So when I was asked to try Horizon Organic Low Fat Milk with DHA-Omega 3, my initial response was enthusiastic because my entire family loves chocolate milk.  I love the fact that Horizon products are organic, and I was overjoyed to find that this Horizon product contains DHA-Omega 3, an important nutrient that helps support heart, brain and eye health. Good for all of us, right?  But I kind of don't do lowfat milk.  Until now.  'Cause I gotta tell ya, this was some kick-butt good chocolate milk! My whole family got in on the gig and 2 half gallons I bought on Monday?  Were gone by Wednesday.  Every time I turned around they had a new cupful!

I feel like I really accomplished something this week by adding Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk to our diet, even though the kids totally overdid it and drank it in 2 days.  For one thing, I overcame my issues with lowfat milk.  Yes, I realize the addition of chocolate made the lowfat milk more palatable, but the point is, I drank it.  And I liked it and now I will drink it again and probably even try plain lowfat milk again.  Soon.  Maybe.  Okay, probably, but let me ease into it, will ya?

The other thing I feel like I accomplished was giving my family a product that is good and healthy.  We are trying so hard to overcome our poor eating habits and get healthy this year and Horizon Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA-Omega 3 helped us do that this week.  While I drank it, I sat down and perused Horizon's website.  Here is what I learned:

• DHA provides a nutritional boost for children's growing minds and bodies. Children's brains grow incredibly fast. In fact, the brain nearly quadruples in the first five years of life.
  
• DHA is a key structural component of the brain, yet many young children don't get their recommended daily amount of DHA as it is found in a limited number of food sources.
• Horizon Organic Milk Plus DHA Omega-3 is fortified with a natural, 100 percent vegetarian and sustainable source of DHA - a safe, wholesome, delicious way to bring more of this important nutrient into your family's diet.

I also learned alot of facts about milk in general.  Did you know that a 2006 study showed that low fat milk was as effective at post-exercise rehydration as sports drinks?  Who would have thought!? Apparently, because of the natural carb:pro ratio in flavored milks, low fat chocolate milk is an effective post-exercise recovery beverage.  So now you can feel the burn, then squelch it with some lowfat choco milk, which is good news for me, cause I really don't like sports drinks.  At all.  Not even a little bit.   Consuming carbohydrate and protein post workout has been shown to:

• Enhance muscle glycogen formation
• Promote a hormonal environment that encourages muscle growth
• Promote muscle protein production
• May lessen immune-suppressive effects due of intense exercise

All of this is great news for me as I struggle to gain control of my body this year.  And believe me when I say, it's a HUGE struggle! 

I want to thank Horizon for letting me have this opportunity to try their Organic Lowfat Chocolate Milk with DHA-Omega 3.  I am more knowledgeable now about the benefits of Omega 3 and I am feeling like I have options when it comes to the healthy products I can incorporate into our menus.  Knowing that I do not have to feel deprived and eat things I don't find tasty is half the battle, right?  And knowing that my kids are getting soemthing healthy in their bodies makes me feel less guilty, which means I personally won't use food to ease my guilt as often.  Horizon Organic® products are produced without antibiotics, pesticides or cloning, from cows not given added growth hormones. So in addition to the good stuff in the milk, I can feel good about the stuff NOT going into the milk. Win-Win, yes!?

There's lots of interesting facts on the Horizon website. You should check it out. I love the little kids laughing and running around on the home page, they make me giggle!

While you are there, find and interesting fact about one of their products then come back and leave a comment for your chance to WIN FREE Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk! 2 winners (yep!  Two of you!)  will recieve 4 coupons each (2 coupons for a free half gallon of the chocolate milk and 2 coupons for $1 off a half gallon of the chocolate milk). That's a lot of milk, people!

 

Want extra entries?

• Tweet this giveaway
• Blog about it on your blog
• Post it on Facebook
• Become a Facebook Fan of Horizon Organic Products
• Add the giveaway to a Mr. Linky somewhere and leave me the link in your comments. 

Contest is open to US residents only and will end on February 27th at 12 midnight PST. I will choose the winner using random.org and notify the winners by email.
**I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.  I did receive 2 coupons for free Horizon Organic Chocolate milk in order to facilitate this review.