Product Review: Mix 1 Hi-Antioxidant Fiber Drink, Orange-Carrot Flavor

Another great find at Whole Foods Market!

This nutritious drink is made from all-natural ingredients like carrot juice concentrate, orange juice concentrate, Whey Protein, Organic Cane Sugar, and Extra Light Olive Oil. It contains an antioxidant blend that provides Green Tea extract, EGCG, vitamin E, and vitamin C. The label claims that an 11-ounce bottle contains 9 servings of fruits and vegetables in addition to 8 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein! Seems to good to be true, doesn't it? Or else the taste is going to SUCK, right?

Wrong! Mix 1 tastes absolutely delicious! Almost like an Orange Julius (that is the closest thing I can compare it to). The tangy citrus flavor complements the sweetness of the carrot juice and the whey protein adds a creaminess that is a dieter's dream! I tried to savor the flavor so that I could accurately describe it to you all, but it was too good. I chugged it right down!

The drinks are available at Whole Foods Markets and other stores near you. The company's web site offers a wealth of information concerning its product, as well as a store-locator and Amazon.com-powered ordering. Their website is: http://www.mix1life.com/. This product is good for nine months in the sealed bottle, so if you order a case from Amazon (with free shipping, because it is over $25.00), it is sure to get used before it goes bad!

One bonus about this product: it is in the 2:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio that is ideal for replacing glycogen after hard or prolonged workouts (see my previous post on glycogen for more on that)! It also contains the electrolytes potassium and sodium. So this is a great drink for me to have after martial arts training or running!

I'm pretty sure I have another flavor at home in my refrigerator. I'll let you all know how good it is. Make sure you get the High-Fiber version; the regular one, although it offers more flavors, has more calories. 5 STARS!

Energy Drink Product Review + Recipe

Energy drinks are everywhere these days! In the gas station in Castro Valley where I frequently fill up after karate, they have about 4 refrigerator cases full of different flavors, sizes, and varieties.

Being a mom of 4, a wife, a teacher, and a full-time workout nut is tiring. Sometimes I drink energy drinks to give me a boost during the day. I don't drink the ones with sugar in them. I hate "wasting" calories on drinks - I would rather spend my WW points on food. That automatically cuts the selection of energy drinks available to me by about 80%.

Unfortunately, the 20% that are left for the most part don't taste so good. I choke them down because I want the functional ingredients in them. The only one I think I really enjoy the flavor of is Go Girl.

Imagine my delight when I was shopping in my local grocery outlet (AKA rainbow market) and stumbled upon a club soda-flavored energy drink. Club soda has no calories, and virtually no flavor. My mind reeled at the possibilities for mixing this thing and having an endless choice of flavors of energy drink that I wouldn't have to choke down!

The drink is called JetSet. It comes in 5 flavors: the club soda, original, diet original, ginger ale, and tonic water. I only saw the club soda flavor. I think they were 6 for $1.00 or some ridiculous price. I should have bought more than the 6 I got. Maybe I'll go back and see if they have any more.

The company that makes these energy drinks is in San Francisco. Supposedly they sell their drinks at Safeway, Vons, and BevMo! I'll have to check my local stores and see if they have any of the other flavors. Their website is at www.drinkjetset.com.

The club soda tastes like regular club soda. I was surprised that it didn't have a "vitaminy" taste like some of the energy drinks out there. If you put me in a blind taste test, I wouldn't be able to distinguish between this product and another club soda. It comes in a 10.5 ounce can (perfect serving size for mixing) and contains 120 mg of caffeine (about the same as a cup of coffee and more than an 8-ounce Red Bull), along with B vitamins, taurine, ginseng, and guarana.

The mixing possibilities with this drink are endless. I tried mixing this with half of an OceanSpray Cranergy drink (cranberry pomegranet, yum), half a cup of Minute Maid fruit punch (again, yum), and a couple of different flavors of Crystal Light (pink lemonade was especially tasty). The Jetset website has a bunch of recipe and serving ideas as well (including cocktails).

My favorite though, was this sparkling ginger limeade that I whipped up in an empty water bottle and took with me on a 2nd grade field trip (I didn't have time to make coffee, but I needed SOMETHING to deal with all those 7- and 8-year-olds!)

--Sparkling Energy Ginger Limeade--

-2 small limes
-1" piece of fresh ginger
-2 sweetener packets (I used Equal but you can use Splenda or Truvia)
-1 can Jetset Club Soda Energy Drink

Juice the limes. Peel and grate just the outer soft part of the ginger (the core is tough and stringy). Combine the lime juice, ginger, and sweetener in a tall glass; stir to combine. Carefully pour in club soda and stir. May be shaken and served in a cocktail glass over ice. Or give it a "kick" with a shot of vodka if you don't have to drive anywhere!

Nutritionals: 22 calories, 0 fat, 0 fiber, 0 protein, 80mg sodium

WW points: 0