Honest Tea: Tastes Good, Feels Good

Honest Tea sent my family a variety of drinks to try out, and we have loved each and every flavor.

For herbal teas, we tried:

• Pomegranate Blue
• Orange Mango
• Cranberry Lemon

My husband loved these for having under 100 calories per bottle, and for being refreshing and not too sweet.  There are 6 other iced tea flavors -- check them out.

The kids and I tried assorted Fizz products.

• Root Beer
• Ginger Ale (I may have turned mine into this) 
• Orange Pop
• Lemon Limey
• and the oh-so-delicious Professor Fizz Spiced Cherry

Each one of them tasted great (there is a slight Stevia aftertaste, in case you're sensitive to that) and I feel good that I'm giving my kids non-sugary organic products with zero calories and only natural sweeteners.

Not only are the products natural and organic, but all teas also use Fair Trade Certified Tea leaves.

My family and I give Honest Tea drinks our thumbs up, and I do so as well for the company and the way it conducts business. Tastes good, feels good -- try them yourself!

The Pregnant Boozer

Well, that title probably got your attention right? But I promise, it's not what you think it is. What it IS, is summer. And what that MEANS, is a LOT of people want to drink a LOT of booze on a LOT of patios. Or at my house. Or with dinner. Or at the beach. And as a girl who DOES love her wine, this IS a hard adjustment for me... being pregnant and all.

The truth is, I don't NEED the booze - I've been surprisingly okay without it until now. But now, honestly, I'm jealous. I'm jealous of the fun and relaxation that comes from sipping a cold cider or beer. I'm jealous of the fabulous taste of a room-temperature glass of a Cab-Shiraz blend. I'm jealous of the ability of these NON-pregnant people to have those WHENEVER they want, and have however MUCH they want.

So I thought it was time to get me some "pregnant booze". Meaning? Alcohol-free beer and alcohol-free wine. Going INTO this adventure, my predisposition was that it would all taste like SHIT, but maybe it would help me not feel so left out so was worth a shot. Coming OUT of this adventure, I have to say I'm more than pleasantly SURPRISED by this stuff! (products listed at the end)

First off, all this alcohol-free "booze" is available in a GROCERY store - which I know to many in other countries, is like, uh, so? But in Canada, booze is only sold in liquor stores, and beer & wine stores - that's it. So the fact that I also get to SKIP the liquor store, and don't have to pass slowly by all my fun favorites, well, that's a nice little added bonus!

Second, all this "booze" is affordable. For the two 6-packs, I paid $7-10 each, and for the wine I paid about the same. And for those in Canada - there's NO damn liquor tax!

Third, all this stuff is low on calories! Wait, did you get that? They're LOW ON CALORIES people!!! They're SO low I'm debating taking one to work to swig in the lunch room! Just to see the reactions of course, because telling a real beer from a fake beer is NOT possible without reading the label, so at first glance, there'd be a pregnant lady boozing it up in the lunchroom... Anyway, the two beers below are 60 & 90 calories (with 0g and 1g of sugar), and the wine has 180 calories in the ENTIRE bottle, with 15g of sugar. Not too shabby!

But most importantly, how does it TASTE? And how alcohol-FREE is it REALLY? Let's go one by one.

• The Inglenook Alcohol-Removed White Zinfandel, St Regis Reserve tastes SURPRISINGLY like real wine. While I fully admit I'm not normally a white zinfandel fan, the blush color, and the alcohol-free label had me willing to TRY it - and it actually tasted so much like a tasty little cold summer wine that I put it down to RE-READ the label, ensuring it really WAS alcohol-free. It's fruity and fun, and seriously, smells AND tastes like wine. As for booze content, there's less than 0.5% alcohol.
• The Beck's Non-Alcoholic beer AGAIN, tastes surprisingly like a REAL Beck's beer. While I've become much more of a cider fan in the last few years (the husband is gluten-free, so buying ME beer and HIM cider just seems mean), this non-alcoholic beer took me back to the good old days of ending a hard day with an icy cold beer on a patio. Of course it didn't end with me having TWELVE of them, but that one alcohol-free beer? Well at less than 0.5% alcohol, it really took me back to the good old days, and made me feel PART of the fun, instead of on the outside of it.
• And last but not least, O Doul's Amber Non-Alcoholic beer. Like its counterpart above (Beck's), this beer has gone through all the regular brewing processes and contains all the regular ingredients you'd find in your favorite amber beer - just with less than 0.5% alcohol as they remove it. Also like its counterpart, this beer was a LOT of fun to drink. Maybe it's that they come in REAL beer bottles, maybe it's that they taste like REAL beer, or maybe it's just that they've all done a damn good job in making this stuff taste so much like the real stuff, there's not a lot left to be jealous of anymore!

So if you're like me - knocked up and feeling left out - try one of the products above. You'll feel like you had a real drink, and with less than 0.5% alcohol, you don't have to have any guilt. Two BIG thumbs up from me, your pregnant boozer.

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Let the Day Begin...with Capri-Sun and a $250 giveaway!

++ UPDATED WITH WINNER at bottom ++

(Read all the way to the bottom to see what's in this post for you.)

Upfront disclaimer: This is a paid review. I received $50 and free samples for purposes of sharing my honest opinion.


Here's the song my mom used to sing to start our day, back in the day.



Here's the song I play to start my kids' day these days.



Anyone who is responsible for the start of another's day knows you gotta do it right.

As part of a BlogHer campaign, the cheerful folks at Capri-Sun Sunrise sent my family a case of their new flavors: Orange Wakeup, Tangerine Morning, and Tropical Morning.

Tessa and Reed were thrilled about their juice-bonanza. Reed's exact words were: These taste really good. When you drink them, you never wanna stop drinking them!. And Tessa had this to say: Mom! Tell everyone these are muchly good and not to spill them!

I like the fact that there's a full daily serving of both calcium and vitamin C, and I advise moms to check out the ingredient list.

While we got free juice, you also get a chance for something -- a $250 VISA gift card. Because Capri-Sun Sunrise is all about Making Every Day Better. Just like a mom.

Capri-Sun Sunrise is hosting a contest that runs April 29-July 8. You can enter below to win that $250 VISA gift card. Complete contest details are here and there are 8 chances to win.

The contest centers around these questions: What were your morning rituals when you were a kid? What cool or wacky things did your parents do as you headed out into the world? What do you do to start your family's day off right?

To enter, leave a comment below and share YOUR morning routine tips.

• Gain an additional entry by linking on Twitter and leaving your tweet's URL below.
• Gain anOTHER entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• Make sure you leave a valid e-mail address.
  
• No duplicate comments.
• This giveaway is open to US residents, over the age of 18.

The winner will be selected via random drawing and will notified by e-mail. After the close of the contest, you'll have 48 hours to get back to me (if I am unable to reach you); otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Good luck to all!

If you're new to All Thumbs Reviews, my blog partner Chicklet and I invite you to check out our main blogs, Weebles Wobblog and Bloorb. Thanks for visiting, and click on that subscribe button on the sidebar so you don't miss any of our finds!

++ Random.org selected. #138. FireMom, come on down! ++
Thanks to everyone for visiting and entering.
Come back each week to see what's new!

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Summer Sangria

With summer sadly coming to an end, so comes the end of the Sangria. And it's not because we HAVE to stop drinking Sangria, it's just because we know we WILL stop drinking Sangria. For us, Sangria's a SUMMER drink, a drink you throw together in a PITCHER, a drink you serve to friends on PATIOS. For us, when we're REALLY smart, sometimes it's even a drink we keep ALL to ourselves.

So to keep it short and simple this week, I give you my FAVORITE Sangria recipe. Super easy to throw together cuz it's all done in the PREP, and super tasty cuz of the BUBBLES... and the berries.

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle red wine (I use a Shiraz)
• 1 lemon cut into wedges
• 1 orange cut into wedges
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 splash orange juice
• 2 shots gin
• 1 cup sliced strawberries or raspberries (I always use raspberries)
• 1 small can diced pineapples WITH the juice
• 2.5 cups gingerale

Instructions:

• Pour the wine into pitcher and squeeze the juice from the lemon, orange, and lime wedges into the wine.
• Toss the squeezed out wedges into the pitcher along with the wine.
• Add pineapple, sugar, orange juice, and gin.
• Chill overnight with saran wrap or a lid on top to avoid "fridge taste".
• Add gingerale, berries, and ice just before serving.

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Long Weekend Hit n Miss

So, for the long weekend, we did us some shopping, some hiking, and some driving. And with THOSE things, came THESE two things for the list. The review list.

First, I'm not really a fan of WATER. It's boring, and it's boring, and OH... it's BORING. So more often than not, I end up with bottled water, cuz there's something about the BOTTLE, that makes it more appealing, and if there's something that makes it more appealing, at least it gets me DRINKING the damn stuff.

The problem is, once in awhile, I like to throw me in some ENERGY water or FLAVOURED water - you know, to mix it UP! So this weekend, for the hike, we tried us some Propel Fitness Water. And while the berry flavour's *okay*, the lemon, I would NOT recommend in any way, shape, or form. It's just way too TART and overdone. While I wouldn't RECOMMEND the berry flavour either - not in comparison to OTHER flavoured waters out there - it's not bad and it DID seem to give me a little kick. Whether that was just the fact that I was drinking WATER and getting refreshed, or it was this SPECIFIC water that gave the kick, I dunno, but I can't say I DIDN'T have energy after drinking it. So a mixed review - one thumb up, one thumb down.

What I DID love this weekend however, was our latest CD purchase - Duffy. If you HAVEN'T heard her, you MUST hear her. She has a CRAZY wicked voice that's all raspy without being BAR HAG raspy, and the tunes, well they mix from a little bit soul to a little bit pop to a little bit... I don't know. And the "I don't know" part, is what's so GOOD about this CD. It's not common AT ALL, and even the touch of pop I mention? Well, it's probably more SPUNK than pop. She's just got something that makes you wanna listen. Two BIG thumbs up for Duffy.

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And if you're keeping track, the winner of Fully Fertile is Rebecca! I'll be emailing for a mailing address, congrats!

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Friends don't let friends make bad mojitos

Life -- and summer (winter, if you're a Downunder reader) -- is short. Don't waste a moment or a calorie on a bad mojito.

Of course, homemade is the best. The recipe I use is:

Pour over ice in a highball glass:

• 1 oz minty simple syrup*
• 1 oz rum (or more) (or none -- virgin mojitos are good, too!)
• juice from 1/2 lime

Top with:

• club soda or ginger ale
• sprig of spearmint

Homemade mojitos require foresight and preparation. But sometimes (or often, if you're me) the craving for a mojito exists even though the pre-planning didn't.

So, what to do?

Enter three mixers. And my thumbs.

1. My favorite mojito mixer is by the same folks who make flavors for coffees -- the good people at Monin. This product offers the perfect type (spearmint, NOT peppermint) and intensity of mint, with just the right texture (only mildly sweet and not too syrupy). Exactly what I aim for when I make my own simple syrup.

Thumbs Up for taste and texture. You still add the soda, the rum, and the lime, so it's very close to homemade.

Thumbs Down for availability. Locally, I can find this only at a coffee wholesale warehouse in a section of town I rarely get to. So I tend to stock up twice or thrice (how often does a blogger get to use that word?) a year. However, thanks to having to write this post, I found it through the Amazon marketplace, with a better price, $9 a bottle.

2. A passable choice is Freshies, a company perhaps more famous for its Bloody Mary mix. This concoction has both the mint and the lime flavors, so you need only add rum and soda.

Thumbs Up for convenience. No need to cut and squeeze the lime. When you're making a batch of drinks, the lime step can keep you from your company for a seemingly long time.

Thumbs Even for taste. Despite it's name it just doesn't taste as fresh as Monin or as homemade. Fresh limes really DO make a difference. And if you add them to Freshies, it's just too limey.

Thumbs Down for price. Online, the price for a bottle is $10.50, but you can often find this product at your local supermarket or specialty grocer for less . However, the recipe on the bottle calls for 3 times as much mixer as the Monin, making it a more expensive option.

3. Here's where I derived the title of this post. But first, a digression.

Back in a high school genetics class, we studied traits that we'd inherited from our biological parents. I remember studying such quirks as hitchhiker's thumb, hairy knuckles (neither of which I had), and the ability to taste a certain chemical.

The teacher passed out to each student a piece of tissue paper that had been infused with a substance detectable only to people with a certain gene. The tissue paper was completely benign to some and absolutely repulsive to others.

Like me.

I had flashbacks to that experiment both times I had a mojito made with Rose's Mojito Mix.

So I can only give it a thumbs down. It's watery, it requires that you use a lot, and it tastes like science class.

Ick.

If you are lacking that gene and really LIKE mojitos made with Rose's, let me know. I'd like to check out your knuckles, as well.

Enough talk. Time to drink!

* Heat equal parts sugar and water (say, 1 cup each) in saucepan until just before boiling and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Add 1/4 cup fresh, chopped spearmint leaves and let steep 30 minutes. Use a strainer to take out mint leaves (discard), and keep minty syrup in sealed container in fridge for your Mojito Moments.

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Mmmmmm Port

Way back when, I didn't used to drink wine. I didn't drink white wine, I didn't drink red wine, and there's no way in HELL you'd have convinced me to drink that wine-like THING they call Port.

And then came the husband, who's very MUCH a red wine drinker. Which as you know in relationships, turned ME into a red wine drinker. And then somehow TOGETHER, we became Port drinkers too.

But let's be clear here - we ain't wine snobs, we ain't gonna go all chatty about the SMOOTH finish or the HINTS of oak or whatever the hell it is wine snobs talk about. We're gonna talk about TASTE and COST. And when it comes down to TASTE and COST, we found a good cheapy that's actually quite impressive.

I introduce you to OUR fave, Whisker's Blake. And by fave, I mean, the one that's ALWAYS in the liquor cabinet for a quick hit, late-night, with some ever-so-yummy dark chocolate. By no means is this a fabulous port to SHOW OFF at your fancy schmancy dinner party, but by no means is it something you CAN'T serve to your friends.

Available for about $20 in Canada, when we serve up some Whisker's Blake, most of our friends have been quite SHOCKED that it's only $20. A great drink and a TOTAL steal - two very wobbly thumbs up from me.

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Carménère, I toast you.

Don't worry. I'm not going to get all wine-snobby here. First of all, I'm not equipped and secondly, I'd like to think I'm not that pretentious.

In the early 1990s, I dated a handsome and worldly New Zealander. (Is it OK to use the word "dated," Iain? -- you were so averse at the time to be committed in any way.)

Ours was a relationship of fun and laughter. Even today -- significant others and 4 children later -- we can banter like old times. He never lets me forget my early-in-the-relationship faux pas...

...when I ordered a White Zinfandel. He looked SO horrified that it was also the LAST time I ordered White Zinfandel. I didn't know it was made of a waste-byproduct. I didn't know it was the wine equivalent of Pabst Blue Ribbon. I just liked it because it was pretty and somewhat sweet -- I hated the vinegary taste that most wines produced in my young mouth.

I had never been much of a wine drinker. I attended some wine tastings and learned I liked some of the sweeter white wines like Johannesburg-Rieslings and Gewurtztraminers.

Sometime in the past two years my palate has matured. I began to seek out red wines. I surprised myself by seeking out bold and hearty reds, not demure and flowery ones.

Enter my new fave: Carménère. Carmenere was a grape grown in the Bordeaux region of France, related to the Cabernet. It was wiped out by a plague a century-and-a-half ago. But the vines were preserved and imported into Chile. Protected by the Andes Mountains, the Pacific Ocean and the Atacama Desert, the grape thrives because the plague has been thwarted.

Concha y Toro makes two very affordable Carménères under its Frontera brand and Casillero del Diablo brand. Both are often available at my Cost.co Liquors, making them even more affordable.

It's the only wine I've ever bought by the case.

Carménère is beautiful to look at. Purplish-red in jewel-tones, and not wimpy at all. I could go on with my nose in the air about the legs it has and its bouquet, but instead I'll just say that it has layers and complexity in my mouth. I like how it speaks to me for a few moments after the initial sip.

I cannot think of any downside to this wine. Except that in writing about it, I've made myself thirsty. I'm sure you'll excuse me.

Two thumbs up.

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