I had my first
Expo West experience a few weeks ago. I went on Friday afternoon with the intention of just doing a quick walk-through and then heading home to the kids. Well... I didn't leave until they basically kicked me out that evening and so on Sunday, I was there again bright and early, but that time I took my 5 year old with me.
Expo West was made with my type in mind. All my favorite brands were there. From foods to beverages to beauty and home care - every single awesome eco-friendly and green brand was there and I also had the opportunity to discover some new ones.
I headed home with a lot of great products to try out and I'm making a conscious effort to take a picture before devouring or using a product. I can tell you already that I've missed the opportunity on a few of them, but for one day last weekend, I did it every time we drank something. Here's what we had:
Hubert's Lemonade in Strawberry Lemonade. It's made using the freshest and sweetest lemons from California! Super delicious, even though the kids only gave me a few sips of it. I love that it comes in a glass bottle and the logo is totally cute! My kids recognize it now and when we go to Sprout's, they ask for it.
Virgil's Root Beer. This is the hubster's favorite. We usually buy it at Trader Joe's, but it's pretty mainstream now and we've seen it in plenty of grocery stores. I'm personally not a fan of root beer, but we seem to have it around our home a lot anyway.
Nature's Pure Organic Cola. This was my drink of choice and I can honestly say that it was THE BEST cola I have ever had. Mind you, I've had a lot of cola drinks in my time, and this one is even better than the ones from Mexico. It's not as sugary or syrupy. It goes down smooth and it tastes even better when it's extra chilled. Nature’s Pure contains nothing artificial - no added sodium, and USDA certified organic ingredients
Natalie's Hand Crafted Strawberry Lemonade. This little bit of goodness comes all the way from Florida. It is fresh squeezed and the quality of the beverage can definitely be tasted. I opened up the little bottle with the intention of drinking it myself. Well, my kid saw it and he ran over to finish off the rest of it. He couldn't stop talking about how good it was. In California, you can find it at Gelson's. Check their website about other locations on where to buy.
Naked Power Garden. My kids and I love Naked juices. Our favorites are the Green Machines because they have all the green power veggies, but the fruit masks it. This beverage is part of Naked's new Power Garden line. It's full of veggies (this one has tomato, bell pepper, celery and carrot) and has an orange and lemon in there too to kind of balance out the tomatoey flavor. Only 120 calories!
Odwalla Smoothies for Kids in Grape Berry Prairie. I don't know exactly what I was expecting from this juice box, but it delivered. This particular drink lived up to its flavor description. In this case, this drink has pressed apple juice, crushed grape juice, mashed banana, pureed cherries, smashed strawberries and 1/4 peach. The consistency is like a smoothie, but one can easily drink it from the little straw. Great for lunchboxes! Also available in Mango Pineapple Island and Strawberry Banana Jungle.
Puroast Low Acid Coffee Single Serve. Before Puroast, I had never heard of low-acide coffee. I just saw that Puroast was sampling coffee and I was immediately pulled to it. Bonus points to them for handing out little k-cups for my Keurig filled with their low acid drak french roast coffee. Low acid coffee is best for those that get an upset stomach due to the high acidity in coffee (sometimes because we drink it in the morning before eating). You honestly wouldn't be able to taste a difference between this french roast and another french roast, as far as the taste I mean. It's strong, delicious and better for you than other varieties. I would probably drink it in the morning after my cup of water, but before breakfast.
Mickies Slices in Pineapple Lemon. The packaging definitely stands out. It makes it easier to hold and the way the straw goes in, the little kids can make sure that everything comes out. It also makes it basically spill proof. The one thing that stood for me (besides the ICEE-polar-bear-look-alike) was the amount of vitamins in the juice. Vitamin B is major for our family because the kids are vegetarian, so this is the vitamin that they get the least of. It's also organic!
Sneakz Organic in Chocolate. This beverage was a standout for me because I'm forever interested in giving my kids even more veggies than they already consume - but I do not want to make them unhealthy in the process (do you remember the chocolate covered carrots?). This beverage's base is skim milk and then it's filled with broccoli, sweet potatoes and carrot. A few other ingredients, including dutch cocoa, are thrown in to mask the flavors of the veggies. I had this beverage a few times and I could taste the sweet potato every time. It has a thick smoothie/milkshake texture and I really think that your kid has to like the taste of sweet potato for them to like the drink. But even then, the kids might not like it so much. My older one, who will happily devour his weight in vegetables did not care for this drink, but my younger one, who has a pickier pallet, did drink at least two over the last few days. If nothing else, you may be able to make a smoothie out of it with ice and more milk/soymilk.
Healthy Kids Organic Ready To Drink Meal Replacement by Orgain. This beverage is meant for the kids that are a bit pickier in their meal choices. It has over 10 different organic fruits and veggies, organic complex carbohydrates from brown rice, 23 vitamins and minerals, 8 grams of organic protein and it's gluten free. My older boy finished it off in a few minutes. For us, it would be one of those drinks that we would carry out on the road with us, but because of the large amounts of food that my boy eats, I would really have to limit them at home otherwise he would gain weight very quickly. This drink meal replacement is available in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. They also offer adult versions.
'Tude Juice. Hands down the best apple juice I have ever had. 'Tude Juice makes a line of raw, pressure pasteurized apple juices. They currently produce five different flavors and they all start the same way, with good quality fresh apples. 'Tude Juice uses a cold pressed processing method that is unique to their production. I took their suggestion and served it nice and chilled. It was AMAZING.
This is not a sponsored post. I received these beverages and I voluntarily chose to write about them. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.![]()
