Sunday, April 8, 2012

Silk Fruit and Protein (a review)

When the nice folks at Silk offered me some coupons to get some of their new product, Silk Fruit and Protein, I figured I had nothing to lose. Try it, and if I hate it, I don't have to write about it.

I have no reason to stay dairy-free, but I've got nothing against soy, either. I've never felt a need to buy plain Silk, but a fruity drink sounded like something I might be interested in.

I got enough coupons to buy three containers (either a quart or half-gallon each) of the product, plus a bunch of $1 off coupons as well. And I'll be giving away the same set of coupons to one of you, too.

The first flavor I tried was mango peach. It was peachy, for sure, and creamy. A little thick. Not like a milkshake, but sort of like a smoothie. And a little bit sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. I don't like super-sweet drinks, and this was just fine. I really liked it.

The next one I tried was strawberry banana. Neither one of the fruits was as predominant as the peach in the other drink, but that's okay - it still tasted good. Same thickness.

The last flavor available is mixed berry, and I haven't tried that one yet. I'm guessing it will be similar to the other two.

The verdict? 

I like it. The flavor was good, it wasn't too sweet, and because of the thickness, it's a little more filling than a fruit juice drink. It's got 5 grams of protein per serving, if that's a concern for you. I might not keep this on hand at all times, but I'm sure I'll be buying it when the mood strikes.

I originally thought I'd go for this as a quick breakfast drink (I'm notorious for just having coffee in the morning) to get at least a little something in my tummy before I face the world. But I found that I was more likely to grab it when I was getting peckish (I love that word, don't you?) in the mid-afternoon. Too close to dinner to eat something substantial, but wanting a little something to keep me from gnawing on my elbow before dinner, a glass of this was enough to keep me from nibbling too much of my mise en place.

Or, when I'm dashing out the door to go grocery shopping on an empty stomach (yes my timing is terrible for meals), a glass of this helps keep me from buying random things that just happen to look good. I still buy random things that aren't on my list, but at least I'm not walking through the store and thinking that EVERYTHING looks good.

I won't bore you with all the nutritional data, so for more details, check out the website. They've also got a Facebook page, where they're running their own contest that runs through March 28. And Twitter. Let's not forget that.

Seriously, is there a product left that doesn't have a Twitter account? Pretty soon my left thumb and my right pinkie toe are going to want their own accounts. But I digress.

Obviously, if you can't have dairy, Silk products are a great option. But even if you can have dairy, this is kind of a different drink - creamy and fruity - so it's not just a fruit juice. I wasn't drinking it and thinking "Oooh, this is a milk-substitute that doesn't taste exactly like milk," I was thinking that it was a nice fruity drink with a little body and creaminess.

The fact that I might have been thinking that slug of rum in the mango preach and a jaunty little paper umbrella stabbing a pineapple slice garnish might make this an interesting summer ... uh ... indulgence ... is completely irrelevant. Or maybe creme de cacao in the strawberry banana. Not that I would ever suggest such a thing. Nope, not me.

If you buy it and hate it, there's a money-back guarantee. That's always nice. Or just add more rum.

So you want some coupons?

The Giveaway is Over - the winner is ... karmafreecooking!

Each of the coupon booklets has one coupon good for either a quart or half-gallon size of the Silk Fruit and Protein, plus 5 additional coupons for $1 off. The winner will get three of those coupon books. That's a lot to drink ;-)

Most of the stores I shop at had the quart-size containers, Walmart is the only one that is currently selling the half-gallon size. To find this product in your area, here's the link.

The giveaway is open to US residents only. The giveaway begins as soon as this posts, and ends at midnight mountain time on Thurs day, April 12, 2012.

  1. To enter, leave a comment telling me what your favorite fruit flavor is in a smoothie. This is the only mandatory entry.
  2. For a second (optional) entry, tweet a link to this giveaway. Mention @dbcurrie in the tweet and come back here and leave a comment telling me that you've tweeted. 
  3. For a third (optional) entry, do ANY ONE of these that you choose: Pin a photo from a previous post on this site; stumble a previous post on this site; share this giveaway on your Facebook page; or Like Cookistry on Facebook Whichever you choose, come back here and leave a comment telling me what you've done. For good karma, you can do more than one, but only one will count ;-)

And that's it - three possible entries per person, one winner will get lots of coupons (so much better that shipping all that liquid, don't you think?) and a new product for you to try.

Good luck and Hoppy Easter!

I received a packet of coupons for the Silk products I reviewed. I was not compensated in any other way and I was not required to post or to say nice things about the product.
Yum