Almond Fresh

Almond Fresh
From Earth’s Own Food Company

About the product

Since the first century BC, when travelers on the silk road brought them from Asia to the Mediterranean, almonds have been prized as one of nature’s most nutritious foods. They quickly became a staple of the Mediterranean diet and almond groves flourished throughout the region.

When early Spanish settlers arrived in California in the mid-1700’s, they brought with them their cherished almond trees. Within 100 years, thriving almond groves had spread through much of California’s great Central Valley.

Today this Mediterranean staple is a suggested part of a healthy diet and is increasingly renowned as a nutrient dense whole food with rich taste and versatility.

Almond Fresh is high in calcium and also fortified with vitamins.  See the benefits of Almond fresh by yourself!

• Low in calories and one serve provides 45% of your daily recommended dose of vitamin D, 25% of Riboflavin, and 50% of B12

• Dairy-free and does not contain lactose or casein

• Fortified with calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D and contains naturally occurring vitamin E, riboflavin, vitamin B12, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc

• Almond Fresh Vanilla and Original have about half the calories per serving of 2% milk and is comparable in fat.

• The Unsweetened flavour contains only 30 calories per serving- that's  less than half of the calories found in skim milk

• Almond Fresh products are wheat and gluten free

• Certified kosher

• The brand is owned by Earth's Own

Find out more at http://www.almond-fresh.com/.

About Earth’s Own Food

Earth’s Own Food Company is a pioneering healthy food & beverage company dedicated to nutritional innovation and sustainability in order to actively improve people’s lives and wellbeing.   With a product line-up that includes leading non-dairy beverage brands So Good, So Nice, Almond Fresh and ryza, Earth’s Own Food Company is devoted to developing great tasting wholesome products that are good for their consumers, their families, the community and the planet.

http://www.earthsown.com/

My Thoughts

Did you know that almonds have many benefits for your health?   No wonder I prefer this kind of nut…   Almonds are low in fat and cholesterol free.  They are an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D as well as a source of vitamin E.   And the best of all, almonds are also known to be a source of antioxidants which protects cells from oxidation by removing free radicals which contribute to aging. 

I love almonds – either plain in a thai recipe, salty or robbed with chocolate (my favorite!).

So when I got offered the opportunity to review the Almond fresh beverage, I was curious.   Can this really taste as good as milk?

So when I got my vouchers, I drove to the store and checked out the Almond fresh products.  Imagine my delight when I saw that they had a DARK CHOCOLATE product.   Should I mentioned that it found its way in my cart? LOL  They also have an unsweetened version, the original version, and the vanilla version.  From past experience with non-dairy products, my family and I tend to prefer the kind that is flavoured.   

Just like a chocolate covered almond, Almond Fresh Chocolate brings together the delectable taste of milk chocolate and the powerful benefits of nutrient dense, real California almonds. This new & delicious flavour is a nutritious option for families looking for healthy beverage alternatives.

Once at home, I didn’t wait more and decided to pour myself of glass of freshness.   The taste was amazing and I just couldn’t have enough of it.   The night at supper time, the rest of the family tasted it.    The container was empty by the time supper ended.   The kids kept asking for more.   Even my husband tasted it and thought it was not bad (considering he doesn’t like chocolate I think it is pretty good!).   He mentioned that he would like to try the vanilla flavour next time which I bought the next time I went to the store.

You can also find some recipes to make with Almond fresh directly from their website.    We love Thai and while I was writing this post I realized that they had a recipe for Thai Chicken Curry.   I will definitively try it next time I purchase Almond fresh.   The container we have in our fridge right now is the Vanilla flavor which I guess I could use to do Pain Doré (french toast)…

But to give you an idea of the recipes included in the website, I thought you might like to see one. 

Almond Fresh Thai Almond Chicken Curry

Almond Fresh’s sweet creamy taste complements the flavors of Thai cooking beautifully. (Makes 4 servings)

1 cup Almond Fresh Original
1 tbsp fish sauce
4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp Thai curry paste, green or red
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 large red or orange pepper, sliced into strips
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks, about 1/4 of a fresh pineapple
1 cup green beans
1/2 cup chopped coriander
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

1. In a small bowl, whisk together Almond Fresh, fish sauce, cornstarch curry paste until smooth.
2. Heat oil in large fry-pan. Add chicken strips and stir fry until no longer pink. Add pepper strips, pineapple and green beans. Continue to stir fry until peppers are soft.
3. Add Almond Fresh mixture to chicken and stir continuously until mixture thickens.
4. Stir in coriander, cherry tomatoes, lime juice and salt to taste.
5. Serve with white or brown steamed rice.

I strongly encourage you to expand your taste buds and the ones of your family by purchase a different kind of drink full of calcium.  Almond Fresh would be a great choice next time you go to the grocery store!

CONTEST

The really exciting part is that Almond Fresh is running a contest through their Almond Fresh starting in September to win a trip for 2 to Napa, California. This is going to be a simple sweepstakes. Additionally, there is also a second component; a photo contest in which people will be able to upload "joyous" photos of themselves. These people have the chance to win one of 40 prize packs containing 10 Almond Fresh vouchers worth $50 each. That’s $500 of free milk alternatives! The contest runs from Sept 5 to Oct 30, 2011.

So visit Almond Fresh contest page and participate to have a chance to win!

 

The Almond Fresh products are available at your favourite grocery store.   Don’t forget to let your taste buds explore new flavours every once in  a while!

Disclaimer: I received vouchers to get the product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.