sambazon freshies review and giveaway

press sample

I first fell in love the with the chocolate-berry flavor of acai bery when I first visited Brazil many moons ago. Here in the US, it's a sorta' pretentious superfood. There, it's a humble but delectable staple, sold at every corner juice bar and in little cups by vendors on the beach. I like it best mixed with bananas, but it's also popular served with granola. Given my taste for acai, I was thrilled when the nice folks at Sambazon asked me to review their new acai juice blends – Freshies. 

I have long been a fan of Sambazon's straight, frozen acai which I use as described above with bananas. I also love it in a smoothie, with almond or cashew milk and a bit of raw cocoa powder. They sent me this cool acai bowl and cookbook. Now onto the reviews....

Even though they sent me four vouchers, sadly, I was only able to find 2 flavors at my local Whole Foods: Blended Breakfast and Energy Mocha Java. Each "serving" has about 180 calories, but each bottle has 1.3 servings. I really wish food companies would just give us nutrition counts for bottles or containers or reasonable portions – and stop confusing consumers with these odd serving sizes.

Each Freshie serving contained 7 grams of protein which is decent for a fruit juice but did not contain any impressive vitamin percentages. Unfortunately, sugar was also high on the ingredient list. Although I liked both flavors, especially the Mocha Java [Chocolate + coffee + acai?! Win, win, win. Yes, please.], I found both a tad too sweet for me. Still. I could see how others would like them, and since they are made from whole foods and pronounceable ingredients, they are a hell of a lot better for you than soda. I found them to be very filling.

I taste-tested these back in summer and used some of the leftover juice to make little ice pops. It was the perfect application. These Freshies would also make fabulous smoothie bases. Good additions would include baby spinach, bananas, and maybe a shot or two of your favorite nut milk.

Want to win free VIP vouchers for free Sambazon Freshies and give them a try? Enter below! [US only, please] 

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