Sunday Fun Day Giveaway: Sparkling Ice Drinks!

Happy Sunday! Here in Chicago, it’s been quite a warm weekend so I hope you’re staying cool and comfortable wherever you are. Last week the featured giveaway was a 125 Blender Recipe Bookazine (similar to a thick magazine that reads like a cookbook). It’s full of recipes that go beyond the usual drinks and smoothies that most people (myself included) use a blender for. If you need more inspiration  and encouragement to use your blender for different dishes, definitely check out this bookazine! You can find it at newsstands all over the country… but I’ve got one copy that’s getting mailed to a lucky reader. Now, here’s a big Congratulations! to the winner of this past week’s giveaway! Please shoot me an email at [email protected] to claim your prize…

As I mentioned earlier, Chicago has been having some warm temps lately… and I’m sure it’s only the beginning. Growing up, my parents would stock up on sodas (pop) so we could cool down with a cold one during the warm summers. Looking back, it probably wasn’t the best drink to have on a hot summer day now that we know and understand the consequences of too much sugar and calories. Everything in moderation right?

Fast forward a couple years, if not decades, our diets as a society are constantly changing and evolving. We’re more cognizant of bettering our health and making smart diet choices. So, rather than loading up with sugar and calories drinking a cold soda, I’ve found a new, healthier alternative! Sparkling Ice…

Sparkling Ice is a refreshing drink of naturally flavored sparkling water that has zero calories, made with natural fruit juice, sweetened with Splenda and is refreshing too! Here’s a little more info behind the brainchild of Sparkling Ice…

Sparkling Ice is made by the Talking Rain Beverage Company, located east of Seattle, Washington, in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Talking Rain has been dedicated to producing healthier, refreshing beverages for over twenty years. They pride themselves on creating beverage products of exceptional quality and value to consumers. The source water for Sparkling Ice is from their own deep, pristine, Artesian Spring originating in the Cascade Mountains. Other sources of their production are carefully selected to provide the lowest carbon footprint and the highest quality.

Now that we know it’s from natural sources, what else is in it? Much to my surprise, it’s not just your everyday sparkling water. Sparkling Ice is actually loaded with essential B-vitamins, Vitamin D and antioxidants. So yes, there’s health benefits to this drink as well!

When I was in culinary school, I learned a little more about necessary nutrients your body needs such as these vitamins and antioxidants. These B-Vitamins help play a role in using the food you eat for energy your body needs. It also trickles down to helping maintain a normal appetite, healthy skin, good vision, overall nervous system maintenance and forming red blood cells. Vitamin D is one nutrient that we don’t get enough of through food. In fact, we get much more Vitamin D through the sun (that is, if it comes out enough for us to even enjoy!) It’s especially important for calcium absorption in our bones and overall health. As for the antioxidants, Sparkling Ice contains Green Tea Extract which is known to be an excellent source of antioxidants. These antioxidants are key in protecting our body from harmful molecules known as free radicals. They are the byproduct of our body’s natural process and can also be caused my pollutants and environmental exposure. And that my friends, is a little replay of some of the things I learned in my nutrition class from culinary school… lol.

So with all these good things inside a bottle of Sparkling Ice, how does it taste? Well, the folks of Sparkling Ice were kind enough to send me 2 flavors to try – Lemon Lime and Pink Grapefruit. They were both very good, light, fruity and subtly sweet. Between the two, I liked the Pink Grapefruit more and I’m not even a fan of grapefruit in general! I’d like to add that these are also great mixed into cocktails (if you want to liven things up a bit this summer.)

Each bottle of Sparkling Ice is a perfect balance of sparking water, natural fruit juice, a touch of carbonation and enhanced with vitamins and antioxidants. There’s a total of 6 refreshing flavors and the folks at Sparkling Ice will generously be sending a case to one lucky reader so they can sample all 6!