CalNaturale Giveaway!

I'm so excited to offer today's giveaway from CalNaturale Svelte!

CalNaturale recently contacted me to see if I would be interested in testing and reviewing their Svelte products on SMJ.  As you know, I'm always game to try a new health-food product, and these Svelte drinks were really intriguing to me.  They are individually packaged protein shakes, promising "the energy you need to navigate through your active and busy day".  They come in four flavors: Chai, Cappuccino, Vanilla and Chocolate, and CalNaturale sent me one of each to try.   I couldn't do this review and giveaway last week because I was too sick to really sample any of the flavors fairly (it was more of a tea and toast week around here), but now I'm excited to share this product with you!

You all know that I prefer whole foods to convenience foods, even those that are geared towards health foodies like myself; however, the bigger little J gets and the more hectic life becomes, the more I find myself really appreciating grab-and-go meals.  Especially at breakfast and lunchtime, cheffing something up isn't always in the cards, and the absolute worst is finding yourself out and about for longer than you had planned and having to stare down a decision between hitting the nearest Dunkin' or flying into a hunger-induced rage.  This is when convenience health foods do their best work: nourishing you on the fly with plenty of protein and healthy carbs, rather than the empty calories we often grab for in a rushed panicky state.

CalNaturale Svelte shakes are an ideal grab-and-go meal.  They each contain 16g of protein from organic soy milk, and the sustained fullness and energy comes from inulin, a complex carbohydrate and nutritious fiber.  Unlike many protein drinks, the Sveltes were all thick and creamy, with non-chalky flavors true to their promise.  The vanilla tasted like a great milkshake, the chocolate like rich chocolate milk, and the chai and cappuccino flavors give those mega-calorie Starbucks fraps a run for their money.  The best part though, was the satiety and energy these shakes provided.  The husband taste-tested the chocolate for me as a work lunch.  Skeptical, he also packed soup and a granola bar for the day, but he came home with both, as the shake totally filled him up, even after he shoveled snow for a half-hour.  Impressive!  I also found that is took me the better part of an hour to sip down my shake, and I was seriously stuffed when I took the last sip.  However, each drink only has 260 calories!  This would make these Sveltes a useful meal-replacement tool in a weight-loss plan.  

All in all I give these drinks highest marks for flavor, nutritional profile and convenience.  If I had to give points off, it would be for the not-so-environmentally-friendly Tetra-pak packaging, and the interesting choice to really brand these babies solely for women.  I am married to the kind of man who is comfortable enough with himself to tote a drink that says "Hello, Beautiful" on it to the office, but some guys would be deterred by the chick-centric packaging, I think.  It's a shame, because this was a healthy, filling, easy lunch option for him and any other guy looking for a grab-and-go meal.   They are widely available at Whole Foods Markets, and mine has them priced at about $2.50/drink, making them a pretty darn affordable lunch as well.  All in all, I'm a fan, and will be throwing a few Sveltes in my cart each week from now on.

And now for the fun!

CalNaturale is going to give THREE lucky SMJ readers a chance to try these yummy drinks.

One Grand Prize winner will win a free mixed case of CalNaturale Svelte to try... that's twelve delicious energy shakes arriving at your door!

Two additional winners will receive a two-drink prize pack with the flavors of your choice.

To enter, just leave a comment below.  

I'll choose three winners this Friday!