Fruit Juice TasteOff

by Liz on September 25th, 2009

Over the years, all of our kids — Josh and Simon and Carolyn and Leah — have been more than happy to taste test our Meal Makeover Mom creations (even the failures and flops) and to pose for blog photos.  Today was no exception.  Recently, I worked on a project with V8 to spread the word about their new lineup of V-Fusion 100% juices, and when all seven flavor varieties arrived at my doorstep, my boys and Janice’s girls volunteered to try them.

V-Fusion juices are made from a blend of fruit and vegetable juices — things like carrots, yellow tomatoes, and red beets — and the flavors are pretty exotic: Goji Raspberry, Passionfruit Tangerine, Pomegranate Blueberry, Acai Mixed Berry, Peach Mango.  Each 8-ounce serving provides a full serving of vegetables, a full serving of fruit, and 100% vitamin C.  Not bad!

With so many to choose from, we were curious which flavor each of our children would like the best.  To streamline the process, we gave each family four flavors to sample. Our taste panel revealed the following:

> Josh’s favorite = Goji Raspberry
> Simon’s favorite = Peach Mango
> Carolyn’s favorite = Acai Mixed Berry
> Leah’s favorite = Acai Mixed Berry

Simon has been pretty interested in cooking lately (strangely, his favorite thing to make has been sauteed mushrooms — but more on that in a future post), so when I asked him if he’d like to make a smoothie with me, he jumped right in. Together, we made two super frosty drinks using some of the new juices, frozen fruit, and lowfat vanilla ice cream:

Goji Raspberry Frosty
Makes 3 Servings

  • 1 cup Goji Raspberry juice
  • 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1 cup ice cubes (about 6)
  • 1/2 cup lowfat vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

1. Place the juice, raspberries, ice cubes, and ice cream in a blender. Blend until well combined. Pour into individual glasses and serve with a straw.

Pomegranate Blueberry Smoothie
Makes 2 Servings

  • 1 cup Pomegranate Blueberry juice
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 cup lowfat vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
  • 4 ice cubes

1. Place the juice, blueberries, ice cream, and ice in a blender. Blend until well combined. Pour into individual glasses and serve with a straw.

If you’re not quite sure how many fruit and veggie servings you and your family need each day, check out the USDA’s MyPyramid website.

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3 Comments | Filed Under CulinaryAdventures, Fruits, Snacks, Vegetables 

3 Responses to “Fruit Juice TasteOff”

  1. Angela on September 27th, 2009

    We have been fans of V8 Splash for a while, but never tried the Fusion juices. We’ll have to give it a go!

  2. Ann on September 29th, 2009

    I’ve always enjoyed your strawberry banana smoothie recipe. Hope you come up with more of these to try with the Fusion ones. Sounds good and quick!

  3. Healthy Food Ideas for Super Healthy Kids » Planning Ahead on March 9th, 2010

    [...] Goji raspberry frosty [...]

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