It’s time for a new blog mile stone: the first giveaway! I’ve never hosted a giveaway here on the blog before. Mostly when I get product pitches, they are for products I wouldn’t use myself, so I decline them. When I was first contacted by the Ciao Bella team, though, I was thrilled. I may have done a happy dance at my desk. I’ve been buying Ciao Bella gelato for myself for years. The blackberry cabernet and the key lime graham are two of my personal favorite flavors. Their gelato and sorbet is flavorful and intense while still having a recognizable ingredient list, which I love.
Ciao Bella has just launched a line of Greek frozen yogurt, and they sent me the new line to try. (Disclaimer: I was sent the Adonia line to sample, but all opinions are my own, and I was not compensated in any other way) This may have been the best package I’ve ever received at work, though some people found the dry ice at my desk a little disconcerting.
They also sent me two boxes of their frozen yogurt bars in peach and blueberry, which were so delicious they may have missed the camera and barely made it home. The frozen yogurt was creamy and just the right amount of sweet, and definitely made an acceptable ice cream substitute. However, I was most impressed by the nutritional stats. The ingredient list is completely recognizable, and each 1/2 cup serving has 130 calories and 9 grams of protein. I normally use hemp or rice protein powder in my smoothies, and a serving of Adonia has very similar nutritional stats to those protein powders but tastes much better and blends up to a very creamy smoothie.
I’ve made this banana espresso smoothie several days in a row. It’s perfect for after a workout, and reminds me a lot of the Starbucks Banana Chocolate Vivanno smoothie (a personal favorite that saw me through many long marathon training runs). I even tossed in a couple handfuls of spinach tonight and called it dinner.
Banana Espresso Smoothie
- 1 frozen banana, broken into chunks
- 1 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
- 1/2 cup Adonia espresso frozen yogurt
- 1 tablespoon cocoa
- mini chocolate chips for garnish
Blend all ingredients together until smooth and enjoy!
Ciao Bella is going to send the full line of Adonia products to a Boston2Berkeley reader. That’s seven pints of frozen yogurt and 2 boxes of frozen yogurt bars. (The smoothie recipe is good, but clearly this is the best part!)
To enter the giveaway simply leave a comment below, letting me know what flavor of Adonia you’d most like to try. You can also earn an extra entry by tweeting about the giveaway; just mention @Boston2Berkeley and comment below that you tweeted so I can give you an extra entry. The giveaway will be open until midnight PST on May 31st, and I’ll announce the winner on Friday, June 1st. (you do need to be a US resident to be eligible to win)
As for me, I’ll be replenishing my stock of espresso Adonia very soon. So far I’ve enjoyed all the flavors that I’ve tried, but the banana espresso smoothie is just too good to go without for long.
Wow Beth amazing giveaway. Ciao Bella key lime graham is absolute favorite treat to pick up from whole foods at the end of a long day. I can only assume the frozen yogurt will be delicious as well.
This stuff is the best! I just finished a pint of the blueberry this week haha! I’d really love to try the espresso!
-Lauren
i really want to try the Raspberry one although all of them sound amazing
The Raspberry and Key Lime sound amazing!
Best work delivery ever!!
The Key Lime and and Peach sound awesome, so perfect for summer.
I am a vanilla girl myself, so I would try that one first. Then I would happily try all of the other flavors!
I would love to try mango. I am such a sucker for mango flavored things.
Mango please!
Tweeted as well!! Love to try espresso or mango!! This is a great giveaway!!!
Key lime, for straight-up eating. I’d use the berry or vanilla ones in smoothies, though … I just don’t think key lime would make it that long in my freezer.
Those look delicious, as does your espresso banana smoothie! But I’m always a sucker for anything raspberry or peach.
Mango, all the way! But I have to say, vanilla and espresso are tempting as well.
Just found your blog and I love it- I did the reverse and went West Coast to East Coast- just as hard, but what an adventure.
I have never seen this frozen yogurt before but would love to try the espresso flavor.
Those sound amazing! I would probably try the Peach first, but maybe a bowl with a mini scoop of each would be better? 🙂
I tweeted about your giveaway!
Your running posts are always so motivating! Keep up the great work! I would LOVE to get my hands on some of that wild blueberry flavor. Blueberries don’t last long in my apartment (probably because I’m known to sit and polish off an entire carton) hehehe
Always been a fan of raspberry, but you make the espresso one sound good! Have to try it out sometime!
Espresso hands down!!!
I’m torn between espresso and raspberry… and maybe mango… and peach. I think your smoothie recipe really tempts me toward espresso though!
also, tweeted!
The espresso.
I’d like to try the Mango.
I would love to try the espresso!
Oh my–they all sound pretty good. Espresso sounds best however; great giveaway!
I tried the mango sorbet two years ago at the Scooper Bowl in Boston and absolutely fell in love! Its still my favorite, but the espresso flavored Adonia sounds amazing-coffee yogurts are my favorite to freeze and eat like an Italian Ice.
Oh yum, they all look great, but I’d probably head for the wild blueberry first.
karenreichmann@hotmail.com
Wow that frozen yogurt looks delicious! Espresso looks like it would be my favorite, or maybe wild blueberry 🙂
Awesome giveaway! The flavors all sound great, but I’d probably try the key lime first.
I have to try this immediately! I need to try the espresso Adonia. I love what I’ve tried of Ciao Bella so far. By the way, I tweeted about you at @saveusnotwhales 🙂
I want to try espresso! And, congrats on the success of the blog, Beth!
I would love to try the mango flavor! Thanks for the giveaway! ♥
MMM I’d most like to try espresso! Or vanilla 🙂
I love ciao bella, so excited anout the new line! The smoothie recipe sounds delicious, I’d love to try the espresso (I have a weakness for anything espresso)!
I would like to try Key Lime.
melodyj(at)gmail(dot)com
Definitely would like to try the espresso!
That smoothie looks so good! I’d love to try the espresso.
I would love to get my hands on that key lime! Sounds like the perfect summer treat to me 🙂
Normally I got for espresso ANYTHING, but I’m pretty smitten with regular mango greek yogurt, so that’s what I’m most interested in. Thanks!
Key Lime please! What a fab giveaway! 🙂
Vanilla!! I’m a plain jane
Growing up my father always kept mango sorbet in the freezer. It’s one of those things that sticks with you, which must be why the Adonia mango greek frozen yogurt just looks so delicious!
It would have to be espresso for me. Can’t wait to try your smoothie recipe!
of for sure the key lime – these have not hit my store yet – hope they come soon!
i tweeted https://twitter.com/mermont84/status/206859781443567616
as soon as i saw the words key lime i was in! i would def love to try that one most of all!
rachelrodman@hotmail.com
tweeted here: https://twitter.com/rachelrodman/status/206930016427196418
Their key lime gelato is fantastic, so I can only imagine that the Adonia key lime is just as great!
Yum! I would love to try the espresso 🙂
I think I’d go crazy over the mango, but I’d love to try them all!
Yum, the key lime flavor sounds perfect for summer!
I’d love to try the espresso, if only to get a box of dry ice at my department 😉
beth i didn’t know you were such a pro blogger! this is hetty from jhu a long ways back 🙂 key lime was my first ciao bella and will always have a special place in my heart, and i’d love to confim that it’s the best froyo flavor too!
Beth,
I’d love to try the espresso! YUM!! Keep up the good work on the blog!
Jess
What an awesome giveaway….droool. I’d be most inclined to try vanilla, which speaks nothing about my character! Not bland, I say! vanilla just happens to be a freakin great flavor.
espresso frozen yogurt? oh sign me up! 🙂
Hi Beth! Great blog – Alex mentioned it to me and I recently started reading! I’d love to try the espresso…sounds delicious!!
Hope all is well,
Rachel
I’d love to try the raspberry frozen yogurt. It sounds delicious!
Pick Me! Pick Me! Peach, Espresso, Raspberry OH MY!
I can’t decide between the espresso, blueberry or key lime!
Oh man the things I’d do to try some in espresso… !! 🙂
Greek frozen yogurt? That sounds fascinating, I’ve never heard of it before (and I eat quite a lot of greek yogurt). Also, espresso is always a go-to for me, so I’d have to say that.
I love all things peach in the summer!
Espresso looks pretty tasty to me!
I would love to try the expresso! I’m going to use this recipe ASAP! Thanks for posting, and giving it away!