Saving $1000 a Year on Naked Juice

A slew of new products have landed on grocery shelves in recent years.

Expensive products often replace cheaper products. I used to eat Dannon yogurt every morning, until Kroger’s in Lexington Kentucky, replaced it with more expensive "Greek-style" yogurt.

So it goes.

I breakfasted on a bottle of Odwalla Vanilla Monster and a spoon of Krema (aka Crazy Richard's) peanut butter for a few months. Unfortunately, two consecutive bottles of this delicious soy beverage were too thick to drink. I was ready for a change.

Odwalla beverages are expensive, but they were on sale every couple of weeks at Kroger's. Vanilla was not always available. Odwalla's chocolate flavor was an excellent substitute.

I believed that I felt better when I started each day with a high protein drink. I spend weekdays writing computer programs, and protein is good for my brain. Right?

There are three brands of protein drinks available in most groceries: Odwalla, Bolthouse and Naked Juice. I avoided Bolthouse for years, after recalls for botulism and salmonella. I finally drank one and was not thrilled. A $3 protein drink ought to be awesome.

Mango Memories

I lived with Dad during the final year of his life. Dad was more active than 99% of his peers, because his diet kept him healthy. He usually ate two salads a day and snacked on fruit. Dad liked mangoes. He bought a few at a time, to keep a supply of ripe mangoes through their season.

Unfortunately, Dad’s arthritis made it difficult for him to peel and slice them. He called me when he wanted to eat mango, and we shared it.

Naked Juice Protein Zone Mango Smoothie

Perhaps I was thinking of Dad, when I looked at a bottle of Naked Juice protein zone mango, so I ignored the $3.49 price tag.

I tried it with a spoon of Krema peanut butter. Krema peanut butter is one of my favorite foods. It is usually part of my breakfast.

Unlike Odwalla soy drinks, Naked Juice has no sugar. My first bottle was wonderful.

I drank one every morning for two years. I packed a few bottles in a cooler for vacation drives. Karen bought them for me, whenever she saw my supply drop.

The price of my juices were their only downside. Naked Juice is never on sale. Yet I drank it while I was unemployed too.

I would wake up longing for a bottle of this special juice, with a spoon of Krema peanut butter. I felt like Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway in Barfly, after their morning shots of whiskey. I was complete and ready to tackle the day.

I moved to Tampa, Florida last year. My supermarket is now Publix. Unlike Lexington, I must drive to the store, through one intersection with a red light camera.

Pineapple Replacement Smoothies

I drank a pineapple protein zone occasionally, when there were no mango juices at Publix. The pineapple drink is OK, but I would invariably be disappointed. I want to be delighted and satiated for my $3.49.

I stopped buying pineapple drinks, when the space for Naked Juice Protein zone mango was empty. I started buying Publix brand mango yogurt. I add a hard boiled egg or a heaping spoonful of Krema peanut butter. It is not awesome, but it is acceptable. I am also enjoying local honey mangoes. Karen sliced a few and left them in the refrigerator.

I Will Not Drink Juice with Chia Pets

I bought a dozen mango yogurts. I discovered that yogurt is great for lunch with peanut butter on a slice of bread. Arnold Health Nut is currently my favorite bread.

I returned to Publix a few days ago. I headed straight for the Naked Juice mango protein smoothies, like a juiceaholic on autopilot. I imagined their sublime taste and texture as I approached the display. Incredibly, Naked Juice introduced new flavors and discontinued my favorite. I was sad, disturbed. I wanted a thick, cold juice to help me deal with life in our cruel world.

I checked again. My favorite juice is gone, replaced by a concoction with Chia seeds. I will never try it. Chia seeds remind me of Chia pets, which remind me of wheatgrass. My body rejected my only shot of wheatgrass juice.

I keep that in mind, and avoid the expensive juice display when I return to Publix.

Mango protein smoothies might have returned to Publix, but I have avoided them for more than a week. I will save $1000 on breakfast over a year.