Really? “It Doesn't Taste Like Cold Stone!” and that's your problem?
Okay, sorry about the slightly hostile title, though I meant it more tongue-in-cheek. But I am reading a lot of reviews complaining that the protein shake doesn't taste like Cold Stone. ROFLMAO Come on! The shake also doesn't have 1,500 calories of gut-expanding fat and sugars, either. I ordered this because a workout buddy of mine demanded I give in and try it, despite my skepticism. So he gave me a few scoops in a baggie while rolling his eyes at my almost-two-decade-allegiance to Muscle Milk powders. I pretty much stopped using everything around 2000 when I found Muscle Milk. I abandoned EAS products, Met-RX (is this even still made?), all the various GNC and Vitamin Shoppe offerings, and everything else you can think of. Muscle Milk is truly awesome. But when trying the Cold Stone for the first time (the scoops he gave me was Birthday Cake Remix) I immediately ordered the 40 Serving bottle, and was lucky as it was on sale for $40.00. Which. for my use, is actually 30 servings, not 44. Mostly because I have found the sweet-spot to be about 1 1/2 scoops. The one scoop isn't quite enough for me. That means that, for a full meal, which this is for me while dieting, it costs me about $1.50. I like that it has a similar carbohydrate content to Muscle Milk, which is because my fat burning phases are almost always Ketogenic (low carb). I will give a warning right now to all you Atkins'ish dieters. This shake has a little too much carbs to get very deep into ketosis easily. I can, but that's only because I work out so much that it gives me a safety net. I still sometimes have trouble maintaining higher levels of ketosis with both the Cold Stone and the muscle milk, but I really don't care. As long as I lose the fat, it isn't important to turn the dip-sticks deep-purple when testing my ketones. Trace or small works just as well for me. Also, while these shakes and Muscle Milk are a little high in carbs, the sugars aren't high at all. So it should still work well for most people who exercise strenuously, even on ketogenic diets. However, the caveat is you have to be aware it may take you longer to get into ketosis with these kinds of shakes. As for the flavor, mixability (lol I know, not a word), texture, and nutritional value, Cold Stone is every bit as good as Muscle Milk. Maybe even a little better, but I still love both brands, for whatever that's worth. But can we PLEASE, for the love of everything holy, stop expecting that just because the package has an ice cream shop label that this means it's going to be like drinking a massive, 2,000 calorie Carvel shake? Isn't that a little ridiculous of an expectation for a shake that is basically a protein powder? If you want ice cream, then have a cheat-day and go pound down some giant 2,500 calorie Banana Barge at an actual Cold Stone, maybe Carvel, or perhaps one of those old fashioned luncheonette style sweet shops that make mountainous sundaes. Here in NY City, we have a place called Eddie's Sweet Shop in Forest Hills. This is a 110 year old ice cream parlor that makes sundaes so big that their flagship dish, the Banana Royal with an extra scoop has to be 4,000 calories! I kid you not. I included pictures just to torture you, since I am currently low-carbing it and, ya know, misery loves company. But my cheat day is coming, so I Eddie's BEWARE!! :) How I use it for maximum flavor: 1. 1 1/2 scoops for extra flavor and protein 2. Artificial Sweetener (not a fan but it really adds to the flavor, so I grudgingly take the health risks) 3. ONLY about 6ish ounces of water (hear me out on this part) 4. Two tablespoons of heavy cream. **Note this is ONLY valid for ketogenic diets. When on higher carb diets, low fat milk or almond milk is really good. 5. Now before going further, first blend the water, powder, sweetener, and cream for a few seconds only to mix it. The consistency will be like a thick, pasty, sickeningly sweet, concentrated cake batter because you didn't use enough water to complete the shake! 6. Now stop blender and add in one full ice rack of ice cubes. About 12 cubes. 8 if you have a rack that makes bigger cubes. 6. Blend on Smoothie settings until the ice stops breaking and its smooth. 7. You might have to add a little water while the blender is spinning, but not always. Note: I used to be a bartender on a cruise ship and made a lot of frozen ice cream drinks. I also owned a Smoothie-Panini shop a while back and so I am VERY GOOD at making frozen drinks. What you want to look for, to make this as much like an ice cream shake as possible is this: When blending, use a good blender, and take off that little glass cap over the round cover after it starts spinning, but not the whole cover, so as to prevent mess. When you are looking at the blending concoction, you want to see what I can only describe as a little hole in the center of the mix as the blender spins. If you see no "hole" at all, its because you have too much ice and the blender can't liquefy it all, maybe your blender needs a new blade, or prehaps you need a better blender. Probably, though, its because you used a little too much ice, so just SLOWLY add in a stream of water until you see that "hole" in the center and it looks perfectly smooth, not all lumpy with ice. You may have to find your own sweet spot, but I find about 12 cubes of ice is perfect, and sometimes I still have to add an ounce or two more water as the blender spins. Drink right away before it has a chance to melt! I will be ordering this again, and my next foray into it will be to try another flavor. Any recommendations? :
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