Have You Heard About the Mysterious "Secret Menu" at Jamba Juice?

While out with my 9 year old son and his friend, we decided to stop by the local Jamba Juice for a smoothie. As I was driving, the kids were talking about "special" flavors at Jamba Juice and how the Sourpatch Kids flavor was so good.

I interjected, "Huh? What are you talking about?" Then my kid's friend educated me a bit. There's a special "Secret Menu" at Jamba Juice that you have to know about to order. I asked him where he saw it. He wasn't exactly sure, but he said it did exist.

As we parked, I had my doubts about this so-called "special" menu. I go to Jamba Juice all the time. How could this 4th grader know something I don't? So we place our orders. He goes first. "I'll have a 16 ounce Sourpatch Kids" he says nonchalantly. My son says, "me too." I ordered my standard Aloha Pineapple and asked the gal behind the counter, "Is there a secret Jamba Juice menu?" She nodded yes. "Is it on the Jamba Juice website?" The answer was non-committal. We left with smoothies in hand and a puzzled look on my face.

While there is no sign of a "secret menu" on the Jamba Juice website, I did find this handy website called Jamba Juice Secrets at www.JambaJuiceSecrets.com where, lo and behold, there is a listing of the "secret menu items."

Apparently this list of secret Jamba Juice concoctions was derived by employees who like to experiment. I have no idea if all Jamba Juice locations and employees are familiar with these items and how to make them, but why not give it a shot and see what happens.

There's a couple risque sounding flavors on the list but some of the top picks include Pink Starburst, the Sourpatch Kid flavor mentioned above (comprised of lemonade, a scoop of pineapple, rasberry, lime and orange sherbet and a scoop of blueberries), White Gummi Bear, Blue Gummi Bear, Skittles, Orange Dream Machine, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Red Gummi Bear, Fruity Pebbles and nearly 30 more.

I for one will attempt to order some of these in my future Jamba Juice visits, with or without the kids who taught me something new. And if you want a 20% discount on your Jamba Juice, visit Costco and purchase $50 in Jamba Juice gift cards for $39.99.

How Long to be Had Until Your Food Goes Bad Thanks to StillTasty.com

StillTasty.com is a great resource for figuring out whether you should dine or dump the contents of your fridge and pantry. Very useful site for those who want to play it safe with their food. While I tend to go with "the smell test" when it comes to edibility, I found the site very useful and interesting.

StillTasty really nails it when it comes to usability. Just type in a word or two and you receive instant information. For example, let's take a look at hot dogs. Living in a house with kids, hot dogs are part of the Red Food Group that includes balogna, salami, bacon and Twizzlers. There are always hot dogs somewhere in the deep recesses of the fridge.

Type in "hot dog" and you get three options; cooked leftovers, opened package and unopened package. Click one of those and in very easy to read format using arrows they tell you how long you have to eat them from the fridge and freezer. Here's what StillTasty said:

Unopened package: Eat within 1 week after due date coming from fridge. Freezer life is about 1-2 months.

Opened package: Eat within 7 days after opening in fridge. 1-2 months in freezer.

Cooked leftovers: Eat within 3-4 days in fridge and once again 1-2 months in freezer.

That helps. Though hmm...am I really going to remember how many days/months have passed by...?  I guess I'll just have to make a mental note of it.

I always wonder about hard boiled eggs. StillTasty says they last 1-2 weeks in the shell and 1 week out of the shell.

The owners of the site pull their information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Do check it out at www.StillTasty.com.

OK, one more. An opened can of peanut butter lasts about 3 months in the pantry. Uh oh, better start sniffing those jars...