Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: smoothies

  • Cassie the Food Guru Welcomes “Better Blend Loveland”

    Cassie the Food Guru Welcomes “Better Blend Loveland”

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – “Better Blend is inspiring a healthier lifestyle — one Blend, Bowl, and community at a time.” Better Blend’s mission statement couldn’t ring more true as the newest food spot to hit Downtown Loveland prides itself on providing nutritious and delicious options, fast and friendly service, and making sure that everyone in the community gets the most out of their day.

    Founded in 2018 by former University of Kentucky rugby player Isaac Hamlin, Better Blend offers a variety of Blends (smoothies) and Bowls (smoothie in a bowl) that are jam packed with clean ingredients. Each Blend starts with a base of clean protein and includes naturally occurring BCAAs and glutamine, organic greens, oat powder, flax seed, and vitamin matrix. The Blends come in 4 different categories Original, Basic, Barista (coffee is added), and Bulk (includes a premium mass-gainer protein. Each Blend offers a variety of “dessert-like” flavors and combinations like Apple Jacks, Banana Caramel Cheesecake, Blueberry Cake Donut, Brownie Batter, Lean N’ Green, Cinnamon Roll, Pineapple Dole Whip, Strawberry Shortcake, Java Chip, Salted Caramel, White Chocolate Mocha, Tropical Vibe, Strawberry Lemonade, Green Goddess, Strawberry Banapple, Banana Split, The Funky Monkey, and Banana Nut Muffin.

    The Better Blend Bowls are similar to the Blends but are instead layered into a bowl starting with a “fresh, fruity, and blended up to a sorbet-like” base. You can customize the Bowl with Better Blend’s large selection of nutritious toppings such as strawberries, bananas, blueberries, granola, coconut chips, honey, cinnamon, pecans, peanut butter, chia seeds, flax seeds, and cacao nibs.

    Hungry yet? Just looking over the online menu made my mouth water so naturally “Cassie the Food Guru” had to go check out the latest vegetarian and vegan friendly food spot! Franchise owner, Brent, and manager of two Better Blend locations, Chris, invited me to take the first look at Better Blend Loveland before opening day. In my all-new interview, you will learn all about the Better Blend story and how the franchise has grown from one shop to six shops with four more on the way! Watch my latest Cassie the Food Guru interview featuring Brent and Chris from Better Blend below!

    Better Blend Loveland is officially open for business every day from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. beginning on Monday, September 18. The official grand opening celebration will take place on Saturday, September 30th. During the grand opening, Better Blend will be giving away $2,500 in cash and prizes including two FC Cincinnati vs. Atlanta United tickets, Apple Airpod Pros, two Bengals vs. Texans tickets, Custom Better Blend Yeti cooler, 15 gift cards from Loveland local businesses, and $1,000 in cash. To enter the grand opening raffle click here!

    Make sure you’re up to date on all the latest Better Blend news, rewards, and specials by downloading the Better Blend App on the App Store or Google Play.

    Better Blend Loveland is located at 201 W Loveland Ave. right along the Loveland Bike Trail.

    Columnist Cassie Mattia is a resident of Historic Downtown Loveland and the Public Relations Coordinator at Butler County Board of DD. Cassie was awarded the Little Miami River Chamber Alliance 2021 Young Business Professional of the Year. She is the President and Publisher of Loveland Magazine.

  • Cassie the Food Guru Stops by Hometown Cafe!

    Cassie the Food Guru Stops by Hometown Cafe!

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Bike Trail over the past couple of years has welcomed many new local businesses, some offering quality beverages, some offering a unique dine-in experience, and some offering fresh homemade cuisine. One business in particular that sits right off the bike trail tucked right next to Narrow Path Brewing Company has managed to combine quality beverages, a unique dine-in experience, and fresh homemade food all under one roof. Introducing Hometown Cafe, a little slice of paradise in the heart of Historic Downtown Loveland!

    Hometown Cafe made its debut into the Loveland community after Owner Jimmy Hooper bought the business, formerly known as “Fresh Press,” from his brother-in-law. Hooper already had an extensive culinary background as well as a catering business called “Loveland Catering” so he felt that having a brick and mortar would mesh well with his passion for creating aesthetically pleasing healthy food. Hooper, who grew up in Symmes Township, knew after having kids that he wanted to raise his family with his wife in the same city he fell in love with so he thought what better way to serve the community he loves than having fresh nutritious food readily available every day!

    Hometown Cafe offers a simple yet delicious selection of food, beverages, and goods from local vendors across the city. From Deeper Roots coffee, lattes, and hot chocolate, to real fruit, and veggie smoothies, and fresh-pressed juice, to made-to-order breakfast sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, and wraps, Hometown Cafe has it all! Did I mention Hometown also has a bakery filled with muffins, croissants, bagels, and danishes, to name a few and a “local market” where small local businesses can sell their homemade delicacies such as honey, granola, jam, and energy bites?

    I have been a part of the Loveland community and Loveland Magazine now for nearly 5 years so I have had the honor of seeing new businesses establish themselves, local events thrive, and the community coming together to give back. This is one of the biggest reasons, other than I LOVE food and food culture, as to why I wanted Hometown Cafe to be my next Cassie the Food Guru adventure! Hometown Cafe has not only impacted the community by providing quality nutritious food and beverages, but by also giving back time and time again. Whether they are getting involved in Loveland’s events or introducing local artists, vendors, and food trucks to the community, Hometown Cafe loves helping the community!

    So without further ado, I bring to you, a Loveland Magazine TV interview production, Cassie the Food Guru Stops by Hometown Cafe!

    Hometown Cafe Fun Facts:

    • Located at 111 Railroad Ave, Loveland, Ohio, 45140
    • Open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day
      • Breakfast is served from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. during the week and on the weekends breakfast is served until 3 p.m.
    • Lunch is always in the cooler. The cooler includes homemade soups, salads, wraps, and “kids boxes.”
    • Cold-Pressed Juice is made “in-house with a hydraulic press that exerts 10 tons of pressure on the fresh produce to extract the juice. Since the juice is exposed to minimal heat and air, it retains more vitamins, minerals, and enzymes from the whole fruit/vegetable than traditional centrifugal juicing methods.”
    • Local artists’ artwork is on display for sale inside the cafe.
    • You may book Hometown Cafe for your next event!
      • Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evenings is $250.
      • Monday through Thursday evenings is $200.
        • Rental is available from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
        • Seats up to 25 on the 1st floor and 32 on the patio.
      • The upstairs meeting room is $25 per hour.
        • Available for rent 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
        • The rental fee is waived if you spend the same amount in the cafe during your event!
    • Catering is available through Jimmy’s “Loveland Catering.”
      • $500 on the weekends.
      • $400 on the weekdays.
      • If you spend twice the event rental fee in catering and the rental fee is waived!
    • You can rent Hometown Cafe’s kitchen for $35 per hour or if you take advantage of the kitchen membership it is $20 per hour.
    • Hometown Cafe offers merchandise through “My State Threads Apparel.”
      • If you would like to set a page up for your business Hometown will give you a unique URL and $10 from every piece of merchandise sold will go towards your business.
    • Items we recommend you try when you stop by Hometown Cafe:
      • The Cozy Bowl
      • The One With No Meat
      • The Toast
      • The B.E.A.S.T
      • Frogman Smoothie
      • Tropical Majik Smoothie
      • Kale Force Cold-Pressed Juice
      • Charcoal Lemonade Cold-Pressed Juice
      • The Ginger Shot
      • A specialty latte or hot chocolate
      • Sweet Potato Chips
      • Energy Bites
      • An Everything Bagel
      • Any of the local market items made by local small businesses!

    Be sure to stay informed on all the fun and delicious things Hometown Cafe has going on by visiting their website, Facebook, or Instagram!

    For more interviews and stories on local food culture, stay tuned to Cassie the Food Guru!

  • A Nutritious Way to Begin a New Year

    A Nutritious Way to Begin a New Year

    Cassia Mattia is a resident of Historic Downtown Loveland. She can be reached at cassiemattis@lovelandmagazine.com

    by Cassie Mattia

    Loveland, Ohio – People all over the world begin every New Year with a resolution. Some vow to learn a new skill or hobby, some to spend more time with friends and family, but what do 71 percent of Americans hope to do in the New Year; diet or eat healthier. Well what’s a better way to achieve that New Year’s resolution goal than to enjoy an energizing Fuzzy Naval cocktail tea or a Dulce De Leche smoothie filled with health benefits? The Loveland community added to its repertoire of new businesses with the grand opening of Vibe Nutrition on Wednesday January 23rd, a business that is sure to help you reach your New Year’s goals.

    Vibe Nutrition, located on Loveland Madeira Road, offers much more than just nutritional shakes, smoothies, teas and protein bars. Owner Jennifer Kavensky says her vision in opening Vibe Nutrition was to not only provide a place for people to become healthier and happier, but to also show that within her shop there is “a community of people wanting to love on other people.”

    “Our mission and what we are trying to accomplish is to reach the community and create a place where they can come and hang out and meet other people that are trying to get healthy too,” Kavensky said, “There’s not enough places out there with positivity so we want to be a place where people feel welcome and are getting results.”

    The grand opening of Vibe Nutrition was just what Kavensky envisioned. It was full of Loveland residents and other business owners and employees just wanting to come together as one big healthy community.

    “Getting this business up and running along with our grand opening was definitely a team effort. The community really stepped up. We had so many people give gift cards and help us give back to the people that are coming in. Businesses in Loveland are so good about promoting each other,” Kavensky said.

    Cassie Mattia interviewing Vibe owner Jennifer Kavensky

    Those who attended the opening were able to see the unique décor along with trying some of Vibe’s shakes, teas and protein bakery items. Of course a grand opening isn’t necessarily grand without games, prizes and raffles, which Vibe had plenty of!

    “Anyone that came in and upgraded to our energy cocktails or added on a donut shot could spin the wheel and get one of our prizes,” Kavensky explained, “650 fitness gave everyone who came in a free workout, Paxton’s gave us 10 dollar gift cards and Exquisite Design Salon and Spa were giving away free shampoo and haircuts!”

    Some of the other sponsors for the grand opening included Kirby’s, Championship Martial Arts, Jack Rabbit, Subway, Texas Roadhouse, Jessica’s Light and Ron’s Market.

    So just what are these products that everyone is “Vibing” out to? I was given a nutritional cocktail called the “Fuzzy Navel,” which included an Orange Liftoff, Peach Tea and Mandarin Aloe, and I will admit I was pleasantly surprised on how great it tasted! The cocktail menu also included a “Cosmopolitan,” which included a Lime Liftoff, Lemon Tea and Cranberry Aloe and a “Hot Tamale,” which had a Pomegranate Liftoff, Cinnamon Tea and Cranberry Aloe. 

    Vibe also has a nutritional smoothie menu with out of this world flavors like French Vanilla, Orange Creamsicle and Chocolate Chip as well as a “protein bar” Bakery Menu with flavors such as Roasted Peanut Cookie, Apple Pie and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. 

    “One of our most popular shakes is the Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup. This shake has 30 grams of protein and it’s loaded with nutrition. It has about 200 calories,” Kavensky said, “Our most famous cocktail is either a Starburst or Scarlet-ini. Most of our cocktails have our ‘Lift off’ in it, which helps with mental focus and short term memory.”

    And yes Vibe has something called a Donut Shot and surprisingly enough it is a fat burner!

    “People love our Donut shots! My favorite one is either the pumpkin pie or salted caramel,” Kavensky said.

    As Kavensky and her team were making my Fuzzy Naval there was something that caught my attention about the cups they were delivering to each customer.

    “One of the things we do that I think is really cool is we write a special message on our customer’s cups when they come in,” Kavensky explained, “Whether it’s a message of encouragement or a just a message to brighten that particular person’s day, we really want to make coming to Vibe a personal experience for each and every person.”

    Although Kavensky doesn’t have a nutritional background she can attest to Vibe’s products because she herself lost 100 pounds using them.

    “The products we have help you lose weight; they help you have more energy. We also work with athletes who need something that will help them with recovery after they work out or just need a healthy breakfast. We were actually voted number one healthy breakfast! We want to help people reach their goals,” Kavensky said.

    Kavensky is full of passion when it comes to helping people and making people feel a part of a community that is both accepting and welcoming, but just where did all this passion for living a healthy lifestyle come from?

    “My mom passed away at 52, she had pancreatic cancer. I saw myself really becoming like her in the best ways and the worst ways,” Kavensky said, “Sometimes we just develop habits when we grow up. I really just started looking for a way after I lost her, to be healthier. I started to do research and started to see what options were out there and then I found Vibe. It really empowered me to help other people. I didn’t have a coach or have anyone there to help me and when I started Vibe this not only helped me to really have place to come to, but it also had people that I had to be accountable for. Losing my mom was really hard, but it empowered me to change. The hardest things in life are really the things that make you become better.”

    Vibe Nutrition also offers those looking for a healthy lifestyle another piece to the healthy living puzzle; a good workout. Kavensky discovered “Cardio Drumming” after a trip to Michigan and decided to get trained on how to teach it.

    “We take a 17 gallon plastic bucket, an exercise ball and drum sticks and we jam to music,” Kavensky said, “It’s really a great way to get out aggression and get a good workout!”

    Vibe Nutrition offers Cardio Drumming classes Monday’s at 7:30 PM at 650 Fitness and Friday’s at 9 AM at the Championship Marshall Arts Academy. Vibe also offers a Fit Camp on Monday’s at 9 AM at 650 Fitness.

    “The Fit Camp is light weights, resistance bands and exercise balls. It’s really just to get people active. I feel like it’s important once you get the nutrition down to start adding in the working out aspect. It really takes people where they are to where they want to be,” Kavensky said.

    Kavensky and her Vibe Nutrition team couldn’t be more thrilled with the success of Vibe and the community involvement, but are even more excited for the future and the up and coming events. 

    “On February 9th from 8 AM to 1 PM we will be doing a fundraiser for Kinley, a little girl who has DIPG. We will be giving 50 percent of all smoothie sales to Kinley’s family. We want to do things like this to give back to the community. We want to support those who need it,” Kavensky said.

    If you would like to learn more about Vibe Nutrition you can visit Vibe Nutrition on Facebook or Instagram. You can also go visit their location at 10484 Loveland Madeira Road.