How many energy products are on the market today? 50, 200, a million? Seriously….we’ve evolved from coffee and tea and iced versions of those to Red Bull and other energy beverages to 5-Hour Energy to countless other items. But convenience in today’s now-now-now society and workplace is increasingly important. That’s why those 5-Hour Energy thingies come in tiny bottles. But now there is a product that is even more convenient than that–Sheets Energy Strips. I’m talking stupid convenience here–a flat package about the size of a baseball card with four serving strips in it.
But while many energy products are loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners, this one will not set you back calorie-wise or give you that rush and crash thing that sweet products do. Instead it is a neat little breath-strip-like product that is chock full of B- and E-vitamins. Of course, it also has 100 milligrams of caffeine, something they don’t boast about in the press materials, but something that no doubt has significance here. That’s also about the same amount of caffeine as there is in a cup of regular coffee, but without the risk of spilling it on your lap or having to drink a hot beverage in the middle of summer.
Sheets also claims no crash like there is with sweetened products, and they are correct. But not only is there no crash, I took this after that inevitable post-lunch sedation that happens, especially after eating two chili dogs today like I did. And I had almost instant energy to continue my afternoon. Yes, Sheets Energy Strips are not only convenient–they also work as they claim to. And you can’t say that about every pick-me-up on the market. Oh, and one more thing….I don’t know how many flavors there are, but I tried the Berry Blast version, and this stuff actually tastes pretty good too. So if you need an afternoon pick-up, or a burst of energy before a night out on the town, give Sheets a try.
My sister made a lunch of chicken spiedies on the grill. These are marinated chunks of meat that are popular only in the central part of New York State for some reason. I mean, kebabs are everywhere, but only in this region are they called spiedies. And man, they are delicious. They are served on bread, often with sauteed hot peppers–this is especially awesome during the summer when my sister and brother-in-law grow the peppers and garlic in their garden. Yum. Oh, and don’t use whole wheat bread. As my brother-in-law says, who wants to put spiedies on “sawdust?” Sorry, Ellie Krieger.
For dinner, we ate at the place that, in my opinion, has the best pizza in the free world — 
Finally, we stopped for ice cream at The Big Dipper. I was so full from pizza that I could only stomach the “lite” stuff called Dole Whip. Now, I wish I would have had the custard instead, but the pineapple whip wasn’t too bad. Still, we do have good custard places in Madison such as Culver’s and Michael’s.
