Shake-Shake-Shakeology!

As promised I have a Shakology product review for y’all!

                        (source)

I’ve always been curious about protein powders, especially varieties with added nutrients.  So when Jenny from Shakeology contacted me about a potential product review, I immediately said yes, and boy, am I glad that I did!

But before I get to the actual reviewing, let me tell you a little about the company and their products.

How Does Shakeology® Work?

Using the most potent superfoods and essential nutrients available, it repairs and strengthens your body on a cellular level.

Shakeology uses a proprietary blend of digestive enzymes and prebiotics to gently and efficiently eliminate toxins. Then a combination of antioxidants, phytonutrients, adaptogens, and many other rare ingredients give your body the essential nutrients you can’t get from a normal diet. You get a salad bowl’s worth of fruits and vegetables in a single glass.

Whole-food ingredients—all-natural foods that still maintain the vitamins, minerals, and fiber often stripped from highly processed foods—deliver these nutrients to help your body shed stored fat and promote optimum health.

No other shake contains the world’s most powerful superfoods.

We searched the world for the most potent ingredients your body can easily absorb and utilize, creating a perfect combination of enzymes, prebiotics, antioxidants, and many rare ingredients like adaptogens, Camu-Camu, and Sacha Inchi. Here are all the different kinds of nutrients you’ll get from a single glass of Shakeology.
You won’t find this in any other health drink.

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Sounds pretty impressive, eh?  Now let’s see how I thought they tasted…

Shakeology Review

Greenberry:  This was the first flavor I tried from the Shakeology package I received and, to be honest,  I was not a fan.  It tasted very “green” and had a very strong Wheatgrass flavor.  In an attempt to hide the flavor, I added frozen peaches and strawberries to my smoothie and it still didn’t help.  This flavor left a bad taste in my mouth…literally.

Chocolate:  Fortunately for me, the Chocolate flavor tasted a million times better than Greenberry.  It was filled with the same ingredients (Wheatgrass, Spirulina, Chlorella, Chia seed meal, Maca powder, etc.) yet it had barely any aftertaste.  It had a small aftertaste, but it was a small price to pay for the awesome nutrition that the shake offered. 

Overall:  Overall, I’d have to say that the Shakeology products are either a hit or a miss.  In my opinion, the Chocolate flavor was the better of the two, but everyone’s taste buds are different.  Although the nutritional stats and ingredients are pretty stellar, I definitely think the people at Shakeology need to work on the flavor aspect of their product a little more. 

Overall Grade: C

**If you are interested in ordering any Shakeology or Beachbody products click here.

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Questions of the Day:

1. Have you ever done a shot of Wheatgrass?  I haven’t but I heard it’s amazingly healthy.
2. Do you ever eat something solely for the nutritional aspect of it and not the taste? If so, what?

Have a great week! Pancake recipe tomorrow!

Jay Robb Whey Protein Review

Protein Powder.

Before Blog World I thought it was just for bodybuilders.  Boy, was I wrong!

Once I started reading more and more blogs, I started finding more and more delicious ways to use the stuff.

• Protein Cakes
• Protein  Ice Cream
• Protein Milkshakes
• Protein Pancakes
• Protein Banana Bread
• Protein Smoothies
• Protein PanCakes (large pancakes or mini cakes)

The list goes on and on…

Ever since I discovered the wonderful stuff and all that I can do with it I’ve been trying to find the best tasting stuff I can find.  Thankfully, Jay Robb heard about my dilemma and offered to send me some samples.  Yes, please! 

♥Jay Robb Whey Protein Powder Review♥

…but first some interesting information about Jay Robb products.

 

Jay Robb’s Whey Protein is made from the finest natural ingredients available and delivers 25 grams of first class protein, 0-fat, 0-cholesterol, 0-sugars, and only 1 gram of carbohydrate per 30 gram serving. Only cold-processed cross-flow microfiltered whey protein isolate is used as the protein source and this material comes from farm-raised, pasture-grazed, grass-fed cows not treated with the synthetic bovine growth hormone rBGH. 

 

 

Sounds pretty good, right?  Let’s see how they tasted…

 

Chocolate:  This was the first flavor that I tasted and it gave me a great impression of what was to come.  The flavor was excellent.  It didn’t have that protein powder-y aftertaste that some protein powders have and was extremely chocolate-y.  The only bad part of this flavor was that it was gritty.  It might have just been because I stirred it into oatmeal though.  I’m sure it would be less gritty in a smoothie or shake.

Vanilla:  This flavor was also good! I didn’t like it as much as the chocolate flavor mostly because I’m a chocoholic though.  I enjoyed this in Protein PanCake form and it baked and fluffed up well. Unfortunately, it did have a tiny bit of an aftertaste, but it was nothing that a little extra cinnamon couldn’t fix.

Strawberry:  I enjoyed this in a Strawberries ‘N’ Cream Smoothie and it was delicious! I loved it! It seriously tasted like a strawberry milkshake and was pretty thick due to the fact that the powder contained a bit of xanathan gum. Again the only problem was that it had a small aftertaste.

Tropical Dreamsicle:  This was definitely the favorite of the bunch.  It was flavorful, summer-y, and had NO aftertaste!  I enjoyed it in smoothie form and I could have sworn I was sipping on a melted Orange Creamsicle.  YUM!

Piña Colada:  If I’d had to pick a favorite mocktail I would definitely choose the Piña Colada.  They’ve become one with summer and I felt like I was back at the beach while I was sipping on my Piña Colada protein smoothie.  The flavor was spot on and was aftertaste-free.

Overall:  I’m not gonna beat around the bush here:  Jay Robb Whey Protein Powder is amazing! I loved all of the flavors and would gladly buy more and recommend them to all of my friends.  I even had my 10-year-old brother fooled.  I gave him a protein smoothie and he couldn’t even tell there was protein powder in it.  Shhhh, don’t tell him, he still doesn’t know!

Overall Grade:    A

Thanks Jay Robb! 

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Questions of the Day:

• What is your favorite flavor/brand of protein powder?  How do you use it?  I love my Jay Robb protein powder, but I’m still curious!  Feel free to leave links for protein-packed recipes as well!

Have a great Wednesday!

PS – Has anyone tried dessert protein powder?  (Cookies ‘N Cream, Cake Batter, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, etc.)  I feel like I’ve seen them all over Blog World but can’t seem to find anywhere to buy them!

Orange You Glad I Didn’t Say Banana?

Sorry for the old joke.  I just had to use it considering the orange-filled post content ahead.

Sometimes it seems like the banana gets all the glory.  Banana bread, banana soft-serve, banana pancakes, banana sandwiches, banana smoothies, the list goes on and on.  Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against bananas, but just think about all the fruits that are getting left out. 

Delicious fruits.  Fruits like oranges. 

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This morning I had a smoothie that tasted exactly like an Orange Creamsicle.  You know those popsicles that you used to eat all the time in the summer – consider this the melted version of those, but better for you.

It started out with this protein powder. ↓

Along with a peeled orange, some greek yogurt, a few ice cubes, and some water all put in the Magic Bullet, blended for a minute or so and VIOLA!  A delicious orange protein shake/smoothie for one!

Boy, oh boy, was it delicious!  But don’t worry, the orange love isn’t done yet!

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For those of you that aren’t big fans of smoothies and would rather have a warm, comforting snack on a cold winter’s day consider making this Cranberry Orange Bread. ↓

I would!

This bread is definitely a change of pace from the normal, run-of-the-mill, cinnamon-laden banana bread, but it’s still good.  I think of it as a wake-up-call for my taste buds.  ZING!

Cranberry Orange Bread

Slightly adapted from AllRecipes.com

This vegan bread is moist, hearty, sweet, and tangy.  It’s everything you’d want in a bread and more.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ – 1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons water)
• ½ cup orange juice
• zest of 1 orange
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat flax egg. Add orange juice, peel, oil, and hot water. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Gently fold in cranberries and walnuts. Spoon into greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan.
2. Bake at 325 degrees F for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

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 One thing to remember when making this bread: the matter will be very thick.  Do not add more liquid or you will ruin everything!  It should look kinda like this… ↓

The batter will be so thick that it will be hard to stir in the cranberries and walnuts, but don’t worry!  An hour or so later it will be dense and perfectly fine.  It should look like this… ↓

Mmmmm.  I am already a fan of this bread.  But don’t take it from me, take it from Allie.  She is also a big fan of this AllRecipes.com recipe.

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Question of the Day:

1. What are your favorite fruits? My favorites are apples, bananas, oranges, berries, grapefruits, and pineapple.

Have a great Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

PS – The winner of the Jay Robb Protein Powder Giveaway is #19 Erica from Oats & Tea! Congrats! Expect an email from me shortly!

PSS – Half of the Cranberry Orange Bread is already gone.  I think Philip liked it…

Random Stuff

Whoa! It seems like Jay Robb Protein Powder is very popular here in Blog World. Yay!

As this post title hints, this post is going to be about a bunch of random stuff. I feel like I have so many things to share with you and not enough time to say it all in separate posts.

Bear with me if this gets a little disorganized and random.

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Lately everything on the food-front is all good and well.  I’m glad I was able to get right back on track after the holidays.  Instead of craving cookies and chocolate, I am now craving smoothies, oatmeal, and protein!

Greek yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, 1/2 banana, cinnamon, lemon juice, and flax seeds topped with Coco-Nutty granola and cranberries ↓

April’s Protein PanCake prepared using Jay Robb Chocolate Whey and topped with a dollop of Dark Chocolate Dreams ↓

Mixed greens, tofu, tomatoes, cucumber, brie, and blue cheese viniagrette↓

Speaking of salads…I’ve completed the Salad Challenge! You can see my progress right here.

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The other day I finally went and got my Bone Density Test.  I haven’t gotten the results yet, but I’m hoping for the best.  Although, I wouldn’t mind having an excuse to buy those delicious-looking Adora Calcium Disks.

Anyways, I have a follow-up visit scheduled for another Orthopedic who works in sports medicine and hip injuries on Friday and a blood test on Wednesday.

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As you know, I am a big fan of magazines.  Almost all magazines, but mostly health and food magazines.

So the other day, while in the waiting room of the doctor’s office an article in the Fitness magazine caught my attention.  “Wait, these people look familiar!” I thought.

It turns out that they were fellow bloggers, whose blogs I read pretty often!

Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers

and Tina from Faith, Fitness, Fun

In each of the articles, the women talked about what made them want to get healthy and fit.  It was a really good article. 

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In other news…

I got my second ear-piercing the other day.  (Pictures to come)

Today is this guy’s birthday. ↓

Happy 7th Birthday Matthew! (He’s my cousin.)

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That’s all for now folks.  I hope you enjoyed the totally random, yet heartfelt post. I am hoping to post my New Year’s Resolutions later tonight.

New Year, New Giveaway!

Happy 2011 Everybody!

According to About.com, 63 percent of the New Years Resolutions this year will be health and fitness related.  Knowing this, I figured it would be a good time to offer a giveaway with items that will help people with these goals.

Jay Robb Protein Powder Giveaway!

Disclaimer: Jay Robb provided me with the products for this giveaway – I did not purchase them myself.  This giveaway is only open to people living in the USA and Canada.  The extra entries only count if you complete the mandatory entry.

What You Could Win:

• Single-serving (30 gram) packets of Vanilla, Chocolate, Pina Colada, Strawberry, and Orange Whey Protein Powder.
• Single-serving (30 gram) packets of Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry Egg White Protein Powder.
• 3 Jay Robb Protein Bars – different flavors
• 1 black, bedazzled Jay Robb tank top
• 1 plastic Jay Robb shaker cup

How To Enter:

1. Mandatory Entry: Leave me a comment telling  me about one of your New Year’s Resolutions.
2. Add FoodFitnessFun to your blogroll and leave a comment telling me you did. (1 extra entry)
3. “Follow Me” (FoodFitnessFun) on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did. (1 extra entry)
4. Tweet this  ”I want to win @FoodFitnessFun’s Protein Powder Giveaway!” and leave a comment telling me you did. (1 extra entry)
5. Link to this giveaway in your next blog post and leave me a comment telling me you did. (1 extra entry)

You have until midnight on January 7th, 2011 to enter!

Good luck!