Drink Wholesome PB Chocolate Vegan Protein Powder

I have tried quite a few vegan protein powders. Most of them have not gotten a second look from me because I do not like the aftertaste of stevia. I find that I only like stevia in leaf form and not in powder form. I would rather items contain sugar. When I recently was contact by Drink Wholesome to provide an honest* review their vegan protein powder, I was a bit reluctant. Once I saw that stevia was not an ingredient I agreed to give the powder a try.

One of the things that caught my eye was that it was only 6 ingredients: chickpeas, peanuts, coconut, cocoa, sea salt, and monk fruit. Protein powders are generally filled with many ingredients that are often not things we would generally put into our bodies. I eat all of these ingredients with the exception of monk fruit. It is a fruit though, so I can support that! I was also drawn to the flavor. Chocolate and peanut butter? Yes, please!

My samples arrived and I tested them unsweetened soymilk. I did not follow the directions and tried to mix the powder with a spoon instead of using a shaker bottle or blender. Note to other users: follow the directions! This powder needs the force of a shaker bottle or blender to dissolve the clumps. Once I corrected the issue, I was able to enjoy the after workout drink.

I really enjoyed the taste! It was nice not to have the overpowering aftertaste of stevia. The drink was slightly sweet and tasted like chocolaty goodness! The powder does not have a lot of other vitamins and nutrients beyond protein and fiber, but that is okay with me. Soy milk has much of the added vitamins and minerals that I am looking for in a drink.

Overall, I really like this product and would buy it as an after workout protein shake. The current price is about $25 (it is currently on sale) for 14 servings which makes it a tad more expensive than the other vegan supplements that I am able to find in stores. I compared it to a couple of other brands in pricing and it is about 30-40 cents more per serving with the sale price. Once the product returns to its original price of $28. However, I think that the whole and recognizable ingredients make this powder excel above the rest. The cost is worth it to me!

* Do you have a product that you would like us to review? We are happy to accept samples of your vegan product for an honest review. Please visit here to read more

Love Bar

Recently, we were contacted by the owner of Love Bar to ask us to provide an honest review of their bars.* I was excited about this review as I have enjoyed their bars for years. I eagerly said yes! They sent me one of each of the flavors to try. I am a creature of habit and have usually purchased the same two flavors, so this was a real treat to get to try the third flavor. They quickly arrived and I got to work sampling. The kiddo tried them as well and was also a huge fan. I will remember this for when we are out and need a quick and healthy snack.

Product: Love Bar- Ginger Spice, Cashew Brownie, and Goji Cocao

Overall Grade: A

Pros:

• The bars are absolutely delicious! I cannot even pick a favorite between the three. They managed to use the tastiest combination of ingredients in each bar. I am a sucker for brownies, ginger, and goji berries!
• Each bar only has a handful of ingredients that work well together and are common ingredients. You won’t find anything processed or fake in these bars. They are real food. They do not contain any processed fillers or additives.
• Their nutritional content is important to me. It offers protein, fiber, healthy fat, and iron.
• They are certified vegan and gluten free!
• They are organic!
• They are made in North Carolina. I live in NC, so I can feel confident in supporting a local, vegan business.
• I can easily find these bars locally. Do not worry if you are not located in North Carolina, you can check out their store locator and online shop.
• They have free shipping, if you buy online. That is a great deal!

Cons:

• They are about $3.49 a bar, online. That is a bit on the pricey side, but they are worth it because of the pure, unprocessed ingredients.

*Please note that we are happy to try vegan products for an honest review. If you are interested, please contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Cow Vegan Protein Shake and Meal Replacement

The makers of Happy Cow Vegan Protein Shake and Meal Replacement contacted us recently and asked if we would try their product.*  Smoothies are a regular occurrence in my household and we go through the protein shake mixes monthly. I happily accepted as I am always on the search for affordable vegan protein powders. The containers arrived quickly and I was pleasantly surprised by the design. It is different from other commercial shake containers with a picture of a cartoon cow and a black background. It stood out to me immediately that I it was a vegan product and that always makes me smile. I would be drawn to this product in stores. For now it is sold online through Amazon, but I would love to see this product in stores soon. Product: Happy Cow Vegan Protein Shake and Meal Replacement, Vanilla and Chocolate flavors

Overall Grade: A

Pros:

• Great packaging design with an adorable cow. I like that the company advertises boldly that it is a vegan protein shake.
• They have an offering of two common flavors: vanilla and chocolate. Nothing too weird or fancy.
• The products both have a delicious smell that is decedent and inciting.
• They list a good amino acid profile on the container. Many of the other vegan shakes/meal replacements either don’t contain amino acids or haven’t taken the time to label them on the containers. This is important to some people. The more nutritional information, the better.
• The serving amount is one scoop, whereas many other vegan shakes require two or more scoops.
• I have not compared pricing very closely between all other protein powders, but this seems to be on par (or a little cheaper) with the price of other vegan brands. Currently, it is listed for $25 on Amazon.

Cons:

• I wasn’t a fan of this product on its own (mixed with water only). Not many, if any, protein shakes taste good on their own. They all seem to have to be mixed with a vegan milk and other ingredients like fruits, vegetables, nuts and/or seeds.

 

*Please note that we are happy to try vegan products for an honest review. If you are interested, please contact us.

 

 

 

 

Banza! It’s Pasta!

I have been hearing about this new pasta craze on social media and I was curious to give it a try. Since the pasta is sold at Costco, I only had the option of a large box. I held my breath and gently tossed the box in my cart, hoping that I didn’t commit to pasta we would not like. To my delight, we really enjoyed the flavor! I was also pleased with the high fiber and protein in the nutritional values. The best part for me was that it was a gluten free pasta that did not fall apart when cooked or reheated. Many rice based pastas do not last well as leftovers. They often get crunchy and/or fall apart.

Overall Grade: A

Product: Banza Pasta, Rotini Shapped

Pros:

• This product is becoming widely available in stores across the US.
• The pasta has a delicious taste. The flavor and texture seem very close to wheat pasta.
• It is certified gluten free and GMO-free.
• It contains only four ingredients and they are all things that I was familiar with – no funky ingredients.
• A serving has a whopping 14g of protein and 8g of fiber! Wowsa!

Cons:

• It is over $4 a box (if you look at the smaller individual boxes). Wheat pasta can be purchased for under a dollar. It doesn’t have the same nutrition, but if we want people to switch to healthier products, we need to make them more affordable.
• There are two serving sizes on the box, 2oz and 3.4oz. The 3.4oz serving is 340 calories!! I know this is equivalent to wheat pasta, but I wish it were lower calories. If you are not calorie-obsessed like I am right now, then please ignore this con.

Crab and a Clean Conscience- Gardein Crabless Cakes

Ahoy maidens and mateys!  Veganswashbuckler is back, or you may call me Squashbuckler for short, as me fellow Vegan reviewer Amanda will do.  The crew quite likes it, and I admit it be less of a mouthful than how I was christened.  Just don’t call me late for dinner, especially if Gardein Crabless Cakes be on the menu.  Arr!

These fine morsels deserve the grade of A.

Now, before I became a Vegan pirate, when I was a wee little corpse munching scalawag, methinks I tended to avoid the crab cakes.  I never cared for mayo, and even today I fear the Vegan version.  Nevertheless, if ye like the stuff, by all means check this out, from another of our Vegan reviewers, Dawn.  Nevertheless, blindfold any miserable corpse muncher and give them a taste test, and I dare them to tell me these cakes are crabless, ye scoundrels and crab steaming poltroons!  And, since they already be blindfolded, make them walk the plank unless they reform their ways!

These tender chunks of delight are a treat lightly fried, and they come out crispy on the outside and juicy in the center.  They have the essence of the briny deep, they do, and a fine texture that will leave ye in amazement.  Add these yummy fries as a side, courtesy of another of our Vegan reviewers, Julie, and ye will have yerself a mighty fine repast with little effort.  Tell the chef to have the night off, but to take it easy on the grog and bring yer ship back in one piece.

The only real criticism I have of these nuggets is that they’re a bit tinier than ye think, and they only come ten to a package.  Ye may be left a little unsatisfied, but the flavor is a big winner.

Not Your Parents Tofu Scramble (Microwave), Vegan MoFo Day 26

Last year for MoFo you might remember that we posted about The Vegg’s egg scramble product. Since then they have come up with an updated version of that product called “Not Your Parents’ Tofu Scramble”. The creator of The Vegg contacted us to ask us to provide a review the microwave version of the “Not Your Parents’ Tofu Scramble”.* I loved the old product, but it had complicated directions and it is no longer on the market. The title of the new product is a little confusing. It is an “egg” scramble. It is not a tofu scramble where you use a block of tofu. Confusion of the name aside, this product seems to imitate scrambled eggs quite well. As you can see by the pictures, it looks like scrambled eggs. The directions were very simple. Mix with water, place on a plate, microwave, push curds around, and then microwave more. You might remember that Follow Your Heart has a vegan egg scramble out as well that we reviewed during Day 1 of MoFo 2016. I am a huge fan of The Vegg because they were the first company to come out with a vegan egg yolk that has a wonderful taste and is easy to use.

Product: Not Your Parents Tofu Scramble by The Vegg (Microwave Version)

Overall Grade:  A

Breakfast: GF O’Doughs bagel, Tofutti Cream Cheese, The Vegg Not Your Parents Tofu Scramble, and a SoL patty

Pros:

• This product has 22g of protein per serving. Move over eggs from a chicken’s butt, this is some serious proteinage!
• The product has 15% of your daily needs of iron and 20% of your daily needs of B12. The Vegg really took an opportunity to make this product more nutritional than the Follow Your Heart vegan egg.
• There is NO cholesterol!!
• The instructions are easy. No stove necessary, just a microwave.
• The product is able to be made on the stove or in the microwave. Options are good.
• The products is certified Kosher.
• I don’t have to add any vegan milks to make this product high in protein. I’ll mention it again…….22 g of protein
• The product easily makes curds that have a feel just like an egg in your mouth and look like scrambled eggs on your plate. Texture and look of this product is spot on.
• It is gluten free! It is made in a facility with wheat though.
• This product is toddler approved! My son loved it.
• This made us feel like we were eating a plate of scrambled eggs. I’ve often missed that as a vegan and am glad to have this back in my life. I like being able to whip up some vegan eggs on a weekend. And since this is so easy, I can do it during the week too!

Whisked with water, ready to go into the microwave.

Cons:

• Currently the 5 oz version is sold on The Vegg’s website for $9.59 (plus shipping and tax).  This product is not cheap. A carton of eggs is much cheaper.
• The current products are mostly available online only. This isn’t for lack of trying on the part of The Vegg. I’d love to see this product on store shelves some day.
• Without adding black salt, pepper, and other seasonings this product is quite bland. It didn’t have that much of an egg taste. I was able to easily remedy this with seasonings.
• This product contains soy, which would be a con for people who need to avoid soy.
• This product isn’t as versatile as it’s competitor at Follow Your Heart. It can only do scrambled eggs. It doesn’t seem to be able to be used for an omelette or quiche. The good news is that I think there are plans on the horizon for a product that makes an omelette. We hope to review that product when available.

After being microwaved for a few minutes. The curds are starting to form.

 

*We are willing to review any vegan product in exchange for an honest review from a member from our review team.

 

 

Square Bars

I love a good vegan snack bar. Bonus points for it being organic AND gluten free! Square Bars have definitely made it to my favorite list.

 

Product: Squarebar

Overall Grade: A

Pros: 

• Delicious! They taste like a less sweet version of a candy bar
• Organic
• Gluten-free
• They have great flavors – the peanut butter and mint are the best

Cons: 

• On the pricey side ($3 each at the store, however if you order a case on their website and use a coupon code, it can be less than $2 each depending on the sale or coupon code)
• Not easy to find locally. The only store that I have seen them at is Whole Foods

 

Not Quite A Kitchen Tour (and a protein powder) – Day 13

I’m not going to do a full kitchen tour today for two reasons: 1. I don’t live alone so the kitchen isn’t fully vegan and 2. my cabinets are a mess.  I’m in the middle of reorganizing the ones that are specifically mine, but it’s a work in progress.

Instead, what I’m going to do is share with you a new kitchen addition since last year’s Vegan MoFo.  My nephew gifted my sister and me a Nutribullet last Christmas.

The one we got is red, has two small and one large blender cups, two lids, an extra screw-top handle for the handle-free cups, a blender blade and a mill blade.

My nutribullet is like this one.

This thing is a little powerhouse.  We use it for small batches of hummus, for smoothies, to grind chia seeds, to make flour out of whole grain buckwheat, to make nut meal and for various other things.  It’s easy to clean – all dishwasher safe, except the base obviously.  It’s also easy to take the cups on the go…take off the blade, flip the cup, and screw on the lid. The only real issue we have with it, is it takes just the right hand to get the cup/blade to connect with the base.  I’ve found that if you turn it so it fits into the base and makes a slight “drop” into to then you can the push the cup down to blend.  It was hard to get this down at first, but I think I have it now.

The other day, I made a smoothie in it using Vega Choc-a-lot protein smoothie.  As a recall, this was 1 scoop of the protein powder, 1 small banana, a couple handfuls of kale, coconut milk (beverage, not the canned kind), and a small spoonful of peanut butter.

 

 

 

Made with pea protein, hemp protein and other proteins (no gluten or soy), there’s 15 grams in a single scoop.  It also advertises two servings of veggies per 90 calorie serving.

I like using the variety of protein and getting so much nutrition in a small serving.  But, there’s one caveat.  The stevia taste is strong.  If you dislike stevia, you won’t like this protein powder.  I’m ok with stevia most of the time and it’s even a little strong for me.  I find that using a banana as the fruit helps temper it as does adding a little agave or maple syrup.

I realized as I was writing this post, that I’ve never used it in just a glass of non-dairy milk like it suggests on the package.  It didn’t really change my view on the powder.  It doesn’t fully stir in so it wasn’t smooth like a chocolate flavored milk and the taste is still stevia-like with a mild chocolate flavor.

So, it’s a mixed review from me…it’s something I buy because I like the nutrition, but I have to mask the taste a bit to really enjoy it.