I thought for sure I would be sore when I woke up this morning, but my legs felt great! So I decided to do my second Wii Active workout of the week. I chose one that was focused on the legs, all strengthening exercise. Basically all of the exercises I love to hate: squats, lunges, jumping squats, jumping lunges, inline skating, kick-ups, etc. But I figured those would be most beneficial to keeping my legs injury-free for the rest of marathon training.
Speaking of marathon training, I am now less than eight weeks away from the race. This time around, training is much better--I don't have to deal with the knee pain, and it's made such a big difference in my spirit. And I'm super excited about running in the fall. Michigan is gorgeous in the fall, and I'm sure the weather will be great for the race in mid-October.
It was pouring rain today, so I took the kids to the pool at the rec center. I didn't really feel like swimming, but I did tread water for a while when the kids were jumping off the diving board. Treading water gets tiring after a while! It reminded me of an episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive", where this guy is stranded in the ocean without a boat or raft or anything, and he survives for a crazy amount of time--like 36 hours or something. That's a very long time to stay afloat!
On to the review and giveaway...
Recently, a company called PlantFusion contacted me to see if I'd like to sample their protein powder. Since it wasn't whey based (I break out badly when I drink whey shakes), I was excited to try it out. It was hard to find a good-tasting alternative to the whey powder, but I eventually found one I really liked (it's an egg protein powder).
Anyway, PlantFusion sent me four single-serve packets, one in each of their flavors: vanilla bean, chocolate, chocolate raspberry, and unflavored. The powders are unique in that they contain:
First, I tried the vanilla bean. I made it the way I usually do my shakes--in a blender, with milk, some pudding mix, ice, xathan gum and guar gum (to make a creamy texture). I used Oreo pudding mix, to try and make a "cookies 'n cream" type shake.
I have to say, I was impressed with the flavor! The protein powder is vegan, and I didn't have any luck with the other vegan protein powders I tried before, but this one was good. The next day, I tried the chocolate in one of my favorite go-to shake recipes: the Chocolate Cherry Almond shake. I wasn't quite as impressed with the chocolate. The flavor was really good (it reminded me of chocolate cake batter), but it left a strange texture in my mouth.
I had no idea what to do with the chocolate raspberry flavor, so I decided that to be fair, I should mix it according to the directions on the package--add it to 10-12 oz. of water and shake. I've never had a protein shake made that way before, because the thought of it just grossed me out. But I know a lot of people drink their shakes that way, so I gave it a try.
I wasn't crazy about the flavor. The texture was actually really nice, and the powder mixed into the water without any clumps at all, but the raspberry flavor was overpowering--it reminded me of raspberry Jello. Which some people may really like--it just wasn't my thing.
I haven't used the unflavored packet yet, because I'm not sure what to do with it. I'll have to search some recipes, but I'll probably try it in oatmeal or something.
Overall, I would have to say that the PlantFusion powders are definitely the best of all the vegan protein powders I've tried. The vanilla bean was my favorite flavor. Usually what I do with my egg protein powder is buy just vanilla, and then when I want a chocolate shake, I add 1 Tbsp. of cocoa powder to it. No need to buy both flavors.
PlantFusion has generously offered a bottle of protein powder to a Runs for Cookies reader!
To enter the drawing:
1) "Like" the PlantFusion page on Facebook (their requirement, not mine), and
2) Leave ONE comment on this post
I will accept entries until Wednesday, August 29th at 7:00 a.m. EST. Winner will be selected by random draw. Good luck!
PlantFusion website
PlantFusion on Twitter
PlantFusion on Facebook
Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post; PlantFusion gave me four free samples to review, and all opinions are my own, honest opinions.
Speaking of marathon training, I am now less than eight weeks away from the race. This time around, training is much better--I don't have to deal with the knee pain, and it's made such a big difference in my spirit. And I'm super excited about running in the fall. Michigan is gorgeous in the fall, and I'm sure the weather will be great for the race in mid-October.
It was pouring rain today, so I took the kids to the pool at the rec center. I didn't really feel like swimming, but I did tread water for a while when the kids were jumping off the diving board. Treading water gets tiring after a while! It reminded me of an episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive", where this guy is stranded in the ocean without a boat or raft or anything, and he survives for a crazy amount of time--like 36 hours or something. That's a very long time to stay afloat!
On to the review and giveaway...
Recently, a company called PlantFusion contacted me to see if I'd like to sample their protein powder. Since it wasn't whey based (I break out badly when I drink whey shakes), I was excited to try it out. It was hard to find a good-tasting alternative to the whey powder, but I eventually found one I really liked (it's an egg protein powder).
Anyway, PlantFusion sent me four single-serve packets, one in each of their flavors: vanilla bean, chocolate, chocolate raspberry, and unflavored. The powders are unique in that they contain:
- No dairy
- No soy
- No eggs
- No wheat
- No peanuts
- No tree nuts
- No fish
- No shellfish
- No animal
- and are Hypo-gluten free
First, I tried the vanilla bean. I made it the way I usually do my shakes--in a blender, with milk, some pudding mix, ice, xathan gum and guar gum (to make a creamy texture). I used Oreo pudding mix, to try and make a "cookies 'n cream" type shake.
 |
| 1 serving vanilla protein powder, 1 cup milk, 2 Tbsp. Oreo pudding mix, 1/4 tsp. each xanthan and guar gum, 10 ice cubes. |
I had no idea what to do with the chocolate raspberry flavor, so I decided that to be fair, I should mix it according to the directions on the package--add it to 10-12 oz. of water and shake. I've never had a protein shake made that way before, because the thought of it just grossed me out. But I know a lot of people drink their shakes that way, so I gave it a try.
I wasn't crazy about the flavor. The texture was actually really nice, and the powder mixed into the water without any clumps at all, but the raspberry flavor was overpowering--it reminded me of raspberry Jello. Which some people may really like--it just wasn't my thing.
I haven't used the unflavored packet yet, because I'm not sure what to do with it. I'll have to search some recipes, but I'll probably try it in oatmeal or something.
Overall, I would have to say that the PlantFusion powders are definitely the best of all the vegan protein powders I've tried. The vanilla bean was my favorite flavor. Usually what I do with my egg protein powder is buy just vanilla, and then when I want a chocolate shake, I add 1 Tbsp. of cocoa powder to it. No need to buy both flavors.
PlantFusion has generously offered a bottle of protein powder to a Runs for Cookies reader!
To enter the drawing:
1) "Like" the PlantFusion page on Facebook (their requirement, not mine), and
2) Leave ONE comment on this post
I will accept entries until Wednesday, August 29th at 7:00 a.m. EST. Winner will be selected by random draw. Good luck!
PlantFusion website
PlantFusion on Twitter
PlantFusion on Facebook
Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post; PlantFusion gave me four free samples to review, and all opinions are my own, honest opinions.
