Smoothie Fixins!

I'd like to take credit for "smoothie fixins," but I have to admit that Gena of Choosing Raw gets the props for that one. I heard her use the phrase on the Our Hen House podcast this weekend. Love it!

Anyway, this great new company, Oriya Organics, sent me two full-size tubs of their smoothie fixins to sample and review. And since I'll soon be entering into smoothie month (a.k.a. January cleanse month), they couldn't have come at a better time. Check out these big ole tubs of Superfood Protein Medley and SuperGreen Medley:

I'm saving the bulk of the powders for my Thrive Forward healthy diet in a couple weeks, but I wanted to at least give these a sneak peek so I could share my thoughts with y'all.

On Monday, it was still nice and warm outside — 60 degrees at 6 a.m.! Perfect weather for an outdoor run. I whipped up a pre-run smoothie using the Superfood Protein Medley, a cup of unsweetened Almond Breeze Coconut Almond Milk, half a banana, and some frozen mango in the blender. And then I poured it into this sweet go-cup that Oriya Organics hooked me up with:

Verdict: Tasty. The protein powder isn't sweetened like Vega is (Vega uses stevia), so my smoothie could have used a generous squirt of agave. But sweet or not, it was still tasty and not too chalky like some powders tend to be.

The protein powder is made from sprouted chia seeds, spirulina, sprouted brown rice protein, hemp protein, and chlorella. It's totally raw, non-GMO, and organic. And vegan of course! One scoop has 100 calories and 18 grams of protein. Plus, vitamin A, B12, C, E, and K. And there's lots of manganese and iron.

This morning, I woke up with a bit of a head cold. I could feel it coming on last night, and today, I'm all stuffy. I didn't feel like running, so I skipped a smoothie. But I did try some SuperGreen Medley to boost my nutrients, thinking that might help ward off my cold.

This green powder is similar to Amazing Grass powder, which I used to be practically addicted to (until I couldn't afford it anymore!). It's made with spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass, and barley grass, and it's LOADED with vitamins! 190% of your vitamin A! 630% of your vitamin K! 100% of your vitamin C!

Like Amazing Grass, it's probably best enjoyed in a tasty fresh fruit smoothie, but I mixed a scoop with water and downed it like a shot of tequila:

Going down, it was a little, um, green. But I expected that. If you're going for straight nutrition, it's fine to shoot the stuff. But like I said, it'd be much more palatable in smoothie form.

I'm looking forward to trying different smoothie combos using these powders as I start to cleanse in January since the Thrive Diet pushes a smoothie a day.