Protein Power!

I run every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning (weather permitting, of course). And ever since completing the Thrive Forward cleanse in January, I've been consuming a protein smoothie about 30 minutes after my run. That's because I read all about eating the proper foods to boost recovery time while I was doing that cleanse, and protein helps rebuild muscle.

Before that cleanse, I ran often. But I never paid attention to what I was eating afterward. Since then, I've been able to tell a difference in my recovery time between runs. Plus, smoothies just seem easier to digest after a hard workout. And smoothies made with protein powders are filling for hours.

But sadly, many protein powders taste like butt. I don't care how many awesome superfoods a powder contains, if it tastes like ass, I'm not drinking it. I've sampled a ton of protein powders and, hands down, my favorite by a long shot has been Vega. Love the flavors (vanilla chai, anyone?) and the fact that it's stevia-sweetened (Healthy dessert for breakfast? Yes, please).

I was certain no protein powder could ever be as tasty as Vega. So when the folks at MRM offered to send me their Veggie Protein powders to try, I thought, "Yea, I'll check this out. But I bet it can't be as tasty as Vega."

Well, guess what? I was wrong! This stuff is right there on par with Vega. I hate to compare one vegan product to another in a review, but quite frankly, Vega has been so high above any other powder in my mind, that's the only bar I have to compare with. And Veggie Protein holds its own! Both the vanilla and the chocolate flavors are sweetened with stevia and xyiltol, and they both taste like dessert. I would even venture to say that I might like the chocolate Veggie Protein better than chocolate Vega One. The vanilla is great too, but Vega may have them beat by a hair with its French Vanilla Vega One.

How does it stack up nutritionally? Veggie Protein has more protein than Vega One (22 grams versus 15-16 grams). Vega One has WAY more Omega-3's, but Veggie Protein contains Omega 3's, 6's, and 9's. They both have some other fancy fruit and veggie extras — grape seed extract, spinach, etc. Vega One seems to have a lot more supplements and extras.

But for a protein powder, Veggie Protein has you covered. Lots of protein. Good taste.

I made some fun smoothies with each flavor. Using the vanilla flavor, I made this Strawberry-Vanilla Smoothie:

That's one cup of unsweetened almond milk, 3/4 cup frozen strawberries, half a frozen banana, and one scoop of Veggie Protein Vanilla.

And I made this Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie with the chocolate flavor:

That's one cup of unsweetened almond milk, one frozen banana, 2 tablespoons of PB2 (but regular peanut butter would work too), and one scoop of Veggie Protein Chocolate.

Both smoothies were delicious! And the chocolate PB banana one was especially thick and creamy, almost like a milkshake. So all this is to say, Veggie Protein is damn good. I'm happy to add this to my thrice-weekly smoothie powder options.