New Vega One!

I never thought I'd say this, but I sorta think smoothies are now my favorite food. I mean, pizza and cupcakes and fries and vegan mac & cheese and ramen noodles are still way, way up there. And if you asked my favorite junk food, I'd have a hard time picking one of those. But for my all-time fave —including the healthy stuff — I'm gonna go with smoothies.

But not just any smoothies. Specifically Vega One protein smoothies. A smoothie without Vega One is just icy fruit in a glass, but a smoothie made with Vega's all-in-one nutritional shake powder is a meal. I drink these smoothies at least four times a week, after my morning runs, for quick muscle recovery. And in the process, I'm getting vitamins, minerals, probiotics, greens, omega-3s, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium.

My love affair with Vega One dates back a few years, and I didn't see a thing wrong with their old product. But those perfectionists at Vega went and made their vegan protein powder even better! A couple months ago, I got a big ole shipment of their new formula to sample and review!

Yea, that was basically the greatest review package ever!

So here's what's new: 33% more protein (from multiple plant-based sources but mostly peas!), two times more greens, and it's now made with only real whole food ingredients. So for example, the old chocolate powder had 16 grams of protein per scoop, but the new one has 20 grams. The old one had three servings of greens (broccoli, kale, spirulina, and chlorella), but the new one has six! Each scoop still has 50% of your RDA for vitamins and minerals, 27% of your fiber, 1.5 grams of omega-3s, antioxidants equivalent to 2.7 cups of blueberries, and one billion probiotics.

As for the taste, honestly, I think the new stuff tastes about the same. It does have a slightly higher calorie content, probably due to the higher protein. A scoop of chocolate used to be 150 calories. Now it's 170. No biggie. It's stevia-sweetened and so flavorful! Like dessert but good for you. I've tried lots of other vegan protein powders, and nothing can hold a candle to Vega.

I used the four flavors Vega sent me to create four new smoothie recipes! Here ya go!

Green Elvis Protein Smoothie
-----------------------------------------------------------
As a Memphian, I couldn't resist a cliche Elvis reference. The King loved his peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and the combo of lightly flavored Natural Vega One and rolled oats give the drink a bread-like taste so it's like a sandwich in a cup! And there's kale in there for added goodness.

1 1/2 cup plant milk
1 frozen banana
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
Handful of kale leaves
2 Tbsp. rolled oats
1 scoop Natural Vega One All-in-One Nutritional Shake
Ice cubes

Add everything to your blender and let it rip until smoothy and creamy.
___________________________________________________________________

Wild Berry Banana Smoothie
-----------------------------------------------------------
It's like a berry explosion in your mouth! This smoothie also contains protein-packed spirulina for an extra superfood boost.

1 cup plant milk
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen blackberries
1 tsp. spirulina
1 scoop Berry Vega One All-in-One Nutritional Shake

Toss everything in the blender and blend until creamy. Garnish with extra frozen blueberries, if desired.
__________________________________________________________________

Cherry Chai Protein Smoothie
-------------------------------------------------------------
Cherries and chai might seem like a strange combo at first, but after one sip, you'll wish you'd thought of this sooner.

1 cup plant milk
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen cherries
1 handful baby spinach
1 scoop Vanilla Chai Vega One All-in-One Nutritional Shake

Blend everything together until creamy.
_____________________________________________________________________

Mocha Carob Chip Protein Smoothie
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who says you can't have carob and chocolate in the same meal? The two pair perfectly with the coffee in this smoothie for a much healthier java chip-style drink. Feel free to sub out chocolate chips for the carob though if you can't find any.

1 cup plant milk
1/2 cup cold coffee
1 frozen banana
1 scoop Chocolate Vega One All-in-One Nutritional Shake
Ice cubes
1 Tbsp. carob chips

Put everything except carob chips into a blender and blend until creamy. Then add carob chips and pulse until they're chopped into teensy bits that will fit through a straw.