A foodie's quest to turn up the heat through strength and conditioning with whole food and a hungry mind.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

WIAW #17 Sensible Liquid Snacking with Jay Robb Proteins



Sensible snacks can be low or high calories, raw or vegan, low carb or high protein? Each person’s preferences/needs can and do vary which makes a sensible snack for one person, not so sensible to the other. Whatever the type, one thing’s for sure, the least processed the better!

For me, marathon training for the past several years meant high carb snacks were king. I’d go through cereal (healthy, whole grain kinds with less than 6g sugar, mind you) like the Cookie Monster with cookies. Check out an old post I wrote confessing my love for simple, healthy cereal here.

Now that I’m not running 70+ miles per week and focusing on strength training, my snacks are more focused around quality protein. Jay Robb recently sent me several whey and egg white protein mixes and bars to sample which were great for work. Liquid snacks like Jay Robb’s healthy protein shakes are instant portion control, delicious, and definitely sensible. Sweetened with all natural stevia you get 25 grams of high quailty chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, tropical dreamsicle, and pina colada portable protein.


I sampled each flavor by mixing with water and ice before leaving work to work out. The whey protein mixed easily and hit the spot in terms of taste and consistency. I imagine these would make a great smoothie base, but I wanted to try them with water to get the true taste of the product. The egg white powders, on the other hand, left a slightly bitter aftertaste that kept me from fully enjoying the mix. Chocolate was my favorite with the dreamsicle at a close second; it's so refreshing in this Texas heat. Given the choice between egg or whey, I say “Go Whey!”



The protein bars come in fudge brownie, peanut butter, and cashew-coconut. All of these provided a very filling snack for in between meals at work and all were a delight to consume. Of the three, cashew-coconut was the most unique and flavorful. I’ve mentioned before, though, that I don’t buy a lot of bars, but if I did, it’d be the cashew-coconut.

Finding high quality protein powders is always hard; it seems so many claim to be healthy, but have crappy artificial sweeteners and oils added. These ingredients have no business in my body, and I fully appreciate Jay Robb’s products for keeping the bad stuff out and good stuff in. Give their whey protein or protein bars a try next time you’re at the store; your body deserves it!


Now, on to what makes this day so special, my WIAW eats! I’d like to thank Jenn over at Peas and Crayons for hosting this fun-filled event. Otherwise, who would know what I ate Wednesday?


Happy What I Ate Wednesday!







B-Fast:
Steamed veggies with cayenne and salmon; the celery sticks doubled as my "utensils"; after I was done, I cooled down from the spicy cayenne with a frothy stevia sweetened PB Crave CoCo Bananas coffee frappe.


Snack:
I ate breakfast pretty late, so I just had some green tea to hold over until lunch.


Lunch:
Crock-pot white bean and veggie stew with rosemary balsamic tilapia; baby carrots; dehydrated okra; double dose of green tea with an apple cinnamon herbal tea mixed in.


Snack:
Jay Robb Strawberry Whey Protein shake with Strawberry Zevia, strawberries, and rhubarb. This strawberry rhubarb shake was the perfect balance of tangy sweetness and I will have to make this again for a nighttime treat.  So refreshing with the little bubbles from Zevia.


Dinner:
Beets and Brussels salad; there was arugula, creminis, and a homemade veggie-lentil puree dressing not pictured, they just look cleaner before I make a big mix; homemade white bean chocolate protein dip with plain non-fat Chobani Greek yogurt and an overnight oat peanut flour microwave muffin...or two : )






There you have it, the last Sensible Snacking post for June.  Can you believe it with be the 4th of July for the next WIAW?!  Pandemonium, I tell ya!

Do you ever choose sensible liquid snacks instead of solid food?  

I enjoy the little cartons of individual sized organic 1% milk from Horizon sometimes.  I know it's wayyy more cost effective to buy a full carton of milk and just pour into my own portable cup, but I love just having these in my drawer and being able to chill when I want. Plus, my other favorite, pureed fruit and veggie protein smoothies are a liquid-solid hybrid since I use a spoon.  Yum, so comforting!

20 comments:

  1. Happy WIAW! Brussel Sprout and Beets yum. :-)

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    1. Thank you for reading, and I don't think Brussels Sprouts or Beets will ever get old!

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  2. I agree...beets and brussels sprouts will never get old...what a great combo!

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    1. Too bad we can't get more people on board with this feeling!

      Thanks for reading!

      Why did I just yell(!) those two sentences?

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  3. Happy WIAW! I liked your post about Whey protein but as i am thinking about trying it. I am trying to lose weight and a little apprehensive about trying them and just wondered what your thoughts were on it. Any advice would be so welcome. Also i just getting into beets and they look lovely.

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    1. Hi Lisa, Happy WIAW to you too! Thank you for reading and commenting.

      I am a huge fan of whey protein, but have to be very picky about what I choose. I will not eat/drink anything with artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame, so always watch out when it says "no sugar added". I only like unflavored or stevia sweetened protein powder.

      Jay Robb like I mentioned today, uses stevia, but other brands like MRM, Natural Factors, NOW Foods, Jarrow, and more offer a stevia version. Besides mixing into smoothies, I like baking with the protein powder by using it in place of flour. The texture will be different, but it's ok with me!

      Feel free to e-mail me at RCrown2 (at) aol (dot) com for more questions; if you have certain protein in mind, let me know and I will tell you my thoughts if you care. Search my site for previous posts or check the recipe page for some recipes I've posted using protein.

      Hope this helps, and enjoy those beets!!

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    2. Thank you so much for your advice and i am going to check some out. I live in England and have some different suppliers but will defo be looking at the ingredients and avoiding what you suggested. Thank you for saying i can e-mail you and will take you up on your offer. I am just so unsure about it. I will also check the recipe page. Thank you.

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    3. I'm always happy to help. I don't claim to know everything, but will share what I do know! Another easy check it the length of the ingredient list. "Short and sweet" is a great saying for any list of ingredients. Please let me know what you find, I'm interested to hear your choice.

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  4. The white bean and veggie stew looks delicious...do you have a recipe??

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    1. Thank you, Fran. I haven't posted one yet, but it's a pretty simple one. I might have it posted for tomorrow. Slow-cookers are my best friend when cooking for the week!

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  5. i really like the jay robb whey protein powders but i've never tried the egg white. i don't consume much dairy and eat tons of eggs/egg whites so i figured the whey is a better way (haha) to fill in those nutritional gaps. i've been considering just making a big breakfast shake to-go to make my mornings easier, but i do love a solid breakfast ...

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    1. Yeah, it's hard to not have solids for breakfast....I like to chew! Come night time though, I want something smooth and creamy to eat with a spoon.

      I liked the use of words, made me laugh out loud at work. I tend to get a kick out of little things like that.

      Jay Robb makes some good protein, but like I said, their whey is way (look, I did it too!) better than their egg white protein.

      Happy WIAW!

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  6. I will have to try Jay Robb- Vega and Whey Naturals are my go-to powders currently:) your meals look amazing! Especially the beet salad

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    1. I've never had Vega, but Whey Naturals is one I like too. Thank you for the comments, and the beets are always welcome on my plate!

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  7. Just a thought, can vegetarians take whey protein? Is it not against their belief in different food groups. And I think it is better to consume whey through liquid form so that easily absorbed and avoid the nasty taste.

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    1. Hi Manaka, thank you for visiting and commenting. I'm not a vegetarian, and I don't want to offend anyone, so please correct me if I'm wrong here... depending on the type of vegetarian, some can still have whey in their diets. I think they are called Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians; they will still have dairy and egg products. On the other end of the spectrum, Vegans would steer clear of whey and basically anything not plant-based.

      Pardon my confusion, but when you say liquid form, do you mean mixing powder in a liquid or whey that is already liquid at the store? Or maybe the liquid that forms in yogurt, since that is the whey. Hope I helped answer something, please ask more if you need.

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  8. Hey! Great looking food! You're brussels and beets are really making me wish I had some brussels sprouts close at hand...they're seriously addicting! And the PB Coffee Banana Frappe looks mighty tasty as well. I quite often use coffee as the liquid in my smoothies ;) I may or may not be addicted to dark roast coffee.

    I think that the closest thing that I get to "liquid snacks" is smoothies and pureed soups (hey, soup is liquidy!). Sometimes I will drink So Delicious brand's Cultured Coconut Milk Beverage (much like Kefir) with some stevia and Chocolate Hemp protein powder mixed in. I find that is my favourite kind of protein powder. I'm a bit iffy about getting soy protein because of the whole soy-GMO issue. I'm dying to try that Sunwarrior protein powder that I see all over the internet...or Vega...it's just so darn expensive!

    Oh...and do you have the recipe for those microwave oat-PB muffins? They look insanely good.

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    1. I am quite the coffee fan myself. I make sure to just try samples of the whole beans in bulk bins at the store. So good and crunchy!

      I love Kefir but love Greek yogurt more, and usually only choose one when shopping. Greek wins most of the time. I just enjoy eating with a spoon. I try to limit soy protein, but have tried and really like the Spiru-tein powders. Have you seen these? They are non-GMO too.

      I've heard of both Sunwarrior and Vega, but like you said....costly! I'm all about spending a little extra on something healthy, but not if I don't "need" it.

      I'm working on the recipe for the overnight oat microwave muffins and hope to have it down soon. The ones in the pic were my first try and I never wrote anything down or measure. Oops! Trust me, I'll make again and post soon!

      Have a great day, always enjoy your comments!

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  9. loving the celery sticks as utensils. I do this with hummus and bread when I'm too lazy or forget to bring knives along with me to work. How is that zevia? I'm honestly not a huge stevia fan, but I do love Sun Warrior protein and that has stevia in it. Also- is the jay robb protein very "whey-ey", if you know what I mean? Awesome eats nonetheless, as always!!

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    1. Yeah, produce utensils are awesome! No cleaning afterward...just eat'em!

      I really like the Zevia. Even my wife, who doesn't like stevia that much, enjoys it. I'd suggest the Cream Soda or Ginger Root Beer to start...they are some of the best flavors to me. Also, if you let them go flat, they are great mixed with protein to make overnight oats.

      I've become pretty used to mixes and may not be the best judge of how whey-like some are, but the Jay Robb proteins are pretty good about mixing well. I just used water and a shaker cup at work and I didn't get that chalky grain like some mixes. Although, the chocolate one did have some of the "whey-ey" taste you are talking about. If you have a blender, I think they're all an excellent choice.

      Thanks for the comments; go try a Zevia if you can, so stores sell singles. It's the only "soda" I have now.

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