Post Workout Creamsicles

August 11, 2011 By Leanne Vogel October 4, 2017

Do you ever get a waft of a familiar smell and get sent right back to the moment you were introduced to that scent for the first time? If you haven’t, please don’t think I’m weird. I swear that there are people in the world whose memories are triggered by scent. And I just happen to be one of them. Anyways… that’s exactly what happened to me during my long run this past weekend. There was a kid on a park bench with his mom enjoying every last drop of his creamsicle as I went running by. I was presented with a flash of my Dad taking me to the local candy shop. for a report card treat. The first thought that came to me was “I wonder if they have a second creamsicle stashed away somewhere?” Second thought, “hmm… too much dairy, wouldn’t be able to finish this run.” Third thought; and the best out of them all, “I bet I could make a sugar-free, vegan, gluten-free, electrolyte loaded, protein carrying, super awesome post workout popsicle for snack when I get home.” And that’s exactly what I did. Thank goodness for the instant popsicle maker that we received as a gift earlier this year. I’ve always thought it was useless until now [sorry Maranda <3].   View Nutritional Information (once on page scroll down) Since we’re on the topic of post workout, protein carrying super popsicles, I thought it would be a great time to chat about my newest product find, Vega shake & go smoothies. I know they’ve been around for awhile, but I haven’t honestly needed them until now. Why? Because I like to get my food from real, live, whole foods that have been minimally processed. But with a bunch of traveling in my not so distant future, I needed to come up with some simple on-the-go meal ideas. After a bit of planning and product comparison, I landed on Vegan shake & go smoothies and a bunch of other homemade ideas that I’ll share in a second. The package says all you have to do is add water, shake and go, but I’ve found that’s not the best way to enjoy them. They taste very gritty when mixed with water as opposed to unsweetened almond milk. Also, they taste far better if combined a couple hours before and allowed to soak. No grittiness = happy Leanne. Why I like these smoothies:

• They’re fast.
• 100 calories, or 140 if you use almond milk.
• Boast 11 grams of protein in one serving [12g if you use 1 cup almond milk to mix]
• 1 billion probiotic cultures [L. acidophilus, B. bifidum].
• Although the powder is processed, it’s as close to a whole food as possible in a protein powder.
• Not as “green” tasting as other green based powders.
• Uses coconut sugar instead of artificial sweeteners like other protein powder brands.
• The taste is good, I just think they’re a bit too sweet. More on that below.
• Uses a combination of pea protein and brown rice protein, contributing all 8 essential amino acids to make this mix a complete protein!
• Doesn’t require add-ins to taste good. Who doesn’t like adding fruit to their smoothies? The answer should be no one. But, when you’re on the go with no blender in sight, these are a great alternative.
• Can come in convenient one time use packets.

Why I don’t like them:

•  I find that they’re far too sweet. The sweetest of them all was definitely the Vanilla Almondilla. You get used to the sweetness after awhile, but they could easily cut down on it.
• Mixing it with water doesn’t taste good, so I have to carry around almond milk with me. Kind of a pain, but I guess I can’t have it all.
• Rather expensive. I purchased 2 boxes, a total of 24 servings each. Total with shipping was $59.90, or $2.50 per serving. Much cheaper than in stores, or comparing it to purchasing a snack at the vending machine, but pretty expensive for a protein powder.

**Vega/Sequel did not supply these products, they have no idea who I am** If you’re cheap cost sensitive like me and will only treat yourself to these kinds of purchases every once in awhile, try packing along homemade on-the-go travel foods like:

• Pre-cooked grains like millet, rice, quinoa
• Hard boiled eggs. If you buy them farm fresh and cook them they can sit out on the counter for a couple of days with no harm done.
• Protein cookies
• Quinoa flake bakes. Simplify by bringing along 4 single serve unsweetened apple sauce cups, a microwaveable safe dish, and a bag with the following [will make 4 quinoa bakes]:
  • 2 cups quinoa
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• Date balls
• Minute overnight oats. Pack single serve non-dairy milk and a bag of minute oats mixed with dried fruit, seeds and spices. Combine milk with oat mixture and allow to sit for 10 minutes before enjoying.

What’s your go-to travel food companion? Wait, do you travel with food?

This entry was tagged: coconut milk, coconut water, popsicle