My Rap Name is Smooth-E

Smoothie time - After trying one of the home delivery smoothie services for a month, I decided to go back and make my own. They were  super easy and very good but some of the combinations I didn't care for, and some of the containers must have melted slightly in shipment because even though I put them immediately in the chest freezer when I got them (they come with dry ice) some came out of the container as a solid chunk of "fruit ice" which was almost impossible to blend.  Since I  can make my own for a 1/2 the price I canceled my subscription, giving them feedback as to why. But for someone seriously short on time with cash on hand, you might look into it and I imagine since they are new, the shipping issues may resolve themselves.

But I DID learn some GREAT flavor combos and found that if I prep my ingredients the night before and put in the freezer, in the morning (or do a few days worth and freeze in small Tupperware's) all I have to do is put the frozen bits in the blender, add liquid and protein powder, and it's Smoothie time, a no brainer when it's not even light out yet.

Vega brand is one of my favorite brands of vegetarian/vegan smoothie protein powder, I tried using hemp protein powder for a while as it's much more easily digestible than the tradition whey or pea protein powder, but found it a little bit gritty for smoothies so I'm trying to find a good middle ground between creamy but hard to digest (for me) whey and gritty but easy-to-digest hemp.

So when I spotted this new Vega Clean Protein powder (at my local CVS) I had to try it.  It comes in Vanilla and Chocolate.  At the CVS price it's about $2 a serving.  Looking online I saw you can order it from Vitacost for $5 less, and at Amazon for $7 less than what I paid.

From their website:

Because doing epic, crazy stuff can be better with clean fuel, now you can enjoy protein without compromise. Each serving of Vega Clean* Protein has 25 grams protein, and 4 grams BCAAs in a complete, plant-based protein blend made from pea, hemp, alfalfa, and pumpkin seed proteins.

Help build and repair muscle

Complete multisource blend of premium plant-based protein

130 calories

No sugar added (it's sweetened with Stevia)

It also has 4 grams of BCCA's.  Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) help to build and repair muscles post-workout.

It has a comparable amino acid profile to whey, without the harder to digest ingredients I don't want. . Non-GMO Project verified, gluten-free, and made without dairy or soy ingredients, artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners, Vega Clean Protein is plant-based, which means that (unlike some whey protein from US cows), there are no growth hormones or antibiotics to worry about, either.  

Not only are all the proteins used minimally processed and clean, but pea, hemp, alfalfa, and pumpkin seed protein together provide complementary amino acid profiles.  It has a slightly different texture than regular Vega protein powder but was great mixed with fruits and veggies in a blender.

This one was made with equal amounts frozen apple bits, cucumber, spinach, and kale with a little bit of peeled lemon and a dash of turmeri and a scoop of the Clean Vanilla flavor.  It had a nice creamy texture and refreshing creamy-yet-clean taste with a great balance between veggies and fruit. I will definitely make this combo again and after a 90 minute workout, I was recharged.