Vega Energizing Smoothie – Vanilla Almondilla

I had been searching for the Vega Energizing Smoothies for months. I have seen the full size pouches for sale at stores and online, but I wanted to try out a single serving packet before I made the plunge into a pricey multi-serving pack. Finally, my search came to an end on a trip to Whole Foods where I stumbled upon single serve packets for sale.  I picked up a few different flavors but the first one I wanted to try was the Vanilla Almondilla because vanilla is a universal flavor and can truly be mixed with any fruit or flavor combination.

I don’t particularly like drinking my calories/points plus for the day, but I do like smoothies every now and again. Protein mix based smoothies or yogurt smoothies it’s nice to mix up the routine once in a while.

The packet stated to mix the smoothie mix with 1 cup of water, so I opted to mix it up in a cup before adding it to my blender. After mixing … the smoothie mix was rather, green. Green coloring in food, particularly if it’s not broccoli or a mint flavored beverage or food it is a little alarming to me.  So I took a small sip off my spoon and gagged. Now I realize these are natural plant based product … but I wasn’t expecting it to taste like grass. It had no real vanilla flavor. It tasted like I went into a field, picked some grass, pulverized it into a powder, mixed it with water and took a sip.  I was so turned off I couldn’t even put it into the blender because I felt I’d essentially just be ruining my daily banana (or wasting it).  So I dumped my drink down the drain and called it a day with the Vega mix.  Looks like I may end up needing to return the remaining packets I bought because I’d rather try something else that I may like than to be disappointed again.  Now this wasn’t my forte, but others may enjoy it – so to each their own.

If you’re wondering a pack has 92 calories in it, which is 2 points plus values.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any good smoothie mix as of late?

Weight Watchers Sweet Hazelnut Latte smoothie

A couple weeks ago Weight Watchers launched a new smoothie product to sell within Weight Watchers locations. When I spotted the Weight Watchers Sweet Hazelnut Latte, I wanted to give it a try especially after my leader mentioned mixing it with her coffee in the morning.

I quite enjoy the Weight Watchers smoothies. I’ve bought a number of flavors over the years and have found some that I really love.  They’re a great, quick source of protein – 7grams per pack. What I like about them the most is they’re portable. I can either make a blended drink at home or I can stuff a pouch in my purse, pour the contents into a bottle of water, shake and I’m ready to go.  I’ve had smoothies both ways, but I ideally enjoy them the most when they’re blended with a bit of ice and if the flavor is suitable – some fruit.

The Sweet Hazelnut Latte is smooth, creamy, and sweet with a satisfying taste of hazelnut. Quite enjoyable, especially if you enjoy hazelnut flavored drinks (coffees) or even desserts. I mixed my packet with water and some coffee, added in 5 ice cubes and blended it up.  It was perfect and since smoothies are not something I guzzle down, it took a little while to drink which fully satisfied me.

I feel this would be a very versatile addition to a coffee lover’s life. You could add some to your coffee in the morning instead of using milk or creamer.  Since it does change the color of the drink to a light muddy brown color, it’s passable. I don’t put much milk or creamer in my coffee – just enough to slightly change the shade and this will do the trick. I plan on experimenting with it to see how I enjoy it and how much I can stretch it (by adding coffee to it, etc.).  Overall this is definitely a 2 thumbs up purchase for me!

QUESTION:

Have you tried the new Sweet Hazelnut Latte smoothie?

Weight Watchers Haul

What can I say? I’m a sucker for anything new … particularly where new Weight Watchers items are concerned.  Okay, so not all, but most.  So needless to say, when I saw the new Weight Watchers Family Style Cookbook and the Sweet Hazelnut Latte Smoothie I had to pick both up.

During my meeting I flipped through the demo Family Style Cookbook and was impressed. It seemed to have a number of recipes that would satisfy my palette as well as my families. I own a handful (okay, more than a handful) of Weight Watchers cookbooks but some of the recipes are not recipes I’d recreate due to personal preference. Recipes range all around the board from tastes, flavors and even cooking capabilities (crock pot, one pot, etc).

The Sweet Hazelnut Latte just seemed delicious. I’m a fan of the Weight Watcher smoothies and since they’re a power food they are very satisfying and filling.  My leader mentioned she has used some of this in coffee and I was sold.  I’m a coffee lover so I plan on trying this out in a few different ways – but once I do give it a try, I’ll gladly share my opinion.

QUESTION:

Have you picked up any new goodies at your Weight Watcher meeting location?

Almond Breeze Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk & Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana-Berry Smoothie

After going on a hunt, and I mean month long hunt, for the Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Milk I FINALLY stumbled across it at Whole Foods.  The funny part of this hunt is, once I finally found it and purchased it, I noticed it starting to pop up on my local grocery stores shelves.  So now, I no longer have to scour the earth for it – I can go to the closest grocery store!

Oddly enough I’m not a fan of milk (bad experience as a child in school), at all, but I LOVE chocolate milk.  As a kid chocolate milk was the only type of milk anyone could get me to drink.  As an adult, I still have a weakness in my heart for chocolate milk.

The greatest part about this almond milk is that 1 cup is only 1 points plus value.  Sure, it’s unsweetened, but if you’d prefer the type with the sugar in it there is a version sold in the refrigerator section as well as in the cardboard containers that can be stored on shelves.  I decided to make smoothies with it because who doesn’t love a chocolate smoothie?

Serves 1.  2 Points Plus values.

• 1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• 2 tablespoons PB2 (or you can use the chocolate pb2 if that’s what you have, same points plus)
• 1 packet of equal (or any sugar substitute – optional)
• 1 banana
• 4 strawberries
• 5 ice cubes

Add all your contents to a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve up in your favorite beverage glass or travel mug.  The mixture when blended makes about 25-30 oz smoothie which is quite a lot!

QUESTION:

Have you tried the unsweetened chocolate almond milk?

McDonald’s Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie

I received a Klout Perk containing a $5 McDonald’s Arch Card (gift card) to try out the new McDonald’s Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie.  I have tried a few variations of McDonald’s smoothies since they’ve been introduced to the menu and I have found they’re pretty tasty and one of the better “on the go” smoothies to purchase in comparison to other items out there (like milkshakes, juices, etc).

The smoothie, as expected, was quite delicious.  I’ve tried a few different smoothies at McDonald’s and have yet to find one that I didn’t think was tasty.  I’m a big smoothie fan. I make them at home, granted, for a lot less points, but when out and about for convenience I occasionally splurge, especially if it’s something I want.  The smoothie is moderately thick and it does thin out as the ice in it begins to melt.  Flavor wise it was definitely blueberry pomegranate – both flavors being equally prominent in the beverage. The blueberry was a bit more noticeable, but either way it was tasty.  Not too sweet, not to tart it was just a perfect blend of the two fruits.  Refreshing and delicious.

I purchased a large smoothie which would have cost me 9 points plus values if I drank the entire thing – but I decided to split it with my boyfriend.  Half of the large ended up being 4 points plus values.  It was actually a lot cheaper (as it is with most fast food places) to buy the large size and since we were going to share it, it was worthwhile.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any smoothies from McDonald’s?

Chocolate Peanut Butter, Banana, Cherry, Strawberry & Almond Milk Smoothie

This is one of my delicious smoothies I created on a whim and am just not getting around to post about it.  One great thing with me is when I’m in the mood for a smoothie; whatever I have in the kitchen (fridge, freezer and countertops) is fair game as long as it’s not saturated in sugar sauces.  Sometimes I swap out the liquid for almond milk, skim milk or just plain water.  It really depends on how pointy I want to keep the smoothie at.  Other times I add in a yogurt along with my fruit (this usually entails adding cinnamon) and water.

This is one of the most delicious smoothies I had made and the greatest part is it was only 2 points plus values!  It had a perfect chocolate peanut buttery taste along with that rich, fresh taste you get from fruit.  It was delicious and incredibly filling.

Here’s what I used to make it:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

6 ice cubes

2 tbsp chocolate PB2

1 Banana,

4 Strawberries

3 frozen cherries

1 Equal packet

Weight Watchers Mint Cookies & Cream Smoothie

I spotted this new Weight Watchers brand Mint Cookies & Cream Smoothie at my Weight Watchers meeting this week.  I gasped, grabbed a box and walked up to pay for it.  A few weeks back I took a sip of my boyfriends Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s and was in heaven (for a millisecond).  I’m not a huge lover of mint ice cream, but I do enjoy a subtle mint frozen treat here and there (Skinny Cow Mint Sandwiches, Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, etc.).

Typically when I make a Weight Watchers smoothie I add ice cubes and frozen fruit (along with a banana) to the mixture.  With mint, your options are kind of limited, so I decided to just throw this in a blender with some water and a handful of ice cubes.  I blended it up, poured it into a cup and upon first sip was pleasantly surprised!  It was DELICIOUS and totally curbs any Shamrock Shake dreams.  Of course since I made it with water and ice cubes it was very thin – but I’m going to begin experimenting with this, adding in some (frozen) greek yogurt, maybe some fat free ice cream, etc.,  Anything to help make it a little thicker … perhaps even a cup of unsweetened almond milk.  But nonetheless it’s totally delicious and a great snack.  I find it’s extremely filling so it’s a nice filler.

QUESTION:

Have you tried any of the Weight Watchers smoothies?

Weight Watchers Salted Caramel Smoothie

I picked up a box of Salted Caramel smoothie mix at my Weight Watchers meeting at the end of last week.  I had seen this on the table as being one of the new products Weight Watchers came out with.  By the way if you’re interested in this product it’s sold exclusively at Weight Watchers locations not grocery stores.  The smoothie mix itself can be mixed with 1 cup of water or 1 cup of milk.  I have made a few smoothies with this mix using water, then tossing it in a blender with some ice and a banana.  The smoothie mix is quite tasty – it tastes similar to a drink you’d get at say, Starbucks.  I particularly really like this one because it’s filling, tasty and has a nice, smooth caramel taste.  I’m sure with milk it would be even more filling – but for right now I’m content mixing it with water.