The protein powder and coffee mystery has been solved!

A few weeks ago, I tweeted out to my universal fitfam asking the question on whether there had been any success on mixing protein powder and coffee together. There was a lot of interest in the question, but no one seemed to have answers. Until now. I had a very successful afternoon in my test kitchen and just could not wait to share the results with you all! This is exactly what I did:

Ring the bell! School is in...and so are these items...

It is back to school time and travel soccer season for my household. There are some products out there that I have really been enjoying lately:

So Delicious Dairy-Free Tasty Products!

I am always interested in learning about dairy-free alternatives for traditional dairy products such as milk, ice cream, yogurt, and cheese.  I contacted So Delicious Products to give their coconut-based products a whirl and was extremely pleased with the results!  I used the regular coconut milk in my kid's cereal one day and they didn't notice.  They always seem to notice when it comes to milk, so I think that says a lot about the taste/quality/consistency.  I have tried rice milk, almond milk, hemp milk, soy milk, but my favorite version of Chocolate Milk is this:

 

So Delicious...yes...SOOOOO DELICIOUS!

I had several people try the Dairy-Free Mini ice-cream sandwiches and everyone loved them.  These are actually only 90 calories, and instead of a coconut-based product, these are soy.  The other ice-creams we had in chocolate and vanilla were also soy-based and very good!

I know a lot of people talk about how coconut products are "high in saturated fat".  Well, there is a huge difference on what kind of fat you are speaking of.  Coconut is mostly medium-chained fatty acids which are well utilized in the body as energy versus being stored as fat.  The MCFA are almost always directly absorbed into your mucosal cells because of their shorter length, which has researchers intrigued with their potential immune-enhancing abilities.  I love Coconuts.  I love that the Coconut products taste more like milk than any of the other types of dairy-free alternatives.  If you have a lactose allergy, intolerance, or simply just want to try something other than milk, give this a shot and let me know what you think!  Thanks so much to So Delicious for letting me try a bunch of your products.  I really enjoyed them!

MojoMilk Probiotic Chocolate Milk Review

Kids are gross.  I love my own kids, but they are also pretty gross sometimes.  A lot of the "gross" comes from things that all kids should be doing:  sharing toys, playing outside, learning/exploring insects, etc.  But with the sharing and playing can come some sickness as well.  That is why I am always interested in learning more about products for children that contain probiotics.  When I came across MojoMilk, I had to have my kids try it.  Especially because it is a chocolate milk mix.  MojoMilk contains more than 10 times the amount of probiotics than most yogurts.  It also has 60% less calories than the leading chocolate milk mixes.  But most of all, it supports a healthy immune system and promotes a healthy digestive system.  If you go to http://www.mojomilk.com, you can register for a free sample.  Four out of Six of the kids that tried MojoMilk really liked it and would have it again.  That's good for me!

Organic Valley Product Review & Giveaway

I am a huge fan of Organic Valley products, mostly because I have made the choice to always pick organic dairy products (always organic milk!) and Organic Valley has reasonably priced products with exceptional taste & quality.  Organic Valley is a co-op that is owned and governed by family farmers.  They really do have happy cows who reside on organic pastures.  Organic Valley offers many products including organic milk, butter, eggs, cheese, juice, soy, and more!  I have tried several of their products, but here are a few of my favorites:  their fat-free organic milk, half & half (it is the best!!), cottage cheese (see my post on Spinach Lasagna using cottage cheese), and their low-fat chocolate & vanilla milks for the lunchbox!

Organic Valley's website has so many incredible resources why choosing organic products is so important to your health as well as some excellent recipes!  I honestly believe that there is a difference in taste between non-organic milk and organic milk.  You might argue with me, but in my opinion, the taste of organic milk is quite superior to the latter.  However, not all organic milks are created equal.  There are a couple of brands that my kids will not drink, but they LOVE Organic Valley.  And I have always had a soft-spot for chocolate milk and theirs is hands-down the BEST chocolate milk I have tasted thus far.  They even have an eggnog available for the holiday season!

Thank you Organic Valley for providing such wonderful products & for allowing me to share the love by giving my readers a chance to review your products through a giveaway!  This post is 100% my own opinions and the Organic Valley products were provided to me at my request at no-cost.

Let's talk about Milk baby

One of the biggest shockers I had when I started my career as a Dietitian was the amount of adults who are still drinking whole milk.  Why?  Chances are you are not going to develop Rickets, so what is the deal with that?  There are several reasons why:  texture, taste, "Grandpa drank it and never had a heart attack", "skim-milk is too watery", and so on and so forth.  For those of you who do not have lactose intolerance or a milk allergy, drinking milk is a wonderful choice for protein, calcium, and vitamins.

A glass of skim milk (fat-free) contains~ 0 grams of fat, 90 calories, 8 grams of protein, 30% of your daily value of calcium, and 25% of your daily value of Vitamin D.
A glass of whole milk contains~ 8 grams of fat, 160 calories, 8 grams of protein, 30% of your daily value of calcium, and 25% of your daily value of Vitamin D.

Those extra 8 grams of fat make a huge difference because those 5 of those grams are saturated fats.  The icky kind that stick to your arteries & raise your LDL cholesterol levels.  And if you are watching calories, saving 70 calories by drinking skim milk vs. whole milk can leave you wiggle room for additional foods in your diet, such as a piece of fruit or some veggies with fiber to keep you satisfied.

Honestly, most adults eat too much fat and calories anyways.  Give your heart a break and make the switch to skim milk.  If you are having trouble with consistency and taste, even putting some Hershey's Sugar-Free syrup with Calcium in your milk makes it a better option than a glass of whole milk.