Vega One Review and #OneChange

It is hard to believe that is already a few weeks into the New Year!  I know that I personally always love the beginning of a new year and the promise it brings.  It's an opportunity to start fresh and if you are anything like me, you resolve to make more time for your family, evaluate your professional goals, and challenge yourself to become healthier.  Losing weight or revamping your diet, or any goal for that matter, can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be.  All it takes is #OneChange to make a difference and achieve your goals!

As a Sweat Pink Ambassador, I was given an opportunity to try Vega One as part of my #OneChange for the New Year.  Megan at http://runlikeagrl.com/ has mentioned the product on her blog, so I have been intrigued for awhile and anxious to try it.  One of my biggest hurdles in my weight loss journey is snacking!  You might even say I am a serial snacker as defined below by Vega One.

• Serial Snacker: Yes, you can snack and feel good about giving in. Your stomach talks to you all day (it never shuts up!) Your bag or desk drawer is strategically stocked with a wide assortment of get-me-through-to-the-next-meal morsels. You struggle to turn down a slice of office birthday cake—hungry or not. And the 3 PM growlies can lead to pre-dinner nachos or a midnight snack over the kitchen sink.

Hi, I'm Laura and I'm a serial snacker.  

So, I was excited to receive a sample of Vega One French Vanilla shakes to help me make #OneChange of snacking less!  The shakes are plant-based, dairy, gluten and soy free, and it contains no added sugar.  As someone who is a fairly picky eater and therefore worries about receiving enough "good stuff" from her food,  I was impressed by all of the vitamins and nutrients that each serving provides.  I was curious to see how the shakes would curb my snacking habits.

10 servings ready to be sampled!

I struggled with creativity in the recipe department for my first two shakes, but fear not, I have found some great recipes from other Sweat Pink Ambassadors (including peanut butter protein balls and a peanut butter/banana smoothie!) and I will keep you posted on future recipes!  

I had my first shake last week during Snowmageddon.  I found myself incredibly snack-y while at home during our snowstorm.  I was constantly snacking, even though I wasn't really hungry, so finally, by Thursday, I decided to try one of the shakes and attempt to cut back on snacking.  I read the package and it suggested mixing one packet with 1 - 1 1/2 cups of cold water, juice, or other non-dairy beverages, so I decided to go with water.  I must say, if you are a visual eater, as I am, when you empty the packet into your cup, you may be a little disenchanted (see below) as the mixture is a kelpy-green color and it doesn't smell too much like vanilla.  I was pleasantly surprised by my first sip, as the flavor was much sweeter (and vanilla-like) than I imagined.  The consistency is a little gritty, so I decided to try a smoothie for my next recipe.  Overall, I was really impressed by how filling the shake was.  I had a shake in the morning after a small breakfast and did not feel hungry until around 2:30 that afternoon with no snacking in between. 

Mixed with cold water; again, don't let the color dissuade you!

On Sunday afternoon, I decided it was time to start training for my half marathon, so for my pre-run meal/fuel, I made a smoothie using the Vega One French Vanilla shakes.  I tend to eyeball my smoothie recipes, but my Strawberry/Pineapple Smoothie recipe is below:

- a large handful of frozen strawberries

- one 6 oz can of pineapple juice (you could use frozen pineapple, if you'd prefer)

- two handfuls of ice

- 1 packet of Vega One French Vanilla all-in-one nutritional shake 

Blend until smoothie is the desired consistency.  I wish I had picked up some bananas at the store before the snow storm, because I think the addition of a banana to this smoothie would have been perfect!

My strawberry/pineapple/vanilla smoothie

The smoothie was much more flavorful than just the shake mixed with water, but it still had a pretty gritty consistency.  I have some ideas to remedy that for future smoothie recipes, which I'm anxious to try.  Again, though, I was really impressed with how long this shake sustained me.  It lasted through my run and well into dinnertime, too.  I would really love to try some other recipes, as I love how filling the shakes are and how well they curb my snacking habit, which is #OneChange I can make to meet my weight loss goal in 2014.  I just need to find a few great recipes that work with the consistency of the product!  

Have you tried Vega One before?  What is #OneChange you can make this year to meet your goals? 

(Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary box of Vega One to review.  All opinions expressed are my own.) 

"If your dreams don't scare you they aren't big enough."