Sponsored Review: Naturade All Natural Pea Protein 100% Vegan Formula

I am a consumer of protein shakes, so I was excited to be able to review a protein shake that was new to me, the Naturade All Natural Pea Protein 100% Vegan Formula. All three of my samples packets make one shake and are all vanilla flavored. The reasons I was super excited about trying these shakes is because they are:

• Made with a non-GMO pea protein (hence they are vegan)
• Soy-free, dairy-free and egg-free (good to know for those with food allergies)
• Gluten-free (if that is something you are looking for or need)
• Cholesterol free 
• Free of artificial ingredients (so no artificial sweeteners, no artificial colors, and no artificial flavors!)

When I examine the ingredients list, it appears to be sweetened by stevia and xylitol, so it fits better in to a clean eating diet than most shakes on the market.

When I compared it to my current shake mix, it does supply me with more protein and proportionately (compared to the amount of more protein) more calories, although it is still a low calorie shake. Each shake (mixed with 8-10 ounces water or your favorite beverage; I used unsweetened coconut milk) contains 130 calories, 2.5g of fat, 2g soluble fiber and 20g of protein if you made it with water. I was very pleased with everything I read on the package for nutrition and ingredients, except that is contains 270mg of sodium, which is 11% of DV for sodium. I guess I would prefer to see that DV number as a single digit percentage.

I thought it tasted better when I made the shakes with adding a banana and some berries along with the coconut milk in a blender. When I drank it when it was plain, I thought it did taste a bit like I was drinking cold vanilla pea soup, which isn't necessarily bad if you want cold vanilla pea soup. The addition of fruits did change the taste and you couldn't taste as much of the pea flavor. Although, considering it is a pea protein, you do have to expect you will taste pea.

The consistency was very good and shake like when made plain or with the addition of fruits. I thought it wasn't too thin (I did add 10 oz. of coconut milk) or too thick. If I made it with water, I think that 8 oz. of water might get me the right consistency.

You can buy Naturade All Natural Pea Protein Shake Mix and many other Naturade Mixes on their website.

Also, if you are looking for some smoothie ideas, check out the entrants for their Smoothie Recipe Contest. You can also vote for your favorites!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I did not receive any monetary compensation.

Pottery Time: Tall Cylinder Vase

I made this for a dear friend for her birthday. I made it by slab rolling clay and then shaping around a cardboard cylinder mold. I cut out a circle for the base that was larger than the cylinder and attached it by scratching the surface of the joining pieces and using slip to help join the pieces and then finally pressing and molding the pieces together. I hand built the top to flare out by getting shaping it. The lat part of building this piece was to use a carving tool and carve out some clay over the entire vase to give it texture. I can't remember the colors of the glaze that I used. I think I should really bring along a notebook when I go to the Art Center and write down my glaze combinations. LOL!

Thrifty Thursday: Toddler Tuesday at the Mall of America

Did you know that every Tuesday at the Mall of America there is a Toddler Tuesday feature in the rotunda? Each week they feature a different character or show or play or activity. It happens from 10-12, but you only need to be there for part of it because they plan programming for an hour and then repeat it, which is good because more kids can see it and it will be less crowded than if it were one show. And the best part is that this programming is FREE!!!!

We went to a recent Toddler Tuesday in July when it was Mike the Knight. The kids had a chance to meet Mike the Knight, watch an episode on the big screen, each received coloring sheets (crayons were out to begin coloring right away if they wanted) and a foam Mike the Knight sword. Did I mention this was all FREE!

We usually make it to about 4 of these a year. Another Toddler Tuesday at the Mall of America feature we had seen was of the Okee Dokee Brothers.

And if you are there and feel like having lunch or going on rides, they do have a special discount for Nickelodeon Universe on Toddler Tuesday for a Points Pass and a list of places that Kids Eat Free when an adult entree purchase. Plus you can hit up Legoland and build for free.

Wordless Wednesday: Inn at the Shore in Seaside, OR

We spent a weekend in Seaside, Oregon in June and stayed at the Inn at the Shore. We loved it there and definitely want to go back!

Try It Tuesday - DIY Camp Lantern

We made these at Camp MOM (you gotta be getting curious about Camp MOM and I promise I will tell you more about it soon!) This project was something that the other mom, Becky, came up with us to do.

We re-purposed some jars and covered them in stickers and tape (the foam kind you can get at the dollar store or craft supply stores) in a pattern we liked. Then we spray painted frosted paint (do this step outdoors!) over the entire piece, including stickers. When it was dry we peeled off the stickers and the print was left.

Next we twisted craft wire around the top to create something for our wire handle to be held on to the jar with. Twist together enough craft wire to keep to keep it from bending too much and twist the ends through the wire around the top of the jar and twist in to place. Use scrap fabric to decorate. Insert a battery operated tea light or a regular tea light to provide illumination.

Make It Monday: Homemade Baked Corn Chips

These could not be any easier! Plus they taste fabulous. Of course they do take a little more time than just opening a bag of corn chips, but they are worth if especially if you are serving them with some fresh homemade black bean salsa, homemade hummus or canned zucchini tomato salsa.

Homemade Baked Corn Chips
Cut small corn tortillas into triangles. Cut as many as you are hungry for or need.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place triangles on a cookie sheet and mist with cooking spray. Add any salt or spices at this time.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Cool and serve.
Enjoy!

Thrifty Thursday: Starbucks Freebies Of the Week

Did you know that you can get free downloads of songs, apps, books and perhaps other things I am not aware of from Starbucks? You do have to visit a Starbucks store to get them, but they are just sitting out for you to take them. There is a new freebie every week and if your nearest store is anything like mine, they leave them out until they are gone. So, when I went to Starbucks yesterday (well, yesterday when I wrote this post, not when it was published) I picked up these four. There is a code on the back of each to get your free download and they each have an expiration date that is about 2 months out. In November & December, plan ahead when you are making trips near a Starbucks and you could pick up some free stocking stuffers. :)