Designer Whey

Talking Protein

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Protein is a staple in my diet, as it should be for everyone, but I pay particular attention to how much protein i'm eating because I notice a huge difference - I'm not as hungry, I feel stronger during my runs and my body feels healthier. Getting enough protein can be an issue - but not anymore thanks to Designer Whey! I love their products and will happily tell anyone and everyone to use their products.

This past month I received a Designer Whey package of goodies - from their protein powder to their awesome protein bars to their Protein2Go packets (which i take with me everywhere) and coupons for a new brand of yogurt called Smari.  I love their protein bars because they taste good and they don't have that gross protein after taste that so many bars have. Kudos to Designer Whey for getting that right!

Smari is organic yogurt from Iceland. It has 20 grams of protein and 0 grams of fat per serving. It's thicker and creamier than yogurt because they strain off the water and leave just the yogurt. Plus, it takes 4 cups of milk to make one cup of Smari yogurt! Apparently the Viking's lived off this stuff and they were pretty tough dudes, right? :)

I tried blueberry, vanilla and plain. I mixed it in with my smoothies (using Designer Whey protein, of course!) and noticed that I felt fuller for longer. I made a Pumpkin Vanilla Smoothie in honor of Halloween and fall. Enjoy!

 

 

Here is the recipe:

  • 1 container vanilla Smari yogurt
  • 1 scoop Designer Whey vanilla almond protein powder
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 of a ripe banana
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • Pumpkin pie spice to taste
  • 3-4 ice cubes

Disclaimer: I received Designer Whey products and coupons to try Smari yogurt free of charge through my partnership with FitFluential. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own.

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#TastyTuesday - Our Favorite Smoothie

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We love finding new ingredients for smoothies and learning about new combinations. However, there's one that we always come back to, because it's tasty, it's filling, it's packed full of vitamins and it's easy. We call it our Can't Miss Smoothie. It's great for breakfast, an afternoon snack or a post-run recovery shake.

Here it is:

1 handful spinach
1/2 banana
1/2 cup of pineapple (we use the frozen kind)
1 scoop of Designer Whey vanilla protein powder
8-10 oz of water (and a few ice cubes)
Blend and enjoy!
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#TastyTuesday - A Smoothie Challenge

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Jessica and I love smoothies - for breakfast, for a quick lunch, an afternoon snack and sometimes even as dinner after a late workout. I pretty much drink a smoothie a day but definitely find myself making the same one over and over and over again. I decided to do the August Colourful Smoothie Challenge, hosted by Charissa of the blog Colourful Palate, as a way to mix it up and get some new ideas.

The contest is pretty simple. All I have to do is have a smoothie every day and tweet a picture. Pretty simple and there are some great prizes at the end.

Our smoothies tend to be protein smoothies, especially after a workout. We use Designer Whey protein powders. You can make your smoothies without the protein powder - it just helps us get our daily allotment of protein! Below we've listed our favorite fruits, veggies, liquids and fun additions. Mix and match and find variations that you love!

Veggies:
Spinach, cucumbers, kale (just blend a lot!), parsley,
Fruit:
Bananas, blueberries, pineapple, mango, strawberries and avocados. Seasonal fruit is great - peaches, apricots, raspberries
Liquids:
Almond milk, water, coconut water (we stay away from dairy)
Fun additions:
Ginger, hemp seed, chia seeds, coconut flakes, cocao powder, cinnamon, almond butter

What's your favorite combination?

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Designer Whey Review & GIVEAWAY

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*Disclaimer: Designer Whey provided these products to me. I was not compensated for this review, expect for my time. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm a huge fan of Designer Whey products. I use their Protein Powder and Protein2Go packs all the time (great tasting and convenient). I recently had the opportunitity to try out their new product - Sustained Energy Protein Powder. DW sent me the Vanilla Bean and the Chocolate Velvet flavors to try.

Over the course of about 8 days, I used their Sustained Energy Product (instead of their Protein Powder) in a variety of ways: morning smoothies, afternoon smoothies, post run pancakes and on-the-go protein drink.

The Sustained Energy formula provides more endurance and sustained energy because of the proprietary Endurance Blend™, a combo of "fast absorbing whey protein and slower absorbing soy and casein proteins, giving you a steady supply of essential amino acids while helping you control hunger with fiber" (via http://designerwhey.com/products/powders/sustained-energy/). One scoop of either flavor provides 16 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 19 essential vitamins and minerals and is only 100 calories.

6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 19 Essential Vitamins & Minerals - See more at: http://designerwhey.com/products/powders/sustained-energy/#sthash.aPwaOJBB.dpuf
6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 19 Essential Vitamins & Minerals - See more at: http://designerwhey.com/products/powders/sustained-energy/#sthash.aPwaOJBB.dpuf
Whey is pure so your body quickly absorbs it for maximum post-workout recovery and nutrition. • Whey is a “complete” lean protein with the right balance of amino acids and protein to help your immune system. - See more at: http://designerwhey.com/about-us/whey-benefits/#sthash.qykFznvv.dpuf

Want to try Designer Whey Sustained Energy?
The good folks at Designer Whey are giving me 6 cannisters of the Sustained Energy protein. That means, 6 of you will win!  This is open to US residents only and the winners can choose to try out vanilla or chocolate.

Additional entries:
As always, you can gain extra entries. Remember, though, you must complete the required entry first! And, yes, I'll check. (Leave one comment per entry for the additional ones to count.) So, here's what to do:
  • Follow us on Pinterest, or let us know that you already do 
  • Pin the image from this post to share the giveaway on Pinterest
  • Follow us on Twitter, or let us know that you already do
  • Tweet about the giveaway: "Enter to win FREE Designer Whey product from @hotbirdrunning: http://bit.ly/17t8EKq"
  • Follow us on Instagram, or let us know that you already do
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Chocolate Almond Smoothie - #TastyTuesday

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I've been in Florida for the past few weeks and it's been crazy hot and humid here (funny saying this, but "unseasonably" humid). I've been getting some runs in but if I wake up past 8am, it's not a fun run. Today, I woke up a bit late so I decided to head to a Pure Barre class. I've been going to a studio here in Sarasota, Florida and really enjoying it. (I highly recommend Chaz's classes!) After, it was 11am and instead of doing a fruit smoothie, I decided to try a chocolate smoothie. Designer Whey has a recipe for peanut butter but I don't like peanut butter so I used almond butter from Trader Joes. It was a frothy delicious drink and kept me full for a few hours. It's 240 calories, 21 g protein and 15 g fat.

Recipe:

8 oz Almond Milk

1 scoop Designer Whey Sustained Energy Chocolate Velvet

1 tbsp Almond Butter

3-4 Ice Cubes

Blend until smooth and enjoy!