My #OneChange for 2014: Taming the Weekend Splurger with Vega One

Disclaimer:  As a Sweat Pink Ambassador, I was given the opportunity to review this product through Fit Approach in exchange for an honest review.  

I'll be the first to admit it, I function much better when I have some semblance of structure or routine in my life.   As stressful as my 9-5 (ish) job can be, it provides the structure that I base the rest of my life around.  It kind of keeps me sane and focused.  I eat well, I (usually) get enough rest and I generally don't over indulge in anything.  Weekends however, are a different story.   With the addition of an increase in training time and volume and the absence of my normal routine, weekends sometimes see me overindulging in less than ideal things due to my lack of routine.  Sometimes it's just easier to eat half a box of crackers post workout instead of actually making something healthy.  Clearly, easier is not always better.

It's time to stop the insanity.  Especially given my goals this year.  Good things need to be going into this body!

It's time for me to say goodbye to the Weekend Splurger.  Ok, well maybe goodbye is a little drastic but she really needs to be tamed.  So my #OneChange for 2014 will be to get a better handle on my weekend nutrition, especially when I'm really busy, which is what tends to happen on weekends.  It doesn't have to be that way though, not with a product like Vega One.  One serving of Vega One gets you 50% of your daily requirement of vitamins and minerals, 15g of protein, 6g of fiber as well as 1.5g of omega-3's, plus a host of other antioxidants, probiotics and greens.  In addition, there are no added sugars, artificial flavours or colours!  YAY!

Check out this nutrient profile!

I'm a big consumer of protein powder and I normally use whey protein simply because I like the taste and texture of it better than other vegan protein powders.  That is until I tried this.  The crew at Vega have managed to make a vegan protein powder that rivals whey in terms of taste and "mixability".  The bonus with Vega One is that you get way more nutritional bang for your buck.  If it can pass my "naked taste test" then it's a keeper.   Before you start thinking I'm some kind of weirdo, let me clarify what I mean by naked taste test, ha ha.  Post workout, I generally want something quick and easy so I will usually mix a scoop of protein power with a cup or two of plain unsweetened almond milk or water in a shaker cup and chug that back.  No additional ingredients, nothing.  You really get a sense of the taste of a product when you do that and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the Vega One French Vanilla.  I quite enjoyed it "naked"! 

I also used it in a few meal replacement smoothies.  The versatility of this product is endless.  Vanilla goes with pretty much everything so I thought I'd get a little adventurous.  Here are two of my favourites.

 Get Yo' Greens in Tropical Smoothie

1/4 cup silken tofu OR 1/2 an avocado - they give the same creamy texture and that's why I put them in my smoothies.
1 very large handful of spinach
1 kiwi (peeled)
1/3 cup diced pineapple
1/4 cup large flake coconut
1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop Vega One French Vanilla

Toss everything in a blender and whizz until smooth.  Enjoy!

The B&BT Pre-Workout Endurance Boost Smoothie

1/4 cup silken tofu (again this is in here purely for texture)
1/2 a steamed beet, sliced
1/2-3/4 cup of berries (I used a blueberry strawberry combo)
1-1.5 cups of unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop of Vega One French Vanilla

Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.  I used this to power me through a 20km treadmill run on the weekend.  Worked like a charm.

Since I've been using Vega One, my Weekend Splurger has been a lot more well behaved.  Sure, I will indulge every so often but when I know that a healthier option is just a scoop away, it makes it much less tempting.