A Recipe and a Review of LivWell Nutrition Raw Plant-Based Protein (Spoiler: It's great!)
I recently had the opportunity to try a new product, and I couldn't wait to share my review with you guys.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may be aware that I recently began to experiment with my diet and exercise routine, upping my protein intake and lifting weights regularly. If you've read my story, you know that I had to give up heavy lifting after completely burning out my adrenals and through my hormones out of whack. Well, it's been a few years, and I'm feeling great these days, so I'm toying with the idea of doing another fitness competition. This time, however, I'll do it in a healthy way with only plant foods.
Plant built muscles!
When I began this experiment, one of the changes I made was adding a protein powder to my morning smoothie. I did a bit of research and knew that I wanted an organic product without soy protein isolate. I don't have anything against soy as long as it's organic, but I'd rather have it in whole food form. I've found that, for myself, rice and pea proteins are easier on my digestive system. That said, I found two protein powders to try. One is a big-name brand, the other not so well known. Both taste good and get the job done. However, I was still getting that slightly chalky taste and grainy texture that are found in most proteins. Whatever, though. They're both quite healthy and were helping me pack on muscle, which is my current goal.
Enter LivWell Nutrition. I received an email from the founder of the company asking if I'd like to review their product. I looked them up and saw that the company's values really aligned with mine, so I figured, sure, why not? Joshua sent me some sample packs, which arrived very quickly, and I was immediately impressed with the packaging. The bags are 100% recycled kraft paper and 100% reusable. LivWell raw plant-based protein is completely organic and free from any chemical ingredients. The protein blend is made of sprouted brown rice, hemp seeds, yellow peas, and sacha inchi. If you've not heard of sacha inchi, it's a superfood grown in South America, which contains high amounts of protein (27% of the nutrient profile, to be exact) omega 3 fatty acids (45-53% of the total fat profile). This is the first time I've seen a company add sacha inchi to their protein mix. Color me intrigued. LivWell makes two flavors of protein powder, vanilla and cacao. The vanilla is flavored with vanilla bean, not natural vanilla flavor like you see in most products, and Ceylon cinnamon, which helps stabilize blood sugar. They use raw Ecuadorian cacao to flavor the chocolate mix. The benefits of raw cacao are numerous, but to name a couple, it's super high in antioxidants, and it has the highest amount of magnesium and chromium of any food. As someone who supplements with magnesium to regulate my heart rhythm, this is quite important to me.
But I'm sure what you really care about is the taste, right? Well, the first smoothie I made with my new protein powder was divine. Seriously! No chalky taste, the vanilla flavor was so rich, and my smoothie was creamier than usual. I was quite impressed. These guys have really gone out of their way to create, not only a super healthy product, but one that tastes amazing. I couldn't wait to try the cacao protein!
The next day, we left for vacation in California with my husband's family. I picked up a few single-serving packets of Raw Reserve berry greens from Sprouts, and tossed my LivWell packs in my suitcase with them. I figured, without a blender, I could toss these in some water or almond milk and have a great emergency meal, should we not have access to healthy food. We did pretty well on day one, even grabbing a green juice in Hollywood. Day two, though, we had to catch an Amtrak to San Francisco, so I woke up before dawn and hit the hotel gym for a hard workout before sitting all day. When I finished my workout, I was STARVING. On my way back to our room, I checked out the continental breakfast and saw that they had small boxes of Silk vanilla soy milk. I don't usually drink soy milk, since I make the best damn cashew milk ever, but this was an awesome find in a pinch. I grabbed one and headed up to the room. I poured my soy milk in my stainless steel water bottle, added a pack of LiveWell cacao protein, and a berry greens packet, shook really, really hard, and sipped. Holy geez! The chocolaty taste was insane! I couldn't believe how rich it was. I knew right then that I had a new favorite protein brand. My impromptu smoothie would've been a little creamier if I'd had a blender, but it was still delicious. I didn't get hungry again until we were on the train and cruising up the Pacific coast. For anyone who knows me, that's a big deal. I'm usually nibbling all day, so if something can hold me over for a few hours, it's special.
Emergency smoothie fixins.
Over the next couple of days, while in San Fran, I mixed up these quick smoothies a couple of more times as post-workout breakfasts. I'm so glad Joshua contacted me about their product. I couldn't wait to come home and order some. The best part, though? I worked out a discount for all of you guys! That's right, just head over to LivWell Nutrition and enter the discount code "green" at checkout and receive 10% off of your order. If you use protein powders, this stuff is definitely the best I've ever had.
If you're wondering what to do once you receive your order, here is my favorite smoothie recipe at this time:
Blueberry Cacao Green Smoothie (Serves 1)
2 big handfuls of your favorite green (I like spinach or the super greens mix from Sprouts.)
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 dates
1/4 cup walnuts
1 frozen banana
1.5 cups filtered water
1 scoop LivWell raw plant-based protein
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder (Omit if using the cacao protein)
Blend all fruit, nuts, and greens with the water until smooth. Add the protein and cacao powder, blend again until completely mixed. Serve.
If you're looking for an energizing, filling, and nutrient-packed breakfast, this is the one. Enjoy!
