Okay, after a long hiatus from actually working WITH my pouch I'm plugged back in. It's been a good while since I routinely used protein shakes & bars in my eating plan. There are so many products on the market now and like most of you, I really don't want to waste money on something just to find out I cannot stand the taste of it.

Can anyone give me feedback on what products you use - particularly protein powders - and if there are some you can't stand? I don't meet with my nutritionist for 3-4 weeks and really need to get this part of the protein routine back on track as soon as I can.

Also, does anyone have opinions on almond milk instead of soy? I can't do soy for hormonal/endometriosis reasons but like the taste of almond milk. It seems to agree better with my system than cow's milk.

Thanks!!

I don't have any info on almond or soy milk, I only drink fat free moo milk. As for the protein powder the brand I am using right now is Magnum Nutraceuticals Inc Quattro and the flavour is Chocolate Love. I almost always get chocolate and I never get tired of it. Anyway this brand has 137 cals per scoop, 1 gram of fat, 2 gram of carbohydrates and 30 grams of chocolate. It is kind of expensive up here in the great white north but it might be cheaper in the USA. The Walmarts here carry a couple of decent brands Six Star is one of them, the calories are a little higher because the carbs are a bit more. I find the more expensive brands have more protein and less carbs, I expect that it costs more to manufacture with high grams of protein. I don't really know that is just a guess. But still if $$ is a problem its only 30 more calories a scoop which in the grand scheme of things isn't all that much. My husband likes the six star strawberry, I like any of the chocolate flavours but not so much for peanut butter or chocolate peanut butter. Cookies and cream is usually good. I haven't found a vanilla protein powder that didn't make me gag. As for the bars I buy Pure Protein which is at Walmart and the price is decent. Again pricewise the more expensive bars are more protein, less carbs. Pure Protein bars are 180 cals, 4.5 gram of fat, 17 gram carbs and 21 grams of protein ( the chocolate deluxe version). Overall I'd rather have a shake than a bar but sometimes I just need to chew something.

i've been a fan of Nectar protein powder. Comes in milk-mixers and water-mixers. After awhile, i got SO SICK of the milk-protein combo that i had to change. the water-mixers come in flavors like peach melba, lemonade, iced tea, and they mix nicely in yogurt, too.

as for almond milk. I've never tried it. i think i read the label once and decided it had too many carb vs protein grams so i just put it on the DO NOT USE list.

I don't like milk. AT ALL. I'll put a tiny bit in tea, but that's about it. Yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese are all wonderful, but milk to drink? blecch!

The Almond Breeze Almond Coconut Milk nutritional label says:

1 Cup Serving

Protein - 1 g.
Carb - 7 g.

If I use it only as a base for a protein shake with whey isolate powder, would this be acceptable?

Thx, JiffyPop. I've never head of those brands but will definitely be on the lookout for them!!

I think I also read I could use the water-mix protein products to add to sugar-free jello and sugar-free pudding.

I use unsweetened almond milk (because I'm lactose intolerant) and mix it with About Time whey protein isolate powder, either vanilla or chocolate, available in many flavors on Amazon. It is a very clean protein powder, per scoop: 100 calories, 1g carb, 24 g protein, 1 g fat. I can't tolerate artificial sweeteners and this one has Stevia, which seems to be ok for me.
My current meal replacement smoothie/shake recipe is 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk, 1 scoop protein powder, .5 banana, 2 tbsp chia seeds. I blend it in the Vitamix and the chia's are pulverized. thats 315 calories, 27g carb, 32g protein, 12g fat and 12g fiber. Don't let it sit too long or the chias gel up and make it almost like pudding (unless you want pudding, lol). You could cut the calories by leaving out the banana and some or all of the chia - still tastes good to me.

Thx, Faded . . . it's helpful to read your recipe so I can use it as a base formula.

I also like the idea that your protein powder is sweetened by stevia!!

Okay, we're on a roll . . . any suggestions on protein bar brands? :-)

I like unsweetened almond milk and looove unsweetened almond coconut milk. with a packet of stevia it feels like dessert.
I also use coffee as my protein vehicle
Click protein is carby but delish and also feels like dessert

I love quest protein bars. I also eat pure protein bars. I need other suggestions so I will watching this thread for sure.

Thx, Snow!! The first one from Quest I sampled today was the Cookies & Cream. I was surprised at how great it tasted and with 21 protein grams, I still fill very full 1.5 hours later. I made sure to withhold my water 30 min before/after. That is proving to be the biggest game-changer for me.

You're On A Roll!!!!

Unjury makes a nice Chicken Soup flavor when you want something savory and not sweet. Their chocolate flavor is also divine.

I ate a lot of Power Crunch protein bars back in the day. They make some flavor (Cookies and Cream, maybe?) that really reminded me of Oreos. I love the wafers, as they weren't as dense as other protein bars.

chicken soup flavored protein? i'm gonna have to look for it! can it be heated without denaturing? details, darlin!!!!

Oh, yeah, it can be heated. It tastes like those cup-a-soup mixes, without the noodles, and you make it the same way. It really is yummy!