Premier Protein: Simple Protein for a Complicated Life. (Product Review)

This review was sponsored by Premier Protein, and I was provided with free product for the purposes of this review. All opinions are my own.

I sorta feel like I'm preaching to the choir about Premier Protein. So many of you already use it! In fact, the sheer number of you who use it prompted me to want to give it another try. I tried the shakes at the very beginning of my post-op life and I liked them well enough, but then I started playing with protein powder and making recipes and...we all know where that went. 

So here I am again trying Premier Protein. If you all follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know they sent me a lot of product. Like...a lot. I think it's because they want me to share it with you. I intend to! After the grad school semester from hell ends. Until then all you'll get is procrastination and empty promises and, really, who needs that? 

Anyway, let's get on with the review!

This review will cover the shakes. They sent me lots of bars as well and I think that may need to be its own blog review! Look for it coming soon. 

So the shakes come in three flavors: Strawberry, Chocolate and Vanilla. The stats on them are pretty much all the same:

Here's some other important information:

• Premier uses a blend of whey isolate and whey concentrate
• It also contains sucralose (an artificial sweetener used to in Splenda)

Packaging

Yes, I start from the beginning, Foodies! But I think Premier's packaging is worth talking about. It's very convenient for a few reasons. Firstly, the shakes are shelf-stable so you don't have to keep them in the fridge. For those of you who work in places where you don't have a fridge, that might be very convenient. It also has a sturdy, "twist on/twist off" cap. As I was reviewing these shakes I can't tell you how many times this saved my shirts! 

Taste/Texture/Yadda

Like I said in the title, it's simple protein for a complicated life. One thing I like about Premier Protein is that they keep their flavors clean. Each flavor tasted like what it was supposed to taste like. I was a bit put off by the fact that the strawberry was an off-white but then as I thought about it, that means there's no red dye in it, which is a good thing! But just to give you my initial impression (I actually wrote these phrases down as I tasted these):

• Chocolate: "Tastes like a Yoohoo." (Do they still make those, by the way?)
• Strawberry: "Takes me back to elementary school and those little cartons of strawberry milk." (Do they still make those, by the way?)
• Vanilla: "Must Triple X this...would make an awesome thick vanilla shake!"

Which brings me to my next point. The shakes aren't super thick. (Newbies may disagree.) They pour easily. There are a few bubbles when you pour but nothing too serious. For the pics above I fanned the cups with a piece of paper and the bubbles dispersed. In all reality, most of you will drink this from the carton anyway. I will admit I didn't shake them first. They seemed fine even still.

So...was there an aftertaste? For this one I had to go outside myself. I've been on artificial sweeeteners and protein supplements for so long I don't think I could tell you even if the aftertaste tapped me on the shoulder and introducted itself. I had my oldest daughter (the "Picky One") taste it (I had to pay her to do it - the little extortionist!). She said there is no aftertaste. Then she asked if she could have the rest of it. Ba-da-bing.

Final Verdict

Well you all know me. I like to play with my food.

Here's one way I played with my Premier Protein Shake. Click here to get the recipe. There will be other ways!

Of all the flavors, I'd likely do the chocolate and vanilla most often. I'm not a big fan of strawberry anything, although I didn't mind testing out this flavor at all. I see that they are available all over. Check out this page to locate them near you. So they are convenient, affordable and not a special purchase.

So I think my final verdict would be to give them a try. It's good protein, for a good price, and easily accessible (check out the "Where to Buy" page on their website to find it near you). Especially if you are a person who doesn't need a fancy shake, you just need a good shake, with good flavor, and a good protein count, Premier has got you covered.

#PWYF

Recipe Remake: Cinco de Mayo Protein Shake (featuring Premier Protein)

It's May! We made it! I'm reasonably sure that for most of us, there is no snow in the immediate forecast. I think that's cause to celebrate.

Tomorrow, as you know, is Cinco de Mayo. (Tell the truth: do you know what's celebrated on this day? I'll 'fess up and say I was not terribly aware, so I looked it up. Fascinating!) And the good folks at Premier Protein sent me a festive recipe to share with you! It's been a while since I've done a "recipe remake"post, but essentially that's where I take an existing recipe and show you how I would change it to make it work better for weight loss surgery post-ops. So, let's get to it.

Let's start with the recipe as Premier sent it to me:

Now I want to start by saying this recipe, in and of itself, isn't bad. It's got several servings of fruit along with protein. For someone who has not had weight-loss surgery, this recipe would be a great alternative to the oversized alcoholic beverages typically served on Cinco de Mayo.

For us? This shake might be challenging because of the levels of sugar. Let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with eating fresh fruit! But depending on your surgery type, combining multiple sources of sugar (even natural sugar) may be problematic. Only you know how your body works. 

(Want to learn more about the different kinds of sugar and how they affect your body post-op? Check out my series, "BF Basics: Sugar Shock")

But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a delicious Cinco de Mayo shake. That just means we have to to play with our food!

Interestingly, as soon as I saw this recipe, I thought of my Tropical Sunrise Smoothie. It's essentially the same concept (with a few different ingredients). Here's the original recipe but I thought there was even room to play with my version. So below is the updated recipe!

Tropical Sunrise Smoothie (featuring Premier Protein)

(This will either make one big shake or two small ones - remember...sharing is caring!)

Ingredients:

• 1 Premier Protein 11 oz. Vanilla Shake
• 1/2 c. fresh cut mango, cubed (note: if you use frozen, you can omit the ice listed below)
• 2-3 frozen peach segments (or if you happen to have a no-sugar added peach fruit cup hanging around, that works too. Just make sure to drain it first!)
• 1 c. unflavored Greek yogurt
• 1 packet True Orange flavoring (look in the sugar aisle of the grocery store)
• A squirt of lemon juice
• Optional: 1 tbsp. either sugar-free banana instant pudding mix OR sugar-free banana flavored syrup
• Ice (especially if your fruit is not frozen)

Directions:

If using ice: Combine everything but ice in a blender 1-2 minutes. Add ice, blend an additional minute.

If not using ice: Combine everything in the blender for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. 

Pour and enjoy!

And remember...

For even more reative protein shake recipes, tips and tricks, check out The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes. Available in hard-copy and Kindle on Amazon and for iPad and Nook on Smashwords!