The Virgin Diet Day 74: Three Shake Reviews
Since yesterday morning when I last posted, I've tried out three more shake recipes from the contest on J.J. Virgin's Facebook page. If you vote for your favorite recipes by March 24, you'll be entered to win a year's supply of Virgin Diet All-in-One Shake Powder.
Thin Mint Chai
Lynn Bostrom
8-10 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
1 Scoops The Virgin Diet All-In-One Chai Shake Powder **
1 Scoops The Virgin Diet All-In-One Chocolate Shake Powder **
1 tbsp. almond butter
handful of fresh mint leaves
(may substitute 1/4 tsp pure mint extract)
~Blend until smooth in a food processor
My comments: I used the mint extract, since I was unable to find fresh mint at Whole Foods this week. The blend of flavors was very refreshing at first, but perhaps because of the natural sweetness of the mint, it was almost too sweet by the end of the shake.
Choco Cherry Chai Crunch Shake
Connie Taylor
Blend the following in your Magic Bullet:
½ cup plain cultured coconut milk ****
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk ***
2 cups Spinach
2 Scoops The Virgin Diet All-In-One Chai Shake Powder **
1 cup frozen dark cherries
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ tsp flax meal
½ tsp vanilla
Add ice cubes to make it as thick as you like. I use 4. Blend again.
Add:
1 ½ tsp sliced almonds
1 ½ tsp toasted sunflower seeds*
1 ½ tsp organic raw cocoa nibs
Blend these just a little so you still have pieces remaining. This is where you get the crunch. Drink with a fat straw or eat it with a spoon! You will love this!
*I toast these in a skillet until they just turn brown. Do a batch and keep in the freezer. You will love the nuttiness it brings.
My comments: While this took a little longer to make, because of measuring out all the ingredients, it was definitely worth it. The tartness of the cherries was a nice contrast with the sweetness of the other ingredients, and the crunch added by the last three ingredients gave it a satisfying texture. I accidentally left out the ice cubes, so it wasn't as thick as it would have been.
Chai Waldorf Salad
Frederick Williams
1 Scoop The Virgin Diet All-In-One Chai Shake Powder **
4 oz. unsweetened coconut milk (So Delicious or another brand) ***
1 teaspoon freshly ground flax seed meal *****
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 organic apple, scored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts(reserve 1 teaspoon for
garnish)
Mix together apple, celery, and nuts.
Whisk together in small bowl the first 5 ingredients for a thick shake.
Place in a stemmed goblet or parfait glass alternate layers of 1/3 of the apple mix and 1/3 of the shake mix. Top with nuts and enjoy.
My comments: So far, this was one of my favorites because of both the blend of textures (the crisp taste of the apples blended with the sweeter taste of the shake), the crunch, and of course, the lovely color! My version doesn't look perfect for two reasons: I used too much liquid in the shake portion, so it didn't stay in the layers terribly well; and I used the Vega One Vanilla Chai powder, which has a green cast to it.
** All of these shakes can also be made with another chai-flavored protein powder that fits the requirements of the Virgin Diet, such as Vega One or Thorne Research Vegalite.
*** SO Delicious unsweetened coconut milk can often be found in the refrigerated section near the soy milk and Lactaid. If you can't find it, use unsweetened almond milk, which is usually shelved in the same place. A less tasty option which still meets the requirements of the diet would be unsweetened rice milk. If you can't find unsweetened, look for something sweetened with either stevia or xylitol.
**** Cultured coconut milk is usually shelved in the dairy section near the yogurt. You should be able to find it in any natural foods store.
***** Flax seed meal can usually be found near the flour section in the baking aisle. Bob's Red Mill makes flax seed meal as well as a number of other gluten-free and specialty flours.
Thin Mint Chai
Lynn Bostrom
8-10 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
1 Scoops The Virgin Diet All-In-One Chai Shake Powder **
1 Scoops The Virgin Diet All-In-One Chocolate Shake Powder **
1 tbsp. almond butter
handful of fresh mint leaves
(may substitute 1/4 tsp pure mint extract)
~Blend until smooth in a food processor
My comments: I used the mint extract, since I was unable to find fresh mint at Whole Foods this week. The blend of flavors was very refreshing at first, but perhaps because of the natural sweetness of the mint, it was almost too sweet by the end of the shake.
Choco Cherry Chai Crunch Shake
Connie Taylor
Blend the following in your Magic Bullet:
½ cup plain cultured coconut milk ****
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk ***
2 cups Spinach
2 Scoops The Virgin Diet All-In-One Chai Shake Powder **
1 cup frozen dark cherries
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 ½ tsp flax meal
½ tsp vanilla
Add ice cubes to make it as thick as you like. I use 4. Blend again.
Add:
1 ½ tsp sliced almonds
1 ½ tsp toasted sunflower seeds*
1 ½ tsp organic raw cocoa nibs
Blend these just a little so you still have pieces remaining. This is where you get the crunch. Drink with a fat straw or eat it with a spoon! You will love this!
*I toast these in a skillet until they just turn brown. Do a batch and keep in the freezer. You will love the nuttiness it brings.
My comments: While this took a little longer to make, because of measuring out all the ingredients, it was definitely worth it. The tartness of the cherries was a nice contrast with the sweetness of the other ingredients, and the crunch added by the last three ingredients gave it a satisfying texture. I accidentally left out the ice cubes, so it wasn't as thick as it would have been.
Chai Waldorf Salad
Frederick Williams
1 Scoop The Virgin Diet All-In-One Chai Shake Powder **
4 oz. unsweetened coconut milk (So Delicious or another brand) ***
1 teaspoon freshly ground flax seed meal *****
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 organic apple, scored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts(reserve 1 teaspoon for
garnish)
Mix together apple, celery, and nuts.
Whisk together in small bowl the first 5 ingredients for a thick shake.
Place in a stemmed goblet or parfait glass alternate layers of 1/3 of the apple mix and 1/3 of the shake mix. Top with nuts and enjoy.
My comments: So far, this was one of my favorites because of both the blend of textures (the crisp taste of the apples blended with the sweeter taste of the shake), the crunch, and of course, the lovely color! My version doesn't look perfect for two reasons: I used too much liquid in the shake portion, so it didn't stay in the layers terribly well; and I used the Vega One Vanilla Chai powder, which has a green cast to it.
** All of these shakes can also be made with another chai-flavored protein powder that fits the requirements of the Virgin Diet, such as Vega One or Thorne Research Vegalite.
*** SO Delicious unsweetened coconut milk can often be found in the refrigerated section near the soy milk and Lactaid. If you can't find it, use unsweetened almond milk, which is usually shelved in the same place. A less tasty option which still meets the requirements of the diet would be unsweetened rice milk. If you can't find unsweetened, look for something sweetened with either stevia or xylitol.
**** Cultured coconut milk is usually shelved in the dairy section near the yogurt. You should be able to find it in any natural foods store.
***** Flax seed meal can usually be found near the flour section in the baking aisle. Bob's Red Mill makes flax seed meal as well as a number of other gluten-free and specialty flours.