The new year is just around the corner, and if your New Year's resolutions include eating cleaner, getting healthy or saving money, you should definitely check out Vitacost.

V and I get all of our vitamins and supplements from Vitacost, as well as organic personal care products, raw cacao powder, maca and other vegan goodness.

And to help us all start the new year on the right foot, Vitacost is running some pretty great sales right now -- including Buy One, Get One Free and Buy One, Get One 50% off on a bunch of Vitacost brand products.

Plus, they are doing free shipping on orders over $25, and just about everything on the site is always way cheaper than you can find at local health food stores. In fact, we figured out that we were saving about $50 every month just from switching to Vitacost for some of our regular vitamin, supplement and personal care purchases.

You can even save 10% more on top of their discount prices when you schedule automatic deliveries for some of the stuff you buy all the time.

If you are new to Vitacost, you can even save another $10 on your first order of $30 or more when a friend refers you.

So you can always just head over to the Vitacost website and start saving money on vegan foods, vitamins, green household products, healthy baby products and organic personal care products.

But if you would like to get this additional $10 discount, here is my referral link -- since I'm always happy to be the friend who helps you save money on living well!

The folks at Tone It Up™ contacted me a few months ago to see if I might want to try out one of their relatively new products, Perfect Fit. As a vegan who is always watching my weight and looking for organic, soy-free protein options, I jumped at the chance to try out this organic rice protein powder.

After I received five packets of the protein mix in the mail, my partner, V, spotted them on the kitchen counter and asked if she could take one to work with her. So I divided them up between us, and you are now getting the opinions of two reviewers instead of just one. Yay!

This is particularly cool for this Perfect Fit product review, because we are complete opposites when it comes to diet, activity and fitness level. V is a meat-eating Marine who works out twice a day and stays very active, since – well, she is a Marine and all. I’m a vegan who spends most of my day in front of a computer screen and gives V dirty looks when she suggests that we go hike up a hill or something. One thing we do have in common is watching our weight, since she has to stay within USMC weight standards, and I have always been a big girl with the metabolism of a hibernating bear.

Plus, she usually isn’t all that interested in trying out the raw, organic or vegan goodies that show up in our kitchen, so I was excited that she actually wanted to try something. Of course, she loves her protein shakes, so I probably should have known that these packets might disappear into her backpack if I hadn’t willingly given up a couple of them.

Okay, let’s start with a list of some of the stuff that makes Perfect Fit a little bit of raw, organic, vegan awesomeness:

Now, if that isn’t enough to have you heading online to get your hands on these vegan protein packs, we will get right down to what V and I thought of it after trying it a couple of different ways.

Let’s begin with the not-so-good start I had with my first trial, and then we will move on to the awesomeness.

I do a potassium-packed smoothie every day as part of my efforts to naturally manage that pesky neuro disorder I have mentioned before. So I thought I would just throw half a packet of Perfect Fit in the blender with my daily smoothie. Now, this protein powder is vanilla flavored, and on this particular day I also threw some blueberries in that blender. Not a great idea. But this is not the fault of the protein mix; I should have known that blueberries and vanilla in a smoothie do not necessarily complement each other well. It was drinkable, and it wasn’t all that bad, but blueberries were a bad idea – at least for my palate. I would like to add that I think this just goes for smoothies – I bet it is great in blueberry pancakes or muffins!

If I had just kept it to my usual potassium-rich ingredients (like bananas and strawberries) it would have been great. I did just that the next day, and I ended up with a creamy, dreamy, shake-like bit of goodness.

After that, I tried it with unflavored coconut milk and with unsweetened vanilla almond milk – both of these experiments were tasty successes. I highly recommend trying it like this after you pick some up.

It’s super simple; just throw this stuff in the blender:

1 ½  cups coconut or almond milk

½ to 1 Perfect Fit packet (I used ½ a packet)

½ cup ice (optional – do this is you want more of a shake consistency)

You can also get creative by adding a bit of raw cacao powder, cinnamon or nutmeg – yum!

I divided mine into separate glasses to be able to try it with each of these additions, and I loved them all.

I also highly recommend mixing it with coconut water, which was delicious and is more nutritious than using water.

Once I get my hands on some more packets, I’m also going to try making a smoothie with vanilla-flavored So Delicious coconut milk yogurt. I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be quite divine. We ran out before I could try it in any baked goods, so I will also have to report back on how that goes once I order some more and get back to the lab/kitchen.

Oh – I almost forgot to mention…I’m in the process of trying to switch from coffee to maca root powder. I’m thinking that a maca-Perfect Fit shake will be a nice afternoon treat that will hit the spot on these hot days we have around here. I will report back on this one as well.

Okay, now that we know the not-so-active vegan (me) thinks Perfect Fit is an awesome between-meal, protein-packed snack, let’s move on to V’s review.

In short: She loves it.

Aside from the fact that she is fit, very active and not vegan, there is one more thing you should know about V that is relevant to this product review: She has a sweet tooth.

This is important to note because she usually finds vanilla-flavored protein powders a bit boring and bland. And – believe me – this girl who always has her shaker bottle close at hand has tried quite a few protein shakes.

Since she is on the go and generally does not have a blender handy throughout the day, she drank her Perfect Fit packets mixed with 12 ounces of water shaken in a regular water bottle. She reported back that she found this rice protein powder to be a satisfying treat that “tasted like a milkshake.” She also noted that the single-serve packets were super handy to keep on hand, which makes sense, since she can just toss one in her pack or tuck one in the cargo pocket on her cammies.

So, there you have it: We dig Perfect Fit rice protein powder!

All right, this Perfect Fit product review is getting awfully long, so let me just throw in some additional information that might be of interest to you, and then I will let you rest your eyes after all this reading.

Where to Buy Perfect Fit

You can buy single-serving packets or a 50-serving bag (the cheaper option) at PerfectFitProtein.com, or you can get the single-serving packets at Amazon.

You can also find some yummy recipes on the Tone It Up™ recipe page.

If you are interested in getting fit, I also recommend signing up for the Tone It Up™ email newsletter. By doing so, you will receive a welcome pack with a full-body toning routine and recipes, as well as weekly printable workouts, workout tips and other health-promoting goodness.


For our friends at the FTC – I received five packets of this product so that I could try it out and write this review. I did not receive further compensation from Tone It Up™ for this post.  

I recently decided that my lofty goal of drinking at least one organic green smoothie packed with fresh leafy greens and other wholesome goodness each day just isn't going to happen. I'm a busy girl with tight deadlines and a tighter budget, which means I needed to find a way to sneak in some greens on those days when I can't get away to my favorite roadside produce stand or when I feel the need to stretch my grocery budget.

When I started flirting with the idea of relying on a superfood powder to get at least some of my greens, I felt like I was cheating on my health and betraying my body. But I decided that getting in some greens any way I could was better than going a day without them, so I did a little research to convince myself that this was a healthful choice.

At the same time, I was looking to add a probiotic supplement and maca root powder to my daily routine, so I headed over to my fave discount supplement and health food site to see what they had. That is where I discovered Greens Today Vegan Formula Superfood Powder by Nature's Answer.

Some of the features that initially drew me to this particular powder supplement was that it includes both maca root and a probiotic blend, it is significantly more affordable than some of the other vegan options and it is packed with a bunch of other good-for-you awesomeness.

Here is what the powder looks like...

I mentioned this product in a previous post, but I wanted to use it a bit longer before I did a full review. Now that I've used it for about a month, and have tried it in several different concoctions, I can fill you in on whether or not I think it was a good purchase -- and worth the money.

So let's start with some of the goodness you will find in this superfood powder supplement...

As I mentioned above, it has a probiotic blend and maca root. It also have a 1,000mg fiber blend, a 250mg antioxidant blend, digestive enzymes and an immune-enhancing blend with CoQ10. The 4,000mg superfood blend includes organic spirulina, broccoli, organic alfalfa, organic barley grass, organic wheat grass, chlorella, organic spinach and kelp.

I posted a couple of pics below to show the supplement facts, but I will list some of them here in case it's hard to read:

Vitamin A - 100%
Vitamin C - 417%
Calcium - 50%
Iron - 25%
Vitamin D2 - 250%
Vitamin E - 780%
Vitamin B1 - 200%
Vitamin B2 - 118%
Niacin - 100%
Vitamin B6 - 250%
Folic Acid - 110%
Vitamin B12 - 500%
Biotin - 100%
Iodine - 100%
Manganese - 100%

There's even more goodness inside, but that gives you a pretty good idea of how this greens powder can be used as a dietary supplement that can be particularly beneficial to folks on a plant-based diet.

Here are pics of the back of the container with the supplement information...

Before doing a Greens Today Vegan Formula review, I wanted to make sure I tried it a few different ways so that I could also make some suggestions on how best to drink it.

The directions on the package say to mix one scoop (for adults) or 1/2 scoop (for kids) with eight to 12 ounces of water, juice or plant milk. You can go right ahead and do this, if you'd like, but be prepared for a very green-tasting drink that might take a few tries to get used to. I started out mixing it with water and just told myself that it wasn't supposed to taste good -- it was just supposed to be good for me -- but I pretty quickly decided that adding more greens to my diet in this way would be a lot easier if I actually enjoyed drinking them.

If you are going to mix it with juice, I recommend trying pineapple juice. While the powder smells like alfalfa (and kind of tastes like it), blending it with pineapple juice makes the taste far more pleasant.

However, if you really want to make this a lasting addition to your daily routine, I recommend going the smoothie route.

I first tried adding Greens Today in a smoothie with coconut water, banana and blueberries. It came out all right and was drinkable, but it still wasn't something I actually looked forward to drinking.

I experimented a bit with different frozen fruits -- resulting in various levels of drinkability -- and then came upon what I consider the perfect, nutrient-packed green smoothie recipe for thoroughly enjoying this easy way to add more greens to your diet.

Actually, I have two favorites.

Here is the first one:

Potassium-Rich Smoothie with Greens Powder

11 ounces of coconut water (I use single-serving packs from the dollar store.)

1 banana

1/2 cup frozen strawberries (from the dollar store)

3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks (from the dollar store)

1 scoop of Greens Today Vegan Formula Superfood Powder

I sometimes also add two teaspoons of chia seeds and about one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds.

This vegan smoothie recipe is super easy to throw together and tastes great! The blend of pineapple chunks and the greens powder creates a cool, refreshing, delish flavor that I look forward to -- particularly now that the weather is heating up around here.

Here's the other healthy smoothie recipe I use for my superfood powder supplement...

Banana-Pineapple-Greens Smoothie Recipe

11 ounces of coconut water

1 banana

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks

1 scoop of Greens Today Vegan Formula Superfood Powder

Again, this makes a really refreshing smoothie that I love to sip on while I work.

I pretty much always use coconut water as the liquid base for my smoothies, since my particular health situation calls for an emphasis on getting enough potassium, but you can also use water or juice.

Nature's Answer says this vegan greens supplement is "designed to provide a health promoting, energizing, cleansing, immune enhancing, alkaline promoting, complete daily nutritional supplement."

While I haven't been using it long enough to really comment on whether or not I think it has given a boost to my immune system, I definitely would report more energy and agree that it seems to have a cleansing effect. This, of course, makes sense, since it has a fiber blend, probiotic blend and all sorts of detox-supporting nutrients.

As for its immune-boosting abilities, what I can say is that I have mild rosacea that seems to have improved since I've been taking this supplement. I can't really say that it is because this is enhancing immune system function, but it might be. Or, since we don't really know what causes rosacea, it could also be that it promotes alkalinity. Either way, it seems to have had an effect.

I haven't stopped taking my other daily vegan supplements yet (including calcium, magnesium, turmeric, omega-3 DHA and a multi-vitamin), but it does feel like I could cut back on some of them now that I use this vegan greens powder daily. My reason for continuing the others is that I'm still in the process of learning how to best manage that pesky neuro disorder I have, but I think someone in good health following a plant-based diet could successfully use this as a fresher, healthier option for the vitamins and minerals included.

Speaking of fresher -- I really like the fact that Greens Today has to be refrigerated after opening and that the company says to discard it after 90 days. That helped to alleviate some of my initial reservations about using a powdered greens supplement on days I can't easily include more fresh greens in my meal prep.

You may be able to find this product locally using the  store locator on the Nature's Answer website, but I tried their store locator and couldn't find it my area.

You can purchase an 18-ounce container of Greens Today Vegan Formula Superfood Powder on the company website for $42.00 (at the time of this writing), but you can get it way cheaper at Vitacost.

That is where I buy mine for just $24.49 (a 42% savings), plus I get free shipping, since I order it along with other supplements, organic hair and beauty products, and vegan foods, and Vitacost offers free shipping on orders that total more than $49.00.

You can go to www.vitacost.com to sign up for a free membership, but you can also get a $10.00 credit from Vitacost to use on your first order if you sign up for that free membership using an invitation link from a current member.

So...here's your invitation link -- you are going to love all the organic, natural and vegan awesomeness they offer at discount prices!

I have more reviews coming (next up are raw, vegan bars and an organic brown rice protein powder), so check back soon!

Sign up for the email list, or follow CVC on Twitter or Facebook, to make it even easier to find out about new posts!

I've already talked a bit about why I'm always on the lookout for easy ways to increase my potassium intake and why most people probably need more potassium in their diets.
You can read about that (and get another potassium-rich smoothie recipe, a list of potassium-rich foods and some more info) here:

Vegan Juicing: Potassium Power Smoothie with Coconut Water

But don't go running off just yet, since I have a recipe for you here too! Plus, the other blog post doesn't tell you about how I cheat to get more nutrients from greens.

So let's get right down to it...

I'm not really one to measure as I'm adding ingredients to my blender, so these measurements are estimates, and you may want to add a little more or less of the frozen stuff to get your fave smoothie texture.

Here's what I am currently doing for my daily potassium-rich smoothie:

11 ounces of coconut water (I got these single-serving packs at the dollar store.)

1 banana

1/2 cup frozen strawberries (from the dollar store)

3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks (from the dollar store)

2 teaspoons chia seeds (optional)

1 scoop of vegan greens powder (This is optional. I use Greens Today Vegan that I get cheap from Vitacost.)

Let me sneak in here with a quick tip: Your chia seeds need to soak and get all gooey before you blend them up in your smoothie. To have one less cup or bowl to wash, just put them in your blender with your coconut water about 10 minutes before you plan to whip up this delish drink.

Of course, this vegan smoothie offers much more than just potassium and is packed with other vitamins and minerals. This is particularly true is you opt for adding a scoop of something like Greens Today to seriously up the nutritional value.

As I'm sure you have guessed by now, that is how I'm sneaking more greens into my diet. I throw one scoop of vegan greens powder in the blender and instantly add 1500mg of organic spirulina, 1000mg broccoli powder, and a seriously respectable amount of iron, vitamin E, B1, B6, B12, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin D2 and much more.

What happened was...I was looking for cheap maca root and some kind of probiotic to add to the supplements I take each day. While I was searching on my favorite site for discount health foods and supplements I came across Greens Today, which has both a probiotic blend and maca root, as well as a ton of other good-for-you stuff.

Do I feel like I'm cheating when I use a powder instead of fresh greens?

Yes.

Am I going to keep right on doing it?

Yes.

Here's the deal: I am both busy and cheap. While I recognize that fresh, whole foods are the way to go whenever possible, there are lots of days when I will miss out on green goodness simply because I don't have time to sit there and wash and prepare a bunch of fresh produce when I'm working against tight deadlines. I do, however, have time to toss some frozen fruit and a scoop of greens powder in a blender.

I know that most of you are super busy too, and I think relying on this sort of backup is definitely better than just going without greens completely when we don't have a lot of time to dedicate to healthy eating.

Folks (like me) who can't always afford to purchase all of the organic produce their heart desires can also use this as an affordable way to keep working towards good health, even when you don't have fresh greens in the house.

There are several such products available, but Greens Today was significantly cheaper and looked just as good when I compared the lists of ingredients and supplement facts. I have been using it for about two weeks now, and I love it. I will get around to putting up a full review with more information, but I at least wanted to mention it now, since it is helping me easily increase my nutrient intake.

This is what the package looks like:

You may be able to find this locally. If not, you can definitely get it online. I buy mine from Vitacost, which is an awesome website where you can find all sorts of vegan supplements, hair and beauty products, organic and gluten-free foods, spices and more. You do have to sign up for a free membership, but that only takes a minute and is SO worth it.

Now, if you want, you can go right over to www.vitacost.com and sign up, but you can get a $10.00 credit to use on your first order if you sign up via an invitation link from a current member.

So, because I love y'all (and because you and I both get a $10.00 credit if you do it this way), here is an invitation link for Vitacost.

Dr. Fuhrman's 2013 Health Getaway is going on June 26 through July 2 in beautiful, sunny San Diego, California!

Now, this isn't a cheap event, but I still wanted to make sure y'all knew about it -- just in case you might have saved enough from all that vegan couponing to spring for a trip that would be awesome for your health and wellness.

If you aren't familiar with Dr. Fuhrman -- or would like to learn more about the 2013 Health Getaway -- click on the image above to go right to the website for more info.

I'm experimenting with increasing my potassium intake to combat some of the symptoms that come with the lovely neurological disorder that is always trying to mess up my day. As part of this, I recently picked up some Naked Coconut Water, and today I decided it was time to put it to good use in a potassium-packed smoothie.

Now, while my reason for looking for easy ways to increase potassium intake is specific to what I've got going on, pesky neuro disorders are definitely not the only reason to make sure you are getting enough potassium every day.

The average adult needs about 4.7 grams of potassium per day, and lots of folks don't come anywhere near that mark. Plus, if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking certain medications or are an athlete, you might need even more than that.

On the other hand, folks taking potassium supplements or certain medications that can increase potassium levels, such as some blood pressure medications, blood thinners, ACE-inhibitors and whatnot, should definitely chat with their healthcare provider before partaking in self-prescribed potassium loading.

With all that said, let's get to the vegan juicing recipe!

Vegan Smoothie Recipe: Potassium Power

What you need:

1 Naked Coconut Water Single-Serving Pack (11.2 ounces)
1 banana
1/2 to 1 cup mixed berries (or other fruit of choice)
2 teaspoons chia seeds

What you do:

1. Combine the chia seeds with a bit of the coconut water, and let them sit for about five minutes or so to get their goo on. (I'm still working on getting used to the whole gelatinous thing with chia seeds, but if you are already used to it, you can use 1 tablespoon of chia seeds in this recipe instead.)

2. Toss all ingredients into your blender and whip up your awesome, potassium-packed smoothie.

3. Enjoy!

I also added about a 3/4 scoop of Tru Food Vegan, but this is optional, and there's plenty of potassium in this vegan smoothie without adding a nutritional supplement.

Here's about how much potassium each ingredient delivers:

Naked Coconut Water + Pineapple Juice - 510mg
If you use the unflavored Naked Coconut Water, it has 650mg.
You could also use 1/2 cup orange juice instead and get 236mg.

Banana - about 425mg for an average banana

Chia Seeds - one ounce (just over 2 tablespoons) has 45mg

You also get a bit of potassium from your berries, which will vary depending on the type of berries used.

Here are some other good sources of potassium:

• Avocados
• Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Pumpkin
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes
• Raisins
• Pears
• Cantaloupe
• Mangos
• Papayas

 
Notes on going greener with this smoothie:

1. If you get larger containers of coconut water, there's less packaging waste.

2. Use organic produce when you can.

2. Glass drinking vessels, mason jars and the like are better options than plastic cups (like the one in the picture). I swear I don't break glasses, but my neurological disorder does (and she knocks things over every chance she gets). That's why I usually use plastic cups with lids...which we call my sippy cups. =)

Shopping for healthy foods for your family doesn't have to be a challenge. At first, it might take you a few extra minutes to check for an organic version or to read a list of ingredients, but finding the most nutritious, least processed foods for your family's health and wellness is well worth the effort. Here are some tips to make sure you are getting the healthy foods you and your family needs the next time you go food shopping.

7 Tips for Healthier Grocery Shopping:

1. Shop for food at your local farmers market.

2. Grocery shop at natural foods stores and/or natural foods sections first.

3. Shop mostly around the perimeter of the store.

4. Take the time to read and compare ingredients.

5. Buy organic when you can.

6. Make a grocery list.

7. Don't grocery shop when you are hungry.

You can read much more about each of these healthy shopping tips by reading the full article at the link below. (I wrote the article, but I sold it to a website and no longer own the rights; therefore, I can only publish an excerpt and a link to the full article on Cheap Vegan Chick.)

Here is the link to the full article:

Tips for Healthy Grocery Shopping: Seven Tips to Make Every Food Shopping Trip a Healthy Success!

Vegan Chelated Iron with B12 (90 tablets) by DEVA Nutrition is just $6.99 right now at GoVeg360!

If you have not checked out this site, head over there to see the vast array of vegan and vegetarian supplements, vitamins, minerals, books, personal care products, household stuff and more -- all at great prices.

But for now, you at least might want to take advantage of this deal on Chelated Iron and B12 (certified vegan by The Vegan Society)!

Vega is offering some great discounts on vegan health supplements this month. By clicking the links above and using the promo codes, you can save 35% on Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer and 20% on Vega Energizing Smoothies.

These promos are only going on while supplies last, so hurry on over if you want to take advantage of these great deals on Vega vegan nutrition products.

Promo Codes:

35% off Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer Promo Code: VEGAVEGA

20% off Vegan Energizing Smoothie Promo Code: ENERGIZEME

Take advantage of this awesome deal on Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer!

Save 50% on Vega this weekend during their Memorial Day Sale. If you have not yet tried this vegan health supplement, this is a great time to take the opportunity to try it at half price. Of course, if you are already a Vega fan, then you know what a great deal this is!

This 50% off sale suns from Friday, May 25 to Tuesday, May 29, so get over there soon!

Promo Code: VEGANHEALTH