Full Influenster #SproutVoxBox Review

I recently signed up for Influenster and to my surprise within a week of signing up I was selected to participate in my first VoxBox.  Influenster sends out a box of products for FREE and asks for your honest opinions on the items in return.

Here is a photo of my very first box!

I received the following items to review:

EatSmart Spicy Black Bean Tortilla Chips
Orgain Organic Protein in Vanilla
Ecos Laundry Detergent in Magnolia and Lily
Clairol Hair Food Shampoo and Conditioner with Honey and Apricot
Curate Snack Bar in Dark and Tempting - Balsamic and Fig

The first item I tried was the EatSmart Spicy Black Bean Tortilla Chips. I really thought these were quite delicious. They have great flavor and just a little spice!

The second item I tried was the Orgain. I posted about this in another post. I was not a fan of this protein powder and found it to be chalky and didn't care for the taste. The vanilla flavor was not very strong. Full review HERE.

The third item I tried was the Curate bar. While delicious, I will not be adding this into my regular diet because I can not handle the carbohydrates. There are 12g of sugar and 23g of carbs total. The bar didn't taste much of balsamic but the fig flavor was delicious.

The 4th product I tried was Ecos Laundry Detergent in Magnolia and Lily. I would have preferred to do more than one wash with the same clothing items before deciding on whether or not I like a laundry product, but I only got one load worth to sample. While it does smell delicious I don't think that it has the same stain fighting power of the laundry soap I already use. I probably would not regularly buy Ecos unless it were a good price or I found a great deal. With the amount of laundry we do and the stains created by my two sons, I prefer something cheaper and tougher on stains. It is a product though!

The fifth product I tried was Clairol Hair Food.  Again, it is difficult to decide I like a product with just one use. It did smell fantastic and my hair felt soft afterwards. I probably would like to give this one a try with several more uses. I have struggled with some hair loss since my bypass surgery and maybe this will help keep my hair that is growing back in nice and strong.

Overall this was quite a fun experience and I can't wait until I qualify for my next #VoxBox from Influenster. If you're interested in joining click HERE.

I received these products free for testing and sampling purposes. All the opinions in this blog post are my own.

 

 

Orgain Organic Protein: Plant Based Protein Powder Review

Today I was able to test out some Orgain Plant Based Protein Powder. It is Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan, USDA Organic, and GMO free.

I packed it in my lunchbox for today's breakfast. I find it hard to eat real breakfast in the mornings before work so I always pack a protein drink to enjoy while working to keep me full and to keep me on track with my diet. I usually will scoop out protein for the week ahead into snack sized ziplock bags so they are easy to grab and go. I keep a clean Blender Bottle in my car or lunchbox. I'll post more about my meal planning later on.

I normally will look for a protein powder that has around 100-150 calories per serving with at least 20g of protein. I also like them to have around 5 net carbs or less. The Orgain Vanilla protein powder has 150 calories per serving with 5 net carbs and a total of 21 grams of protein. The protein is plant based. It fits well into the nutrients that I look for in protein powder.

This sample was a 1/2 serving. The package suggested mixing with 4oz of water or unsweetened almond milk. I added 4oz of water and a couple of ice cubes to my Blender Bottle and then added the protein from the packet on top. I expected the protein powder to be white since it was vanilla but it had a bit of a brown color to it. I shook it up for about 10 seconds which is what I usually do with my protein powders. The Orgain protein powder did not seem to mix as well as my favorite. I shook it for another 10 seconds or so and it seemed to mix much better. A few extra seconds of shaking time isn't a big deal but I do like my protein to mix well so its not chunky at the bottom. The shake got pretty foamy so I had to let it settle for a few minutes before drinking it. The color of the protein shake was also a little brown which to me is a little off putting.

 

Upon my first sip of this protein shake it was pretty earthy tasting and a bit chalky. You could definitely tell that the protein comes from plant based items. I am not even sure that chalky is the right way to describe it. It kind of coats the mouth and leaves a little bit of film. The vanilla flavor was not too strong. I do not think that I would purchase this protein powder on my own but for someone who is vegan it would probably be a good choice. It was not terrible tasting but definitely not as delicious as some of the other protein powders I have tried.

If you are interested in trying it... you can find a COUPON HERE.

It is also available on vitacost.com. If you are a new member you can get $10 off $30 by CLICKING HERE.

I received this sample for free for sampling purposes but all the opinions are my own.