mary lambkin

getting fast, getting strong: KIND & MyProtein USA

Hello! It’s Thursday which means that: 1) we’re one day closer to the weekend and 2) it’s “track” day! “Track” because I didn’t actually go to the track (As explained last week, I won’t go to the track in the dark unless Anthony can come, too)

I tried to make my time on this boring machine a little more exciting by mixing up the speed sessions. 0.75 easy – 0.75 hard – 0.25 easy – 0.75 hard – 0.25 easy – 0.5 hard – 0.25 easy – 0.5 hard. That equals 4, right? I don’t know. Nothing too intense since my race was only a few days ago; at the same time, I tried to push it a little bit since I have another race coming up soon and need to get seriously fast. Or at least, not get slower.

Even though I had to stare at a blank wall and silent infomercials the whole time, I at least got a peek of the great outdoors through the gym’s oversized garage door window. I love our little no-frills fitness center!

Moving right along… Are any of you suckers for certain brands? I’m a big fan of KIND bars (in fact, I even attempted to make them myself one time) and got really excited to see their new “STRONG” line of bars the other day at the store. Of course I had to buy one! As well as a DRY soda, my favorite. I must have a thing for companies with names in ALL CAPS…
Sadly, I have to report that the bar was not delicious. It tasted really “hickory smoked.” As in, it tasted like a meaty bar of beef jerky nuts and seeds. It was strange. And according to KIND’s “spice meter” on the website, this is the least “spicy” of all the STRONG bars. I guess I’m a wimp when it comes to eating non-meat, meat-flavored things…

And speaking of STRONG, the strong people at MyProtein USA contacted me a while back and asked if I’d like to sample one of their products. Anthony and I have been scooping out the MyProtein Impact Whey protein powder for the past couple months. And given that we have a 8.82-pound bag of it, we will continue to scoop until 2016. Good thing we like it!

I’m not an everyday protein powder eater since I think I get plenty of protein through real food. That being said, when I’m in a smoothie mood and want to give my drink some extra staying power — or when I vigorously lift hundreds of pounds of weights at the gym (ha!) and need to refuel — protein powder is a handy to have on hand.

Though MyProtein offers some pretty awesome flavors (Strawberry Jam Roly Poly, anyone?), we kept it simple with the Impact Unflavored Whey and chose to add sweetness with sugar, honey, agave, and/or fruit. Anthony likes to make super-easy “shakes” after a run or the gym by mixing a cup of almond milk with a scoop of the protein powder a spoonful of cocoa powder a spoonful of sugar. Shake, drink, done!

For this smoothie, I took things slightly up a notch by including the almighty Vitamix. In the mix: 1 banana, 3/4 cup of milk, and a drizzle of honey. Plus a scoop of protein powder, duh!
For fun, I divided the recipe in half and did a little “protein throw-down” between some old protein powder we had on hand (Biochem Whey) and the MyProtein USA powder.
It wasn’t a true protein-off, since the Biochem brand had vanilla flavoring and the MyProtein was unflavored. Of course the MyProtein tasted better since it had real honey in it instead of weird, overly sweet artificial sweetener.

The two shakes looked almost identical! The MyProtein is the one on the right, with the banana slice garnish. Fancy, I know.

In terms of texture, Anthony and I think MyProtein wins for its creaminess. It seems to absorb into the milk more easily and has a smooth and thick — but not grainy or chalky — taste and texture.
Thanks for making me strong, MyProtein! Once we get through the massive bag of whey protein we have, we’ll definitely order from this brand in the future.

Go start your day off strong!

  • Do you eat/drink protein powder? What brand? How often?
  • Tips for staying non-bored on the treadmill?
  • Do you use garnishes, or do you think they’re a waste of time/money?
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