I find in the mornings I want a little extra protein but I get a bit sick of eating meats sometimes. Let me say that I *love* smoothies and in my high-carb life I used to make smoothies every morning.

The interesting thing I realized was my favorite smoothie (strawberry) is actually easy to convert to low-carb!

Ok, so this is where I went looking for good protein powders. Some of them taste absolutely disgusting.. others are far too sweet.. I finally stumbled across Designer Whey in French Vanilla. It has a pretty subtle taste and is "smooth" compared to the other proteins I've tried.

I bought it first on Amazon but then ended up finding it at RiteAid!

Calories 100
Calories from Fat 20
Total Fat 2 g 3%
Saturated Fat 1 g 5%
Cholesterol 55 mg 18%
Total Carbohydrates 3 g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0 g 0%
Sugars 2 g *
Protein 18 g 36%
Thiamin (as Thiamin Mononitrate) 1.41 mg 94%
Riboflavin 1.67 mg 98%
Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine) 1.86 mg 935
Vitamin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin) 2.4 mcg 40%
Pantothenic Acid (as Ca Pantothenate) 8.4 mg 84%
Calcium (from Whey Calcium) 220 mg 22%
Phosphorus (from Whey Calcium) 140 mg 14%
Magnesium (as Mg Aspartate, Oxide) 110 mg 28%
Zinc (as Zinc Aspartate) 5.3 mg 35%
Sodium 60 mg 3%
Potassium 100 mg 3%

ingredients : Natural vanilla flvor, lecithin, oligofructose, cellulose gum, natural flavor, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, salt, annato (for color), cinnamon, and natural vitamin E (as mixed tocopherols).

Any one try Jllian Michael's brand from Pure Protein? I get the vanilla which is 100 calories, 15 g of protein and 3g carbs. You can get it at walmart or it's 9 dollars something on amazon for fairly big tub. It's all natural, no gluten and sweetened with stevia. I like to add almond/coconut milk, spinach, berries and ice and blend it up. A packet of splenda and a bit of almond buttter and/or almond extract added is lovely as well.

I can't afford super expensive ones because I also give to my kids as well. It's very filling and keeps us going for a long time especially if we have long sports tournments or something and can't leave to eat.