I hate to admit this, but my eating habits haven't been the best as of lately, especially when I've been drinking unneeded energy drinks a few times a week; which has resulted in my pants getting tighter around my waist. Hopefully, I can cut back on the sweets and push myself to exercise a bit more daily, so I can at least lose a few pounds for the holidays.

One the best ways to give in to your afternoon cravings without the all the unwanted sugar and other junk is to make yourself a protein shake!

Recently, I was sent a container of Zahler Whey Protein Meal Replacement Powder, which comes in many different flavors, such as Toasted Coconut, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Apple. The flavor that was sent to me was Cappuccino!

Unlike a lot of protein mixes, this one has only 1 gram of sugar per serving. It has 25 grams of protein per serving (1 scoop). It also contains BCAAs, Essential Amino Acids and Non-Essential Amino Acids, which will help a person burn body fat and gain muscle, if you are exercising regularly.

It's no secret that I like making protein shakes as well as drinking my daily doses of coffee. When you combine the two together, I'm in heaven!

Over the summer, Garden of Life sent me a 2.4lbs container of RAW MEAL: Marley Coffee to test out and review. It's an organic snack and meal replacement.

There are 34g of protein, 9g of fiber and 20 VITAMIN Codes in every serving. It's free of gluten, dairy and soy. It's also USDA Organic and NON GMO Project Verified!

 The ingredients are:

Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitmain K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Nacin, Vitamin B, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Mangese, Chromium and Molybdenum.

Organic RAW Sprouted Protein Blend: Organic Sprouted Protein Blend (Organic Sprouted Brown Rice, Organic Amaranth Sprout, Organic Quinoa Sprout, Organic Millet Sprout, Organic Buckwheat Sprout, Organic Garbanzo Bean Sprout, Organic Lentil Sprout, Organic Adzuki Bean Sprout, Organic Flax Seed Sprout, Orgnaic Sunflower Seed Sprout, Organic Pumpkin Seed Sprout, Organic Chia Seed Sprout, Organic Sesame Seed Sprout), RAW Organic Coffee Flavor, RAW Organic Vanilla Flavor and RAW Organic Stevia (Leaf).

Organic RAW Fiber Blend: Organic Flax Meal, Organic Chia Seed and Organic Coconut Flour.

Organic Whole Trade Blend: Organic Whole Trade Marley Coffee and Organic Whole Trade Bacbab Fruit.

Organic RAW Antioxidant Blend: Organic Amia Berry, Organic Beet, Organic Carrot, Orgnaic Spinach, Organic Broccoli, Organic Tomato, Organic Kale, Organic Red Cabbage, Oranic Parsley, Organic Brussels Sprout, Organic Green Bell Pepper, Organic Cucumber, Organic Celery, Organic Garlic, Organic Ginger, Organic Green Onion, Organic Cauliflower, Organic Asparagus, Organic Starwberry, Organic Cherry, Organic Blackberry, Organic Bluebrry and Organic Raspberry.

RAW Probiotic & Enzyme Blend

This year I've been trying to eat healthier by eating more vegetables and fruit, but if you're exercising on a daily basis, then you're going to need to add more protein to your meals. This doesn't mean you need to eat a bunch of fatty meats as there are are plenty of protein mixes and shakes on the market that can give you that extra boost.

Recently, I was sent a few individual sample packages of Super Plant Protein Dutch Chocolate by Summit Nutritions to test out and review.

This is organic protein mix that has 3-6.-9 Omega-3s, 9 antioxidants super fruits, 5 essential enzymes, 11 essential minerals plus iron, 13 daily-valued multivitamins, 21g protein, 2.0g BCCAs, 2.0g glutamines, 4.0g fiber and 5b probiotics. Each serving/packet has 110 calories with 18g of protein. It's free of lactose, gluten, soy and BSE/TSE. It's NON-GMO and is Kosher Certified.

The ingredients include:

Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin  E, Vitamin K-1 Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Biotin , Pantothenic Acid, Calcium,  Iron, Phosporus, Iodine, Magnesium, Zinc, Seienium, Copper, Manganeese, Chromium, BCCA Blend (L-Luecine, L-Isoluecine, L-Valine), Molybdenum, Inulin, L-Glutamine and Omega 3-6-9.

Super Plant Protein Blend with Super Amino Acids: Organic Brown Rice Protein Concentrate, Organic Sprouted Quinoa, Pea Protein Isolate, Hemp Protein, BCCA Blend, Glutamin and Glycine.

Super Fruits Anti Oxidant Blend: Raspberry Fruit Powder, Cherry Fruit Powder, Banana Fruit Powder, Blueberry Fruit Powder, Cranberry Fruit Powder, Strawberry Fruit Powder, Pomegranate Fruit Powder, Cabbage Plam (Acia) Fruit Powder and Mangosteen Fruit Powder.

Super Probiotics Blend Complex: Lactobacillus Acidophillus, Lactobacillus Plantrum, Lactobacillus Rhamnsus, Bifidobacterium Breve, Bifodobacerium Lactis and Lactobacillus Reuteri.

Super Enzyme Blend: Protease, Bromelain, Alpha Galactosidase, Beta Galactosidase and Maltodextrin.

Natural Flavoring: Natural Cocoa Powder, Natural Flavors, Xantham Gum and Stevia.

On average males should take in at least 56 grams of protein and females should taken in 43 grams of protein per day. If you are exercising on a regularly basis, then you're going to have to increase your protein intake to help build muscles and burn body fat.

The easiest and fastest way to get extra protein is through protein powders and shakes, which is bet taken before and/or after your workouts.

A few weeks ago, I was sent two packages (8.9 oz) of Organic Plant Protein from Garden of Life to test out and review. Available flavors are Smooth Chocolate, Smooth Almond Butter, Smooth Coffee, Smooth Energy and Smooth Vanilla!

Unlike many protein mixes, the Organic Plant Protein is grain free with a NON GMO Project Verified and a USDA Organic approved. It's has been gluten-free certified by NSF and is also has a Certified Vegan approval. It's free of diary, soy, harmful chemicals or artificial ingredients.

Each 8.9 oz bag has 10 servings (10 scoops) with 90 total calories and 15 grams of protein per serving. It's full of vitamins and minerals such as Calcium, Vitamin 3, Thiamin, Niacin, Folate, Biotin, Magnesium, Selenium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Iron, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Phosphorus, Zinc, Cooper and Chromium.

The ingredients include:

Certified Organic Plant Protein Blend: Organic Pea (seed), Organic Flax (seed), Organic Cranberry (seed), Organic Baobab (fruit), Organic Moringa (leaf), Organic Chia (seed), Organic Pumpkin (seed), Organic Almond Butter Flavor, Organic Vanilla Flavor and Orgnaic Stevia Extract (leaf).

While changing your eating habits and adding a bit of exercise into your daily routine might seem easy to most people, the one think that we sometimes over look is our protein intake.

Protein is the key ingredient in building muscles and burning body fat. You don't have to be lifting heavy weights to gain muscles as you can be using light weights or doing any intense workout program.

Your muscle fibers become torn during exercise and it takes time for them to recover. Ingesting extra protein before and/or after an workout can prevent muscle soreness and help your body recover from your workout faster.

I was recently sent a bottle of MCF (Mike Change Fitness) Muscle Protein to test out and review. Each 990 grams container has 30 servings (one scoop). Each serving has 120 calories, 22 grams of protein and 4.5 grams of carbs.

The ingredients include:

Muscle Protein Blend: Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Peptides & Whe Protein Isolate

Digestive Enzyme Complex: Protease, Lactase, Bromelain, Asperigillus Niger & Aspergillus Oryzae

Other ingredients include: Cocoa Poweder, Natural & Arifical Flavors, Fibersol-2 (Maltodextrin), Sucrose, Sodium Chloride and Sucralose.