P90X3 Review: Weeks 2 & 3 by Randi / February 9, 2014
The very generous people over at Purfit gave me a huge container of their chocolate Meal Replacement Shake to try, and I must say I really like it. I have been obsessed with Sunwarrior Raw Chocolate protein powder for a few years now, but Purfit has posed a surprisingly successful contender. I would definitely buy this in the future.
For each serving of 37g (or a ‘scoop’, but my container didn’t include a scoop so I used the Sunwarrior one), you get 140 calories, 5g fat, and 14g protein, plus at least 100% of your daily vitamin A, C, B6, B12, and other vitamins. The chocolate taste is the best I’ve found in any protein powder, from Sunwarrior to Vega to Plantfusion. It’s a little chalky, as they all are, but it tastes the most like chocolate milk and not like chocolate-flavored protein. So that’s good!
For each serving of 37g (or a ‘scoop’, but my container didn’t include a scoop so I used the Sunwarrior one), you get 140 calories, 5g fat, and 14g protein, plus at least 100% of your daily vitamin A, C, B6, B12, and other vitamins. The chocolate taste is the best I’ve found in any protein powder, from Sunwarrior to Vega to Plantfusion. It’s a little chalky, as they all are, but it tastes the most like chocolate milk and not like chocolate-flavored protein. So that’s good!
I tried Purfit in several forms in order to get a complete picture. First, I tried Purfit’s recommended recipe of “Chocolate Twist”, which is the powder mixed with water and a tiny bit of vanilla extract. I just blended the following ingredients in a small blender.
CHOCOLATE TWIST
- 1 serving Purfit
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
This simple recipe is what sold me on the product. I never drink protein powder straight with water; I always add it to my morning smoothies. The thought of having other powders plain grosses me out. But this tasted like chocolate milk! I was shocked, and delighted. I’ll definitely be getting Purfit out when I want a chocolate milk fix.
Next, I tried it in my favorite green smoothie recipe instead of my usual Sunwarrior protein. My secret to green smoothies is to freeze all of the components, including the greens. Frozen greens blend and disintegrate more easily. Freezing is made simpler with prewashed and bagged greens, like the ones from Trader Joe’s. This is roughly what I do:
MY FAVORITE GREEN SMOOTHIE
- 2 cups frozen kale (squish it into the blender with your hands and you can fit more)
- 1 cup frozen rainbow chard
- 1 cup frozen spinach
- 1/2 cup frozen collards
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
- 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
Fill the blender with water first, about 2 cups. Blend until really really smooth. It makes a ton, so I like to freeze the extras in single-serve Mason jars to take to work on days I have less time.
My favorite smoothie was just as great with Purfit. The chocolate was a bit more pronounced but I like that. The strange thing was, I felt way fuller much later in the day than I normally do. I was barely hungry for dinner after having this for my first meal. I don’t necessarily like that, but for those of you who need help staying full between meals, I recommend giving this a try!
Lastly, I tried to make my standard Vitamix ice cream/water ice with Purfit taking the place of some of the cocoa powder. A high-speed blender is necessary for this recipe, I’m sorry to say!
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CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM
Ingredients:
Directions:
Normally the consistency of water ice, this recipe turned out much creamier this time, and I have to attribute that to the Purfit. Shocking! I love the idea of sneaking protein powder into ice cream. Since the taste didn’t seem different, there’s really no reason not to add it in if you need more protein. 
The finished product from a bird’s eye view 
YUM! |
All loaded up and ready to go! 
If you have access to this peanut butter, I highly suggest using it for everything you can possible think of, except toothpaste. 
The easiest, fastest ice cream ever |
Thank you so much to the people of Purfit for letting me try your product. I am so excited to say that I honestly enjoyed it and am looking forward to adding it to my regular lineup of protein powders. I hope you readers enjoy my recipes and enjoy Purfit if you decide to buy it!
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Love From Philly: Han Dynasty Is Your New Favorite Dynasty
Philly’s best Chinese restaurant is actually the best Chinese restaurant in the country. Important and wise critics actually say that, not just me, and everyone I know who has eaten at Han Dynasty agrees. Offering an authentic, super-spicy Szechuan-based cuisine, it’s so far from your usual Chinese restaurant that you probably won’t know where to begin. Luckily, I’m here to help. The menu is a favorite of omnivores but there is so much insane food for vegans to eat that I consider this one of my top vegan recommendations for Philly and the surrounding area (they have several outputs in the burbs and in NYC now, so famous).
The menu is set up to be user-friendly, with spice rankings from 1 to 10 accompanying each dish (the 10s are mind-blowing, and will melt your face; so will some 5s) so you know what you are getting into. Making Han Dynasty super vegan friendly is that each dish is described in terms of how its made and how its seasoned, and then you choose what protein you want it based around (I know, I hate using that word like that but it works). Tofu is available as the protein in the majority of dishes, so vegans unite! Also, Han himself is really nice and helpful. Well, now he’s like the new it-boy of the restaurant world (and now NYC claims Handy as its own), but back when he actually worked in the Old City Philly kitchen, he was always willing to talk about what was vegan and what was not. Thankfully, there is so much besides the many tofu-based entrees for us to eat. (Also the twitter account is @handynastyphila and so I refer to this restaurant as Handy in shorthand. Best lack of punctuation.)
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The #1 dish at Han Dynasty is how everyone I know always starts the meal: the Spicy Crispy Cucumber. It’s not crispy from frying; it’s crispy because it’s the freshest cucumber you’ve ever eaten, and it’s the most perfectly prepared raw cucumber you can imagine. I think even people who don’t like cucumber would go nuts over this dish. The spicy part is not a joke. The cucumber is bathed in a sort-of sweet, exceedingly hot yet light chili marinade. After the cucumber is gone, I always want to drink what’s leftover in the bowl because it’s that good. (I don’t because I don’t want to destroy my insides.) One day, I will successfully recreate how magical this dish is, but for now, you have to leave it in Handy’s hands…ies.
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My other favorites (I mean everything I’ve had is a favorite, but these are things I’ll order every single time) are the Cold Sesame Noodles and the Dan Dan Noodles without pork. (Specify that you want them without pork and vegetarian.) The sesame noodles are a classic that I’m sure you’ve had before, but these are the best you can ever imagine. Last time I was here, we ordered multiple bowls even though we were too full to finish other dishes. Definitely over-order these because everyone will keep eating them past fullness, and also they are amazing out of the fridge the next day. As for the Dan Dan, if you are familiar with Szechuan, you know that these noodles are super important and vital to the cuisine. They are amazing. Oh my goodness. I don’t know what’s in them, because the internet shows me that Dan Dan is usually in a broth full of mustard greens, but Handy’s are in more of a thin paste. Regardless, these are incredible and you must eat them. Also – it’s an 8 spice level. And an 8 feels like a 10.
Recently, I actually tried a new noodle. (In addition, obviously, not as a replacement.) I ordered the mung bean noodles in black bean sauce (another 8 spice level). While I didn’t get the black bean sauce aspect (I may have just been given the other mung bean noodle dish), I did like the strange as hell consistency of the noodles themselves. They are soft and gelatinous; you cannot pick them up with chopsticks (they cut right through) and a fork only barely does the job. I don’t know, I like having to work for my food I guess. Anyway, they were very interesting and cool, but if you can’t handle three noodle dishes, stick to the two above.
Now let’s get to the entrees. I am obsessed beyond words and beyond belief with Handy’s tofu. No matter what form you get it in, the tofu is the densest, most perfectly chewy and strong I have ever encountered. I don’t know what they do to make it so superb. It’s like it was pressed for years.
Now let’s get to the entrees. I am obsessed beyond words and beyond belief with Handy’s tofu. No matter what form you get it in, the tofu is the densest, most perfectly chewy and strong I have ever encountered. I don’t know what they do to make it so superb. It’s like it was pressed for years.
Above is the Hot Sauce Style tofu, chock full of scallions, some kind of green, and the largest amount of chili and peppercorns I’ve ever seen in one dish. Can you even believe that? There were more peppercorns in the chili oil below the top bed of food. This was a 7, by the way, and my mouth was on fire for a long time. I love how amazingly hot everything is while still having a wonderful taste. That’s super hard to do.
Another one of my favorites is the Garlic Sauce Tofu, which is perfect if you cannot handle the vast amount of chili oil and heat in most of the other dishes. This dish is kind of sweet and sour, with wood ear mushrooms, bamboo, ginger, garlic, and peppers. It’s really delicious, as everything is here, and it’s a great option.
However, my top recommendation is the Long Hot Pepper Style Tofu. Oh my gosh. This is where Handy’s magic tofu shines brightest. It’s a very simple dish, with the perfect long strips of tofu mixed with long green hot peppers in a very light stir fry sauce. It’s only a spice level 3, but it seems a tad higher, and the taste is so perfect that it doesn’t even matter.
Another one of my favorites is the Garlic Sauce Tofu, which is perfect if you cannot handle the vast amount of chili oil and heat in most of the other dishes. This dish is kind of sweet and sour, with wood ear mushrooms, bamboo, ginger, garlic, and peppers. It’s really delicious, as everything is here, and it’s a great option.
However, my top recommendation is the Long Hot Pepper Style Tofu. Oh my gosh. This is where Handy’s magic tofu shines brightest. It’s a very simple dish, with the perfect long strips of tofu mixed with long green hot peppers in a very light stir fry sauce. It’s only a spice level 3, but it seems a tad higher, and the taste is so perfect that it doesn’t even matter.
Ugh it’s amazing. Can you even believe that that is tofu? Because I can’t. So delicious! This one is also great to eat straight from the fridge the next day.
There are plenty of vegetable sides in case you somehow didn’t order enough food. My favorite is the bok choy with black mushrooms. Seriously, Handy has the most incredibly thick mushrooms I’ve ever had. They are perfection.
There are plenty of vegetable sides in case you somehow didn’t order enough food. My favorite is the bok choy with black mushrooms. Seriously, Handy has the most incredibly thick mushrooms I’ve ever had. They are perfection.
I crave Han Dynasty so often and I already miss it, even though I had it just days before I moved. Do me a favor and go immediately if you are in the Philly area. I have been to most of the new suburban outposts of the restaurant, and they all pretty much have the same menu and, more importantly, consistency in deliciousness across the board.
HAN DYNASTY, PHILADELPHIA (et al.)
Water speed: Great! It is a Chinese restaurant, after all!
Service: See above.
Bathrooms: There’s usually just one, which kind of sucks because everyone is drinking so much water to counter the spice.
Food: The best Szechuan outside of China. Maybe in China as well; feel free to sponsor a test trip for me.
Bonus: The best tofu you’ve ever had in your life.
Three Count ’em THREE Fantastic Dessert Recipes & A Big Hello There!
Look I used a fancy pants flower muffin pan
Man alive, I haven’t posted in a while! And I haven’t posted about food in a longer while! My deepest apologies to all of you who have been sitting at the computer hitting refresh…refresh…refresh for the past month. I hope you took bathroom breaks.
I’ve been so busy because I have been planning a wedding! We have compressed the expected 10-12 month process into about 2 months, so I have been hella distracted. But there’s always time to bake because I read that the appropriate wedding diet is baked goods. So here are three (3!) recipes to make amends for the computer silence lately. From here on out, we should be posting regularly because I hired someone to yell at me every day until I write. (That part is true except for the hiring and paying.)
All three of these recipes were made out of NECESSITY. First, I found a sick sale on Dandies vegan marshmallows at Mom’s Organic Market, so you know I bought the entire shelf. That led to recipe #1. Then, I needed to use up browning bananas. Hence recipe #2. Finally, I found an old can of pumpkin pie mix in the back of my cupboard, and while it wasn’t necessarily going to go bad anytime soon, I sensed how wrong it was to have Thanksgiving food around in the summer. I felt the ghost of Squanto standing in the corner of my kitchen with his hands on his hips, arching his left eyebrow, and mouthing ‘For. Shame’. So that’s recipe #3.
Oh also all three of these recipes have chocolate chips. You can obviously omit or exchange them if you want but then wtf would be wrong with you?
CHOCOLATE CHIP MARSHMALLOW COOKIES
Dudes, before you say anything, I do realize that if I added pecans or almonds or some such, these would be properly called rocky road cookies, but as you well know, sometimes you feel like a nut
BUT SOMETIMES YOU DON’T.
Dudes, before you say anything, I do realize that if I added pecans or almonds or some such, these would be properly called rocky road cookies, but as you well know, sometimes you feel like a nut
BUT SOMETIMES YOU DON’T.
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Ingredients:
**Note: When I used Earth Balance, it produced more of a biscuit-y cookie. The oil made a chewier cookie that I greatly preferred, but some test subjects liked the biscuitness. Your call! Directions:
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The biscuity buttery batch
This is how it looks when it is mixed. Ta daaa
This is what the inside of an oven looks like.
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SOFT BANANA CAKE WITH SPECULOOS AND PEANUT BUTTER RIBBONS
That shit sounds goooood. This was definitely more like cake than regular banana bread. I think because I didn’t use wheat flour or flaxseed, which is usually in my banana bread. Or, it could be because I ate it straight from the oven…
That shit sounds goooood. This was definitely more like cake than regular banana bread. I think because I didn’t use wheat flour or flaxseed, which is usually in my banana bread. Or, it could be because I ate it straight from the oven…
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Ingredients:
For the ribbons:
Directions:
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VEGAN PSA THIS IS WHAT BANANAS LOOK LIKE
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PUMPKIN PIE MUFFINS
What’s better than pumpkin and chocolate chip muffins! So yummy and it shouldn’t just be relegated to November.
What’s better than pumpkin and chocolate chip muffins! So yummy and it shouldn’t just be relegated to November.
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Ingredients:
Directions:
Before. Raw food.
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VEGAN PSA THIS IS WHAT PUMPKIN FROM A CAN LOOKS LIKE
This is what milk on top of canned pumpkin looks like.
Seriously this flower muffin pan makes everything special.
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Ta daaaa! Enjoy! I hope you make all of these right now! They all use the same oven temperature and chocolate chips so it’s not that big of a deal. I’ll be back with lots more stuff soon! Yebop!
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