One Yummy Chocolate Protein Pick-me-up

When I was at the Seattle VegFest last month, my new friend, vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke, gave me a couple of packets of Vega "Shake&Go" protein smoothie powder to try out. I was already hooked on Vega's berry flavor "health optimizer," which packs not only a whopping 26 grams of protein per serving, but an impressive array of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids, among other things, in high doses. So I was eager to try the new, quick and easy "shake&go" stuff.

I went through the mango flavor pretty fast (just shake a couple tablespoons in a jar with a cup of water and drink it down). The chocolate flavor was almost convincing on its own, but I was still looking to make it taste really good (it's what I do, after all). I was in my local natural grocery store (Vitamin Cottage, in Monument, CO) a few days ago, and saw that my new favorite almond milk now comes in a dark chocolate flavor. I bought it for my son, who had asked me to buy him some chocolate milk, but I found it quite tasty too. Then the idea came to use this instead of water for the "Choc-a-lot" flavor. It was 99% perfect on the first try; I added just a touch of peppermint extract, and that did it. What a delicious way to bump up your protein intake!