I started out the taste testing on my new protein products from Premier Nutrition. I started out with the double chocolate crunch bar, which I split with a coworker for two reasons: the bar is big & hefty and I wanted just a small snack, and… I didn’t want to have to throw it out if it was gross. So, how was it? First, the nutrition facts:

Not bad, right? Especially since I only had half. And the taste? Pretty good. In fact, very good if I compare it to other protein bars. Very filling, nice chocolate flavor. Of course, the traditional “protein” taste was in there a bit, but the texture was nice and smooth and it made me pretty excited to try the other two flavors. I’m generally, and perhaps oddly, a fan of protein bars anyway, so this is definitely another great option for snacking on workout days.

Sidenote: I always wonder if high protein snacks are a good idea for just regular snacking? Are they better than average? Are they a bad idea if it’s not a workout day? Since I’m keeping these at work, I’ll almost exclusively be having them on days when I’ve gone to the gym in the morning, but I’m still wondering what their ideal use is…

This morning, with my breakfast long over and lunch not yet approaching, I decided I’d give on of the protein shakes they sent a try as well. I chose the vanilla, since I tend to prefer vanilla over chocolate when it comes to any kind of shakes.

Here’s the info for the vanilla:

So how about the taste on this one? Per the directions, I kept it nice and cold in the fridge and shook it nearly to death before I opened it.

First sip? I thought the texture was unexpectedly thin, and I was a little disappointed to find that it tasted almost exactly like a SlimFast. That being said, it’s got a MUCH better nutritional profile than SlimFast shakes and I happen to sort of like that vanilla flavor. At the end of the carton, there was a ton of grainy stuff which was super unpleasant, so I guess my copious shake(ing) wasn’t quite enough. I’m definitely much fuller now though, and I’d happily try the chocolate shake soon.