News & Notes
- Early-bird pricing on my new ebook, The REAL FOOD Cleanse, ends TODAY at 10:00am Central Standard Time (one hour from the time this blog post is published). Snag your copy before the price gets bumped up!
- Less than 6 weeks left till the release of Practically Raw Desserts! Have you preordered yet? It’s very possible Amazon will ship out preordered copies before the official release date of April 15th!
There’s a new pair of protein and greens powders on the block, and I’m a little bit obsessed. Say hello to Oriya Organics!
Oriya (pronounced oh-RYE-uh) Organics is on a mission to bring nature’s greatest organic superfoods to the world. All of their products consist of nutrient-dense, whole-food ingredients that are unprocessed and unaltered. They never use synthetic nutrients, artificial ingredients, fillers, or sweeteners of any kind in any of their products. Oriya doesn’t try to improve upon nature—they just bring you the best of what nature has to offer.
Oriya sources only the highest-quality organic ingredients from reputable growers who are committed to responsible and sustainable farming methods. Their products are scientifically tested by third party laboratories to ensure purity, and all products are packaged in an organic, GMP/HACCP certified facility that does not handle any peanut, soy, dairy, wheat/gluten or tree nut products of any kind. Additionally, all Oriya products are tested for gluten levels at less than 10ppm and are certified vegan, USDA certified organic, and non-GMO verified.
Oriya Organics currently concentrates all their efforts on making two outstanding products: their SuperGreen Medley and their Superfood Protein Medley.
Containing just four ingredients – wheatgrass, barley grass, chlorella, and spirulina – Oriya’s SuperGreen Medley is a clean-tasting greens powder suitable for all kinds of applications. You can mix it into juice or smoothies (like the one at the end of this post!), or even get more creative and blend it into salad dressings or sauces. Each serving of the SuperGreen Medley contains 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 99 milligrams of chlorophyll, plus live enzymes, phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and more.
Oriya’s Superfood Protein Medley is a really special protein powder that I’m thankful to have come across. It’s 100% unsweetened, unlike most mixed-source protein powders on the market (even ones labeled “plain” or “unsweetened” often contain a touch of stevia to distract from any natural bitterness). Oriya’s Superfood Protein Medley contains nothing but sprouted brown rice protein, hemp protein, sprouted chia seeds, chlorella, and spirulina, giving it a powerful combination of high-quality protein from multiple plant-based sources PLUS a healthy dose of greens in every scoop. Each serving contains a whopping 18 grams of protein, plus 3 grams of fiber, 53 milligrams of chlorophyll, and 450 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids, plus – like the SuperGreen Medley described above – live enzymes, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals galore.
I’ve fallen hard for these products, and in the last few months have actually developed a number of recipes using them. You can visit Oriya Organics’ site right now to check out my recipe for this Power Green smoothie:
…and, pretty soon, Oriya will be exclusively releasing my recipes for this Blackberry Crush smoothie…
…and this Avocado Protein Pudding. So keep an eye on their site for those!
Before I wrap up this post, I have two little presents for you: a special discount and free gift offer for getting your hands on some Oriya Organics products of your own, AND a new and delightful smoothie recipe. Incidentally, this would be very appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day, but I’ll be surprised if you can hold off that long on making it!
This emerald elixir tastes like melted ice cream, yet it’s packed with fiber, chlorophyll, enzymes, minerals, and more. If you’ve ever been a fan of mint chocolate chip ice cream (or, ahem, Shamrock Shakes), this smoothie is for you!
Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Soy-Free, Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Sugar-Free, Low-Fat, Raw
Per serving (if 1): 288 calories, 8.3g fat (2g sat), 52.5g carbs, 9g fiber, 7.3g protein
Per serving (if 2): 144 calories, 4.1g fat (1g sat), 26.2g carbs, 4.5g fiber, 3.6g protein
Ingredients
- 1½ cups nondairy milk of choice (for nut-free, use hemp or coconut milk)
- 1 medium, very ripe banana, peeled and frozen overnight
- 1 scoop Oriya Organics SuperGreen Medley (or another greens powder)
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 to 2 pitted dates (or 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice)
- 1 heaping tablespoon cacao nibs
Instructions
- Combine the milk, banana, SuperGreen Medley, dates, and peppermint extract in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the cacao nibs and blend at medium-high speed for 5 to 10 seconds, until the nibs are broken down but still visible in the shake.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Chef's Tip: No greens powder on hand? No problem. You can use a couple big handfuls of spinach instead to give the shake its color and chlorophyll.
Speaking of Shamrock Shakes…you may have noticed that I pretty much never compare my recipes to “conventional” foods or food products (it’s just not my thing), but after a reader mentioned McDonalds’ Shamrock Shakes on the CAS FB page yesterday, I couldn’t resist looking them up. I’m not sure I’ve ever had more than a sip of one in my life, so I can’t say how precisely the flavor of this smoothie matches up, but the comparison in the nutrition department is pretty incredible…
A 16-oz. Shamrock Shake – without the added whipped cream – contains 590 calories, including 88 grams of added sugar (!!!).
My Mint Chocolate Chip Shake recipe makes over 16 ounces, and you can drink the whole thing for less than 300 calories and fewer than 20 grams of (fruit-derived!) sugar. Now that’s what I call sweet!
By the way, here are the ingredients in a Shamrock Shake:
Milk, sugar, cream, nonfat milk solids, corn syrup solids, mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, dextrose, sodium citrate, artificial vanilla flavor, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, disodium phosphate, cellulose gum, vitamin A palmitate, Shamrock Shake Syrup (high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, sugar, natural flavor (plant source), xanthan gum, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), yellow 5, blue 1)
Um, YIKES.
My Mint Chocolate Chip Shake, on the other hand, contains only SIX all-natural ingredients. Tasty! And it’s made all the more nutritious thanks to Oriya Organics‘ SuperGreen Medley.
And finally, that special offer I promised you!
