Garden of Life Meal Replacement Shakes, Raw Organic, Chocolate Protein Powder with Plant Based Pea Protein, Sprouts, Greens, Probiotics, Dairy Free 14 ServingsUSDA Organic

3/29 - Revised review:So I have to add the people that say the cans of this from Amazon are fresher are correct - it's even the newest recipe and the first one I got was the "old" recipe, even though it doesn't expire until next year. One of the main differences is the previous version didn't have pea protein in it, and this one does.Also, I no longer add cocoa powder to it and I still enjoy it with the greens added to it just fine :)Another reason I love this stuff - my hair has almost quit falling out by adding this to my diet. I have gastroparesis and am having issues with absorbing nutrients from my food. This seems to have done the trick - my skin looks 100% better too, I was very washed out looking and now I am back to looking like I used to.Back to first review:I love this stuff! Of course, now I have to tell you why :)So, first - I was a little worried about the taste after reading all of the reviews, so I bought the vanilla flavor as it got the most favorable reviews for flavor. I did buy it at a local store for the first time, even though it cost a little more because I wanted to get started, next time I'll be buying it on Amazon. The amount stocked on the shelves seemed to uphold the popularity of the vanilla because there was only one left of the vanilla in the large size.Second - it does seem to settle a lot, but it's sold by weight, not volume. See the picture - it looks half empty, but it's a weight measure package so I'm sure it's just settling that causes it to be that way. I suppose I can weigh the empty container and then weigh the next one to ensure I get all I pay for even when it looks half empty (I have a scale that weighs in ounces).Taste -The person who described it like Ovaltine was right on for me. I mix one scoop of Raw Organic Meal per 8 ounces of goat milk and add half a tablespoon of Ghiardelli dutch cocoa powder to it and mix it using my Blender Bottle. As long as you add the milk first and then the powders, it mixes effortlessly. That is not to say it will be perfectly smooth, because it won't - it's grainy, like everyone says, but the texture doesn't bother me. Sometimes I also add a scoop of Amazing Grass Green Superfood with chocolate to it.How filling is it? -If I mix 2 scoops of Raw Organic Meal with 16 ounces of goat milk and one tablespoon of cocoa powder - I'm good for 6 hours without being hungry.If I mix 2 scoops of Raw Organic Meal with 16 ounces of almond milk and one tablespoon of cocoa powder - I'm hungry - starving, can't stop eating! I tried it once and regretted it all day! It does also negatively change the taste to more of a watered down version of Ovaltine.However, if you are adding other things to this, like a nut butter and fruits, then the almond milk might work just perfect with the other foods.My goal is to keep it easy for work and not something that requires a blender other than the Blender Bottle.How does it make me feel?First few days - my body did have to adjust to the extra 11gm of fiber and to be honest I'm allergic to legumes so I wasn't sure if this would bother me or not (I eat most legumes just fine but not an entire meal of them). The first few days I was a little gurgly and I'll leave it at that. Starting day 3, my stomach felt amazing! My stomach is a lot flatter, completely happy, and I have a lot of energy. I am craving this and feeling like I'm addicted to it at the end of the first week. I'm not missing eating food and I would rather drink this over eating a piece of pizza because of how great I feel drinking this. I'm totally hooked! I've also lost a few pounds without really trying and that's nice too :)I drink it for lunch, so it's additional fiber over my high fiber breakfast and homemade kefir, and then I eat whatever I want for dinner with a few servings of vegetables. This is great though to add a lot of variety that I wouldn't get every day since we tend to get in a rut and eat the same veggies all of the time.

Now, firstly, I want to say that when it comes to food, everyone has their own preferences... but I must say, those that did not like the taste or the consistency are just full of it (and are probably pretty picky eaters)... now, I don't have the highest level of refined palate, but this stuff is really great tasting!I was almost scared away this excellent find by reading some of the reviews here on amazon; But a friend of mine really swore by the stuff and I gave it a shot.What I originally did was take a lot of the suggestions that were posted here and did them all at once... My first mug of the stuff consisted of 20oz (4oz more than the suggested 16oz... because apparently it was too thick with the stated amount of water) of chocolate almond milk (to mask the poor flavor and to help with the consistency). It was a little too rich for my tastes, but rather good nonetheless... if anything it was a little thick for my tastes (which had me worried... after trying every trick in the book... I thought I was going to spend a fortune on buying tons of almond milk to try and 'water it down'...).Later I discovered, that the 16oz with water is actually how I like it the most. The advice to drink it up quick is the only way to do it (letting it sit for any amount of time turns it to bread pudding pretty quickly)... I just throw the 16oz water in with the two scoops of the mix into my blender, give it a whirl, and bam, time to drink up. For those that want to take this to work with them for lunch or enjoy it later in the day, I would suggest looking for a different product- because I would be scared to think what this would turn into if left unattended. For me (and my work at home type attitude), I can peel away for the 5 minutes it takes to 'make lunch' (virtually just add water)... and that is a lot better than the alternative of actually cooking (which usually turns into an hour long event if I do it right).The 'downside' to this product might be that it is 'chalky' (which I think I know what other reviewers are talking about when they say that)... honestly it does not turn me off of it at all. Instead of 'chalky' I personally would call it gritty... like little chocolate bits of sand... It is not all that off putting to me... it is hard to explain... But if you ever enjoyed a good bowl of chocolate cereal (co-co-pebbles fan here :D), and you get to the last bowl full of the stuff, and you get all the powdery and crumbly bits, yeah it tastes like a thimble full of that stuff got tossed into your milkshake. As far as the taste goes, I very much like it, and if anything I look forward to drink it (which should say something about the taste).For a 'health food', it is actually one of the tastiest things I have tasted... and I usually shy away from the stuff (I do juice, which is amazing too, but it takes too long and I usually only find the time to use it a couple times a week). I am not a vegan (what is the opposite of vegan? because I think I am that one...) or all that health conscious... so being told that I could have a chocolate shake for any meal of the day and it was good for me? Sign me up! After buying it again for the second time, I finally got around to read it's rap sheet about how much vitamins, minerals and all that nice stuff it has in it, and I am pretty impressed. I like how it says its organic and other things like that on the back, like the synthetic mineral and vitamin thing, I hear that is the better way to get em in ya.I was worried at first of the stevia that is in it (look towards the bottom of the ingredients list, there is not much of it, being so close to the bottom...), and I hate few things more than I hate the taste of stevia (and I can usually pick it out of a lineup fairly quickly)... but I don't know how they pulled it off, but it tastes wonderful and I am not turned off by the stevia (which is honestly the first time I can say that...)!I ate through my container of the stuff, and now i'm back for more (and this time i'll buy a couple).So my advice would be:If you are on the fence, buy a small container of this stuff (chocolate I hear is best, (the vanilla is awful or so says the guy that turned me onto the stuff) and that is what I am sticking with) and try it out.16oz WATER. Not 20, not milk... just 16oz water.Blend and drink (in a timely manner... no need to chug or nothing, but just don't let it sit around).(I wish I read this review when I was on the fence about this stuff) I hope that helps someone out there!