Never would have guessed I liked to drink my meals

*Note - I was selected as a recipient of the #govoxbox by Influenster where I got free products. I was urged to post a blog post on the review but not required. The opinions are my own, as no one is the boss of me.*

I used to HATE meal replacement drinks. I always felt hungry afterwards and they didn't taste that great. It took forever to mix properly and I am so crazy about grainy drinks. Who would have thought that in the last few years that entire perspective would have changed ... still don't like grainy drinks though.

Seriously ... how many of you moms have time to eat a real meal while you have toddlers? How about making sure you get all of the nutrition during the day you need? Fruits and vegetables?

Yeah, me either. I have come to accept the fact that my normal eating will happen again when my kids are older and I am not running everywhere all the time. Although, that may mean in another 16 years!

I started drinking green smoothies a while back .. and loved them. However, with my current financial situation, it is not possible to drink a smoothie every day. If you DO like to have smoothies and you have the time. I STRONGLY recommend my sister's blog post about making and freezing green smoothies so you can whip one up quickly in the morning.

Then, I joined a fitness challenge and won two samples of Shakeology. That was when I fell in love with meal replacements again. I also became friends with the challenge leader and ask her questions randomly. If you are looking for a good coach, who has been there and done that, I recommend Stephannie Stallard. (no, she didn't pay me to promote her. LOL)

Unfortunately, I ran into the same problem as with the smoothies. I couldn't afford it. Shakeology is reasonably priced when you break it down. It is $120 for a 30 day supply. HOWEVER, we have gotten to the point where we spend no more than $300/mo on food for the entire family for the month. That is 6 mouths fed with that $300. I do not eat $120 worth of food, so our food budget would have to go way up to compensate. So, I was back to the drawing board.

I went to the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 powder because it was $30 for a month's supply. That is much more my style. I drink either a shake for lunch or dinner, depending on the day. I usually do dinner because I need extra energy to keep up with the tykes.

My biggest problem with Slim-Fast is it needs to be blended with milk and I am trying to stop drinking milk for IBS reasons. I was leery to spend money on anything else though, since it did work and it was inexpensive. My luck was about to turn around ...

I was one of many selected for the #govoxbox with Influenster. I have a full unboxing video on my YouTube Channel, where you can see all the products I received. One of the products made me very excited. It was the Vitamin Shoppe's Next Step Fit N' Full Shake ... WITH the shaker. Before I add my video review, let me give you the comparison between Slim-Fast and Next Step. After the video, I will give you my verdict on which one I will purchase next.

While it looks like Slim-Fast is the better deal in this comparison ... it is VERY important to note that this is before you add the milk in for it. Your calories and sodium will then jump up to over 200 (depending on the type of milk you drink).



Okay, so ...

Slim-Fast is cheaper ... by almost $20 (only $10 if you figure in milk!). I can get a month supply of Fit n' Full for roughly $50 (however it is on sale this month). Slim-Fast will cost me about $30 (add another $10 onto that for the cost of the 2 gallons of milk you will drink with it), as you will need 3 containers to make it a full month. Again, I only drink ONE shake a day, so that makes a difference on the price.

Fit n' Full does NOT require milk! You mix it with water. What you see on the package for nutritional value is what you will get. If you are concerned about not getting the remainder of your vitamins in your diet, then take a multi-vitamin!

The shaker makes a world of difference with this product. The mix blends completely with no clumps. I have to use the blender or an immersion blender to get the right consistency with Slim Fast AND Shakeology.

So, yeah ... I will be purchasing from Vitamin Shoppe from here on out. It is more, but with IBS ... my intestines thank me for those extra dollars spent.