How did Christmas go, if you do Christmas? Feel free to say things that went well, or vent about things that went poorly, or both. Ours went well, except I found it exhausting, and now we have all caught a cold. This is giving us flashbacks to last year when we caught what the doctors thought was influenza A, and we were sick for weeks, and half of us had ear complications. This time it seems to be just a cold. I am nervous I will be sick too close to my knee-replacement surgery and they will have to postpone it. Apparently they will even postpone it if I have a small cut, like from shaving, so they advised me NOT TO SHAVE for a week before the surgery!
I am trying to avoid buying too much Christmas clearance. I don’t know if this will work for your own temperament, but I find it soothing to think “I have enough”: it seems to calm that impulse to buy MORE MORE MORE BECAUSE IT’S SUCH A GOOD DEAL AND I LIKE IT. I have enough (too many) ornaments, so I said no to many, many cute clearance ornaments, and only bought a very few. I have enough wrapping paper. I have enough Christmas plates/mugs (though I could buy more bowls if I found some). I have far more than enough candy/treats, even if they ARE on a really really good clearance (*experiencing pain*). Yes, I like/wear Christmas jammies/t-shirts, but I have enough of them. I don’t use the decor I already have, so I don’t need more. I have enough!
This is a niche request, but I’m wondering if anyone knows anything about meal-replacement powders/drinks. Rob’s birthday is shortly after Christmas, and he is so hard to buy for, and literally the only idea he’s given me is that he usually drinks Soylent but he’d be interested in trying alternatives. I started looking into it and got almost immediately overwhelmed—and also, I don’t want to accidentally buy one that supports some gross radio host or something. Some(/most) of the marketing of this kind of drink gives me icky Basement Reddit Guy feelings.
Rob drinks at most one meal-replacement drink per day, and his goals are to supplement his nutrition, and to simplify his food (by eliminating one meal he has to think about and shop for and cook) (he has a subscription to the Soylent, so it arrives automatically by mail). He’s a vegetarian but not a vegan. He’s the kind of person who would enjoy an ethical slant: like, he buys eggs from companies that treat the chickens nicely, and he’s mentioned that he might even be willing to eat meat if he could be sure it was ethically/kindly/environmentally raised, and one of the other gift ideas he likes is donations to charities he supports.
So what I’m hoping is that you or someone you know is similar to this, and that this will be your moment to shine and my moment to benefit. You will say “Ah ha!!! I was HOPING someone would ask! THIS meal-replacement drink is women-owned and the proceeds go to support equality, and also it is made from organic, fair-trade ingredients, and also it is surprisingly nutritious for a meal-replacement product!” Well, or it doesn’t have to be THAT perfect. I would also be really glad to hear “I buy this one! It tastes pretty okay and I don’t get too many Icky Reddit Guy vibes from the marketing!”
Ooooh, I really like the “I have enough” mantra. There are SO MANY good deals right now, I am resisting with all my might! But it will help to have a calming and truthful phrase to tell myself soothingly as I resist.
I like the Orgain brand of protein drinks. The plant based ones are sugar free.
My family likes these as well. Target carries them as does my local grocery store (and they are a dollar cheaper there).
I know nothing about meal replacement drinks; so I cannot offer support there.
But Christmas was fine – the “kids” came over and spent the night Christmas Eve with us and our friends but were gone immediately after breakfast on Christmas morning – that was the one fly in the ointment for me. Because it was just me and The Husband looking at each other thinking “Now what do we do for the rest of the day?”
Fairlife is BY FAR the best tasting meal replacement shakes. The elite one with 46g of protein are like $5 each but delicious. For powders I like Ghost and IsoPure brands (I stick to simple flavors like vanilla and chocolate but they have some more adventurous stuff too). Maybe see if you can find sampler pack? Or buy single servings of many brands so he can try them out?
I recently had to gather information about 62 different protein shake/meal replacement products for work (basically opposition research for a supplement company). I’m not going to send you the document because it’s 90+ pages long and also I’m probably not supposed to, but given a few days I could look over it and see which ones might meet his criteria.
Of all the meal replacements I reviewed, the one that seemed to put the most emphasis on sustainability (environmental impact, recyclable packaging) was Plenny Shakes.
https://jimmyjoy.com/collections/plenny-shakes
Huel, WholeSupp, Orgain, and 310 Nutrition are either all-organic or contain some organic ingredients.
This is exactly the sort of astonishing coincidence I have come to expect from this comments section. For heavens sake. Who could have anticipated that a commenter would have JUST COMPLETED A 62-PRODUCT RESEARCH PROJECT OF THIS EXACT SUBJECT????
One important thing I can’t tell you is how any of them taste, as I was just collecting information on how they market themselves, so another company could figure out how to market itself. But some of your other commenters seem to like Orgain, so there’s that.
It’s wild to me that Soylent named their brand after the product in the book that became the movie Soylent Green (per wikipedia, because of course I googled it, which I guess was the intention behind the name; doesn’t mean I’m buying it – figuratively or literally).
I guess the demographic drinking it doesn’t know/care that Soylent Green Is People! I’m also realizing that the movie is ~50 years old and so am I. We might be in the future already!
I never watched that movie but one of my mom’s friends gave me a book when I was young named Baaa about post-apocalyptic sheep eating a similar product that was (spoiler alert) made out of sheep. It made me feel weird.
Baaa: https://www.amazon.com/Baaa-David-Macaulay-ebook/dp/B003UEQNYA
One of my parents was in the hospital so we got to learn what staffing is like around the holidays. The techs and nurses were trying their best, but it was noticeable that they were even shorter staffed than usual. So it was a quiet holiday and we canceled the family gathering. The parent is home and recovering now so my siblings who live a little further away have come separately to visit the parents over the weekend.
We usually don’t do a lot for the holidays so I’m not too bothered about not having the gathering this year. Just glad my parent is recovering!
I have asked my husband about Soylent alternatives. He doesn’t know of any to recommend, but there’s at least a 50/50 chance he’ll decide to look it up later once we’re done driving.
We managed to successfully do Christmas, and parts of it were very nice, and my favorite part was noticing how my 12 year old has matured since last year and is more capable of graciousness and did things like voluntarily switching guest beds with her sister. My least favorite part/biggest need to vent was noticing how pronounced my brother’s bad habit has gotten of making negative quips about anything outside of what he seems worthy of respect (vegetarians, board games, the entire city of Chicago). I suspect Joe Rogan might be to blame, but also just feel sad/embarrassed for him because absolutely no one is laughing or charmed by his wit.
Ah ha!! I was hoping you would ask about meal replacement shakes! I would suggest you try Kate Farms shakes. We drink them regularly, think they taste really good, AND the story of how Kate Farms was created is pretty amazing. You can read it at the About Us at Katefarms.com I’ve been fortunate to have gotten to meet Kate and her family and they are great people and she is a beautiful and very loved young lady.
Fairlife is truly the best tasting— core power protein shakes by them are a staple here. Kate Farms is also yummy but pricey. Checks off female owned/organic/good conscience boxes though.
Meal Replacement – My sister bought my son some Huel and he liked it
huel.com
We use Giftster for wish lists and it helps with shopping/managing expectations. I manage my account and this year, the kids (two, ages 13 and 17) took over their own. We share with family but we are a “get something someone wants/needs” vs “a thoughtful gift someone might like because you know them so well” gifting family. My daughter was thrilled with red converse high tops in the correct size that she could wear the next day vs wrong color/size that she had to wait to exchange, etc.
Also, this year there were white elephant but things someone would want exchanges on both sides (for the adults 18+) and that was fun. I got a gift certificate to a local wine shop and tech gloves, respectively. One had a price range and one was open-ended and that was a little stressful. I think some parameters are helpful.
Ok I actually DO need christmas clearance stuff – I went through nearly ALL my wrapping supplies this year, and half of my outside lights are burned out – so where are we going for the good sales?? :)
Not sure if this is quite up Rob’s alley, but I enjoy https://www.oatsovernight.com/ – I use them on mornings when I go to the gym. Mix it up with milk (or milk-alternative) the night before and pop it in the fridge, and then they’re low(ish) in sugar with a good amount of protein. I find many of the flavors too fake-sweetener-tasting, but recommend the apple cinnamon; the mocha dream; and the chocolate peanut butter.
I was coming here to say this as well. Their marketing claims they are a family-owned business, and they do all manufacturing and processing etc. here in the US. Some of the ingredients are organic and/or vegan, and their packaging is not super wasteful.
I also like the way many (not all) of them taste, and picking out the flavors you want is fun. Agree on the mocha and apple flavors, and the chocolate-based ones are usually good. Blueberry cobbler is my favorite. The birthday cake and cookies and cream and other vanilla-based ones taste very fake to me as well. I could write a 62-page paper on this — but I think it could be a great gift! It also involves, like, chewing? And is heartier than a regular protein drink.
“I have enough” is an excellent mantra (do I have enough yoga pants? I should keep this in mind as I was just browsing the after-Christmas sales. YES I DO HAVE ENOUGH I DON’T NEED MORE) (do I need more?)
I don’t know about meal replacements but I love the Ghost Vegan protein powder, it’s delicious and it also has a really nice consistency.
I’m also trying the “I HAVE ENOUGH” mantra, and it’s working okay-ish. I managed to avoid buying ribbon and wrapping paper, but I needed tags and a few gift bags. I keep looking at laptop bags which I do not need, and shoes which I also do not need, so I’ll just keep telling myself I have enough and hope it sticks!
I keep seeing people on social media declaring no-buy 2025 and it sounds like a good idea, but I’m not sure I can stick to it…maybe we’ll start with no-buy January and see how it goes, ha ha.
I have no experience with meal replacement drinks myself but I do have a plant-based friend who swears by the OWYN brand of drinks and has one or two every day. She also drank Huel for awhile, I’m not sure why she stopped that and switched to OWYN only.
my husband and my 2 college boys (who LIFT) like this one: https://a.co/d/aflobEG
Sharing a Christmas win- I got my 10 year old daughter a personalized book from her beloved cat after being successfully targeted by an instagram ad. She really loved it. I think any pet lover would be really into it! I think they have dogs, too.
https://www.wonderbly.com/personalized-products/best-cat-ever-book
I’m seconding the Fairlife recommendation—specifically, the 46g of protein one, which is STARTLINGLY tasty for such a hefty amount of protein. It’s probably made by spitbally Rogan fans and has, like, veal shavings in it, I’m not sure and don’t want to know.
fairlife is Coca-Cola, if that makes any difference to anyone.
My Christmas was good. My parents and siblings got together for one night and that was fine. On Christmas Day one sister, my dad, and I went to Orlando to watch our favorite college team’s bowl game. My dad has Parkinson’s and my mom pitched this to us as “we don’t know how long he’ll be able to travel”. So that was a downer and he IS really slowing down (which I witnessed for probably the first time since we spent so much time together). So that is something I have to avoid thinking about.
But the actual trip was fun! We did Universal/Harry Potter World one day. And that was tough for the 75 year old with Parkinson’s, so we decided to forego any more parks because of that and the crazy, annoying crowds. We stayed in a real hidden gem of a hotel that was the team hotel. That meant there were a ton of fans, which made it fun for me. There were 3 resort style pools that we heated to 85 degrees, so my sister and I spent hours in the pool on our two off days. The hotel also had lots of reasonably priced restaurants with surprisingly good food. The whole thing was extremely pleasant and relaxing. The hotel was less than $250 per night, which was a real bargain. Our team won the bowl game in an exciting way and since we were staying in the team hotel, it was a real fun vibe all 5 days. We were delayed getting home today due to weather, but that was the only snag.
The funniest part was that the hotel seemed to be 50% football fans and 50% foreign tourists. The tourists probably wondered what hit the hotel when the fans showed up. ;). I’ll be singing the praises of that hotel for a long time to people visiting Orlando.
I use meal replacement shakes daily. My favorites lately are any of the flavors by the brand “Iconic” (particularly the ready to drink shakes). I also like the “Only What You Need/OWYN” brand if I need something fast/easy – these are easily found at most convenience stores, gas stations etc, and the ingredients are decent. No idea about the ethics of the company though!
I also really like Ka’Chava (this one is a powder and requires blending, preferably with some kind of milk type product (I use soy or almond). The chai flavor is good.
I’m usually a fan of vanilla or some very lightly flavored shakes, but really do like the Pineapple Chia from “Smart Pressed”. You can drink it daily, or whenever. It’s a nice fruit-based option. Also requires blending to get it smooth, but worth it!
Hope those suggestions help.
Ok, a slightly different gift route, but similar train of thought- I started using CookUnity when I was working a job that had particularly busy Summers, and the thought of coming home after such a long day and turning on the stove/oven in my apartment that was already a million degrees meant even the usual meal kits (HelloFresh, etc) seemed like way too much work. CookUnity is a chef collective, and they feature a large number of POC chefs, and all their packaging emphasizes recycling/composting even more than some of the other brands. The meals are all microwaveable (though you can also pop the container right in the oven if you prefer), and they have a large selection of vegetarian/vegan meals (I am also a vegetarian, and finding a variety of meals that aren’t just pasta over and over again is always one of my priorities).
So, essentially you’d be replacing a different one of his meals. You could also start with one of the first box discounted promos, and do something like agree to get him a second (or gift card) if he likes it- since Rob seems like the type to be annoyed that you have spent money on something he didn’t actually like.
I drink Orgain to replace an afternoon snack and have grown to like it. Its on the sweet side and mixes well with other flavors if I’m making a shake with fruit or something.
Christmas had lots of lovely family time. My kids get along so well with their cousins and I loved having them all together for a few days. It’s also bittersweet because my sister and I are working to convince my 87-year old dad to move out of his house that he can’t keep up with any more. It feels very uncomfortable, but we’ll likely have to force him to go to a new place for his safety and issues with his health.
I purged about 30% of my possessions this year, and the urge to fill all the closets back up is strong. I have enough will be one of my mantras for the year. Thanks for that!
Christmas was spent walking near a sunny beach in 70 degree weather, can’t complain!
Happy New Year Swistle and family!
My dietician recommended PB powder to add to smoothies generally- more protein, more flavor. I like it with Vega chocolate powder. But admittedly I hand n jade how bro-y either of these things is.
My Christmas was okay. I got over (sort of) my flying phobia a few years ago but this year I just couldn’t handle the anxiety and ended up taking a 22 hour train (turned into 24 on the way) from Boston to Chicago to see my family in Wisconsin. Mg sister and I went to a Korean spa and I met my moms boyfriend- they both have dementia and may they be very happy together. Sadly
My sister got sick so I spent Christmas basically at train stations, but I did take myself out to a fancy dinner in Chicago and I splurged for a sleeping compartment on the way home and honestly it was a truly top tier experience, would happily do once a month if I could.
Wow that second sentence should be that I have no idea. Not sure what happened there!