Product Review: Luvo Bundles

Disclaimer: I received a Luvo Vegan Essentials Bundle to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

If there is one thing that everyone knows about a vegan/plant-based lifestyle it's that "convenience" is not a word used often enough. Meals and snacks usually take some preparation which takes time out of your day. Convenience foods are often processed and hence made unhealthy, another reason why we don't hear that word used in association with vegan.

It's time to throw that mentality out the window as Luvo changes everything. Chances are that you have heard of Luvo at some point but if you haven't they are a company that makes frozen entrees that are actually healthy. Their Vegan Essentials Bundle is no exception. They are frozen vegan bowls that are packed with all the good things that you want as a vegan/ plant-based eater with the convenience of a microwave.

The Vegan Essentials Bundle consists of four different flavors, more on those in a bit, that you only have to microwave for 4.5 minutes. The ingredients are simple whole foods which are combined to make a complete meal. One thing that I hear the most from people is that vegan food isn't "real" and doesn't have a lot of flavor. Let me tell you that when you read the ingredients, and can understand them all, that's as real as it gets. To those that claim that vegan food doesn't have a lot of flavor, they clearly haven't has a meal with me. I'll go into each of the flavors in detail below.

So Cal Kale & Bean

This one was my favorite flavor. Yielding 10 grams of protein, only 360 mg of sodium, and 14 grams of sugar this bowl was bursting with so much to love. Beans, kale, and rice are a staple of the vegan diet so add to that crisp broccoli and raisins for a touch of sweetness you get a sweet and savory bowl of fiber and deliciousness.

Hawaiian Un-Fried Rice

Let's make this clear, I lived in Hawaii for five years and know how authentic the food is suppose to taste. This bowl has all the authenticity you should be looking for in Hawaiian fried rice without the greasy fried rice texture. The black forbidden rice is cooked to perfection which if you know anything about forbidden rice it can get gritty when overcooked. This is is starchy and the flavors blends nicely with the crunchy cashews.

Great Karma Coconut Curry

Coconut is the staple of any good curry especially when it's a vegan curry since the coconut flavor isn't trampled by the flavors of meat. I really enjoyed the addition of the butternut squash to this bowl because it added a level of creaminess when paired with the chick peas. The black lentils gave a great color contract for an appetizing eye-appeal.

Chana Masala

To be a broken record, the authenticity of this bowl is on point! The spice and herb blend is so good that you can't believe that his is a frozen entree. This tomato-based sauce is protein packed and carries just a touch of heat in each bit that keeps you coming back for more. Perfect for a cold night.

To recap I absolutely loved trying out the Luvo Vegan Essentials Bundle. It made meal time fast and easy with the confidence of a healthy balanced entree. For all my non-vegan friends out there, Luvo has 8 other bundles you could choose from. They even have a gluten-free bundle as well, so there is definitely a bundle out there for you!



You can follow Luvo on the following social sites:

T: @luvofoods
IG: luvofoods

Race Recap: Runner's World Half Marathon & Festival

Disclaimer: I received free entry to Runner's World Half & Festival Grand Slam race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Post-race, I was able to jump on Athlinks.com and claim my race results. You can check out how I did it here, and while you’re at it, jump on and make an account too. Don’t forget to add me as a friend so we can go head-to-head in future races!

We had all heard or seen the trend about multi-race events where people run several races throughout a weekend. I have always been opposed to them because I couldn't figure out how you could possibly train for all those races and still perform well. I was given the opportunity to run the Runner's World Grand Slam through Bibrave and I didn't want to pass up this opportunity to try something new.

The Destination

The race was held in Bethlehem, PA which is a city rich with history and culture. The race was held at the old Bethlehem Steel complex. Right across the street the expo was held at ArtQuest. Packet pickup was easy and fast on the first floor with the vendors up on the third floor. All runner received a long sleeve tech shirt, Grand Slammers received a 3/4 zip sweater, 5 and Dime runners received Runner's World logo Balega socks, and Hat Trick runners received a trucker cap. The number of vendors at the expo was smaller than I imagined, less than 10 vendors. I expected a race of this popularity and size to be bigger.

Friday Trial Run

After we picked up our packets at the expo we took the shuttle to the Trail Race start. I loved the idea of the shuttle since I was in a new city and didn't want to get lost on my way to there.

Before the race started we got some trail tips from the Altra sponsored Pros which was helpful. The race itself was very fun and the perfect distance to get the weekend started. There was pizza and popcorn to snack on afterwards, which I thought was a neat idea, even though I'm vegan and don't eat cheese.

Click here for my trail run recap from Bibrave.com.

Saturday 5K and 10K

Today is when things got real, two races back-to-back. The 5K start was delayed by 10 minutes as they made sure the course was safe and blocked off from traffic. I was nervous when starting this race because I didn't want to push too hard and burnout before getting to my 10K so I tried to keep my pace moderate. Even though I ran faster than planned it was still far from my full effort. The course was pleasant and I took everything in because I knew that the 10K and half course were going to build onto this course. In the last mile there was a small climb up a hill followed by a quick downhill before the home stretch.

Click here for my 5K recap from Bibrave.com.

We had a quick break after the 5K to snack, hydrate, and use the bathroom before starting the 10K; which started promptly at 9:30 am. As expected the beginning of the course was just the same as the 5K. It wasn't until we crossed the bridge that the course differed. There was a nice scenic path that the course took by the creek before we got into some hills. I love me some hills but I was still trying to be conservative with my energy. There was a nice long stretch of downhill that felt great running a bit faster and knocking some time off. When I came up to the final hill, that I knew was coming, I climbed faster than the 5K because I conserved some energy.

Click here for my 10K recap from Bibrave.com.

I finished strong in both races and was happy with my time and pace. I wasn't anywhere near PR pace for either race but I wasn't trying for that. I figured that if I tried to PR then I would spend too much energy with one race and not do well in the others.

Sunday Half Marathon

My body was a little sore today but nothing terrible. The weather was frigid and windy in the low 40's but probably felt like 30's with the wind. Luckily I packed my warmer running gear and was prepared for the cold. I did a quick jog to warm up and the race got started right at 8:00 am. I really held back the first two miles to first let my body warm up, and secondly to see how my body felt before pushing harder. My right hip flexor and left calf were tight when the race started. After mile two they had warmed and loosened up and I pushed a bit harder.

I spent a lot of time checking out the course map for this race so I would have a better idea of what hills to expect. The course was pretty much all uphill until mile 9 where we went back down. I planned out exactly when to take in my gels and felt very prepared for the course. I kept telling myself that I just had to get to mile 9 and then I would be golden. Just as planned after mile 9 the end was in my sights. I had just enough energy to get up that last climb before the final stretch. Again I finished strong and within my goal time.

Click here for my Half Marathon Recap from Bibrave.com.

Final Reflections

After running this race I am very thankful for this opportunity. I tried something new and ran 26.2 miles in three days. It challenged me mentally and physically in a way that racing never has. But I knew what I was getting myself into and created a plan and stuck to it. I think that since I did so much research about the race and courses is what lead to my success. If I just showed up and ran then I definitely could have seen myself burning out too early and bonking, or worse getting injured.

So to the runners out there that are wondering if they should run a multi-distance race I say go for it! Plan a head and then crush your goals!