Protein shakes are a great way to supplement your meals with healthy, muscle building protein and you can make them as simple or as extravagant as you like. I prefer to make mine more interesting and fun but a simple mix of protein powder and water is adequate and often more practical if you are on the go.
Whey protein is an excellent choice for making protein shakes. It is tasty, comes in various flavors and mixes well with other ingredients. We usually buy vanilla protein powder as it serves as a good base for most shakes since it blends well with many different flavors.
Chocolate and vanilla protein powders are the staples in our household but you can choose chocolate peanut butter, strawberry, vanilla crème and many other flavors currently available on the market.
Protein Shake Recipes
There are so many resources for recipes online but I thought I would start a list here beginning with some of my family favorites.
Peanut Butter Banana
½ cup (milk of choice – skim, rice, almond, soy)
2 – 3 ice cubes
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 ripe banana
Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth and enjoy!
Hint: most of the tastiest protein shakes, bars and snacks are the ones with added peanut butter (assuming you like and are not allergic to peanut butter!)
Pina Colada
½ cup skim milk or naturally sweetened vanilla almond milk
2 – 3 ice cubes
½ – 1 pineapple slice
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth and enjoy!
Strawberry Pineapple
½ cup skim milk or naturally sweetened vanilla almond
2 – 3 ice cubes
1 small fresh (or frozen) strawberry
½ pineapple slice
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth and enjoy!
Strawberry Banana
½ cup (skim milk, rice, almond, soy)
2 – 3 ice cubes
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 ripe banana
2 – 3 strawberries
Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth and enjoy!
Chocolate Almond Delight
½ cup almond milk
2 – 3 ice cubes
1 tbsp almond butter
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp almond extract
Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth and enjoy!
Strawberry Almond
½ cup almond milk
2 ice cubes
1 frozen strawberry
1 tbsp almond butter
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth and enjoy!
Mint Chocolate
½ cup vanilla soy milk
2 – 3 ice cubes
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
1/8 tsp mint extract
Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth and enjoy!
Berry Berry
½ cup skim milk
½ c frozen strawberries and blueberries
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smooth and enjoy!
These are simple really and just a few are added here to get your thinking cap on. The possibilities are endless. What are your favorite fruits? Just a small amount of it will add some flavor and sweetness to your shake.
Most times I just look at whatever I have on hand in the refrigerator and then I decide on the protein shake of the day. Sure, I could have a peanut butter banana protein shake every day like someone else I know but what fun is that?
Delicious Protein Shake Recipes
If you really need help to get creative, check out these couple of books I found:
The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes (Volume 1)
Ms. Nikki teaches the how and why which are huge with me. Anyone that delves into how things work is ok by me. She will help you to get the consistency of your shake to your liking – frappe, frothy, whatever works for you. At the same time, she opens your mind to the endless flavor combinations and possibilities. Book includes sweet treats such as healthy ice cream, can you say YUM! Don’t let the title scare you away. These protein shakes truly rock. Check them out here.
This is a bit of a simpler option than what I shared above but it will also get your creative juices flowing and that is the point after all, right? Different protein sources are also mentioned in addition to whey protein. I like the intent as well since getting lean is our goal. Check them out for yourself here.
Protein Shake Ingredients
Some ideas for ingredients are listed below:
Liquids
Milk: skim, lactose free, rice, soy, almond
Natural Fruit Juice (dilute with water to minimize sugar)
Good old H20!
Natural Nut butters – Almond, cashew, peanut butter
Protein supplements – whey protein, egg protein, soy protein
Natural sweeteners (most of the time you won’t need these if you are using a little bit of fruit)
- Stevia
- Sucanat (grind to a powder using coffee grinder)
- Palm Sugar (grind to a powder using coffee grinder)
- Extracts – almond, mint, vanilla
Naturally and artificially sweetened syrups (occasional use of these will add variety.
Try brands such as:
These are delicious and truly kick your shakes up a notch!
You can find them in your local health food store or online at substantial savings.
Flaxseed – antioxidant rich in omega-3s (I witnessed a gradual reduction in LDL cholesterol when this was incorporated daily!)
Chia seeds – antioxidant rich in omega-3s, these may just surpass flaxseed in popularity especially since only a small amount is needed and it is not necessary to grind them prior to use. Additionally, their shelf life is more desirable as they do not turn rancid.
Experiment and Share!
So go ahead and try some concoctions of your own. It’s really not terribly difficult and you will soon determine your own personal favorite flavor combinations.
Please do share your specialty protein shake recipes here. I will try and share as many of them as I can!
More to come! (including pictures, yum!)
MMM