Protein Shake recipes?

[Atty]

I've been trying to have a big and healthy breakfast in the mornings to start my day but I can't eat any food when I wake up, I made a few eggs the other day about an hour after I'd woken up and I couldn't even finish two bites before my stomach was upset, but then two hours later I was starving and of course went straight for some junk food.

Lately at my gym (Gold's Gym) I've been getting these fat burning protien shakes, made to be low fat, low in carbs, low in calories, but with all these proteins and what-not to make them completely healthy, and I want to try having one of those in the morning, because they fill me up. The only problem is I have no idea how to make them.

Does anyone have any recipes to share? At the gym they use protien powders in the shake, should I use them in the home made ones? Anyone know what some good ones are or where to buy them, I'd assume GNC, but I'm not sure what to get.

Thanks!

 

[jaqie]

I don't have a recipe but you just might want to look into something that for some reason (mostly) only women drink... check out slim fast, by what I understand it is a protien shake by nature it's just marketed as a diet item instead. Just an idea...

 

[Kaido]

Yeah, plug your nose and drink :laugh:

You're right though, they do fill you up for a couple hours. I do 2 scoops of soy protein in 16oz rice milk (I have a milk allergy so I can't use whey) and both the liquid content and the protein powder make me feel full. A health food store like Wild Oats or Whole Foods would definitely carry them, and probably some places at the mall like GNC I would be carry them. I would advise starting out with the individual packets, if they have them, so that you can find a few flavors you like. I only got vanilla and it is getting dull after a week already.

If you're looking to mix it up with a smoothie type of drink, there are plenty of good smoothie books on Amazon that you can get for cheap used. My method is to use frozen fruit, yogurt, a banana, rice milk, and a scoop of protein powder. Soy milk is another good option even if you're not allergic to milk like I am, just another protein to throw in your system. The yogurt adds to the flavor (get vanilla for a base, or if you're doing a strawberry one you can try strawberry yogurt, etc.) and the banana makes it creamy. The frozen fruit replaces the ice, which dilutes flavor, so having the fruit frozen (check out your grocer's freezer section) gives you both the fruit and the icyness. With fruits, keep it to one seedy fruit, maybe 2 at maximum but usually 2 seedy fruits makes it too seedy when you drink it. So mix strawberry and blueberry, but not strawberry and raspberry if you want a mixed drink. Just use vanilla protein powder, this combined with the fruit gives it a really nice flavor. It's not super sugary like you're probably used to, even less than a Jamba Juice, but you'll get used to the taste and start enjoying it really quickly. You can also replace the milk with orange juice or apple juice if you want a more fruity drink.

Also I had the same problem that you do, with my stomach being upset in the morning and not wanting to eat anything. #1, I found that I had a milk allergy, which cleared a lot of my problems up including a sour stomach in the morning, so you might consider an allergy test (that's my general first-step answer for everything now, haha). #2, I dumped junk food for a week and stopped eating 3 hours before bed and that improved my morning appetite. I'm still hot hungry right away, but within an hour or so of waking up I can eat some oatmeal or something no problem.

 

[skace]

1 banana, a cup of frozen mixed fruit, a glass of water and a scoop of protein powder. That's what I do. I think I'd maybe change it up for a breakfast replacement, would have to do some experimenting with stuff like yogurt and peanut butter.

 

[rstrohkirch]

Originally posted by: skace
1 banana, a cup of frozen mixed fruit, a glass of water and a cup of protein powder. That's what I do. I think I'd maybe change it up for a breakfast replacement, would have to do some experimenting with stuff like yogurt and peanut butter.

Did you mean 1 scoop(1/3rd cup usually)?

 

[Riverhound777]

For breakfast I just have milk and whey, but after my workout I make one of these:
2 cups 1% milk
2 scoops ON Whey
1 scoop Oatmeal
1 banana

Blend it up and you have a meal. Probably too much protein to utilize at once but it is good.

 

[jiggahertz]

For cutting: skim milk and strawberry whey. For bulking: whole milk and strawberry whey and some combination of natty pb, oats, olive oil and fruit depending on what macros I'm trying to hit.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: rstrohkirch
Did you mean 1 scoop(1/3rd cup usually)?

So how obvious is it that I suck at cooking?

Yea, the scooper thing that comes w/ the mix.

 

[conorvansmack]

I've been making a shake in the morning for about 3 months.
10 oz nonfat milk
1/4 cup steel cut oats
tablespoon of flax seeds
1 scoop of Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey - chocolate or banana

With the chocolate flavor I've been adding a banana, peanut butter, and ice. With the banana flavor I've been adding frozen fruit. It definitely fills me up. The things you add are really up to your personal taste, but like a lot of people will say, oats are great for making it a filling shake that is a meal.

You'll also save a ton of money over buying them at the gym.

 

[knawlejj]

I've been using this for the last couple of weeks:
2 Scoops of whey protein (53g i think)
8 Oz of water
1/2 cup of frozen berries (crushed beforehand, as i dont have a blender in the dorm)

Shake it up, put it in the freezer for about an hour (I workout during this time), wait 25-30 mins after I workout, shake again to get ice crushed up in a slushy form, and drink away!

 

[skywhr]

1 cup 1% milk
2 tablespoons low-fat vanilla yogurt
¾ cup instant oatmeal, nuked in water
2 teaspoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons chocolate whey powder
6 ice cubes, crushed


Makes 2 8-ounce servings



Per serving: 220 calories, 12 g protein, 29 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 3 g fiber, 118 mg sodium

 

[skywhr]

Optimum Nutrition Strawberry Whey!

 

[skywhr]

First Place: Choco-Nutty Workout Buddy

Submitted by: Cami - Phoenix, AZ

3 tablespoons of Chocolate Protein Powder

8 oz of Skim milk

A squirt of Chocolate syrup

5 ice cubes

1 tablespoon of Peanut Butter

2 oz of chopped almonds

1 tablespoon of your favorite flavor of instant coffee granules

Blend on high for 30 - 45 seconds

Editor's note: This one tasted like a frappuccino without all the sugar. The coffee lovers craved it as is, but if you avoid caffeine, just leave out the coffee.



Runner Up: Mango-Banana Mania

Submitted by: Lisa - San Dimas, CA

1/2 cup of vanilla frozen yogurt

1oz of coconut flakes

1/2 banana

3 large strawberries

1/4 cup sliced mango

3/4 cup light orange juice

1/4 cup pineapple juice

Blend together; add Equal or Honey to taste

Editor's note: It tastes like a trip to paradise. The mango and coconut flakes are what made this shake stand out from the crowd.

Runner Up 3: Vanilla Raspberry Truffle

Submitted by: Jason - Murrysville, PA

1 cup Breyers light vanilla ice cream

1 cup raspberries

2 drops vanilla

1 teaspoon flaxseed

1 scoop protein

1 cup Dannon Light 'n Fit white chocolate raspberry yogurt

Editor's note: This smoothie has a creamy marshmallow-berry taste, while the flaxseed gives it a nutty texture.



The Kitchen Sink Award

Submitted by: Jim - El Cajon, CA

1 cup brewed green tea

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Stevia

1 banana

1 cup chopped Kale

1 cup Chopped Collard Greens

1 Cup chopped Spinach

2 tbs. cocoa powder

2 scoops protein powder

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup blueberries

6 pieces of ice

2 servings

Editor's Note: We had to revise this smoothie recipe for size issues. It nearly broke the blender, so we cut down all the green ingredients to 1/2 cup each. The blended dark brown color reminded one editor of the contents of his son's diaper, but it tastes surprisingly, like chocolate pudding. We give it it a thumbs up for looking so bad, but tasting so good!

 

[skywhr]

BRAIN BOOSTER SMOOTHIE

The berries here aren't just super food for your brain; they offer an important cancer-fighting bonus.

1/2 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 c fresh or frozen raspberries
1 c pineapple OJ
1/2 c low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 c ice



BERRY BERRY SMOOTHIE

Using all unsweetened fruit, this recipe delivers an antioxidant whallop without the sugar.

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened strawberries

3/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

1 cup soy milk or 1% milk



MEMORY AID SMOOTHIE

This low-calorie smoothie is a good source of fiber, phytochemicals, and antioxidants. Blueberries in particular contain compounds that can help prevent cataracts, cancer, constipation, and memory loss.

1/2 c orange juice

1 pint nonfat vanilla or peach frozen yogurt

2 1/2 c sliced peaches

3/4 fresh or frozen blueberries



MUSCLE BUILDER SMOOTHIE

This mix features the brawn-building power of protein from both peanut butter and whey.

2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 banana
1/3 c whey protein
1/2 c fat-free chocolate frozen yogurt
1 c fat-free milk



BETA BLAST SMOOTHIE

This smoothie is a muscle-rejuvenating, beta-carotene-filled, orange-colored wonder.

3 small ice cubes

2 apricots (sliced and pitted)

1/2 papaya (frozen in chunks)

1/2 mango (frozen in chunks)

1/2 cup carrots

1 tablespoon honey

HEART HELPER

The fiber from the fruit teams with the artery-protecting antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated fats of the peanut butter to keep your ticker tickin'.

1 banana
1/2 c raspberries
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 c nonfat chocolate frozen yogurt
1 c fat-free milk



KICKSTARTER SHAKE

This recipe helps produce wake-up chemicals in the brain.

1 c skim milk

2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate

1 c strawberries

1 kiwifruit



SMOOTH OPERATOR

The yogurt aids digestion, while the mango and juice boost immune response.

1/2 c pitted cherries
1/2 c mango
1/2 c low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 c pineapple OJ
1 c ice



MOOD MAKER

An all-fruit smoothie, packed with carbs to boost your serotonin levels. Add a handful of flaxseeds for an extra dose of mood-boosting omega-3 fatty acids.

1/2 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 c fresh or frozen mango
1 c pineapple OJ
1 c ice



BETTER BREAKFAST

Less than a minute and you're drinking a better breakfast.

1 banana

1 peach (cut up)

1/4 c orange juice

1 c ice

Why Use These Ingredients?



Peanut butter

Packed with protein, manganese, and niacin, peanuts can help stave off heart disease and, when eaten in moderation, promote weight loss.



Fat-free milk

All the calcium and protein, none of the fat.



Blueberries

The huge amounts of antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, in blueberries have been shown to slow brain decline and reverse memory loss.



Low-fat vanilla yogurt

A cache of calcium and digestion-aiding probiotics in every scoop.



Raspberries

An antioxidant powerhouse bursting with fiber, manganese, and vitamin C, these berries will keep your heart and brain in top shape.



Fat-free chocolate frozen yogurt

Calcium, phosphorus, and none of the guilt.



Pineapple-orange juice

OJ has vitamin C, and pineapples contain bromelain, a cancer-inhibiting, inflammation-reducing enzyme.



Cherries

In addition to their vitamin C and fiber content, cherries have been linked to reducing arthritis pain.



Bananas

Heavy on potassium, fiber, and vitamin B6, bananas do wonders for your heart and provide good carbs to keep you full and energized.



Whey protein

Its essential amino acids help pack on the muscle -- making whey the best friend of athletes and gym rats.



Frozen mangoes

To their stock of vitamins A and C, mangoes add a healthy dose of beta-carotene, which helps prevent cancer and promotes healthy skin.



Ice

A little H2O never hurt anyone.

 

[skywhr]

1 ripe banana
2 Tbsp. orange juice concentrate or ½ cup orange juice
1 cup non-fat yogurt, plain
1/4 cup dry non-fat milk powder (for added protein and calories)
1-2 Tbsp. honey or to taste
1 cup fresh or frozen fruit ? berries, peaches, nectarines, kiwi, pineapple, cantaloupe, mango, papaya, etc.
1/2 cup crushed ice

Blend all but the ice until smooth. Add ice and blend until smooth.
Without non-fat milk powder: Makes 2 ~14-oz servings
Per serving: 225 calories, 7 grams (g) protein, 51 g carbohydrates (3 g fiber, 7 g sugar), 0.7 g total fat (0.07 g saturated fat), 102 mg sodium
With non-fat milk powder: Makes 2 ~18-oz servings.
Per serving: 361 calories, 14 g protein, 80 g carbohydrates (4 g fiber, 71 g sugar), 0.7 g total fat (0.29 g saturated fat), 181 mg sodium

This smoothie recipe is courtesy of Michele Macedonio, R.D., sports dietitian for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Yogurt Shake
8 oz, plain, fat-free yogurt
1 ripe banana
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 packet, Carnation Instant Breakfast, Chocolate (can substitute Nestle's Quick, chocolate)
Crushed ice
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Nutrient analysis: Single serving ~ 13 oz/377g; Total recipe ~ 27 oz/754 g<< />
Per serving: 278 calories, 14 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat (1.6 g saturated fat), 5 g cholesterol, 203 mg sodium

Protein-enriched Peanut Butter-Chocolate Yogurt Shake
8 oz, plain, fat-free yogurt
1 ripe banana
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
1/4 cup non-fat milk powder
1 packet, Carnation Instant Breakfast, Chocolate (can substitute Nestle's Quick, chocolate)
Crushed ice

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Nutrient analysis: Single serving ~ 14 oz/393.2g; Total recipe ~ 28 oz/786.3 g
Per serving: 336 calories, 28 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat (1.75 g saturated fat), 8 g cholesterol, 294 mg sodium

 

[Spamela]

This is all you need to know

 

[onlyCOpunk]

Originally posted by: Spamela
This is all you need to know

Eww sick!


Anyways, Step One: Get yourself a Magic Bullet because the "party mugs" are the perfect size and make it extremely easy to make and clean up.

Step two: throw a bunch of fruit (frozen or not), a cup of yogurt, a scoop of protein powder and top it off with milk of your choice.

Step Three: Blend

Step Four: Drink, I use bendy straws because they are fun and I don't look like a goober trying to drink a thick smoothie.


Failing that, have a bowl of Total and make your mid-morning snack a little more then usual.

 

[Atty]

Just bought myself a Magic Bullet and am drinking my first shake now, looking forward to experimenting with all the different suggestions!

 

[Megatomic]

I use cooked oatmeal, plain yogurt, vanilla protein powder, some unsweetened cocoa powder, frozen berries, and ice cubes. It's a whole meal in a cup, very thick, filling, and nutritious.

 

[NGC_604]

..

 

[Megatomic]

If you blend it up in a blender the oats should stay mixed up. They don't drop out on me at least.

 

[NGC_604]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
If you blend it up in a blender the oats should stay mixed up. They don't drop out on me at least.

I usually use a shaker cup, but I'll try the blender, thanks.

 

[Megatomic]

I use a shaker cup to mix up my protein powder, but when I'm making a protein smoothie I go all the way. Ohh, one variation of the blend I mentioned up above: if you want something dessert like, add some peanut butter and extra cocoa powder rather than the fruit, it's almost like a sundae. YUMM!

 

[marvdmartian]

Here's some I found a while back, in a M&F magazine. Haven't tried them all, but the root beer float & the orange creamsicle both are pretty good!

Protein Du Jour


1. "Hot Cocoa" (nighttime/low carb)

1 cup skim milk
1 scoop chocolate whey protein
1 packet diet hot cocoa mix
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

Heat milk until hot (but not boiling) and pour in blender. Add protein, cocoa and cottage cheese; blend until mostly smooth.

275 calories, 44g protein, 20g carbs, 1g fat, 0g fiber



2. "Root Beer Float" (post workout)

2 scoop vanilla whey protein
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
1-1/2 cups diet root beer

In seperate bowl, slowly mix the protein powder into the yogurt, adding a little at a time and stirring well to avoid clumping. Pour root beer into a large glass and carefully add yogurt mix. Do not stir.

*use much larger glass than normal, due to high frothing*

~300 calories (~450 if using normal root beer), 48g protein, 61 carbs, 1g fat, 1g fiber


3. "Peach Cobbler" (morning/pre-workout/anytime)

1 cup water + 2-3 ice cubes
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1/2 can slices peaches in juice, drained
1 packet lower sugar maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal

Combine all ingredients & blend.

305 calories, 24g protein, 49g carbs, 2g fat, 3g fiber



4. "Orange Creamsicle" (morning/pre-workout/anytime)

1 cup orange juice
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt

Combine all ingredients & blend

280 calories, 27g protein, 43g carbs, 1g fat, 2g fiber



5. "Mocha" (morning, pre-workout/anytime)

1 cup hot coffee
1 scoop chocolate whey protein
2 Tbsp honey

Combine all ingredients & mix

*to make this low-carb, omit the honey*

215 calories, 20g protein, 36g carbs, 0g fat, 0g fiber



6. "PB + CB" (morning/pre-workout/anytime)

1 cup skim milk
1 scoop chocolate whey protein
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 medium banana

Combine all ingredients & blend

*look for natural peanut butter with no added sweeteners or stabilizers*

461 calories, 37g protein, 46g carbs, 16g fat, 2g fiber



**And here's some that I found on various forums. Haven't tried them yet, but hopefully sometime soon!

protein du jour, part 2!!

1. Protein frapuccino

Blend 2 scoops (60g) of vanilla protein powder (or 1 scoop of vanilla and 1 of chocolate) with 1 tsp instant coffee, 1-1.5 cups of water and a handful of ice. Serve in a tall glass.


2. Low Carb Protein Café Mocha

1/2 scoop (15 g) chocolate protein powder
3 tsp (15 g) baking cocoa, unsweetened
4 tsp (10 g) instant coffee
no calorie sweetener to taste
Makes 2 cups

Mix protein powder and cocoa powder with a little bit of water (~3 tbsp) until you get a thick sauce. Pour half of the mixture into a coffee cup and add two tsp of instant coffee. Fill with hot water (not boiling!). Sweeten to taste.


3. Fruity-Vanilla Protein Jello

Very simple way of getting your protein in without drinking a watery shake, and without complicating it with many calories from added carbs/fat:

a) Pick your favourite flavour of sugar-free jello (5-10 cals per 1/4 of mixture)

b) Prepare as normal (if you're worried about extreme temperatures, I'll let you in on a little something from my Culinary Arts training days: the hot water thing actually isn't as good as cold, for preparing gelatin. The Jell-O people lie!!!)

c) The one added step: after dissolving the jello powder (thoroughly) with the first cup of water, whisk in 2 scoops of your favourite vanilla-flavoured protein powder (I do it after just the first cup of water, because it's easier to whisk)

d) Add second cup of water, stir, and refrigerate until set.

I've tried this with Raspberry and with Orange, so far. I liked both, although raspberry was definitely my favourite. I used simple, cheap EAS Vanilla protein (because whey prices have sky-rocketed, recently), and it still came out tasting like the jello equivalent of a fruit creamsicle.


4. Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

8oz skim milk
1/2 cup pumpkin (pumpkin is nutritionally very sound, provided you get 100% pumpkin and not "pumpkin pie mix", which has added sugar and stuff)
1/3 cup uncooked oats
2 scoops vanilla protein
cinammon / nutmeg to taste
Add ice and blend until smooth.

375 calories, 49g carb, 38g protein, 3g fat


5. Protein Cheesecake Ice Cream

mix the following together:
1x tub fat free cottage cheese (200gr)
1x scoop vanilla whey
2-3 packets sweetener (depends how sweet u want it to be)
2x tablespoons chopped almonds (optional)

Let it stand in the freezer overnight and vioala, tasty cheesecake ice cream!

Nutritional value WITHOUT chopped almonds
256calories
46.4g protein
9.2g carbs
3.4g fat


6. Apple Cinnamon (apple pie?) shake

2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 small cored granny smith apple
a bunch of cinnamon (probably a teaspoon, but you could do it to your taste)
a dash of ginger (doesn't take much)
some sugar free caramel syrup (like you'd use in coffee, a tsp or 2)
splenda to taste (probably not necessary, but nice)
5 ice cubes
maybe 6-8 ounces of water

blend it til it's smooth and drink!


7. Chocolate-Banana-Berry shake

2 scoops chocolate protein powder
1/2 frozen banana (I'll use 1/2 a banana in a shake and freeze the other half for a future shake)
handful of frozen berries
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
ice and water to desired consistence

blend & drink!


8. Choconana Shake

1 cup lowfat chocolate milk
1 banana
2-3 tbsp lowfat vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp or so of walnuts
2-3 scoops chocolate protein powder
1 tsp glutamine powder (helps make the protein powder more effective, available at walmart)
6 ice cubes

blend & drink!


9. 'Jamba Juice' 200 cal protein shake

Take 10 ice cubes and chop them in the blender (very important step so that you don't have chunky bits of ice in your drink)
Add one scoop of vanilla whey
Add 1/2 frozen banana
Add about 1 cup (50cals) of frozen strawberries
Add in 1/2 cup water
As much splenda as you want (I actually use about 5 packets)

Blend and keep blending until the consistency is like ice cream. The air will get into it and it will get bigger and bigger. Drink & enjoy.



Okay, not all of the second group are shakes, but hey, maybe it'll work for somebody!