Protein Shake Ingredients
1 cup dry oatmeal1-2 packets stevia or other low calorie sweetener
1 1/2 scoops protein powder (flavor optional)
1 teaspoon honey
10-12 ounces almond milk
Oatmeal is a go-to staple of bodybuilders, health nuts, dieters and healthy people in general. Why you ask? Because it is a great source of energy and one of the healthiest complex carbs that you can eat. Oatmeal is full of healthy starches and fiber to help with digestion.
Perhaps most importantly, several studies about oatmeal show that it helps reduce heart disease! With all of these benefits, it’s a great staple to add to your diet. I also enjoy adding it to protein shakes! It thickens them up and is great in the morning for a quick breakfast on the go.
This oatmeal protein shake recipe is super healthy and filling. It will give you energy and combat hunger for a long time. It’s great to burn fat with and has become a staple of my diet!
For this recipe, add all of the ingredients into a quality blender and that’s it! You can use any type of protein powder that you want. My favorites for this recipe are chocolate peanut butter, vanilla and cookies and cream. Let me know your favorite type for this oatmeal protein shake in the comments section!
Stay full, burn fat and make this awesome shake in less than five minutes!
Quick Banana Oat Protein Shake Recipe
Protein Shake Ingredients
1-2 scoops protein powder1 banana
2 tablespoons oatmeal
1 pinch cinnamon
1 1/2 cups water or milk
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
When I’m needing a shake and I’m in a jam, I’m usually running around the kitchen trying to figure out what I can toss in the blender to avoid having just another boring shake.
A lot of times, my search ends without a good reward and I’m left with your basic water and protein powder mix. That’s not all bad but it is definitely not as tasty as one of my typical recipes. I noticed that I always have oatmeal around, though, and began integrating some oatmeal into more of my recipes. It’s especially useful in the mornings where I need some extra complex carbohydrates to kickstart my day.
The other item that I’m most likely to have hanging around the kitchen waiting to be used is bananas — the perfect add-on to a protein shake. The two seemed like a match made in heaven so I’ve started regularly making this banana oat protein shake in the mornings for breakfast. With a little creativity, you can whip up a tasty protein shake using a couple ingredients that are probably already in your kitchen and pantry.
You can use any kind of standard oatmeal for this. I’ve used slow oats, instant oats and even the packets of oatmeal that you can heat up in the microwave. The different kinds of flavors can transform your protein shake. My favorite is maple brown sugar oatmeal with a banana!
The type and flavor of protein powder is totally up to you as well. Different combinations can give you a totally different flavor!
Feel free to add all sorts of other goodies to this recipe! I kept the main recipe simple for this one because that is the inspiration for the recipe. It needs to be perfect for the “Oh crap I have to leave in 5 minutes and need to eat something filling” moments that happen far too often (for me at least!)
Let me know your take on this tasty and quick banana oat protein shake recipe!
Chocolate Raspberry Mocha Protein Shake Recipe
Protein Shake Ingredients
1 ½ - 2 cups chocolate almond milk8 – 10 drops chocolate raspberry liquid stevia (SweetLeaf brand)
1 avocado
½ cup frozen raspberries
1 scoop chocolate or vanilla protein powder
1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted
When you think of flavor combinations, lots of things probably come to your mind. Chocolate and peanut butter. Peanut butter and banana. Strawberry and banana. On and on and on.
I kind of go all out with the chocolate in this one, so when I make it, I use chocolate almond milk, the chocolate raspberry stevia and chocolate protein powder. If that’s too rich for you though, you can always use vanilla protein powder instead. I also use an avocado in this one for the same reason I usually use avocados. The creaminess. There’s nothing like it and when I’m indulging in a decadent flavor like this one, I want my shake to be lusciously creamy. It doesn’t change the flavor and adds some “good fat” to the shake as well. You can also use plain or vanilla flavored yogurt to add creaminess if you’re not a fan of avocado.
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Snickerdoodle Cinnamon Protein Shake Recipe
Protein Shake Ingredients
1 ½ - 2 cups vanilla almond milk1 scoop vanilla pea protein powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
8-10 drops liquid stevia, to taste (cinnamon-flavored SweetLeaf liquid stevia adds an extra kick!)
1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted
½ cup ice cubes
One of my favorite “healthy” cookies these days is the snickerdoodle ever since I came across a gluten-free, refined sugar-free recipe. Believe it or not, they are one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten and I can’t really keep them in the house longer than a couple days every time I make a batch. So I figured it’d be easier to get my snickerdoodle fix in the morning with my protein shake instead of constantly baking cookies.
One of the reasons I love this snickerdoodle protein shake so much is my grandma makes the world’s best snickerdoodle cookies. No matter how healthy I treat to eat, she’ll give me a plate of cookies to take home with me nearly every time I see her. I’m a huge sucker for cookies and an even bigger cinnamon addict. To stay away from cookies and to get a tasty shake, I needed a recipe like this!
(Side note: If you want to go the lazy but still tasty route, you can check out this excellent Snickerdoodle flavored protein powder by Select.
This one is pretty simple too since really the main flavors in a snickerdoodle are vanilla and cinnamon. There’s not much else to it. Most times I make this one, I like to use plain liquid stevia to give it a little sweetness without changing the flavor. But if you want to make it extra “cinnamony,” you can use cinnamon-flavored stevia in addition to the dry cinnamon. It’s another good way to start the day with a fresh mouth and that’ll be coffee breath any day!
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Girl Scout Samoa Cookie Protein Shake Recipe
Protein Shake Ingredients
1 ½ - 2 cups vanilla coconut milk¼ cup chocolate or carob chips
1 tablespoon sugar free or low glycemic caramel sauce
8-10 drops coconut flavored stevia (SweetLeaf brand)
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted
½ cup ice cubes
As a former Girl Scout, I can still conjure up the flavor of pretty much any Girl Scout cookie from memory. There’s no denying the popularity of these cookies, especially since in recent years, they’ve started popping up in places other than the cookie jar. There are now Girl Scout cookie flavored coffee creamers, ice creams, crunch bars, even chapsticks. So I figured why not jump on the bandwagon and try to make a Girl Scout cookie flavored protein shake?
Samoas was never actually one of my favorite flavors, I was more of a Trefoil fan. But since it’s way easier to recreate a chocolate/caramel/coconut cookie than it is shortbread, I took a go at it. Plus, I already like to use coconut oil anyway, so I’m a step ahead.
I think the deliciousness of this one comes from the same flavor combination that made the cookie so popular. Even if you’re not a big fan of coconut (like me), combining it with chocolate and caramel makes all the difference. I used vanilla coconut milk instead of chocolate since I used chocolate protein powder but you could always switch these around or double them up to your liking. For the caramel sauce, I chose a low glycemic version (St. Dalfour) so I could enjoy the taste without worrying about my blood sugar. And the real clincher I think, is the coconut flavored liquid stevia. Since coconut oil doesn’t have a very strong taste, this gives the shake its namesake’s signature flavor!
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Peanut Butter Banana Honey Protein Shake Recipe
Protein Shake Ingredients
1 ½ - 2 cups almond milk 1 banana ½ cup peanut butter 1 – 2 tablespoons honey, to taste 1 scoop pea protein 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted A few ice cubes (optional)This is the exact protein shake that the one and only Elvis used to drink. Blend this up and the ladies will go crazy.
Okay, so this is sort of a “cop out” on what would actually be Elvis’ favorite protein shake. Of course as most people know, he loved to chow down on sandwiches with the strange combination of banana, peanut butter and bacon. And believe it or not, I’ve had actually had a smoothie with these ingredients and it was good! It was at a hospital snack bar in Virginia. The woman behind the counter said her daughter was the mastermind behind the crazy flavors including this one and that the secret ingredient was bacon bits. Hmm. I still want to try that at some point, I just haven’t dared yet. Although, I’m thinking I’d use real turkey bacon and crumble it up. That would have to taste better than bacon bits.
In the meantime, this is still a darn good protein shake and it comes pretty close to its namesake inspiration, minus the bacon. The combination of banana, peanut butter and honey is Delicious with a capital D. I use unflavored almond milk and plain pea protein to keep the flavors pure but vanilla would probably be good too. This is a classic protein shake. I drink this one a lot after a PM workout before I turn in for the night. You can probably add any ingredient you want to peanut butter and banana and it would taste amazing. That’s one combo that is tough to top!
Now, to master the bacon…
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Peanut Butter Cup Protein Shake Recipe
Protein Shake Ingredients
1 ½ - 2 cups chocolate almond milk ½ cup natural peanut butter ¼ cup chocolate or carob chips 1 avocado 8 to 10 drops liquid stevia, to taste 1 scoop pea protein 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted A few ice cubes (optional)I’ve yet to find a “healthy” peanut butter cup that tastes as good as the Reese’s original, but that didn’t stop me from concocting a protein shake version of my favorite candy! I knew chocolate almond milk and chocolate chips (yes, I let myself use the real deal for this one although you can use carob chips too) were a no-brainer, as was of course peanut butter. The surprise (that ended up becoming my favorite ingredient!) in this one was the avocado. I’ve used avocados in my smoothies before and enjoy the creaminess they add so it added just the right consistency that to me, was reminiscent of when you bite into the soft center of a Reese’s.
I stuck to my old standby of pea protein but you could also use any type of chocolate protein powder if you want to intensify the flavor. Same thing with the liquid stevia, SweetLeaf makes a chocolate flavored liquid stevia that you can use instead of plain stevia if you want it to taste more chocolaty.
Of course, you could always ‘go crazy’ and dump a few Reeeses Peanut Butter Cups into your blender, add some milk and protein powder and blend away. That would definitely be mighty tasty. It would also negate pretty much any workout that you did in the past week. We all need to splurge every now and then, but my goal with this recipe was to find a creative way to get as close as possible to a peanut butter cup protein shake without having to use the real thing. Keeping it clean will still being tasty is the key to any diet or healthy protein shake.
It might not be exactly a Reese’s PB cup but it’s still pretty darn yummy for breakfast or dessert!
To make, simply ombine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Banana Cream Protein Shake Recipe
Protein Shake Ingredients
1 cup low fat milk½ cup heavy cream
1 banana
½ cup vanilla yogurt
¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 scoop vanilla pea protein
1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted
A few ice cubes (optional)
Continuing with my idea to turn my daily protein shakes into “mini-desserts,” I decided to experiment with some milkshake recipes and make one that was a little more protein, a little less ice cream.
Although I normally like to make my shakes dairy-free, this one is admittedly a little more “decadent” so I used regular low fat milk and heavy cream to make it thicker. I also used regular yogurt instead of coconut milk yogurt like I normally would, but at least try to use one with the lowest sugar content I can find.
The key ingredient in this one, that gives it that “pie” feeling, is the graham cracker crumbs. I use gluten free ones for my diet and can’t get enough of them. Feel free to add more crumbs if you’re like me and think the crust is the best part!
Vanilla extract and vanilla pea protein give it just enough sweetness that I don’t use any stevia or other sweeteners but I think agave would be good too! Adding one of my favorite everyday ingredients, coconut oil, makes me feel just a little less guilty for indulging since I know I’m still getting at least one thing that’s good for me!
Cinnamon Apple Protein Shake Recipe
Protein Shake Ingredients
1 ½ cups vanilla almond milk ½ cup almond butter 1 apple, cored and quartered ½ teaspoon cinnamon 8 to 10 drops stevia, to taste ½ cup ice cubes 1 scoop pea protein 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil, meltedI’ve always had a sweet tooth and loved my desserts. Since I started eating more healthy though (and did a restricted diet for six months), my tastes have changed. I still crave something sweet, just not sickening sweet like I used to. So what better way to satisfy that craving and make the daily protein shakes a little more interesting than to make them into mini-desserts!
Now, this might not have a buttery crust but it still hits the mark for me, especially with the mix of cinnamon and apple. You can use any kind of apple that you like. I usually use fuji or gala apples in all of my smoothies because of their sweetness. If you want to up the cinnamon flavor, you can use cinnamon-flavored stevia too instead of plain stevia. SweetLeaf makes an awesome line of flavored stevias and they’re super easy to use because they’re in liquid form and come with a dropper.
I tend to use pea protein in all my smoothies too because it’s dairy free, soy free and gluten free but you can use any type of vanilla protein powder too if you want more flavor. This one comes out a little on the liquid/frothy side which I like, but adding a little plain yogurt can make it a little thicker if you like.
Detox Smoothie Recipe
Protein Shake Ingredients
1 ½ cups cold water ½ lemon, peeled 1 pear 1 green apple 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric ½ tablespoon grated fresh ginger root Pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste ½ teaspoon stevia or other natural sweetener, to tasteAt the direction of my naturopathic doctor, I did an extremely restricted diet for six months a couple years ago. Although it was pretty difficult and frustrating at times, I have to admit, it was nice knowing that I was only putting “real” foods in my body. Basically, I ate fruits, vegetables and meats (grass fed, antibiotic and hormone free), nothing else. After the restricted diet ended and I switched to a more Paleo-like diet, I found myself wanting to do a “detox” every once in a while just to get that feeling of a super clean system again.
After finding a bunch of different concoctions online and in books, I decided to make my own combination based on the most common detoxifying ingredients. Lemon, fresh ginger and turmeric seem to be the most-touted ones out there. Lemons help with digestion and flush toxins from your body, while ginger helps with liver function. Turmeric is also beneficial to the liver.
Cayenne pepper is another go-to ingredient when it comes to detoxifying. It has been praised for its benefits to your circulatory system and digestive system. Apples and pears are a great way to add fiber and of course water instead of milk is a no brainer.
Since I’m not a huge fan of ginger (and that’s what you usually taste the most), I add a little liquid stevia for taste. It’s not contradictory to the detox like traditional sugar and helps tame the spiciness of the ginger root and cayenne.
This isn’t one I like to drink every day but it’s a great way to “clean up” your body every few weeks!