Protein, protein, protein! Must have more protein! This has been my mantra of late. After recovering from a nasty broken tailbone, I am back on the fitness train. I enjoy being active and full of energy. Exercising on a regular basis really helps with all of that. It also relieves stress like no other! I always struggle with the food part though and I don’t mean that I eat unhealthy. I actually do not eat enough. It sounds crazy, but in order to increase muscle and cut fat you actually need to intake a lot of protein. I get so caught up in running around doing five hundred things that I forget to have a snack in between meals and sometimes I miss meals, and then I’m this crazy hungry person. I’ve been really good the past few months though. I pack snacks to take along and I never skip breakfast because I am always hungry. Always! Apparently, working out regularly will do that to you.
In an attempt to boost my protein, I have a protein shake at least once a day. I used to mix the protein powder with water, but I got a Vitamix for my birthday last month and it’s been smoothie palooza ever since! Even the hubs is making smoothies. We just throw a bunch of fruit in, give it a whirl, and viola! Last week he added protein powder to one of the smoothies and it tasted awesome! I’ve actually tried protein powder in my smoothies before and I never liked it, but this was so good. It didn’t have that chalk like after taste that protein powder always has.
I have a protein smoothie every day now. Loaded with spinach and frozen fruit it makes a perfect snack and it’s pretty filling. Today I made one and put it in a to go cup so I could drink it while I was picking up the little ones. We make a few variations of this smoothie and this is the one that I make most often. Once I get the measurements figured out, I’ll post some of the others as well. Trying out some paleo protein powders too so I’ll let you know how those are!
*Makes one smoothie
Ingredients
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 banana
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 Tbs almond meal
1 scoop protein powder (vanilla or chocolate)
**For a vegan version use vegan protein powder.
Method
Place ingredients in the order they are listed into a blender or bullet of some sort and blend really well. If you are using a Vitamix, just use the Smoothie setting. If you are using a bullet or another blender, let it run for a minute. Pour into a nice tall glass or to go cup and you’ve got a perfect afternoon or mid-morning snack. It’s a little sweet too which helps get rid of that afternoon sugar craving!