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My Daily Protein Smoothie

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skitched-20080922-170458.pngI’ve been hitting the protein smoothies lately. Why? Because I’ve also been hitting the pushups and pull-ups and I think a little extra protein can only do this vegetarian some good. I used to drink smoothies all the time as a little reward after finishing a long run. Now I find them to be a great mid-morning snack to get me through til lunch.

Today, Crabby posted her Simplest Smoothie Recipe Ever recipe and it inspired me to share my own. She doesn’t use ice in hers but I like to add a good 4-6 cubes per person for a thick frothy milkshake that’s a little slow-going through a straw (this keeps me from downing my smoothie in one gulp). I also like to add a few dried pieces of fruit such as prunes or date… the blender chops them into little bits that are fun to eat, and any large bits that don’t get blended are like a nice fruity surprise at the end.

The protein part usually comes from unsweetened protein powder, either whey or soy (tried pea protein once - yuck). If I’m out of powder, I use tofu or yogurt. My preference is for tofu (shown above) or soy protein powder, both of which seem to result in a creamier smoothie than other options.

I don’t find that this needs any extra sweetener; usually the frozen fruit is sweet enough. But if you like a sweeter smoothie, add some honey or substitute the water for fruit juice.

Easy Protein Smoothie

Serves 2

3 scoops protein powder (or 1 350g block of silken tofu)
1 banana
200g frozen berries
2-4 dates or prunes
4 Tbsp flax meal
8-12 ice cubes
water, enough to cover

Put everything in the blender and WHIZZ, adding more or less water to achieve the desired smoothie smoothness. Enjoy!

Related posts:

  1. Saturday Food Diary: Tofu Italian Style
  2. High Protein Vegan Meals: Tofu Scramble
  3. Wake Up: It’s Time for a Healthy Breakfast
  4. 32 Natural Ways to Flavor Water
  5. Link Love: Health Snacks, Frozen Food, and “Nutritionism”

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 5:16 pm by monica and is filed under Recipe, food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

5 Responses to “My Daily Protein Smoothie”

  1. Leisureguy Says:
    September 22nd, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    If you’re building muscle, potassium becomes quite important. The banana provides some potassium, and prunes provide quite a bit. A nice baked potato has a ton of potassium. Just a thought.

  2. Charlie Hills Says:
    September 23rd, 2008 at 5:10 am

    I first read that as “200 frozen berries” and thought, “Dang, girl!”

    What’s the flax meal do?

  3. monica Says:
    September 23rd, 2008 at 7:31 am

    Leisureguy - interesting factoid about potassium! I actually had a hard time finding anything that explained what potassium actually does. The Periodic Paralysis News Desk (whatever that means) does a decent job in layman’s terms:

    Along with sodium, it regulates the water balance and the acid-base balance in the blood and tissues. Potassium enters the cell more readily than does sodium and instigates the brief sodium-potassium exchange across the cell membranes. In the nerve cells, this sodium-potassium flux generates the electrical potential that aids the conduction of nerve impulses. When potassium leaves the cell, it changes the membrane potential and allows the nerve impulse to progress. This electrical potential gradient, created by the “sodium-potassium pump,” helps generate muscle contractions and regulates the heartbeat. Another of the pump’s most important functions is preventing the swelling of cells. If sodium is not pumped out, water accumulates within the cell causing it to swell and ultimately burst.

    Potassium is very important in cellular biochemical reactions and energy metabolism; it participates in the synthesis of protein from amino acids in the cell. Potassium also functions in carbohydrate metabolism; it is active in glycogen and glucose metabolism, converting glucose to glycogen that can be stored in the liver for future energy. Potassium is important for normal growth and for building muscle.

  4. monica Says:
    September 23rd, 2008 at 7:32 am

    Charlie - the flax is for fat and fibre. I also like the nutty flavor… tastes kind of like wheat germ (also good in smoothies)!

  5. Leisureguy Says:
    September 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    Flaxmeal is also quite high in omega-3 fats, vital for health and generally hard to find in modern processed foods. (Fatty, cold-water fish are especially high in omega-3.) This post explains the difference between omega-3 from flax and omega-3 from fish. And here’s just one study of benefits, this study focusing on the elderly. For the best fish sources, check out the list in this post.

    For potassium, here are the best sources.

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