Every Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST, WomensHealthMag.com hosts a live broadcast on Periscope called "Snack Sesh" with fun new ideas for health-conscious snackers. Make sure to tune in live—you'll be able to ask us questions and make comments in real time—and in the meantime, here's a recap of the recipes we cooked up this week!
You probably know by now that what you eat (or drink!) after a workoutcan be just as important as what you do at the gym. When we talked to top fitness instructors about their go-to post-workout snacks, we noticed a huge trend: Almost all of them rely on protein shakes.
If protein powders turn you off, we hear you. There are so many types out there that it can be hard to figure out which one is right for you.
Once you’ve hopped on the protein powder train and done a little trial and error to figure out which one you prefer, another question pops up: How the heck do you use this stuff? You could just mix your protein with water or milk and drink it plain, but since we've been there and done that, we can say with confidence: There are better ways.
Exhibit one: these three easy protein shakes that will transport you straight to flavor town and give your body the nutrients it needs after a good sweat.
Strawberries and Cream Protein Shake
We started off with almond milk and a handful of ice, then added a serving of strawberries and cream protein powder (vanilla works, too!), frozen strawberries, some rolled oats, and a dollop of Greek yogurt.
While you get that protein your muscles need from the protein powder and the Greek yogurt—which also makes the shake super creamy—the strawberries and oats provide a healthy dose of carbohydrates to restore the glycogen you lose during a workout.
Blend all the ingredients until smooth, and you’ve got a shake that’s light and fruity.
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Protein Shake
Next, we whipped up a shake inspired by one of our favorite flavor combos: chocolate and peanut butter. We combined chocolate protein powder, two spoonfuls of all-natural peanut butter, almond milk,ice, and Greek yogurt. Then we added a frozen banana—hey, potassium and carbohydrates!
Remember: You can use whatever type of milk or yogurt works best with your lifestyle and/or dietary restrictions. We like Greek yogurt for the extra punch of protein and probiotics, but if you’re dairy-free, try using coconut yogurt. (Same goes for milk: cow’s milk, rice milk, soy milk—it all works.)
This shake was thick and creamy. Think: liquid Reese’s with actual nutritional value.
Tropical Protein Shake
Our last shake was all about island flavor...because who doesn’t love a pina colada? After our base of almond milk, ice, and Greek yogurt, we added banana cream protein powder (yep, that exists!), a frozenbanana, a few chunks of pineapple, and a spoonful of shredded coconut to the blender.
If you can’t find banana-flavored protein, we recommend using vanilla.
Drinking this shake was like teleporting to the beach. It was naturally sweet with just the right amount of coconut flavor.
The next time we’re having a make-or-break workout moment, you can bet we’ll be fantasizing about drinking these shakes to get us through thepain.
Do you have a protein shake recipe you just can’t get enough of? Let us know! Tweet at @WomensHealthMag to share your favorite flavors. And don’t forget to tune into Snack Sesh next Wednesday afternoon on Periscope to check out our latest snack obsession!
No comments:
Post a Comment