Home Made Healthy Protein ShakesTired of paying $6 for a protein shake at the gym? Do protein shakes made from a packet of chemicals concern you? Try this great recipe for a 100% natural, delicious, nonfat, shake that can be used when you are short on time but want something nutritious! Watch a fullscreen version of this video. |
Ingredients (double for a big shake) |
Nutritional Information |
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1 cup nonfat milk, soy milk, rice dream or OJ 1 scoop (20g) isolated whey protein |
calories |
330 calories |
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protein |
33g |
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carbohydrates |
51g |
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fat |
1.5g |
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| Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Done! |
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| First put in milk and protein powder | Add broken up frozen banana | Immediately start blending before banana chunks stick together | Continue to blend at max speed for about 2 minutes until nice and creamy - volume will increase as it gets creamier. | MMMMMMMMmmmmmm! Delicious, creamy shake! If your shake doesn't look like this, see the troubleshooting section. |
Despite what the ads promise, protein shakes do not have and magical muscle-building properties! A protein shake is just a convenient meal replacement when you don't have the time for a healthy balanced real meal. If you are training hard and want to maximize your muscle growth then you need a constant supply of protein throughout the day, preferable every 2-3 hours except when sleeping. Each meal should contain its share of your daily protein, 10-35g/meal depending on bodyweight, but your body really does not care where that protein comes from. It can be beans and rice, it can be a protein shake, it can be a piece of boneless skinless chicken. So to answer the question I always get:
"When should I have my protein shake, before or after working out?"
I think you know the answer by now - it doesn't matter! Eat your protein every 3 hours which probably means you are eating right before going to the gym AND right when you get back. Have your shake for any of your 6 daily meals where you don't have time for a real meal. Its easier to drink a protein shake while driving than a plate of chicken, vegetables, and potatoes.
Ok, we have all been told not to put bananas in the refrigerator - well, that's just inaccurate. The key to making great protein shakes is using frozen bananas, not only do they taste better but the frozen bananas keep for months if you store them properly. Go to your warehouse store (costco, walmart, etc) and buy 30lbs of bananas! Here is how to prepare them:
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Buy in bulk at Costco and save! |
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Assembly line here process here can speed things up. First break apart the bunches. |
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If the bananas are a bit green, cut halfway thru each top to make easier to peel |
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Peel and put in ziploc freezer bag |
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Alternate directions each layer so the bananas don't stick together. |
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Here they are in the freezer, don't cram them in or they will stick. They will keep weeks or months now! You don't have to shop for bananas every week! |
If your shake is too runny:
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add more frozen banana
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add less liquid
If your blender wont blend the shake:
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get a better blender, a $30 blender wont work
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start blending the shake IMMEDIATELY after adding frozen bananas
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break the frozen banana into smaller pieces (I break into thirds)
If the shake blends but is not creamy:
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get a better blender, a $30 blender wont work
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add more protein powder
Don't mess around with wimpy blenders! If you can pick it up with one hand then its probably not powerful enough. The blender I have had for years and can highly recommend is the 500W Oster blender, it has the power necessary to handle hard frozen bananas and is only about $60. Pick it up from your local discount store or click here to buy the blender from amazon. If you choose some other blender then make sure to do some research and find a good one, if you are a subscriber to consumers reports magazine (not consumers digest!) you can use their online article search to get the latest ratings on blenders.