You can walk into most any health food store and find a wide selection of protein powder mixes that you can use to make great pre- or post-workout snacks. However, you’ll also pay top dollar for them, which can be difficult if you don’t have a very high grocery budget.
Here is how to create your own powder-free protein drink that is just as good for you, if not better, and won’t cost you an arm and a leg too make:
- Step #1 – Put 8 ounces of milk in a blender. The most common milk for protein shakes is skim milk (8 grams protein), but if you’re watching your cholesterol, you can always use soy or almond milk instead (6 grams of protein each). If you’d like the protein drink to be a little bit thicker, use only 4 ounces milk and make up the other 4 ounces with plain Greek yogurt (for a total of 16 grams of protein for the base to your drink).
- Step #2 – Add a protein. Depending on the taste you are trying to achieve, you can go with a high protein food option like cottage cheese (4 ounces has roughly 14 grams of protein), or if you prefer a nutty taste, two tablespoons of nut, peanut, or almond butter (which will provide between 5 and 8 additional grams of protein) will do the trick. Some people like to use raw egg, but that isn’t advisable due to the risk of salmonella bacteria they contain.
- Step #3 – Throw in a cup of fruit. This will give your drink additional flavor and texture, especially if they are frozen. Some fruits to consider are watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas.
- Step #4 – Blend the ingredients. Turn the blender on and let it mix the ingredients for 30 seconds to 1 minute. To add more texture, you can also add a couple of ice cubes to the mix and blend those in with it.
This is how you create your own natural powder-free protein drink. Play around with the ingredients and have fun while doing something healthy for your body!
