Protein Shakes
Written by Mike Cheliak on May 25, 2009 – 12:50 pm -I am not a huge fan of fitness supplements that promise the world and deliver a much lighter wallet but I am a very big fan of good high quality protein shakes as a nice alternative snack or even meal replacement. 
I don’t advocate using these recipes as staples in your nutritional plan but they can fit in nicely when used once in a while.
There are almost endless combinations that you can use to create a good protein shake but the first line of business is the quality of your powder. I always look for a powder that has Micellar Casein as it’s primary protein source. I am not going to get into the scientific end of it but you can see more info about it by clicking here.
The next things to consider are what liquid you are going to use, what additional ingredients you are going to add and what the impact these items will have on the calories and composition of your shake. You must realize that if you start adding a tonne of stuff to your shake that you may be adding a lot of calories.
Liquids I like to use are water, fresh orange juice, milk, green tea and coffee. I always keep a bag of frozen strawberries, blueberries and mixed berries on hand to add to my shakes as well. They act like ice but don’t dilute the flavour of the shake.
I don’t list the calories on these shakes as it will very greatly by the type of protein supplement you use. You can adjust the quantities of any of the shakes to account for an extra person. Just use your imagination and you will become a shake wizard in no time! My Favourite shake is still the Mocha Choco Monkey. It is a great pick me up mid-day shake!
THE OMEGA POWER SHAKE
1 Cup Water
2 Scoops Vanilla Protein Powder
2 TBLSP Organic Ground Flax
6 Frozen Strawberries
2 TBLSP Plain Active Culture Yogurt
Add the first 3 ingredients and blend for 1 minute. Add the berries & Yogurt and mix for an additional minute
APPLE ALMOND BLASTER
2/3 Cup Water
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1 TBLSP Organic Ground Flax
3 TBLSP Plain Active Culture Yogurt
2 TBLSP Almond Butter
6 Ice Cubes
1 Cored apple
1/2 TSP Cinnamon
Add First 5 indgredients and blend for 1 minute. Add the Ice, Apple and Cinnamon and blend for an additional 1 minute.
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER AND NANNER
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 scoops Chocolate Protein Powder
6 ice cubes
1 small Banana
2 TBLSP Organic Natural Peanut Butter
Add the Water and Protein Powder and blend for 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for an additional 1 minute.
TROPICAL BREEZER
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1/2 Cup Plain Active Culture Yogurt
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
1/2 Cup Frozen Pineapple
1/4 Cup Frozen Mango
1/2 Banana
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 TBLSP Organic Ground Flax
Add the first three ingedients and blend for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for an additional one minute.
GOOD MORNING
1/2 cup 1% Milk
1/2 cup strong espresso (cooled)
2 scoops Vanilla or Mocha flavour protein powder
6 ice cubes
1 tsp flax oil
1tsp organic honey (optional for a little sweeter taste)
1/2 TSP Cinnamon (optional)
Add the first three ingredients and blend for one minute. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for an additional one minute.
These are just a few ideas for you to try. I am constantly “inventing” shakes on the fly and find that if you trust your instincts and tastes, you can come up with some really good concoctions. A couple of other notes are that you can add things like Greens Plus or Glutamine and creatine to your shakes if you are into additional supplements. I don’t personally have much use for them but some people do.
In happiness and health as always…
Mike C.
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