Monday, January 30, 2012

My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard...

This recipe is not mine at all. I take no credit for it. My coach, Michelle, got me hooked on these shakes from DashingDish.com. The owner of the blog, Katie, has come up with a low calorie, high protein shake that actually tastes good. Yes, not a lie, it ACTUALLY TASTES GOOD. Throughout my athletic career I have tried and tried to get myself to tolerate protein powder. I know I don’t eat enough protein but I am picky. I also don’t like eating things I don’t like. Most people would say “suck it up” but I think that this recipe helps solve my problem.  So Katie, I owe you and your blog a lot.

Here is the main recipe for a basic shake that I modified a little. You’re supposed to use all cottage cheese instead of yogurt but to be honest, cottage cheese creeps me out.  I tried half cottage cheese and half yogurt for a while but the cottage cheese never blended well enough and every once in a while I would get a salty cheese explosion, which is why I mainly use the yogurt. I also like a thick shake, so I put more ice cubes in it, but the less you put in, the thinner the shake will be. You could also add more yogurt depending on how you want it to taste.

Base Ingredients
6 ice cubes
½ cup water
¼ cup plain Chobani
1 scoop protein powder
1 tbsp sugar free Jello powder or pudding mix similar flavor to protein powder
Optional: sprinkle of sugar to taste (Katie uses sweetener to reduce calories but I use real sugar because I worry about cancer and chemicals and all that good stuff)

Here are some variations that I’ve tried with different powders and add-ins, etc. These are just my varations and the more shakes I make, the more I play with the ingredients to get different consistencies and flavors.

Mocha Shake

Ingredients
Calories
Protein
6 ice cubes
0
0
½ cup coffee
1 cal
0
¼ cup plain Chobani
35 cal
7g
1 scoop  Designer Whey Protein in Double Chocolate
100 cal
18g
1 tbsp Jello chocolate pudding mix (sugar free)
30 cal
0g
Optional: sprinkle of sugar to taste
7 cal
0 g
TOTAL
173 cal
25g
*I think that the Designer Whey Protein doesn’t mask the protein flavor as well as some other brands so sometimes I add some Hershey’s syrup to make it more chocolate-y. But the coffee instead of water gives it a little extra kick and the caffeine is great for when I have a class right after practice.

Vanilla Shake

Ingredients
Calories
Protein
6 ice cubes
0
0
½ cup water
0
0
¼ cup plain Chobani Greek Yogurt
35 cal
7g
1 scoop  Platinum Hydro Whey protein powder in Velocity Vanilla
140 cal
30g
1 tbsp Jello vanilla pudding mix (sugar free)
30 cal
0g
Optional: sprinkle of sugar to taste
7 cal
0 g
TOTAL
212 cal
37g
*This one is my favorite! And it’s the only one that all three of my shake-drinking housemates will eat, so I often double the recipe and divide it between the three of us.

Banana Cream Shake

Ingredients
Calories
Protein
6 ice cubes
0
0
½ cup water
0
0
¼ cup plain Chobani Greek Yogurt
35 cal
7g
½ medium sized banana
52 cal
.5
1 scoop  Gold Standard Casein in Banana Creme
120 cal
24g
1 tbsp Jello vanilla pudding mix (sugar free)
30 cal
0g
Optional: sprinkle of sugar to taste
7 cal
0 g
TOTAL
244 cal
31.5 g
*The change in protein is on purpose. Unlike whey, casein is a slow acting protein which takes longer to digest, which helps me not wake up from my nap marathons ready to eat my entire refrigerator.

Berry Berry Shake

Ingredients
Calories
Protein
4 ice cubes
0
0
½ cup water
0
0
¼ cup plain Chobani Greek Yogurt
35 cal
7g
1 scoop  Platinum Hydro Whey protein powder in Velocity Vanilla
140 cal
30g
1 cup Stop and Shop frozen berry mix
65 cal
0g
Optional: sprinkle of sugar to taste
7 cal
0 g
TOTAL
247 cal
37g
*The best thing about this one is that it can be made with any kind of fruit, frozen or not. I use the frozen kind because it’s cheaper and then I don’t have to use as many ice cubes or yogurt to make the shake thicker.

Cookies and Cream Shake

Ingredients
Calories
Protein
6 ice cubes
0
0
½ cup water
0
0
¼ cup plain Chobani Greek Yogurt
35 cal
7g
1 scoop  Platinum Hydro Whey protein powder in Velocity Vanilla
140 cal
30g
2 Oreo cookies
106 cal
0g
I tbsp. Jello chocolate pudding mix (sugar free)
30 cal
0 g
TOTAL
311 cal
37g
*So this one is definitely less healthy than the other ones, but after a really hard workout, I figure I deserve it. I consider this shake to be a “once in a while treat”, but I look forward to it because it’s so good and almost makes the pain of an awful erg workout worth it. Almost.  

Other things that I’ve added to various shakes:
·         almonds
·         chocolate chips
·         caramel creamer
·         lemon jello mix
·         strawberry jello mix
·         oatmeal
·         cinnamon

DashingDish also has a lot more variations here, most of which I plan on trying in the near future. BodyBuilding.com also has some good looking recipes here. It’s amazing how versatile this can be and basically anyone can make a shake that fits their taste preference and calorie needs.

However, unlike Katie from DashingDish, I don’t consider these a meal replacement. Whether you do would depend on how often and how intensely you’re working out. I usually eat two big meals a day (breakfast and dinner) with three or four smaller meal/snack type things in between, so I consider the shake to be a small meal.

I have to say that my favorite thing about the shake is how quick it is. I can roll out of my nap ten minutes before I have to head to class and I have a quick and easy on-the-go snack AND I can make them from easy ingredients that I almost always have around the house.

It should be noted I am not any kind of nutritionist or expert, just someone who likes to eat and is interesting in staying healthy! All the calorie and protein counts are done by me, according to the information on the packaging. Please let me know if you find any mistakes or if you make a great new shake that I have to try! 

**Special thanks to my art major friend Angie for teaching me Photoshop....hopefully my pictures will be cooler now!

2 comments:

  1. Chobani yogurt is the BEST! For someone who’s not an athlete and doesn’t need protein powder, do you think these shakes can be made the same way, just without the powder? Or should I toss something in them to thicken them up?

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    Replies
    1. I would say you would be fine to keep them the same and if they seem a little thin to you, just add more ice =)

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