World’s Best Post Workout Chocolate Protein Shake Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 medium banana
• 1/2 cup of low fat ice cream
• 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
• 1 cup of low fat (1%) milk
• 1 tablespoon of honey

Calories

• banana: 105 calories, 0g fat, 27g carbohydrates, 1g protein, 0mg sodium
• ice cream: 100 calories, 2.5g fat, 17g carbs, 3g protein, 45mg sodium
• milk: 110 calories, 2.5g fat, 13g carbs, 9g protein, 135mg sodium
• protein powder: 130 calories, 2.5g fat, 5g carbs, 20g protein, 130mg sodium
• honey: 60 calories, 0g fat, 17g carbs, 0g protein, 0mg sodium
• total: 505 calories, 7.5g fat, 79g carbs, 33g protein, 310mg sodium

Special Equipment

• A hand blender makes it easier since you can blend everything in a cup, or:
• Standing blender

Directions

• Start by breaking the banana apart into 5 small pieces and putting them into the bottom of the cup or blender.
• Add the protein powder, ice cream and milk in that order. This is important because when liquid is added to protein powder, the powder starts sticking to everything. If you add the powder first, it will stick to the bottom of the cup or blender. If you add it last, it will stick to the sides of the cup. The ice cream acts as a barrier between the powder and milk until the blender is turned on.
• Once you have all your ingredients added (except the honey) start the blender up.
• Once the ingredients are mixed and you get a good consistency, add the honey while the blender is still on. You can squeeze it right out of the bottle to spare yourself the hassle of getting it off the spoon. If you add the honey while the blender is not on, it will stick to the sides and bottom of the cup or blender.

Substitutions and Additions

If you prefer to use frozen yogurt instead of ice cream you can, but frozen yogurt is usually more expensive and since low fat ice cream only has 2.5 grams of fat, might not be worth it. Frozen yogurt does contain live cultures which can promote a healthy gut.

You can add any fresh or frozen fruit you wish but some may not go good with all the chocolaty goodness.

Fat free (skim) milk can be used if you would to lower the fat content further. If you would like to increase the calorie content to gain weight, use low fat or whole chocolate milk. Milk can also be replaced with soy milk.

The Bottom Line

You may be asking yourself, “How can a shake that has 79 grams of carbohydrates, mostly sugar, be healthy?” This protein shake is meant for people who are done working out. After your workout, your body has used up a lot of its stored glucose which needs to be replenished. Giving your body a high amount of sugar after you exercise is fine because the sugar will be stored as glucose and glycogen rather than fat.

The high amount of protein will be used to start repairing the damage that has been caused by exercise. The low amount of fat will help your body quickly absorb the calories to begin the recovery process. Bananas contain fiber which is a healthy nutrient known to lower the risk of some cancers and decrease levels of cholesterol. Low fat milk and ice cream have little in the way of saturated (bad) fat but are still loaded with some vitamins and minerals such as calcium and vitamin D. These two nutrients are used to build strong bones after you do weight bearing exercises: squats, bench press, running.