Whole-Foods Protein Smoothie... Minus the Protein Powder!
My relationship with protein powder began in my early twenties when I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is a condition where the blood sugar runs too low throughout the day.
A person with hypoglycemia experiences all the same symptoms as that of a diabetic, but the blood sugar runs low rather than high (mayo clinic). I'm not going to get into the details of the condition, but I had to learn how to eat small meals/snacks every two to three hours instead of eating three big meals a day and I also had to learn how to load up on the protein.
I began my consumption of protein shakes because they were, convenient, easy to make, and it was easy to consume large amounts of protein without having to down a whole rib-eye steak for a snack! I found it was extremely difficult to find a protein powder that was actually good for you. The cheaper options were loaded with wheat, soy, corn, and artificial sweeteners. When I found protein powders with high quality ingredients, they were often expensive and didn't taste very well so to make up for the not-so-good flavor, I found myself adding more honey or sugar than necessary, which completely obliterated the "healthy" right out of my shake.
A light-bulb moment occurred one day when I went to go make a protein shake and found that I was out of protein powder. "There's got to be a way to do this without the powder," I thought. A few hours of research later and a few weeks through trial and error I concocted a Whole-Foods protein shake that was good for me and tasted good..... AND NO PROTEIN POWDER!
My protein instead is coming from beef gelatin.... yes you heard me right! According to Doctor's Health Press grass-fed (be sure it's coming from grass-fed cows) beef gelatin has major health benefits.
Aside from the fact that two tablespoons has up to 17 grams of protein (hence why I use this in replacement of protein powder), it helps promote healthy joints, reduces inflammation, improves quality of skin, improves sleep, balances your hormones, and lots more! Also because it's a whole food (a substance that actually comes from real food and not made in a lab) your body responds to it and absorbs it more easily.
Another ingredient I use in my recipe is whey. Whey is full of probiotics, digestive enzymes, vitamins, and minerals (livestrong). If you missed my yogurt recipe where I show you how to make your own whey.... click on the video below.
The last ingredients I'm adding to make this delicious snack or meal in a glass are raw honey and real fruit. Everybody in my family loves my smoothies and this was one of my daughter's favorite things to eat in the first year of her life.... and still is!
If you would prefer to watch a tutorial, click the video below:
LETS DO THIS!
WHOLE-FOODS PROTEIN SMOOTHIE
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 Frozen bananas : (make sure they're frozen....gives a nice consistency to the smoothie)
5-8 Pieces of frozen fruit : (this is where you can change the flavor of your smoothie. For a strawberry smoothie use 5-8 frozen strawberries, for a berry smoothie use a mixture of different berries, for a tropical smoothie use half mango and half pineapple. This is where you can get creative!)
**I also wanted to make note that when you are making a smoothie with berries... LESS IS MORE! Too many berries will make the smoothie too tart and then you have to add more sweetener. 5-8 berries is just enough to give you the berry flavor you want minus the tartness. **
1/2 a Cup of Homemade Whey (If you don't have whey you can use milk, almond milk, water, etc.)
2 Tablespoons of beef gelatin
1 tablespoon of raw honey
DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you prefer a thicker smoothie, add more frozen bananas. If you prefer a more watery smoothie then add more whey.
That's it! Can't get any easier than that! Enjoy for a quick breakfast or afternoon snack. This is also great to consume after a hard work-out.
Happy Blending!
REFERENCES:
(2015,January 20).Hypoglycemia.https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/hypoglycemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373685
Kessler, Dr. Michael.(2016, June 16). 19 Proven Benefits of Gelatin: A Collagen Protein.https://www.doctorshealthpress.com/general-health-articles/benefits-of-gelatin/
Singh, Shweta.(2017, October 3).Nutritional Benefits of Whey.https://www.livestrong.com/article/410510-nutritional-benefits-of-whey/
A person with hypoglycemia experiences all the same symptoms as that of a diabetic, but the blood sugar runs low rather than high (mayo clinic). I'm not going to get into the details of the condition, but I had to learn how to eat small meals/snacks every two to three hours instead of eating three big meals a day and I also had to learn how to load up on the protein.
Photo by Pexels
I began my consumption of protein shakes because they were, convenient, easy to make, and it was easy to consume large amounts of protein without having to down a whole rib-eye steak for a snack! I found it was extremely difficult to find a protein powder that was actually good for you. The cheaper options were loaded with wheat, soy, corn, and artificial sweeteners. When I found protein powders with high quality ingredients, they were often expensive and didn't taste very well so to make up for the not-so-good flavor, I found myself adding more honey or sugar than necessary, which completely obliterated the "healthy" right out of my shake.
A light-bulb moment occurred one day when I went to go make a protein shake and found that I was out of protein powder. "There's got to be a way to do this without the powder," I thought. A few hours of research later and a few weeks through trial and error I concocted a Whole-Foods protein shake that was good for me and tasted good..... AND NO PROTEIN POWDER!
My protein instead is coming from beef gelatin.... yes you heard me right! According to Doctor's Health Press grass-fed (be sure it's coming from grass-fed cows) beef gelatin has major health benefits.
Photo by Pexels
Aside from the fact that two tablespoons has up to 17 grams of protein (hence why I use this in replacement of protein powder), it helps promote healthy joints, reduces inflammation, improves quality of skin, improves sleep, balances your hormones, and lots more! Also because it's a whole food (a substance that actually comes from real food and not made in a lab) your body responds to it and absorbs it more easily.
Another ingredient I use in my recipe is whey. Whey is full of probiotics, digestive enzymes, vitamins, and minerals (livestrong). If you missed my yogurt recipe where I show you how to make your own whey.... click on the video below.
The last ingredients I'm adding to make this delicious snack or meal in a glass are raw honey and real fruit. Everybody in my family loves my smoothies and this was one of my daughter's favorite things to eat in the first year of her life.... and still is!
Photo by Pixels
If you would prefer to watch a tutorial, click the video below:
LETS DO THIS!
WHOLE-FOODS PROTEIN SMOOTHIE
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 Frozen bananas : (make sure they're frozen....gives a nice consistency to the smoothie)
5-8 Pieces of frozen fruit : (this is where you can change the flavor of your smoothie. For a strawberry smoothie use 5-8 frozen strawberries, for a berry smoothie use a mixture of different berries, for a tropical smoothie use half mango and half pineapple. This is where you can get creative!)
**I also wanted to make note that when you are making a smoothie with berries... LESS IS MORE! Too many berries will make the smoothie too tart and then you have to add more sweetener. 5-8 berries is just enough to give you the berry flavor you want minus the tartness. **
1/2 a Cup of Homemade Whey (If you don't have whey you can use milk, almond milk, water, etc.)
2 Tablespoons of beef gelatin
1 tablespoon of raw honey
DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you prefer a thicker smoothie, add more frozen bananas. If you prefer a more watery smoothie then add more whey.
That's it! Can't get any easier than that! Enjoy for a quick breakfast or afternoon snack. This is also great to consume after a hard work-out.
Happy Blending!
REFERENCES:
(2015,January 20).Hypoglycemia.https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/hypoglycemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373685
Kessler, Dr. Michael.(2016, June 16). 19 Proven Benefits of Gelatin: A Collagen Protein.https://www.doctorshealthpress.com/general-health-articles/benefits-of-gelatin/
Singh, Shweta.(2017, October 3).Nutritional Benefits of Whey.https://www.livestrong.com/article/410510-nutritional-benefits-of-whey/
I love your blog! Just discovered it so looking forward to reading more! Europafox x
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