For those of you who are concerned with getting enough protein in your smoothies to balance all the carbs, I want to give you some options. I’m a recovering vegan (jumped off the vegan wagon a few years back and now I’m back) so I’ve been asked for years and years “What about protein?”. I think the need for protein has been blown out of proportion. But let me digress…I’ll post about that another time.
Protein sources you can use in your smoothies:
- Plain Soy Milk
- Greek Natural, Plain Yogurt
- Plain Whey Protein Powder
- Plain Yogurt – Look for brands with as little sugar as possible. Stay away from artificial sweeteners.
- Raw nuts and seeds like almonds and cashews (soak them first for 2 hours to 24 hours)
- Soy Protein Powder
- Tofu (Silken is the best for smoothies in my opinion)
- Brown Rice Protein
- Hemp Protein
Adding protein can help keep your blood sugar balanced. Buy plain protein powder that is as natural as possible. You can bring in sweetness with other ingredients like fruit, cocoa powder, stevia and honey.
Today’s Recipes
Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie – (Add a few ice cubes if you want a cool version)
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk or almond milk
- 1 ripe banana
- 2 tbsp peanut butter, no sugar added
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp agave nectar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 scoop plain protein powder of your choice
PinaCo Protein Smoothie
- 1 1/2 cups pineapple (frozen or fresh)
- 1 apple
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 scoop of plain protein powder (half of what would be a normal scoop)
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 orange
Tofu Strawberry Smoothie
- 1/2 box soft/silken tofu
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
- 1 cup ice
