Protein is essential for a healthy diet and is found in many natural foods. Depending on your body type, but also your sports and eating habits, it is recommended to consume 50-175 g per day. If you want to add them to your diet but don't have protein powders, try making a smoothie using only natural ingredients. Mixing them allows you to make a delicious, invigorating and healthy drink. You can drink it after exercising, to start the day on the right foot or to promote weight loss.
Ingrediants
Fruit and Vegetable Protein Shake
- ½ glass of grapefruit juice
- 70 g of black cabbage
- 1 large apple
- 150 g of diced cucumber
- 1 medium celery stalk, diced
- 4 tablespoons of shelled hemp seeds
- 40 g of frozen mango
- 5 g of fresh mint leaves
- ½ tablespoon of coconut oil
- 3-4 ice cubes
Bean Protein Shake
- 1 glass of almond milk
- 90 g of black beans
- 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds
- 1 banana
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
Protein Shake with Dried Fruit
- 1 glass of soy milk
- 2 tablespoons of almond or peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
Tofu Protein Shake
- 130 g of soft tofu
- 1 glass of vanilla soy milk
- 1 frozen banana
- ½ tablespoon of peanut butter
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Make a Fruit and Vegetable Protein Shake
Step 1. Squeeze the grapefruit
Cut it in half and squeeze the juice with a manual or electric juicer. You can also replace it with orange juice or coconut water. Pour the juice into the blender.
Step 2. Cut the fruit and vegetables
First, wash these ingredients, then remove the stems, cores, and seeds. Chop the kale, apple, cucumber and celery into small pieces. Put them in the blender.
Step 3. Incorporate the remaining ingredients
Add the shelled hemp seeds, frozen mango, mint leaves, coconut oil and ice cubes to the blender. Frozen mango is used to improve the texture of the smoothie, but you can also use fresh mango and add a few more ice cubes.
Step 4. Run the blender at full speed
After putting all the ingredients in the blender, turn it on at maximum power until you get a smooth result (the smoothie should not contain solid pieces or lumps). If it looks quite thick, pour in some water and keep blending.
Step 5. This smoothie is healthy, so it will do you great good
In fact, it contains around 17g of protein, 12g of fiber and is a rich source of vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. With these doses you will make about 3 glasses of smoothie. Pour it into a large glass or 2 medium glasses, so you can set it aside and drink it during a snack.
Method 2 of 4: Make a Bean Protein Shake
Step 1. Prepare the black beans
If you are using canned ones, measure 90g and put them in the blender. If you use dry ones instead, cook them and drain the excess water. You can cook them in a slow cooker or on the stove. Once ready, put them in the blender.
- Cooking the beans in a slow cooker allows for easier preparation, as you won't have to let them soak before cooking. Rinse them, put them in the pot, calculate 6 glasses of water for 500 g of beans and set it to the maximum temperature. Let them cook for 4-6 hours. Once cooked, drain the excess water and they will be ready for the smoothie.
- It may seem strange to use beans to make a smoothie, but actually this legume has a similar characteristic to spinach: when mixed with other ingredients, it has no flavor. Yet, despite its presence being almost imperceptible, it still offers many nutrients.
Step 2. Peel and cut the banana
Take a ripe one, peel it and cut it into discs. Put them in the blender. For a colder smoothie with a thick, creamy texture, you can use a frozen banana.
Step 3. Add the almond milk, hemp seeds and cocoa powder
Blend the ingredients at maximum speed until you get a smooth result. If you want an even more protein shake, replace almond milk with cow's milk containing 1% fat. This will give you 7g of extra protein.
Step 4. Enjoy the smoothie:
it will taste like chocolate. Offers around 17g of protein. If you substitute almond milk, you will get 24g of protein.
Method 3 of 4: Make a Nuts Protein Shake
Step 1. Add the soy milk, almond or peanut butter and chia seeds to the blender
If you substitute almond butter with peanut butter, make sure it's natural and doesn't contain added sugars or other additives.
Step 2. For an even tastier smoothie, add a banana, cocoa powder or agave syrup
If you want a sweeter or slightly more protein shake, use other ingredients to tweak it to your liking. You could incorporate a banana, a tablespoon of cocoa powder and a tablespoon of agave syrup.
Step 3. Blend the mixture at maximum speed and serve it
Blend the ingredients until you get a homogeneous result and drink the smoothie: it is a real panacea for health. It contains 18g of protein, while if you add other ingredients you will get 20g of protein.
Method 4 of 4: Make a Tofu Protein Shake
Step 1. Peel a frozen banana and cut it into discs
This will make it easier to mix it with the other ingredients. Put it in the blender jar.
Step 2. Pour the soy milk, tofu and peanut butter into the blender jug
Run it at full speed for about a minute - you should get a smooth result.
Tofu is great for enriching your smoothie because it contains a lot of protein, iron and calcium. Plus, it's low in calories. To use it, just take it out of the refrigerator and open the package
Step 3. Drink the smoothie:
it will give you numerous benefits. It allows you to get about 17g of protein, but is also a good source of vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.
Advice
- Use a high-quality blender that mixes the ingredients well.
- If you don't like the taste of the smoothie, you can change some ingredients. These recipes are simple suggestions, so almost all the ingredients can be changed to suit your taste.
- Eating a lot of protein isn't necessarily good for you. If you consume them in large quantities, you should combine them with regular physical activity.
