126 Calorie Purple Protein Smoothie

I whipped up this protein shake as a snack between homework and Pure Barre this afternoon - This protein shake only has 3 ingredients, and it has 7.5 grams of protein and 126 calories :)

This shake is also vegan, gluten free, and dairy free if you use Vega Protein powder.

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk - 40 cal

1/2 serving vanilla protein powder - 40 cal

1/2 cup frozen blueberries - 46 calories              

= 126 calories total

1. Combine all ingredients and blend until fully combined

2. Serve cold :)

75 Calorie Chocolate Mint Protein Shake

"So Delicious" makes some seriously delicious holiday flavored Coconut Milk drinks - one is Chocolate Mint flavored - this protein shake tastes really similar to that but it has the added benefit of protein!

Recipe:
1/2 serving chocolate protein powder - 45 calories
3/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - 30 calories
1/8 teaspoon Peppermint Extract                              
= 75 calories


1. Blend together all ingredients
2. Refrigerate or add ice cubes if desired

95 Calorie Apple Pie Protein Smoothie

Here's another protein smoothie recipe :) This one tasted fantastic in my opinion, I think the apple and cinnamon flavors worked really well with the Vanilla Vega protein powder 

Using half a serving of the Vega Protein powder gives this protein smoothie 7.5 grams of protein and a full serving of vegetables :)

This is also gluten free, dairy free, and vegan!

Recipe:

4 tablespoons Unsweetened Apple Sauce - 25 calories

3/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - 30 calories

1/2 serving Vanilla Protein Powder(1/2 scoop, or half of a single serve packet) - 40 calories

1/2-3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon                                                   

= 95 calories total

1. Freeze Applesauce in an ice cube tray over night
2. Put apple sauce cubes, almond milk, protein powder and cinnamon in the blender
3. Blend until smooth - it may take 1 or 2 minutes for your apple sauce cubes to fully blend if your blender is like mine
4. Serve cold :)

100 Calorie Pumpkin Protein Smoothie

For my next protein smoothie experiment I decided to make a Pumpkin Pie-inspired smoothie. My blender doesn't blend regular ice cubes very well so I made Pumpkin Puree ice cubes over night - I put about 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree into each ice cube section, they froze pretty quickly so you could probably put them in the freezer for just a few hours instead of overnight

I used the Vega Protein Powder (not the VegaOne all-in-one mix) - it tasted very similar to the VegaOne all-in-one, but it has less calories and it doesn't have all of the other added vitamins - this is the lowest calorie protein powder of the ones I bought to try - and it it is plant-based so it is Vegan :)

This Protein Smoothie has 100 Calories, and it is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegan!

Recipe:

1/2 Packet of Vanilla Protein Powder (a half scoop) - 40 calories
1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - 40 calories
1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree(frozen into cubes) - 20 calories
1/8 teaspoon Allspice, 1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon Cloves (or sub all for Pumpkin Pie Spice)
= 100 Calories

1. Freeze Pumpkin Puree in an ice cube tray overnight - if you skip this step you will want to refrigerate your shake before drinking it, or add some ice cubes to the blender

2. Put almond milk, spices, protein powder, and pumpkin in the blender

3. Blend until smooth - enjoy cold :)

107 Calorie Chocolate Strawberry Protein Smoothie

I started drinking Protein Smoothies last year when I got the NutriBullet on sale at Macy's - since then my mom bought the Ninja and I must say I think that the Ninja works better because it is a more powerful blender, but it does take up more counter space so the NutriBullet is a good option if you don't want a bulky blender and are just looking to make single serving smoothies.

I don't like to eat/cook a lot of meat so Protein Smoothies are a good way for me to get more protein in my diet - especially early in the day because I have them for breakfast. I used to use Whey Protein - and although I have read mixed findings on whether or not it affects those who are lactose intolerant, I have decided to try some other varieties of protein powder in order to find which one works best for me. I bought single-serve packets of a few different types at Whole Foods - these are great if you aren't sure if you like protein powder or if you don't know which type you like best, because you don't have to invest in a large tub of a protein powder that you may end up disliking - I have found that different types and brands can have very different flavors/textures.

The first one I tried was the Egg White Protein in Chocolate Flavor - yesterday I blended half of the packet up with some Almond Milk(90 calories total) - it was just ok, it didn't taste great or terrible, but it DEFINITELY is important to drink this cold (otherwise it is gross) so I chilled mine in the fridge for a few hours after I blended it up and ended up having it as an after-class/pre-workout snack.

I was a little more creative with the second half of the packet - I made a Chocolate Strawberry Protein Shake - this has a few more calories(17.5 cal - from the strawberries) but I think it tastes much better than the plain protein powder and almond milk combination, the strawberries add a true sweetness that covers the fake sweetener taste you can get from the protein powder. The egg white protein worked well in this, it turned out very creamy, almost more like a milkshake than a smoothie.

This Protein shake is Gluten free, dairy free, and vegetarian :)

Recipe:

1/2 a Packet of Chocolate Flavored Protein Powder(or half a scoop) - 60 Calories (Egg White Protein)

3/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk - 30 calories

1/4 Cup Frozen Strawberries - 17.5 calories                           

= 107.5 calories

1. Add Frozen strawberries to the bottom of your blender cup (slice them if your blender doesn't blend super well)

2. Pour the protein powder on top of the strawberries, then add the Almond milk

3. Blend until smooth - enjoy cold!