One of the problems that I see with smoothie recipes on the internet is that they’re needlessly complicated. They’re complicated for the sake of coming up with something original, and therefore something worth writing an article about.
While you may be able to knock points off on these recipes for lack of originality, you can’t knock me off points for the simplicity, ease, cost-effectiveness, and, most important, taste. (Well, at least, most important to me.)
And these exact recipes have helped dozens of people lose fat, build muscle, and feel better. After all, healthy smoothies have a ton of benefits.
But first, why the focus on protein?
While both carbohydrates and fats have taken turns getting lambasted in the popular health and fitness media, protein has enjoyed a steady rise to prominence.
And rightfully so. We need protein and the amino acids it’s made from to power countless bodily functions. We need it to recover from training, to maintain muscle if we’re trying to lose fat, to build muscle if we’re trying to build muscle. Protein even helps keep us satiated, making it important for a morning breakfast smoothie, compared to the other two macronutrients.
As a general rule, I encourage people to get at least 30g of protein in every meal. And that includes smoothies. For many of us (and I’m part of this group), a smoothie for breakfast keeps me from eating something crappy like cereal or from spending my whole damn morning making a fancy breakfast.
It helps us form the habit of a healthy breakfast, and keeping it simple is an important step to building sustainable habits.
Often, smoothies use fruit bases, and neglect protein. Today I want to give you three simple smoothie recipes to remedy that. And, the recipe is malleable based on your favorite flavors.
When you keep it simple, it turns out, it’s harder to mess up, and easier to make something that tastes great. In contrast, you don’t want a smoothie recipe with 28 ingredients that tastes like crap if you accidentally put in too much kale.
(No hate on kale. I love kale. I just don’t love it in my protein smoothie.)
Unless you want to turn your kitchen into an overpriced juice bar, I recommend that you stick with something easy.
General Instructions
I’ve never questioned the all-knowing instructions on my blender, which advocate for the liquid base first, followed by non-frozen ingredients, then frozen ingredients. It works, so let’s stick with that.
All smoothie’s should start with about 6 oz of water. If you add too much, the texture will be off. It’s easier to add too little water than too much. If you don’t add enough, and it’s too thick, you can just add a splash of water and re-blend it for a few seconds. But it’s a lot harder to give a smoothie with too much water that smooth, creamy texture again.
So.
- Add 6oz of water
- Add the protein base
- Add the nut butter or yogurt
- Add the not-frozen fruit
- Add the frozen fruit
- Add the ice (if necessary)
You can also use milk or milk substitutes, but water keeps it simple.
With this in mind, let’s get into the actual smoothies.
Protein Powder + Nut Butter + Fruit
This is the go-to smoothie as a meal replacement.
First let’s talk about the protein powder. Get chocolate or vanilla. Both flavors keep it simple and will reliably taste good with any combination of nut butters and fruits. Only after you’ve successfully made smoothies with these two flavors should you venture into more complicated territory.
If you’re wondering which protein powder is the best, the answer of course is, it depends. Ten years ago, I would have cautioned you against many products, because whey protein powders used to be loaded with sugar. Now, most have less than 2 grams of sugar.
Many more of them also taste much better than they used to. Vegan protein powders typically don’t mix as well, or taste as good, so unless you’re avoiding dairy products, find a protein powder that tastes really good and that is cGMP (good manufacturing practices) certified. This ensures that it’s been third-party tested, since supplements don’t have regulations like other foods.
A better-tasting protein means you’ll look forward to taking it, and that’s more important than whether it has 1g of sugar or 3g of sugar.
I love nut butter. I could eat it out of a jar. (Sometimes I do.) For me peanut or almond butter makes just about every smoothie more delicious. It also provides a protein boost. Your average 2-tablespoon serving of nut butter contains about 7 grams of protein. This holds up across an array of nut butters, and I recommend going with whichever kind you like best. Personally, I rotate between peanut and almond.
For those trying to gain muscle, or eat in a calorie-surplus for whatever reason, you can squeeze a lot of calories into your smoothie by adding more nut butter. If you’re trying to limit calories, you can add just one tablespoon, instead of two.
Then, fruit. You can get fancy here and go for exotic fruits. But the basics work. If you choose two of the following three, that provides you with many combinations for different smoothies with zero risk that it doesn’t taste delicious.
- Banana
- Blueberry
- Strawberry
If you want to mix it up, as you will from time to time, any berry (blackberry, raspberry), cherry, pineapple, mango, all taste great in chocolate or vanilla protein. Sure, some combos are better than others, but they’re all good. Yes, even a chocolate pineapple strawberry smoothie tastes surprisingly delicious, especially if you’ve had a vanilla, banana, and blueberry smoothie 39 days in a row.
If none of your fruit is frozen, you will want to add 2-4 ice cubes. I have no science for this, it’s more of an intuition after making thousands of smoothies. If all of your fruit is frozen, you won’t need any ice cubes. In fact, it might be too thick. If this is the case, add a splash of water and your problem will be solved.
Ice cubes and water are your two variables to play with texture, but you’ll need something frozen going into every smoothie, otherwise it’s warm, which is gross.
A lot of these rules will apply to our other smoothies too, but we’ll vary the ingredients based on your needs and goals.
Protein + Greek Yogurt + Fruit
This smoothie is for those who either hate nut butter or are trying to get in a high-protein smoothie with fewer calories. The nut butter, as I mentioned, will rack it up because of the high fat content.
For yogurt, either go with plain or vanilla, ideally unsweetened. That way it won’t ruin the taste of the smoothie. Plus, a cup of greek yogurt has 10 grams of protein, so you’re getting the protein (and probiotics and some other goodness) without many extra calories.
As for texture, I’ve learned that yogurt compared to nut butter will make the smoothie a bit more runny. So use more ice or frozen fruit in this smoothie. And again, don’t use too much water.
Yogurt + Nut Butter + Fruit
Finally, if you’re avoiding protein powders for whatever reason, you can still make a protein-packed smoothie without it.
Add two cups of yogurt, for 20g of protein and two tablespoons of peanut butter, giving your smoothie a solid 27g, plus a few residual grams from the fruit.
In this smoothie try to use frozen fruit. I’ve found it compliments the texture of yogurt much better. A pro tip on frozen fruit is to buy a ton of bananas at once, then once they’re the perfect ripeness, freeze a pile of them. But before you freeze them, cut them up, as they’re much easier on your blender and easier for you.
That’s really it. I think in today’s world, we’re often sold this version of “healthy eating” as reserved for those who either…
- Are world-class chefs
- Have the patience to learn complicated recipes
- Can afford $11 smoothies every day from juice shops.
The reality is that none of this is true. It’s all fitness marketing crap. Solid training, getting quality sleep wins out. On the nutrition side, the basics, like eating quality protein and plenty of fruits and vegetables, are often inexpensive, simple, and yes, delicious.
Author Bio
David Rosales is a writer and personal trainer. He’s worked with hundreds of people, from middle schoolers to NCAA and professional ice hockey players. He’s the head trainer at Roman Fitness Systems. Originally from Vermont, David lives in New York City and studies at New York University’s Gallatin School. He loves books, pop-punk music, Vermont maple syrup, and heavy split squats.
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