Not Enough Protein

I read somewhere not too long ago that we should be getting approx. 75% of our body weight in protein. So if you're 130lbs, you should be getting 97.5g of protein every day. If you're 200lbs, you should be getting 150g of protein. That's a lot of protein but it's good for you.

• Builds lean muscle.
• Helps burn fat.
• Keeps you full longer. And better than other not so healthy choices. 

But the sad reality is many of us don't get enough of it. Or have no clue just where you can get it, naturally.

I'm like many of those. Sure I know meat (fish, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, eggs...huge protein.) But you can only eat so much meat.

The answer?

An extra boost of protein everyday?

Protein shakes.

I have grown to love these babies. And you can make them incredibly good. So good, in fact, how can they possibly be good for you?

You can add essentially anything into a protein shake. Ice cream, for example. Maybe not a great choice, but yummy nonetheless.

I don't add ice cream to my shakes.

Try this the next time you find it hard to swallow down the protein poorly blended in water or milk because you're in a hurry.

In a blender, add 1 scoop of your favourite protein powder.
1/2 cup of water or partly skimmed milk.
1/2 cup of yogurt (any flavour will work)
1/2 cup to 1 cup of frozen fruit (or fresh fruit works, too. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries.)
1 banana
A handful of spinach (fresh or frozen)
A handful of kale
A handful of swiss chard
1 T of peanut butter

(Note: I don't always add peanut butter but without it, the leafy greens can have a bit of an unpalatable aftertaste. So to avoid wanting to scrape your tongue, do it. Or don't add the leafy greens. But they're good for you.)

Put the lid on the blender. This is an important step if you don't want to be cleaning shake off the walls and cupboards. Press blend on the blender. (A child's finger works best for this. especially if they're almost 5 and want to help all the time, because really we couldn't push the button ourselves...not THAT early in the morning. If you don't happen to have one, your index finger works just fine.)

You may need to stop and smoosh down the leafy stuff so it blends. Or maybe that's just my blender.

Blend until...well...until it's blended. There's no magic number for this. You can tell.

Pour into a glass and enjoy. (Don't forget the 5 yr old's serving as well or you'll never hear the end of it.)

Many variations can be made so the shake is great.

Use your judgment.

It doesn't have to taste gross to be good for you.