Soy and whey protein powders can leave an aftertaste that many people looking to boost their protein intake don't want. With a blender and an assortment of high protein ingredients, it is not difficult to make protein drinks without using powder. Try a few of the tips below and experiment with the ingredients to make shakes that you will love to drink on a regular basis.
Instructions
1. Vary the base you use to make shakes. Nonfat milk alone brings about 9 grams of protein to the drink, while soy milk typically has about 7 grams. Yogurt offers a thicker base as well as a variation on the taste. Keep in mind that 8 oz. of nonfat yogurt adds at least 13 grams of protein to the shake.
2. Use cottage cheese to thicken the shake. Note that 1 cup of large curd, low-fat cottage cheese has 28 grams of protein and mixes well with a variety of vegetables that contain additional protein, such as beets or broccoli. For a sweeter tasting shake, mix the cottage cheese with protein-rich bananas, walnuts or pumpkin.
3. Try adding peanut butter to a shake. Measure out the high-protein food by tablespoons and make sure to have enough liquid in the form of milk or soy milk to whip the heavy peanut butter. Know that 1 tbsp. of peanut butter is enough for a 16 oz. shake and will provide 5 grams of protein. Run the blender on high and stop to scrape the sides of the blender to make sure that you get all the protein from the peanut butter.
4. Add flavor and sweetness to your cottage cheese or plain milk shakes with sugar-free pudding mix. In addition to bringing more flavors to the shake, 1 tsp. of pudding mix will help to thicken a shake. Chocolate pudding goes well with most fruit shakes and vanilla pudding tastes good with vegetable shakes.
5. Include 1/2 cup of cooked or plain oats to a shake for a healthy dose of complex carbohydrates and 3 grams of protein. Oats go well with peanut butter shakes as well as fruit and vegetable concoctions. Uncooked oats provide a nuttier taste to the shake.
6. Put raw eggs in any shake for additional protein. One egg has 6 grams of protein and only adds 75 calories to the mix. Separate the yolk before adding it to the drink to save on calories. The egg white still provides about half of the protein from the egg.
Tags: grams protein, peanut butter, cottage cheese, well with, about grams, additional protein