In the past, I have posted a bunch of different smoothie recipes with varying levels of protein. Most of you know I make one almost everyday, so I like to switch things up so it doesn’t get boring.
I have been doing this bootcamp for the past few weeks and decided that since I was working out a lot, I would try out some protein powder and see if that made any difference in my energy level/muscle development.
As a woman, I was a little skeptical about consuming whey protein. I had alway heard that women body builders and men were really the only ones that used whey protein and it made me a little nervous that it was going to “bulk” me up too much. I really only want to tone so gaining too much muscle mass was not really what I wanted. But, I figured I would give it a try and then let you all know how I made out.
After doing lot’s of research on the different brands of whey, I narrowed it down to two brands I wanted to try. One is called Designer Whey and the other is called Terra’s Whey. I decided on purchasing the Terra’s Whey in the vanilla flavor first and seeing how that one worked.
On the first morning I made a protein shake with the Terra’s Whey and then I went running 30 minutes after drinking it. I felt really good during my run. I had a lot of energy and felt like I didn’t get as tired as I normally get. I’m not sure if that was whey related or just the fact that running is getting easier for me because I’m doing it a lot more frequently. Either way, I noticed a difference in my energy level after I drank the protein shake.
The next time I drank a shake was about an hour before a bootcamp class. This time, I definitely had more energy and didn’t feel hungry at all for like a solid 4 hours (which is a long time for me since I eat like every 2 hours).
I have been drinking these shakes now for about a week now and haven’t noticed too much of a difference in my muscle mass. I have been doing a lot of weight training so I am definitely developing more muscle, but I haven’t noticed any big changes from the whey protein. I will definitely keep you all updated. But for now, if you are considering adding some additional protein to your diet, I would highly recommend the Terra’s Whey protein powder. It tastes really great blended up into a smoothie and definitely has some added benefits!
Here is the recipe for the shake I have been drinking everyday for about a week:
1/2 cup unsweetened almond/coconut milk blend
1/2 banana
1/2 cup frozen berry blend (mine has blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
1 Tbl Better’n Peanut Butter (regular is fine or even PB2)
2 Tbl flax seeds
1 level scoop of Terra’s Whey Protein Powder
2 packets of organic stevia (agave or honey or any natural sweetener would work here too)
4-6 ice cubes
Place all ingredients into the blender and blend on high until smooth.
** Anyone living in the Naples area who is interested in coming to the bootcamp I attend, let me know!! I will give you all the details! It is taught by the AMAZING David Simmons and I know you will ALL love it if you come to a class! He offers classes all the time and they are a ton of fun!
You can also follow him on Facebook for details and information about his classes!
The Hungry Table 