A culinary genius I am not, but one thing I am dead serious about is finding innovative ways to get my sweet fix, sans guilt and midsection expansion. I can create magic with a canister of Hershey’s Special Dark Baking Cocoa and tub of Protein Powder!
“GASP, you use Hershey’s?!?!” you say? Yes, I get gasps, glares and eye-rolls…but yes, I do use Hershey’s, and I use it often. Some may question and even scoff at my concoctions because they contain some ingredients that aren’t 100% organic, unprocessed, omega “clean” or something you would expect a “nutritionist” to consume.
My response to said scoffing is two-fold. You need to consider what your primary goals are—then you have to pick your poison. My goal is to maintain my current weight, while not hating life and people and remain healthy.
In my experience, eating a “perfectly healthy diet” has always left me with about 5-10 extra pounds on my vertically challenged frame. On the other end of the spectrum, eating solely to achieve a leaner, more bikini-friendly physique lands me with chronic fatigue, breakouts, frequent cold viruses and a crotchety, cantankerous attitude. And of course being a slave to my tastebuds alone, not only lead me to fatigue, breakouts, frequent cold viruses and a crotchety, cantankerous attitude; it also leads to me expand horizontally at a very rapid pace.
Over the course of my 42 year career as a human, I have tried an infinite number of approaches to appeasing my tastebuds as well as my desire to look cute in a pair of jeans and be physically healthy. I have failed numerous times with varying approaches—but my failures have enabled me to figure out what does work. It’s all about balance and compromise. That is not to be confused with “moderation”. For those of you who are truly capable of moderation, you are the lucky one’s who can drink a real milkshake or down a concrete from time to time without spiraling into a compulsive eating roller coaster ride—reeking havoc on your health, physique and sanity. I am not one of those lucky one’s—so balance and compromise have proven to be the key for myself.
The food choices you make need to be in line with your goals. If your primary goal is to shed 20lbs or more, my suggestion is—consume most of your protein shakes with water or unsweetened almond milk and learn to appreciate the flavor as-is until you are closer to your desired weight. That being said, if you are on the verge of an all-out binge on Ted Drew’s Custard, or something of the like, I say you give one of these recipes a whirl first! Additionally, the following recipes are not your usual post-workout shakes, unless you are looking to put on a little bulk, or are genetically bless with a high metabolism. These recipes are reserved for when you want something on the decadent side but don’t want to trigger sugar cravings or sabotage all your efforts to get fit.
OK, so here they are!
I’ve put what brand of products I find to be the best, but you can play around with these recipes to find what works best for you and what blends best with your preferred brand of shake.
.:Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter AMAZINGNESS:.
This is my PMS go-to!
In this order, throw these ingredients in your blender:
- Handful of Ice
- Unsweetened Almond Milk – fill pitcher until it reaches 350ml
- 1 Serving Chocolate Protein Powder
- 1tbs Hershey’s Special Dark Unsweetened Baking Cocoa
- 1tbs Natural Peanut Butter
Blend and ENJOY!
If you want to kick it up a notch, add a few Cacao Nibs for some crunch!
Modification for weight-loss goals:
- Sub peanut butter with PB2 or any unsweetened, powdered peanut flour.
- Sub almond milk with water
- Skip cacao nibs
.:Oatmeal Cookie Dream:.
This is the perfect post-workout indulgence!
In this order, throw these ingredients in your blender:
Handful of Ice
- Unsweetened Almond Milk – fill pitcher until it reaches 350ml
- 1 Serving Vanilla Protein Powder
- 1tbs Old Wessex Oat Bran (this particular brand/product will also work well in a shaker bottle)
- 1/2tsp Trader Joe’s Alcohol-Free Vanilla Extract
- 1tbs McCormick Cinnamon
- 1tsp Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie Spice
Blend and ENJOY!
You can also add a few raisins for extra yumminess and more carbs for a post-workout meal…but they do tend to settle at the bottom, so it’s best to consume it with a spoon if you do.
Modification for weight-loss goals:
- Sub Oat Bran with Quinoa Flakes—and ONLY consume this shake following a hard strength training session. This would count as a meal
- Sub almond milk with water
- Skip the raisins!
.:Thin Mint Fantasy:.
If you LOVE Girl Scout’s Thin Mint Cookies, this is your new happy place!
In this order, throw these ingredients in your blender:
- Handful of Ice
- Unsweetened Almond Milk – fill pitcher until it reaches 350ml
- 1 Serving Chocolate Protein Powder
- 1tbs Hershey’s Special Dark Unsweetened Baking Cocoa
- 1/4-1/2tsp Frontier Organic Alcohol-Free Peppermint Oil
If you want to kick it up a notch, add a few Cacao Nibs for some crunch!
Modification for weight-loss goals:
- Sub almond milk with water
- Skip cacao nibs
.:Pumpkin Pie Shake:.
For the lover of Pumkin Flavored EVERYTHING!
In this order, throw these ingredients in your blender:
- Handful of Ice
- Unsweetened Almond Milk – fill pitcher until it reaches 350ml
- 1tbs Old Wessex Oat Bran (this particular brand/product will also work well in a shaker bottle)
- 2tbs Unsweetened Pumpkin Pie Puree
- 1/2tsp Trader Joe’s Alcohol-Free Vanilla Extract
- 1tbs McCormick Cinnamon
- 1tsp Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie Spice
Blend and ENJOY!
Modification for weight-loss goals:
- Skip Oat Bran or sub with Quinoa Flakes—and ONLY consume this shake following a hard strength training session. This would count as a meal
- Sub almond milk with water