One of the things I love best about summer is the availability of fresh fruit. It’s a great addition to my protein shakes, making them light and refreshing. For summer shakes, I usually stick with a vanilla-based protein powder (I like Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion Probiotic Series) because the taste blends well with fruit. I also add a scoop Vitacost BCAAs, which has added L-glutamine and vitamin C.
Here are some of my favorite shake recipes. Enjoy!
Watermelon-Orange Shake
Makes 1 serving
2 cups watermelon
3 orange segments, peeled
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 scoop BCAA powder
Ice
Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
Pineapple-Coconut Smoothie
Makes 2 servings
¾ cup fat-free milk
½ cup light coconut milk
1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1- ½ cups ice
8 oz. fresh pineapple
1 small banana
1 6-oz. container plain Greek yogurt
2 scoops protein powder
2 scoops BCAA powder
Pour milk, coconut milk and pineapple juice into blender. Add ice, pineapple, banana, yogurt, protein and BCAA. Cover and blend on high for about a minute.
Kiwi-Strawberry Shake
Makes 2 servings
1- ½ cups fresh strawberries
2 ripe kiwi, peeled and quartered
1 cup low-fat milk, almond milk or soymilk
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
2 scoops BCAA powder
1 tsp. vanilla stevia
1 tsp. honey
Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
Southern States Championships top contender Melissa Transou, a figure competitor, wife and mother, blogs about the unique sports nutrition needs of female athletes exclusively for Vitacost.com.