Healthy Workout Recipes: How To Make Your Own Meal Replacement Protein Shake

I'm on a pretty simple diet plan.  Oatmeal for breakfast.  Not some flavored, sugared, pre-mixed stuff.  I make a half-cup of old-style rolled oats, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.  Most days, I'll put half a banana in.  Later in the day, I use the other half-banana (see below).  About an hour later, when I'm leaving for work in the morning, I might eat a slice of whole-grain wheat bread with a little honey drizzled over it.  My first job of the day is only 5 hours, so usually there'll be no food after breakfast until I'm done exercising.  After exercising, I make my shake, then move on to my other jobs.

It's not a complicated schedule, or super-scientific diet.  But it works for me.  I stick to it pretty well, for the most part.  Not perfectly, but if I'm craving something, I usually go for it.  Trying to ignore the cravings just means a bigger binge later.

When I come home from work, I usually exercise for 30-40 minutes.  After a good workout, especially during the hot summer months, my body needs to replace a lot of fluids and nutrients.  A protein shake is a good way to replenish quickly.

My last meal of the day has the most relaxed rules.  I'll eat most anything Monique cooks, which is usually pretty healthy.  Portion control is the biggest issue here.  Sometimes it's so good I eat more than absolutely necessary. 

When I was single, trying to eat healthy, and not spend too much time preparing meals, I often threw everything into one frying pan.  It didn't always work, but one recipe actually turned out pretty well.  It's a very healthy and simple meal involving fish, broccoli, and rice.  (Hub coming soon!)

Let's get back to the protein shake.  Below is my favorite recipe.  I used to just buy meal replacement drinks.  To be honest, at best they don't taste great, and at worst, they're just foul.  This recipe tastes pretty good.

Basically, this recipe is everything healthy and high in protein that I can easily fit in the blender.  It replenishes the body after a good workout, and I love the taste.  Feel free to modify however you like.  If you find a particularly tasty variation that you like, please share it with everybody in a comment!

Designed to fill a normal full-sized kitchen glass (about 8 ounces, as shown in picture)

1/3 cup of Milk
I like to use Lactaid Fat-free, Lactose-free milk
26 calories, 3g protein, 4g carbs, plus small amounts of Vitamin A and Calcium

1 Extra Large Raw Egg
I know, people worry about Salmonella.  But the risk is much lower than you'd think... If you want details, visit The Story On Raw Eggs.
I've been eating raw eggs for the last 10 years, with never a problem.
So, what does it do for me?  I read something years ago that's always stuck in my head.  "Every (chicken) egg contains the tools to create an entire baby bird from scratch."  I don't remember the source any longer, but it's a very striking thought.  Yes, I know there's a lot of fat in an egg.  No, I'm not going into all the pros vs cons of fat.  That's a whole hub unto itself! 
85 Calories, 7g protein, 1/2g carbs.  6g fat.  Small amounts of Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, and a whole grocery list of other benefits.

1 Tablespoon of Yogurt
Any flavor is fine, but I usually choose Vanilla, and prefer fat-free.  Monique prefers natural sweeteners over artificial, so usually we shop for one large container that both of us like.  There's a lot of different kinds, each with it's own nutritional differences.  But for a reference point, here's what I usually get:
09 calories, 1 g protein, 1 g carbs.  Small amounts of vitamin C, B12, Calcium, Zinc and Iron, plus other benefits.

Whey from top of Yogurt:
While I'm getting the yogurt, if there's any whey, I'll pour that in, too.  (What's whey?  It's the clear liquid that sometimes forms on top of yogurt, and it's good for you.)

1 Half Banana
Keep in mind, not all bananas are the same size, so the actual numbers are just estimates.  Bananas are full of Potassium, which is a good thing if you get muscle cramps.  Good amounts of fiber as well.  I usually use smallish bananas, and what I can't eat before it goes bad, gets peeled, put in a plastic bag, and frozen.  You can grab a frozen half-banana in the next protein shake, the blender makes quick work of it!
100 Calories, 1g protein, 25 carbs.  Small amounts Vitamin A, C. 


1 Teaspoon Smooth Peanut Butter
This isn't so much because it's good for you, I just like the taste.  The flavor blends in well and make the shake taste better. 
31 calories, 1g protein, 1g carbs, 2.7g fat.

1/4 scoop Protein Powder
I measure this by the scoop, because the powder I buy comes with a small scoop included.  The exact numbers will vary depending on what kind you buy.  I usually get Whey protein, and whatever brand seems good at the time.  I recommend Vanilla, because you can add any flavoring you choose and it blends well.  Other flavors don't always blend so well.
30 calories, 6g protein, less than 1g carbs, and about half a gram of fat.  About 3% daily Calcium requirements.

Things I may add to the protein shake depending on mood:

Coconut water
Think "Gatorade" on steroids. It's the best electrolyte replenisher in the natural world, with a myriad of other benefits. Monique froze some for me as ice cubes, and I kill two birds with one stone by adding 2 cubes of frozen coconut water.

1 Teaspoon Honey
Why add this? For the sweetness. Normally, it gets left out, but if I have a sweet tooth that day, a little bit goes a long way.
21 calories, 0g protein, 6g carbs, 0g fat.

Black Coffee
I sometimes add a bit of plain old coffee for the caffeine and the flavor. Not enough to really include anything significant to the drink. Just that, sometime I want a little coffee mixed in.
As long as you don't throw in sweeteners or other things to your coffee, it doesn't really add many calories to the mix.

Ice Cubes
A couple of ice cubes give it a little more crisp coolness. If I used a frozen banana, I skip this. As mentioned above, sometimes coconut water frozen as ice cubes does double duty.

Any fruit that sounds good:
If you think it'll taste good blended in, try it. Pretty much every fruit I've ever tried has tasted good in a protein shake.

In Total:

26 calories, 3g protein, 4g carbs
85 Calories, 7g protein, 1/2g carbs.  6g fat.  
09 calories, 1 g protein, 1 g carbs.  
100 Calories, 1g protein, 25 carbs.  
31 calories, 1g protein, 1g carbs, 3g fat.
30 calories, 6g protein, less than 1g carbs, and about half a gram of fat.

281 Calories, 19g protein, 32g carbs, 9g fat

On the days I exercise (nearly every day), this is my normal after-exercise meal.  This is a good time to take your daily supplements, as well.  The shake will make them go down easier.  Within 30 minutes of exercising is a great time to have the shake- it's when the body most needs to rapidly absorb lost nutrients.

Bear in mind, I'm trying to lose weight while staying fit.  On my current diet, the weight loss is about 6 pounds per month.  That's not much, but it's safe.  I try to weigh myself every day or three, just to make sure everything's still on track.  If your goals are different, you might want to adjust the recipe some.

This shake is pretty equivalent to most meal-replacement drinks, with the added advantage that it tastes good!