Shamrock Shake

  • Yield: 1 serving
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time: 10 minutes

On March 17th, everyone is Irish no matter what their country of origin! If you can’t party because of your diet, this delicious Shamrock Shake will allow you to join in the festivities without trashing your fitness goals. You can now politely pass up the green hamburger on the green bun, the green beer, and all of the other guilt-riddled green things in favor of something that tastes just as good (and is just as green)—a mouthwatering green protein shake!

If you are battening down the hatches and going after your goals really hard right now with a strict diet, leave off the whipped cream and sprinkles. One trusted brand does make a sugar-free whipped cream that I have yet to try (but, it may be an option for you). When your diet calls for more carbs than I’ve included in my shake, feel free to add a scoop of neutral-flavored Karbolyn.

You can get sugar-free Irish Cream flavoring syrup at specialty stores or online. If you wish to use regular Irish Cream coffee flavoring, just beware it may have some pesky calories or corn syrup. There are a few great-looking recipes online to make your own sugar-free Irish cream, but I’m going to spare you the effort and do it the easy way by just using the ready-made store-bought syrup. You can color the shake one of two ways: I used regular food coloring bought from the baking section in the supermarket. If you don’t want to use regular food coloring, you can find organic food coloring online or at a health food store, or you can use spinach leaves. Spinach leaves are nice because they don’t have too much flavor but are packed with color and vitamins.

Ingredients:

  • 1 serving of any kind of EFX Sports Training Ground protein, it’s all good! (I used Protein 6)
  • Food coloring of choice: beware—spinach adds a whopping 10-20 calories! (Don’t worry, it’s mostly fiber)
  • Irish cream sugar-free syrup 1 tray of Ice cubes
  • Neutral flavored Karbolyn, if desired
  • 1 cup of liquid of choice (I use water, but you can also use unsweetened almond milk, it adds 30 calories)
  • Whipped cream, if desired
  • Green sprinkles—they have actual Shamrock sprinkles at art supply stores (also optional)
  • 1 packet of stevia sweetener

Directions:

Put everything in the blender. All flavoring syrups are different, so you may want to err on the ‘less is more’ side at first and only use a little. Blend and taste. Then, add more until it tastes the way you want. If you are using green food coloring, it may take a few squirts to get the desired level of ‘greenness’. If you are using spinach leaves to color your shake, let the shake settle before pouring it into a cup so you don’t get ‘leaf chunks’ in your last sip. Ick! Pouring it through a strainer will help too. Top with whipped cream and sprinkles if desired. May you experience the luck of the Irish and find yourself some sweet muscle gains at the end of the rainbow!

Nutrition:

Regular (without toppings):

130 calories
1g fat
2g carbs
26g protein

With Karbolyn:
330 calories
1g fat
52g carbs
26g protein

Healthy French Toast

  • Yield: 1 Serving
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 slices Sprouted grain bread or Paleo Almond Bread (Paleo Bread has 1g net carb)
½ cup liquid egg whites
Sugar-free Maple syrup if desired
1 tsp Cinnamon
Natural Sweetener of choice (We use Monk Fruit, Stevia, or Erythritol; these usually come in green or orange packets)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Let’s make some delicious Healthy French Toast. First, pour egg substitute into a shallow bowl or high-sided plate. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 packet sweetener, and ½ tsp cinnamon, whip with a fork. Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray, put the pan to warm for 1 minute on medium heat. Dredge bread slices in egg mixture then put in the pan. Cook until golden brown on each side, then put on a plate, add a small amount of sugar-free syrup and the other ½ tsp cinnamon.

Using Paleo Almond Bread:

Calories: 213
Protein: 20g
Fat: 6g
Carbs: 13g
Fiber: 5g

Using Sprouted Grain Bread:

Calories: 253
Protein: 17g
Fat: 1.5g
Carbs: 13g
Fiber: 3g

Banana Nut Protein Muffins

  • Yield: 6 Muffins
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Time: 30 minutes

Here is a fun and easy Banana Nut Protein Muffins recipe that will give you great post-workout fuel along with protein! These are some wonderfully moist and delicious muffins that you can take to work, throw in your gym bag, or give to the kids. They are a crowd-pleaser for those who want something sweet and nutty without any added sugars or high fructose corn syrup. They are really good for breakfast and to have with coffee, or a guilt-free snack in between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner.

I cannot tell you how convenient it is to have a bunch of muffins like this pre-made! They are there just when you need them—when you are “angry” and about to eat something stupid and what do you know? There they are!

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup rolled or quick oats, or oat flour or Gluten-Free oat flour
  • 1 large ripe banana
  • ¾ cup egg whites
  • 2 scoops vanilla EFX Sports Pure Whey
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ¼ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ cup granular baking stevia that measures like sugar
  • 2 oz. walnuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin really well with nonstick spray. Peel the banana and put it in a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients except the walnuts. Mash it all up with a potato masher, and then mix it with a hand mixer until all of the lumps are gone. Stir in the walnuts with a spoon—you can save 6 of the prettiest walnuts for the tops of the muffins if you care about that sort of thing. Spoon the mixture into each of the muffin molds and if you saved the nice-looking walnuts, place one on top of the mixture on each muffin. Bake for 20 minutes. Poke one with a knife and if it comes out clean, it’s ready to be enjoyed!

Nutrition:

Calories: 188 each
Fat: 7.6 g
Carbs: 15.3 g
Fiber: 2.28 g
Protein: 15 g

Salted Caramel Protein Oatmeal

  • Yield: 1 serving
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time: 15 minutes

After making this once, I am a total addict. I have eaten Salted Caramel Protein Oatmeal EVERY SINGLE MORNING for the past week. It’s so darn mouthwatering that I almost can’t handle writing about it! Sorry about the outburst but this oatmeal is positively DIVINE. This is one of the reasons I look forward to waking up in the morning! I have always been a fan of sweet and salty together, and this recipe works it to the fullest.

You can make this as salty (or not) as you want. I like it moderately salty without overdoing it. Using Himalayan pink salt or Celtic salt is wise because both types have many health benefits, and they contain 60-80 different minerals the body needs. Many people think salt is evil and the worst thing on the planet for your heart; there is a grain of truth to that—pun intended! This is because many people eat way too much processed food, which contains entirely too much sodium. If you don’t eat processed foods or cook with salt, you should go ahead and use it to flavor your food. The human body requires sodium to function, so have it in moderation.

Ingredients:

  • 1 scoop of EFX Sports vanilla Pure Whey
  • ½ cup oatmeal or gluten-free oats
  • 1 cup of water (or amount needed according to your oatmeal’s cooking directions)
  • 1 tsp. extra virgin coconut oil
  • 1-2 tbsp. sugar or calorie-free caramel syrup
  • ¼- ½ tsp. Himalayan pink salt or Celtic salt

Directions:

Cook oatmeal according to directions on the package of the type or oatmeal you have. Different types of oatmeal have different cooking times. Once it is finished cooking add in the coconut oil and protein, and stir well. You can add the caramel syrup and salt and mix it all in or serve it poured on top for looks! It doesn’t get much easier than that to enjoy such a wonderful and highly addictive breakfast. I’ll see you at the next OAA meeting (Oatmeal Addict’s Anonymous).

Nutrition:

Calories: 290
Protein: 29 g
Fat: 5 g
Carbs: 31 g
Fiber: 2g

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake

So here I don’t exactly get an A for originality, but this shake recipe certainly shakes things up from the usual vanilla! Chocolate peanut butter has to be one of the most favored flavors in America, and with good reason: it’s darn yummy! In fact, it was so chocolaty and thick that I couldn’t get any of it through the straw! The straw in the picture was literally pointless (not that I’m complaining or anything) I had to eat it with a spoon. It even seemed to perk me up a bit because the cacao nibs have a little caffeine in them. 

For all those who are still under the impression that chocolate is somehow bad for you, I have good news! If it is not loaded with sugar and fat, cocoa powder is very good for you. It can lower blood pressure, improve blood vessel health, reduce bad LDL cholesterol levels, reduce insulin resistance, as well as help prevent heart disease! Aside from decreasing bad LDL cholesterol, cocoa helps increase good HDL cholesterol. 

This formerly guilty pleasure is no longer guilty, so bottoms up my friends! If you would like the shake to have fewer calories, use peanut butter powder (cuts 150 calories) and eliminate the ground/chopped peanuts or cacao nibs (another 50-100 calories), or split it with someone (cuts 250 calories). I used this shake as a meal, and now it’s three hours later and I am still full! 

Ingredients:

Directions:

 Put it all in the blender (except for the ground nuts and cacao nibs) and blend. Top with the cacao nibs and chopped/ground peanuts, and enjoy! 

Nutrition:

Calories: 500
Fat: 32 g
Carbs: 21 g
Protein: 47 g
Fiber: 10.5 g
Caffeine: 24 mg

Strawberry Mango Protein Shake

  • Yield: 1 serving
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time: 10 minutes

As summer draws to a close, you will want to take advantage of the season’s last really good fresh strawberries. Since mangoes are grown in tropical climates, they are available most of the year. The combination of the tartness of the strawberries, the sweet creaminess of the mangoes, and vanilla is a wonderful tropical taste that will keep a few breaths left in summer!

Strawberries are low glycemic index berries packed with vitamin C, fiber, folate, anthocyanins, and a whole host of other antioxidants and bioflavonoids. A study published in The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry deduced that anthocyanins are also potent fat burners. Animals fed a high-fat diet along with anthocyanins gained 24% less weight than animals that were not fed these nutrients. They also have the power to boost short-term memory by 100% in only eight weeks, so remember to eat up! Oh, that reminds me…I have to stop at the store later!

Along with strawberries, mangoes have fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, carotenoids, potassium, and fiber. They contribute to helping prevent cancer and enhancing eye health. What’s not to love?

Ingredients:

  • 1 scoop EFX Sports vanilla Pure Whey
  • 1 mango, chopped
  • 5 strawberries
  • ¾ cup of unsweetened cashew or almond milk
  • A few ice cubes
  • 1 tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes for topping (optional)

Directions:

Take the leafy tops off the strawberries and chop them in half. Throw them in the blender with the cashew milk and EFX Sports Pure Whey. Blend for a minute, and then leave it in the blender. Chop the mango into 3 pieces long ways; the pit will be in the middle slice.

Take slices from the sides and make cuts (not all the way through the skin) in one direction, then the other, making a checkerboard. Pop it inside out and slice off the cubes, then drop them in the blender. Do this for both sides. For the middle slice, lay it flat and cut around the pit, then slice the skin off. Throw the usable stuff in the blender, along with the ice. Blend, then pour into a glass, and top it off with a pinch of coconut flakes, and toast your good health!

Nutrition:

Calories: 373
Protein: 25.5 g
Fat: 8.52 g
Carbs: 46.7
Fiber: 5.3 g