Protein shakes, Yuck! Any ideas how to make them better?

Okay I don't love the protein shakes either.  But if I put an Atkins Advantage Double Chocolate shake (15 g protein, 6g carbs) in the freezer for about an hour before I drink it, it's actually pretty yummy and similar to a milkshake!

Perhaps you can cut back on the frequency of protein shakes by getting protein from other sources.  I think Special K protein water is pretty good.  (It comes in a packet you add to your water.)  It's only 5g protein per packet, but if you use it for all 64 ozs of your water intake, that's 15g of protein a day.

I personally like the Nectar "Carribbean Cooler". I mix mine in a personal blender with crystal lite lemonade (already made, not the powder by it self) and I add 5-6 frozen strawberries or frozen peach slices. It's absolutely AWESOME! Come out like a pina colada. I have experimented w/ different crystal lite flavors or ff yogert and its awesome too.

Believe me, I have tried them all AND the only one I love is the Premier Nutrtion!  They only sell the Chocolate at Costco.  They did sell both the Vanilla and Chocolate for about 6 months, but I have talked to the Costco here in Denver and Colorado Springs and they will only carry the Chocolate.  You can, however, purchse the vanilla online.  I did that prior to 6 mos aga.

I take the Chocolate, add a tsp of Almond butter, ice and a half banana and blend it in the blender and it is just like a milkshake! It's so good!  I also do the same with coffee and the chocolate flavored one.

The Vanilla, I add greek yogurt, frozen peaches and strawberries and blueberries, ice and blend it!  It's the best!   I also use the Vanilla one in my iced coffee instead of milk. 

I wanted to add the Nutritional facts:  Can't beat 'em!
Calories 160
Fat 3.0 grams
Carbs 5.0 grams
Protein 30 grams!   30 grams of protein for such a tiny amt. of fat, carbs and calories is great!  When I add the greek yogurt it really bumps up the protein!

 Thank you guys so much! I've already come to think of OH as an extended family. As you all know we all need a lot of support through our journies and I love that OH is here for me. 

Quick question though, most of the protein shake recipes call for scoops of protein powder. All I've bought so far are the individual packs and the pre made. Anyone know how much would be 1 scoop. (1Tbsp, etc.) I can't wait to try some of these ideas!!! 

I don't know if all scoops are the same size, but a scoop of the Syntrax is pretty close to 1/2 cup.  I've taken a scoopful and dumped it into a measuring cup.. LOL.

I mix my syntrax with either 16 oz of crystal lite (premade).. or if there's none made up, 16 oz of water and a tube of the individual flavor.. and 4 ice cubes in the blender.   Pink grapefruit I mix with either pink lemonade or grapefruit, Fuzzy Navel with Orange, Roadside Lemonade & Lemon Tea with Lemonade.

I've also used Powerade Zero to mix the syntrax.  That's good too.

I only drink them after working out to rebuild the muscle tissue I've just broken down.  Pour about 1/2 of what that makes into a large glass to drink right away and the rest goes into a lidded bottle & in the fridge for the next day.

The scoops packaged with different protein powder brands vary in capacity. Look at the serving size on individual pouch and compare it to the serving size on the canister package. Let's say the pouch is one serving at 50 grams. If the canister instructions tell you to use one scoop for a single serving of 50 grams, one pouch = one scoop = 50 grams. If the canister instructions tell you to use two scoops for a single serving of 50 grams, then one scoop = 25 grams.

I feel like I didn't explain that very well. My brain seems to be stuck in neutral gear today.

My suggestions for making protein shakes more palatable are:
1. Don't agonize over it, because you're not going to be using them for the rest of your life - it's 
just temporary. And don't invest a bundle of $$ in a big vat of a protein powder that you may dislike or might use only a little of,
2. If you like a thick, cold shake like a milkshake, use crushed ice or frozen milk to make the shake in your blender (but check the package instructions because some protein powders are sensitive to temperature and tend to clump up at very cold or very hot temps).
3. If you don't like a thick shake, add more water, milk, or juice to achieve the consistency you like.
4. Experiment with the temperature of the shake - cold, room temp, warm, etc.
5. Drink the shake out of a go-cup with a lid on it. Sometimes it's the smell of the protein product that makes it taste weird.
6. If you get sick of sweet flavored shakes, try Unjury's chicken soup flavor protein powder. You can add it to just about any flavor of ready-made or homemade soup, or just mix it with warm (not boiling) water.
7. You can make a savory flavored protein drink by pureeing beans (I like black beans) with broth and seasonings. Add a scoop of Unjury chicken soup protein powder or nonfat dry milk to increase the protein content.
8. Drinking a lot of protein shakes made with milk can produce symptoms of lactose-intolerance (though sometimes it's really the artificial sweeteners that are bothering you). If that happens, try substituting soy milk, almond milk, or rice milk.
9. If you like coffee, try Click protein powder in mocha or vanilla latte flavors.

Jean

I used Unjury at first and then I got tired of sweet milky shakes and found Isopure.  I liked the Zero carb Isopure, it comes in a 20 oz glass bottle and has 40 grams of protein.  I've heard that our bodies only absorb so much protein at a time, but as a new post op, you are not chugging that much at time.  I liked the Grape Frost flavor.  It's more like a diluted koolaid.

Good luck to you!
Kristi

For some reason I cannot tolerate powder protein shakes of any kind. I will only drink the pre made canned shakes.

I use isopure! My doc found out i was using it and how good it was and now recommends that to his patients. The powder is the best form. I have the strawberries and cream and its pretty good alone, but what I do is I mix it with crystal light, tastes fantastic and very easy to drink. It has 0carbs and 50g protein. AWesomE Shake