Introducing My Delicious and Nutritious Health Shake

Anybody interested in losing weight, feeling better, improving your health and doing so in less than 7 minutes? If so, you may want to read this article. You are probably asking yourself if this is an infomercial and I assure you it is not. This is a self discovery that I made several years ago that I attribute to my exceptional health and well being. First, a little background…..

I became a workout buff right about the age of 19. During college, it was typical for me to frequent the gym 4-5 days per week. I did the protein powders, creatine, vitamins and everything else an obsessive fit person would do. I even ate canned tuna fish mixed with cottage cheese during a low carb phase I was doing. (Ewww. Would never do that again!). But then a little thing happened after college…..LIFE. I became career focused and the gym and “eating right” took a backseat.

I slowly saw my weight start to creep up. I’m not sure what the defining moment was, but I knew I needed to do something. I also knew that it all starts with the diet. But being extremely busy I had to figure out something that I could prepare the night before and would be easy to fit in my unpredictable work day.  Introduce: The Busy Man’s Health Shake.

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Partly inspired by the Mean’s Health Power Foods, I wanted to create a shake that would get me plenty of protein, good complex carbs, the “good” fats, and plenty of fiber.  I’m kind of a fiber fanatic because heart problems run in my family.  Here’s a look at the ingredients with a rough calculation of their nutritional value (calories, protein, carbs, fiber) based on the serving portion I use for the shake.

The Magical Ingredients

• Milk- I use 2%  (240/16/12/o)
• Plain-Nonfat Yogurt (55/5.5/8/0)
• Banana (105/1/27/3)
• Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (200/36/4/0)
• Berry Medley (Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)  (45/0/10/4)
• Raspberries (45/1/10/5)
• Flaxseed (90/4.5/6/6)

All in all, we have tasty protein and fiber packed shake that yields the following nutritional value: 780 Calories, 65 grams of protein, 77 grams of carbs, and 18 grams of fiber.  Did I mention that it’s delicious?  As you’ll see below, this will actually make you almost 3 16 oz shakes that you can drink throughout the day.  A quick nutritious fix at work that will prevent you from visiting the nearest vending machine.

Adding The Ingredients

Putting the shake together is rather simple.  Here’s quick rundown on how I add everything to the blender:

1. Just about 16 oz of milk
2. One banana
3. 1/2 cup of yogurt
4. Approximatley 3 tablespoons out Flaxseed (I just pour out of the bag)
5. 2 Scoops of Protein Powder
6. 1/3 bag of Berry Medley
7. 1/4 bag of Raspberries

You may notice that I add a little more raspberries than the other two.  I primarly do this for two reasons: 1. Raspberries tend to have more of a sweeter taste. 2. They offer a higher fiber content to their berry counterparts.  It’s all about the fiber!

Blending it up

Considering you have a lot of frozen fruit in here, you’ll need a good blender with  some horsepower.  I actually went through 3 blenders before finding my old faithful.  I always start on the “Crush Ice” setting to break it down a bit, before I start on the speed cycle.

If you have the proper amount of raspberry, it will have more of a purplish color as seen here.

All said and done, you should have two full 16 0z shakes with one about 14 0z or so.  It will vary depending on the amount of milk and berries you add. Typically, I’ll have one shake for breakfast and another around 3 pm or so.  In between, I’ll usually eat a light lunch, a Fiber One bar (yes, more fiber), and an apple.  That will usually get me through the day with plenty of energy and  not let hunger pains interfere.  The third shake varies on when I drink it.  When I workout after work, I’ll usually drink it when I get home.  If not, I’ll drink it as a late night sack. (Just got done drinking it as I finish this post).

Okay, I can here the skepticism now.   But Jeff, that takes too long to make and I just don’t have the time.  The most common excuse everybody has, right?  Just for fun, I timed myself making the shake.  I wasn’t trying to break any world records here.  I went at the same leisurely pace I do every time I make it.  As you can you can see, didn’t take long at all.   In the 6 minutes and 21 seconds, I made almost three healthy and delicious quick meals.

Don’t like the ingredients I use?  No worries.  Experiment.  My wife sometimes likes it when I use pineapple juice and frozen peaches.  You can use orange juice as a filler as well.  The point is to be creative and make a healthy alternative to get you through the day.

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Tagged as: fruit smoothie recipe, men's health shake, protein shake