Iron Rations: Vanilla Berry Protein Smoothie

I’m not going to beat around the bush.

This is my favorite smoothie recipe EVER!

Whether you’re looking for a calorie and nutrient rich meal replacement, or a tasty pre-workout smoothie to keep you fueled, look no further.

Best part is? All you need to do is throw things into a blender… no culinary skills required!

Vanilla Berry Protein Smoothie

Smoothies are awesome!

• They’re super tasty!
• Easy to make
• Zero prep time required
• Can drink them on the go!

Not to mention the recipe is super easy to adjust to fit your dietary needs!

This one delivers about 455 calories, provides approx 30 grams of protein/12 grams of fiber/56 grams of carbs (not to mention giving you the following RDAs: 100% Calcium, 82% Vitamin E, 60% Vitamin C, 40% Vitamin D, & 35% Vitamin B12), can be whipped up in 5 minutes, and hits your taste buds with some serious flavor!

What else do you want?!?

Ingredients (Serves 1):

• 1 cup Frozen Mixed Berries
  
• Small handful of Raw Almonds (approx 8-10)
  
• 1 cup Almond Breeze (Almond Milk)
• .5 cup Dannon French Vanilla Yogurt
• 1 scoop Cytosport Vanilla Creme Muscle Milk (Protein Powder)
• 1 tbsp Ground Flax Seed

Oh, and a blender!

Step 1:

Toss the almonds, berries, almond milk and yogurt in the blender and liquify everything thoroughly.

Step 2:

Scoop in the protein powder and flax-seed and blend it in until mixed completely.

Step 3:

Pour into a glass and enjoy!

I almost felt bad at how easy this is, but then I reminded myself that not everything (articles included) need to be complicated or in-depth. Enjoy the simplicity!

There are a couple of final things to point out:

• Protein Powder – There are a lot of opinions on what protein powders on the market are the best, and if I were aggressively trying to build giant slabs of muscle I might look at a more boutique powder, but for my purposes Muscle Milk works fine. It’s a nice combination of different whey proteins with a  solid vitamin and mineral blend.
• Bulking Up? – If your goal is to pack on muscle mass, you might want to add another scoop of protein or blend a banana in.
• Low Carb Option – If you are concerned about the carbs, you can either be ultra-vigilant during your other meals or you can swap the yogurt for ice… it will reduce the calories/nutrients though and make it less viable as a meal replacement. Still a great pre-workout shake though!

One final note – Wash out your blender immediately! Trying to clean the concrete-like combination of dried flax seed and protein powder will drive you into a fit of Hulk-like rage. You have been warned.

So blend up a batch and let me know what you think!

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