I hate protein shakes.
When I was young and was caught up in the whole “supplement thing”, thinking that if I didn’t consume 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight that I was going to shrivel up and turn into a skinny, non-muscular piece of nothing, I drank protein shakes until the cows came home.
And as a result, my family hated me for it. Not because I would go through “protein shake rage” or anything like that, but because I STUNK!!!
During my protein shake phase, I used to fart so much (I can say “fart”, right?) that my wife and daughter would leave the room as soon as I walked in because they knew the inevitable was about to happen.
NOT ANY MORE.
First, I don’t do whey protein anymore – I found out that I was intolerant to dairy which was probably causing my massive rear explosions (sorry for the horrible mental picture).
And second, I believe in consuming REAL FOOD. Unlike the powders, potions and bars that I used to eat thinking that it was “muscle building foods”, I now eat fruits & veggies and if I do consume any supplement, I make sure it’s from a reputable company that uses only plant-based foods in their products.
So, check out this video of me and my son Joaquin (pron: “wah-keen”) making my latest, non-dairy, smoothie. You’ve got to try the recipe, IT’S DELICIOUS!
Have a great weekend! I’m off to Barrie, Ontario for AJ’s volleyball tournament.
-Chris
19 thoughts on “Perfect Post-Workout Nutrition”
Chris,
Great smoothie, I can’t wait to try it. I’ve been using the p90x Results and Recovery formula and have been noticing extra “stink” as well – not just gas but my sweat is more smelly. Plus it’s pricey. You add the fact of putting in whole foods (super foods) and you’ve sold me. I just want to make sure I got the recipe right – I’m not an improvisational chef.
Organic coconut milk (1/2 can)
Spinach (handful – frozen okay?)
Blueberries (frozen okay?)
Mango (a few chunks – are these dried?)
Cacao nibs (handful – don’t know what these are, but I’ll look for ’em)
Macca powder (1 tsp)
Vega powder (1 tbspn?)
Banana (while blending)
Water (1 cup?)
Blend away.
Thanks!!
Hi RP
You got it! The spinach MUST be frozen, otherwise it gets a little slimey.
The mango chunks were fresh/frozen as well (I think dried mango would have too much sugar).
Vega powder was 1 serving (so I think that’s a scoop) or you could use Sun Warrior Protein or pea protein.
And then if you want to get creative, throw in some walnuts.
Chris
Where do you find all these ingredients? At the local health food store? Whole Foods? or a normal grocery store?
The frozen stuff (spinach, berries & mango) I get at the local grocery store. I think the berries are used as pie filling or something, so look in that section.
The cocoa nibs, maca powder, Vega & organic coconut milk I get at the whole/organic foods market here in Toronto.
Thanks for sharing, Chris.
I find that blender drinks are a great post-workout meal. I made mine today with a slight variation from yours:
1/2 cup soy milk
1 heaping scoop vega powder (great to know other like minded folks use this great product)
5-6 brussell sprouts (this was a guess, didn’t have frozen spinach on hand)
handful frozen berry mix (costco)
1/2 cup water
1 banana
tiny dab of organic agave nectar
and walah–yum-nutritious-energizing meal =)
Thanks,
Des from the Bay Area
Thank you for the recipe that you have shared in here. I am really interested to try it, in fact I will be on the grocery tomorrow to find those ingredients that you have listed.
thanks:)
Thanks for sharing…great recipe. I’m in T.O. as well. Can you let me know what stores carry the cocoa nibs, maca powder, Vega & organic coconut milk in T.O. If you ever need a family photo shoot or a personal portrait for your blog just let me know. It’s the least I can do because I want to lose close to 20 pounds following your methods.
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Carl from T.O.
What alternative can i use if i cant get any vega powder? Im from malaysia by the way so its kinda hard to get those.
I just came across your health and fitness blog. Your article about different ways to eat healthy without supplemental nutrition was especially interesting. I especially liked your comments about eating vegetables and fruits rather than whey protein and supplement shakes. I am adding you to my favorites. We’re in the same industry, the business of encouraging health and fitness. We market a product called The AbStand: http://www.theabstand.net. We would love for you and your readers to check out our ab workout product. Any feedback would be appreciated as well. Thanks!
Great Article! I was in the same boat under the assumption I needed the protein. I now only take all natural supplementation. Have you heard of Shakeology? That is amazing stuff from a very reliable company.
Again good information 🙂
Nick
I just happened to come on your blog, its actually pretty cool, this post, helps me quiet abit, because I never know what to have, after my workout
thank you
Good stuff mate.
Absolutely worth supplementing supplements with ACTUAL REAL LIFE FOOD THAT GROWS!!!
Without meaning to sound like a hippy, theres nothing better than going outside, picking an apple of the tree then eating it 🙂
Take care,
Jim
Sorry, I didn’t really hear a word you said in your video. I was busy looking at that cute little kid hanging off of you!!!
Hi Chris I also prefer smoothies, here is mine:
1 glass of milk
1 natural (sugar free) yogurt
1 banana
2 eggs
1 spoon of cacao
I have a similar post on post workout nutrition combined with the metabolic window concept, which I find really interesting, but definitely I should add the idea of the smoothie… would be great to have your opinion!
http://www.mmatrainingrevolution.com/3/post/2011/12/metabolic-window.html
I didn’t know that the Whey Protein powder is bad. I mix that in fruit smoothies with spinach right after a workout to keep the muscle building. Thanks for the mental picture. ha
looks great i will try this soon
Like you I am not a big fan of supplements, I have been drinking chocolate milk after my workouts. Thank you for sharing your recipe I will give it a try!
The smoothie looks so tasty, I’ll be hipping up a batch myself for post workout. Always looking for new tastes to add to the mix since most workout drinks are pretty dull, thanks man 🙂