051 Hitting the Protein Goal

Over the past couple of weeks we have really been trying to adjust to this whole new way of life and this new diet. Two of the hardest things (related to food) which we have had to face have been #1 burn out on the food that Jimmy is currently allowed to eat and #2 trying to get in Jimmy's daily allotted protein. Thankfully, Jimmy will have more variety in his diet starting on Sunday, December 16th, when he can start his  Stage 3 diet. But what to do about protein?

Let me tell you...the liquid protein shots that he had to drink the first week after the surgery were just plain nasty! So we definitely don't want to go back to those. Some of the whey protein powder drinks leave much to be desired too. So we have been searching the internet, blogs, forums, and support group for some great protein shake recipes.

As Bariatric Foodie put it, "...there is no excuse for drinking a nasty protein shake!" So here are some awesome protein shake recipes that we have either tried or look forward to trying soon.

Berry Cheesecake Protein Smoothie
1 Scoop unflavored protein powder
1c. 1% or skim Milk
1/2c. 1% Cottage Cheese
Frozen or Fresh Fruit to Taste

Pumpkin Pie
Milk
1 scoop vanilla protein
2 tbsp pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tbsp sugar-free pumpkin pie syrup (or 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
sweetener to taste

Cinnabon
Milk
1 scoop vanilla whey
1 tbsp Sugar Free, Fat Free cheesecake pudding mix
1 tbsp Sugar Free cinnamon syrup
1 tbsp toasted almond syrup 

Chocolate, Caramel, & Coffee Protein Shake
2 scoops Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
8 oz Decaf Coffee
8 oz 1% Milk
2 tbsp Sugar Free Caramel Creamer


Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake
1 Scoop chocolate protein powder
1c. unsweetened chocolate almond milk (could sub with sugar free vanilla coconut milk)
1 T. natural peanut butter
Sweetener to Taste (optional)
3-5 Ice Cubes