Nutrition - the protein shake

The staple of fitness nutrition is, undoubtably, the protein shake. It's probably the first place the average "getting in shape" person looks for supplementation.

So I thought I'd share my recipe. I've been at this one for over a year, with some slight variations, but this is pretty much my standard protein shake.

The Wade Shake (not to be confused with The Shake Weight):

16oz. container or glass (or a 32 oz. and double the ingredients)
1 banana
Handful of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Dollop of peanut butter (chunky)
Scoop of whey protein powder (chocolate)
Milk (1%)
Smidgen of honey or nectar (optional)

I use 16oz. cups that have screw on lids that came with my Magic Bullet blender.

Fruit element. Banana and frozen blueberries

Put the banana (breaking it in half is helpful) and a handful of blueberries (or strawberries, or whatever) into your vessel. I like blueberries because A) they are super good for you B) delicious and C) when they go on sale you can buy a crapload and freeze them. You can freeze bananas too, but they are usually available for cheap and are completely disgusting when you thaw them out.

1% milk and chunky peanut butter

Add some milk, about half of your shake size or a little less. This is important as it will help keep the protein powder from sticking to the bottom of the glass. Toss in a large spoonful of peanut butter, I prefer chunky style myself. This is the artistic portion, as peanut butter is what dictates the consistency of your shake. If you like it super thick, go heavy on the PB. Thin, then not so much.

Whey, chocolate variety

Get yourself some whey protein powder. Which kind? That's all super subjective. The Gold Standard above, I'm not crazy about. It's only 24 grams of protein and the scoop is huge. It's expensive and you don't get many servings. After I'm done with this stuff I'm giving the Max Muscle stuff a try, it's higher in protein, but still a pretty large scoop... and expensive. One of my favorites thus far has been Ultimate Nutrition Protein Isolate. It's inexpensive and the scoop is small, giving you 50+ servings. It does contain some soy, and is only 20 grams of protein, but it's a good bang for the buck.

Also, flavor comes in here. Your protein will dictate your shake's flavor. I'm a fan of chocolate and this recipe is built around that. Not sure how well orange will go with peanut butter and bananas, but I've done vanilla before and it's OK.

At this point, sometimes I'll squirt a little honey or agave nectar in. It might help cut through the artificial sweetness built into the protein, but lately I've been leaving it out. Try it or don't, it's not that important.

Blendage

Now fill the rest of your 16oz. container up with milk and blend. If you're using a 16oz. glass, fill it up, then pour everything into your big ass blender carafe.
I typically make 2 shakes at a time in the evening and then put them in the refrigerator overnight. Fresh off the blender, they can be a little on the warm and frothy side.

Now, you might ask, when do I drink these things? And how many/much should I drink in a day?
That's going to depend on many factors. What you're trying to do (gain or lose weight), your metabolism, height, weight, intermittent fasting, marital status, blood type, prior military service, etc.

Personally, I do one shake a day, in 2 parts. First thing when I wake up, I drink half a shake. Then right after my 1PM workout, I drink another half. This is what woks for me and my current goals, but you most likely have to experiment. So the 2 shakes I make lasts me 2 days, which is also about the max time I want these things sitting around. I've tried making big batches to last a week and they seem to get funky after 3 days or so.

Enjoy!

Hope you enjoyed this recipe. Be sure to let me know if you have some modifications or recommendations.