10 Delicious Non-Protein Shake Ways to Use Protein Powder
PROTEIN POWDER! Who doesn’t want more protein in their diet? Sure, we all love our chicken, steak, eggs and such, but then how do you increase one of our favorite muscle building macronutrients? Many look at protein powders—most of which are in the form of protein shakes. While many people use shakes for post workout recovery, there are many other uses for the powder.
There are so many ways to use protein powders that some of the ways are in my opinion “duh” uses that sometimes get overlooked. It goes along with the saying, “why didn’t I think of that?” Below are some of my favorite ways to use protein powder other than in a protein shake. We all have different personal tastes, so you may have to play with how much powder you add to each to suit your taste buds.
Coffee
Who doesn’t like to drink coffee in the morning? Many people hit up Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks and order their java just how they like it and then they’re off to work. Some of those people are loading up their coffee with unnecessary calories and sugars. If you don’t like the taste of black coffee what do you do? Add a sweetener of some sort, some milk, cream, or flavored creamer. What if you could add something that changed the flavor of your coffee as well as gave you some protein first thing in the morning? Simply throw in some protein powder and you’re off to a great start in the morning. I’d recommend a flavor that would complement the coffee. I wouldn’t throw in a strawberry or banana protein powder, rather, use a French vanilla flavor or something similar. Depending on how much liquid you use, you will want to add more powder as well to suit your taste.
Hot chocolate
Not a coffee fan? Or maybe you just like to change it up every now and again once the weather turns cold and you feel like staring out at the snow falling on a cold winter day with a nice cup of hot chocolate? Sure, go for it. But if you wanted to try something that wasn’t slammed with all those sugars from the packets of hot chocolate you’re trying to stay away from, then make your own. All you need is a chocolate protein powder. By warming up a mug of water or almond milk, you can then dump your chocolate protein powder into the warmed beverage. From there you can add things like vanilla extract or your favorite sweetener of choice like Stevia. Mix it all up with a spoon and you’re good to go.
Oatmeal
Just like with your morning coffee, oatmeal is a great place to add some protein powder. Simply make your oatmeal as you normally would and once it’s finished being prepared, throw some protein powder on top and mix it up. Unlike above, if you wanted to add a fruit flavored powder it can spruce up the flavor of your oatmeal if it isn’t one of the packaged flavored versions. If you already have the flavor you want in your oatmeal through the flavor itself or by adding nuts or a sweetener, you can add a vanilla protein powder which wouldn’t overpower the other flavors in the oatmeal. Again, you can get creative with your oatmeal depending on what flavor of protein powder you have laying around.
Homemade protein bars
With so many protein bars on the market that are full of junk, many people are deciding to make their own. With a few simple ingredients, one of which is protein powder, you can make a tasty protein-packed treat. There are tons of homemade protein bar recipes floating around the internet so find one that suits your needs since everyone has their own likes and dislikes in terms of ingredients (natural/organic/kosher/vegan/etc.). Most of the bar recipes will have anywhere between 5g and 20g per bar depending on what recipe you go with. Of course you can always cut the bars into smaller pieces if you wanted less protein or cut larger pieces if you wanted more protein. It’s totally personal preference but this is a great way to save money and have some control over your protein bar choices versus buying one from a retailer and having the macros not really fit your individual needs.
Yogurt
Greek yogurt seems to be the current craze and with Dannon’s release of their Oikos Triple Zero yogurt, they are engaging more men than ever before due to the packaging and protein callout on the label. While grabbing a cup of yogurt is definitely healthy, many people are looking for something with a little higher protein content. While Dannon Oikos Triple Zero is around 15g and is good for many, some people simply want more protein. Simple fix is to add protein powder. If you’d like to save money you can purchase a large container of plain Greek yogurt and add your favorite protein powder to it. If you’re in the mood for chocolate, you can simply add chocolate protein powder. Maybe in the mood for something fruity? Add a strawberry flavored powder or whichever flavor you prefer. Doing this not only saves money and increases your protein intake, but it also limits the amount of sugars you’re taking in by not going with a yogurt that has fruit in them or artificial flavors.
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