Too often, however, lifters fall into a lackluster shake routine by whirling together the same tired smoothie formula: milk, ice, protein powder, and maybe a bit of fruit. Functional, yes, but also a surefire recipe for a blender burnout.
To keep your taste buds guessing, start thinking of smoothies as being infinitely refillable with all sorts of ingredients. Yes, everything from beets to ricotta to pears can play a starring role in your next blender creation.
To shake up your morning routine, here are a handful of nutrient-dense and delicious recipes that unapologetically break the rules.
When the weather outside is frigid, you may not always have an appetite for a frosty smoothie. This sultry, rich-tasting blend will help warm your bones while delivering immune-boosting vitamin A (found in spades in sweet potatoes) and fat-torching dietary fiber (courtesy of chickpeas—trust us, you won’t even notice this stealth ingredient).
If you desire higher protein numbers, simply blend in some protein powder.
Make and Take: Need a smoothie to go? After blending, pour your drink into an insulated bottle, such as Hydro Flask ($30, 18-oz widemouthed, hydroflask.com), that is up to the task of keeping your drinks frosty or steamy for several hours.
Ingredients:
1 cup peeled and cubed sweet potato
1¼ cups water
¼ cup milk powder or coconut milk powder
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
⅓ cup canned chickpeas
2 tsp almond butter
2 tsp pure maple syrup
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp ground allspice
Directions:
Place sweet potato cubes and 1 tbsp water in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in plastic to allow for venting. Microwave on high for 6 minutes or until potato is fork-tender.
Heat remaining water in a kettle to just under a boil. Blend together water, milk powder, and protein powder. Add sweet potato and remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
ServIng Size: 1
Macros:
Calories: 452
Protein: 33g
Carbs: 62g
Fat: 8g
2 of 6
Brian Klutch (Styling by Susan Ottaviano)
Mean Green Smoothie Packs
So-called green smoothies are an easy way to sneak more veggies into your diet. But gathering all the ingredients when you want to blend one can be a pain. So plan ahead with these ready-to-go subzero smoothie packs, and you’ll be sipping a nutrient payload in mere moments.
Cottage cheese and nutty-tasting hemp seeds make sure all that green goodness also comes with a hefty dose of mass-making protein.
Strike a balance: A perfect smoothie should have a well-thought-out mix of quality carbs, protein, and healthy fats. Protein can come from powders or dairy like yogurt or cottage cheese or even silken tofu. Sources of fat include nuts, seeds, and ground flax. Carbohydrates should hail from whole-food sources like fruits and vegetables.
Ingredients:
2 oranges, peeled and segments separated
2 medium bananas, sliced into ½-inch pieces
4 cups broccoli florets
4 cups spinach
1 cup fresh basil
1 piece fresh ginger (1 inch),
peeled and thinly sliced
8 tbsp hemp seeds (hemp hearts)
4 cups coconut water
3 cups cottage cheese
Directions:
Divide oranges, bananas, broccoli, spinach, basil, ginger, and hemp seeds among 4 zip-top freezer bags. Seal shut and freeze until solid.
When ready for a smoothie, place 1 cup coconut water, ¾ cup cottage cheese, and contents of 1 frozen smoothie pack in a blender container and blend until smooth.
Serving Size: 4
Macros:
Calories: 363
Protein: 33g
Carbs: 36g
Fat 11g
3 of 6
Brian Klutch (Styling by Susan Ottaviano)
PB&J Smoothie
Hold the bread. This smoothie, inspired by everyone’s favorite childhood sandwich, is jam-packed with nutritional goodies. Up-and-coming tangy kefir is even richer in gut-friendly probiotics than yogurt; dried cherries are plush in antioxidants that may help accelerate post-workout muscle recovery; and wheat germ supplies a range of must-have nutrients like zinc, magnesium, and B vitamins.
Bonus: Peanut butter contains a bit more protein than other nut butters.
Tool of the Trade: For the smoothest smoothies, we’re happy to trumpet the megapowerful Vitamix Professional Series 750 ($599, vitamix.com). The price tag might be hard to swallow at first, but this blender will make awesome smoothies—not to mention nut butters, pureed soups, and dips—for years to come. The cheap Oster you scored from a garage sale? Not so much.
Ingredients:
1 cup plain kefir drink
1 scoop plain or vanilla protein powder
2 tbsp wheat germ
2 tsp unsalted peanut butter
¼ cup dried tart cherries
½ tsp pure vanilla extract (omit if using
vanilla protein)
½ medium frozen banana, chopped
1 tbsp chopped peanuts (optional)
Directions:
Place all the ingredients except for the peanuts in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and sprinkle on peanuts if using.
Serving Size: 1
Macros
Calories: 432
Protein: 33g
Carbs: 63g
Fat: 10g
4 of 6
Brian Klutch (Styling by Susan Ottaviano)
Beet Cheesecake Smoothie
Yes, there are beets, but this smoothie tastes nothing like borscht. Send this rich-tasting drink down the hatch, and you’ll flood your body with the exercise-boosting nitrates present in beets, anabolic whey protein from ricotta, and heart-healthy omega-3 fat found in walnuts.
High-powered blenders can make quick work of raw beets, but if you’re dealing with a wimpy machine, using cooked beets might be a better idea. Some supermarkets carry precooked beets.
Power Powders: Beyond whey, you can now source out a number of alternative plant-based powders such as hemp and pea. These also have an arsenal of mass-making amino acids. Or try a product like Healthy Skoop that ups the ante of plant-based protein with the addition of probiotics and vegetable powder.
Ingredients:
¾ cup buttermilk
⅔ cup ricotta cheese
½ scoop protein powder
1 medium-size beet, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp walnuts
1 tsp honey
1 tsp orange zest
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger powder
1 cup frozen strawberries
Directions:
Place all the ingredients in a blender in the order listed and blend on high for 1 minute or until smooth.
Seasonal pears are a good source of fiber, which most muscle men need to eat more of.
Flavor Boosters: A touch of spice like cinnamon or nutmeg can instantly transform a smoothie from meh to memorable. Other nearly calorie-free items— including fresh herbs, citrus zest such as orange, and extracts like vanilla or almond—are also great ways to take your shakes to a new level.
Granola Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp honey
¾ cup rolled oats
⅓ cup pecans
¼ cup dried cranberries
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Smoothie Ingredients:
1 cup milk
3 cups plain Greek yogurt
1⅓ cups pasteurized carton egg whites
4 pears, chopped
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger powder
Directions:
To make granola, heat coconut oil and honey in a skillet over medium heat until melted. Add rolled oats, pecans, cranberries,cinnamon, and salt to skillet and heat until oats are toasted, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Spread mixture on a baking sheet or a cutting board to cool.
To make a smoothie bowl, place ¼ cup milk, ¾ cup Greek yogurt, ⅓ cup egg whites, 1 chopped pear, ½ tsp vanilla, ¼ tsp cinnamon, and ¼ tsp ginger powder in a blender container and blend until smooth. The mixture should be thick, but blend in a small amount of additional milk if needed to assist with blending.
Place smoothie in a bowl and scatter on ¼ of the granola.
Serving Size: 4
Macros:
Calories: 448
Protein: 30g
Carbs: 60g
Fat: 11g
6 of 6
Brian Klutch (Styling by Susan Ottaviano)
Chocolate Fudge Milk Shake
The nutritional overachiever known as avocado gives this drink its deliciously thick, fudgy consistency without tasting anything like guacamole. Dissolved coffee enhances the chocolatey flavor, while dried plums deliver natural sweetness.
You’d be forgiven if you blended this up for a quick dessert, but the combo of protein, carbs, and healthy fats makes it a stellar post gym recovery aid.
Plus, a study found that people perceive thicker drinks to be more filling than those with a thinner consistency, even when they contained the same number of calories.
Follow the leader: For easier blending, add liquids first, then soft items like yogurt and nut butters, then harder ingredients such as raw vegetables, and finally frozen items such as fruit or ice cubes.
