When I’m trying to eat clean, I often struggle with making smart choices, as I presume everyone does. We are surrounded by fast food chains, ice cream shops, and restaurants that house our favorite meals. I know for me personally after dieting for a while I feel a huge need for something cold and sweet. I know I can’t have a milkshake, but a smoothie would definitely curb that desire. But it can be so hard to find a place that serves healthy smoothies. A lot of places claim to serve healthy, all natural smoothies (I’m not going to name names, but you can probably guess the hugely popular franchise I am thinking about), but they are doing quite the opposite. Most smoothie places will claim to be low in calories, but fail to mention the unbelievably high sugar count in their drinks unless you take the time to look up the nutrition facts. And let me tell you, it is shocking.

So instead of going out and buying a smoothie, one which you won’t know all the contents of, stay home and blend your own. Not only will you save money, but you will save loads in calories and sugar. Here are a few HEALTHY, protein packed smoothie recipes to incorporate into your new meal plan when you’re craving something cold and sweet!

Fruit smoothie:

  • 1 scoop of protein powder
  • 1 scoop of creatine
  • 1 1/2 cups of almond milk (sweetened or unsweetened)
  • 1 cup of strawberries
  • 3/4 cup of blueberries (both frozen, but really any frozen fruit combo would do. If you choose banana do 1/2 of a fresh banana)
  • and finally a handful of spinach
  • for extra protein add 1 raw egg

Protein: 23 grams

Calories: 307 (add an extra 70-80 calories if you use an egg)

Banana/vanilla/cinnamon/peanut butter smoothie:

  • 1 scoop of protein powder
  • 1 scoop of creatine
  • 1 cup of almond milk
  • 2 tbsp of the powdered peanut butter (only 50 calories versus the 200 calories you would get from peanut butter; same amount of protein)
  • 1 whole banana
  • 1-2 cups of ice (for thickness)
  • and cinnamon (I usually just eyeball it. There’s no calories or fat or anything bad in cinnamon so it’s really just a matter of preference)
  • for extra protein add 1 raw egg

Protein: 29 grams

Calories: 297 (add an extra 70-80 calories if you use an egg)

The protein powder I use is:

The peanut butter powder I use is:

And finally, the creatine I use is:

Both of these smoothies are wonderful alternatives to the “healthy” smoothies offered to us when we go out to eat. They have more protein, less calories, and less sugar, plus they taste great! And it’s so easy to switch out the fruit in the fruit smoothies to give yourself a wide variety of options every single time. For me, these recipes have really helped with my diet. They fill me up, fuel my body, and they taste amazing. Enjoy!