Protein Week

This week, one of my goals is to get more protein.  Specifically, I'm aiming to get 100g per day, which is a lot when you actually have to eat it all....  I've been studying online about all of these really buff girls and the one thing they all do is to up their protein during their training. So I followed their calculations and decided to do 1.7g/kg a day, which ends up being around a hundred grams a day.  At first, I tried just eating more eggs/meat/cheese/etc to up it, but realized pretty quickly that this was extremely difficult and I was WAY to full.  So I decided to dig out the giant tub (5lbs!) of protein powder James bought a while back....cake batter flavored.  It smelled alright-good, even.  So I thought, why not? and dived right in.  The powder is whey protein and is sweetened/flavored with Splenda, so it is low carb/sugar free.  It tastes pretty good too.  Here's what I've done for the past couple of days:  

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 4 ice cubes
• 1/2 scoop protein powder "cake batter" 
• 1 egg
• a shake or two of "apple pie spice" and a teeny bit of vanilla
• splenda to taste
• Blend and enjoy

Ok,ok,ok, now before you get grossed out about the raw egg--I only do that to make it lower carb (1 scoop powder=3carbs) and to thicken it.  You can't taste the egg at all (just as you can't in batter), but you could easily just omit the egg and do a full scoop of powder.  It doesn't really taste like cake batter to me (probably because my Mom's cake batter is the best in the whole. wide. world.) but more like a fancy milkshake.  

(And yes, it brings all the boys to the yard.)

My second recipe is lower in protein, but also tastier and it has, gasp, vegetables in it!! It's a pumpkin pie batter shake.  I got this idea from making crustless pumpkin pie for us for dessert the past couple of weeks.  It is awesome because pumpkin counts as a veggie and you can make it with splenda, so it has been a life-saver.  That being said, I enjoy licking the spatula almost as much as I do eating the pie--so I thought why not make it a shake?

• 1/2 c. canned pumpkin (I use a 1/3 c. because it is lower carb, but it is tastier with more pumpkin)
• 1 c. almond milk 
• 4 ice cubes (it is best to run water over them before adding them--they will blend up easier)
• pumpkin pie spice, little bit of vanilla, pinch of salt
• I also add one egg (because my pumpkin pie actually has eggs in it and I really liked the way the batter tastes and for protein) but you could omit.  
• Could add a dollop of whipped cream for more fun!

While we are on the subject of protein, I would also like to add something about the supplement I bought to use as a workout-booster.  So far, I really like it!  It is calorie free and has "Branched Chain Amino Acids" or BCAA's, which aim to help reduce soreness and promote recovery.  I have been seriously impressed with it.  When I drink it during a workout, I don't feel sore the next morning; in fact I don't feel sore until the next evening, which is strange to me but I'll take it.  There are some BCAA's in my protein powder too--apparently they are the new hot thing in working out/strength training.  It doesn't taste the best, but is similar to gatorade I think.  Overall, I think it is a win since I'm not miserable after strength training.  

So that's my spiel for the day!  Hopefully something I shared could help you!