Pina Mangolata Smoothie
I forgot how good a well-made protein shake can be. I’m not talking about slapping together some milk and some powder here, I’m talking about shakes that were thought out with the same careful intention and attention to detail as a well-done recipe.
Tasty, filling, and satisfying – both gastronomically and psychologically.
The Pina Mangolata Shake I just made fits this bill. It’s a variation on a recipe for a Pina Colada Smoothie from Precision Nutritions’ cookbook: Gourmet Nutrition. Basically, I didn’t have pineapple, so I substituted frozen mangos instead.
Here’s the scoop:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use Jay Robb)
- 1 cup chilled green tea (the trick is to remember to make some green tea every now and then so you have it on hand. I store mine in old glass jars.)
- 3 cubes ice
- 1/2 cup frozen mango
Put everything but the mango in the Ginormous Fruit-Destroying VitaMix and blend until smooth. I add the mango last and give it a few good pulses so that there are still some mango chunks left. I love running into them when I least expect it – it’s the prize inside!
Notes:
- The banana can be fresh, too, I just tend to keep a lot of frozen ones around because I like frozen fruit.
- Coconut milk is high-ish in fat, but it’s the good kind. PN recommends against the lite versions of it.
- You can make coconut milk ice cubes in your freezer with the leftover liquid, if you don’t think you’ll use it in a few days. Once frozen, coconut milk can’t be used again for cooking (it will curdle) but is fine to throw into the blender for another shake.
- PN recommends green tea for the obvious health benefits, but I have a hankering to try it with chilled Hibiscus tea which always tastes great cold and has a zip-bang-boom bright pink color that makes me happy.
P.S. Speaking of Precision Nutrition, I got a peek at their new version 3 program the other night and it’s pretty incredible. Mine is nearly two years old now and I still use the guide and both cookbooks nearly every day. V3 has so much new content I’m seriously tempted to grab it but… there is bike crap to buy!
Other yummy recipes you might like:
I really recommend using rice powder proteins instead of soy or whey, for two important (if not crucial) reasons:
1. Rice is non-allergenic, as opposed to whey and soy proteins, which are common allergens. Soy especially can cause bizarre health “issues.” They push it on you for everything because it’s a cheap crop. As compared to whey, you are moving up the food chain (which is good).
2. Brown rice is a more complete protein than whey or soy, meaning it has more diverse amino acids. Some people argue, hull intact, brown rice (Genmai) IS a complete protein.
I only add this because I’m very sensitive to soy. And chocolate. And mango. Damn! (But, do you see a pattern?) I also say it because I’m a nurse, try to be athletic, and I’m really keen on nutrition. Go rice!
Interesting! I’ve never had a problem with soy (or really anything else for that matter – I have iron gut) but I will check it out.
I don’t worry too much about getting my protein from the shakes because I am a voracious meat eater, it’s just a nice supplement.
Go brown rice!
I’m gonna try that one.
I have been told by my chef friend that lite coconut milk is just deluded coconut milk. I believe this to be true.
It’s a Lite Coconut Milk conspiracy, man!