Naturally Sweetened & Flavored
While artificial sweeteners may not be as dangerous as some people claim, studies suggest that regular consumption of these chemicals may indeed be harmful to our health.
Thats why all of our supplements are naturally sweetened and flavored and contain no artificial food dyes, fillers, or other unnecessary junk.
Benefits Of This Protein Smoothie
While I love smoothies and could have one every day, I believe they have a time and a place depending on what you add to them and your lifestyle. You really need to be mindful of what you put in them.
Since they are liquid, they digest faster, which makes them ideal for post-workout. If you are serious about gaining muscle or optimizing your recovery, you want to replenish your glycogen stores with carbs and also protein soon after your workout .
Carbs are best absorbed and utilized around your workouts as well. You also want to keep fat a little lower as it takes longer to digest and will slow down the absorption process. This protein shake has:
- carbs sweet potato and cherries
- protein chocolate protein powder and nut butter
- veggies sweet potato and cauliflower
- fiber it packs 13 grams of fiber thanks for the fruit and veggies
- vitamins loaded with vitamin A , vitamin C , vitamin E , and B vitamins just to name a few
- minerals loaded with calcium , copper , iron , magnesium , manganese , and potassium just to name a few
- antioxidants cacao/chocolate and cinnamon
- electrolytes sea salt
Chocolate And Peanut Butter Recovery Shake
This shake is the first of two recipes from double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones, who is an ambassador for Optimum Nutrition .
I usually make this smoothie straight after a training session because it contains whey, which is a fast-digesting protein that helps to support muscle recovery ready for my next workout, says Jones. The protein from the peanut butter and the yogurt helps to rebuild and repair the muscles too, and it tastes great.
Just make sure youre working as hard as an Olympic champion would because this shake contains 556 calories, along with a healthy 48g of protein and 59 of carbs.
- 100g natural low-fat yogurt
- ¾ cup frozen mixed berries
- 1tbsp peanut butter
Read Also: What Smoothies Are Best For Weight Loss
What High Calorie Foods Can I Put In A Smoothie
Smoothies take almost any fruit, which tends to be a high-calorie solution. The sugars of fruits are calorie-rich while other sources like oils and protein sources can also help increase the calorie count.
Smoothies tend to be lower-calorie than shakes, which are more dairy- and grain-based . Smoothies are better for nutrient-intake and smaller bursts of carbs from fruit, like pre- and post-workout smoothies.
Premade High Calorie Smoothies
Perhaps you are looking for some premade high calorie smoothies. Something you can grab on the go. Or something you can grab while you are out.
Premade high calorie smoothies offer convenience. Especially on those days you run out of ingredients or just dont feel like dealing with cleaning your blender or dishes.
You can purchase premade high calorie smoothies from a grocery store, Amazon, or a smoothie shop.
Recommended Reading: Good Rum And Coke Recipe
You May Like: Navigate To The Nearest Smoothie King
How To Gain Weight
The most important thing to gaining weight is creating a calorie surplus, meaning you eat more calories than your body consumes.
If you want to increase your weight slowly aim for 300-500 calories more then you burn each day. This should roughly translate to 0.7-1 pounds gained per week.
If you want to increase your weight fast, aim for 700-1000 calories more then you burn each day. This should roughly translate to 1.7-2 pounds gained per week.
To find out your daily maintenance calorie intake try this calorie calculator. This will give you a rough estimation of your maintenance level.
Note: Make sure to exercise regularly when on a weight gain diet to avoid putting on lots of fat.
Recommended Reading: Best Smoothie Blender Consumer Reports
How To Store Extra Smoothie
The most obvious option to store your leftover smoothie is in the refrigerator. If you do this, you should finish it the same day. You will need to either re-blend with more liquid or stir in extra milk because the oats will expand and thicken your smoothie.
Another option for storage of your leftover 1000 calorie smoothie is the freezer. Although it will take longer to thaw, the smoothie should stay good for about a month. You could also make leftover smoothie into high calorie freezer pops as a cool treat for later.
Dont Miss: Mcdonalds Wild Berry Smoothie
You May Like: Best Diet Smoothies For Weight Loss
The Best Ingredients To Add To Your Smoothie
The fascinating thing about smoothies is that theyre very versatile, you can add whichever ingredients you prefer and change recipes according to your liking.
To get the perfect smoothieThe basic single serving smoothie formula is:
Liquid
This can be water, milk, coconut water, nut milk, or even brewed tea. You can always add a mix of liquid with greek or regular yogurt for an extra nutritional boost and creamier consistency.
Frozen Fruit
Strawberries, blueberries, acai puree, peaches, blackberries, raspberries, and mangoes. These are all great for a flavorful and colorful smoothie.
Fresh Fruit
Heres when the soft fruit jumps in, avocados and bananas are a staple in smoothies. They give smoothies a perfect consistency and taste awesome.
Sweetener
These are optional, of course. If you use a lot of vegetables in your smoothie and need to offset the taste with a little sweetener, you can go for natural sweeteners like honey, agave or maple syrup.
Healthy Fats
Get your daily requirement of healthy fats straight from your smoothie! You can add nut butter, coconut oil, olive oil, chia and flax seeds.
Crushed ice gives your smoothie the perfect consistency and chill. Make sure you omit ice if your soft fruit is frozen too.
Optional Additions
There are many add-ons that make your smoothie even more flavorsome. These include greens, cacao powder, cacao nibs, pumpkin seeds, lime juice, ginger, and cinnamon.
What about protein powders ?
Banana Almond Protein Smoothie
This smoothie is all about post-workout health. Delivering 21 grams of protein, it helps to repair microtears in your muscles to get you ready for your next gym session.
BLEND THIS:½ cup plain Greek yogurt3 tbsp almond butter1 scoop whey protein powder1 tbsp hulled hemp seeds1 frozen banana
329 calories, 21 g protein, 26 g carbs, 5 g fiber, 17 g fat
You May Like: Healthy Smoothies You Can Buy
Also Check: Walmart Frozen Fruit Smoothie Mix
Summertime Breakfast Smoothie Recipe 415 Calories
This refreshing smoothie will help you wake up and can provide you with an energy boost in the morning. It contains oats, which are packed with a specific type of fiber known as beta-glucan. By consuming beta-glucan, your body can be able to naturally lower your cholesterol levels. Its worth mentioning that oats have a positive effect on your digestive health. On the other hand, peaches can be responsible for keeping your skin and eyes healthy. Not only that, but they can reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease as well. This smoothie contains 20 grams of protein and is also a good source of fiber and carbohydrates.
What Youll Need
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
How to Prepare
Pour the milk into the blender. Your next step should be to pour the yogurt, after which you can add the rest of the ingredients and blend for two minutes. You can add several ice cubes to make the texture smoother.
How Often Should You Drink Protein Shakes
How often you drink protein shakes depends on your goals. If you want to gain weight, you can have a protein-filled shake every time you do resistance training to help build muscle. For weight loss, you can reduce your calorie intake and ensure that you are still getting enough protein by maybe drinking two shakes a day.
But remember, the important thing is that the protein shake is not a protein replacement. You still need to get your requirements from other sources, too.
You May Like: How To Make A Strawberry Banana Smoothie With Yogurt
Protein Smoothie Recipes For Weight Gain Or Muscle Gain
Favorite Chocolate Protein Shake! This is my go-to after workouts packs protein, carbs, fruit, and veggies to help build muscle and optimize recovery . It tastes like a chocolate milkshake!
Apple Cinnamon Weight Gain Smoothie is a great way to gain weight by increasing your calories with a delicious whole foods packed smoothie.
Strawberry Chia High Protein Smoothie Bowl
This is the best high protein smoothie bowl recipe that Ive ever made because it is a complete meal replacement and tastes absolutely delicious. You can replace your breakfast or lunch with this smoothie bowl, get enough protein and other nutrients for good health and be completely full until your next meal.
I am a busy person with no time for snacking, so I drink a lot of healthy homemade meal replacement protein shakes which all contain extra natural sources of plant-based protein.
This fruity protein smoothie bowl is a great meal to make when you want to sit down with your family and have a proper meal that you are chewing and eating from a bowl rather than drinking on the go.
Plus the ingredients are so natural and healthy that you could also serve this to your kids for a fast meal replacement, and they will adore how cute it looks. My kids love the extra effort that I go to when I create a smoothie bowl for them.
This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, natural and plant-based, refined sugar-free and is based on whole foods.
Read Also: How To Make Homemade Protein Smoothies
Which Foods Can Help You Gain Weight Healthily
Weve rounded up the healthiest foods to include in your smoothies, that will also help you to gain weight effectively:
#1 Avocado
Avocado is full of heart-healthy unsaturated fats, which is why youre advised to limit portion sizes under normal circumstances. It has tons of additional health benefits.When added to smoothies, avocado gives a deliciously creamy texture and goes well in lots of different combinations.
#2 Nuts
Nuts contain quite a lot of healthy fats, which unsurprisingly translates into calories too. Some nuts are more calorific than others. Most nuts also contain a good amount of fiber, including almonds.You can blend nuts into your smoothies or use them in butter form, such as almond or peanut butter, to get the same benefits.
#3 Seeds
Chia, hemp, and flax seeds are a great source of protein, healthy fats, and calories while also offering nutritious benefits. Hemp and chia seeds, in particular, have a good amount of fat, fiber, and protein.> > Know someone expecting? check out these healthy smoothies for pregnancy full of healthy fats! < <
#4 Coconut Oil
Coconut oil contains saturated fats and has had bad press because of this. In fact, 90 percent of it is saturated fat! But this isnt nearly as unhealthy as it may sound. Coconut oil is now considered to be something of a superfood due to its benefits for health.The fat content is mostly fatty acids, and studies have shown that people who consume a lot of coconut oil are actually really healthy!
#5 Oats
Are Protein Smoothies Good For You
Smoothies can be a great way to get the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body needs to be in tip-top shape. The key to succeeding at this is to use wholesome ingredients, which is pretty easy to do with DIY smoothies.
You see, smoothies can be healthy, but that may not always be the case if you dont know whats in your drink. Its easy to rack up the amount of sugar or calories in a smoothie drink, especially the kind you get from smoothie shops.
Read Also: How Much Turmeric In Smoothie
Homemade Protein Smoothies For Weight Gain: Orange Creamsicle
Your favorite orange dessert, in smoothie form. Contains 400 calories and 39 grams of protein.
Ingredients:
½ cup orange sherbet
1 medium orange
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ medium frozen banana
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder of choice
Directions:
Protein Smoothie Recipes For Muscle Gain
Protein smoothies are a great way to gain muscle mass if youre trying to bulk up. They can help you reach your daily protein needs and they taste delicious! Since there are plenty of ingredients that go into making smoothies, its important to know the best ones for gaining weight.
This blog post will provide Eight awesome recipes for bulking up with protein smoothies!
Recommended Reading: Good Healthy Fruit Smoothie Recipes
The Incredible Bulk Vegan Shake
If youre looking for a plant-based shake, you can simply substitute the whey protein used in most of the shakes on this page for a vegan protein powder, though there are a few with other ingredients youll also need to switch out. Or you can just enjoy one of these two vegan shake recipes created by the good people from Starks Fitness . The recipes feature Starks Fitnesss own vegan protein powder, but any plant-based vanilla protein will work.
Blend these ingredients for a fruity and refreshing shake that tastes a little like a Twister ice lolly. Sold!
- 200ml coconut milk
- 4 ice cubes
Why Is Chocolate Good After A Workout
Cacao contains magnesium, dietary fiber, and antioxidants including flavanols and polyphenols. Magnesium is one of the most important minerals for heart health. The flavanols in cacao prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from clogging the arteries.
They also moderate nitric oxide, which is a compound found in beets. Dietary nitrates convert to nitric oxide, which is responsible for the dilation of blood vessels and helps support blood circulation.
This improves an athletes capacity for sustained exercise and endurance. Nitric oxide also helps the speed of nutrient delivery to the muscles, improving energy efficiency for performance and recovery.
Don’t Miss: Where’s The Closest Smoothie King
Back To The Earth Protein Smoothie
by Jennifer McDaniel, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD
“This is an excellent post-workout recovery drink. Beets contain nitrate, which increases blood flow to muscles and acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Chia seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which hold on to water, prolonging hydration and retention of electrolytes, and slowly release carbs for better endurance. Ginger can help relieve muscle soreness and reduce oxidative stress.”
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
- 1 slice fresh ginger or 1 tsp dried ginger
Nutrition: 466 calories, 6.5 g fat , 10 mg cholesterol, 316 mg sodium, 677 mg calcium, 73 g carbs, 14 g fiber, 35 g sugars, 35 g protein
by Jennifer McDaniel, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD
“This drink’s base is almond butter, which is rich in satiating protein to power muscles. Mango is packed with vitamins C and A, which promotes immunity and cell growth. Flax seeds’ omega-3 fatty acids improve insulin and glucose metabolism, and some research suggests in can increase blood flow and muscle growth. Turmeric is a strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that’s even been linked to increasing neuroplasticity, which can improve our memory and cognition. Turmeric can be especially be helpful if you’re learning how to master a new skill in your sport it’s also been proven to reduce recovery time and increase endurance and performance.”
Ingredients:
by Libby Mills, MS, RDN, LDN
Ingredients:
- 1 medium carrot
- 7 oz silken tofu, about 2/5 of a 16 oz package
How To Get The Most Out Of This Weight Gain Smoothie
The best way to add this weigh gainer smoothie into your diet is to add it as your 4th or 5th meal. This way it will help you get a calorie surplus as you will still be having breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The best time to have this is between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner or after a workout.
Its great after a high intensity workout as it has plenty of protein to rebuild muscles, carbohydrates to replenish glycogen and contains electrolytes and sodium.
Read Also: How To Make A Smoothie With Frozen Strawberries
Recommended Reading: Smoothies To Cleanse Your Stomach
Additional Recipes At High Calorie Recipes
Did you know that we have a sister website called High Calorie Recipes? If you are looking to gain weight, then this food blog will be an excellent resource for you!
Here are some of our favorite smoothie recipes at the High Calorie Recipes food blog!
This delicious chocolate avocado smoothie provides a whopping 953 calories per serving!
It contains high calorie ingredients like half and half, avocado, almond butter, and banana.
Check out this recipe here.
Tropical Mango & Banana Smoothie Recipe 520 Calories
This is a refreshing smoothie that you can drink on a hot summers day to effortlessly increase your calorie intake. Both the Greek yogurt and the coconut milk help with making sure this smoothie contains a lot of calories. The former is also an excellent source of protein. Meanwhile, mangoes are packed with various nutrients. Just by drinking this weight gain smoothie, youll consume enough vitamin C for the whole day. Like bananas, mangoes provide you with a good amount of carbohydrates. They are rich in various antioxidants that can strengthen your immune system.
What Youll Need
- ½ cup coconut milk
How to Prepare
Pour all of the liquids into the blender first and then add the fruits. You can add a few ice cubes to make the smoothie more refreshing. Once you combine the ingredients blend for two minutes.
Recommended Reading: Low Carb Low Fat Smoothies
How Much Protein Should You Put In Your Muscle Gain Shake
How much protein do you need in your post-workout smoothie? Try for between 0.14 and 0.23 grams of protein per pound of body weight. If you are looking to gain muscle mass, then lean toward the higher end of the spectrum. For example, a 170-pound person can add as much as 39.1 grams of protein to their post-workout smoothie.
What happens if you add even more protein to your smoothie? Will you get even greater muscle gains? Nope. Your body can only process so much protein. Any excess that you consume will be passed through your urine. Thats not a very good use of your high protein smoothie. Also, eating especially high amounts of protein could result in kidney stones. Yikes!
One last thing to consider iscarbs! No matter what the latest diet craze says, carbs are not the enemy. In fact, you need them to refuel your glycogen after your workout. When adding carbs to your post-workout smoothie for muscle gain, look for complex carbs. Many vegetables and certain fruits can be excellent sources for low-glycemic index carbs.
Ready to try some tasty muscle protein shakes? Here are some of the best protein shake recipes for muscle gain.