And then there are those that recreate the category by taking a favorite food and bring it to life in liquid form. Enter your new favorite healthy snack: the pumpkin pie protein shake.

Why It’s a Healthy Recipe

Pumpkin is an underrated nutrition powerhouse. It’s packed with fiber, cancer-fighting carotenoids, and more potassium than a banana.

This version of pumpkin pie takes your favorite flavors, removes the heavy cream and loads of sugar, and creates the protein-packed version in a glass.

And while the flavor is great, it’s the added benefits that make it worth your while. Pumpkin is an underrated nutrition powerhouse. It’s packed with fiber, cancer-fighting carotenoids, and more potassium than a banana.

This is a perfect post-workout shake, providing natural carbohydrates to refuel your energy, protein to build your muscle tissue, and a little healthy fat from the coconut milk and chia seed to keep you full and satisfied. Plus, the potassium in the pumpkin and banana will replenish those electrolytes lost after an intense training session. 

Ingredients

• 1 c unsweetened coconut milk*
• 1/3 c pumpkin puree
• 1/4c old-fashioned oats
• ½ frozen banana
• ½ tbsp chia seed
• ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice*
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 scoop protein powder***
• 5 drops Stevia Drops, vanilla crème flavor****
• 3 ice cubes

 *Milk substitutions—almond, low-fat, soy, rice—will work too, but the consistency will not be as thick.

**If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, add a dash of each the following: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice.

***The best flavors for this recipe are graham cracker (yes, they make delicious flavor), vanilla, cinnamon swirl or unflavored.

****You can sub this with ½ tsp Stevia and ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Add all ingredients into the blender, and pulse until smooth.
2. Enjoy immediately. Makes one awesome serving.

Nutritional Information & Macros

Dietary Information: Dairy/Lactose free, Gluten free (if gluten-free oats are used), No added sugar (natural sugars in fruit), Vegetarian, Vegan (if Vegan protein used),

Macros per shake (one serving)

• 387 calories
• 9g fat
• 40g carbs
• 37g protein

The post Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake appeared first on Born Fitness.

One of the main reasons people tend to overeat is because they’ve waited too long to satisfy their hunger. (Unless, of course, you’re following a variation of intermittent fasting.) Whether you eat many times throughout the day, or just need something to tide your hunger, healthy snacks, or in-between small meals, are sometimes the hardest to choose.

Enter the protein-packed, gut friendly spin on a traditional snack. This Greek yogurt recipe, from Liv Langdon, founder of Liv Out Loud, is perfectly balanced by the tart lemon, sweet vanilla and plump blueberries.

Why You Should Eat and Enjoy

The chia seed adds texture and is the richest plant source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fat. Not to mention, it’s a complete source of protein. Blueberries contain pterostilbenes, which make them a rich source of antioxidants and have shown potential to decrease the growth of cancer cells.

And, good news for those who are lactose intolerant (about 30 million of Americans), the recipe also contains bacteria in the live cultures, which breakdown much of the lactose in yogurt before you eat it.

These natural probiotics (beneficial gut microbiota) have shown to strengthen the gut, which houses 70% of our immune system. Make sure to look at the ingredient label to ensure that there are limited (or no) added sugars to the yogurt; it’s worth the extra time to add your own flavors to the plain variety.

Use the suggested toppings as a guide to switch up the flavors and texture. Just note, the chia seeds will absorb any liquid in the Greek yogurt, so if made in advance the yogurt will thicken a bit.

 Lemon Berry Chia Yogurt

Ingredients: 

• 1 c plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• ¼ tsp grated lemon grind
• 1 packet Stevia
• 10 drops of Sweet Leaf Stevia, vanilla crème flavor (can substitute with 1 packet Stevia and ¼ tsp vanilla extract)
• ½ tbsp chia seed
• 1/2 c fresh blueberries (or other berry of choice)

Suggested toppings (optional)

• 1 tbsp toasted unsweetened coconut
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp toasted almond slivers

Directions

1. In a serving bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Stir with a spoon until mixed.
2. Add blueberries on top. Sprinkle with additional chia seed and grated lemon if you want a pretty presentation.

Nutrition Information and Macros

 Dietary information

• Gluten free
• Nut free
• Vegetarian
• No added sugar
• All-natural protein
• Low-calorie
• Natural probiotic (Greek yogurt contains live cultures)
• About ½ less lactose than regular yogurt, with approximately 95% lactose removed from Greek yogurt during manufacturing

Macronutrient breakdown:

• Non-fat Greek yogurt (8oz/1 cup): 130 calories, 0g fat, 11g carbs, 6g sugar, 23g protein
• Chia seed ½ tbsp.: 30 calories, 1.5g fat, 2g carbs, 0g sugar, 2.5g fiber, 1.5g protein
• Blueberries (½ cup): 40 calories, 0.24g fat, 10.51g carbs, 7.22g sugar, 1.7g fiber, 0.54g protein

Total macros: 200 calories, 1.74g fat, 23.51g carbs, 13.22g sugar, 4.2g fiber, 25.04g protein

Adam Bornstein

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.

The post High-Protein Lemon Berry Chia Yogurt appeared first on Born Fitness.