Pretty Pink Post-Workout Recovery Drink
I don’t know about you guy’s, but one of the things I miss the MOST during this quarantine is going into OrangeTheory gyms. I love that they put online workouts up daily so we can still stay active at home, but for me it just isn’t the same. During class, when I feel like I’m about to kill over from the tread block, hearing my coach encouraging everyone really pumps me up and makes me keep pushing, even if it’s for the wrong reason of not wanting to make eye contact with my coach when I decide to walk instead of active recover. But hey, I do OrangeTheory to keep me accountable (those $12 cancellation fees are the only thing that can get me to a 90 minute morning weekend class while I’m hungover), so any motivation is better than none!
Since we can’t go into the gym’s currently, I’ve decided to try a new workout program until OrangeTheory’s open back up. I figured might as well try some new types of exercises while everyone’s streaming them for free. Today, I did an “insanity” workout and let me tell you, they really are bananas. 8 minutes in and I thought I was going to die. Every time I felt like quitting, I just had to remind myself that I was going to get my favorite shake afterwards. Making sure to get the protein you need after a workout is so very important to build muscles and recover from the intense exercise you performed. I used to never drink protein shakes after workouts and wondered why I wasn’t seeing results and wanted to nap afterwards. Turns out, I wasn’t fueling my muscles like they needed. Now I try to make myself a protein shake or have eggs (eggs have lots of protein) within 30 minutes of working out to help with muscle growth, recovery, and keeping my energy up.
I won’t lie, I don’t love the taste of protein so this was a pretty big issue for me. A lot of times, I think protein taste is pretty overpowering or chalky and it’s hard for me to want them, so I spent a bunch of time testing recipes so that I could enjoy protein shakes after a workout. This one that I like to call the pretty pink post-workout recovery drink has become one of my all time favorites. It makes me feel like I’m on a tropical island and I can’t even taste the protein so it’s a win win! I’ve come to like it so much that sometimes I’ll even make it as a smoothie bowl in the morning for breakfast or a snack and add fruits, nuts, granola, or any other toppings I’m feeling that day. That’s a pretty big deal for me because as I said, I don’t like the taste of protein powder, so used to try to have to have it as little as possible. Now this is one of my staples!
Pretty Pink Recovery Drink
Great for after workouts, breakfast, or snacks!
Recipe:
4oz unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 Pitaya Plus smoothie pack
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 cup frozen cauliflower (for creaminess and extra nutrients—I promise you won’t be able to taste it!)— optional
2 scoops vanilla protein powder or collagen
1-2 tsp chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp Almond Butter (for a healthy fat—also won’t be able to taste this!)
1 tsp coconut shreds (optional)
Handful of ice (depending on your consistency preference)
Blend together
Add more ice or water depending on the consistency you want (you just have to play around with it a little)
Enjoy!!