Okay. Let us be real: some protein powders are not delicious. Get the wrong brand or the wrong flavor of the right brand, and you have made a critical mistake that has ruined an otherwise acceptable shake or smoothie. Also: store-brand protein powders from a certain three-letter brand tend to cause a certain four-letter word to come out my butt at inopportune times.
No good.
When I first started making post-workout protein shakes (for after shorter workouts or for breakfast sometimes), I just picked up Designer Whey Vanilla & Chocolate because it was $9.99 at Trader Joe’s and tasted good. I switched for a time to more serious-biz whey protein powders (that I paid almost 40 American dollars for, don’t start with me), to no effect. Well, there was an effect, but we don’t need to discuss it at length.
I use UCAN for long runs (fuel & recovery), but have switched back to Designer Whey for all other protein shakes, smoothies, pancakes and what have you. It is not expensive, it is easily accessible, it’s 100 calories per scoop — and it’s pretty delicious. Especially compared to what else is out there. FOR REAL.
3 of my standby breakfasts are Designer Whey-based:
Vanilla Green Smoothie (200-250 cals)
1 giant handful of spinach
1 scoop Designer Whey Vanilla protein
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
1/4 or 1/2 a banana
a few ice cubes
Enough water or Almond Milk to get things moving
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie (~200 cals)
1/4 to 1/2 a banana
2 tbsp PB2
1 scoop Designer Whey chocolate protein
A few ice cubes and enough water or almond milk to get things moving
Basic Protein Pancake
1/4 banana, mashed (mash it first, then add other stuff)
1/4 cup liquid egg whites
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 scoop Designer Whey vanilla protein
2 tbsp vanilla almond milk
Dash vanilla and/or cinnamon (optional)
Whir everything in a blender or with a hand blender, cook in a nonstick skillet (I spray mine) like a pancake. Top with delicious things, like PB2, nut butter, honey, yogurt, fruit, agave, etc. This one has jelly & strawberries on top.
The cool people at Designer Whey also sent me a box o’ goodies so I could try a few of their other products — beyond just the protein powder.
Protein Bars: these are 160-170 calorie bars that taste fairly similar to the Zone Perfect bars — all the flavors were good, but I dug the Chocolate Caramel Crunch the best. My only complaint was that they’re a little on the small side (and had 13g-14g sugar).
Protein2Go Whey Protein Isolate: Okay. These, I loved. Add one of the 50 cal packets to a bottle of water for a quick hit of 10g of protein (and only 1g of sugar!) These are GREAT for a quick first-thing-in-the-AM pre-workout fuel hit, or for a post-workout portable hit. Especially if you’re hitting a few classes in a row and need something in between. The taste was… like a less-sweet, less-intense Crystal Light.
100 Calorie High Protein Shake: THESE. These, I love. I took these to work as a 4pm snack when I had a post-workday workout and I LOOOOVED them. They tasted good, were only 100 cals and 18g protein, and only had 3g sugar. The chocolate one almost tastes like SlimFast — I loved the Vanilla one, though. LOVED.
Also in my box o’ goodies: a delicious White Chocolate flavored protein powder. It’s REALLY sweet — and really sticks out in a shake — so use it sparingly. Here is my new favorite thing: strawberries, white chocolate protein powder, vanilla almond milk and ice. Tastes super rich. Love.
Also, the best thing about Designer Whey: it’s available at TJ’s & Target; I’ve seen it for $9.99 at the Teej and $12.99 at the Targ. Cheap, delicious, done.
Standard biz: I received this product for review purposes. All opinions are my own.