Healthy Girl’s Guide: Protein Shake Muffins
I don’t know about you, but I get HANGRY after I workout. Like I get home and start barreling through the fridge looking for any carbs to shove in my face.
Normally, I’m not ready for my actual breakfast/lunch until about an hour after. But what you eat after hitting the gym is the most important food you eat all day. Muscles store excess energy in the form of glycogen and protein and, when you work out, the body burns fuel from your pre-workout meal, then it breaks down glycogen stored in muscles. Within a few hours of working out, muscle protein drops and muscles begin to break down. However, within a 45-minute window, your body is the most responsive with absorbing carbohydrates and protein.The main goal is to get those carbohydrates and protein back into your body. I’m going to note here: I’m not a dietician or a personal trainer. BUT, this works for me. I live a pretty healthy lifestyle, watch what I eat, workout regularly & splurge on pizza every once in a while.
That being said, protein shakes are my best friend. I recently stumbled upon Svelte Protein Shakes. Not only are they delish, but they’re also GF, Vegan & Organic! They also only contain 6 grams of sugar which is awesome. A lot of protein shakes are loaded with sugar, which kind of defeats the purpose.
Anywho, the other day I was making muffins for the holidays and came up with a genius (self diagnosed) idea: add my protein shake to my muffin recipe! Basically, I swapped out the water & added a vanilla protein shake. I also used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. Coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) or medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are smaller and more easily digested by your body, so they do not get stored as fat!
These muffins are super easy because they use the box mix of your choice. But they’re extra special because they have the magical protein your body needs after a workout! I bring one with me and leave it in the car so I have a snack on my drive home from the gym!
If you’re vegan & looking for an egg substitute, I recommend using either 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds or 2 Tablespoons Baking Soda + 2 Tablespoons of White Vinegar.
You can use any muffin mix, even Gluten Free!
[yumprint-recipe id=’22’]