Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It gives energy, tone, a feeling of satiety and reduces the desire to consume harmful food during the rest of the day.
For it to be balanced and healthy, it needs to be rich in proteins. This is because they supply the body with 9 of the 20 essential amino acids.
While eating high-protein foods like eggs and yogurt is always a great option, eating them every day can easily tire you out.
To diversify your menu, you can prepare different snacks using protein powder.
In this article, you’ll learn about 5 delicious and healthy protein powder recipes that will keep you feeling full and happy.
What is protein powder?
Before you read the tempting suggestions to start your day with, you first need to understand what exactly protein powder is.
Also called protein powder, it is rich in protein and is derived from plant, meat or dairy sources. In this regard, it is divided into three main subtypes: vegetable, casein and whey.
To get more protein into your diet, you can take protein powder by adding it to shakes, smoothies, baked goods, or mixing it into a drink of your choice.
Considering that it can be tasteless, a great option is to choose a protein with different flavors.
Benefits of protein powder
Protein powder has a number of benefits for the body, including:
- weight management — high-protein diets are very filling, resulting in a lack of desire to snack more. This makes it easier to restrict calories and lose weight.
- speeding up metabolism — when you eat foods with a high protein content, you increase the number of calories burned and accordingly speed up your metabolism.
- helping muscles recover easily — if you exercise regularly, it’s good to take a protein bar or protein powder after your workout to reduce muscle soreness and improve muscle performance. This is because proteins help repair damaged tissues and muscles.
- building muscle mass.
You can read more about its advantages in our article “Protein powder – benefits“.
Protein powder recipes
If you want to experiment and diversify your usual breakfast, in the following lines you will learn about several quick, easy and delicious recipes with protein powder to prepare for yourself or your loved ones.
Banana bread with protein powder
If you love bananas, this healthy recipe is for you. It is also suitable for anyone who has decided to exclude gluten from their diet.
To prepare it, you need:
- 3 medium ripe bananas (354 g);
- ¼ cup skim yogurt (57g);
- ½ cup coconut sugar (96 g);
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract;
- ¼ cup coconut oil (56 g);
- 1 large egg (50 g);
- 1 cup oat flour (120 g);
- ¾ cup whey protein powder (60 g);
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda;
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon;
- ⅓ cup chopped nuts (36g) of choice.
Once you have everything you need, first, you need to mash the bananas. Then heat the oven to 160 degrees and prepare the tray in which you will bake the bread. If you want, you can use baking paper to prevent it from burning.
Then mix the banana puree with the yogurt, vanilla and coconut sugar. Mix well and add the egg and coconut oil. The next step is to add the cinnamon, baking soda, flour and protein powder. Mix again until a homogeneous mixture is obtained and put the nuts in it.
Pour it into the pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Leave the bread to cool in the pan for ten minutes, then remove it.
Protein pancakes with lemon and ricotta
Want to impress your friends and significant other? Or are you just looking for a new healthy culinary adventure? Then the recipe for protein pancakes with lemon and ricotta is the perfect solution for you.
To prepare them, you need to spend half an hour and take the following products:
- 1 egg;
- 1 teaspoon of coconut flour (2.3 g);
- ¼ cup semi-skimmed ricotta (63 g);
- ¼ cup vanilla protein powder (23 g);
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice;
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel.
Once you’ve got everything you need, it’s time to roll up your sleeves to make the protein pancakes. To do this, you need to follow a few simple steps.
- Heat the pan over low heat.
- Beat the egg.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to it.
- Stir well.
- Wait until the pan is hot enough before pouring the batter.
- Pour some of the mixture over the pan and when you see bubbles appear, turn it over to the other side.
- Bake for a minute and remove the pancake.
- Repeat the process until the mixture is gone.
To make your breakfast even sweeter, you can add fruit or a topping of your choice on the pancakes.
Pudding with chia and cocoa protein powder
If you don’t have time to prepare sweet delights in the form of baked goods, a good alternative for a healthy and quick breakfast is pudding with chia and cocoa protein powder.
The ingredients you will need to make it are:
- ⅓ cup chia seeds (64g);
- a cup and a half of almond milk (360 ml);
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract;
- ¼ cup cocoa-flavored whey protein (23 g);
- a pinch of sea salt.
The instructions for making the pudding are very simple.
- Separate the chia seeds from the other products and set them aside in a bowl.
- Mix the protein powder with the almond milk, salt and vanilla.
- Pour the finished mixture over the chia seeds and mix.
- Let the pudding sit for 20-30 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator. To avoid the formation of lumps, it is recommended to stir it every ten minutes.
- Then put it in the fridge to set.
Oats with protein
You can diversify the classic oatmeal breakfast by adding cinnamon, banana and protein powder.
You need the following ingredients:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats;
- 1 cup of water;
- 1/2 banana cut into circles;
- a pinch of sea salt;
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon;
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla;
- 1 tablespoon of protein powder.
Mix the oats, banana and salt in a bowl, then add water and mix. The next step is to add the vanilla and cinnamon. Heat the nuts for ten minutes on the stove. Stir during cooking to prevent them from burning.
You’ll know they’re ready when they’re thick and fluffy and the liquid is absorbed. Remove them from the heat and add the protein powder. Add more water if needed. If you want, you can add a topping of your choice.
Protein shake with strawberries and banana
The protein shake is one of the most popular options for a healthy breakfast.
For this recipe, you’ll need a cup and a half of frozen strawberries, half a banana, ¼ cup of vanilla-flavored protein powder, ⅓ cup of nonfat yogurt, a cup of unsweetened almond milk, and optional crushed graham crackers.
To prepare the protein shake, you just need to put them in a blender and beat the ingredients.
Conclusion
Proteins are an extremely important part of any diet and their regular consumption is recommended. In addition to being able to take them through food, you have the option of obtaining them through nutritional supplements or in powder form.
To diversify your diet, try one of the five delicious protein powder recipes you read about in the article.
On the Active Choice website you will find high quality protein powders. Their intake will help you maintain good shape and feel healthy and energetic.
You will find more useful and interesting information related to protein products and healthy eating in the other articles on our blog.