It’s the new year and everyone, as usual, is focused on working out and eating healthy or dieting. First, let me say, I don’t like the word or principle of dieting. I almost feel like the second you tell yourself you can’t have something, the more you want it! I’m a big believer in finding healthy alternatives to some of your favorite snacks and recipes and indulging in the bad stuff in moderation. This delicious post-workout snack I’m about to tell you (or its pretty amazing for breakfast too!) has all of the makings of an indulgent dessert – brownie batter, peanut butter and bananas…yum!! – without the guilt.
Working out is key to seeing your body change but fueling your body before and after is a must. When you work out, your muscles use the glycogen to fuel your workout and also some of the proteins in your muscles get broken down. Eating the right foods after a workout helps your muscles to recover better and increases muscle protein synthesis (aka increased muscle growth and definition). Why workout and then not feed your body so that you can see the best results!
You need a mix of protein, carbs and fats to maximize your results. This healthy snack mixes Elli Quark yogurt, which is actually a cheese-based yogurt that doesn’t taste at all like cheese but also doesn’t have the thickness and tartness of Greek yogurt. Some varieties come fat-free but the one from this recipe has only 100 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 9 carbs, 4 sugars and 12 grams of protein. This is your base for this delicious snack.
Next stir in one tablespoon of Buff Bake Chocolate Chip Spread, which is peanut butter mixed with a hormone free whey protein powder and is straight up so good! It has 11 grams of protein for two tablespoons and has the healthy fat your body needs. I read a study that said people saw better muscle growth when they had whole milk as opposed to skim milk, so the bit of fat from this peanut butter is a good idea.
Finally, you can do all sorts of toppings from granola (Julian Bakery is my fav) to what I chose: a banana with a bit of protein bar on top. You can choose any bar you like but I like these little peanut butter ones from Tone It Up because they are small enough to pop just one on top (one serving is three small bars). You don’t have to, but I like to add a banana on top because a study found that bananas replace nutrients and help with post workout inflammation just as well as sports drinks.
So when you want to train hard and see results, don’t forget post-workout nutrition is key!
This recipe is so incredibly easy and takes less than 5 minutes to make with only 4 ingredients.
INGREDIENTS:
1 Serving of Elli Quark Brownie Batter Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Buff Bake Chocolate Chip Spread
1 or 2 Tone It Up Protein Bites Peanut Butter Cookie
½ Banana (sliced)
PREPARATION:
1. Place the whole serving of Elli Quark Brownie Batter Yogurt in bowl.
2. Add Buff Back Chocolate Chip Spread. Mix together.
3. Crumble 1 or 2 Tone It Up Protein Bites and place in bowl.
4. Slice 1/2 of a banana. Add on top.
5. Enjoy!
