Protein powder help and ideas?

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I've been having trouble hitting my protein goals lately and I've resorted to supplementing with whey protein and the occasional Quest bar. I'm trying to find different ways to eat my whey protein, because my blender is a PITA to clean and I'm lazy.

This morning I tried making whey protein "hot chocolate" by using hot milk, a scoop of chocolate whey, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Would've been great, except the stupid chunks wouldn't dissolve, and I had to just swallow those like pills because they reminded me of chunks of ground beef (which is not what I am looking for in a hot chocolate).

So, what is everyone's favorite brand of protein? Preferably one that mixes well and that isn't too terribly expensive. Also, what are your favorite ways to eat it? I'm trying to find a good recipe for baking it into oatmeal or something, so I don't always have that bitter whey protein aftertaste.

Thanks! :flowerforyou:

amandarunning

I like Nutrisport Chocolate Whey Isolate. Not tried many others because it can be an expensive trial and error. I never drink my food though :-) Favourite way is in a small bowl add a scoop of powder (30g), 60ml milk, mix with spoon and don't worry so much about any lumps (it mixes quite well). Microwave for 45-60secs and you have a sort of firm on the edges but gloopy in the middle hot chocolate mousse. (151 calories). I also sometimes mix a scoop with water to make a paste, mix in some dessicated coconut and microwave for about a minute which makes a cookie like texture.

Just ordered some PB2 to add to either or which sounds nice.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

amandarunning wrote: »

I like Nutrisport Chocolate Whey Isolate. Not tried many others because it can be an expensive trial and error. I never drink my food though :-) Favourite way is in a small bowl add a scoop of powder (30g), 60ml milk, mix with spoon and don't worry so much about any lumps (it mixes quite well). Microwave for 45-60secs and you have a sort of firm on the edges but gloopy in the middle hot chocolate mousse. (151 calories). I also sometimes mix a scoop with water to make a paste, mix in some dessicated coconut and microwave for about a minute which makes a cookie like texture.

Just ordered some PB2 to add to either or which sounds nice.

Ooh, the cookie thing sounds good.

I thought about getting some PB2 also, since I love peanut butter but not enough to justify adding another 150-200 calories to my shake to eat it.

PrizePopple

Designer Whey in French Vanilla. I can get it at Target for under $20 for a tub that lasts me a good month or more. I use it with a 1.5 cups of Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, and a banana all blended up.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

PrizePopple wrote: »

Designer Whey in French Vanilla. I can get it at Target for under $20 for a tub that lasts me a good month or more. I use it with a 1.5 cups of Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, and a banana all blended up.

This sounds good, too. I love cutting up over-ripe bananas, freezing them, and blending them into my shakes (or alone...with chocolate). Not quite ice cream, but it does the job in a pinch.

nellyett

I don't like to 'drink' my calories...I like to eat. lol I make a steelcut oats and quinoa oatmeal thing and I add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to that. I've tried many brands, and I've settled on the Body Fortress brand at Walmart. I get the microfiltered one so it blends easily.

I have trouble hitting my protein as well, and just bought some plain whey protein and tried it in tomato soup the other night. Was okay after I crushed up a bunch of crackers in it. I was actually just sitting here wondering if it would work in scrambled eggs if I add a bunch of other things like onions, cheese and hot sauce....

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

nellyett wrote: »

I don't like to 'drink' my calories...I like to eat. lol I make a steelcut oats and quinoa oatmeal thing and I add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to that. I've tried many brands, and I've settled on the Body Fortress brand at Walmart. I get the microfiltered one so it blends easily.

I have trouble hitting my protein as well, and just bought some plain whey protein and tried it in tomato soup the other night. Was okay after I crushed up a bunch of crackers in it. I was actually just sitting here wondering if it would work in scrambled eggs if I add a bunch of other things like onions, cheese and hot sauce....

I'm with ya there - I love to chew my food. I usually blend up my protein powder with milk and ice to make it more like milkshake as a snack. Because I freaking love milkshakes. But I don't like replacing my meals with them unless I'm in a huge hurry or something.

I've not tried plain whey - I could see how adding it to savory soups might not be too bad, though.

jussy123

This is not a protein powder suggestion, but for your blender issue - why don't you just clean your blender with a few squirts of dish detergent, warm water, and then blend it for a bit? That's what I do, and it cleans it really well.

j6o4

When I use my whey protein to make coffee, I mix it with a bit off milk until it becomes the consistency of condense milk then I pour in hot water. If I don't dissolve it in milk until it has the consistency of condense milk before pouring in hot water, I get the same problem as you.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

jussy123 wrote: »

This is not a protein powder suggestion, but for your blender issue - why don't you just clean your blender with a few squirts of dish detergent, warm water, and then blend it for a bit? That's what I do, and it cleans it really well.

Hmm...I never thought about this. I always just soak it and then stick it in the dishwasher.

I'm not very good at thinking outside of the box (I'm an accountant - creativity is not my strong suit).

farfromthetree

If I had to use a blender...I probably wouldn't use it. I just use a "shaker" I picked up at GNC.
I don't know if you like tuna...but it is packed with protein. I also found turkey burgers with 30 grams of protein!

cityruss

gonutrition
myprotien
theproteinworks

Current flavours are Triple chocolate, Vanilla ice cream, chocolate peanut cookie and millionaire's shortbread.

I use them in cooking as much as drinking.

Current favourite is a sachet of jelly (jello?) mix, protein powder, cocoa powder and yogurt put in the fridge for a few hours.

nellyett

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »

I'm with ya there - I love to chew my food. I usually blend up my protein powder with milk and ice to make it more like milkshake as a snack. Because I freaking love milkshakes. But I don't like replacing my meals with them unless I'm in a huge hurry or something.

I've not tried plain whey - I could see how adding it to savory soups might not be too bad, though.

Try adding some frozen strawberries or banana....that makes it really thick too and you can change the flavours, etc.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

farfromthetree wrote: »

If I had to use a blender...I probably wouldn't use it. I just use a "shaker" I picked up at GNC.
I don't know if you like tuna...but it is packed with protein. I also found turkey burgers with 30 grams of protein!

I do like tuna! I just tried it mixed with cottage cheese last night and it was pretty tasty. I just like to shake things up sometimes.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

cityruss wrote: »

gonutrition
myprotien
theproteinworks

Current flavours are Triple chocolate, Vanilla ice cream, chocolate peanut cookie and millionaire's shortbread.

I use them in cooking as much as drinking.

Current favourite is a sachet of jelly (jello?) mix, protein powder, cocoa powder and yogurt put in the fridge for a few hours.

That looks very interesting - similar to a custard or something. That might be something I'll have to try when I'm feeling adventurous!

SarahKate2710

From experience I have noticed that most brands of protein powder don't dissolve in anything hot. I make a hot chocolate with protein on really cold mornings. What I do is mix all the powders together and add some cold water to dissolve and form a loose paste, then add the hot water/milk, and enjoy.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

nellyett wrote: »

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »

I'm with ya there - I love to chew my food. I usually blend up my protein powder with milk and ice to make it more like milkshake as a snack. Because I freaking love milkshakes. But I don't like replacing my meals with them unless I'm in a huge hurry or something.

I've not tried plain whey - I could see how adding it to savory soups might not be too bad, though.

Try adding some frozen strawberries or banana....that makes it really thick too and you can change the flavours, etc.

Ooh, yes I do this a lot in the summer and they can be so refreshing. I love adding frozen raspberries or strawberries to chocolate whey protein and milk, and I'll also usually add some ice to thicken it up even more.

TheVirgoddess

Yeah, you don't want to mix protein powder with something hot. It needs to be cool.

I usually brew a cup of coffee over ice, then add my chocolate protein powder. So it's like iced chocolate coffee. Mmm.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

Yeah, you don't want to mix protein powder with something hot. It needs to be cool.

I usually brew a cup of coffee over ice, then add my chocolate protein powder. So it's like iced chocolate coffee. Mmm.

I never knew that - I guess I always think of things dissolving better in hot liquids than cold ones. Thanks! I need to try this next time.

AlisonH729

PrizePopple wrote: »

Designer Whey in French Vanilla. I can get it at Target for under $20 for a tub that lasts me a good month or more.

I use the Designer Whey Natural. Like you OP, I primarily use it to help me hit my nutrition goals. So I don't need the enhancers found in some of the more complex formulas. I had been using strawberry & chocolate (CVS brand) and I was trying to mix them into complimenting flavors of yogurt but the flavor of the whey always took over. The natural is more versatile. (I recently switched to plain yogurt anyway.)

I usually eat breakfast at my desk which is 6 oz Greek yogurt, 1/2 scoop whey, 1 oz of frozen blueberries or strawberries & sometimes some honey. (Other days I will have cottage cheese with a cut up apple or pear. Which also has a fair amount of protein.)

And occasionally I will make a smoothie. But those suckers pack a calorie punch I usually don't have room in my diet for. I'd rather eat my food, like someone else mentioned.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

AlisonH729 wrote: »

PrizePopple wrote: »

Designer Whey in French Vanilla. I can get it at Target for under $20 for a tub that lasts me a good month or more.

I use the Designer Whey Natural. Like you OP, I primarily use it to help me hit my nutrition goals. So I don't need the enhancers found in some of the more complex formulas. I had been using strawberry & chocolate (CVS brand) and I was trying to mix them into complimenting flavors of yogurt but the flavor of the whey always took over. The natural is more versatile. (I recently switched to plain yogurt anyway.)

I usually eat breakfast at my desk which is 6 oz Greek yogurt, 1/2 scoop whey, 1 oz of frozen blueberries or strawberries & sometimes some honey. (Other days I will have cottage cheese with a cut up apple or pear. Which also has a fair amount of protein.)

And occasionally I will make a smoothie. But those suckers pack a calorie punch I usually don't have room in my diet for. I'd rather eat my food, like someone else mentioned.

I think the Designer Whey will be my next purchase as far as whey protein goes. I've heard lots of good things about it.

Thanks for the tips! I agree the calories in the smoothies can add up quickly. That's why I don't like to add peanut butter or other calorie-dense foods because at that point I may as well just have an actual milkshake.