Protein/morning shake

A casein shake is good, 1kg for 13 quid from myprotein.com, or you could opt for a whey shake, although they're only worth it post workout due how fast they are absorbed.

A good whey shake - http://www.myprotein.com/uk/products/impact_whey_protein

A good casein - http://www.myprotein.com/uk/products/milk_protein_smooth

If you use MP453555 as a code at the end you get 5% discount of your first order

pure protein vanilla or cookies and cream 20 dollars at WalMart. Good and filling!

Green smoothies are low cal, inexpensive and you can add whey if you want, but I find it's fairly protein rich on its own.

This is the recipe for green smoothies that we use. You really can adapt it to any of your preferences, but just make sure you put kale, spinach or chard in the mix. It is vegan and highly nutritious.

And do it in this order because it will get "swampy" if you don't.

In a blender put:

about a cup of greens (examples: kale, chard, spinach, collards, beet greens, darker lettuces, etc.)
1.25c liquid liquid can be any nut or seed milk (almond, soy, coconut) or can be a combination of non-dairy milks and fresh juices such as beet, carrot, apple, etc.

blend

while the blender is on, open the little hole thing in the lid. add:

1 banana

and a total of 1.25c frozen fruit, examples:

blueberries
strawberries
pineapple
peaches
blackberries (if you can find seedless, that's better)
raspberries (see blackberries)
dark cherries
mangoes

you can add any fruit you want. if you use fresh fruit, you may have to add ice, in which case, you may need to bump down the liquid. you'll have to test it, but i've found frozen fruit is really the way to go. blueberries & dark cherries are very high in antioxidants. strawberries can be a little worrisome, especially fresh because they are heavily loaded with pesticides (because they're such a fickle plant). i even get a little sketched out with frozen because i don't know how well they are washed. even organic because organic doesn't mean anti-pesticide, just means organic pesticide. you get the drift. the others i dont' worry about much cuz they have tougher skins or are not typically highly-sprayed plants.

we also add flax seed for omega3 (because we don't eat a lot of fish) or ground up hemp seed (for protein)
and you can add other things like spirulina, blue algae or nori (seaweed)

depending on what you add, you may need to add honey, but we never do because the banana and fruit is typically sweet enough


the recipe yields about a quart, or 2 servings of 1 pint each.

1 serving of green smoothie is approximately:

165 calories
31g carbohydrate (obviously complex)
3g fat
7g fiber
18g sugar (be aware of this, but don't fret too much because the fiber helps. if you're concerned about sugar, use less banana)
6g protein

I purchase whey protein in both chocolate and vanilla flavors. I use 1 scoop with 1 cup 1%milk, and then various add-ins. Flavored extracts are awesome for low-cal variations! I also use my magic bullet to make single servings, but any blender (contained or hand held) will do. Here are a few of my favorites:

Almond Joy: 1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein Powder, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup ice cubes, 1/4 tsp almond extract, 1/2 tsp coconut extract.

Mocha: 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup ice cubes, 1 tsp instant coffee granules, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Cherry: 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup ice cubes, 1/3 cup no-sugar-added cherry pie filling.

Reese's: 1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein Powder, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup ice cubes, 2 Tbsp peanut butter (try Better n' peanut butter for half the calories and a fraction of the fat).

Pumpkin: 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup ice cubes, 1/2 cup pure pumpkin, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or pinch each of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, plus sweetener to taste).

Chocolate Mint: 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup ice cubes, 1/4 tsp mint extract.

Tropical: 1 scoop whey protein (chocolate or vanilla), 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup ice, 1/2 ripe banana, 1/4 tsp coconut extract.

Any berries, fresh or frozen, may be added to protein powder of either flavor for variety as well.

Hope this helps!

Another option is making a smoothie with greek yogurt. 6 ounces of fat free has 18 grams of protein. I prefer the flavor over protein powder, so I tend to mix it with some banana and some peanut butter and cocoa powder. Not sure how it compares calorie wise to low-cal protein powders, but it's packs a pretty hefty protein punch for a reasonable level of calories.