As our two younger kids have gotten involved in high school athletics, we’ve explored the world of the right types of sports drinks. Should they ingest something to replenish muscle fatigue after workouts? Are calories important? Is any sugar too much sugar?
Like all other issues in the world, these questions have no perfect answers. What you believe is based on the things you read and what others tell you. Kirby and Skyler both run cross country and play basketball, so when they get home they are worn out. We know they need protein.
For awhile, I made Muscle Milk shakes for them. Then, when it was pointed out to me from some source that incredibly miniscule portions might have a growth hormone in it, we bailed and went to 100% Whey Protein instead. I still do the Muscle Milk since I’m trying grow taller as I edge closer to 60. It appears to be working, but don’t tell anyone.
The kids love the milk shakes either way, so regardless if you want to grow taller like me, or be safe like them, here’s the way to make the tastiest shake ever.
Pour six ounces of half and half into the bottom of the blender, then top it off with 2-3 ounces of skim milk. You might be surprised, but it matters the order in which you put the ingredients into the blender. Next, place one scoop of the chocolate whey protein or Muscle Milk powder in (the scoopers come in the containers; if you are making the shake for two, use an extra scoop).
Now comes the important part: The French Vanilla ice cream. The harder the ice cream, the less you need, so you’ll need to experiment a bit with this. Generally speaking, the ice cream should fill the blender up about 3 times where the milk/half & half mixture is, leaving gaps for air (you don’t need or want to pack the ice cream down; just drop it in). So the blender should be one-fourth milk/cream, three-fourths ice cream (with room for air).
As an aside: To make an even creamier version of this shake, you can sub whipping cream for half & half, and it makes an even better version, as my kids will attest.
Onto the final blending: Get out the Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Squirt 3-4 circulars on the top of the ice cream. Cap the blender, turn it on lightly (just let it run for a second or two). Do this 3-4 times so the protein powder gets mixed in, and the ice cream starts to get chopped up. This aligns all the ingredients for best blending. Run the blender a little longer, 5-6 seconds, several times. Look inside. See if you’ve got a thick, creamy shake. If it’s smooth and you can pour it without chunks of ice cream, you’re good. It also shouldn’t be too thin. By that, I mean there shouldn’t be any milk sitting on top that pours right into a glass. The shake should be completely mixed for maximum taste and texture.
Keep iced 20-ounce glasses in your freezer. Pull them out. Let them frost up. Fill them. This thickens the shake further, and gives your kids top tasting. They’ll love it, and keep asking for more. Who wouldn’t?
Like all other issues in the world, these questions have no perfect answers. What you believe is based on the things you read and what others tell you. Kirby and Skyler both run cross country and play basketball, so when they get home they are worn out. We know they need protein.
For awhile, I made Muscle Milk shakes for them. Then, when it was pointed out to me from some source that incredibly miniscule portions might have a growth hormone in it, we bailed and went to 100% Whey Protein instead. I still do the Muscle Milk since I’m trying grow taller as I edge closer to 60. It appears to be working, but don’t tell anyone.
The kids love the milk shakes either way, so regardless if you want to grow taller like me, or be safe like them, here’s the way to make the tastiest shake ever.
Pour six ounces of half and half into the bottom of the blender, then top it off with 2-3 ounces of skim milk. You might be surprised, but it matters the order in which you put the ingredients into the blender. Next, place one scoop of the chocolate whey protein or Muscle Milk powder in (the scoopers come in the containers; if you are making the shake for two, use an extra scoop).
Now comes the important part: The French Vanilla ice cream. The harder the ice cream, the less you need, so you’ll need to experiment a bit with this. Generally speaking, the ice cream should fill the blender up about 3 times where the milk/half & half mixture is, leaving gaps for air (you don’t need or want to pack the ice cream down; just drop it in). So the blender should be one-fourth milk/cream, three-fourths ice cream (with room for air).
As an aside: To make an even creamier version of this shake, you can sub whipping cream for half & half, and it makes an even better version, as my kids will attest.
Onto the final blending: Get out the Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Squirt 3-4 circulars on the top of the ice cream. Cap the blender, turn it on lightly (just let it run for a second or two). Do this 3-4 times so the protein powder gets mixed in, and the ice cream starts to get chopped up. This aligns all the ingredients for best blending. Run the blender a little longer, 5-6 seconds, several times. Look inside. See if you’ve got a thick, creamy shake. If it’s smooth and you can pour it without chunks of ice cream, you’re good. It also shouldn’t be too thin. By that, I mean there shouldn’t be any milk sitting on top that pours right into a glass. The shake should be completely mixed for maximum taste and texture.
Keep iced 20-ounce glasses in your freezer. Pull them out. Let them frost up. Fill them. This thickens the shake further, and gives your kids top tasting. They’ll love it, and keep asking for more. Who wouldn’t?
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