Blendin’ + Peepin’ + Spookin’

Last night, I was looking for a way to refuel after a hard workout. I had picked up some Jay Robb protein samples from Whole Foods recently and wanted to try one out for a new Bender’s Blenders recipe. One of the flavors I picked up was strawberry. It reminded me of when I used to go out for strawberry milkshakes at good ol’ McDonald’s with my family after a basketball or softball game when I was little. I used to love those shakes!! I knew it would be impossible to recreate the flavor with protein powder, but I thought I’d see how close I could get.

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Bender’s Blenders: Strawberry McShake

This shake is my feeble attempt at mimicking the total taste bud indulgence that is found in a McDonald’s strawberry milkshake. No, I’m not trying to purposely promote The Golden Arches on the blog! But I can’t deny that it’s a part of my childhood and hey, I’m feeling nostalgic!

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 1 packet Jay Robb strawberry whey protein powder
• 1 cup 0% Fage Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened rice milk
• 4 large frozen strawberries
• 4 ice cubes

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Directions:

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Top with granola, whipped cream, coconut or anything else you crave if desired. I decided to leave mine without a topping to get the full effect.

Review:

It definitely was NOT a strawberry milkshake. I suppose I knew that going in since there was no ice cream, no milk and very little sugar The climate certainly wasn’t right for one of those sinfully delicious shakes. Instead, I essentially made a blended Greek yogurt shake with a mild hint of strawberry and a slight protein powder after taste. Basically, next time I’m craving a milkshake, I plan to use something with a bit more sweetness – perhaps vanilla yogurt instead of plain or even frozen yogurt.

However, adding extra sweetness would take away from the fact that this was also meant to be a protein shake that I craved after a hard workout. I can’t deny that a shake with 41g of protein is pretty darn appealing after a good sweat session Therefore, I think the health benefits far outweigh what this shake lacks in taste. I recommend it or some variation of the recipe because it kept me full for hours!

Nutrition:

• Calories: 240
• Fat: 1g
• Carbohydrates: 17g
• Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 41g (!!!)

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For breakfast yesterday, Bobby and I decided to meet up at Le Peep and use another one of our latest coupons – buy one entree and get the other for just 99 cents! Granted, it turned out we had to purchase two drinks in order to be eligible to even use the coupon, so in the end it probably cost the same. But it was nice to get out for breakfast, nonetheless.

We each started out with a glass of freshly squeezed OJ. Or at least, that’s what the menu said. It definitely tasted like it had sat in a tub of sugar overnight. That’s not fresh, in my opinion I couldn’t even drink half of it, and I usually love orange juice. As you can see, it really wasn’t our morning at this place.

The entree, however, was pretty spectacular. Bobby got the French Toast while I chose the Cranberry-Granola Oatmeal. I know it doesn’t seem very creative on my part, but one of my favorite dishes to get when I go out to breakfast is oatmeal. I love the way different restaurants make their oatmeal in different ways. Some have a creamy, runny texture, while others are much more chewy and thick. This time around, it was definitely the latter.

Another thing about oatmeal at restaurants is that it always tastes different than what I make at home. I have no idea why because, essentially, it’s the same ingredients – oats and water. I guess we never know what goes on behind those kitchen doors. But I always think oatmeal tastes better in a restaurant. I topped mine with plenty of granola and cranberries, plus 1 tsp. maple syrup. The bowl of deliciousness was served with fresh fruit on the side – a mixture of cantaloupe and honeydew melon, purple grapes and watermelon. Everything was fresh and I cleaned my plate.

After breakfast, I headed to Whole Foods to pick up the Blogger Secret Ingredient. Now I need to figure out what I’m going to do with it That’s the trick…

And here’s the treat! As I was coming down the aisle toward the checkout, something orange caught my eye and made my day a little spookier.

Spooky S’mores has finally come to my neck of the woods!! In my shock and excitement, I actually grabbed on to Bobby so hard that he said, “Ouch!” I’m sure he’s just going to love that I shared that with you Isn’t it amazing that a little energy bar can have that effect on a person? I don’t think it would have held the same value one year ago. Thanks, blog world!

I added it to my Greek yogurt this morning for breakfast, and am eating it as I type!

In my humble opinion, I don’t think it’s much different than the chocolate chip ZBaR. I definitely find it difficult to pick out the spookiness and the s’mores. I basically taste the same chocolate flavor. However, even though it’s not unique, it still tastes great. Chocolate chip is my second favorite to the chocolate brownie, and now I have a “seasonal” bar to get in the Halloween spirit Sounds good to me!

Now I’m off to catch up on my blog reading! Happy Thursday – it’s almost the weekend! What are your plans? I’ll be going to my first home football game of the season! The team is on a roll so it should be fun!