Tropical Weight Loss

Nothing motivates a girl to lose some weight like the upcoming bikini season, so why not try a tropical weight loss shake to gain that tropics-ready body! My roommate and I bought a fresh pineapple the other day, so I added some chopped pineapple in my weight loss shake this morning. It was delicious!

Tropical Weight Loss Shake

1/2 cup skin milk

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1 scoop vanilla whey protein

2 tsp tasteless fiber powder

1 tsp Truvia

Frozen berry blend (~4 spoonfuls)

Chunks of fresh pineapple (~3 handfuls)

Ice (~4 handfuls)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Weight-Loss Shake

Peanut butter and jelly is still one of my favorite types of sandwiches. So when I was about to make a berry shake this afternoon, I thought why not throw in some peanut butter too? And I have to say it tasted similar to the beloved childhood sandwich. I hope you enjoy it too!


Peanut Butter and Jelly Shake

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup skim milk
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1.5 tsp tasteless fiber powder
2 tsp Truvia sugar substitute
2 heaping spoonfuls peanut butter
4 heaping spoonfuls frozen berry blend, defrosted (in refrigerator)
4 handfuls ice

New Recipes on Good Friday

I have two new recipes to share today. Neither of them are terribly different from previous ones, as I have stuck to bananas, berries, peanut butter, and instant coffee as my main add-ins to my shakes.

The first is the peanut butter banana shake, but using vanilla whey protein instead of chocolate. It surprised me how much of a difference it made in the taste to make this small switch. The vanilla protein brings out the banana flavor better than the chocolate does, but doesn't hide the taste of the peanut butter either.

Vanilla Banana Butter Weight-Loss Shake


1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1.5 tsp tasteless fiber powder
2 tsp Truvia sugar substitute
1 banana, peeled and sliced
2 (big) spoonfuls peanut butter (Jif)
Ice (4 handfuls)


My second recipe of the day is kind of a catch-all shake. I added bananas, berries, and because I desperately needed some caffeine, some instant coffee.

Banana-Berry-Brew Weight-Loss Shake


1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1.5 tsp tasteless fiber powder
2 tsp Truvia sugar substitute
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup frozen berries
3 tsp instant coffee (I like a strong coffee flavor)
Ice (4 handfuls)

Since today is Good Friday, I also wanted to publish the lyrics of the hymn, "Were you there?" I woke up with this song in my head, and I'm sure I will be singing it in my head all day.


Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?


Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?


Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?


Were you there when God raised him from the dead?
Were you there when God raised him from the dead?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised him from the dead?

I hope you take some time today to consider that Jesus came to die for you. Even if you were the only person on this planet, God loves you enough that he would have sent His son to save you from sin. Jesus loves you, and He wants a personal relationship with you and for you to live for eternity with Him. I am so grateful for Jesus' death on the cross--for taking my place, and forgiving all my sins. I look forward to celebrating Easter and the new life that Jesus gave me!

Bananas and Coffee

Now you may be thinking I am crazy for suggesting that bananas and coffee can go together, but my two newest weight-loss shakes have combined bananas and instant coffee, and I actually like the combination! I have enjoyed a cup of coffee and a banana for breakfast in the past, so if you think about it like that, it doesn't sound as strange.

Before I get into the shake recipes, I have an update on my weight loss: after 2 weeks of replacing one meal with a weight-loss shake daily, I am down 4.4 pounds! So right now I weigh 138.6 lbs. I got really excited when I stepped on the scale and saw that number. :) And I am still finding new recipes for the shakes and enjoying them, which is also important. So if you are trying this method of weight-loss too, keep it up!

Now on to the new recipes:

Peanut Butter and Banana Mocha Shake


1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 scoop chocolate whey protein
1 tsp tasteless fiber powder
2 tsp Truvia sugar substitute
3 tsp instant coffee powder
1 banana, peeled and sliced
2 (big) spoonfuls peanut butter (Jif natural)
Ice (4 handfuls)

Banana Vanilla Latte Shake


1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1.5 tsp tasteless fiber powder (I'm going to try to increase my fiber intake)
2 tsp Truvia sugar substitute
3 tsp instant coffee powder
1 banana, peeled and sliced
Ice (4 handfuls)

Peanut Butter Mocha

In my world, everything is better with more peanut butter. For this morning's shake, I used the same recipe as Monday, but added a big spoonful of the stuff. And it was delicious! I used to go to this coffee shop that would make "candy-bar" coffee drinks. I would say this is like a Reese's peanut-butter cup weight-loss shake

Peanut Butter Mocha


1 scoop chocolate whey protein
1 tsp tasteless fiber powder
2 tsp Truvia sugar substitute
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 tsp instant coffee
1 big spoonful peanut butter
Ice (4 handfuls)

Makes ~20 oz. shake. Enjoy!

Berry Vanilla Latte Shake

This morning I wasn't sure if I would have time to make a shake because I was up early and my roommate, who sleeps with her door open, was not. So I started brewing some coffee so I could have that. Then I heard her stirring, so I thought why not add the brewed coffee to a shake? At coffee shops I like to order berry lattes, so that was today's experiment.


Berry Vanilla Latte Shake

1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1 tsp tasteless fiber powder
2 tsp Truvia sugar substitute
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
~2 cups brewed coffee
Heaping 1/2 cup frozen berries
4 handfuls ice

I didn't blend it as long as I should have, but I didn't know how awake my roommate was. Honestly this wasn't that great. I couldn't taste the coffee hardly at all. If I try this again I will use the instant coffee powder. That's why I call this an experiment though, I have to find what works and what doesn't!

Mocha Weight-Loss Shake

This morning is my first morning back to school after spring break. So I thought I should try adding some coffee for my weight-loss shake breakfast. I used the instant coffee powder, and it was pretty tasty :)

Mocha Weight-Loss Shake

1 scoop chocolate whey protein
1 tsp tasteless fiber powder
2 tsp Truvia sugar substitute
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 tsp instant coffee
Ice (4 handfuls)

I let my shake sit too long after I made it before I started drinking it, so it got a little runny. It still tasted good though. This shake only made ~16 oz. I'm not sure if it's because all my other shakes have used a whole banana, or if I took smaller handfuls of ice, or what. But it still filled me up until lunch so it was still a success!

Vanilla and Berries

Again yesterday's shake kept me full until my next meal. I did have some trouble in the bathroom this morning though. I have heard you are supposed to add fiber to your diet slowly, and I haven't done that with my big spoonfuls of fiber in my shakes. So today I added less fiber. For this morning's shake, I wanted some berries and I thought it would be a good chance to try my vanilla whey protein. I have to say it is pretty tasty! The vanilla protein actually came with a scoop, so I used that, and I could taste the vanilla flavor in my shake :)

Shake #3: vanilla banana berry

1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1 (small) spoonful tasteless fiber powder
2 tsp Truvia
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 banana, peeled and sliced
Heaping 3/4 cup frozen berry blend
Ice (4 handfuls)

This recipe made ~30 oz. I filled my whole 28oz bottle

Shake #2 I love peanut butter!

I love peanut butter! It's one of my favorite foods. It's great for any meal, a snack, and is even good just on a spoon by itself! Today I saw some peanut butter in my parents' cupboard so I knew I had to add it to my morning shake. By the way, yesterday's lunch shake was very filling. I wasn't hungry again until dinner. Hopefully that means this weight-loss plan may work!

Shake #2: chocolate peanut butter banana

1 (big) spoonful chocolate whey protein
1 (big) spoonful tasteless fiber powder
2 tsp Truvia sugar substitute
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 banana, peeled and sliced
2 (big) spoonfuls peanut butter (Jif natural)
Ice (4 handfuls)

I like this one more than yesterday's, but peanut butter is one of my favorite foods! This was sweeter than yesterday's too, I'm not sure if that was the peanut butter or the extra Truvia. I think if I want a more chocolate taste I need to add a little more whey protein (I don't want to get too much protein though) or buy some cocoa powder. I had a few ice chunks so I'll have to blend a little longer next time. Still made ~20 oz

Shake #1

I have made my first shake! And it turned out pretty well! As far as the basic ingredients you need for the shakes, here is the list and the relative prices I spent. Of course this will vary based on where you go/where you live.

Blender--just a basic blender will do but you need one that will at least hold 20oz (that sounds obvious but I saw a few single-serve blenders at Target that only hold 14oz). I got a basic blender on clearance at Target for $18
Whey protein--they come in two flavors, chocolate and vanilla. Walgreens was having a buy-one-get one 1/2 off so I got 2lbs of both flavors for $30
Tasteless fiber powder--I recommend Benefiber because it's meant to be used in cooking and it's tasteless. I got 16.7 oz of the Target brand for $16
Sugar substitute (no calorie)--I like Truvia because it's natural. I got a 9.8oz jar for $5
Milk--I prefer skim but I'm at my parents' house this week and they have 1%
Plain nonfat yogurt Ice
Then the rest of the ingredients are for whatever flavors you want to make! I bought some bananas, a frozen berry blend, and some instant coffee as my first ingredients to try.

Shake #1: chocolate banana

1 (big) spoonful chocolate whey protein (Walgreens brand)
1 (big) spoonful tasteless fiber powder (target brand version of benefiber)
1 tsp Truvia sugar substitute
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 banana, peeled and sliced
Ice (4 handfuls)

Tastes like a less-sweet banana smoothie. I like the consistency I got. I added half the banana and half the ice to everything first, then blended it, then added the rest. This made 20oz Here's to day 1 towards engagement-picture ready body!

Introduction

I have never done this before. I don't know what came over me, but as I started to think about my new diet plan the thought occurred to me that I should start a blog. I have no idea if anyone will read this or like it, but if anything it is a good place for me to store my weight loss shake recipes as I experiment with them.

Maybe I should tell you more about what this "weight-loss shake experiment' is all about. Well this week I decided I needed to start a diet. I have been great about exercising, I workout at least 1/2 an hour a day usually 5-6 days/week. I am also training for a half-marathon in a little over a month (I'll probably talk about that more as this goes on). What I have been bad at, and what has led me to gain 15 lbs in the past 3 months, is food. I love eating (I mean who doesn't?) and lately I have just been eating anything I want. Well I am going to get engagement pictures with my fiancé this summer (wedding is in a year and a half, I'm sure that will come up more too), and I want to look good in them. So I knew it was time for a change.

I decided to try weight-loss shakes (or meal-replacement shakes) for a few reasons. 1) when I dieted in the past I used the Target-brand weight-loss shakes and liked them, 2) knowing myself I wanted some rules to follow (replace 1-2 meals per day with shakes), 3) I wanted a plan that still allowed me freedom to eat dinner with my roommate or to go out to eat, 4) I found some easy online recipes to make my own shakes, which I thought would be fresher, less expensive than buying shakes from the store, and would allow me more varieties in shake favors.

So now here I am ready to start my journey. I currently weigh 143 lbs, which is just at the edge of a normal BMI according to my height. At my lowest I weighed 125 lbs and I looked and felt a lot better then. My goal for this experiment is not a specific number but to look and feel sexy and confident for my engagement pictures, which will likely be in July (we're still deciding on photographers). Another goal is to successfully create some delicious and healthy shakes!