Pre-Packaging your Protein Shake

Lately I've been hooked on Protein Iced Coffee and I've been drinking it each morning on my drive to work. Weekend I'll enjoy it early in the morning while sitting on my patio listening to the birds wake up and sing their morning songs.  It's been lovely.

But what is not lovely is how long the process took to make my morning cup of heaven. For those who know me, I'm NOT a morning person and I don't like to waste time in the morning concocting complicated foods in the kitchen. My lunches are pre-packed the night before and you know how much I've loved drinking my Protein Chai Tea, Vanilla Caramel Protein Tea and the Hot Protein Apple Cider - all pre-mixed protein beverages for easy mixing. So I wanted to devise a way to make my protein coffee in a similar way.

I could have done the above pre-mix type recipe (and maybe I'll calculate that out for ya'll) - but this time around I wanted to try something different. Pre-packaged shake mixes.  The reason I chose this method is because I wanted to include my calcium dose (UpCalD) and my Fiber dose (Clear and Natural) along with all the ingredients for the coffee.  And by doing individual portions I was assured that the calcium and fiber doses would be exact for each serving.

Last summer I purchased a bunch of disposable plastic bowls when I was making a lot of protein ice cream and freezing individual portions. These bowls come in handy!  If you have a local restaurant supply warehouse, you can probably find them there.  This is what I bought. Fabri-Kal 8oz bowls with tight fitting lids. I love these things! They're durable enough to heat in the microwave, and if they aren't too messy, you can rinse them out and reuse them. I haven't tried putting one through the dishwasher yet, but I imagine they'd survive on the top rack.  The initial investment might be pricey, but you're getting 500 bowls that'll last you forever! I use them a lot!  (You could always just use a ziploc baggie too.)

I lined up about 15 bowls on the counter and started adding ingredients.

• 1/3 cup powdered non-fat milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tablespoon instant decaf coffee 
• 1 tablespoon Splenda
• 1 tablespoon fiber supplement
• 1 dose UpCalD

To mix, just add the bowl of dry ingredients to the blender and add about 24-26 ounces of cold water. Serve over lots of ice.  I have 32oz glasses with long straw that work great (I bought the straws at BigLots, they're 24" long and I cut them in half - the big package was about $5).

I'm loving this new method!  You should try it.

~Pam