That post-workout high – whether it’s after a trail run, a strength training session, or a workout in Evolution’s Altitude Training Room – can only be made better with delicious and nourishing recovery food. You place importance on your warm up, your recovery, your hydration, etc., you need to place importance on the way you refuel your body too. Putting your body through a workout, you deplete muscle glycogen which is used as your primary fuel and needs to be replenished. Working out also promotes protein breakdown in the muscles and continues to do so post-workout. The bottom line: refueling with sufficient carbohydrates and protein in your post-workout snack aids in optimizing recovery and improving performance.

Components of Recovery

Our favorite way to get the much needed carbs and protein is in a smoothie. It’s easy on the digestive system and allows you to get vital nutrients quickly. Plus, they’re easy to make, you can put your own spin on them, and they’re delicious! When it comes to healthy fats, we’re BIG fans. However we recommend enjoying them in your other meals during the day as they slow down the digestion process. We’ve broken down the main components for the perfect post-workout recovery smoothie, and why we suggest them, below:

  • Protein – finding a protein powder that you like is crucial. We recommend whey protein (if you can tolerate dairy, we like vanilla) or Vega Sport (for a plant-based option, we like the chocolate or mocha flavors). When choosing your protein powder, make sure it’s at least 80% protein by dividing the grams of protein per serving by the grams in one serving. This ensures that you’re minimizing extra ingredients and fillers in your protein powder.
  • Fruit – choosing one to two servings of fruits (i.e. 1 banana, 1 cup berries, ½ cup mango, etc.) will supply your body with necessary carbs post-workout. Frozen fruit works great for making a creamy, delicious smoothie. Our favorite choices include bananas, blueberries, and mango.
  • Greens – smoothies are an easy way to add in more greens to your diet and help boost your immune system. Our go to is a large handful of spinach. It doesn’t have much flavor and is high in many vitamins and minerals. Often, you don’t even notice it’s in there but it does turn your smoothie green! Other options include kale, dandelion greens, chard, romaine, etc. Some of these have stronger flavors, so plan accordingly. Another option for greens is powdered green blends. These allow you to quickly add a variety of vitamins and minerals, but you may taste it in your smoothie. Pay attention, avoid artificial sweeteners and colors, added sugar, thickeners, and GMO ingredients. One of our favorites is Vega Greens which contains all good ingredients that you’ll actually recognize AND it tastes pretty good!
  • Superfoods – while adding superfoods isn’t necessary, they’re incredibly nutrient dense which helps boost your immune system, balance hormones, aid recovery, and reduce inflammation. Many of them taste amazing or have minimal flavor so you can add them in effortlessly. Here are our favorites: maca powder, lucuma, cacao powder, acai (frozen or powder), chaga, reishi, cordyceps, spirulina, matcha green tea, and ashwaganda.
  • Flavor additions – for a little flavor boost that also provides some good nutrients try out a splash of vanilla extract, dash of cinnamon, or a small chunk of fresh ginger!
  • Liquid – the amount of liquid depends entirely on how thick you prefer your smoothie. We recommend at least a half cup of liquid for one smoothie which will create more of an ice cream texture. More liquid, up to 1 ½ cups, will make your smoothie thinner. Keep the liquid to either water, unsweetened non-dairy milk, and/or coconut water. Avoid fruit juices as that will add a lot of sugar without many nutrients or fiber.

Vanilla Mango Protein Recovery Smoothie

Now that you have all the components to design your favorite post-workout smoothie, we’ve included a recipe below that we love! Play around with it, try out different combinations, and start making protein smoothies part of your post-workout recovery routine. Note this is for one serving.

Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
½ cup frozen mango chunks
½ cup unsweetened vanilla cashew milk
1 cup spinach
1 serving vanilla whey protein powder (or VEGA vanilla protein powder)
1 inch chunk of fresh ginger
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 ice cubes
Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients to your high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
  2. Pour into a large glass and enjoy after your next workout!

Thanks for reading, visit our website for more great recipes, Hallie & Reya.