There’s nothing better to beat the heat than a cool and refreshing snack. But don’t head straight for the tub of ice cream or the box of lollies. Here are a few ideas for some healthier sweet treats that will fit in with your athlete lifestyle and taste amazing too!
PROTEEN® Ice Cream
Why not try this delicious ice cream alternative that not only tastes amazing but is perfect for refuelling after a hard training session. This four ingredient recipe is easy to make and high in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, while still being low in refined sugars.
Ingredients:
- 500g Frozen bananas
- 250ml Fat-free yoghurt
- 50ml Skimmed milk (you can also use coconut, almond or soy milk)
- 1 scoop of Madagascan Vanilla PROTEEN
. Or two half scoops if you want to mix it up
Preparation:
Blend all ingredients together until they’re just about smooth. Be careful not to over-blend the mixture as it’ll begin to warm up and become too liquified, which means you won’t be able to eat it straight away.
Next, warm a spoon under the tap, then scoop out the ice cream into a bowl and you can eat straight away.
Top with your favourite healthy toppings like cinnamon, mixed fruit, golden syrup or honey.
Tip: Leftovers - Pour the remaining ice cream into a sealable Tupperware container and freeze for more servings. To keep your protein ice cream creamy, mix it up every hour for the first 4 hours of freezing. You can skip this step if you like and simply thaw it out for 15 minutes every time you want some more!
Homemade Fruit Lollies
As simple as they sound! This can be done with any fruit you like and it's really straight forward to make.
Preparation:
Add your fruit of choice (think strawberries, raspberries, water melon, kiwi etc) to a blender and pulse lightly to a thick puree.
Add the mixture to Ice Lolly moulds (this may need to be done in stages if you’re using more than one flavour and want layers), push a lolly stick into the middle and freeze for 3-4 hours or until frozen.
Tip: To remove the lollies, run the moulds under some hot water and they’ll slide out easily.
Frozen Yoghurt and Berry Chunks
This one works well with low-fat Greek or natural yoghurt and any berries you like- you could even experiment with other kinds of fruit, or throw in some mixed nuts too.
Preparation:
Chop fruit, add to bowl. Blend some berries, add a helping of yoghurt, shake or stir for 60 seconds. Pour onto your chopped fruit and enjoy.
Or... Enjoy me frozen.
Spread a generous amount of the yoghurt onto a tray lined with baking paper and sprinkle on your fruit of choice.
Freeze for around 6 hours, or until frozen.
Roughly break up into bitesize pieces and enjoy!
PROTEEN® Milkshake
Possibly the easiest option to make; grab your ingredients, throw them in a blender, mix it all up and enjoy! This is a great option as a recovery snack to replenish those glycogen stores in the muscles after a hard training session and fuel you ready for your next session.
Ingredients:
- 1 banana, peeled
- 150ml of semi-skimmed milk (or dairy-free alternative)
- 1 scoop of PROTEEN® flavour of your choice (mine's Madagascan Vanilla).
- Handful of ice
Preparation:
Blend for 15 seconds, and enjoy.
Tip: Try freezing the banana before.
Frozen Fruit Slush
These slushies are bursting with flavour and are a perfect way to cool down and keep hydrated in the hot weather! They’re incredibly easy to prepare and can be made with whatever fruit you have in.
Preparation:
Add your fruit of choice (peeled and chopped) to a blender with a handful of ice and mix it until its crushed but not completely pureed. A drizzle of honey can be added to sweeten. If there’s not much liquid in the fruit, add a few teaspoons of water as needed.
Tip: Just had a hard workout? Add a pinch of salt when blending to replace those electrolytes lost in the sweat
So next time you hear that Ice Cream Van pull up, don’t rush for the door, whip up one of these Sweet Treats and fuel your body to win!
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