From time to time I hear from people who absolutely love the whey protein powders we sell on our website like Dream Protein, Whey Cool Protein and Paleomeal, but are stuck for ideas on how to use them.

Sure, you can just add water, or some frozen berries, but after a while that can get kind of boring.  So I asked my cookbook writing partner, chef Jeannette Bessinger, to come up with a few original whey protein shake recipes that taste terrific. Here are three she specifically designed for the book of meal plans and recipes that are included in our sensational new program: Unleash Your Thin.

As a bonus, one of them is dairy-free, while the other two are gluten-free:

1. Oatmeal Smoothie

Yield: 1 serving (Dairy-Free)

Ingredients

• 1 cup chilled unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup whole rolled oats (uncooked)
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 small ripe banana
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, optional
• 1 scoop protein powder
  • Dream Protein or…
  • Whey Cool Protein or…
  • Paleomeal
• Few drops NuNaturals vanilla stevia, or Xylitol.

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a powerful blender and blend until very smooth.

2. Coconut Lemon Smoothie

Yield: 1 serving (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces chilled coconut water
• ½ lemon, peeled and seeded
• 3 tablespoons dried coconut
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 scoop protein powder
  • Dream Protein or…
  • Whey Cool Protein or…
  • Paleomeal
• Few drops NuNaturals vanilla stevia, or Xylitol.

Instructions

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until very smooth.

3. Spiced Peach Smoothie

Yield: 1 serving (Gluten-Free + Dairy-Free)

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 fresh, ripe peach, unpeeled, pitted and halved  (or 2/3 cup frozen peach slices)
• 1 scoop protein powder
  • Dream Protein or…
  • Whey Cool Protein or…
  • Paleomeal
• 1 heaping tablespoon soaked chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Few drops NuNaturals vanilla stevia, or Xylitol.

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a powerful blender and blend until very smooth.