I’ve been doing 90 minutes of Bikram (hot) yoga once a week for the last few weeks with awesome results.
I feel fantastic when I’m done and don’t really feel like eating much even though I know I should replenish my body. I came up with this quick Post Workout Recovery Drink which is everything I want after a long workout.
It doesn’t include a lot of heavy things and leaves out the dairy entirely. It also has only natural things in it and not any protein powder or anything. You can obviously add that if you are concerned about that.
For me though, this is the perfect post-workout recharge drink. It’s filling, but not heavy. It has a slight sweetness to it, but it’s not like a milkshake or anything.
The best part is that you can whip it together even if you are exhausted or make it in advance and have it at the ready!
Post Workout Recharge Drink
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1 banana, sliced and frozen
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 cups almond milk
- 1 cup orange juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, opt.
Instructions
- Slice banana and freeze in advance (you don’t have to do this step, but it’s a great trick).
- Combine ingredients in a large blender and blend until very smooth. Run it on high for a minute or two.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Post Workout Recovery Drink
Nutritional Breakdown
This isn’t like a crazy protein shake or anything. By my calculations, one drink (the recipe makes two) has about 400 calories, 10 grams of fiber, and 11 grams of protein. If you wanted to cut back on the calories you could reduce the almond butter.
For me though, I calculated that I burn around 1,000 calories during 90 minutes of intense hot yoga so I welcome the calories and everything else.
Frozen Nanner
If you remember, before you head off to the gym, slice up a banana and stick it in the freezer on some parchment paper. This will replace ice in your Post Workout Recovery Drink later and make it really cold and creamy.
It’s not totally necessary, but is a great trick if you can remember it.
Making the Drink
There’s really nothing in this drink that can spoil so you could make it and carry it around for a few hours without an issue.
It really is best cold though so if you can keep it chilled you’ll enjoy it much more!
I used some really thick almond butter from my local store. It’s delicious, but you could substitute peanut butter in the drink also.
A drink doesn’t get much easier to make.
Just toss everything in a blender!
The chia seeds add a good dose of fiber and protein to the mix. I love them in drinks like this. Just be sure to really blend the drink well so they aren’t gritty in the final drink.
Orange juice gives the drink a touch of fruity flavors and acid. It’s a good balance in a drink that would otherwise probably be a bit too creamy.
Blend this sucker up well. Let your blender churn away on high for at least 30 seconds to make sure it’s really well blended.
I like mine right away, but you could easily make this in advance and store it for later.
You could add some protein powder to it if you wanted but I like it just like this!
If you’re looking for a filling Post Workout Recovery Drink, give this sucker a shot!
Susan
This looks like something I have been looking for. I need a post workout drink as I had knee surgery in Nov 2013 and am still working out even after my therapist declared my knee back to normal. Will replace the almond milk with soy as that’s what i use at home. Will give this a try. I understand how you say you feel great after your workout. Thanks for the recipe !
Nick
Oh yikes. Good luck on the knee recovery Susan. I feel your pain. There’s life after knee surgery! :)
Rachel
This looks awesome! I’ve been doing banana, avocado, chia seeds and almond milk in the mornings. Super smooth and creamy!
Nick
Oh… avocado is a good add. Nice call. :)
Joe
Looks tasty! If you want to streamline things, you can pack a big ziplock bag full of bananas (peeled and sliced into 4 pieces) and then have frozen bananas on hand for many smoothies. Our freezer is always just about full, so this works a lot better for us. Cheers
Matt
I think you can get away with adding a cup of greens into this and still have the taste unchanged. It’ll be a remarkable green color, too :)
Nick
Absolutely. That would be a great addition!
Sam
Looks reeeeeal good, Nick! Real good. I’m sure I’ll be giving this a good going over over the next few days. Thanks, sir.
Nick
Thanks Sam!