10 post workout snack ideas using almond milk that are high in protein.
I’ve been working out hard lately. Not that crossfit workouts aren’t always hard, but I’ve been stepping things up a bit whether it’s running 2-3 miles a day in addition to crossfit or joining the “competitors class” at my box in preparation for next year’s open. On average, I’d say that creates about a 500-600 calorie deficit just from workouts which is essentially another meal.
With all this, I’m also actively trying (and so far so good!) to lose the 10 pounds that has crept up on me slowly in the last 12 months from the “oh, I’ll just take a bite of that brownie I made for a freelance article” mentality. You know, so by the time bathing suit season ends I’ll be exactly where I want to be (great timing, Gina).
With these hard workouts and refocused diet, one thing that needs to be on point is post workout recovery. It’s so easy to come back from a workout absolutely ravenous and reach for everything in sight. I can’t tell you how many times that’s happened and how many times I’ve probably consumed 500 calories of stuff that in reality, did nothing for me in terms of recovery.
I think being successful in eating right comes down to two things: determination and preparation.
I can’t really help you with the determination part (although, I can say bathing suit shopping is a great motivator if you need one!) but, I can give you some ideas on the preparation part.
Workout recovery snacks usually fall into one of two categories for me: smoothies or make ahead baked goods. In both of these, one thing I try to avoid is dairy. Don’t get me wrong, I eat it and see nothing wrong with it, but post (or pre) workout, I just avoid it. A whole bunch of milk sloshing around in my stomach just hasn’t proven to be the best idea in the past when I’m running or doing burpees. So my go to is almond or coconut milk. There’s always a container of one or the other in my fridge and sometimes I literally stand in front of the milk section for minutes trying to decide which one to buy that week. So, you can bet I was pretty excited to find the new Silk Almond Coconut Blend and not have to choose any more. It’s delicious on it’s own and it makes a great substitute for those times when you just don’t want dairy in whatever it is you’re making, like these 10 post workout snack ideas.
All of these ideas are great for before or after a workout, packed with protein and use almond milk. Now that there’s a great almond coconut blend, you can bet I’ll be making some of these with that in the future!