If you do a quick Google search for “mango smoothie”, you’ll end up with a list of disappointingly low protein smoothies. Nearly all of the recipes have added sugar and extra fruit added that make for a super sweet blend.
Which is okay if that’s what you’re wanting, but….
For us masters athletes (35+), including active women in peri-/postmenopause, we gotta pump up the protein to work with our hormone flux and aging bodies to preserve muscle and more importantly, if we’re looking to build muscle.
Quick side note when I mention “building muscle”: You don’t have to envision the physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger here ‘cuz that’s not what I’m talking about. For us regular Folk, building muscle is adding muscle mass but it takes a crap ton of work in the gym to get Arnold-like… and you ain’t gonna get jacked by simply increasing your protein. So have no fear if that’s a worry of yours.
Back to our mango smoothie… this recipe is super versatile but yields an awesome pack of quality protein sources without the added sugar. Mango is fairly sweet on its own and doesn’t need to be masked by other fruit additions if you’re willing to give it a go.
Recipe Ingredients:
8 oz (240 ml) unsweetened soy milk (swap for your favorite protein-fortified milk)
1/2 c (110 gm) of Fage 2% Greek yogurt (if plant-based, look for the highest protein unsweetened yogurt you can find)
1 scoop of vanilla 100% whey isolate, ~21 gm of protein content (I use this one but you can swap with an equivalent or use a plant blend)
1 c (160 gm) peeled and pitted mango (I used 1 fresh Ataulfo mango, but you can use frozen too)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
a few ice cubes
Add ingredients to blender, whirl it up, and enjoy!
Creamy, smooth, and delishy mango-ness
Basic nutrition info:
~365 calories
34 gm carbohydrate
3.5 gm fiber
41 gm protein
7 gm fat
This is a great option to split around a strength workout and a high intensity interval session, or an endurance session in the range of 1-2 hours, especially for those early morning sessions. Consider drinking half or 1/3 before the workout and the rest afterwards, as an example for how to cushion the workout with some decent fueling that doesn’t overwhelm the gut.
Let me know if you try it! And here are a couple other mango recipes to check out too.
-Dina