Creamy Chocolate Protein Shake Recipe with Cinnamon {30G}

It’s a new year and I always like to reset after an indulgent holiday season. One of the ways I do this is to clean up my diet and get my protein intake back up.

My go-to protein shake is a healthy chocolate protein smoothie recipe with a twist. The key is the cinnamon and sea salt!

What is a Protein Shake?

A protein shake is a healthy drink that combines your favorite protein powder, mixed with a liquid like milk or water and other ingredients, such as a fruit or vegetable. It can be consumed as a meal replacement or a drink to supplement workout recovery.

Why make a Chocolate Protein Shake?

A chocolate protein shake has a lot of nutritional benefits and it feels like a sweet treat. It satisfies my sweet tooth, but the biggest benefit for me is it’s an easy way to get a good chunk of my daily protein out of the way in one drink. I try to eat 100 to 140 grams of protein each day which is super hard, but having a protein shake makes it a lot easier.

Pro Tips:

• Use a high-quality protein powder. My favorite tasting whey protein powder brand is SFH. If you don’t want to buy a full bag at first, sometimes you can find individual packets at Whole Foods.
• If you prefer a more rich chocolate flavor add 1 tsp to 1 tbsp of cocoa powder to taste for more chocolaty goodness.
• For an added flavor boost you can use unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of plain.
• Getting enough protein can be hard, especially for women, but depending on the brand of protein you use you get about 25-30g of protein in this shake.
• The key to a great shake is a high-powered blender. The Ninja works great but we love our Vitamix now. A Vitamix is an investment for sure, but definitely worth it IMO. We actually bought ours off of eBay. We got a discount because it needed a new part and my husband was willing to research and fix it! When you can get that creamy texture from a good blender it tastes more like a chocolate milkshake than a protein smoothie :)
• Easily throw in a few scoops of nonfat Greek yogurt to up your daily value of protein even more.

Print

Creamy Chocolate Protein Shake Recipe with Cinnamon {30G}

A delicious, healthy, and easy to make chocolate protein shake with 30+ grams of protein!

Course Drinks, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate protein shake, chocolate protein smoothie, protein shake, protein smoothie, protein smoothie recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or liquid of your choice)
• 1 heaping scoop whey chocolate protein powder (or plant-based protein powder of your choice)
• 1 tbsp almond butter (or nut butter of your choice)
• 1/2 banana (I use a frozen banana)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 – 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
• 1 cup ice (more or less depending on thickness you desire)
• 1 dash cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

• Start with the liquid and put all the ingredients in your blender. add a cup of ice, and blend to your desired consistency.
• Give it a stir.
• Add the cup of ice.
• Blend to your desired consistency.

Notes

*SFH has 29g of whey chocolate protein concentrate per scoop. There are approximately 3.5 grams of protein in a tbsp of nut butter so you can easily get 30+ grams of protein from this recipe. 

This delicious protein shake uses wholesome ingredients, fills you up, and is a great way to boost your protein! It’s also a great pre or post-workout snack.

What are your favorite go-to protein smoothie recipes? If you prefer vanilla protein powder or just want a change from chocolate, try my mango, turmeric, and ginger protein shake. It sounds kind of crazy but I promise it’s delicious! This is a great summertime smoothie recipe.

Browse our recipe category for more healthy food and drink recipes!

Cheers!

The post Creamy Chocolate Protein Shake Recipe with Cinnamon {30G} appeared first on Simple Stylings.

I don’t know about you, but I find it especially hard to come up with healthy snacks that our whole family enjoys, so I tried several recipes and came up with this peanut butter yogurt fruit dip.

Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt Dip

This 3 ingredient dip has simple ingredients, is jam-packed with protein, is low carb, and can be enjoyed with any of your favorite fruits. It makes a great snack for school lunches or a healthy appetizer to bring to a party.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt Dip

We love this dip with apple slices, strawberries, and bananas, but we’ve also paired it with blackberries and grapes! It’s such an easy recipe and your kids will love it. It’s a great way to get in some healthy fats and extra protein, and also get your kids to eat more fruit. It’s a win, win, win!

How To Make The Dip

• Combine all of the ingredients in your mixing bowl.
• Stir well with your spatula or hand mixer until the mixture is creamy.
• Serve and enjoy!

Print

High Protein Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt Dip {for fruit}

This 3-ingredient peanut butter yogurt dip has simple ingredients, is high in protein, low carb, and can be enjoyed with any fruit!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword fruit dip, greek yogurt dip, peanut butter greek yogurt dip, yogurt dip

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Equipment

• 1 Mixing bowl
• 1 Spatula
• 1 Hand mixer *optional

Ingredients

• 5 ounces nonfat plain Greek yogurt (or one 5.3 oz individual container)
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (no/low sugar)
• 1 tbsp honey

Instructions

• Mix the ingredients well with a spatula or hand mixer. Serve chilled or at room temperature, either way, it's delicious!

This is a delicious dip with minimal ingredients that your entire family will love.

Recipe Tips:

• If you don’t have honey you can swap it for maple syrup but make sure to taste test. You will most likely need a little less maple syrup than honey.
• To add a little something extra to your peanut butter fruit dip, top it with toasted coconut flakes, crushed graham crackers, or chocolate chips.
• If you want to zhush it up you can add a little vanilla extract and/or use vanilla greek yogurt.

So if you’re stuck in a rut and need some healthy snack options, give this 3-ingredient peanut butter yogurt dip a try! Make it a day or two before a party, store it in an airtight container in the fridge, and serve it with fresh fruit!

Need another healthy snack or appetizer idea? Check out my yummy avocado egg salad!

Cheers!

The post High Protein Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt Dip {for fruit} appeared first on Simple Stylings.

New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays and is worthy of a celebration! I love a clean slate, new beginnings, reflecting on past goals, and making new ones.

To help you ring in the new year, I have an easy craft idea that is fun for adults and kids of all ages! Make this easy DIY noise maker craft on or before the big day and you will be ready to celebrate in style.

Easy New Year’s DIY Noise Makers for Kids and Adults

This fun activity is super easy and can most likely be made with everyday materials that can be found around the house. All of these items I had in my house except for the silver pom poms that I bought at Target.

And the beauty is you can use any item to decorate your new year’s noisemaker. Make them colorful for young children and more elegant for adults. The options are limitless!

Supplies you need:

• Boxes of any kind (I used soup boxes)
• Spray paint
• Uncooked beans
• Popsicle sticks or craft sticks
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Ribbons, buttons, labels, or any type of swag you like.
• Scissors

Directions:

• Spray paint your boxes. I chose metallic spray paint with shiny decorations. I also spray-painted my buttons.
• Fill the box with beans, rocks, popcorn kernels, or any small objects that make different sounds, and glue the box shut.
• Glue the popsicle stick to the back.
• Now to the fun part! Let the kids go nuts gluing things to their boxes. Buttons, pom poms, jingle bells, colorful tape, glitter glue, bows, and ribbons are just a few ideas.

**Make sure to help the kiddos if you’re using a hot glue gun. Hot glue burns are no fun! You can use other types of glue, although Elmer’s-type glue might not be strong enough to hold the sticks.

Look how they turned out!

For a fun way to celebrate, I set up boxes with the supplies needed for everyone to make their own noise makers and I added some sparklers too!

This was our setup for a fun adult and kid-friendly evening!

Notes:

If you don’t have any boxes, you can use different things like paper plates, plastic cups, toilet paper tubes, or water bottles. Follow the same instructions for decorating!

Other Uses:

For another fun idea, make these with your kids before the Super Bowl and decorate with your favorite team colors. It’s a great way to show some team spirit!

Final Thoughts

These homemade noise makers are a fun craft to get everyone engaged and excited for the final countdown of the year! And the best part is you can keep them and pull them out year after year.

Need more easy DIY craft ideas? Browse our other DIY projects.

Thank you for reading and making 2024 a great year. I wish you all the best in 2025. Catch you on the flip side!

Cheers!

The post Easy New Year’s DIY Noise Makers for Kids and Adults appeared first on Simple Stylings.

Let me ask a question first before we get started. Who loves to entertain but doesn’t have the time to whip up a homemade dessert or the budget to buy a custom one every time? Are your hands raised and are you bouncing up and down in your chair? Okay, good, so I’m not the only one.

I’ve got to be honest with you, this might be one of my all-time favorite projects! Not only does it make a simple store-bought cake beautiful, it also saves time and money. No need to spend time making a fancy dessert or buying an expensive custom cake for your next party or gathering.

Simply purchase one of your favorite grocery store desserts and zhuzh it up with some real flowers, fresh fruit, melted chocolate drizzle, or any number of ideas. The holiday season is always busy, so next time you host or need to bring a dessert to a special occasion, try this easy dessert idea.

Directions:

1. Purchase a plain store-bought cake or dessert.
2. Choose your decorations (lots of ideas below).
3. Plate your cake or dessert on a pretty cake stand or platter.
4. Decorate with your creative toppings and serve (or bring to your next potluck)!

Decoration Ideas:

1. Fresh or edible flowers.
2. Macaroons or other small cookies or candies.
3. Fresh berries or fruit slices, like fresh strawberries or blueberries or lemon, lime or orange slices.
4. Fresh herbs.
5. Melted dark or white chocolate drizzle.
6. Make an easy glaze to spread.
7. Dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar.
8. Use a piping bag to pipe store-bought frosting onto a sheet cake. Search Pinterest for easy designs!

Pro Tip:

I love using the small cakes from Trader Joe’s. They are the perfect size for a small gathering and never disappoint. These also make easy gift ideas for those loved ones on your list you just don’t know what to get. This is also a great idea for a gift to welcome someone to your neighborhood instead of boring old cookies!

Use these fun tips to dress up store-bought cookies, cakes, pies, or any dessert, with creative toppings for any occasion. Whether or not you disclose the store-bought part is totally up to you :) This will give your store-bought desserts a custom look for a fraction of the cost.

Would you serve or bring one of these cakes to your next gathering? I sure would! What they don’t know won’t hurt them right? And if you’re looking for creative ways to dress up your table check out my DIY centerpiece ideas.

Cheers!

The post How To Dress Up Store-Bought Desserts the Easy Way appeared first on Simple Stylings.

I love having everyone home for the holidays, but I don’t like having to be in the kitchen the next morning fixing a big breakfast. Slow mornings during the holidays are my favorite! So my go-to recipe is my mom’s breakfast casserole that you can make ahead and pop in the oven to warm up for holiday mornings. This is an easy breakfast casserole recipe that has become a staple in our house over the years. I know you will love it and another great thing about it is it’s pretty impossible to mess up!

What is a breakfast casserole?

It’s essentially an egg casserole with different ingredients thrown in and baked in the oven. Our easy recipe is a sausage, egg, cheese, and bread base, but there many different ways you can make it. Some other versions use hash browns, tater tots, or sweet potatoes. I’ve even had a French toast casserole. Our family prefers a sausage version with bread because it sets up really well and is so delicious!

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The Best Breakfast Casserole Recipe to Make-Ahead

An easy sausage and egg breakfast casserole recipe that you can make ahead of time.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword breakfast casserole, easy breakfast casserole recipe, egg casserole

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Equipment

• 1 large mixing bowl
• Measuring cups
• 1 9×13 inch baking dish

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Ground breakfast sausage (I typically use one hot and one medium)
• 9 Eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups Milk (regular milk or almond milk both work fine)
• 9 Slices of white bread, crusts removed & cut into 1″ cubes
• 1.5 cups Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1.5 tsp Ground mustard
• 1 tsp Salt
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, drain, and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Add the milk, cheese, and sausage to the bowl and mix together. Add the bread last and stir in just to combine. Pour the egg mixture into a 9 × 13 casserole dish, greased with cooking spray. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and it’s not jiggly in the center. Easy peasy!

Notes

I spray my casserole dish with olive oil using my oil sprayer. I love this thing!

Swaps

If you want to make it a more healthy breakfast casserole, here are a few swaps to make. You can replace the white bread with gluten-free bread or use a higher quality white bread like Dave’s killer bread. Use grass-fed and/or organic cheese, and shred it yourself from a block if possible. Use organic and/or pasture-raised eggs and a high-quality pork breakfast sausage with no nitrites or nitrates if you can find it. Another swap would be to use organic turkey sausage, but you would need to add seasoning to it to make it a true “breakfast” sausage. I find regular milk and almond milk are interchangeable and I usually use almond milk because I often don’t have regular milk on hand.

Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole.

You guys, if you do nothing else this holiday season, make this recipe! I promise it will not disappoint. It feeds a lot of people and you can bake it the night before and it will be ready for the next day. You can also make it ahead of time too, just cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil (if your dish doesn’t have a lid) and pop it in the freezer. This is my favorite casserole dish with a lid.

I usually make one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas at the same time and freeze them both. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. I like to save individual portions for weekday breakfasts or put them in my son’s lunchbox for school lunch.

It’s a great recipe with simple ingredients that everyone will love. It’s perfect for a Christmas morning or any post-holiday breakfast. It truly is the perfect breakfast casserole, at least we think it is!

Looking for more holiday recipes? Check out our oatmeal, chocolate chip, and coconut cookie recipe. We like to call them the BEST cookies ever…because they kind of are! Enjoy!

Cheers!

The post The Best Breakfast Casserole Recipe to Make-Ahead appeared first on Simple Stylings.