From Christmas all the way through the New Year, these three low-calorie, high-protein smoothies will help fuel your fitness goals through the holiday season enjoying all the flavors with none of the guilt.
A healthy breakfast can help set you up for success in the rest of your nutritional choices for the rest of the day.
One positive choice very often prompts us towards another.
When I start my day with a nutritionally dense protein smoothie, I’m a lot more motivated to reach for a healthy option at lunch or for an afternoon snack.
Not so much if I start my day with something like a doughnut or breakfast pastry. It would likely mess with my energy levels the rest of the morning and trigger a sense of feeling like “oh well, I’ve already blown my diet for today. I’ll just start over tomorrow”.
So here are my 3 healthy holiday protein smoothies for staying on track with your winter weightless and nutrition goals!
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Protein Powder Recommendations
Before we get to my 3 healthy holiday protein smoothies, let’s talk protein powder. As a personal trainer, I always add a significant souce of protein into my smoothies.
It helps elevate a smoothie from a snack into a more substantial meal that keeps me full longer, fuels my body with energy and meets my nutritional goals for the day.I try to aim for a low-carb, high-protein powder that’s easy on the taste buds and the digestive system.
High-Quality Whey Protein
Gluten-free and soy-free, SFH Pure Whey Protein Powder is made of grass-fed whey that is that is 100% GMO and artificial ingredient-free. As someone who is dairy-sensitive, I’ve tried and enjoyed a variety of flavors of this whey protein powder without any issues and give it a solid thumbs up. Whey protein also tends to deliver a greater concentration of protein per serving.
High-Quality Vegan Protein
SFH also produced a line of high-quality plant-based protein powder. This protein is powdered by pea protein, mushrooms, fiber, healthy fats, and MCTs. It’s gluten-free, soy-free and also carries no added sugars or artificial flavors.
Most vegan protein powders carry a less concentrated dose of protein per serving (20 grams of protein vs 31 in their pure whey powder), but I find it’s easy to balance this by using a scoop and a half of vegan protein to achieve a higher dose of protein per serving.
Tasty and Budget-Friendly Whey
Quest Nutrition Protein Powder
Quest Protein powders are gluten-free, soy-free, high-protein and low-carb. Their protein is smooth, delicious and won’t break the bank.
Tasty and Budget-friendly Vegan
New Vega Protein & Greens 
It can be challenging to find a vegan protein powder that’s low-carb, high-protein and doesn’t taste like cardboard. I tested quite a few of them during my vegan dieting experiment and Vega was actually my favorite. It’s completely dairy, soy and GMO-free and easy on the taste buds.
The Peppermint Mocha Protein Smoothie
Some people go nuts over Pumpkin Spice in their coffee over the fall and winter.
Personally, I’m more of a peppermint mocha kind’a gal.
But I’m not a fan of all the excess sugar and empty calories in a traditional coffee shop peppermint mocha latte.
This peppermint mocha smoothie is chocolaty, minty, and full of protein, healthy fat and superfood nutrients.
The two secrets key in this protein smoothie are cacao and cold brew coffee.
Cacao is chocolate in its purest form. It’s full of micro-nutrients like magnesium, iron, calcium, copper, and zinc and a ton of antioxidants.
Cold brew coffee is the best, most flavorful way to enjoy coffee in cool or frozen form.
INGREDIENTS:
•1 Scoop Quest chocolate protein powder
•1 Tablespoon cacao nibs
•1 Teaspoon cacao powder
•1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
•1/4 Teaspoon peppermint extract
•1/2 Cup low-fat coconut milk
•1/2 Tablespoon organic coconut oil
•1 Cup of cold brew coffee, frozen into cubes
•Extra cold brew to help blend as needed
MAKING COLD BREW COFFEE:
I was intimidated the first time I thought about making cold brew coffee. But it’s incredibly easy. You literally just put coffee grounds in a pitcher of water and let it sit overnight.
I use about a 1:4 ratio of coffee to water. Put 1 cup of finely ground coffee grinds in a pitched and then add 4 cups of water. You place the pitcher in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter to sit overnight, preferably about 12 hours. If you sit it out on the countertop, just make sure to cover the top of the pitcher to avoid collecting any dust.
The next day, filter the coffee through a strainer to separate the coffee from the coffee grinds.
DIRECTIONS:
You have two options for incorporating the cold brew coffee into your protein smoothie: Frozen or unfrozen.
Personally, I like to fill an ice cube trap with cold brew and let it freeze overnight. But you can also just measure out a cup of unfrozen cold brew and pour it right into the blender with the other ingredients and a few regular ice cubes.
Combine all ingredients in a blender, blend well and enjoy!
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- You can swap the coconut milk for any other type of nut, oat or dairy milk.
- Wanting to add a little fruit into the mix? Frozen bananas are a great flavor combo for this recipe.
- You can substitute any kind of nut butter or MCT oil in place of the coconut oil for your healthy fat.
- I used Quest protein powder in this recipe, but any quality protein powder will do.
- When making substitutions, just keep in mind that your macro count may slightly vary from this specific recipe. If you’re counting macros, just make sure to adjust the recipe macros in a macro calculator based on the ingredients you use.
MACROS:
- Calories: 271
- Carbs: 12.6g
- Fat: 15g
- Protein: 22.2g
The Grinch Protein Smoothie
It’s not Christmas season without an appearance from the Grinch.
And this delicious green protein smoothie may just help give those muscles the fuel they need to grow three times their size.
This green Grinch protein smoothie is packed with healthy carbs, fat, protein and energy.
The key to this protein smoothie is a little matcha and all the right seasonings.
Matcha powder comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, the same plant that gives us green tea. But it’s grown and harvested slightly differently than green tea in a way that helps boost the nutrient and amino acid profile.
The end result is a naturally caffeinated boost of antioxidants with many well-studied, scientifically-backed benefits.
INGREDIENTS:
•1 Scoop Quest vanilla protein powder
•1 Frozen banana
•1 Teaspoon Matcha powder
•1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
•1/4 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
•A tiny pinch of ground clove
•1/2 Tablespoon organic MCT oil
•1 Cup low-fat coconut milk
•Ice to blend
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend well and enjoy!
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- You can swap the coconut milk for any other type of nut, oat or dairy milk.
- Wanting to add a little fruit into the mix? Frozen bananas are a great flavor combo for this recipe.
- You can substitute the MCT oil with coconut oil or any kind of nut butter for your healthy fat.
- I used Quest protein powder in this recipe, but any quality protein powder will do.
- When making substitutions, just keep in mind that your macro count may slightly vary from this specific recipe. If you’re counting macros, just make sure to adjust the recipe macros in a macro calculator based on the ingredients you use.
MACROS:
- Calories: 385
- Carbs: 37.8g
- Fat: 12g
- Protein: 26g
The Midnight Kiss Protein Smoothie
You don’t need to wait until New Years Day to start your health and fitness resolutions.
You also don’t have to wait until the clock strikes 12 on New Years Eve to enjoy this deliciously tempting Midnight Kiss protein smoothie.
By making a conscious effort to incorporate little healthy choices in your daily routine now, you’re empowering yourself to finish the current year strong and power into the New Year feeling energized and confident.
Sweet and simple, this smoothie is bursting with berry-licious flavor, electrolytes, healthy fat and protein.
It’s the perfect on-the-go morning breakfast or post-workout snack.
INGREDIENTS:
•1/2 Cup frozen dark cherries (de-seeded)
•1 Cup frozen blueberries
•1 Scoop Quest strawberry protein powder
•1 Cup coconut water
•1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend well and enjoy!
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- You can swap the coconut water for plain filtered water or any other type of nut, oat or dairy milk.
- You can substitute the MCT oil with coconut oil or any kind of nut butter for your healthy fat.
- I used Quest protein powder in this recipe, but any quality protein powder will do.
- When making substitutions, just keep in mind that your macro count may slightly vary from this specific recipe. If you’re counting macros, just make sure to adjust the recipe macros in a macro calculator based on the ingredients you use.
MACROS:
- Calories: 333
- Carbs: 46.3g
- Fat: 14g
- Protein: 22.6g
Related Smoothie Recipes and Articles:
- Apple Pie Protein Smoothie
- Pina Colada Protein Smoothie
- Orange Creamsicle Protein Smoothie
- The Incredible Green Protein Smoothie
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries Protein Smoothie
- 3 Healthy Protein Smoothies for Fall
Genevieve says
All of these smoothies look amazing and the perfect way to start the day! Pinning for later. Thanks!
ReeseWoods says
Thanks, girl! You will love them!
Shayla says
The Midnight Kiss one sounds like it would be my favorite! Love cherry. We are big on protein smoothies here! Can’t wait to try these for the family!
ReeseWoods says
They are all very kid-friendly! Haha, but I might put decaf in the peppermint mocha and swap the matcha for a cup of raw spinach in the Grinch (unless you want little people bouncing around on a caffeine high 😂).
Tisha says
Quest is one of my go-to protein powders to use. These smoothies all look so delicious, I can’t decide which one to make first! Anxious to try them all!
ReeseWoods says
You can’t go wrong with any of them!
rachel says
These all sound great! Surprisingly – I DID know that Vega was Vegan!
ReeseWoods says
It’s a fairly well known vegan brand!