Despite having lost a significant amount of weight, I know that it is not easy to avoid reaching for comfort foods!\u00a0 I admit that, although I have changed my eating habits significantly, I still crave, and occasionally indulge in comfort foods.\u00a0 My weaknesses are peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, donuts and those cheap sugar cookies from the supermarket that have about an inch of sickeningly sweet icing on them.<\/p>\n
It turns out there is a reason that our bodies crave comfort foods, usually ones that are rich in carbohydrates, when we feel down.\u00a0 According to an article on Livestrong.com, the craving for such foods could be the result of low-levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitters that are associated with depression.\u00a0 Eating carb-rich, sugary foods can actually trigger a release of serotonin, thereby tricking your brain into thinking that these foods are a \u201ccure\u201d for your depression. In short, those donuts I crave so much when I feel sad, are a way of ineffectively self-medicating my depression.<\/p>\n
So, what do you do when the desire for comfort foods means a break in your diet is inevitable?\u00a0 The key is learning to find healthier options for the comfort foods your mind and body crave.\u00a0 Protein-rich foods are much healthier and more-filling than carbohydrate-rich foods.\u00a0 My physical therapist advised me to start drinking protein shakes to get the protein my body needs.\u00a0 Anyone who has ever tasted those protein shakes knows they are really hard to choke down.\u00a0 So, I am on a mission to make this shake taste as good as possible by adding in healthy<\/i> ingredients to yummy-it up.\u00a0 This recipe is my version of a Peanut Butter Banana Protein Shake, which honestly tastes like a milkshake.<\/p>\n
\u00bd scoop \u201cElite XL Chocolate Brownie protein powder**<\/p>\n 1 small frozen banana (you can peel them and put them in a bag in the freezer)<\/p>\n 1T. Peanut Butter or<\/i> 2T. \u201cPB2\u201d (greatest thing ever- dehydrated peanut butter, low-cal, low-fat)<\/p>\n 1t. honey<\/p>\n 1T. Non-Fat Greek Yogurt (optional, adds to creaminess)<\/p>\n 4 ice cubes<\/p>\n 8 oz. water<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Combine ingredients in a blender, or Magic Bullet (despite the name it is not a toy for the bedroom, it is a mini-blender and a mega-time-saver…you can find it at (http:\/\/www.buythebullet.com\/<\/a>) and blend together for approximately 1 minute, until it is the consistency you desire.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The PB2, despite being a powder, will thicken the drink, as will the yogurt and honey.\u00a0 If you like more of an ice-cream consistency, you can add more ice.\u00a0 If you want a more liquid consistency, you can use skip the yogurt and use less ice and more water.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I cannot give an exact calorie count (mostly because I don\u2019t want to be blamed if I am off by a few calories and I cause you to blow your diet), but it has approximately<\/i> 225 calories.\u00a0 It is high in protein and potassium, low in fat and it tastes super-delicious!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I am playing with my protein powders and will post more healthy protein shakes as I create them.\u00a0 Trust me, if I come up with a healthy, guilt-free donut, I\u2019ll be sure to post that here too.<\/p>\n Footnotes:<\/b><\/p>\n * Please note I am not claiming this shake is 100% my idea, there are a hundred recipes out there, this is just what I combine to make a healthy shake that I like.<\/p>\n ** due to the other ingredients, I am not using a whole scoop of protein powder as I am trying to reduce the calories and I don\u2019t want to overdo it on protein\u2026moderation is the key! I am using Elite XL because that is what the muscular man at Vitamin World suggested.\u00a0 It has time-release protein to help with appetite and other physical fitness stuff that is over my head.<\/p>\n ***I am in no-way associated with any of the products noted on this page, nor do I endorse them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Resources:<\/b><\/p>\n![\"smoothie\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.psychcentral.com\/chronic-pain\/files\/2013\/09\/smoothie.jpg\")
<\/a>Peanut Butter Banana Protein Shake*<\/b><\/p>\n