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IMPORTANT PREAMBLE: this guide shows you different recipes of energy shakes. This shakes are studied to provide a rich amount of nutrients in a healthy and fast way and they are used by a large community of athletes/sportsmen. But, for their composition of mixed ingredients with high energy content, they could result more difficult to digest than traditional food for some people. Use this shakes only when in need and if you normally suffer of slow-digestion or other stomach/intestines illness, carefully evaluates the consumption. I use them weekly for a long time with absolutely no problem at all, but if you have any doubt, consult with your doctor / dietician first.

Shakes are classical elements in diets of fitness fanatics.

Their success comes mainly from the fact that you can mix different kinds of food in a single mixture, easy and fast to drink.

In this way, you can blend togheter a lot of nutrition sources and take them in one fell swoop, without the inconvenience of having to eat each food separately.

Besides, another advantage of this mixes is that liquids are absorbed faster than solids, therefore nutrients are conveyed in the body with more efficiency.

Finally, the last great pros of shakes is control: in classical-cooking, it's easy to "add a bit of something" (like olive oil, salt...) to adjust the flavor. Energy shakes blend everything togheter in the most homogeneous way possibile, and you can accurately calculate the nutritional values without the necessity of adding something.

But, obviously, an all-liquid, all-shakes diet is nothing you should think about! It would soon become harmful to the stomach and intestines. Like always, BALANCE IS THE KEY!

The icon of the "all-eating athlete" was made famous by the popular Breakfast of Champsions scene of Rocky, when Stallone mixed up nothing else than 5 raw eggs in a glass, drinking everything in two seconds!

Well, this is not what I mean with Energy Shakes. I can say for sure that eating 5 eggs every morning is not the healthies thing you can do! XD

These shakes should not be one of your everyday-meal, but should become a breakfast or lunch alternative in particular periods, when you need an extra boost of energy and nutrients.

Now, before we move on, let's make a good laugh togheter with our friend Rocky

Step 1: Blending Process

The main tool for this project is, obviously, THE BLENDER!

You don't need a super-expansive one. It has to be fast and with a big cup to mix everything better. A too narrow container doesn't help you with mixing because it will create a stack effect with all the ingredients.

Other useful tools are:

digital scale
sharp knife to cut the fruit

You don't need anything else.

The making-of is extremely simple.

You only have to cut the fruit, if present, add all the ingredients in the blender bowl and turn on your mixer.

The times may vary, depending on the shake, but usually a 1 minute of fast blending is enough to obtain a smooth and homogeneous drink.

Now, I want to dedicate a step to an important and delicate part of this Instructables: Protein Mix

Step 2: Understanding Protein Mixes

Some people all really scared about this kind of products.

The simple fact that Protein Mixes are usually packed for athletes and sportsmen, makes them perform the mental connection with steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

Someone even says that Protein Mixes cause terrible forms of cancer.

The funny things about these kind of people is that they often make these assumption while eating a ton of fried bacon, packed snacks and all the possibile junk food available, destroying their health day by day.

Protein Mixes are dietary supplements, therefore should be consumed for specific reasons.

The main one is usually an high proteic-diet for gym or weight loss purpose.

Like every other food, it's important to find an high quality product. This can completely change the kind and amount of nutrients provided by our shakes.

I always use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey proteins (as shown in picture). These are one of the best mix available, and are also one of the most sold (in Italy and, as well, in America!). And they are extremely tasty with a fantastic chocolate flavor! :)

But, why we use this proteins in our recipe?

A lot of people who enter in the gym world think that "the more proteins we eat, the bigger we'll become".

This is absolutely wrong.

A good muscles composition is reached with a balanced diet which comprises a studied quantity of proteins, as well as carbohydrates and fats. But this is a very long speech, that I will illustrate surely in another guide.

Also, an excess of proteins is easily transformed in fat stocks, so pay attention.

The best way possibile to take our nutrients is always with classic food! You don't have to take any dietary supplements if your diet provides you ALL of what your body needs.

But, in a gym's diet (where is easy to overcome a daily need of 100-150 grams of proteins), this mixes are extremely useful, practical and tasty.

Last, these compounds are often packed with extra elements like branched aminoacids and arginine, always very useful in our training program.

In simple terms, we use Protein Mixes to reach an amount of about 40 grams of proteins in a tasty and easy way.

Otherwise, we would need to add more eggs or other sources which also contain other nutrients that would vary the original recipe.

If you still feel that these products are harmful to you (but I can assure you they are NOT, if taken with the right balance), replace them with light cocoa powder. Obviously, your shake will completely change its energy provision.

Step 3: Almond Bomb

These are the ingredients for the Almond Bomb:

250ml (8.45oz) low fat milk
40gr (1.41oz) almonds
30gr (1.06oz) chocolate flavored Protein Mix
2 big spoons of low fat yogurt
10gr (0.35oz) honey (optional but suggested)

Approximate nutritional values for this shake are as follow

455 Kcal divided in

30.6 gr carbohydrates
41.2 gr proteins
20.9 gr fats

This is the energy shake with less ingredients and possibily the fastest to prepare.

I suggest to start by blending almonds with two big spoons of yogurt, for about 30-40 seconds.

In this way, almonds will be held togheter by the yogurt density and will grind properly. If mixed with a too liquid mixture, almonds will shake everywhere inside the blender avoiding the blades! Tiny, smart, little bastards! XD

After that, pour milk and proteins powder within honey in the blender and mix everything for 1 minute.

Your shake is ready.

NUTRITION FACTS:

Despite having only 4-5 ingredients (honey can be optional), this shake is one with the best energy provision.

It's the one with the highest fats level. But don't worry dear friends!

The 90% of this fats are from the big amount of almonds, which are one of the best fats' sources in nature! Probably the best one!

Almonds are medicines for your muscles! They are extremely rich in alfa-tocoferol, the best form of vitamin E absorbed by the body, that can lower the risk of Alzheimer's up to 67%!!! Incredible, isn't it?

And remeber that unsaturated fats should represent the 20-35% of your calories daily income! Almonds are maybe the best form of unsaturated fats available.

40 grams of almonds are more than the normal daily requirement (usually sets between 20 and 30 grams in a gym-diet), but remember that this shakes are thought for particular needs periods.

We also have a great amount of proteins, provided by almonds and Protein Mix!

And it contains our friend honey (optional but suggested). I've already wrote about honey's great benefits for our body, click here to have a look!

This shake is one of the healthies and easiest to digest of this 4 mixes.

Step 4: Nitro Booster

These are the ingredients for the Nitro Booster:

2 eggs
250ml (8.45oz) low fat milk
1 banana
10gr (0.35oz) honey
1 teaspoon of crude olive oil
1 coffee cup of unsweetened Espresso
30gr (1.06oz) chocolate flavored Protein Mix

Approximate nutritional values for this shake are as follow
520 Kcal divided in

52 gr carbohydrates
46 gr proteins
16 gr fats

Cut the banana in little pieces to help the blending.

When you prepare the Espresso coffee, wait until it's at room temperature before adding it to the mix! Don't add sugar to the coffee, we don't need it sweetened. We already use honey in the shake to help the flavor! :)

After that, pour all of ingredients in the blender and mix everything for about 1 minute.

NUTRITION FACTS:

This is the strongest shake out of these four.

It's the one with the highest calories, highest carbohydrates and highest proteins amount.

This bomb will really help you when you need a LOT of energy.

Some pepole can't digest raw eggs: in this case, I suggest you to quickly cook them in a pan without olive oil and then add them to the blender.

The high quantity of carbohydrates (provided mainly from banana, milk and honey, which are good sources of calcium, potassium and glucide), mixed with the caffeine of Espresso coffee, can boost you immediatly with energy and muscle relief (thank you, potassium!).

The amount of proteins (provided by Proteins Mix and eggs) is the maximum that you should take in a single meal (usually sets from 40 to 50 grams, in most cases).

Finally, we also have some good unsaturated fats (provided by olive oil): did you know that unsaturated fats help you to lower triglycerides (lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease) and are involved in the production of testosterone, a hormone essential for muscle development?

For these components, this shake is the most complete of our Instructable! :)

Step 5: Fruity Power

These are the ingredients for the Fruity Power:

1 egg
120gr (4.23oz) pitted cherries
250ml (8.45oz) low fat milk
Half banana
20gr (0.70oz) almonds

Approximate nutritional values for this shake are as follow

400 Kcal divided in

51 gr carbohydrates
22 gr proteins
14.6 gr fats

Use a knife to take out seeds from cherries. They are absolutely too tough to be blended! XD

Cut the banana in small pieces and, if you will, grind the almonds with a meat tenderizer to help the mixing.

Like for the Nitro Booster, if you can't stand raw eggs, cook them first in a pan.

After that, pour all the ingredients in the blender and mix everything for about 1 minute.

NUTRITION FACTS:
This is the shake with less calories out of these four.

But, despite this, we have a great amount of carbohydrates, thanks to all the fresh fruit (banana and cherries)!

This statistics make this mix perfect for a very strong meal before or after a workout, and its fruity flavor is perfect for the upcoming summer. :)

In fact, you can add some ice cubes to this shake to transform it in an unique cocktail.

Almost all of fats are from almonds (read previous Steps to know about benefits of almonds), and a bit from egg's yolk.

If you want to power up this mix and transform it in a complete meal, you can add a second egg and use a whole banana instead of an half. You will add carbohydrates, proteins and a bit of fats.

Step 6: Caffeine Fuel

These are the ingredients for the Caffeine Fuel:

125ml (4.23oz) low fat milk
1 Banana
15gr (0.53oz) chocolate flavored Protein Mix
10gr (0.35oz) honey
2 eggs
2 coffee cups of unsweetened Espresso

Approximate nutritional values for this shake are as follow

440kcal divided in

44.8 carbohydrates
30.2 proteins
10.4 fats

This one is very simple to prepare.

Cut the banana in small pieces and pour everything else in the blender as it is.

Just wait for coffee cups to be at room temperature.

Like for the Nitro Booster and Fruity Power, if you can't stand raw eggs, cook them first in a pan (without olive oil or anything else).

Then, mix everything for about 1 minute.

NUTRITION FACTS:

I really love this shake.

Despite being the one with the most bitter taste (in my humble opinion), because of two cups of unsweetened coffee and only half-portion of milk for the base, it's the one with the maximum boost of quick energy.

Why? The responsibles are the strong amount of caffeine mixed with the high quantity of carbohydrates.

These factors are specifically studied to provide you a very fast release of energy, making this recipe the best out of this 4 to face a considerable physical effort in a short time.

Pay attention to the coffee: Italian Espresso is particularly strong, I suggest you to assume a maximum of two cups per day. Precisely for this, Caffeine Fuel already contains the "recommended maximum" of caffeine per day. Don't take another cup after this one :)

If you find this shake hard to drink, you can soft it adding another 125ml (4.23oz) of low fat milk, maybe mixed with a little more of honey.

CONCLUSIONS:

And that's all, dear friends!
Remember what I said in the intro: this shakes are studied for particular needs and periods!

Don't make them one of your everyday meal and don't think to create an all shake diet.

Also, avoid drinking this mixes if you have poor digestion.

Like everything in life, you need balance in this things! :)

Hope this mixes will fuel your day with great energy.

From Italy, this is Filippo.

Ciao!