Who loves to work up a sweat? And by working up, I mean exercising and in need of a post-workout smoothie. Yes, exercise, the good stuff that gets your heart rate going and makes you feel GOOD. That moment when my alarm clock goes off ridiculously early is ALWAYS outweighed by how good I feel after exercising and I can easily say I never regret it. Post-exercise nutrition is as important as the exercise itself and I recently wrote an article for the awesome Unit Nine on refueling and created this unbelievably creamy and yummy Cacao Post-Workout Smoothie (I'm actually addicted!!).
There are three key areas that are important to focus on after exercising. Restoring electrolytes and fluid (lost when we sweat), replenishing fuel that has been used during training and protein intake to help restoration and synthesis of muscle and you can read my full article here. This is the ultimate post-workout smoothie recipe that has got you covered for all three and if you need the motivation to exercise, just know that this smoothie can be waiting for you when you finish. I promise you it's good.
Cacao Post-Workout Smoothie - Key Nutrients
Electrolytes - Bananas, avocado, nut butter and cacao are fantastic sources of potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium. Just one tablespoon of cacao alone gives you 15% of your daily magnesium requirements which is great for helping to relax those tired muscles.
Fuel - Carbohydrates are an essential part of post-exercise nutrition and bananas, avocado, nut butter and soy are all boosting the carbohydrate intake in this recipe.
Protein - This smoothie packs in approximately 15g of protein per serving to help to repair and rebuild your muscles. Sources of protein in this recipe come from soy milk, nut butter, banana (yes, there is 1.7g protein in a medium-sized banana) and cacao powder.
Cacao Post-Workout Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 1 tbsp avocado
- 1 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp nut butter (I used peanut)
- 1 cup/200ml soy milk
- 1 tbsp cacao nibs (optional to decorate)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a blender starting with the soy milk. Blend until smooth.
- I would love your feedback and comments below on this recipe and don't forget to tag me in your photos @amysavagenutrition
Notes
Essential Equipment
Blender.Tips
This can be made the night before and stores well in the fridge. Just give it a shake in the morning. I use a standard cup measure. If you don’t have one you can use a mug and substitute the amount for ¾ of a standard size mug.Find your Ingredients
Banana/avocado – fresh fruit/vegetable aisle Nut butter - condiments/health foods. I would always recommend buying a 100% nut butter. Soy milk - long-life milk aisle or fridge. Cacao power - health food aisle (not cacao not cocoa - the more natural refined version has all of the health benefits).If you love this recipe, you might like to try these;
Amy Savage is a qualified Nutritionist with a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutritional & Dietetic Medicine specialising in skin health and is available for consultations online. Email amy@amysavagenutrition.com for further details.
6 Responses
I just made this and loved it! Great alternative to store bought recovery drinks. Super easy and much healthier. Thanks for sharing. ?
Thank you so much and really pleased you loved it - its one of my favourites, exercise or no exercise 🙂
I’m not fond of soy milk, is there another alternative you would recommend? Almond?
Hi Ruby, this smoothie tastes great with almond milk too, soy is recommended for the protein in this recipe, but I make this recipe sometimes with protein powder too but it tastes great still with different milks, so you can use the milk of your choice. Just let me know if you've got any other questions at all, Amy 🙂
Is there an alternate to the avacado?
Hi Kate, you could use another healthy fat and add 1 tbsp of tahini or just leave it out all together as there is already nut butter too 🙂