I do not like the taste of protein powder, but it's a necessary evil. I've noticed that even though I've been more conscientious about what I eat and adding more protein into my diet it's still not enough. I realized I needed to start using a protein supplement in a shake or smoothie, but that means getting out the blender and having to clean it afterwards. Yuck! Or I could always go to Jamba Juice, but that's an expensive habit...

Trimr bottles to the rescue! I had no idea "shaker" bottles existed. This bottle is beautiful! You can use it for water and juices, but if you are wanting to put protein powder in your drink it has an agitator mechanism that stirs everything up and doesn't leave clumps behind. But here's the deal, even though I have the perfect bottle to make drinking protein shakes less messy and more convenient the yucky taste of the powder remains.

AVE Styles intern, Alyssa Hodson, and I did some recipe creating and taste testing. It wasn't pretty and there were some gross combos along the way, but we have figured out two main ingredients you can add to your protein shake to make it taste great:

Peanut butter and vanilla extract! See recipe below:

Alex & Alyssa's Protein Shake: Yields 1 serving

1 serving of chocolate protein powder

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 T of peanut butter

2 c almond milk (or regular milk - more protein!)

Shake/mix all together and enjoy!

Healthy eating is part of my new lifestyle since starting my fitness challenge a couple months ago. I would say that 70% of my battle to getting the body that I wanted and feeling good about myself had to do with my diet and what I was putting in my body. As a mom and business woman on the go I reach for anything processed and packaged. The Starbucks Drive-thru would see me almost every day. Not only is that unhealthy, but my wallet was burning a hole.

Smoothies are the perfect way to start a day. They are faster than Starbucks, cheaper and healthier. This recipe that AVE Styles intern, Alyssa Hodson, created has become a new favorite of mine. It incorporates protein and greens without a yucky, earthy taste.