Being the mom of a beautiful, rambunctious, energy draining toddler on the go begging for another playdate after her four course breakfast of scrambled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit is exhausting. Given the choice between cooking myself a meal to give my body sustenance, or mustering the energy to brew a pot of coffee is one of the hardest decisions out there, yet I think any hot mess mom would agree that we often make the wrong choice. Heck, these days I don’t have enough energy before coffee to brew that magical cup of caffeinated juju juice.
Backtrack to the fitness trend that swept the nature. Drink this magic shake and you can lose weight, gain muscle, sweat glitter. The promises were overwhelming and the results were less than the promises. But somewhere, deep inside the allure of mystical magazine body powder, there’s a hint of a good idea.
Why shouldn’t mothers drink their breakfast?
Hello! Ask yourself that again.
Why Mamas need Breakfast Shake
- We have no time in the morning. We are focused on getting the kiddos dressed and fed, finding matching socks (maybe not so much), and running a brush through our hair (showering, not so much).
- What is hot food? At this point we’ve already grown accustomed to cold coffee, cold meals, and cold feet on our spleen at night.
- It kills all the birds. No actual birds are being harmed, but metaphorically a shake do everything. It can caffeinate, it can fill you up, and it can give you the nutrients needed to start your day.
So why not give it a go. No, there’s no subscription. Yes, you will have to buy all the things. And yes, you will have to put some sort of effort into it until you find a shake that works for you. Thankfully, Pinterest has an abundance of ideas by people who do not have toddlers, and a handful of ideas by people who do have toddlers. Try the first set, and when you give up try the second set. Somewhere in the middle is your sweet spot.
What Protein Powder should I use?
The world is your oyster, mama. Go find your pearl. Truth is, there is a protein powder out there for everything and everyone. There are proteins made from milk and soy, or even pea. There’s something called isolate, which is a different part of the milk protein. Seriously way over my head, so I can’t even attempt to break it down. Talk to your local rep at a vitamin store, or try a few and see what you think. I’m currently using a random container I received free from a bulk donation for victims of hurricane Harvey. Before that I used Muscle Milk, because the banana is delicious.
My Favorite Shakes
- Basic: Instant Coffee, protein powder, 3/4 fill with water, 1/4 fill with almond milk
- Spicy Twist: add a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and/or ginger
- More Satisfying: add a scoop of yogurt
- Craving a Milk Shake: pop it in the blender with a frozen banana
- Different Flavors: add a few drops of vanilla or almond extract
- Shark Week: chocolate is rich in magnesium, so make it a mocha
These shakes are so fast, just dump the ingredients in a blender bottle and give it a shake at the stop light before you drop the kids at school. If that’s too much effort (seriously, it’s easy) you can even prep it the night before and pull it from the fridge. Easy peasy.
Let me know your favorite mama shake! I’d love to try some new variations.
