Make Protein Shakes Cheaper (and Better) With Simple Whey and Coffee Creamer
Everything in the grocery store is more expensive than it was a few months ago, but I wasn’t ready for the protein powder hype. My favorite powder is about 30% more expensive than last year and I use it up fast enough to no longer justify the price. As an experiment, I started making my smoothies with plain dry whey and coffee creamer – and it works so well that I’ll never go back to it.
The most annoying part of protein powder bloat is that I don’t even buy fancy stuff; My choice is Target Vanilla Powdered Whey. Last summer my nearest Target sold it for $16.99 for 32 ounces; today the same store charges $22.99 for the same item. (Insolence! It’s not even a brand name!) By comparison, WinCo dry whey costs $10.98 a pound. It’s not exactly cheap, but plain whey has more protein per gram than flavored whey, so it lasts longer and costs less. Throw in a $2.99 bottle of coffee creamer and I have everything I need for at least a couple weeks of shakes.
Saving money is great, but I find these smoothies taste much better than the ones I’ve made with pre-flavored powder. My theory is that this is because coffee creamers contain real sugar, not sugar alcohols or other non-sugar sweeteners that you often find in flavored protein powders. I just don’t like their taste; I usually add some real sugar to my protein powder shakes on purpose to cover up the fake taste of the sweetener. Using cream, I can choose the flavor (I prefer hazelnuts) and adjust the sweetness level to my liking.
Making a coffee creamer shake is extremely easy and works with any flavor you like. Simply add the liquid of your choice and whey powder to a shaker, blender or any other container you normally use, then add a sip of cream and blend. Try and adjust as needed.
I find this method makes even water-based smoothies taste good, but if you normally use milk or vegan milk, this will probably be even better. There’s also no reason it wouldn’t work with vegan powders, although you may need to use a little more cream to offset the stronger flavor that many plant-based protein sources bring . Considering that plant protein is even more expensive than whey, it’s definitely worth a try.