Low-carb, High-protein Smoothie or Meal Replacement (Peanut Butter Chocolate Flavour)

This low-carb, high-protein smoothie (meal replacement) was made with:

• 12 oz. any low-carb beverage (coconut, oat, soy, etc. - read the labels! But do not use canned coconut milk!)
  • I usually buy unsweetened so I can control the sweetness
  • I usually buy unflavoured, but vanilla will work fine in this recipe
• 1 T. Lacanto or Swerve granular sweetener (if using Stevia instead, wait until serving time and then add just a little at a time as you will need considerably less Stevia than sweeteners like Lacanto or Swerve that are meant to be used in baking)
• 2 tsp. Fry's premium cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1 scoop (29g) Isopure protein powder (whey)
• 1 T. chia seeds
• 1 T. smooth peanut butter
• generous pinch of salt (do not omit the salt as it really enhances/mellows the flavours)

I combined all the ingredients and then left the mixture in the fridge overnight to let the chia seeds swell up and soften. In the morning I blended the mixture in my VitaMix. Turned out very pleasant tasting, sweet enough and I can taste the chocolate and peanut butter. The chia seeds and whey powder made it thick and creamy. (You could add ice cubes while blending, but I don't really like icy-cold drinks.) Note: Because of the Isopure whey powder, this smoothie is not dairy-free. If you prefer dairy-free, you will need to find a low-carb, plant-based protein powder.

Here's a coconut vanilla version.

Chocolate Peanut Butter: Nutritional Data

With 10.5 gm of total carbs, 31.1 gm of protein, 17.4 gm of fat and 314 calories, you can see why I labelled this as a meal replacement. Here's the nutritional information from the KetoDiet app: