Imagine throwing a slice of carrot cake in your blender with a handful of ice cubes and drinking the finished result. Enticing..?... Or weird??
Well, hopefully not the latter because that is exactly what this protein smoothie tastes like. Except only a fraction of the calories, fat and sugar. Dessert for breakfast, anyone?
Carrot cake has always been one of my favorite desserts. Of course a dietitian would choose one of the only known desserts with vegetables in it, right? 😉 Surprisingly, carrot cake can sometimes rack up even more sugar and fat than it's chocolate peanut butter counterpart. Just one bite of that super sweet cream cheese icing and you'll know why. Eekk!
But fear not, as one of my top priorities in life is figuring out ways to turn decadent indulgences into nutritious treats. This smoothie combines carrots, cottage cheese (in place of cream cheese), spices, creamy almond milk and a little vanilla extract.
Nothing like waking up your palette first thing in the morning with a blast of flavor. There is sweetness from the honey but also spice from the nutmeg and cinnamon, which I adore. This is also a great way to incorporate veggies into your breakfast, which let's be honest, is normally not so enticing.
If you're in a breakfast or snack rut, give this smoothie a shot. You just haven't lived until you drink your favorite dessert ;).
Spiced Carrot Cake Protein Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Sunwarrior)
- ~8 cooked baby carrots (you could use frozen cooked carrots, fully thawed)
- 4 ounces (½ cup) fat free cottage cheese
- ¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ~4-6 ice cubes, depending on size
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in high powder blender and puree until smooth. Top with Greek yogurt, walnuts, cinnamon or whatever your heart desires. Serve.
Nutrition facts per smoothie
Calories: 240; Total Fat: 2 gm; Saturated Fat: 0 gm; Cholesterol: 9 mg; Sodium: 630 mg; Carbohydrates: 30 gm; Fiber: 3.4 gm; Sugar: 22 gm; Protein 27 gm
Courtney
Could you use Greek yogurt in place of the cottage cheese?? I'm snowed in and this sounds delicious!!
dishingouthealth
Definitely! I've used both 🙂 Hope you stay warm!
Olivia
Carrot Cake.
These two words make my family over the top excited! We love carrot cake to the extremes! It is such a refreshing, delicious cake that it on my list of absolute favorites!
This looks like it is an easy, delicious fix for when you are craving that cake. 😀
I really want to try this shake, and will hopefully sometime soon!
God bless,
Olivia
diane carlson
This is a good one Jamie....I'll definitely be making it often!
dishingouthealth
You go girl! I bet it would taste even better after those long bike rides!
GiGi Eats Celebrities
YES!!!!!!!! I do not like carrots but this just sounds amazing! You might make me become obsessed with them, LOL!
dishingouthealth
That would make me one happy food blogger!! Haha
Megan R
Carrot Cake is my favorite dessert too! Do you use whey protein powder? Thanks!
dishingouthealth
It is the best! I use a plant-based vegan protein powder, but that's just personal preference. Any protein powder would work fine!