Level of Effort: Super Easy     
Cost of Ingredients: $1.94 per smoothie
Nutrition Info: 460 calories, 18.1 g fat, 17.5 g protein, 5.0 g fiber, 60 g carbs

After working out do you…

A. Reach for the cookies (or chips) and rationalize how much you deserve eating them?

B. Down a sports drink?

C. Crack open a cold one?

Now I certainly won’t judge if you do any of the above because I’m guilty of doing them all.

But of course there are far better foods we can consume to help our body recover quicker and boost the benefits of our workouts. One of those is this Almond Strawberry Smoothie. Here’s why…

• Strawberries replenish carbohydrates and have antioxidants to counteract exercise induced tissue damage.
• Almonds contain a natural anti-inflammatory and lots of electrolytes to help fight muscle fatigue and cramping.
• Honey helps promotes muscle retention during recovery and contains enzymes that aid in digestion.
• Milk does a body good (okay…writing that made me laugh).

Replaces lost energy, helps fight muscle fatigue, helps with muscle retention and does a body good…I could use all of that!

As for the smoothie, it tastes 100 times better than a lot of processed sport recovery foods I’ve tried and it’s all natural!

So today’s mission, should you choose to accept it, is to reach for this nutritious Strawberry Almond Smoothie after your workout so your muscles recover faster, are less sore the next day, and ready for your next physical effort!

I’m going to do this myself today, but I have to admit, it’ll be tough resisting those evil cookies. Wish me luck and good luck to you as well!

MORE Tasty Ways to Resist the Temptation of Evil Foods

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Workout Recovery Smoothie

A post workout smoothie to boost the benefits of your efforts.

Printable Recipe

MAKES: 1 Smoothie

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: none
Total Time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup almonds [$0.72]
• 5 strawberries, halved [$0.35]
• 1/2 cup low fat strawberry yogurt [$0.42]
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey [$0.18]
• 1/2 cup milk [$0.27]

HOW TO MAKE

1. Pour almonds in a blender.
2. Add strawberries, yogurt and honey.
3. Pour in milk.
4. Blend until smooth.