Banana Bread Smoothie
The Recipe -
- 1 1/2 Servings AGN Roots Grassfed Whey
- 1 banana – To have a thick cold smoothie, consider a frozen banana
- Tip: Peel first, then freeze
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, if you can make this fresh (you deserve a round of applause)
- 1 1/2 cups of your choice of milk (See below for more information to help choose)
- Chopped Walnuts, Cashews, Almonds to make it pretty
- Dash of nutmeg
- Sprinkle of cloves
- Smidgen of salt
- Pinch of cinnamon
Milk Choices for AGN Roots Grassfed Whey Smoothies:
Cow’s Milk – Our Obvious Favorite
We love it for the fat, calcium, potassium, and B vitamins, essentially it covers the spectrum of micronutrients our bodies need day today. In 1 cup like the recipe calls for, we are looking at 150 calories, with 13 grams of carbs and an additional 8 grams of protein.
Animal Welfare Tip: Just like AGN Roots Grassfed Whey, we encourage everyone to look for milk with accreditation certificates from animal welfare agencies. This is to protect you from unknowingly supporting milk production from local CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) which consistently damages the planet.
Cow's Milk - The Lactose-Free Option
Numerous studies over the last decade have shown an overwhelming population battling with intolerance around the common complex sugar associated with dairy products. Rest assured, lactose-free milk has a nutrition profile that besides the sugar, cannot be distinguished from typical milk in regards to macro-nutrients where the lactose is fully intact.
The Best Grassfed Whey Recipe Fun Fact -
Milk that is labeled “Lactose-free” isn’t because of some magical filtering process where lactose is pulled out, but rather made by the addition of an enzyme by the name of “Lactase”. The idea is this enzyme does the work for you in terms of breaking down the lactose into smaller pieces more easily handled by your gastrointestinal tract.
There is really no downside, a slight increase in cost for the extra steps, and some sensitive (supertasters) tasters do recognize the milk as being slightly sweeter than normal. This is due to the tongue giving more credit to simpler sugars whereas more complex sugars appeal less to the taste buds.
Goat’s Milk - Nutrient-Rich if the Taste Works
Goat’s milk is nutritionally dense and often receives a bad rap due to the variance in taste depending on the source. Where it’s a general practice to have thousands of farms acreage, all contribute cow milk to a centralized aggregate facility where it’s all mixed to round out any outlying variances, the opposite is true for goat’s milk. It's more common to have small independent farms produce small batches that vary in taste from region to region. To get the idea, think whole cow’s milk that is slightly fuller with a creamier texture, with a taste that is far from universal, likely to change from season to season.
The Best Grassfed Whey Recipe Fun Fact -
A well-kept secret by a few world renown barista’s - a frothy latte only gets better with goat milk, did you know?
The downside is, it’s not the easiest to find if your local market isn’t very progressive. There are a few major companies like Whole Foods & Sprouts that will be stocked with several brands year-round; expect to pay more than $10 for a half-gallon though, gulp...
Rice Milk – Low Cal but Low Protein
If you are preparing for a marathon or carbo-loading in general, unsweetened rice milk may serve as a wonderful provider of pure energy. It’s loaded with carbs and isn’t very thick naturally. Some of our customers mix it with AGN Roots Grassfed Whey and use it as a healthy non-stimulant pre-workout. This said, many brands attempt to recreate the viscosity of whole cow milk which for you, means be on the lookout for added gums and thickening agents. It’s not as expensive as goat milk, but commensurate in cost with high-end almond milk ($6 for ½ gallon).
Almond Milk – Light on Nutrition, Heavy on Texture
If you need a substitute that has the look, the feel, and the texture of real cow milk, almond milk may end up being a great choice. The downside is that it’s just not that competitive in the world of dense nutrition. The fat (packed with monounsaturated fatty acids) from almond milk is the most advantageous macro, however, if you are working off nutrition blocks, adding a fat source without more protein or carbs may leave you stuck having to choose very lean sources of protein which are tougher to make taste good. The upside of Almond milk is that’s cheap (< $6 for ½ gallon) and easy to make if you have excess almonds for soaking.
Hemp Milk – Minus the Additives
Competing at the top of the plant-based milk space, hemp milk contains much more protein than both almond milk and milk made from rice. The ancillary benefit of milk derived from hemp is that it contains several fatty acids that other plant-based alternatives fail to compete with (omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids). Its low calorie and unlike many plant-based options offer a full range of amino acids making hemp a great replacement for cow milk in terms of recovery protein smoothies and runs about $7 for a ½ gallon.
The Best Grassfed Whey Recipe Fun Fact -
Hemp milk just like rice milk is often cut with other ingredients to replicate the sensation and texture of typical cow milk. Unless you want viscosifiers, added sugars, or thickening agents in your nutrition regiment, be selective at the local market.
Soy Milk – The Original Milk Alternative
Low in fat, and commensurate in protein & carbs to regular milk (assuming 2%), soy milk was a trailblazer in regards to the plant-based alternatives. Packed with vitamins A, B12, & D2 and the only noticeable difference is that soy isn’t naturally as thick as cow milk so be on the lookout for added food chemicals attempting to fill that gap.
Where Soy milk accelerated its popularity, is the in the cost category; it’s by far the cheapest option ($3 per ½ gallon). Soy milk is found in abundance and in almost all grocery chains as well as convenience stores.
Part of the reason other alternatives have popped up is that unlike regular milk, soy is susceptible to curdling when exposed to minimal heat. So, where goat milk makes a fantastic chai latte, soy milk will most likely look like cottage cheese when poured into hot coffee.
Oat Milk – Impress your Barista!
Without the variance in taste endemic to goat milk or the curdling of soy milk, Oat milk offers the best of both with little downside, highest in terms of carbohydrates. In terms of DIY, similar to almond milk, overnight oats and oat milk are great for the get-up-and-go types early in the morning. Loaded with vitamins A, D, and B12, another advantage over soy is the calcium content. As a cost, Oats are fairly cheap, making oat milk at $5 for ½ gallon very affordable.
Coconut Milk – Not just for Curry
Coconut milk has gone through quite the evolution in terms of delivery. With a natural texture similar to almond milk, coconut milk otherwise stands apart in its potassium content. Naturally loaded with electrolytes, coconut milk gained a ton of popularity with the rise of coconut waters. The downside of coconut milk is that it is fairly high in fat without the benefits of being high in protein. It’s also very hard to find without hidden contents (i.e. cutters, fillers). As far as efficiency in spending, it runs at about 4$ for a ½ gallon.
Cashew Milk – Low Cal Option
Similar to other almond milk, milk stemmed from cashews is generally low on the side of providing macro-nutrients. On the flip side, it’s common to feel refreshed and light after downing some cashew milk.
As far is differentiating cashew milk from almond milk, we would say most folks find cashew milk to be smoother and creamier; most of the calories are from fat. It is hard to beat $3 for a ½ gallon for cashew milk though when almond milk sits at almost double that in the retail cost.
Lastly, you might find that cashew milk is less available than almond milk, however, most grocery stores are carrying at least 1 or 2 brands these days.
Pea Milk – The Hulk of Plant-Based Milk
Unlike drupe milk (Almonds) or milk made from nuts, if you soak sweet peas overnight, you’ll simply wake up too mushy peas likely to make you dry heave all the way to the gym or work. On the bright side, if it’s abdominal / core day, you will get them nice and warm, lol.
The Best Grassfed Whey Recipe Fun Fact-
Well, we hope this little break down helps you decide what to add to your Banana Bread Smoothie!
Enjoy
~AGN Roots Grassfed Whey Team
