PB&J Protein Smoothie

One of my favorite childhood sandwiches was the PB&J. I just love the contrast of creamy peanut butter and fruit jam (my fave was always strawberry jam), all melded together between deliciously soft sliced bread.

Nowadays, while I still enjoy a PB&J every now and again, I wanted to find an easy way to experience those nostalgic flavors in a daily protein smoothie.

Plus, the amusing thing is you just need a few simple ingredients, and you've got the perfect protein smoothie.

Ingredient Notes

Almond Milk: You can use your milk of choice, but I prefer unsweetened almond milk. Look for any milk that has no added sugar and minimal ingredients. If the smoothie is too thick, you’ll also want to add a little bit more almond milk to loosen it. 

Frozen Strawberries: I prefer to use frozen strawberries for this protein smoothie, but you can also use fresh strawberries and just add ice when blending. You can also use other frozen berries. For example, I’ve used frozen blueberries, frozen blackberries, and frozen bananas. 

Vanilla Protein: To make this smoothie high-protein, I add a scoop of protein powder. When choosing a vanilla protein, look for minimal ingredients, no added sugars, and high-quality protein. (For help on protein powder, check out my post Protein Powder | The Ultimate Guide For Beginners)

Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is a very important ingredient in this PB&J smoothie. Look for peanut butter with no added ingredients other than peanuts and maybe a little sea salt. You want to avoid peanut butter that includes added palm oil, added sugars and like to make sure that you’re using a minimally processed peanut butter for your high-protein smoothie. If you’re allergic to peanut butter, you can replace it with almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter. 

Pro Smoothie Tips

To avoid some common mistakes with your smoothie, check out my article on How To Make a Smoothie. Here are the basics:

• Start with liquid and end with the ice, if needed.
• Choose a high-quality blender that can blend well. I use a Vitamix.
• Don't add to much ice in the beginning. You can always add more ice, but it's hard to take away.
• If the PB&J protein smoothie is too thick, add a little almond milk to loosen it up.