Shake Smart Mods: Protein Shake Edition

Photo from foodservices.psu.edu

Shake Smart—Penn State’s newest healthy-eating destination to grace the halls of the IM and White Buildings here on campus—is VALLEY’s favorite protein shake destination. With transparent nutrition information, protein-packed products and endless customizations, Shake Smart allows Penn Stater’s complete control over their own protein shake.

Choose from low fat milk, nonfat milk, almond milk, soy milk, water or coffee to get started. Then heap on the extra’s like chia seeds, Greek yogurt, almonds, matcha, coconut, oats, spinach, granola and even bee pollen! Swap out whey protein isolate powder for soy-based protein powder instead. Swap bananas for extra strawberries or go for ½ agave sweetener. Whether you’re seeking out a particular flavor combo or trying to reach a specific macronutrient goal, there are so many delicious mods to take advantage of at Shake Smart. Click here to browse their menu.

After frequenting the healthy-foods chain this semester and carefully studying their nutrition facts information, VALLEY is here to share some Shake Smart tips and tricks to meet your nutritional goals along with some of our absolute favorite protein shake mods.

Pro Tip: Low Sugar Edition

Most of Shake Smart’s products are naturally sweetened with agave, so if you’re interested in limiting your sugar intake, start by modifying the agave in your protein shake. You can test out your likeliness for this option by asking for half agave. If you’re still finding this too sweet, you can ask to remove all agave on your next order! VALLEY recommends taking this route because the protein shakes are typically banana-based, which offers plenty of sweetness without the agave.

Plus, you can also save about 84 extra calories by removing all agave from your protein shake. For example, according to Shake Smart’s nutrition facts, a regular greens to go shake is 236 calories with agave while a regular greens to go shake without agave is only 152 calories.

Pro Tip: Protein Power Edition

Shake Smart has a focus of protein-packed culinary offerings. However, if you want to up the ante on your protein intake (make those gains!), start with one of these shakes: p-b2 , grammy’s goods, organic supershake or a perfect 10.

What makes these particular menu-shakes the highest in protein? They are made with protein powder and peanut butter. The dual combo of protein powder (whey isolate or soy) and nut butters (peanut or almond) will send your protein intake through the roof.

P-b2  has 31 grams of protein. Grammy’s goods has 35 grams of protein. Organic supershake has 32 grams of protein. A perfect 10 also comes in at 32 grams of protein.

However, there’s no need to limit yourself to these flavor combos. Increase your protein intake with any of your favorite shakes by adding additional scoops of protein powder and/or extra nut butters.

Pro Tip: Get Your Greens Edition

While the fruits in your protein shake are an excellent source of nutrients and healthy sugars, it’s always a good idea to get some vegetables in when you can. For this reason, VALLEY highly recommends adding spinach to your next protein shake.

Wait! Spinach-skeptics and critics, before you start running for the hills, hear us out! You may be reeling at the thought of adding leafy greens to your protein shake, but in reality, spinach really does “sneak” vegetables into your diet. How? You can’t taste it! Once a handful of spinach is blended together with other fruits like blueberries and bananas, you might not even know you’re slurping down a serving of fresh veggies.

Even if you absolutely cannot stand spinach because of the taste, give it a try. Adding spinach won’t make your shake taste like celery juice. VALLEY ‘s confident your go-to order will taste just as amazing!

VALLEY’s Absolute Fav Mods

With these tips and tricks under your belt, you’re a pro at nutritional mods at Shake Smart. Let’s put it all together. Here are two of VALLEY’s go-to shakes… mods and all!

Protein-Focused, Low-Sugar Organic SuperShake
Photo posted by @shakesmart on Instagram

When VALLEY is feeling our greens, we always revert to an organic supershake. The organic supershake starts out with an organic superfood blend, bananas, vanilla protein and organic peanut butter blended together with low fat milk. Click here for nutrition facts.

Here’s how VALLEY orders the organic supershake:

  • Regular organic supershake
  • Almond milk
  • No agave
  • No bananas
  • Add spinach
  • Extra vanilla whey protein

With this combination, VALLEY is upping our protein intake and laying low on sugars. By removing the agave and bananas all together, you’ll easily pair down your sugar intake on this protein shake, but this mod is still plenty sweet! To make up for the banana base, VALLEY adds an extra scoop of whey protein. By upping your protein intake, this organic supershake mod is a perfect meal replacement, keeping you satiated for hours. Using our get your greens pro tip, VALLEY also calls for extra spinach as well.

This mod is absolutely delicious! The peanut butter pairs so nicely with the organic superfood blend. The pop of peanut at the end is a game changer! This shake just tastes clean and green and oh so semi-sweet in between.

Protein-Focused, Low-Sugar a Perfect 10
Photo from foodservices.psu.edu

A perfect 10 is another VALLEY staple. With blueberries, banana, vanilla protein and organic peanut butter blended to perfection, a perfect 10 is a berry blast for your taste buds. Not to mention—check out this color! The blueberries in this shake are owning the catwalk. This flavor combination certainly earned its menu name because this shake is 10/10. Click here to see nutrition information.

Here’s how VALLEY orders a perfect 10:

  • Regular a perfect 10
  • Almond milk
  • No agave
  • No bananas
  • Add spinach
  • Extra vanilla whey protein

Are you sensing a trend here? Same mods. Different shake. Entirely different flavor experience!

 This just goes to show how much variety you can get out of your protein shake order and still reach your nutritional goals and preferences! This a perfect 10 mod will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. The blueberry-peanut butter combo is vaguely reminiscent of a PBJ sandwich, but make it a smoother, frostier version. Take us back to the good old days!

VALLEY has shared our favorite Shake Smart mods, what are yours? Whether it’s chocolate protein shakes, cookies and cream-peanut butter combos, or bee-pollen-oatmeal-strawberry-pineapple-vanilla protein shakes… let us know! Tag us @VALLEYmag on Instagram.

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