Presenting your personal trainer with a Christmas gift can be a challenging task. First of all, it’s NOT necessary. The etiquette around holiday gifts can, after all, be quite fuzzy. Gifts are certainly appreciated but not expected. Second, the gifts that one traditionally gives during the holidays seem a little inappropriate.
Cookies? Nope, I don’t really eat sugar.
Wine? Not a drinker.
Popcorn? Way too many starchy carbs.
One client this year got creative. The box she presented to me looked like it might hold a bottle of wine. It felt about the same weight. She giggled as I opened it. Inside I found not alcohol but instead carrot juice. 100%, no sugar added, nothing – but – carrots juice. She said she liked to enjoy it with a scoop of protein powder.
I thought I would take her inspirational gift one step further. Let’s make it taste like some yummy carrot cake. By adding ginger and cinnamon, two common carrot cake ingredients, we give the body a post workout boost by helping decrease inflammation. Add that to the repair work of the antioxidants from the carrots and protein and you’ll be ready to go again tomorrow.
The recipe is simple:
- 8 oz carrot juice
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Vanilla Almond from Designer Protein)
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Shake or blend with ice. Drink immediately.
Yield: Serves 1
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 0 Minutes
Per Serving: Calories 172; Total Fat 2g; (Sat Fat 1g, Poly Fat 0g, Mono Fat 0g); Protein 20g; Carb 18g; Fiber 1g; Sugars 16g; Cholesterol 60mg; Sodium 150mg
