Recipes
Protein Coffee Latte [Full Recipe]
Nov
You’ve earned this protein coffee latte
It takes maturity before you can earn the right to make a decent cup of protein coffee. Before you can sip the deliciousness of this combination, you had to take a few steps towards adulthood.
The first step in adulthood is to go from being disgusted by coffee, to worshiping its powers. OK, that isn’t true, but for grown-ups, coffee is the first thing on our mind in the morning.
With so many responsibilities, getting a head start on the day with ultra productivity is never a bad idea. Coffee’s caffeine content is a great way to set sail and travel the uncharted life that lies ahead.
Fitting in this fitness
Later into adulthood we learn another step that we need to take. We learn the unfortunate truth that we can no longer eat horribly and still look great. Fitness becomes a must when we realize that keeping pace with life, requires us to be in our best shape.
Workouts and proper nutrition take a high priority and become integrated into our daily lives. Not as immovable as morning coffee, but fitness becomes a part of this normal routine.
Making protein a priority
Along this fitness journey, we find out about the importance of protein. We are told that we need a certain amount of grams per day to recover and build muscle. We run the numbers and realize that we are well short of the protein we need.
When looking at our daily meals, the greatest opportunity seems to be increasing protein in the morning. Most delay breakfast because of the temporary appetite effects that coffee has on us. Especially when we add milk or cream to this beverage.
Protein Powder Supplements
The busyness of our lives leaves little time for preparing a full omelet breakfast. We instead think of fast protein options so we can get out the door and into the day. This is when the idea of a protein shake becomes the light bulb in our head. The aha moment where we solve the protein breakfast riddle.
Protein of coffee?
But we now have a dilemma. Should we start with our protein shake as we make our coffee? Or should we have our coffee first and then our protein drink? In addition to a glass of water that you are hopefully having, this makes for a lot of liquid.
Thankfully, there is another way. Though it takes a few steps, we can develop a delicious protein coffee drink that takes just a minute of time to set up. The result is a low-calorie meal that you can have to get your day started right.
Protein and heat
Before we show you the recipe for our protein coffee drink, you need to know how protein is affected by heat. Heat can denature protein and placing it in extremely hot temperatures can degrade the quality of the protein. For this reason you should not buy any protein that is already denatured nor should you denature it yourself.
Protein is also scared of heat. When you put protein powder into hot water, it tends to group together and clump up. This clumping does not make for a delicious drink. This means that the only way we can make a protein coffee drink is to separate the protein to begin with and let cooler temperatures reach the protein powder.
While there are many proteins on the market, for fitness, there is no better than whey protein isolate. This protein is rich in branched chain amino acids and mixes the best in the least amount of liquid.
Other proteins can mix into your coffee, such as collagen, but should be add-ons, not the main protein for a fit body.
Protein flavors
While there seems to be a thousand protein flavors on the market, the basics will work the best. Chocolate and vanilla make up 90% of protein sales and for good reason. We tend to burn out on most of the wild flavors and let half our money sit in the cabinet slowly nearing expiration.
The battle between chocolate and vanilla lovers is a fierce one. Most people have a personal preference and it is your right to have that opinion. Either way, chocolate or vanilla protein will taste great in your protein coffee.
Mixing your protein
A spoon works for mixing protein with whey protein isolate into thin liquids like almond milk. If following a keto or fat based diet and use thick liquids, you will need to blend first on a low setting.
Adding coffee
This is a pretty simple step. Just be sure to add your coffee without being in a hurry. Let the temperature of the protein and cream combination slowly rise to prevent clumping. Plus, there’s a meditative effect watching hot coffee join the protein cream forming into a magical cup of coffee.
The steps to making protein coffee
Step 1: Brew 8 oz coffee
Step 2: Mix with a spoon or use a blender to mix 4 oz of liquid with 1 scoop of whey protein isolate
Step 3: Slowly add coffee to the protein and liquid mixture
Step 4: Optional; Blend the coffee to add froth
Step 5: Not optional; Breathe in the aroma and realize how blessed you are!
[Bonus Step]: Before taking that breath, add whipped cream (many options available) and cinnamon on top. Presentation is powerful in stimulating enjoyment and satisfaction from the nutrition we take in.
