Mocha Protein Shake Recipe – extra protein!

Get your protein and coffee fix all at once with this irresistible mocha protein shake recipe. You’ll want to drink it daily! 

I’ve been on a workout streak lately. I was on day 52, which as you can imagine is extremely motivating when it comes to getting another workout under your belt. Things came to a screeching halt when our power went out last Wednesday and didn’t come back until Sunday night. We use well water at our house so no power means no water and no heat. We packed everything up in the dark and frantically called hotels. It had been extremely windy all day so the power outages were widespread across the state and I was fearful that we would be unable to find a place to stay.

When I called the second hotel and asked if they had a room available for that night (it was already 7:30pm), they said they had 1 room left and if I hadn’t been riding in the car, I would have been doing a serious happy dance. It was an all-suite hotel (an extended-stay type place) and we completely hit the jackpot with a two bedroom, two bathroom suite. It is due for some updates and refreshing, but it was far more than I expected and we were thrilled as we settled into the nice warm hotel beds. It even had a kitchen complete with a two burner stove, microwave, full-size fridge, and dishwasher, so I was able to cook some meals instead of eating out for five days straight.

Thursday morning I was feeling positive and energetic and I hit the hotel gym for a quick cardio sesh (day 53!), thinking we’d surely get power back that day. Ben’s work didn’t have power so he was around to help me clean out our fridge and bring food to his parents, and also help get the house ready to weather the cold by emptying the pipes, etc. It was sunny and we were on top of the world.

Friday hit and I was annoyed, tired, and eager to go home. I had just spent four days in California (I know, poor me, right?) and had only been home for two and a half days before we lost power. The laundry and my work were piling up quickly. I’m a creature of habit and I thrive on routine so being in the hotel was putting me in a funk. Typically I use exercise to help get me out of funks, but I let the negativity get the best of me and just sat around feeling sorry for myself.

Saturday, I started back on day 1. A little crushing but truth be told, I’m not beating myself up about it, because working out 54 days out of 55 is still something to be proud of. Sunday morning I did yoga in the hotel room and that night we were finally able to head home. I’m beyond thankful that we were able to find a hotel, and able to afford it. I know many people aren’t as fortunate and are forced to stay in a shelter or just weather out the cold at their house. My kids were troopers and we had a great set-up at the hotel. I know things could certainly be worse.

With all the working out, I’ve also been drinking some protein shakes.

My standard combination is chocolate protein with banana (frozen if available) and spinach. Sometimes I’ll throw some ground flax seed in too. I kicked this mocha protein shake recipe up a notch with some espresso powder, pure vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and cottage cheese. Yes, cottage cheese! I’ve been slowly growing to love the stuff. Usually I hide it like in these lemon poppyseed pancakes or chocolate protein pancakes. I used it double duty as a “sauce” and a cheese on this pita flatbread with asparagus, and let it melt into an egg white casserole for extra protein. It’s also not my first time using it in a smoothie or shake. My whole family loves this peach, banana and cottage cheese smoothie. As you can see, it’s typically camouflaged and it’s there to provide that extra boost of protein to keep me full all day.

BUT yesterday I ate it plain with chopped ripe tomatoes, freshly cracked black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. And I liked it! I was quite proud of myself.

If you don’t have or don’t like cottage cheese, you could use plain Greek yogurt in its place in this mocha protein shake recipe.

Used in this recipe:

• chocolate protein powder (I use Shakeology)
• pure vanilla extract
• espresso powder (I like this brand)
• dark cocoa powder

PS: I also put one or two scoops of collagen peptides in my smoothies and shakes. I heard it’s supposed to help with cellulite and wrinkles so I immediately added it to my Amazon Subscribe and Save and haven’t stopped since. I look like a teenager now. (Not really.)

Verdict: This is of my favorite twists on the traditional chocolate protein shake.
Husband’s take: He’s had a few sips of mine and he had no complaints.
Changes I would make: None are necessary, but protein shakes are forgiving, so feel free to experiment. Use kale instead of spinach, yogurt instead of cottage cheese, milk/almond milk/coconut milk instead of water. You can’t lose!
Difficulty: SO easy!