Vegan Birthday Cake Protein Shake

One of my most popular posts to date is the Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake that I created as a sort of healthy dupe to the omnipresent pumpkin flavored madness that descends upon us every Fall. I love making protein shakes in the morning- they're quick, filling, and depending on what you put in them, pretty darn nutritious. All in all, not a bad way to start the day.

But I have to admit, protein shakes can get pretty boring if you just stick to the same old tried and true combinations, so I wanted to try out another recipe that would elevate the protein shake from blah to bomb. Enter the birthday cake protein shake.

I've seen cake batter milkshakes out there that look sinfully delicious, so my challenge was to capture that essence in a healthier protein shake. Most rely on boxed cake mix to achieve the cake flavor and ice cream for the creamy frozen factor, so to give it a healthy makeover I subbed vanilla protein powder and a touch of vanilla and almond extracts for that cake-like flavor, as well as frozen banana (a wonderful nondairy alternative to ice cream). I'll admit that the sprinkles are not the most nutritious way to kick start your day, so feel free to skip if you're a stickler, but all those colorful little specks peeking out through the shake just add the perfect festive touch, don't you think?

Everything in this shake is vegan, even the whipped cream if you opt to make a coconut milk version. With a good dose of protein and potassium all for around 200 calories this is a smart breakfast choice that will make you feel like a 6 year old whose mom just let them lick the batter off the spatula.

Ingredients
1 sliced, frozen banana
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 packet vanilla protein powder (I love Tera's Whey)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. rainbow sprinkles
fresh whipped cream, for garnish (use coconut whipped cream to keep it vegan!)

Instructions
1. Add all ingredients except sprinkles to a blender and blend until well combined. Add sprinkles and pule 2-3 times to incorporate.
2. Pour into a glass and garnish with whipped cream.