If you search for creatine recipes on social media, you’ll find many creators adding it to everything from smoothies to oatmeal bowls. Even though experts and influencers tout its benefits in their videos, I avoided using it because I’ve always been a bit skeptical of supplements. Before adding it to my diet, I had tons of questions that needed answers. Can it actually boost performance? Is it safe? And what kind of supplement is it?

Creatine is a compound found in meat and fish and is also naturally produced by the human body, says , director of the exercise and sports nutrition lab at Texas A&M University. , an associate teaching professor of exercise science at Syracuse University, says creatine can help improve strength and power, enhance muscle recovery, increase muscle mass, and even provide cognitive benefits.

As you’re probably aware, there’s some controversy surrounding the safety of creatine. People have long held the belief that creatine is an anabolic steroid (it’s not) and that consuming creatine can lead to kidney damage, hair loss, and dehydration. Fortunately, suggests that these claims are myths. One suggests that most people can consume 30 grams of creatine per day for up to five years without much risk. However, if you’re planning to ingest creatine every day for a lifetime, you’re better off dropping that number to just three grams per day, says Kreider.Ìę

Instead of adding creatine to plain old water, I wanted to find creative ways to add it to my diet. Here are the few recipes that really stood out to me and what a nutrition expert had to say about them.

1. Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and Coffee Creatine Balls

I’m a dessert lover, so whenever dinner’s over, you’ll usually find me scurrying around my kitchen for a little treat. When I came across these peanut butter and chocolate creatine balls from the food blog , I was immediately intrigued.

The called for oats, dried figs, peanut butter, coffee, chocolate protein powder, maple syrup, three teaspoons of creatine, cinnamon, and salt. After mixing everything together in a bowl, I used a tablespoon to scoop out portions of the dough and rolled them into balls.

Once they were perfect spheres, I sprinkled them with flaky sea salt. You could also top them with shredded coconut, crushed peanuts, or a drizzle of melted chocolate.

, a registered dietitian based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, recommends these energizing bites as a great pre-workout snack because they can help boost your performance. “The caffeine from the coffee acts as a mental stimulant, creatine helps optimize both brain and body function, the carbohydrates from the figs, oats, and quinoa flakes provide energy for your workout, and the protein supports muscle recovery,” Stangland says.

She recommends eating one or two of these bites about 30 minutes before getting active.

The Verdict: Delicious and Energizing

Every day before dinner, I go on a 45-minute walk, so I had one of these peanut butter and chocolate creatine balls about 30 minutes beforehand as a pre-dessert. (I say this because I still ate a bowl of sorbet later that day). After taking a bite, my first thought was how much they reminded me of edible cookie dough.

They have a bold, sweet flavor with a strong espresso kick. I had so much energy during my stroll that I powered through the whole thing and never once felt the urge to turn around and go home.

2. Creatine Lemonade

When I came across a tutorial for creatine lemonade from , I knew I had to try it because, you know, who doesn’t like a cool glass of lemonade?

To make this, I juiced one lemon (you can use store-bought lemon juice if you prefer) and added three grams of creatine powder. Even though the recipe calls for five grams of creatine powder, I chose to use three grams instead, per Kreider’s advice, and because I’m new to creatine.ÌęThen, I poured in two cups of water. The original recipe suggests adding a teaspoon of stevia, but I chose to use agave instead because that’s my preferred sweetener.

The Verdict: Crisp and Refreshing

I was amazed at how crisp, tangy, and delicious this drink tasted. It wasn’t chalky or gritty at all and had the smooth consistency of traditional lemonade. Even though I liked it, I won’t be sipping this before my outdoor workouts any time soon because the temperature in the northeast, where I’m currently based,Ìęis, on average, around 5 degrees Fahrenheit. However, I can definitely see this drink being my go-to pre-workout beverage in the summer.

To test its effects, I decided to chug it after shoveling snow and a deep stretch session. The next day, I didn’t feel my usual post-shoveling soreness; this is probably due to the fact that, according to Stangland, vitamin C from the lemon juice aids in muscle recovery.

3. Egg-White Creatine Oatmeal

There are a few things that you’ll find in my breakfast lineup every week: boiled eggs, a Greek yogurt parfait, and a steamy hot bowl of oatmeal. So naturally, when I saw dumping creatine and raw egg whites into her hot cereal, my interest was piqued. Unfortunately, almost immediately after starting the recipe, I realized it wasn’t going to work. Here’s why.

The recipe says to cook one-half cup of oats according to the package instructions (which I followed by microwaving the grains with water for a minute or two). Then, you’re supposed to add in the raw egg white from one egg, 25 grams of protein powder, and five grams of creatine (I, again, opted for three) and mix everything together. That’s when things went left.

The steam emanating from the hot oats began to cook the egg whites, which gave the dish an unpleasant scrambled egg-like texture. Still, I carried on, determined to see the recipe through. I garnished it with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a tablespoon of dark chocolate.

A word of caution: please use pasteurized eggs for this recipe. The pasteurization process without cooking the egg.

Culinary mishap aside, Stangland says that having a bowl of egg-white creatine oatmeal before a workout is a great choice. “The creatine helps power your performance, think quick movements like jumps and lifts, while the carbohydrates in the oatmeal provide sustained energy to support your muscles throughout the entire workout,” she says.

The Verdict: It’s a “No” for Me

From a fueling and recovery perspective, this recipe makes sense, but I couldn’t get past the texture and taste, so I didn’t finish the bowl.

If you want to experiment with a version of this recipe, you could try making savory overnight oats and adding an already-cooked egg white on top to avoid a half-scrambled-and-half-sort-of-cooked egg in your oats. Or maybe the trick is to not heat the oats too much.

4. Sour Watermelon Creatine Gummy Bears

During my undergrad years, I took a few food science courses, and one of my favorite topics was learning how gelatin can improve the texture and stability of certain dishes. So, when I came across a clip of pouring liquid into molds to make gummy bears, I quickly ordered all the tools I needed to try it out myself.

Homemade candy may sound complicated, but it’s surprisingly easy. While I chose to order a gummy-bear-shaped mold, this is completely optional—just make sure you’re using some type of silicone mold so your candies don’t stick. I even tested out this recipe with an ice cube tray, and it worked.

To make creatine gummy bears, start by adding one and a half cups of water to a pan, along with one-half cup of lemon juice, four tablespoons of gelatin, and 10 servings of watermelon-flavored creatine powder. Since I didn’t have that, I added a drop of red food coloring to give it a fruity look and three tablespoons of honey for sweetness.

Next, I heated the mixture over medium heat, stirring until the gelatin dissolved; this took about two minutes. Then, I used a spoon (a liquid dropper is also fine) to transfer the mixture into the mold. I put the gummies in the fridge for two hours so they could solidify.

The Verdict: “Spectacular. Give Me 14 of Them Right Now.”

This was my first time making gummies in a while, so I was nervous they wouldn’t set. But after leaving them in the fridge overnight, I was so excited to see the squishy treats come out perfectly the next day.

As for the flavor, the honey masked any aftertaste from the creatine powder, and the lemon juice added a nice zest. The honey, according to Stangland, can also provide a nice jolt of energy needed to get through a tough workout.

If you prefer plant-based candies, you can replace the gelatin with agar-agar, a red algae-based ingredient. Just use the same amount of agar-agar as you would gelatin in this recipe. I ate two gummies 30 minutes before a yoga class and had no issues doing the toughest planks.

5. Creatine Chocolate Dip

This dip from only has four ingredients: creatine, protein powder, peanut butter, and almond milk. The recipe is simple, too.

I mixed three grams of creatine, two tablespoons of protein powder (I used chocolate flavor), and two tablespoons of peanut butter. Then, I slowly added one-quarter cup of almond milk, stirring until the mixture reached a brownie-batter consistency.

After a workout, it’s ideal to load up on carbs and protein to help replenish your energy stores and support muscle recovery, says Stangland. “The apple and almond milk provide the carbohydrates, while the protein powder and peanut butter supply the protein. Creatine completes this trio of nutrients that aid in recovery,” she says.

The writer makes the creatine chocolate dip. (Video: Ashia Aubourg)Ìę

The Verdict: Yes. That’s All.

It took me less than three minutes to whip this up. I served it with apple slices, but it would also pair wonderfully with raspberries, strawberries, or graham crackers. I was worried the spread might turn out gritty, but it was smooth, creamy, and airy.

After a week of experimenting with creatine-packed recipes, I couldn’t help but get excited after trying this one. It’s the perfect proof that you can easily sneak this powerhouse supplement into everything—breakfasts, snacks, lunches, dinners, and, yes, even candy.

Want more ofÌęșÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű’s Health stories?Ìę.

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Climber Alex Honnold is known for his incredible athletic feats. He free-soloed Yosemite’s El Cap in 2017, made first ascents in places like Greenland and Antarctica, and is currently working on a new project to free-climb the Nose.

After he finishes embarking on these challenging climbs, Honnold often needs a quick, satisfying meal to replenish his energy levels and repair muscles to maintain his recovery. So, he created a carb- and nutrient-rich pasta recipe that he relies on.

How Alex Honnold Refuels

I chatted with Honnold right before a climbing sessionÌęand learned that he prefers to dig into “pasta and veggies” as his post-workout carb of choice.

The dad of two let me know that he jumps right into parenting mode when he gets back home after a climbing trip, so he relies on this “pretty scrappy” recipe because it’s a quick, one-pot meal. Plus, he notes, “Any kind of warm food after a hard day of effort is always nice.”

He likes to keep meals simple. “I’m pretty un-stressed; neither I nor my wife are real chefs; we’re just surviving—I personally think of food as just throwing fuel on the fire, he says. So, really, whatever is hanging out in the fridge will typically make it into Honnold’s carb-rich recovery meal.

I asked him to name his all-star lineup when it comes to the ingredients he would choose when cooking this recipe, and he recommended farfalle, bell pepper, spinach, onion, zucchini, and a garnish of sliced avocado (one of his go-to fats).

Honnold’s recovery meal mimics primavera pasta, a classic Italian recipe that involves cooking vegetables in butter and olive oil until they reach a tender texture with a slight crunch. This creates a delicious sauce to coat your noodles.

While Honnold has no cultural ties to this dish or childhood memories of digging into this comfort food, it honors the vegetarian lifestyle he has embraced while maintaining his stance that cooking should be stress-free. “All of my eating has a preference around how quickly I can get it done,” he says.

As a food writer living in Vermont, I embark on a slightly steep hiking trail at least once a week. While my adventures are nowhere near as awe-inspiring as Honnold’s, I decided to recreate his veggie pasta to see if it would refuel and replenish my aching muscles post-trek. I also spoke with a registered dietitian to understand how this vegetarian meal may or may not support folks in their recovery goals after intense workouts.

How to Make Alex Honnold’s Avocado Primavera Pasta

From start to finish, this recipe took me about 25 minutes to complete and yielded about two servings. Here’s what you’ll need.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces farfalle pasta
• Âœ cup yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
• Âœ cup zucchini, diced
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Recipe

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the farfalle pasta according to the package directions, and reserve œ cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Dump out the remaining pasta water, and heat olive oil in the same pot over medium-high heat.
3. Add the yellow onion, zucchini, and bell pepper. Sauté for three to five minutes or until the onions turn translucent.
4. Add the spinach and continue to sauté until the spinach begins to wilt.
5. Pour the reserved Âœ cup of pasta water into the pot and sautĂ© the veggies for another minute or two. The mixture should start to resemble a brothy-looking sauce.
6. Immediately add the farfalle into the pot with the vegetables.
7. Transfer the pasta to a plate and garnish with sliced avocado.
8. Season with salt and black pepper to your liking.

The writer recreates Honnold’s Avocado Primavera Pasta in her kitchen. (Video: Ashia Aubourg)Ìę

The Verdict: This One-Pot Meal Is Delicious and Satiating

Honnold may have a lax approach when it comes to cooking, but he is really onto something when it comes to this recipe.ÌęBetween chopping up the vegetables, cooking the farfalle, and sautĂ©ing up all of the ingredients, in under 30 minutes, I prepared a version of a one-pot primavera with ease.

Each bite offers a delicious component: the zucchini is juicy, the peppers are sweet, the spinach is earthy, the onions are savory, and the avocado provides an irresistible creaminess. It’s tasty and comforting.

How to Get the Most Out of This Meal, According to a Nutritionist

Eat this dish within an hour after working out to replenish the carbs burned while exercising, says , a registered dietitian based in Brooklyn, New York.

“Pasta is a wonderful source of carbohydrates,” she says. Restoring carbs after intense physical activity is necessary to , a source of energy that helps fuel your muscles so that you can be energizedÌęenough for your next workout.

Add Beans for a Protein Boost

To improve the nutrient makeup of this dish, Feller recommends increasing the protein content. She suggests adding beans ​​to ensure there are enough nutrients to support recovery ahead of another adventure.

People should, on average, try to eat about of protein per meal. I did the math: Honnold’s avocado primavera recipe currently has about tenÌęgrams of protein. Adding half a cup of beans can bump the protein up to around 17 grams.

After an active hike, I made Honnold’s avocado primavera pasta again. I followed the same recipe but took Feller’s advice and added a half cup of cannellini beans into the pot while sautĂ©ing all of my vegetables. Tossing cherry tomatoes on top added a burst of sweetness. I finished my pasta with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and a hearty grating of Parmesan cheese to give it a spicy and savory finish. These simple additions contributed to an even more complex flavor.

This meal will come in clutch once I start attempting more challenging hikes. In the meantime, thoughts of this dish will be living rent-free in my head until I can make this recipe for a third time.

Want more ofÌęșÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű’s Health stories?Ìę.

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For the last decade, I’ve been brining my Thanksgiving turkeys in champagne. The technique has produced delicious, consistent results from campsites in Big Sur, California, and Baja, Mexico—and in everything from frying oil to pellet grills to standard home ovens. To prove champagne’s efficacy in producing a juicy, tender bird, I tested a champagne brine against a typical water-based one.

Last weekend, I drove over to our local supermarket in Bozeman, Montana, and picked up two of their cheapest $2.99-a-pound turkeys, as close in weight to each other as I could find. I wanted to design this experiment I wanted to design this experiment in a way that controlled for as many variables as possible and set up a worst-case scenario, in which the brine would be the only flavor factor in the roasted turkey.

Turkey is a difficult bird to cook. Not only are turkeys large—each of the birds I bought was 14 pounds—but they also contain both light and dark meat. Tender, more exposed meat in the breast will cook faster than the tougher, tucked-away meat in the legs and thighs, which creates a significant risk of overcooking the white meat while you wait for the dark stuff to come up to temperature. That dries out the breasts and results in the chewy, flavorless bites of turkey we’ve all come to associate with Thanksgiving.

Why Brine a Turkey?

Salt breaks down the proteins in meat, making the textureÌęmore tender. At the same time, a brine can help infuse a bird with flavor, and adding liquids can help keep it moist while cooking.

There areÌętwo main methods of brining a turkey: wet and dry.

A dry brine involves rubbing the outside and cavity of a turkey with kosher salt, dried herbs, and spices. ItÌędraws moisture out of the meat, where it mixes with the salt, which is then transported back into the meat as the moisture is reabsorbed from the surface. Dry brining. produces a crispy skin and takes less effort than a wet brine, but it also struggles to fully infuse all parts of a big turkey with moisture and flavor.

To make a wet brine, dissolve kosher salt in boiling water, along with fresh aromatics like fruit peels, garlic, and herbs. You then submerge the turkey in the liquid at room temperature, and and place it in the refrigerator or outdoors if it’s cold enough for anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. This bath permeates all parts of the meat with salt, breaking down those proteins and infusing flavor throughout the turkey. Pat the bird dry and let it drain, then roast. Don’t worry: lots of this liquid remains present during the cook, adding steam and the additional moisture and flavor it brings to an otherwise dry oven or grill.

How Does Champagne Affect a Turkey?

Brining a turkey in champagneÌędoes three things. Alcohol helps tenderize meat by breaking down collagen. Champagne’s mild fruit flavors also infuse the meat, pairing well with turkey itself along with the herbs, vegetables, and stuffing you use for seasoning and sides. Plus, the champagneÌęhelps create flavorful drippings you can use to make a better gravy. Finally, champagne is acidic. That acid is yet another tenderizer that leads to a flavorful roast turkey.

There’s no reason to use anything other than the cheapest champagne you can find. The less subtle flavors and greater acidity will actually work better than the nice stuff. I used AndrĂ©ÌęBrut simply because, at $7.39 a bottle, it was the most affordable stuff on the shelves at my grocery store. AndrĂ© comes from California and not the champagne region of France and cannot technically be called champagne, it does the job just fine.

How Do You Wet Brine a Turkey?

First, make sure you don’t buy a pre-brined turkey. This should be prominently labeled on the packaging, or is something you should ask your butcher about if you’re buying a bird straight from a meat counter. The words, “kosher,” “enhanced,” or self-basting,” can also be understood to mean pre-brined.

You can find pre-made brining kits for turkeys which contain measured portions of salts, spices, and herbs that you just add to boiling water. But fresh ingredients are always going to taste better, and making your own brine allows you to to tailor it to your own unique tastes.

The most important step is dissolving salt in water. To do that, you just need to start with a ratio of four parts of water to one part kosher salt. This will give us a base brine to which we can add our champagne or water later. Bring that water to a boil, pour in the salt, let it return to a boil, then turn the heat off and let the solution cool to room temperature. You don’t want to submerge a bird in hot water; doing so can lead to bacteria growth.

For this taste test, I kept the brine simple. To that base brine, I just added orange and lemon peels, garlic cloves, peppercorns, and some chopped-up sage and bay leafs. Once that’d cooled, I placed the turkeys in a brining bag, rested them in their foil roasting trays to support the weight and catch any leaks, then poured additional water on one turkey and champagne over the other until each was fully submerged. When you add enough water (or champagne) to fully submerge the turkeys and further dilute your brine, you should end with a salt-to-water ratio of around 1:16.

The only variable here is that one turkey was submerged in brine and water, and the other was submerged in brine and champagne. It took five bottles of champagne to fully submerge one of the turkeys. I simply put the other bird under a cold kitchen sink tap in its brining bag, and didn’t measure how much water it took to fully cover it.

You can (and should!) add more stuff to your brine. Ingredients from Worcestershire sauce to chicken broth, herbs, and spices are all common, and will all add flavor to your end result. Again, I tried to keep this cook as simple as possible so nothing else was working to mask the effect of the different liquids.

What Cooking Methods Work with a Champagne Brine?

The answer to that is simple: Every method I’ve tried works well with a champagne brine. When I prepare a turkey in camp, I prefer to use a propane-fueled fryer, simply because it’s the easiest thing to transport and use outdoors. If you’re frying, just take extra care to fully dry the bird, inside and out, before sticking it in the hot oil. The wet brine should help ensure the turkey is defrosted, and can be transported to a campsite or patio in a small cooler or lidded five-gallon bucket.

At home, I prefer to use a pellet grill due to the controlled level of moisture present in quality wood pellets. But I’ve also cooked champagne-brined turkey on my Big Green Egg using lump charcoal with excellent results.

For this cook, with the goal of testing champagne’s effectiveness in the worst possible circumstances, I simply used the ovens in my kitchen. I pre-heated both ovens to 350 degreesÌęFahrenheitÌę(without any convection), filled the cavities with wedges of the leftover fruit, brushed a stick of melted butter over the top of each, and baked them until done.

Prior to 2008, the USDA recommended cooking turkeys until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reached 180 degrees Fahrenheit. But that recommendation was updated in 2008 to 165 degrees. That lower temperature should result in a moister bird, but I cooked both turkeys through to 180 degrees to account for a worst-case scenario.

The mad scientist in me was pleased when the probes in both birds registered 180 degrees at the exact same time. That meant both ovens were heating consistently with each other,Ìęan indication that I’d managed to remove one more variable from the result.

Can a Champagne Brine Really Produce a Juicier Bird?

I pulled the turkeys out of the oven, and rested them on my stove top for 15 minutes before carving. One difference was immediately apparent: the skin on the water-brined bird was noticeably crisper, and more deeply browned. My theory there is that the champagne broke down the skin on its bird that much more. While irrelevant toÌęflavor, this did represent less than ideal presentation. If oven cooking a champagne-brined bird, it may be a good idea to add some honey to the melted butter before you brush it on the bird, which should help its skin crisp up and look a little darker.

But that one downside disappeared as soon as I sliced into the breasts. There, the water-brined bird displayed noticeably more separation between muscle fibersÌęand was visibly less juicy. Biting into that water-brined bird took more effort, and the bite contained less flavor.

In contrast, the champagne-brined turkey was visibly juicy, with no separation between muscle fibers. The bite was tender, and was noticeably moreÌęflavorful.

While the dark meat in both birds was similar in appearance, the tenderness and flavor was again far superior on the champagne-brined turkey.

I ended up throwing out the water-brined turkey, but carved and saved the champagne-brined one. I’ll make a turkey sandwich for lunch after finishing this article. Even with such a basic cooking method, in which no additional flavoring from herbs or spices was added, the champagne brine produced a turkey I’d be happy serving to dinner guests. Its level of tenderness was as good as I expect from better equipment and more elaborate recipes, and its nice, but somewhat bland flavor could have been masked with a good gravy.

Can You Serve a Champagne-Brined Turkey to Children?

As with other cooking methods that include wine, beer, cider, or liquor, the alcohol cooks off with temperature and time. There should be no alcohol content remaining in the final dish.

Can You Taste the Champagne?

Flavor-wise, there were some faint notes of fruitiness in the meat of the champagne-brined turkey that weren’t present in the water-brined one. But that could be explained as much by the champagne better transporting the flavor of the orange and lemon peels into the juicier meat as it could by anything remaining of the booze. I certainly couldn’t detect any strong flavor of champagne or alcohol.

By spending $37 on champagne, I meaningfully increased the quality of my Thanksgiving turkey—without relying on my preferred cooking methods or added seasoning. Consider a champagne brine as an additional step to your favorite recipe. Paired with a superior cooking method like grilling or frying, a champagne-brine can help elevate your results to new levels.

The post The Secret to a Perfectly Juicy Thanksgiving Turkey? Cheap Champagne. appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

Popsicles always remind me of childhood. During summers spent at the neighborhood pool, I ate orange creamsicles between jumps off of the diving board. At home, the freezer was fully stocked with tubes of brightly colored Pop-Ice sticks that I tore open with my teeth. Sticky fingers, discolored tongue, full heart—you know the vibes.

But I’m learning that popsicles are for adults too. Homemade protein popsicles are a fun, low-lift snack that can refuel you after a workout or just add an extra boost of energy (and childlike wonder) to your day, says , a registered dietitian and the owner of Ruby Oak Nutrition in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Whipping up protein popsicles is similar to making smoothies, with the added step of freezing them for four to six hours. On TikTok, you can find nutrient-packed popsicle recipes using Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and even blended cottage cheese (it tastes better than it sounds). The possibilities for the delicious frozen treats are almost endless, so we asked nutritionists about which ingredients make the best protein popsicles. Plus, we rounded up some of the best popular recipes on TikTok.

The Best Ingredients for Protein Popsicles

Start with a creamy base like cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or milk (out of all the dairy-free options, soy milk has the highest protein content). Add in everything you like in your smoothies—spinach, peanut butter, fruit, honey, chia seeds—then pour it into popsicle molds and freeze. You can buy silicone molds online for less than $10. You could also try making “lazy” protein popsicles by skipping all the fancy add-ons and simply combining protein powder and water

If you want to avoid the taste of protein powder, Byrne recommends a simple three-ingredient recipe. In a mixing bowl or blender, add one banana, a cup of Greek yogurt, and a tablespoon of peanut butter (or an alternative nut or seed butter), then mix or blend until smooth. Since this may be too thick to pour directly into a popsicle mold, add some water or milk to thin it out.

“It’s sweet enough without adding extra sweetener as long as you’re using a ripe banana,” Byrne says. “And it does have a really good mix of protein, carbs, and fat.”

As for what not to put in your popsicles, Byrne says it’s best to avoid raw eggs, even though they’re high in protein, due to the risk of bacterial infection. Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic and author of , adds, “I’d avoid added sugars and any ingredients you don’t like the taste of—after all, we should enjoy the food we eat while consuming the nutrients our body needs.”

If you don’t have popsicle molds handy,Ìęyou can pour your mixture into an ice cube tray, cover it with aluminum foil, and poke toothpicks or popsicle sticks through the top. The foil will help the sticks stay upright.

How Much Protein Can You Pop into a Popsicle?

Depending on your base and if you’re adding protein powder, Kirkpatrick estimates you could max out at about 25 grams of protein per popsicle. But to preserve a desirable taste and consistency, you might end up closer to ten grams, Byrne says.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight, although athletes and other active individuals may need more than the general population. You can use this to try to figure out a good starting point.

“Protein needs vary based on many factors such as gender, activity level, health status, and age, so it’s not always a one-number-fits-all approach,” Kirkpatrick says.

While it’s best to get your protein from natural food sources, Byrne says, there’s nothing wrong with adding protein powder to your popsicles as long as you’re getting enough carbohydrates and fats from other parts of your diet.

“On the one hand, protein is protein, whether it’s from whey or from meat or from milk—although there is a little bit of a difference between ‘,” Byrne says. “All animal proteins are complete. The main difference is with minimally processed food, you’re getting more nutrients than just the protein. So if you’re making these popsicles with a higher protein milk or Greek yogurt or even blended cottage cheese, you’re probably getting more nutrients than you would with protein powder alone.”

Byrne also says protein intake will be limited by the size of your mold. For example, if a popsicle mold holds four ounces of liquid, you should probably only put in half a scoop of protein powder.

When Should You Eat Protein Popsicles?

These can be a fun pre- or post-workout snack, Byrne says, and could even replace a protein shake if that’s part of your post-gym ritual.

“You also could eat them whenever,” she adds. “If you’re including some carbs from the fruit and maybe some fat from peanut butter, it’s a pretty well-rounded snack. You’ve got all your in there.”

One thing Byrne emphasizes: “A protein pop could be part of a meal, but these are not big enough to be a meal replacement.”

Our Favorite Recipes for Protein Popsicles

As we delved into the nutritional value of protein popsicles, we scoured TikTok to find some of the best recipes worth trying. Here are a few.

Strawberry Shortcake Pops

High Protein Strawberry shortcake popsicles If you’re looking for a Sunday, reset inspiration check out this recipe. These Popsicles are made with simple and clean ingredients and they make the perfect sweet treat. Check out my LTK account for the popsicle mold link. To make 12-15 popsicles: 8 oz of low fat cottage cheese 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder 1 very ripe banana 2 cups of frozen strawberries, chopped. 1 tablespoon of honey 1-2 crushed graham crackers Optional: 1/2 cup of chopped frozen strawberries to add to the blended mixture. 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips 1 teaspoon of coconut oil Steps: 1. To a blender, add the cottage cheese, banana, strawberries, protein powder, and honey. Blend on until fully combined. 2. Once to make sure it’s completely blended add the optional half a cup of chopped strawberries. 3. Add the mixture to the mold Leaving about 1/3 of an inch to add the crushed graham crackers. Add a few drops of the mixture on top of the graham crackers to seal. 4. Cover the mold with the lid and add the popsicle sticks. Place them in the freezer for at least 3 to 4 hours until they are completely solid. 5. They are completely frozen, remove them from the freezer and allow them to sit room temperature for at least five minutes or run them under the water to help removing them from the mold. 6. In a bowl at the chocolate chips or melting chocolate with the coconut oil and melt them slowly in the microwave, accordingto the instructions. 7. Place the chocolate in the Ziploc bag cut the corner and drizzle the popsicles on top.

This recipe requires blending cottage cheese, protein powder, banana, frozen strawberries, and honey. To add some crunch, the creator also suggests topping them with crushed graham crackers.

Supercharged Protein Pops

My go-to “cool down” post workout snack Details Ingredients: -1 cup Greek yogurt -1/2 banana -2 scoops protein powder -1/2 cup almond milk -honey (adjust to taste) -1 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (optional) Instructions: -Blend all ingredients together -Pour the mixture into popsicle molds -Freeze 4-6 hours -Dip in melted chocolate and crushed walnuts (optional, but highly recommended!)

If you have a sweet tooth and want to fit in some extra protein powder, you can blend Greek yogurt, a banana, your powder of choice, almond milk, and honey, this creator suggests. Dip it in chocolate and nuts or chopped-up pieces of fruit for extra pizzazz.

It’s PB&J Time (Popsicle Edition)

Kids PB&J Protien Popsicles!

This creator blended up raspberries, Greek yogurt, peanut butter, milk, and honey for PB&J-inspired popsicles. These are bound to be a kid-favorite.

For the Candy Bar Lovers

frozen reese’s peanut butter pops! they’re gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free, and can even be made sugar free and high protein! for the popsicles: ‱1 cup unsweetened yogurt (i used dairy free) ‱1/4 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter) ‱1-2 tbsp sweetener of choice or 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (i like raw honey or pure maple syrup) ‱peanuts and dark chocolate chips/chunks for the chocolate coating: ‱5oz dark chocolate (i used dairy free) ‱2 tsp coconut oil instructions: 1. add the yogurt, peanut butter and sweetener to a bowl and mix until smooth. 2. place 6 dollops of yogurt on a tray lined with parchment paper and place a popsicle stick in each yogurt dollop, being sure to cover the tips of the popsicle sticks with yogurt. top the yogurt with chocolate chips/chunks or peanuts. 3. place in the freezer until the yogurt is frozen. once frozen, melt the chocolate with the coconut oil. 4. remove the popsicles from the tray and dip in the melted chocolate. place back in the freezer until the chocolate is hardened. 5. once the chocolate is hardened, remove the popsicles from the freezer and enjoy (i like to let them sit out for 5-10 minutes before eating so the yogurt filling is soft!). notes: ‱to make them sugar free use vanilla protein powder or monk fruit for the filling and sugar free dark chocolate for the coating ‱to make them refined sugar free use refined sugar free dark chocolate or make your own chocolate coating with unsweetened chocolate (simply melt 2oz unsweetened chocolate with 1 tbs coconut oil and then stir in 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup) enjoy!

These popsicles are nice because you don’t need a mold—you can just add dollops of the mixture to a pan lined with parchment paper, then stick popsicle sticks on top before freezing.Ìę The recipe includes yogurt, peanut butter, peanuts, a natural sweetener like honey, and melted chocolate. You could probably sneak in some protein powder, too, as you could with any of these recipes. Cheers!

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The sound of shaving ice is unmistakable. The rasp, first pressed into the ice block, tense as a spring, suddenly surfs across the berg, scraping up a spume of glittering white snow as stray flecks flutter into the air. For some it may ring harsh, but under a blistering sun it signals imminent relief.

Shikashika—that’s how Quechua communities near the Andes describe it. It’s a sound so recognizable that street vendors use it as an onomatopoeic term for their shaved-ice desserts. Elsewhere, similar treats go by other monikers. In the Hawaiian Islands, descendents of Japanese plantation workers have sold their version—shave ice—drizzled with neon syrups and condensed milk, since the 1940s. Turkish bici bici, Italian grattachecca, Filipino halo halo—the list goes on.

Long before modern refrigeration, shaved-ice desserts emerged in various places around the world, especially in warm climes with access to ice from nearby mountains. On the U.S. mainland, however, they’ve never been more popular than they are now. As T: The New York Times Style Magazine recently put it: shaved ice has taken over the dessert menu.

So what counts as shaved ice? Take the snow cone. With small shards of ice doused in colorful syrup, it’s not that different from shikashika or bici bici, but snow-cone ice is more crushed (i.e., crunchy) than shaved. In contrast, Hawaiian shave ice is made with fine, snowlike flakes, placing it squarely in its namesake territory. And unlike granitas and Italian ices, it’s made from pure, unflavored water.

One of the first documented forms of shaved ice is kakigori, which can be traced back to Japan’s Heian period, from 794 to 1185 AD. An early mention of kakigori occurs in , a book of musings written by Sei Shonagon in the 990s, which describes it as ice “mixed with liana syrup and put in a new silver bowl.” It earned a spot on Shonagon’s list of “elegant things.”

Nowadays you don’t need to be in Japan to enjoy kakigori. In Orlando, Florida, couple Hiep Nguyen and Tammy Truong run , a year-old pop-up business that since October has resided in a 150-square-foot shop next to the Filipino restaurant . While Kaya made recent headlines as a James Beard Award finalist for best new restaurant, Koko Kakigori’s diminutive space has kept it a humbler affair. But make no mistake, Nguyen and Truong are masters of their craft.

Before becoming culinarians, the two co-owners made art. “All the skills we’ve been using as artists we transferred to the shop,” Nguyen says. Truong, for instance, makes many of the colorful ceramic bowls in the business’s mismatched collection of dishware. The menu, usually a handful of regular and seasonal flavors and a small selection of drinks, is written out by hand and adorned in watercolor.

The kakigori itself is also a work of art. Nguyen and Truong are both of Vietnamese descent, and they grew up in Orlando eating łŠłóĂš, a sort of dessert soup often served with ice. But the two were drawn to the aesthetic qualities of kakigori—usually a mountain of shaved ice, where the nearly toppling-over pile is delicately dressed with syrups, milks, mochi, and fruit. Koko combines Vietnamese ingredients with the texture and look of kakigori. “It’s technically łŠłóĂš,” Nguyen says, “but we’re repackaging it. We get to share Southeast Asian flavors with people who wouldn’t have tried it otherwise.”

The couple’s wide-ranging inspiration is perhaps most evident in the ube coconut kakigori, partly an homage to the shop’s Filipino neighbor. The treat incorporates, among many house-made components, a cream made from the ube, or purple yam; pandan-infused Vietnamese jelly noodles called banh lot; and black sesame corn flakes, a Japanese-tinged nod to the cereal’s frequent appearance in halo halo.

Nguyen and Truong’s eclectic approach mimics °ìČč°ìŸ±Č”ŽÇ°ùŸ±â€™s impact beyond its native country. In fact, both Hawaiian shave ice and Filipino halo halo originated as renditions of kakigori made by Japanese immigrants. Over time the three desserts evolved to look and taste completely different.

Shaved ice has and always will be an experiment. At first it was designed for cooling off; for Nguyen and Truong, the pursuit is as much about form and flavor. And while modern conveniences have made the dessert less rarified, with the sound of every scrape by hand or machine, the ice maintains its magic.

Shave Your Own

1. Source your shaver. The key to great shaved ice is texture. The achieves a fluffy, snowlike consistency with ease, although snow-cone makers or high-powered blenders work, too.
2. Pick a liquid. Homemade syrups are how you customize your dessert. Cook sugar and water in a one-to-one ratio with your favorite fruit or herb until the sugar dissolves, then strain and let cool before use. Or go the Filipino route with evaporated milk or coconut milk.
3. Experiment with toppings. Fresh fruit brings a pop of sweetness and color to your shaved ice, while toppings such as breakfast cereal or toasted coconut provide texture and crunch. Add a scoop of ice cream or drizzle with sweetened condensed milk for a more luxurious experience.
4. Assemble with gusto. Fill a glass or bowl with the ice, then apply your syrup. How much? “You kind of go on feeling, but I’d say safely about three ounces,” Nguyen says. Then arrange your toppings to taste. If you’ve got a crowd, set out bowls and squeeze bottles for a shaved-ice bar.

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San Diego chef never slows down. You might just as easily find the Top Chef , James Beard Award semifinalist, and founder of traversing the border towns of Mexico for her upcoming cookbook, Borderlands, or exploring recipes with Selena Gomez on the Food Network. But when Zepeda seeks solace, she grounds herself in simple outdoor grilling and smoking.

“Outdoor cooking is a ritual I will never get tired of. It keeps me connected to the earth,” she says. “I always want to take my shoes off. I’m very feral when it comes to cooking outside.” From smoked pan sauces to the pit cooking of her Mexican ancestors, Zepeda falls back on a few basic techniques that can work for anybody.

Brine the YucatĂĄn Way

Zepeda preaches that the secret to any good cookout is bold seasoning. She often turns to the soul-stirring flavors of the Yucatán. When prepping her famous cochinita pibil—Yucatán-style slow-roasted pork—she typically uses one of the region’s great sauces: red recado. This concentrated paste features a flurry of herbs and spices, including black peppercorns, coriander, cloves, cumin, garlic, ground annatto seeds, and Mexican oregano. The juice of sour oranges—a more acidic counterpart to the sweet oranges found in the States—tenderizes meats like pork and chicken. (If you can’t find sour oranges at your local Mexican market, Zepeda suggests incorporating limes and green, underripe oranges to achieve the same tartness.)

Use Banana Leaves in Place of Foil

Zepeda likes to use banana leaves to substitute for aluminum as a cooking wrap. Sustainable and versatile, the large, waxy leaves are popular around the world for cooking foods like Puerto Rican pasteles (tamale-like packets) and North African kenkey (fermented corn pouches). The leaves retain moisture and lend a vegetal, earthy note to the finished dish. “I call it green flavor, like if chlorophyll could talk to us,” Zepeda says.

She prefers using fresh leaves (get them at any good Mexican market), pointing out that frozen ones are trickier to handle and can lack flavor. She toasts them until they’re soft and pliable, then cuts them into squares, circles, or strips.

Encase Fish and Vegetables in Salt

Zepeda pairs a classic method of roasting whole fish or veggies inside heaps of salt—when baked, the salt forms a hard shell, steaming whatever’s inside—with live fire cooking. She prepares the base with a 50/50 mixture of kosher salt and masa harina, a Mexican ingredient made from ground corn that’s rendered more alkaline using a process called nixtamalization. She gradually adds water until the combo has the consistency of wet sand, then encases potatoes, beets, celery root, and other vegetables. The briny packet is placed on coals heated to between 300 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cooked for 90 minutes.

Whip Up a Smoky Pan Sauce

Ash from an active fire may seem like an unlikely ingredient, but Zepeda often incorporates its smoky, slightly bitter notes into dishes. Her technique is simple: “I’ll drop a cast-iron on the embers to sear a steak. The ash in the air goes into the pan and becomes part of a delicious smoked-butter steak sauce.”

Simulate Pit Cooking on Your Grill

Traditionally, cochinita pibil consists of a large cut of pork, cooked in a pib or underground oven, where it slow-roasts and smokes for hours. Zepeda says you can get similar results from a metal wood-chip box and your outdoor grill. Filled with aromatic chips like hickory or mesquite and placed on top of hot coals, the box ensures that the chips burn slowly, gently smoking the pork until it’s done. It takes hours, not minutes. The target internal temperature is between 145 and 160 degrees.

Outdoor Cooking Essentials

Five must-have ingredients, along with a favorite dish

Whether Zepeda is cooking in a kitchen or outdoors, she’s careful to balance each dish with salt, fat, acid, and heat. Here are her staple ingredients, and a cookout dish her family can’t live without.

Salt: Rule number one for Zepeda: don’t cook without salt. When she’s on the go, she always packs two types, Diamond Crystal kosher for cooking and Maldon (a British sea salt) for finishing.

Oils: Zepeda opts for a neutral oil, such as avocado or grapeseed, preferring the high smoke point. But she will use a peppery, quality olive oil to tie dishes together. Her favorite finishing oil is Olio Colpalombo.

Salsa macha: One of Mexico’s oldest and most revered sauces, salsa macha is made with a variation of dried chiles, garlic, and nuts, all fried in oil. Described by Zepeda as “earthy yet bright, sweet, spicy, and crunchy,” the versatile sauce can be used in marinades or as a drizzle.

Something tart, something sweet: For zing, Zepeda uses lemons, limes, or vinegar—and sometimes all three. Honey and brown sugar are her go-to sweeteners.

Chicken wings: Zepeda’s kids love it when she grills chicken wings outside. A fan of Chinese takeout, she has modified simple salt and pepper wings by enhancing them with salsa macha. When everybody’s craving more traditional wings, she turns to her own rendition of buffalo sauce, made with salsa huichol, which she compares to Tapatío or Valentina.

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This Turkey Day recipe brings the comforts of a holiday home-cooked meal on the trail. Classically-trained chef, avid hiker, and recipe developer, says stuffing is his favorite Thanksgiving side, and making in the great outdoors makes it that much tastier.ÌęÌę

“What I love about this turkey stuffing recipe is it’s a combination of all the great parts of a Thanksgiving plate, all cooked up in an easy-to-shop-for-and-quick-to-cook trail meal,” Corso says. “It’s also easy to prep for one portion, or for your whole trail crew, in any size camping pot.”

Note: While you can use canned chicken in this recipe, Corso loves Ìęas a vegan option because of the flavor and heartiness. These sausages can be carried in your backpack, unrefrigerated, for two days.

On-the-Trail Turkey Stuffing Bowl

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This article originally appeared on . Ìę

Sweet potato pie is a Thanksgiving staple, but unluckily for your backcountry Friendsgiving, it doesn’t travel well unless you’re a fan of baby food. Instead, sub it out for this ingenious creation from reader Shelli Snyder, which uses a combo of graham crackers, instant sweet potatoes, marshmallows, and fall spices to recreate all the flavor you love in a significantly more hike-friendly package.

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We’d all like to be organized enough to start a slow cooker in the morning and come back to a home-cooked meal at night. But let’s be honest: you’re probably scrambling to get ready for work, sneak in some exercise, or get the kids to school with just enough time to slam a cup of coffee on your way out the door.

But thanks to the Instant Pot, , you can reap many of the same benefits without asÌęmuch advanced planning. It’s an active person’s godsend. Here are a few easy recipes from the kitchens of professional athletes to let simmer during your afternoon workout.

If You Have 2 Hours: Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is one of Rally Cycling racer favorite picks for a weeknight meal. The 20-year-old loves spending time in the kitchen when he’s not out riding. “Pulled pork is great because you can put it in the Instant Pot at 4 p.m. and be ready for dinner soon after,” he says. To make it, simply stick a pork shoulder in the Instant Pot with about an inch of water in the bottom, set it to “meat,” and seal. (If you want to add some carbs to your meal, throw in a couple halved potatoes.) When it’s done, use two forks to shred the now-tender meat. Add barbecue sauce to taste, toss it on a bed of greens, and you’re ready to go.

Pro Tip: Weekly meal prep makes for even easier Instant Pot dinners. Pre-chop ingredients, combine in a plastic Ziploc, and stash it in the fridge or freezer. To cook, just plop the bag of ingredients into the Instant Pot and press the start button.

If You Have 1 Hour: Tomatillo Avocado Chicken

Chicken cooks quickly and stays moist and tender in a pressure cooker. Cyclocrosser ’s go-to recipe is simple. “I combine a premade tomatillo salsa with a couple slices of avocado (for creaminess), a few chicken breasts, plus whatever vegetables I have in the fridge,” she says. Add water or chicken broth so there’s about an inch of liquid covering the bottom, then program the pot to the manual setting on high for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, and set the pot to stay warm when finished so you can do your full workout without dinner getting cold. When you’re ready to eat, use two forks to shred the chicken. Top it with fresh cilantro and a spritz of fresh lime and enjoy. Serve atop tortilla chips with a bit of melted Monterey Jack cheese for a healthier take on nachos.

Pro Tip: Experiment! “The Instant Pot has become one of my favorite ways to make food for the week,” Noble says. “Sometimes I make specific recipes, or I’ll just throw in whatever’s in the fridge that needs to be used up and make a ton of delicious food for the week.” (Ellsay is also a fan of the “everything but the kitchen sink” stew.)

If You Have 30 Minutes: Rice Bowl

Noble and Ellsay both admit that they primarily use the Instant Pot to make rice in record time. Unlike a rice cooker, the Instant Pot’s correct ratio of rice to water is 1:1. The pot has a rice setting and will take between five and 25 minutes, depending on the type of rice you’re cooking. Before a race, Noble likes to top a bowl of rice with almond milk, jam or maple syrup, and almond butter. For a more savory option, add canned black beans, chunks of avocado, and plenty of greens and fresh salsa for a do-it-yourself burrito bowl.

Pro Tip: If you’re a fan of heartier, more nutrient-dense grains, the Instant Pot reduces the cook time of farro from 20 to 40 minutes on the stovetop to just ten minutes. Pearl barley, which traditionally takes nearly an hour, is done in just 25 minutes.

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This article was originally published in .Ìę

Fall is in full swing, and you foodies know what that means. No, not pumpkin spice lattes: It’s time to start cooking the harvest season’s bounty up with this apple crisp. The recipe uses simple ingredients including apples, granola (make your own if you want to go all-in) and nuts to create a sweet-and-spiced concoction that is tasty enough for dessert but hearty and wholesome enough to start your day. Tip: Don’t have a dehydrator? Prop your oven’s door open and turn it on low.

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