Caitlyn Padgett

NT 161

September 21, 2018

Protein

Objectives/Introduction:

In this lab, our objective was to select a recipe in which the main ingredient was protein.

Proteins are essential to aiding the body in its daily functions of living. There are twenty amino

acids the body needs; nine of these amino acids must be supplied to the body through diet, these

are the essential amino acids. If these essential amino acids are not provided to the body, the

body cannot make the proteins necessary to function. The other eleven amino acids are

nonessential, however, the body is able to produce these naturally. During this protein lab, our

group selected a strawberry protein shake which was a quick and easy recipe. The directions of

the recipe were simple to follow and the ingredients were easy to obtain. Also, during this lab,

our group made quick and easy no-bake protein bars. As the name suggests, this recipe was also

easy to follow and simple to make. Our group chose to divide the recipes among two people and

this enabled us to finish in the fifty-minute time frame we had. We even had time to spare at the

end which was great.

Methods/Procedures:

Strawberry Protein Shake:

Ingredients for 15:

4 cups of vanilla flavored almond milk

4 cups of strawberry flavored Greek yogurt or vanilla Greek yogurt

8 scoops of vanilla protein powder

8 teaspoons of honey

6 cups of frozen strawberries or mixed berries

40 ice cubes

1. Gather all the materials. In addition to the materials listed above, get two blenders and

twenty Dixie cups. Plug the blenders into the wall outlets.

2. In a blender, begin by pouring in the almond milk. Then, mix in the yogurt. Next, scoop

the protein powder into the blender. After, add the honey to the blender. Next, add the

frozen strawberries or the berries of your choice to the blender. Finally, add the ice cubes

to the blender.

3. After, each of the ingredients has been placed in the blender, focus on crushing the ice

first. When the ice has been consistently blended into the mixture, focus on the

strawberries or mixed berries to ensure that they have been blended smoothly into the

mixture. Then, once all of the berries and ice have been blended make sure that the

mixture is smooth and consistent throughout.

4. In order to make blending a consistent mixture easier, begin just by blending the

strawberries or mixed berries and the other ingredients. When these ingredients have

been mixed together, add the ice slowly. If the mixture too thick, it is easy to make it

creamier by adding more almond milk. If the shake is not sweet enough, more honey can

be added for a sweeter taste.

Quick and Easy No-Bake Protein Bar:

Ingredients for 24:

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened/unflavored vegan protein powder

1 cup rice crisp cereal

½-1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 cup natural peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter

1 cup pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

6 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1. Gather all the materials. In addition to the materials listed above, three 8 by 8-inch

square baking pans, mixing bowls, liquid and dry measuring cups, teaspoons, spatulas, a

leveler, and two electric mixers.

2. Begin by mixing the oat flour, protein powder, rice crisp cereal, and salt together in a

large mixing bowl. Next, add in the nut/seed butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.

3. Get an 8 by 8-inch square pan and line it with parchment paper. Next, pour the mixture

into the pan. Press the mixture into the pan, if needed a pastry roller can be used to

flatten the mixture into the pan and make it even.

4. Place the pan into the freezer for fifteen minutes.

5. While the mixture is freezing, place the chocolate chips and coconut oil into a pan. Place

the pan over low heat. When about half of the chocolate chips have melted, take the pan

off of the heat and begin to mix until the mixture becomes a smooth consistency.

6. After fifteen minutes, remove the pan from the freezer and drizzle the chocolate over top

of the protein bars. Cut the protein bars and serve.

Results:
 1. Our cooking group chose to divide the work into two groups. Each group had two people

since our cooking group is four people. One group worked on one of the recipes and the

other group took on the second recipe. This setup was convenient because we were able

to complete the recipes twice as fast. One group utilized a single side of the kitchen and

the other group utilized the other side of the kitchen.

2. Both of our recipes were able to be completed in the fifty-minute time restraint. The

smoothie was great. Our mixture had an even consistency throughout and the protein

powder was not too overwhelming but it was definitely a noticeable flavor.

3. The protein bars tasted delicious as well, the chocolate drizzle was a nice touch. I think

that the protein bars were unable to freeze for a sufficient amount of time because they

were still gooey when I ate them. We should have kept them in the freezer for longer.

4. I think that both of our recipes tasted great. The other groups made a variety of foods

that tasted amazing. I am not sure what all I ate but I did like everything that I tried.

Conclusions:

In our cooking lab today, I had my first ever experience with protein powder. At first, I was

skeptical because I didn’t think that I would like it. I am not sure why but when I think of

protein powder I associate it with baby formula and so I assume that it would taste disgusting.

However, this is not the case, due to the fact that there are flavors of protein powder (which I

was unaware of) it actually tasted great. The vanilla flavor of our protein powder helped our

smoothie to have a lovely strawberry vanilla taste. Another ingredient that I tried today was

almond milk. Again, I was shocked because I thought that I would not like the taste of protein

shake because of the almond milk but it was delicious. Also, in our smoothie, there was honey

which I do not prefer but I loved the taste of our smoothie. As for the protein bars, I do not like
peanut butter but I was shocked to taste the bars and enjoy the taste of them. The peanut butter

flavor was not overwhelming which is why I believe that the bars tasted good. Overall, I

enjoyed the protein lab because I was able to try new ingredients that I probably would not have

tried if I did not have this class. During this lab, I was able to experiment with protein powder

which turned out to taste great. Before this lab, I saw protein as solely meat and eggs but now I

realize that there are plenty of other ways to incorporate protein into a person’s daily diet.