I'm not generally one for shakes or smoothies. I think there's something mentally about a thick milk drink that I almost find unsettling. Or maybe it's that I'd rather eat my calories rather than drink them. But... I know there's a lot of people out there that absolutely swear by them (including my grandma!)

I've been wanting to make a protein shake recipe for a long time now! Pretty much ever since my grandma's visit last year. Plain old vanilla or chocolate protein shake? Psshh... we can do much better than that!

Let's get festive. Let's get creative. Let's get fun.

I really did not know what to expect with a shake. I couldn't tell you the last time that I had one... much less made one. I think the closest thing recently would have been a skinny frappecino from Starbucks.

I was actually really surprised with how good this shake was!

Now, you may have to adjust the spices by taste a little bit if you are using a different vanilla protein powder than I did, because they all have their own slightly unique taste to them. These spices were perfect for the powder that I used and to my palette. I wanted something that said gingerbread but didn't scream it at my face.

If I would have had some whipped cream, I would have thought it was straight from a soda fountain!

I think the only thing that would have made this better would have been one or two homemade gingerbread cookies. Maybe next time...

Gingerbread Protein Shake
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 1 • Size: About 1 Cup • Calories: 223.8 • Fat: 1.9 g • Carb: 21.4 g • Fiber: 4 g • Protein: 27.2 g • Sugar: 12.9 g • Sodium: 186.9 mg

Ingredients:
1 Serving/Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (I used TLS Weight Loss)
1/2 Tbsp. Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
1 Tsp. Molasses
1 C. Fat Free Milk
1/2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 Tsp. Ground Cloves
1/4 Tsp. Ground Nutmeg
4-6 Ice Cubes

Directions:

Toss everything into a blender or food processor.

Blend.

Serve immediately and enjoy!