For the past 12 years or so we have often had various large containers of protein powder in our kitchen cupboards as my husband has used the extra protein in his diet to help him gain muscle mass when he is working out. By accident we soon found it beneficial in the summer time, when it's often so hot he loses his appetite and doesn't eat much, he found drinking a nice cold protein shake when he was too hot to eat to help him keep the pounds from melting off his body.

For the first few years his protein powders were 'his' and his alone, but in 2002, after I discovered healthier ways of cooking and baking using protein powder mixes in place of white flour in many recipes for low carb, whole grain hot cereals, muffins and desserts, he often found he was going through his protein powders at twice the rate he used to!

As our kids got older and got more serious in their involvement in sports their interest in nutrition and body health gained momentum. This summer we have 2 high schoolers who are currently in the school's weight lifting program three mornings a week. When they get home at 7:15 am they are starving. What I found interesting was their bodies were craving high protein foods. The first two weeks of the season we went through 54 eggs as they craved this high protein, easy to prepare food and would use up to 5 eggs at a time to make scrambled eggs and omelets in addition to asking me to please keep hard boiled eggs on hand for snacking.

We soon found our niche for their work out mornings, which now include a protein drink after their workouts instead of a heavy meal. My son loves the chocolate, peanut butter versions but my daughter tends to prefer a lighter, more fruity drink. One of the simple blender drinks she whips up includes the following;

1 c cranberry juice (we use Cranberry Crystal Light)
1 c cleaned strawberries
1 c ice cubes
1/2 c protein powder (vanilla or unflavored work well)*
1-2 T Splenda or sugar
*optional - yogurt, orange juice and various other fruit like a banana or diced mango

Put into a blender and blend. All amounts are based on your own taste as she doesn't measure, she just adds approximately the amount posted. *(you can find these protein powders here.)

An unexpected bonus to adding protein supplements is the ability of our bodies to heal themselves. We knew that our bodies use protein to help heal and build muscle, but it also includes bruising! The day before yesterday my son went to a sports facility where he spent the day rock climbing, driving go-carts and other activities. He came home with a large goose egg and bruise on his leg, however this morning we were happily surprised to see the bruise is almost completely gone. All that remains is a slight shadow. This, in under two days. The added protein in his daily diet is definitely helping.

- Terri Barrick is the writer of "An American Housewife" please visit her blog for more great recipes
Click here to find great choices for protein powders