Best Hacks to Make Your Quest Products Taste Even Better
Quest makes delicious snacks, meals and treats, from low carb and thin crust pizza and protein chips to peanut butter cups, sweet flavored protein bars, and more. Yet you can take those products up a notch by changing the preparation or adding in certain ingredients to boost the flavor, nutrition and satiating texture.
You can use the microwave to heat things up, add toppings for more protein or fiber, or transform a protein-rich snack into a decadent dessert. Here are a few great hacks to keep in mind when you’re enjoying your favorite Quest products.
Microwave Bars and Cookies
The Quest protein bars are good for you (there are about 20 grams of whopping protein per bar!) and taste sweet but are low in sugar and carbs, so they’re fitting for an easy on the go snack or for post-workout recovery.
Yet you can microwave them to make that sweet dessert-like flavor taste like dessert, since the texture will be smooth, warm and gooey. Think of a chocolate lava cake when you’re digging that fork into a melted Chocolate Brownie bar! And you can add a low sugar whip cream or a natural or low carb vanilla ice cream to make it a la mode!
The same goes for the protein cookies to take that sturdier cookie texture (although they are soft and chewy by nature!) to a more gooey, melted consistency and treat. You can even crumble it on top of ice cream as bites, too.
Bake With Protein Powders
Use protein powder to create a great post-workout recovery smoothie or shake with nut butter and high fiber veggies to fill up and restore depleted electrolytes stores, calories, and energy, as well as to repair damaged muscle. But also save some of that powder to make baked goods or flavored frostings. For frosting, just mix together a zero calorie sweetener with a scoop of protein powder and heavy whipping cream.
For baked goods, you can use that protein powder to make cookies or bars or dessert or muffins for breakfast, as a way to lower the carb count with traditional flour and to bump up the protein. You can make brownie bites, banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, and more!
Add Protein Shakes to Coffee
Want a boost of protein in your morning coffee? Add Quest Protein Shakes to your coffee for extra nutrition and some delicious chocolate or vanilla flavor, for example. These shakes are already made, so it’s super easy to add in a little bit and then save the rest for a snack later on. Or if you just did a morning workout, add some of that shake to your coffee for the flavor and finish the rest of the shake after the coffee to get in all the protein grams needed to refuel.
Freeze Peanut Butter Cups for a Cold, Sweet Snack
For a cold sweet snack, freeze the Quest PB Cups and then enjoy them cold when you have a sugar craving but want something low in sugar (less than 1 gram of sugar a serving!) and high in protein to fill you up and better your body. Plus, since it’s cold, it may take longer to eat and it can better squash that craving and suppress appetite. Win-win.
Another option is to enjoy room temperature PB cups but to cut them up into pieces and sprinkle on ice cream, yogurt, or frozen yogurt for an indulgent-tasting topping that is actually good for you.
Add Healthy Ingredients to Protein Chips to Make Nachos
Nachos are the ultimate tailgating food and they are comforting and filling for colder months. Yet, they are also too rich and often filled with bad fats, grease, and excess protein. Instead, open up a bag of Quest Tortilla Style Protein Chips to get in the right amount of protein needed to support your body for fewer calories and bad fats and then add in ingredients, or healthier “toppings.”
For more fiber, go with veggies, like shredded lettuce or tomato slices. For more protein (yes, you may need more if you just worked out, for instance), add in diced meat, like beef, or grilled chicken, or shredded cheese. For some healthy fats, go with a dollop of avocado! For probiotics, choose a dollop of unsweetened Greek yogurt!
Top a Bar or Protein Cookie With Nut Butter
If you’re keto, you need more fat content to get those macros in (fat should be about 80 percent of your calorie intake per day!). So, lather on peanut butter or almond butter for that boost in heart-healthy, unsaturated fats to complement the protein and to further fill you up for longer, too. What’s more, it also just turns that bar from a snack into a meal, making it great for on the go breakfast when you’re pressed for time and cannot sit down for a full meal.
