Chocolate Recovery Shake
Whey, maltodextrin, and cocoa in a bottle. Shake it at the trailhead when you are too wrecked to cook.
- calories
- 540
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 2 min
- water
- 500 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Drink
- Snack
- No cook
- Bikepacking
- Day hike
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Chocolate whey protein isolate | 1 scoop, about 30 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Maltodextrin | 4 scoops, about 120 g | four parts carb to one part protein by scoop |
| Unsweetened cocoa powder | 1 tbsp | cuts the sweetness of the maltodextrin |
| Powdered whole milk | 3 tbsp | replaces the fresh milk in the original |
| Cold water | 500 ml |
Method
- Dump the premixed powder into a wide-mouth bottle.
- Add about 150 ml of cold water first and shake until the cocoa stops clumping. Cocoa will not wet out if you fill the bottle first.
- Top up to 500 ml and shake again for ten seconds.
- Drink it within the first hour after riding or hiking. Rinse the bottle immediately or the residue sets like paint.
The four-to-one carb-to-protein ratio is the point. Maltodextrin refills muscle glycogen fast because it digests almost as quickly as straight glucose, and the protein rides along to start repair. Whey isolate is the version that stays smooth in cold water instead of turning gritty.
The source version leaned on fresh milk and ice, neither of which exists on the trail. Powdered whole milk stands in for the body and the fat, and cold creek or bottle water does the rest. Unsweetened cocoa is not decoration here: maltodextrin is bland-sweet and a spoonful of cocoa keeps 120 grams of it drinkable.
Packing
Premix all four powders into a single zip bag per serving. Squeeze the air out; maltodextrin cakes if it gets humid. Carry it in the bottle you plan to drink from and you have nothing else to wash.
Variations
- Skip the milk powder and use water alone for a thinner, dairy-free version.
- In cold weather, mix with warm water instead. Do not use boiling water on whey or it goes grainy.
- Half a serving of maltodextrin makes a lighter recovery drink for shorter days.
https://www.mtbr.com/threads/for-free-agent-post-ride-recovery-meal.909