I honestly cannot believe I’ve never done this Top 5 before. I went searching for it, for another post and…nothing. Nada. Zip.

People ask me all the time what protein powders I use and like. I’ve tried a LOT of them. Thankfully, this didn’t impact my budget much, mostly a good deal of what I’ve tried YOU guys sent to me! Usually it’s in the context of someone hating their powder, not being able to use it even one more time, and sending it to me in hopes I can make good use of it.

A lot of the time, I try it and give most of it away to others so they can have a free or cheap way to try protein powders. So…here is my top 5 list of protein powders I liked, based on everything I’ve tried:

Fave“doesn’t need to be messed with” protein powder
Syntha-6 chocolate peanut butter

Quit laughing! Seriously….all peanut butter addiction issues aside, I got a tub of this stuff from someone. I don’t recall off-hand who. But it is the ONLY powder I did not share with anyone else. It amazed me. The first time I try a powder, I try it “straight.” No syrups, no Splenda even. Just the powder. I tried this stuff and was halfway done drinking my shake before I noticed I didn’t add anything to it!!!

Fave “everyday” protein powder
Body Fortress (preferably chocolate)

In my everyday use, I turn to Body Fortress. Let me clear up one little misconception right now. Yes, Body Fortress is a whey concentrate. Yes, your surgeon may have given you doom and gloom scenarios of using concentrate vs. isolate. But here are the facts: I’m a single mother on a budget. Body Fortress is affordable. It has a few more calories and carbs than say…Nectar. But in all things, I defer to results. I have lost 155 lbs. ‘Nuff said. Anyhoo…Body Fortress is available at your local Wal-mart but if you do Amazon “Subscribe and Save” you can save a few bucks on it.

Fave “non-creamy” protein powder
Nectar Roadside Lemonade

What I like about this shake is that it integrates well with other things. Now that I have discovered the wonder that is MiO (and if you haven’t you would have a week ago if you were a fan of Pouch Party on Facebook!), it is even easier to whip up this tangy shake and put some no-calorie drink mix in it. The drink mix bumps up the sweetness just a bit (I am a Splenda crackhead) and helps with the ever so slight whey aroma.

Fave “unflavored” protein powder
Any Whey Unflavored

You all knew I was going to say that, didn’t you??? Any Whey is AWESOME. First, you can use it in cooking. I’ve put it in sauces, baked with it, the whole nine. Bonus tip: if you are putting it in sauce, it should ALWAYS be the last thing you add. While it doesn’t curdle up as easily as other powders, even it has its limits. And it is nearly undetectable in dishes. The exception would be savory stuff. A slight vanilla-esque aroma comes through. Just slight. But it doesn’t taste that way. So your brain might be confused for about four seconds then you’re fine.

Fave “grown folk” protein powder
Click Espresso Protein Drink (Mocha)

I mean “grown folk” two ways. First, I don’t give this to my kids because it costs more than my everyday powder and because of the caffeine I’d be dealing with little Energizer Bunnies (La Petite Diva is strictly decaf, y’all…). I also mean grown folk as in (and please don’t be offended) grown folk pouches or…newbies beware!!! You may not be able to drink this. Check with your surgeon on when you can have caffeine. Click is wonderful — creamy, satisfying espresso flavor and with protein to boot! It’s good hot or cold…but it also has the caffeine of a triple shot of espresso. I wonder if they’ll ever learn about decaf espresso. I swear if they made decaf Click (and it tasted as good as regular Click) they would OWN the protein market!

So what’s your favorite protein? I’d love you to leave suggestions in the comments section!