Homemade Oat & Peanut Gainer

📝 Ingredients

• 300 ml unsweetened plain soya drink
• 40 g rolled oats
• 20 g peanut butter (1 heaped tbsp)
• 1 very ripe banana (about 100 g peeled)
• 2 Medjool dates (about 20 g each)
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon + 1 pinch salt
• 4 ice cubes (optional)

🍴 Utensils

• Blender
• Measuring jug
• Paring knife
• Spatula
• Large glass

📖 Steps

1. Pour the soya milk into the blender jug. Slit the dates lengthways with the small knife, remove the stones and add them: if they're a little firm, leave them to soak in the milk for 5 min to soften.
2. Add the oats and leave them to soak for 5 min along with the dates: they swell, thicken the gainer and will then blend without leaving any little grains in your mouth.
3. Peel the banana and slice it straight into the blender. A very ripe banana with brown speckles adds more sweetness and blends more easily than one that's still green.
4. Add the peanut butter, cinnamon and salt: you won't taste the pinch of salt, but it really brings out the peanut flavour. Add the ice cubes for a nicely chilled drink, or skip them if the soya milk has come straight from the fridge.
5. Blend for 30 s on low speed, then 1 to 2 min on full speed, until the drink is perfectly smooth, with no bits of date or oat grains. Stop once along the way to scrape down the sides with the spatula.
6. Taste: if the gainer is too thick, add 2 to 3 tbsp cold water and blend for another 10 s. Pour into a tall glass and drink within an hour of your workout, while it's cold and creamy.