Chocolate hemp protein shake...Kid approved!

My new favorite food product is Hemp protein powder. I love making smoothies and experimenting to find new combinations that are not only tasty but good for you as well. In the past I have used soy protein powders, which taste better to me than whey but cannot use anymore because soy interferes with healthy thyroid function and I have a hypothyroid problem. So I switched to whey, which is hard to find without any soy in it, and the couple brands I have found, have a particular taste that I just don't like and is really hard to mask. Not to mention the long list of additives it contains. 

This lead me to try Hemp protein powder.  I must say, I LOVE it! It contains 14 grams of fiber per serving, 18 amino acids, a perfect ratio of omega 3 to omega 6, and is a complete protein, unlike whey and soy. It is also much easier to digest because it is a plant based protein. So those with dairy allergy's, soy allergy's etc.. will have no problems with it. It doesn't have any aftertaste and also is very planet friendly. The only thing that some people may not like it that is has a slight gritty texture, which doesn't bother me one bit. Plus it only has one ingredient; ground hemp.  I could go on and on about why I love it but I'll stop here and let you do your own research if you want to learn more.

After a few smoothies and taste tests from the husband and kiddos I have come up with a really yummy recipe. The kids like it cause it tastes like chocolate. I feel good cause I know they are getting a lot of good nutrition. You can't taste the greens even a little bit. I will have this for my breakfast and sometimes for lunch too. It really is filling and the protein keeps you from getting hungry till lunch time. Did I mention how quick and easy it is too? 

What you will need for 1 smoothy:

1 Banana

1 big handful of spinach or mixed green

1 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa powder

2 Tbsp Hemp Protein powder

2 Tbsp Almond Butter

1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed (Optional)

6 drops liquid stevia (I use alcohol free) Or 1 tbsp honey

6 ice cubes or more depending on how thick you want it.

1 cup unsweetened plain Almond Milk (or milk or milk substitute of your choice)

Preparation:

Combine everything in blender in order listed above and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Variations:

If you don't want to use almond butter Just replace it with two additional tablespoons of hemp powder for a total of 4 tbsp hemp powder. That will ensure you get enough protein to keep you satiated until your next meal. If your diet doesn't contain much fiber on a regular basis though, you may want to start with just the 2 Tbsp of hemp powder and work your way up to the 4. The reason being is that one serving, which is 4 Tbsp, contains 14 grams of fiber, and if you are not use to much fiber, you may experience some stomach bloating. 

 

Mother's Day Tea party treats

What’s for breakfast? Coconut scones and Cheese Cake stuffed strawberries, of course. I can’t let the leftovers go to waste now, can I? Yesterday was mother's day and this year I thought I would throw the mom’s in my family a little tea party. Hats and all.  I had been preparing all week. Who am I kidding, the week before that too, doing a little bit here and there. You kind of have to, with two little ones who seem to need something every time you start doing something that doesn’t involve themJ OK, back on point. The tea party was a success. Mostly everyone was able to attend, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect, there were no disasters, and the food all turned out great and I wasn’t a total stress ball like I can sometimes be when throwing a party. My husband VOLUNTEERED (I swear) to serve us our tea. We even had a little bell to ring when we needed refills. My 6 year old had a lot of fun ringing Daddy.

Back to the Scones and Strawberries. The scones are vegan friendly. The strawberry filling was made with organic cream cheese which could easily be swapped out for a soy based cream cheese for those of you who can’t have any dairy. There is one called Tofutti, that is suppose to be pretty good, although I haven’t personally tried it so don’t hate me if its not your cup of tea. Pun, pun pun:)



Vegan Coconut Scones

Ingredients:

4 cups Organic (regular is fine too) All purpose or pastry whole wheat flour
1.5 cup sweetened shredded coconut
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp sea salt
½ cup virgin coconut oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
About 1.5 cup Coconut milk (or other milk substitute)



Preparation:

*Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
*In large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients
*Mix in coconut oil (work it around a bit, I use a spoon to smash it in good so it breaks up a bit)
*Add vanilla extract
*Slowly add coconut milk, working dough as little as possible, until you have a dough that just barely stick together. I usually don’t need to use all of the coconut milk.
*Turn the dough out on a heavily floured surface
*Knead the dough slightly. When it is done it should be smooth and easy to handle (if you see little balls of coconut that’s fine, they will melt in)
*Gently pat dough into two 1.5” thick discs
*Cut each disk into 6 or 8 pieces, depending on how big you want them. I usually do 8. I use a pizza cutter and slice It like a pizza.
*Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, turning pan halfway through.
*Cool on baking sheet
*Once Cooled, apply the glaze if you want to use one.


Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
4-5 Tbsp Coconut Milk, added 1 -2 Tbsp at a time
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract




Cheesecake stuffed Strawberries

Ingredients:

1 to 1.5 lbs large strawberries
8 oz softened organic cream cheese or cream cheese substitute
¼ tsp Pure liquid stevia (or to taste) Or 3-4 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Graham cracker crumbs or Oreo crumbs ( if making dairy free, be sure to read ingredients on box, there are some that are dairy free)


Preparation:

*Cut tops off strawberries
*If you want strawberries to stand upright, cut off a little bit of the bottom.
*Rinse
*Clean out inside of strawberry with a vegetable peeler or small knife
*Combine cream cheese, vanilla, and sweetener by hand or with a hand mixer, till smooth.
*Add cream cheese mix to piping bag and fill the strawberries.
*Dip each strawberry in crumbs
*Serve or Refrigerate if making ahead of time.

Note: If serving outdoors in warm weather, don’t plate until ready to eat.

I hope you all had a wonderful mothers day surrounded by love ones. Now go on and make your self some scones. You don't need to have a tea party to do so.