Energy Shakes and Smoothies
By making that simple healthy hemp energy drink first thing in the morning, you are making a statement and setting the tone for how the rest of your day proceeds, rushed or not!
Watch how your energy changes after only a week of hemp shakes, and not putting any processed food inside your body.
"A hemp shake a day keeps the doctor away"
Personally my mission is to discover a perfect shake or smoothie to support and repair my immune system. In that quest hemp, bee pollen, green juice i.e. wheat/ barley grass or spirulina and suma root have become important ingredients. All have been revered for centuries as important natural remedies, yet at this time many people still have not heard of them, or what potent tonics and healers they are. In the search for the elixir of life, what would make it up? Well this is my version.
A pint of hemp milk when mixed with green juice i.e. wheat or barley grass, spirulina or in the ideal world hemp leaf, have nutritionally pretty much the complete picture. Then by adding other ingredients from nature like Bee Pollen to boost energy levels and Suma root to help support the immune system, you are giving your self in one go an incredibly healthy shake. Follow the links at the end of this recipe for more information on these amazing natural remedies.
This last year I was introduced to several other ingredients with amazing healing properties, like Maca root and Wolf Berries. Follow the continuing journey of discovery into these and other ingredients that contribute to making a perfect shake.
Basic hemp and fruit shake or smoothie
Hemp shakes or smoothies are made by; first soaking the whole hemp seed overnight then blending the drained and rinsed seed in fresh water. The husk is then strained out leaving a lovely nutritious milk; it can be used as a healthy milk alternative in many dishes. Straining was done primarily because whole hemp seed is "a bit bitty", but what a waste throwing away all that goodness. The hemp seed husks are for example, very good for cleaning the intestines.
To get the whole hemp seed finely ground, try blending your fruit
just covered with rice milk first, adding the soaked and drained seeds
into this thickened liquid allows the blender blades more efficiently,
grinding them fine enough so not to offend most palates. It also has an
emulsifying and thickening quality, as well as being incredibly creamy,
this method can be applied to make savoury dressings as well. Soaking
the whole hemp seed over night starts the process of germination, so
making it nutritionally better for us.
See Mayonnaise and dressings Desserts recipe 3
The now wide spread availability of the shelled seed brings hemp closer to every palate, as there are no more bits to complain about, producing an amazingly creamy and smooth shake. Shelled hemp seed will always dissolve and so can be added at any time during the blending process, for this and many other recipes.
Two Bananas or the equivalent in other fruit, by season or choice is a good guide line for a thick smoothie: kiwi high in vitamin C, when combined with the bananas make a good sharp kick first thing in the morning. Strawberry, mango and melon all makes lovely combinations.
I use filtered water to make my smoothies, you would never know, they are always very creamy.
Some people, including me like a little extra sweetness, this can be archived with a drizzle of either honey or maple syrup.
Ingredients
(for two people)
- 2 bananas or equivalent other fresh fruit or 150 grams of dried fruit; a mix of dates and apricots soaked over night
- 1-2 deserts spoons of honey or maple syrup for extra sweetness
- 25-50 grams whole soaked hemp seed or shelled hemp seed
- 1 teaspoon- 1 dessertspoon of wheat or barley grass powder*
- 1-2 tablespoon hemp Oil**
- 500 ml water or milk substitute
Method
- Put the fruit in your blender or jug if using a wiz stick and just cover with part of the liquid, blend until smooth. (If appropriate add the shelled hemp seed)
- Add the rinsed whole hemp seed and continue blending for a further 30 seconds until thick and creamy.
- Then with the blender running, add the oil, a little honey or maple syrup and remaining liquid, thinning it down to the consistency you like. The action of thinning down the shake this way seems to take it even finer.
This is the basic recipe, have fun and explore different ingredients you may find to make up your own, extra healthy shake.
*/**Both are powerful de-toxents; as in, clear you through. Use small amount to start with and see how your body reacts, then build them up slowly. When you start to put powerful natural de-toxants into your diet the body, starts to clean its self naturally. This can be a dramatic experience for some people that haven't a very good diet. It could be viewed as the body rebalancing its self, my first weeks on hemp shakes where very cleansing! Once our bodies go through this cycle you really do feel much lighter!
Remember to drink lots of water a day; tea and coffee are not considered water by the kidneys as they have to be processed, plain water flushes them through.
Natural Remedies
Green Juice*:
A 25 ml shot of green juice is powerful thing: very potent in terms of
nutrition and cleansing ability. Both wheat and barley grass can be
brought from from the likes of
www.shirleyswellnesscafe.com.
You can grow your own, but you can now buy it fresh in wholefood stores,
markets or even online! Green juice, light green and vibrant is best
made with a juice extractor. It is a very effective detox and energy
giver.
Spirulina:
see
www.spirulina.com
Bee pollen:
One of natures little miracles Bees' honey is lovely but it is the bee
pollen that's particularly revered, described as "a food fit for the
Gods". It is the seed of the flower blossom that has been collected by
the bees no less. An important source of energy as it contains 15%
protein, as well as carbohydrate, fatty acids and many vitamins.
www.shirleyswellnesscafe.com
Suma root:
Also known by the names of Amazonian and Brazilian Ginseng, a shrub
grown in the Amazon basin, and has long been one of the most highly
regarded South American herbs. It is advocated as an effective adaptogen
to support the immune system.
Also see:
Adaptogenic herbs, those that help you adapt to changes in life,
environment and may increase stamina and sports performance. They are
gaining ground as treatments for stress and fatigue and an important
mediator of the stress system.