Sally of Aprovechar - I drank smoothies occasionally as a young adult, but then quit drinking them.  My problem with smoothies has always been that they fill me up well when I drink them, and then I’m hungry about an hour later and ravenous two hours later.  They are generally too high in calories for a snack but too low in longevity for a meal. But smoothies can be a great way to get in servings of fruits or vegetables, and they’re tasty.  When I recently saw some Nutiva organic, fair-trade chocolate hemp powder at the Dekalb Farmer’s Market, even though it wasn’t in my usual vein of purchases because it’s not exactly a whole food, I thought, “Hmmm.  No weird or chemical ingredients.  Protein in a vegetarian form that I’m not allergic to. Fair-trade and organic. I’ll try it!”  I’m glad I did ...

With 60 calories, nine grams of fiber, and five grams of protein in a three-tablespoon serving, the hemp powder gives my smoothie the staying power to keep me satisfied till lunchtime. (It does have a bit of sugar in it, but the pure protein powder version doesn’t, if you avoid all sugar.)  My husband and best friend have both tried them for breakfast now, as well, with the same results.  We’re all hemp powder smoothie fans now.

Of course, you want to avoid making breakfast smoothies that are high in sugar and low in nutrients.  Smoothies that primarily consist of, say, frozen sweetened yogurt are a treat, a dessert—not a meal.  Here are a few smoothie recipe suggestions with the hemp protein powder:

Choco-Berry Smoothie

1 cup hemp milk (plain / original)
2/3 cup frozen berries (I used raspberries and blackberries)
3 Tablespoons chocolate hemp powder
1 Tablespoon chocolate chips (will blend into tiny chunks, so use chocolate syrup instead, or skip it, if you want a smooth texture)

Combine all ingredients in the blender, and blend well.  Add more ice for a thicker smoothie.

For three more recipes using choolate HempShake, see this post on Aprovechar!

This is a third party review by Sally Parrott Ashbrook of the blog, Aprovechar. For more information and to purchase this product, see the Nutiva HempShake Website.