Smoothie of the Week: Chocolate Banana (and hemp!)

This smoothie is made with Organic Chocolate flavored Nutiva HempShake, but you can also use carob or cocoa powder to make a somewhat similar drink. The hempshake powder adds raw plant protein (which is supposed to be easier to digest than protein from animal sources), omega-3 essential fatty acids, 9 essential amino acids, and a hefty amount of fiber. As a bonus, hemp is grown without pesticides and is a renewable source.

I ordered this pack of 12 single servings because I wasn’t sure if I would like the chocolate flavor enough to order the bigger jars of the protein powder.

This funny and slightly unappetizing-looking picture is a plastic baggie filled with frozen bananas. Whenever our bananas get too ripe for me, I peel them and toss them in this bag in the freezer. Making smoothies is fast and easy when you have a bunch of frozen bananas on hand.

To make the smoothie: blend 1-2 frozen bananas, one single serving packet (or 1-2 scoops from jar) hempshake protein powder, and about 8 ounces of almond milk. After tasting it, I decided that I needed to add some sweetener too. You could add agave nectar, more bananas, or whatever sweetener you choose.

If you don’t have this hemp protein, you can still make a chocolatey banana shake by substituting some cocoa powder to taste. It won’t be quite so healthy or filling, but it will taste good!

And there you go! A super healthy and tasty smoothie with protein to keep you going! If you decide that you want to buy HempShake protein powder, I suggest buying the Berry Pomegranate flavor, because it is more versatile than the chocolate. Or, you can go to the Nutiva website and order a sample of each flavor to determine which you like best!

If you want to read more about hemp in food products, take a look at the NBC article Nutty hemp a hot food trend.