After a strenuous day or intense physical exercise, this plant-based smoothie will give you a boost and help your body recover. Made with spinach, fresh fruit, hemp hearts and pea protein, one glass is packed with easy-to-digest protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes.

To give the smoothie a more well-rounded protein profile, I combined hemp hearts and pea protein powder. Should you only have hemp hearts or pea protein, adding one or the other is also good. Both are good choices for people who cannot consume whey or casein powder because of ethical reasons, lactose intolerance, or are vegan or strict vegetarian.

As for the pea powder, I used yellow instead of green. Both green and yellow peas have similar nutritional benefits but the yellow peas have a milder flavour than the green ones. If you prefer green, then go for those.

Both hemp hearts and pea powder have distinct earthy flavours that may not appeal to some tastebuds. Combining spinach leaves with citrus and other fresh fruits will sweeten the taste and give you a healthy beverage you can enjoy.

A smoothie like this one should never replace a meal. Effective physical training requires a well balanced diet. If you have two to three hours to wait before your next meal, then having a post-workout smoothie is a good thing. On the other hand, if you have just finished working out and are heading into mealtime, then you might as well skip the smoothie and enjoy your meal.

Energy-boosting smoothie

2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup spinach leaves (fresh or frozen), tightly packed
• 1 cup ripe mango, peeled and chopped
• 1 big orange, chopped (to make 1 cup)
• Lime juice from one green lime
• 2 tablespoons (tbsps) hemp hearts
• 2 tbsps pea protein powder
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of ice cubes

Note: Can substitute mango with banana and orange with pineapple or strawberries. If you don’t have hemp hearts add 4 tbsps pea protein powder. If you don’t have pea protein, add 4 tbsps hemp hearts.

PROCEDURE

Put all ingredients in your blender bowl and blend on low speed gradually increasing to high until smooth.

Pour leftover smoothie in a glass container or bottle and cover. Keep stored in the fridge for 1-2 days.

Enjoy!