Drink me.
We've gone through some pivotal changes lately, and that explains the long absence of material here. On the bright side, live + eat + stuff has a brand new full-size kitchen, I live within walking distance of the ocean again, and in spite of difficult decisions made and changes in direction undertaken, I am feeling positive, even optimistic, about my life on the whole, and I'm oh so happy that I get to report that - and mean it, better yet.
On the other end, I'm returning to school this month for a number of reasons, which has proved to be a disastrously nerve-wracking process, I am faced with the enormous task of organizing a clutter-choked three bedroom home, and most of my things are still in boxes a month after arriving here. Yeah, I know. But I had to complain about something.
I've felt tired lately, but I'm beginning to settle into a sustainable working rhythm. I think. I've been exercising quite a bit because I've vowed to get back into shape, so I took the dive recently and decided to try hemp protein powder as a dietary supplement. H-O-L-Y-F-R-E-A-K-I-N-C-R-A-P has it been a life saving pick-me-up. Though I do tout the power of noshing fruits and greens for health and self healing, I'm not a stark raving zealot when it comes to the overall benefits of most foods. However... the amount of ENERGY I've experienced since adding it to my diet is pretty impressive. I used to try soy protein powder, but to be honest with you, after dropping between fifteen and twenty dollars on a large tin of it, I may have used it twice. It was chalky and processed and disgusting, I could barely make myself choke it down even under the guise of berry-laden smoothies. Your typical hemp powder does not pack a competitive amount of protein in a single serving, I'll be honest, but I'm recommending it to you anyway, so that should tell you something. Soy protein powders weigh in at around 24 grams of protein per serving, with a lot of other beneficials thrown in the mix. My cannister of Tempt Hemp Protein by Living Harvest contains 10 grams of protein per four tablespoon serving and a small amount of unrefined sugar... but I love it anyway and I'm completely sold on it.
Let's compare a few more notes here. These are the two powders I've tried:
SOY PROTEIN (Sun Harvest generic formula)
110 calories
1 g fat
250 mg sodium
28 mg potassium
0 g total carbohydrate
0 g dietary fiber
24 g protein
HEMP PROTEIN (Living Harvest: Tempt Vanilla Spice formula)
120 calories
3 g fat
7 g sugar
256 mg potassium
13 g total carbohydrate
7 g dietary fiber
10 g protein
I don't have the benefit of looking at a physical container of the soy protein at the moment, so we'll skip the trace mineral content sudden death match - I pulled the basic information off the internet, and I remember it to be correct. As you can see, they both weigh in with pros and cons. The soy protein lacks sugar and carbohydrates, but I will caution you that most vanilla or otherwise flavored protein powders contain some sugar - regular hemp powder likely has a different formulation, so this data is a bit like apples to oranges in that sense. A single serving of soy delivers more than twice the protein content of hemp, but if you're anything like me and many other vegetarians, you may have quite enough soy in your diet already. I'm not a hard hitting soy-meat-alternative sort, but I definitely think that I consume my fair share. Also in favor of hemp, I would like to point out that it delivers a high quality protein that contains all essential amino acids. In fact, the hemp seed provides one of the plant kingdom's most complete proteins. It also boasts a considerable Omega-3 and Omega-6 content, and is cold processed to help maintain the integrity of these fragile fatty acids.
Great news, but what the heck do you do with it? Well, also on the up and up, live + eat + stuff is rockin' a new single serving blender, and the quintessential green smoothie is an excellent way to start your morning and get a quick protein fix! These have become my morning must... if you're skeptical, take heart in my admission that the prospect of putting spinach or kale and an enormous, heaping pile of hemp seed into my breakfast left me feeling pretty squeamish until I tried it. You can't really taste the greens if you balance your smoothie properly, and the hemp seed is not chalky like soy protein powder, but imparts a bit of grittiness that I actually find enjoyable.
TAP YOUR FEET MANGO GREEN SMOOTHIE
... because you'll have so much energy, you'll want to... oh, oh forget it.
You will need:
1 mango, sliced
1/2 green banana, sliced or mashed
splash of orange juice, or to taste
1 handful baby spinach leaves, or more if desired
4 Tbs hemp protein
up to 1 cup ice
If you have a flat blade attachment for grinding, you may use this to prep the ice into more manageable pieces. If you have a high power blender or juicer, you shouldn't need to do this; if you have an ice machine and can select cubed or pellet ice, use pelleted. Layer mango and banana directly on top of blender blades, place ice on top. Pour in orange juice - this is not essential, and you can use something else, like nut or seed milk, water, or a different juice of your liking - this helps liquefy the mixture and may be helpful if you're having a hard time getting the ice to incorporate, so you can remove this or play with amounts to get the desired consistency. Whirr together until decently blended. Add spinach and hemp powder, and shake lightly to combine if you can do that with your blender. Blend until combined, drink cold!
And just for kicks... here's another one:
PEANUT BUTTER BANANA GREEN SMOOTHIE
You will need:
1 green banana
1 Tbs all natural peanut butter (or other - you can use raw nut butter too)
one handful baby spinach or kale
4 Tbs hemp protein powder
up to one cup ice
Follow the same directions as above - you can add the peanut butter in with the fruit and ice. This is a really delicious smoothie and a great higher calorie option if you're gearing up for an active day or a workout.
If you make smoothies regularly, a single serving blender with a twist-on cutting base might be a beneficial investment. It's water tight, can be shaken, taken with, and takes up minimal counter space. It's also very easy and quick to clean up, and there aren't multiple parts comprising the blender base or rubber seals to worry about. On the down side, many of these don't have multiple blend settings. Both that I've owned had one button or were twisted to operate.
Bottoms up. <3
We've gone through some pivotal changes lately, and that explains the long absence of material here. On the bright side, live + eat + stuff has a brand new full-size kitchen, I live within walking distance of the ocean again, and in spite of difficult decisions made and changes in direction undertaken, I am feeling positive, even optimistic, about my life on the whole, and I'm oh so happy that I get to report that - and mean it, better yet.
On the other end, I'm returning to school this month for a number of reasons, which has proved to be a disastrously nerve-wracking process, I am faced with the enormous task of organizing a clutter-choked three bedroom home, and most of my things are still in boxes a month after arriving here. Yeah, I know. But I had to complain about something.
I've felt tired lately, but I'm beginning to settle into a sustainable working rhythm. I think. I've been exercising quite a bit because I've vowed to get back into shape, so I took the dive recently and decided to try hemp protein powder as a dietary supplement. H-O-L-Y-F-R-E-A-K-I-N-C-R-A-P has it been a life saving pick-me-up. Though I do tout the power of noshing fruits and greens for health and self healing, I'm not a stark raving zealot when it comes to the overall benefits of most foods. However... the amount of ENERGY I've experienced since adding it to my diet is pretty impressive. I used to try soy protein powder, but to be honest with you, after dropping between fifteen and twenty dollars on a large tin of it, I may have used it twice. It was chalky and processed and disgusting, I could barely make myself choke it down even under the guise of berry-laden smoothies. Your typical hemp powder does not pack a competitive amount of protein in a single serving, I'll be honest, but I'm recommending it to you anyway, so that should tell you something. Soy protein powders weigh in at around 24 grams of protein per serving, with a lot of other beneficials thrown in the mix. My cannister of Tempt Hemp Protein by Living Harvest contains 10 grams of protein per four tablespoon serving and a small amount of unrefined sugar... but I love it anyway and I'm completely sold on it.
Let's compare a few more notes here. These are the two powders I've tried:
SOY PROTEIN (Sun Harvest generic formula)
110 calories
1 g fat
250 mg sodium
28 mg potassium
0 g total carbohydrate
0 g dietary fiber
24 g protein
HEMP PROTEIN (Living Harvest: Tempt Vanilla Spice formula)
120 calories
3 g fat
7 g sugar
256 mg potassium
13 g total carbohydrate
7 g dietary fiber
10 g protein
I don't have the benefit of looking at a physical container of the soy protein at the moment, so we'll skip the trace mineral content sudden death match - I pulled the basic information off the internet, and I remember it to be correct. As you can see, they both weigh in with pros and cons. The soy protein lacks sugar and carbohydrates, but I will caution you that most vanilla or otherwise flavored protein powders contain some sugar - regular hemp powder likely has a different formulation, so this data is a bit like apples to oranges in that sense. A single serving of soy delivers more than twice the protein content of hemp, but if you're anything like me and many other vegetarians, you may have quite enough soy in your diet already. I'm not a hard hitting soy-meat-alternative sort, but I definitely think that I consume my fair share. Also in favor of hemp, I would like to point out that it delivers a high quality protein that contains all essential amino acids. In fact, the hemp seed provides one of the plant kingdom's most complete proteins. It also boasts a considerable Omega-3 and Omega-6 content, and is cold processed to help maintain the integrity of these fragile fatty acids.
Great news, but what the heck do you do with it? Well, also on the up and up, live + eat + stuff is rockin' a new single serving blender, and the quintessential green smoothie is an excellent way to start your morning and get a quick protein fix! These have become my morning must... if you're skeptical, take heart in my admission that the prospect of putting spinach or kale and an enormous, heaping pile of hemp seed into my breakfast left me feeling pretty squeamish until I tried it. You can't really taste the greens if you balance your smoothie properly, and the hemp seed is not chalky like soy protein powder, but imparts a bit of grittiness that I actually find enjoyable.
TAP YOUR FEET MANGO GREEN SMOOTHIE
... because you'll have so much energy, you'll want to... oh, oh forget it.
You will need:
1 mango, sliced
1/2 green banana, sliced or mashed
splash of orange juice, or to taste
1 handful baby spinach leaves, or more if desired
4 Tbs hemp protein
up to 1 cup ice
If you have a flat blade attachment for grinding, you may use this to prep the ice into more manageable pieces. If you have a high power blender or juicer, you shouldn't need to do this; if you have an ice machine and can select cubed or pellet ice, use pelleted. Layer mango and banana directly on top of blender blades, place ice on top. Pour in orange juice - this is not essential, and you can use something else, like nut or seed milk, water, or a different juice of your liking - this helps liquefy the mixture and may be helpful if you're having a hard time getting the ice to incorporate, so you can remove this or play with amounts to get the desired consistency. Whirr together until decently blended. Add spinach and hemp powder, and shake lightly to combine if you can do that with your blender. Blend until combined, drink cold!
And just for kicks... here's another one:
PEANUT BUTTER BANANA GREEN SMOOTHIE
You will need:
1 green banana
1 Tbs all natural peanut butter (or other - you can use raw nut butter too)
one handful baby spinach or kale
4 Tbs hemp protein powder
up to one cup ice
Follow the same directions as above - you can add the peanut butter in with the fruit and ice. This is a really delicious smoothie and a great higher calorie option if you're gearing up for an active day or a workout.
If you make smoothies regularly, a single serving blender with a twist-on cutting base might be a beneficial investment. It's water tight, can be shaken, taken with, and takes up minimal counter space. It's also very easy and quick to clean up, and there aren't multiple parts comprising the blender base or rubber seals to worry about. On the down side, many of these don't have multiple blend settings. Both that I've owned had one button or were twisted to operate.
Bottoms up. <3
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