Afternoon Boost Smoothie with Hemp & Cara Cara
Prep time
Total time
A delicious & nutrient-rich smoothie that comes together easily offering wonderful flavor and rejuvenating properties.
Author: Kelly
Serves: 1 large smoothie!
Ingredients
- For the Afternoon Boost Smoothie
- 8-12 fresh strawberries
- 8-12 chunks of frozen mango
- 1 cara cara orange peeled and cut into 4 segments with most of pith left on the fruit (cara cara is naturally seedless)
- 2 Tbsp hemp hearts (shelled hemp seed)
- ½ cup or so plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ - ½ cup jasmine water or jasmine green tea or plain old water, as preferred
- For the Jasmine Water
- 1 liter (about 4 cups) water
- 8-15 star jasmine flowers
Instructions
- For the Jasmine Water: Bring 1 liter (approx 4 cups) of water to a boil. Allow the water to come to room temperature in a bowl or container that you will be able to close with a lid. Once the water has cooled to room temperature, add 8-15 star jasmine flowers to the water and then affix the lid on the container and place it in fridge overnight. The next day you will have a delicately fragranced jasmine water to enjoy on its own or in smoothies!
- For the Jasmine Green Tea: if jasmine flower is not available to you simply brew a cup of jasmine green tea of choice and allow it to cool before incorporating into the smoothie.
- For the Smoothie: Place strawberries, mango, orange segments, yogurt and hemp seeds in a blender or processor. Begin by adding ¼ cup jasmine water or cooled brewed jasmine green tea (or simply plain water) to the smoothie and blend adding more fluid as needed to achieve desired consistency.
Notes
Stress Nutrients - we hear a lot about the B vitamins in times of stress but vitamin C is also critical not only for its immune building properties but also because the adrenal glands (the glands that are responsible for releasing stress hormones) require a steady supply of this nutrient to function properly.
Jasmine - in aromatherapy, jasmine is known for its calming properties. The fragrance from the flower is strong (and I would not tolerate it in any perfume form) but as an extract in tea, water and essential oil it has a muted, delicate essence that I love. There are different types of jasmine flower - the one that I have used in this particular recipe is star jasmine also known as confederate jasmine.
Hemp Seed - hemp outshines chia and flaxseed in the protein department offering upwards of 11 grams of easy-to-digest protein per 2 Tbsp depending on the brand - hemp is also a good source of fibre and magnesium and has a pleasing chewy texture and mildly nutty taste.
Greek Yogurt: I favor Greek yogurt for its exceptional protein content and texture. All yogurts, regardless of milk fat content, begin the same way - by adding bacterial cultures to milk. Greek yogurt begins this way but it soon departs from other yogurt brands in that the milk is strained to remove the liquid whey. According to manufacturers, this process of straining means that as many as four pounds of milk are required to produce one pound of Greek yogurt. The resulting product is a far more concentrated source of protein (from casein) and a thick and creamy texture characteristic of Greek yogurt (regardless of fat content - though I generally use 2%). You will pay more for Greek yogurt but I think you will find that you get what you pay for.
Green Smoothies - I have a number of smoothies that incorporate greens on the blog; simply key in smoothie in the search function to discover more.
Jasmine - in aromatherapy, jasmine is known for its calming properties. The fragrance from the flower is strong (and I would not tolerate it in any perfume form) but as an extract in tea, water and essential oil it has a muted, delicate essence that I love. There are different types of jasmine flower - the one that I have used in this particular recipe is star jasmine also known as confederate jasmine.
Hemp Seed - hemp outshines chia and flaxseed in the protein department offering upwards of 11 grams of easy-to-digest protein per 2 Tbsp depending on the brand - hemp is also a good source of fibre and magnesium and has a pleasing chewy texture and mildly nutty taste.
Greek Yogurt: I favor Greek yogurt for its exceptional protein content and texture. All yogurts, regardless of milk fat content, begin the same way - by adding bacterial cultures to milk. Greek yogurt begins this way but it soon departs from other yogurt brands in that the milk is strained to remove the liquid whey. According to manufacturers, this process of straining means that as many as four pounds of milk are required to produce one pound of Greek yogurt. The resulting product is a far more concentrated source of protein (from casein) and a thick and creamy texture characteristic of Greek yogurt (regardless of fat content - though I generally use 2%). You will pay more for Greek yogurt but I think you will find that you get what you pay for.
Green Smoothies - I have a number of smoothies that incorporate greens on the blog; simply key in smoothie in the search function to discover more.
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2016/05/afternoon-boost-smoothie-with-hemp-cara-cara.html