I have always been a fan of smoothies. My passion for smoothie making began when I was 16 years old, training 3 hours a day and representing my country in karate, whilst planning the opening of my own karate school and trying to pass my final school year (yikes!). I lost a whole lot of weight whilst my body fought to keep up with the demands of my lifestyle.
It was at that time, I decided to investigate The Zone diet by Dr Barry Sears. Now being a lifelong vegetarian and going back some 20 years, plant proteins were not that easy to come by. The Zone diet propagates a good mix of proteins, fats and carbs in every meal. Click here for more details… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_diet .
And so the struggle began to get plant protein in each meal. The answer lay in smoothies! And of course Fry’s. So every meal included a smoothie with the nutrients needed to fulfil the nutritional requirements of The Zone OR a Fry’s product on top of, alongside, inside the carb portion. The results: Yes! My energy levels went up, my afternoon slump disappeared, and I started to once again build my strength up.
Herewith some of my fav protein smoothie recipes:
Green POWER Smoothie – using a blender
5 ice cubes
½ cup coconut water
½ cup kale
½ cup chopped cucumber
¼ cup mango juice
1 apple
1 celery stalk
1 banana
2 Tbsp hemp hearts (optional)
Sprig mint leaves
Sprinkle with Chia