Between traveling, being around tons of people, and going nonstop while visiting family, I used to get a cold almost every time I went back to my home state of NJ during cooler months. Fortunately I had broken this pattern in the last few years largely due to some nutritional planning, but then last week I totally jinxed myself.
I mentioned to my mom that I’ve developed a ritual of drinking a big green juice the day before I fly, and I believe that’s why I haven’t gotten under the weather after traveling in awhile. But then when I was flying back to Cali last Monday from the Northeast, I didn’t get a chance to pick up a green monster….. and then my hubby and I both woke up with upper respiratory stuff going on the next day. Damn it!
Welp, no one in their right mind enjoys having a cold bog them down, and it seems like when I do get a cold, it stays with me for too long. So, I started to go into superfood mode in an effort to knock it out of my system. I made vegetable soup, drank green tea like crazy, was getting good use out of my juicer, and blended this juice together:
The ingredient list is simple: apple, frozen strawberries, spinach, hemp hearts, water and stevia. It’s nutrition-packed foods like this that help boost my immune system and keep me strong and healthy — food as medicine my friends!
Manitoba Harvest recently sent me some of their hemp hearts to use in recipes I’m whipping up. They’re packed with protein and Omega-3 and 6-s, not to mention a slew of other awesome nutrients.
I’ve found that it’s easy to incorporate these nutty little super seeds into my diet, throwing them in smoothies and juices like this and topping my yogurt and fruit bowls with them. One 2-oz bag of hemp hearts contain 18 g protein, which makes it a nice little extra protein source to supplement into meals you already normally eat.
I had tried a Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts sample once before awhile back, and came up with one of my favorite salad recipes using them: Mixed Green Salad with Blueberries, Goat Cheese & Honeyed Walnut -n- Hemp Seed Clusters. Between these seeds and their vegan chocolate protein powder, I’m becoming a big fan of Manitoba Harvest!
Speaking of their awesome products, Manitoba Harvest is offering a 20% discount off anything on their website when you use the code HHSweatPink14 at checkout. This discount code is good through November 30th.
Additionally, Manitoba Harvest is offering a 5-lb bag of hemp hearts to one lucky winner. To enter to win their contest, get creative in the kitchen with hemp seeds! Tag @manitobaharvest, #hemphearts, and #sweatpink in your Instagram and/or Twitter post and you’ll be automatically entered.
Now back to this superfood juice recipe! Here’s how to make it:
Apples & Greens Hemp Heart Juice
Ingredients
- 1 large Granny Smith apple cored and quartered
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- A large handful of baby spinach
- 2 TBSP hemp hearts
- 1 cup of water + a handful of ice
- 1-1 g Stevia sweetener packet
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender. Pulse until smooth and combined very well (you don't want spinach chunks in your smoothie!). Pour into a glass and enjoy.
Tell me… Do you incorporate hemp hearts into your diet at all? What’s your favorite sweetener?
I love honey and stevia and use them all the time to sweeten things up!
Disclaimer: I received Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts through a campaign with Fit Approach, but as always, all opinions expressed are genuinely my own.
I’ve never tried hemp seeds before but now I want to, so thanks for sharing this! I always make the same salads so maybe I’ll try your blueberry cluster recipe.
I have not tried hemp hearts at home. I have had it in smoothies that I’ve bought. I use flax seeds and chia seeds at home. My favorite sweetener is stevia!
I’ve found that taking vitamin D or, more recently, my prenatal vitamin has done wonders for avoiding colds. That and religious washing hands and exercising.
Ahh YES, and also SLEEP! If I skimp on sleep a few nights, I start to feel under the weather right away.
Apples & Strawberries = what a DELICIOUSLY LEGIT combo! 🙂
Omg I love that green juice day-before-flight ritual!! I’m going to start doing that! This green apple hemp juice looks/sounds amazing. I’ve just starting getting into hemp hearts- I need to try this!
Yes you should start doing it – I swear by it!
I’ve never tried hemp hearts – that’s totally out of my comfort zone!
You should give it a go if you see em at the store one day 🙂 They’re a little “out there” I suppose, but not at all hard to incorporate into meals!
I like adding hemo hearts to my smoothies, such a nice way to boost the nutrition value.
That sounds good, and so different. I love hemp seeds, but never thought to use them in a juice! 🙂
I was so worried about getting sick when we traveled recently! Between the stress, diet change, and germs, it’s bound to happen but we were lucky this time.
This juice looks like a great fix though! I love that you added hemp seeds. I hope you’re feeling better!