Chocolate & Pear Protein Shake
This is the shake my kids ask for over and over again. It is often their after school snack or a quick breakfast. I even pack it in my daughter’s lunch from time to time. I don’t tend to post a lot of smoothie recipes, mostly because I feel like I just toss a bunch of what ever I have on hand in the blender and name it Smoothie; who would be interested? This recipe however, has become something quite consistent and when I mentioned it on Facebook, someone asked for the recipe. So…I thought maybe you would be interested in some of the blended concoctions I come up with!
I have come to love the pear and chocolate combination. The pear adds a thick creaminess to recipes and I think it is the best alternative when you have a latex fruit allergy and are unable to eat avocado OR banana.
I buy protein powder that is just simple protein and not a mix where you only need to add water or milk. When looking for a vegan or dairy free protein powder, the mixes pretty much always have flax in them and Owen and I can’t eat Flax Seeds, so I blend a number of fruits, veggies and natural sweetener myself to get the same results as a mix.
For this smoothie, we use straight-up hemp protein powder. Hemp protein has a pretty strong taste, so we have to mask it a bit with the pear, cocoa, spinach, vanilla, maple syrup and other options, that I will share.
This shake is gluten free, vegan, nut free, soy free and paleo friendly
- 1 ripe pear stem and core removed
- 1 cup of loosely packed spinach
- 2 tbsp vegan hemp protein powder
- 1-2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp dairy free cocoa powder
- 1 tsp Ground Vanilla Beans
- ¾ cup dairy free milk (I used coconut)
- 5 ice cubes
- Place all ingredients in a blender
- blend and serve
Other Optional additions:
1 tbsp sunflower seed
butter or nut butter (helps hide taste; I add if shake is a meal replacement,
don’t add if it’s for a snack)
1 tbsp chia seeds
(for the health benefits, makes you feel full longer, adds thickness to the
shake)
1 serving of
probiotic if you are in a hurry in the morning!Place all ingredients in a blender on high until smooth.
