I can’t say that I felt much like a warrior during my first trimester. I did look and feel a little green though! I was cruising along feeling fine until week 6 came along and then I discovered that pregnancy hormones are no joke. All day nausea and extreme fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. The fatigue was like nothing I’d felt before; it’s almost like feeling tired deep in my bones. I considered it a successful day if I could peel myself off the couch and do something productive. As someone who likes to be in motion at all times, this was a big adjustment. I said to Eric, “I’ll never complain about PMS again!!” hah. It was difficult trying to crank out blog posts because I wasn’t the least bit excited about food. Even drinking water was a struggle for my nauseous tummy. I despised water with a passion. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it. Bedtime was 8:30pm most nights (that’s if I could make it that long without falling asleep on the couch) – Sketchie has been loving all this extra cuddle time though! Some mornings I would wake up after 11 hours of sleep which I still can’t wrap my mind around. The human body just amazes me how it conserves energy when it needs to. It’s been a great lesson in trusting that my body knows best.
Anytime I need a boost, I just think of the end result and I’m filled with a burst of excitement. I feel like I’m walking around with this little friend inside of me, who goes wherever I go and lets me know when to slow down and rest. Now that I’m in the second trimester I’m starting to get back a bit of energy although the nausea is still pretty strong some days. Last week, I stayed up until 10pm a few nights – a darn miracle if you ask me! Bring on the honeymoon trimester!
Spending a lot of energy cooking hasn’t been my forte many days. That’s why smoothies continue to be such an important daily aspect of my diet. In 10 minutes, I can have a smoothie in hand that would just about rival the most nutritious meal around. I’ve been drinking this smoothie as a way to pack in a ton of nutrition with minimal effort. This smoothie was actually a contender for my cookbook, but I didn’t finalize the recipe in time. However, the photo of this smoothie did make it into the book (see page 54). A couple of you noticed the picture and asked me for the recipe, so I’m sharing it today!
Drinking this makes me feel like a bit like a warrior (even if this warrior is asleep on the couch before her favourite show comes on TV). I even started doing a 30 minute prenatal workout which is another big victory of late. It’s the small things. It really is.
Kale – Rich in folate, vitamin C and K, calcium, iron, and beta-carotene. It’s also a hormone balancer, digestion booster, anti-inflammatory, and contains omega-3 fatty acids.
Grapefruit – Rich in vitamin C and is a great detoxifier for the liver.
Cucumber – Prevents water retention, promotes a healthy digestive track, packed with bioavailable minerals, vitamins, and electrolytes.
Celery – Rich in fibre and B vitamins, prevents water retention
Apple – Source of fibre and vitamin C, helps balance blood sugar levels, boosts digestion, reduces inflammation
Algae oil (DHA rich) – A sustainable, plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids. My go-to brand is NutraVege. Making up 97% of the fatty acids found in the brain, DHA is a very important long-chain fatty acid in the omega-3 family. It’s super important for pregnant women and children under the age of 2 as it supports brain, vision, and nerve development. Note: I don’t add this oil directly into the smoothie. I simply take it seperately so it doesn’t impact the flavour.
Virgin Coconut Oil – Coconut oil has antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. It’s rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) which help boost the metabolism and lower the risk of heart disease.
Hulled hemp seeds – A great source of complete protein, contains the ideal balance of omega 3-6-9 fatty acids, and is high in fibre. Hemp seeds also reduce inflammation in the body and balance hormones.
Mango – Rich in vitamin C, fibre, and beta-carotene. It also contains enzymes that help with the breakdown of protein in the body (great for the above protein-rich hemp seeds!).
Sources: Healing Foods: Eat your way to a healthier life, Flora Health
Green Warrior Protein Smoothie
Yield
3 cups (750 mL)
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Talk about a super charged meal in a glass! I use hemp hearts as the major protein source for this drink. In addition to being a complete protein source, hemp hearts also contain the ideal balance of omega 3-6-9 fatty acids and are high in fibre. They work wonderfully to make this smoothie super creamy, all without needing any banana. This smoothie also highlights one of my biggest cravings - the juicy red grapefruit - which is balanced with a sweet apple and buttery mango. If you prefer a sweeter smoothie, feel free to swap the grapefruit juice for coconut water or orange juice, or add a touch of liquid sweetener.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh red grapefruit juice*
- 1 cup (25 g) destemmed dinosaur/lacinato kale or baby spinach**
- 1 large sweet apple (200 g), cored and roughly chopped
- 1 cup (130 g) chopped cucumber
- 1 medium/large celery stalk (85 g), chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 3 tablespoons (30 g) hemp hearts, or to taste
- 1/3 cup (55 g) frozen mango
- 2 tablespoons (4 g) packed fresh mint leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) virgin coconut oil (optional)
- 4 ice cubes, or as needed
Directions
- Juice a red grapefruit and add 1/2 cup grapefruit juice to the blender.
- Now add the kale (or spinach), apple, cucumber, celery, hemp, mango, mint, coconut oil (if using), and ice. Blend on high until super smooth. (If using a Vitamix, use the tamper stick to push it down until it blends). You can add a bit of water if necessary to get it blending.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy immediately! This makes enough for a large glass with some leftover so you can also divide it into two servings and save one for later.
Tip:
- * Feel free to sub the grapefruit juice with orange juice or coconut water if a sweeter smoothie is desired.
- ** I use dinosaur/lacinato kale because it has a milder flavour than regular curly kale. Feel free to use baby spinach too.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
The Oh She Glows Cookbook hits Costco US!
Today is a very special day – The OSG Cookbook hits shelves across Costco in the US! We are thrilled to have another major retailer pick up this cookbook. Don’t forget, it’s already in many Costco locations in Canada too. We’d love it if you could snap pictures of the book in Costco stores and share them on twitter using the hashtag #osgcookbook!
We’re packing up to move this week (ahh!) and my kitchen is all in boxes. *sniff, sniff. If you don’t hear from me again this week that’s why. Wish us luck!
How do you keep your Vitamix so clean? lol
“I feel like I’m walking around with this little friend inside of me, who goes wherever I go and lets me know when to slow down and rest.”
I LOVE the way you worded this, especially the first part of the sentence! When my (now four-month-old) son was one- or two-months old, since I am nursing and I find it more convenient to just take him with me than to pump, I realized, “We are pretty much inseparable. He’s just my little buddy right now!” A baby is an amazing addition to a person’s life!
Congrats on the pregnancy. I am 38.5 weeks, and have been enjoying this smoothie as a great way to beat end-of-pregnancy fatigue. I plan on making a batch (or having my husband do it) when I go into early labor to keep me going. Best of luck to you!
I just love it! First time that I tried hemp seeds :-). Thank you so much.
Congratulations on your pregnancy, Angela! I’m 8 weeks along with my first, taking algae supplements too. You look so fit in your pregnancy photos with the lemon that I thought, she must still be running, not sleeping 11 hours and feeling run down like me! So thanks for letting us know that your first trimester was tough, too! I have been on your blog for years, but glad to have a vegan pregnant blogger to follow during my vegan pregnancy. Thanks for such a great blog.
This looks so delicious!! Thanks for sharing!!
This might be silly, but does putting the hemp hearts in the blender not destroy their nutritional value at all? I’ve been playing around with adding them to my green smoothies and have wondered about it as I pour them in my nutribullet! :)
Such a lovely recipe, will definitely try it out.
Just want to say I bought your cook book, and believe me I have a lot of them but must say yours is the first one I have ever used this much I love everything that I have tried Thanks for putting out such a great cookbook, and congrat,s on becoming parents,
Gee. Everything looks divine and the recipes are extraordinary, but who has the time to shop for all these things, and then make all these things? I just wish there were a chain of restaurants that served the food in this book, or a frozen food line for them. I”m so tired of hunting, gathering and preparing…
Besides tasting fantastic, this smoothie freezes well! I clunked it into my Vitamix (Um, yeah, perhaps an ice cube tray would have been a better idea.) and whirled half of the recipe with 1 cup of coconut water. This will taste so yummy on hot summer mornings.
I had such intense fatigue during my first trimester too — and then I read somewhere that it partially relates to the growth of the placenta during this period (not sure if that’s true, but I took it!) It was oddly satisfying to see the placenta come out after the birth… it looked huge and I was like – that explains that crushing fatigue! My body was building a person AND a big organ! Whoa!
Another great green smoothie!
As another vegan runner who is hoping for a baby soon, I’d love to hear about how you’ve modified (or not modified?) your workouts and what DVDs, etc you’re enjoying now. From this post, I think I can guess your answer for the first trimester… But I’d love to hear any insights you have :)
Thank you so much for putting the nutrition information! It would be so great if you could include more nutrition information in the future. My husband is recently diagnosed with diabetes. As part of his health care management we are trying to switch to more plant based meals. My friend introduced me to your blog and bought me your amazing cookbook. We have to do carb counting for him so I have mainly been relying on diabetic friendly cookbooks that include carb servings. I love your recipes though and would love to be able to use more of them without the added hassle of having to figure out the nutrition facts.
This is so delicious! I am extremely sensitive to gluten and dairy and fortunately moved past that point a while ago of being sad that I couldn’t eat all of that processed food. I love to experiment and try new things that make my body and tastebuds happy. I ran across this site looking for raw recipes since I am about to do a long trek and have been sans stove for a few weeks.
I’m staying in B&Bs on this trek and some people “get it” but then some don’t. So, I’m looking for good raw meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) that I can prep quickly with my rollup cutting board, knife, and blender bottle.
Thank you!
I love this smoothie. Tastes awesome. I felt ok after drinking it. Unfortunately, my food sensitivity results conducted by my naturopath showed that I am intolerant to kale. I would never have guessed that I couldn’t eat kale. Think that the smoothie would taste ok with spinach instead of kale?
Also very tasty with a pear and pineapple instead of apple and mango! I had this for my breakfast at school, and all the kids wondered what I was drinking!
Loved this recipe!!! So yummy and nutritious, plus the protein content is amazing!!! I have been enjoying this smoothie the past few days. I had run out of a few things this morning to make it so I substituted. Instead of the apple and cucumber, I added banana and spinach and found it just as delicious. I love my morning smoothies and love hearing of new ways to keep changing them.
I don’t usually comment on blog sites but I have to comment! Lol! This smoothie is amazing! If fact, every recipe I have tried from both your blog and your cookbook has been amazing! I am new to a vegan diet and am still learning and experimenting and I am so grateful for your blog and your cookbook! Thank you for taking the guess work out of these wonderful recipes! I have tried other recipes off of different sites and have sadly had to throw away some of them while others have been just kinda blah but I have only had successful results with your recipes! This is going to sound silly but I feel like your recipes have transformed my life! I have always had a love hate relationship with food and am now loving it and enjoying great tasting food knowing that what I’m eating and feeding to my family is not only delicious but also full of yummy goodness for optimal health! Thank you thank you thank you! lol! I am truly grateful!
Thank you for your lovely comment Angie! :) I’m SO happy you are loving the recipes.
So I just made this smoothie with my Ninja (on high for about 3 mins). I did everything as written except my mango wasn’t frozen, and I used 1 tbs of chia seeds vs. the hemp seeds. It tastes good, but I’m chewing after each sip from the straw. Also, mine is much darker than the one pictured. I’m fairly new to green smoothies, so any advice is appreciated,
Hi
How long does this stay fresh for in the fridge? I work nights so would be planning on making it before I go to work and having it for breakfast.
Thanks
Kerry ☺
I would say no longer than 1 day for freshness – you can certainly make it the night before and just give it a good stir in the morning.
Thanks. ☺
Thanks for creating a wonderful, delicous, and filling smoothie! I work in the medical field and don’t know when lunch will be. I have made this smoothie for the past 3 days and it has kept me full until lunch!
chopped everything last night and threw it in the freezer in a bag, so this morning making the smoothie was a breeze! So delicious. Thanks for the wonderful recipes.
This smoothie looks delicious! Having a latex fruit allergy, I’ve found it really hard to make a nice smooth smoothie without the use of banana or avocado. I can’t wait to try this this weekend!
I just made the Green Warrior for the first time, and I LOVE it. It’s delicious, and I love how protein-packed and healthy it is. Thank you!!!
VERY allergic to mango (and pomegranate as well unfortunately, boooo), any ideas for substitutes for this recipe? Or should I just skip past that flavor aspect and make the recipe with everything else?
How long do smoothies last in the fridge?
I love smoothies for breakfast, but I find I end up making mainly fruit based ones. I’m not sure if I know take too much sugar from all the fruit. Is it possible to make a tasty, non fruity or at least less sweet smoothie. Sometimes the ones I have tried just end up tasting earthy!
Thanks
Hi there;
are you able to sub grapefruit for bananas ?
Hi Ange – what is an alternative to hemp seeds? They are technically not legal where I live, nor are they readily available.
I’ve been looking for a great way to add some more protein into my diet and this is absolutely perfect!!
These posts are from March, and this is November, but I just had to report in. I found this recipe today, discovered I had all the ingredients in the kitchen, made the smoothie and boom! Taste sensation! This is the most delicious green smoothie I have ever had. I think it’s the mint. Or is it the mango? Whatever it is, the result is just amazing. Thank you, and good luck with everything.
I just made this and loved it. Though I couldn’t get the hemp seeds of frozen mango in my part of the UK (at least not this week).
One thing I would question though. You say cucumber and celery prevent water retention. Surely that’s only by virtue of them being mostly water rather than some extra benefit you wouldn’t gain from just drinking enough water in the first place.
I’m the owner of lushtummy.com….a smoothie delivey in Toronto, Canada….and I just wanted to tell you that I Love the info you provide here….very informative….I just recently took up smoothies and raw foods…and it has changed my life.
Thank you for enriching it even further !!!
This is one of my absolute favorite smoothies! I make it daily!
Is there a substitute for the hemp seeds? I have several plant/pollen type allergies, and unfortunately I’ve reacted negatively to help lotion so I’m afraid I’d react badly to hemp seeds. Thanks.
This smoothie is so awesome! Super healthy and delicious! I absolutely love your creative vegan, gluten-free recipes and your blog! Keep ’em coming! :-)
Hi Angela,
love your fabulous recipes, been using them as part of my plant based lifestyle for a few years. I noticed in this post you recommend the algae oil. I’ve never tried it, currently using flax oil. Any insight on whether one is better than the other? I’m thinking of starting to introduce to my 1 year old. Thanks!
I’m a fan of your book! I just discovered this recipe a couple days ago and I’ve been having it every morning, sharing with my 9 month old. My husband thinks I’m ridiculous because I won’t shut up about this smoothie. I’m so in love!
So good!! This is one of my favorite smoothies.
I thought mint was one of the herbs which reduces breast milk? I have avoided it for 2 yrs because of that reason…???
Lots of good things in this smoothie and it was fresh tasting. Next time I will leave out the coconut oil ( did not need the calories) and the celery. The celery gave it to much of a grassy taste for me. I’m not a huge fan of celery though so that may be just me!
Super tasty! This is great when my stomach doesn’t feel like solid foods, and it is an energy boost. Since my doc said that cucumber was one of my inflammatory foods, I’ve been substituting peeled chopped zucchini and you can’t taste a difference! Going to make one right now.
This morning I tried my very first green smoothie. While I was throwing all ingredients in the blender, was thinking how to find courage to drink it. I was very surprised how good it tastes! What is even more surprizing is that at this very moment MY HUSBAND is drinking it also! ( I wished his mom could see it! Just by telling her that she won’t beleive me). The guy, who’s name by the way is also Eric, who would turn his nose away from everything looking greenish just finished his first glass of very green drink ;-) Miracles happen after all… Definitaly 5 stars for this smoothie
Thank you so much for this recipe, it really sounds amazing! I am fairly active, so I was thinking about boosting the protein content with some peanut butter. Does anyone have any thoughts about this by chance?
Delicious… I’m having one right now
A Vitamix blender is a great investment.
Do you have a substitution for the grapefruit?
This tastes amazing!
This is the absolute best morning green smoothie. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the awesome smoothie recipe- just made it and enjoying the delicious blend as I write this:-) I used half a granny smith and a little extra water- it tastes wonderful. Have a bun in the oven myself and like yourself the first trimester was a queasy and miserable road. Looking forward to trying some more of your healthy and tasty recipes!
Congratulations, Dorothy! I hope you’re feeling better in the second trimester. :) So glad to hear you’re loving the smoothie!