Hemp Hearts and Maca

I have been exploring a web site of products I love called Nevitas Naturals. During my browsing on their web site I noticed Nevitas Naturals sells Maca, a superfood I had once read about and the more I read up on it I thought it may be something I would benefit from. I could easily add it to my smoothies.

Maca is an herbaceous plant native to the high Andean Mountains of Bolivia and Peru. It is one of the only food plants in the world able to thrive at such a high altitude. Maca, and more specifically the root of the plant, has a long history as a superfood. The maca root was prized throughout the Incan empire for its adaptogenic-like qualities that enable it to nourish and balance the body's delicate endocrine system, and to help cope with stress. It also energizes naturally, without the jitters and crashes of caffeine, and it can aid in reproductive function, helping to balance hormones and increase fertility. Navitas Naturals Maca Powder is the raw and natural form of this special root. -Nevitas Naturals

Another superfood I always wanted to incorporate into my diet was hemp hearts. I had seen several smoothie recipes that used them and they seemed like a great way to get protein and fiber into my diet.

Hemp is a well-balanced vegetarian protein source that includes all of the essential amino acids. Not only is hemp one of the best veggie sources of protein, it’s easy for the body to digest and assimilate. Hemp also features plenty of other nutrients including abundant fiber, chlorophyll, vitamins and omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids. -Nevitas Naturals

I ordered both of these items on Amazon. The hemp hearts are interesting. They are little balls that have a nutty flavor to them. The serving size is 3 T but I just put a tablespoon into my smoothie in the morning. The maca is very interesting. It has the same similarities as a cocoa. Sort of earthy.

The first day of using the maca was not good. Yikes. I really needed a banana that day. I made a smoothie of spinach, pear, blueberry, almond milk, hemp hearts, maca, and chia seeds. Yuck!!! The blueberries were not a good match.

Today on the other hand I made the most amazing smoothie I have ever had. I have named it the peanut butter and jelly smoothie. I used:

1 banana
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1 handful of frozen strawberries
1 T natural peanut butter
1 T hemp hearts
1 t maca
1/2 T chia seeds

This thing was rockin!! I am telling you. This is my new smoothie. I would like to try it with some gluten free oats too but didn't have any today.

If you want to know what chia seeds are, I started buying these last summer when I was back home and a health food expert talked to me about them at the super market. I have been using them ever since.

Chia Seeds are an excellent source of healthy essential fatty acids - containing eight times more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon! Chia seeds are also one of the most digestible plant proteins, an excellent source of dietary fiber, and a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and free-radical fighting antioxidants. -Nevitas Naturals