Ginger Pear Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

As we head towards the hottest months and, for many of us, hardcore training for fall races, the last thing we want to do is cook. Rice bars, energy bars- anything I would normally bake in the oven makes me tired and cranky and a hot mess. Luckily one of my online training buddies has turned me on to smoothie recipes from Brendan Brazier, author of Thrive and Thrive Foods. Brazier focuses on an all vegan nutrition plan for endurance athletes, something I enjoyed researching but my husband immediately refused to have any part of. Rice bars with eggs and bacon- he was more than happy to give them a test run. But smoothies with hemp seeds and grated ginger? No thanks. Luckily my oldest daughter is also a competitive swimmer, so I brought her on board as my second taste-tester.

Two of Brazier’s smoothies have become regulars for me- partly because they are cold, but mainly because they are really easy to prepare and adapt. Instead of traditional smoothie ingredients such as yogurt, sweeteners, and juices, Brazier focuses on whole fruits and hemp hearts, an excellent vegan protein source. One of his recipes is supposed to be anti-inflammatory smoothie, a claim I was not quite sure I believed until I did some extra research on ginger root and found that it actually has two great benefits- calming upset stomachs (which I already knew from 3 pregnancies) and soothing sore muscles and cramps. I drink this Ginger Pear anti-inflammatory smoothie about twice a week, and one batch makes two smoothies- plenty to share or, in my case, I end up drinking both servings as I absolutely love the recipe and my daughter said it was just okay. For me this is a perfect any-time-of-day healthy snack and leaves me feeling refreshed and full of energy.

Ginger Pear Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie
By Brendan Brazier, from THRIVE

Ingredients:

1 banana
½ pear, cored (I use a whole pear)
1 ½ cups ice plus 1 cup water
1 tablespoon ground flax seed (I use a flax and chia seed mix)
1 tablespoon hemp protein (I use hulled hemp hearts)
1 tablespoon ground ginger (or a little less- use a fine grater)

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Note: It is not exactly pear season down in SWFL but it is time for Georgia Peaches, so I bought some at my favorite farm-stand and substituted 1 whole peach for the pear. I again had my daughter taste-test it and she said it was great but no ginger please. Me? I love ginger, can’t get enough of it, and love the tingle my lips have after a serving of this smoothie.

What about you? What are you mixing and blending in your nutritious kitchen? What are your go-to healthy recipes that also work during our hot season?

By: Anne Reed, amateur triathlete.