cheap eats [vegan organic protein sources]

Hope you got a few new green smoothie ideas from the recipes I shared yesterday. 

A good friend of mine, who sells nutritional supplements to richer people than me, suggested that I should get more protein in my diet, based on my goals and workout plan. The best way to add in a protein powder for me is to add it to my green smoothies. I don't want to mess up all that wonderful vegan raw awesomeness, so I was on the hunt for an organic, vegan protein source. 

I found two that I use almost daily. 

The first is hemp protein. I buy this exact one from Amazon- not cheap exactly, but worth it. Hemp is considered a complete protein, meaning it has adequate amounts of all eight essential amino acids, just like your traditional meat-and-eggs protein sources (but without the fat and calories). It does have a very mild plant-y taste, but in any of the recipes I shared yesterday it's undetectable. There are 20 grams of protein (!!) per 30 gram serving, which is just 110 calories. That's a great ratio, trust me, I've been doing the research. I usually half or even quarter the serving size, depending on what other proteins I plan to ingest through the day.

The second is chia seeds. YOU CAN DO SO MUCH WITH CHIA SEEDS! The little seeds suck up the water and create a gel which you can drink on your own or make into a paste. My dear friend over at Eat Simple Love Yoga has shared this recipe for chia water. I make a chia paste every Sunday (1/3 cup seeds, 1 cup water, shake a few times in the first 5 minutes then toss it in the fridge for a week) and use it in my smoothies. Make a healthy pudding by mixing 1/4 cup of seeds, 1 cup of nut milk and any spices or sweeteners you want, like honey and cinnamon. I add chia to oatmeal and hummus as well.

Just two tablespoons give you 7g of fiber, 4g of protein, 5g of omega-3's, and some substantial calcium, which is great if you're cutting out dairy. I thought about good ol' flax seeds, but you need to grind them to access the omega-3 fatty acids, and they can go rancid, where as chia seeds are good for-ev-er. 

Plus you can always grow a chia plant if you want, which is a great option to have in your back pocket.