Ginger pear green smoothie

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Ginger pear green smoothie: an easy portable power breakfast packed with protein that's also low in calories, gluten free, dairy free, vegan ... and delicious!

Pears are one of my favorite things about fall. I'm less about pumpkin and more about pears. And lately I've been kind of obsessed with the pairing of ginger and pears (pairing pears -- ha ha! -- I didn't even plan that). And it's not just in recipes: I recently went a little cray cray when I found a ginger-pear hand lotion.

So when I was asked to incorporate Vega Essentials shake powder into a recipe, I knew it would be a ginger pear smoothie. (Which only makes sense because you shouldn't eat hand lotion, no matter how awesome it smells.)

I've really gotten into a smoothie groove lately. When you're trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, smoothies can be so helpful. They make eating a healthy breakfast easy and are a perfect afternoon treat when I'm in the mood for a little snack. Way better for me than answering the siren call of cookies!

I don't usually add protein powders to my smoothies, but after learning about Vega Essentials, I thought it would be the perfect thing to make my ginger pear green smoothie even greener and healthier, because it's made from real, whole-food ingredients. If you read the ingredient list, it includes whole foods and things you can actually pronounce, like broccoli, kale, carrots and flaxseed. Booyah.

And it's got an awful lot of nutrition packed into one scoop: 20 grams of plant-based protein, three servings of greens, 25 percent daily intake of food-based vitamins and minerals, plus fiber and Omega-3s—all with only 130 calories. Plus, it's gluten-free, vegan, and made with no added sugar, dairy, or soy ingredients, artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. That's pretty good stuff right there!

I picked up a container of the shake powder at Target (like I needed yet another excuse to shop at Target, right?!). It's easy to find in the nutritional supplements aisle.

Plus, as an added bonus, Target is offering a $5 coupon through October 10, 2015.

Here are some other fun tips for making this ginger pear green smoothie:

• Replace regular ice with nut milk ice, which we learned how to make last winter -- it lends just a hint of nutty flavor
• Use frozen chopped spinach in place of fresh
• Swap bottled chopped ginger for the fresh, if you're really pressed for time
• Make your smoothie by screwing a mason jar onto your blender. You can drink directly from the jar and save yourself some clean up time

What's your favorite thing to add to a fruity green smoothie to power it up for breakfast? Leave a comment: The Ninj wants to know.

Ginger Pear Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
1/2 of a ripe pear, cored and coarsely chopped
1 cup packed fresh baby spinach
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh ginger
3 tablespoons Vega Essentials shake powder
10 oz. water
1/2 cup regular or nut milk ice

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

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www.yankeekitchenninja.com
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