Hemp Protein Smoothie Review

Through Fit Approach, I’ve been given the opportunity to test out lots of Manitoba Hemp products: hemp hearts, hemp bars and more recently hemp protein smoothie powder.

I’ll be completely honest, I’m normally not a protein power person so I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to review something that I generally don’t use on a regular basis. I was hesitant. Once selected for the review I figured I’d give it a go and give my honest opinion. Please note these opinions are my own.

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Flavours: Mixed Berry, Vanilla Chai and Chocolate. I’m not a Vanilla Chai person so I wasn’t sure if I’d like that to begin with. We’ve been having LOTS of smoothies for breakfast each morning and I’ve been adding the Hemp Protein Smoothie Powder in.

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The first morning I put the suggested amount of 4 tablespoons in and gave the smoothie to Lilly and she disliked it. I wasn’t bothered by it like she was but wasn’t sure that was the right amount of powder vs smoothie stuff. Over the next few days I played with the ratio and like 2-3 tablespoons vs 4.

I made a smoothie for my husband with the Vanilla Chai and he loved it. I tried it and wasn’t in love with it so lucky for him, he get’s to have that one to himself. I think one of the things I like about this product is that it’s vegan but that’s not their focus. With Saï being a vegan it can be a challenge to find products for him. All three flavours are vegan.

hemp heart protein smoothie

After my hard IronStrength workout on Monday, I decided to test out the chocolate hemp protein power with some chocolate milk/almond milk. I really loved it. This one is my favourite and I can see myself using it over and over. It wasn’t grainy, mixed really well; especially when you put the cap on right…ha ha yeah, I made a little mess.

Product Information:

Manitoba Harvest is launching a new smoothie product that combines HempPro 70 protein powder, organic harvest greens (spinach, kale and broccoli). Proteins and Greens!!! Each 30 gram serving has 15 grams of plant-based protein and is slightly sweetened with organic coconut sugar. You mix it with 12 oz of fruits/veggies for a smoothie or dairy/non-dairy like drink.

What I liked/disliked about it:

Pros:

  • Vegan
  • Chocolate flavour
  • Not grainy (at all!)
  • Easy to store in reusable bags
  • It has kale, spinach and broccoli in it, gotta get those greens in some how.
  • There website has recipes for baking with it…ummm, hello, yes please!

Cons:

  • Really didn’t like the Vanilla Chai flavour (though my husband did).
  • Would love to be able to buy it in my local grocery store where their other products are for sale.

Would I buy it on my own?

I would buy the chocolate hemp protein smoothie again for sure. The other two, I’d leave the Vanilla Chai for my husband and the Mixed Berry as a back up. If you are looking for something new to try out, I recommend giving the Manitoba Hemp Protein Smoothie a try.

Wanna try it? Here’s a code for you to get 15% off: hempsmoothielaunch16 until April 30th, 2016. You can also enter their contest social media platforms using the #hempproteinsmoothie hashtag! You can check our their website here. (300 gram bag for $24.99 Canadian). 

What’s your favourite flavour for protein powder?

Ever try Manitoba Hemp Protein?

What’s the most important “pro” when finding the right protein powder?

All opinions are my own. 

 

Johnny Miles Half Marathon Training Plan

Whoop Whoop! It’s time to start training for Johnny Miles Half Marathon!!!!!!!!! I’m a wee bit excited!

I’ve been trying to build my base for the last 10 week (yes, 10) and now ready to get into training mode. My first race is May 22nd (10 k) and first half marathon is in June (19), then mid September (5 and half) and possibly one in October.

Johnny Miles Half Marathon Training

Race: Johnny Miles Race Weekend

Number of Runners: 3,000 (2 day event)

Distance: 21.1 km (me)

Date: June 19th 2016 in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Who is Johnny Miles?

He was a Canadian (Nova Scotia) Marathon who won Boston in 1926 & 1929 and an Olympian. He supported his family while working as a kid in the coal mines and started running competitively throughout the Maritimes and beyond. I read a book about him two years ago and wanted to run this race after I read it.

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Details:

  • This is my first time running this event.
  • It’s 2 loops.
  • It’s 2.5 hours away. I’m staying over night with my running buddy Krystol. This is our first girls weekend away without kids and completed focus on the run.
  • Yes, it’s Father’s Day weekend 🙂
  • I’m planning to run, continue my weekly yoga class, increase my strength training (IronStrength), core and hopefully add in some cycling when weather/schedules permit. I’ll more then likely hit up GoodLife Fitness in the city when I can and hope to get in my long runs with my running buddy, Krystol.

Goals:

  1. To train for, run 21.1 km and successfully recover post race without any hamstring troubles.

Half Marathon Personal Best:

Currently is 2:05:10 in 2014. I’m not aiming for a PB but that’s what it is. My last half marathon was October 2015; PEI Marathon and finished in 2:13:28.

Training Plan: Hal Higdon’s Intermediate Training Plan.

I’m going back to the intermediate training plan as I really enjoyed it before and not feeling like I’m starting from scratch with my hamstring. I also don’t want to push it with training this time around and move on to Intermediate 1/2 just yet. I really want to build some more strength in my hamstring, glutes and core before focusing a lot on speed.

Note: I’ve taken the Intermediate in miles and changed it over to kilometres since that’s what I run in. Feel free to use this however, you may want to decide on how many km vs miles you want to run. Sometimes I rounded up, sometimes down.JohnnyMilesHalfTrainingWork Hard & Trust Your Training!

What are you currently training for?

Ever run Johnny Miles? 

What’s your BEST tip for training for a half marathon? 

 

 

DONE Building My Base Week 10!!!

Woohoo! 10 weeks of trying to building my base – stay active – keep my fitness going – You name it…it’s done!

Really, it was just something to help keep me focused through the winter and NOT training for a race.

Week #10

What was Planned vs What Really Happened:

Monday March 21st: Yoga | Rest Day & Plank (90 seconds). Snow storm day. I went to work in the morning and then worked from home in the afternoon.

Tuesday: Yoga | Yoga & 30 Push UpsI loved yoga class. I tried a new post (can’t remember the name) but instantly had a bruise forming on my left triceps from it. It looks like someone poked me hard.

Wednesday or Thursday: Run | 5 k Treadmill Run(I can’t remember which day I ran). It wasn’t a fantastic run but it wasn’t terrible either so…it was a completed run for the books.

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Friday: Run | NothingI had planned to run first thing in the morning which turned into going in the afternoon….to an evening run. Once the evening hit and the girls were in bed, I just decided not to run. No excuses, no injuries, no complaints…I just flat out decided not to run. I wasn’t too happy that I gave up so easy.

Saturday: Run/Gym | Nothing (50 squats)I traveled into the city for my Dad’s 70th…yes 70th birthday party and was hoping to either run or get to the gym in the evening. That didn’t happen. Another day, another missed run/workout 😦 This isn’t good. I did fit in my 50 squats for Team Spark.

Sunday: Run | 7 k OutsideThis was by far the worst run I’ve had in a LONG time. (Still at my parents place) I got up a 7:15 and missed the girls Easter egg hunt as they were up at 6:15 with Grandad. I took me until 9:30 or so to get out the door and that was with some encouragement from my mother.

THE RUN:

I wasn’t going into the run with a good attitude (problem #1). I started off slow and left had two hills up and one large one down to get out of the subdivision. I decided to run on the BLT Trails which were frozen gravel. I got rather annoyed for some reason with the condition of the trail: frozen footprints from other people and bike tracks. For some reason I was struggling running in the frozen footprints…weird eh!

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I came across a Boston runner…he passed me from behind and said “good morning”… I chimed in with “good morning” as the past by me and a much faster pace.

I hit another subdivision where my sister lives and ran near by her house. I did far more walking then I wanted to. I still wasn’t loving my run and was about 4k from away from my parents place.

“Just keep running, just keep running” (like “just keep swimming” from Dory – Finding Nemo). Anyway. I was hating this run. I thought some fartleks would help but that didn’t. I thought some extra hills would help but that didn’t either. The only thing that I liked was hitting my “save” button once I hit 7k.

Am I glad I did the run – heck ya. Did I love it…nope, not one second. That’s just life!

KM this week: 12

Week 9 is here.

Why did I do “Building My Base”? To be honest, I needed something to keep me focused and keep me going. Though this winter was by far extremely easy weather wise, I still struggled a lot with running but managed better with my hamstring this year than last.

Also, we went skiing a lot more this year which was a nice change and I went to yoga almost once a week for the last six months. I’m absolutely loving yoga and feel like it’s making me stronger as I’m able to do different poses and hold others longer.

What’s next? It’s time to start training for my 4th Half Marathon!!!!!!!!!!! Yup, this week is #1 for the Johnny Miles Half Marathon (June 19th). More about this soon!

How was your weekend?

Did you eat all the Easter candy?

Anyone else training for a half marathon right now?

261 Fearless: Inspirational Women

With March being Women’s History Month, I was asked to write a post about an inspiring female in my life (as part of the 261 Fearless Ambassadorship). I sometimes find this one hard as I feel like I have many inspiring females in my life not just one. Can I narrow it down?

So I thought about it a little more. Who really inspires me and why? Who motivates me? Who do I look to when struggling or facing a challenge? Who is that person? Or Who are those women?

Who is an inspirational female in my life?

Growing Up.

As a child, I grew up playing soccer. Soccer in the back yard, summer team, indoor soccer, competitive soccer and recreational soccer when competitive soccer wasn’t available. Mia Hamm was inspiring to me as I saw her as a strong, talented and successful female when I was this little kid. I LOVED soccer growing up. If I wasn’t at the soccer field, there was a good chance I was playing soccer at home or training (fartleks, speed work and long runs).

She was a role model for me. To be completely honest back then I didn’t even know any Canadian female soccer players, so she stood out for me.

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Canadian Athletes.

As years have gone on, I’ve come to seek out Canadian athletes mainly through the Olympics as I want to know who they are. I want to know who our future leaders are going to be. I want to be able to list off female athletes as easily as I can male athletes. Over the years Clara Hughes (Cycling & Speed Skating), Heather Moyse (Bobsledder) and of course Christine Sinclair (Soccer) have been inspiring. All Olympic athletes, all with a story to tell and all with determination and dedication to their respective sports.

They are inspiring because of their success in sport but also in their success off the field/ice etc. They have become motivational speakers, mental health promoters and visible in the communities/country making an impact on the younger generations of females in sport.

Work Related

Over the last few years, I’ve had the luxury of working with success women in the sport, recreation and physical activity fields. I’ve learned from their leadership roles, their confidence and their passion. It’s made me think about how I want to be seen in a leadership role, how I want to be more confident and live my passion through my work. PS – I love what I do.

I’ve also been really lucky to work alongside many of my University classmates and friends who are doing amazing things within their work/positions. As they succeed, they inspire me. For those locally who read my blog, I’m talking about Dawn S, Kerry C, Gabby G, Rachel B., you gals inspire me.

Currently.

Who inspires me currently: Friends & Other Moms. My mom, my friends who are mom’s, bloggers I’ve gotten to “know” online. Seeing them balance work, single parenting, children, passions, training for races, challenges and obstacles is pretty inspiring. It’s also inspiring to know I’m not alone in this parenting world and other Mom’s have suggestions to share.

Running bloggers who share amazing tips, things to try, food recipes to eat and support when you are down and injured. A few inspiring female running bloggers: Suz, Kyla, Heather, Helly, and Michelle.

Local female runners also inspire me. When they share their run social media or in a twitter chat, it’s inspiring, it’s motivating and exciting to see how they are succeeding. It’s also inspiring when someone asks to run with you because they know you like to run.

My runny buddy (mother runner), Krystol.

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So, no I can’t say that I have one female that is inspiring to me. I simply cannot narrow my list down. I’m lucky to have so many inspiring females cross my path and motivate me along the way.

Who inspires you? (Male or Female)

Why do they inspire you?

Do you have a female blogger that inspires you? Share their blog below 🙂