With the lazy days of summer a not-so distant memory, fall seems like an extra busy time with school back in session and work in overdrive. As a result, our diets often take a backseat, particularly the first meal of the day. Here is a solution for all you time-starved, breakfast-skippers out there: an energizing, hemp smoothie recipe that promises to make your life easier in the morning. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and it's so delicious.

I started making shakes for breakfast about five years ago when I scheduled personal training clients in the wee hours of the morning. I would get up at 5:30 a.m. and needed something fast that would keep my insulin in check (blood sugar balanced), fuel my brain and energize my body in a pinch.

If you are a breakfast skipper, like I once was many years ago, then here's an observation that I will share with you: My clients who skip breakfast are the ones who tend to have more body fat.

And let me explain why this makes perfect sense. When you wake up in the morning your metabolism is in slow-mo from being in rest and repair mode all night. If you don't eat breakfast, what do you think happens to your metabolism? It slows down even more. Breakfast (and by that I mean the right breakfast) fires up your metabolic rate, increases your energy and gives you mental and creative power! And most of us can use more of that.

Recipe after the jump.

Hemp is an excellent choice for the protein component of this smoothie and I love it for all these reasons and more:

• Nutrition gurus, Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Udo Erasmus (the fat genuis who wrote Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill) both love hemp and recommend it.
• It's a source of essential amino acids, antioxidants, vitamin E and chlorophyll.
• The ratio of omega 6 to 3 is 3.75:1 and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), this is closest natural source to the ideal ratio of 4:1.
• Health benefits include: anti-inflammatory properties, it boosts the immune system, improves the appearance of your skin, hair and eyes, reinforces cerebral functions and aids in fat metabolism.

Hemp can be consumed as seeds, meal, flour, oil, butter and leaves. My favourite brand for this smoothie is Manitoba Harvest and it's called Hemp Protein Powder.

Smoothie ingredients
1-2 cups of almond or rice milk
1-2 tbsps of hemp powder
1 tbsp of organic coconut oil
2 servings of fruit: 1 banana, 4 strawberries or 1/2 cup blueberries
1 tsp cinnamon

Cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces, put all the ingredients in your blender and mix on med-high for 1-2 minutes. Puree until your desired consistency is met. Sometimes I add a few ice cubes to make it more refreshing, especially after a workout.

In this recipe, there are 15g of protein and 1200mgs of omega 3 per serving - wow!

Bonus tip: You can also get chocolate hemp protein powder which is great for killing a sweet craving mixed with one cup of almond milk.

Enjoy!
Joyous

Joy McCarthy, owner of Joyous Health, is a certified holistic nutritionist and health coach with a passion for inspiring people to eat well, live well and feel more joyous on a daily basis. Joy welcomes your questions or comments and although you may not receive a response, your submission will certainly be read and may be selected as a topic for a future column.