The grind of a long spring season is in full swing. Hours spent afield, early mornings and even later evenings wreak havoc on the body and mind. You’re hunting hard, working, spending time with the family and still trying to keep a handle on your workout routine. It’s exhausting. During this time, if we’re not careful, we will run our bodies right into the ground. Sickness and physical injury will result.

Besides rest — which, let’s face it, isn’t going to happen — the key to staying healthy and injury-free is a proper diet. No, I’m not a nutritionist, and I don’t have a NASA-pedigree when it comes to nutrition. What I do know is that the busier I get, the poorer I eat. Why? I don’t have time to prepare my typical high-protein, high-fat (healthy fats) and vegetable-rich diet. When I get busy, I simply don’t eat or make very poor food choices. Don’t follow my suit. There are plenty of quick, nutrient-filled meals you can make in a hurry. Though I often slack, the smoothie recipe below is one of my go-to quickies. All you need is a 20-ounce container, a blender and the following items:

Ingredients

• 1 banana
• 1 cup of frozen fruit (I prefer peaches, strawberries, grapes and raspberries.)
• 4 ounces of Noosa Yoghurt (I prefer blueberry, but any flavor will do.)
• 1 serving chopped almonds
• 1 scoop of MTN OPS Magnum 100 % Whey Protein Isolate
• 1 scoop MTN OPS Ignite
• 3 ice cubes
• 6-8 ounces of water

Directions

Blend all of the ingredients above to desired consistency. That’s it! Bottoms up, and enjoy.

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Not only does this smoothie taste like an amazing desert, but it’s loaded with nutrients. I’ve found the MTN OPS Ignite (Green Apple flavor … yum!) provides me with sustained energy without the crash. When mixed with a couple of BCAA capsules, it really helps with post-hunt and post-workout recovery. The MTN OPS Whey provides 23 grams of protein, 1.5 grams of L-Glutamine and 5 grams of BCAA. It is also loaded with essential and non-essential amino acids.

In less than 5 minutes, you can prepare a healthy shake containing 765 calories and 45 grams of protein. Oh, and did I mention it tastes like a desert? I’m addicted to these things. Plus, you can change it up by using different fruit and yogurt flavors. I have at least two shakes per day, but only use the MTN OPS Ignite in one of them. Enjoy!

Featured image: MTN OPS (Facebook)