The Survivor

I call this one The Survivor because it is a fighting machine! I found this recipe to be fitting for my first post because I made it for myself every morning that I was home from the hospital and it always left me feeling healthy, nourished and ready to fight! This smoothie includes banana, berries, spinach, flax, spirulina, and many more amazing whole food ingredients to start your day.

I always have tons of frozen fruits and vegetables in my freezer. I started this when I was going through treatment and had to follow a strict neutropenic diet for nearly five months. (A neutropenic diet is followed by certain types of cancer patients when chemotherapy treatment causes lower levels of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell. This diet helps to protect the patient from bacteria, so they may only eat foods that are cooked, processed, and pasteurized.) Thankfully, the two fresh food items I was allowed to eat were bananas and oranges because of their thick peals. So combined with some frozen spinach and fruit, I was able to whip up this smoothie and still feel like I was getting a dose of something fresh and healthy. 

This smoothie is great for breakfast, post workout, or as a mid-day meal or snack, and contains a whopping 30 grams of protein! 

The Survivor Smoothie

(Makes 1-2 Servings)

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 banana
1 handful frozen spinach or kale
1/4 cup frozen berries
2 Tbs ground flax, hemp or chia seeds
1 Tbs almond butter
1 tsp spirulina
1/2 scoop vegan vanilla protein powder
dash of cinnamon
*I like to add a few ice cubes and a splash of water to the blender to make the drink colder and thin the consistency 

Instructions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend!

I hope you all enjoy one of my favorite recipes.

xo Natalie