My Transition to Plant-Based Eating (starting with a vegan Beet & Banana protein smoothie recipe)

Beet & Banana Protein Smoothie | Smoothies are an easy way to boost your daily fruit & vegetable servings.

Today marks Day 1 of my transition to a plant-based diet. If you know me personally, or have been following my blog for any amount of time, you know my love of meat. I'm not going to lie, I especially love pork products. Bacon is life! But what you may not know, or have only seen me mention occasionally is that I am currently undergoing chemotherapy after my double mastectomy.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June and have had our lives upended pretty dramatically since then. A good friend of mine who recently had gone through a similar diagnosis, keeps reminding me to look for silver linings. She said she never would've met so many amazing doctors, nurses & survivors if she hadn't gone through her journey. That being said, my most recent encounter was with an incredibly caring and insightful cardiologist.

I thought because I ate almost everything, I was pretty healthy, in general. She enlightened me, in no uncertain terms, telling me everything I was doing was pretty much garbage. Due to the specific chemo drugs I am on, there can be ongoing ramifications for my heart down the line & I need to do everything I can now to prevent that from happening. That includes more plant-based eating, reducing "bad" cholesterol & saturated fats.

While I don't really want to focus on my diagnosis or the therapy here (because everyone's medications & journey will be different), I DO want to share with you what I learn about health and lifestyle changes, & how they can be incorporated into even the most meat-loving families.

This is the beginning of my story. I don't have all the answers. I will still eat an incredible burger or cheese plate, if I choose. I'm not labeling myself as a vegan. But this is a transition and I encourage you to follow along, speak up and help me out if you can. Wish us luck!

Beet & Banana Protein Smoothie | Hello, Sweetie!

Banana & Beet Protein Smoothie:

• 2/3 cup frozen beet chunks
• 1/2 cup frozen Bing cherries
• 1/2 cup packed baby spinach leaves
• 12 oz Oat milk, unsweetened
• 1 medium banana
• 1 heaping Tbsp sunflower butter, unsweetened
• 3 Tbsp hemp hearts
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Blend until smooth! With 3 servings of fruits/ veggies & 24g of protein, this is a meal and a half... you'll stay full for hours!

yield: 1 large serving