Almond, Sunflower and Berries Shake

bluemoon downunder's Note:

Being an excellent source of protein, the nuts and seeds in this shake make it a nourishing breakfast that will help you re-charge so that you are ready to meet the demands of the day ahead. Soaking the nuts and seeds overnight increases their digestibility and therefore the healthfulness of this shake. Just drain off the water the nuts have soaked in overnight before making your shake with clean water and the other ingredients. This shake will obviously be more nutritious if you use organic nuts, seeds and fruits. Adapted from a recipe on Dr Joseph Mercola’s website, together advice from my naturopath.

• Total Time: 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 2 tablespoons organic almonds
• 2 tablespoons organic sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons organic flax seeds
• 3 cups water, filtered (11/2 cups if using juice)
• 1/2 cup fresh apple juice
• 1 bananas or 1/2 cup fresh blueberries or 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

1. If you have soaked the nuts and seeds overnight, use a small sieve to drain off the water.
2. In a blender or processor with the lid on, process the almonds, sunflower and flax seeds on high, until they are coarsely ground.
3. Pour in filtered water slowly at first, so that the blades reduce the ingredients to a thick consistency.
4. Add the remaining liquid and continue blending.
5. Add apple juice, banana or berries, vanilla extract and nutmeg, and blend until frothy. Pour into a glass and drink immediately.
6. Health Tip: If you suffer from fatigue at any time during the day when the demands of work do not permit a siesta break, keep a small container of almonds with you at all times. Even half a dozen almonds will give you that much-needed energy boost. Bananas are pretty good in the same way but almonds are more portable and sometimes eating a banana just isn’t an option!

Reviews

[Sydney Mike]

VERY NICE DRINK! As with at least one other reviewer, I used frozen fruit just to give it a 'frost' & also substituted apricot nectar for the water! Really liked the adding of nuts & seeds, as it gives a nice change from the usual! Thanks for sharing the recipe! [Tagged, made & reviewed in Gimme 5 tag]

[kelly in TO]

I quite liked this, I love adding seeds and nuts to my smoothies for texture and protein, thanks this was a good mix.

[PaulaG]

This is not something I would probably make again without making some changes. DH said it was okay. I think I like Rita's idea with the mango juice in place of the apple. I also used frozen fruit and mixed everything in the Vita Mix. I added a touch of honey for sweetness